JP4353101B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine that sells various products, and more particularly, to a vending machine having a mechanism for receiving a product placed on a product storage rack and transporting it to a product outlet.

  Conventionally, a plurality of product storage racks arranged in the upper and lower stages and the left and right rows in the main body case, a bucket unit for receiving products discharged from the product storage rack at the receiving position, and the bucket unit from the receiving position to the main body case There is a vending machine having an XY transport mechanism for transporting to a take-out position at the bottom of the XY. The merchandise storage rack includes a merchandise dispensing mechanism that places merchandise on an upper surface thereof and dispenses merchandise. The bucket unit incorporates a drive mechanism that drives the commodity delivery mechanism. In such a vending machine, the bucket unit is in a standby position (extraction position) corresponding to the product outlet in a standby state before product sales. Then, when money is inserted by the purchaser and the product in the product storage rack is selected by the product selection button, the bucket unit is moved to the position of the selected product storage rack, and the product is received. Move to the extraction position. Then, the purchaser takes out the product from the product outlet and the sale of the product ends (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-10-302140

  However, in the conventional vending machine, the movement of the bucket unit is started after the purchaser inserts money and selects a product. For this reason, the purchaser waits while the bucket unit moves to the receiving position corresponding to the commodity storage rack with the selected commodity and further moves to the take-out position. That is, there is a problem that the sales time of the product is long.

  Further, in the conventional vending machine, since money is inserted after the purchaser selects a product, there is a problem that this cannot be canceled if the selected product is wrong.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of reducing the sales time of a product and correcting the selection after the product is selected.

In order to achieve the above object, a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with a receiving position for receiving a product placed inside the main body case and a take-out position for taking out the product received outside the main body case. Vending machine comprising: a product unloading means for moving the product cradle; a product selection means for selecting a product to move the product cradle to the receiving position; and a payment processing means for performing a deposit process If the product selection means is validated before the payment processing by the payment processing means and the product is selected by the product selection means before the payment processing by the payment processing means, the product unloading means The cradle is moved to a receiving position corresponding to the selected product .

  The vending machine according to claim 2 of the present invention has selection correction means for correcting the selection of the product made by the product selection means before the payment processing by the payment processing means in claim 1. Features.

  In the vending machine according to claim 3 of the present invention, in the above-mentioned claim 2, the number of corrections by the selection correction unit is integrated, and the product selection unit is invalidated when the number of corrections reaches a predetermined number. It is characterized by.

  The vending machine according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vending machine according to the third aspect, wherein the number of corrections is determined when the commodity carrying-out means moves to the take-out position in response to a depositing process by the payment processing means. And the product selection means is validated.

  The vending machine according to the present invention activates the product selection means before the payment processing by the payment processing means, and moves the product receiving base to the receiving position in accordance with the selection of the product by the product selection means. For this reason, the deposit process can be performed before the cradle moves to the receiving position. As a result, the travel time of the cradle and the payment time overlap, so that the sales time of the product can be shortened.

  Further, the deposit process can be performed until the cradle moves to the receiving position or after the cradle moves to the receiving position. For this reason, when the selected product is mistaken for the desired product, this can be corrected.

  Further, the number of corrections is accumulated, and the product selection means is invalidated when the number of corrections reaches a predetermined number. For this reason, while preventing mischief etc., shortening of the machine life of a goods carrying-out means can be prevented. Further, the number of selection corrections is initialized when the cradle moves to the take-out position and the product delivery is confirmed, so that the process of selecting and selling the product first can be returned to be executable.

  Exemplary embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

  1 is a front view showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of the vending machine shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the vending machine shown in FIG. is there.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the vending machine according to this embodiment includes a main body case 1 and a front door 3. The main body case 1 constitutes a heat-insulating housing and has an opening 2 in a substantially upper half on the front side. The front door 3 is formed by fitting a transparent plate material 3b such as glass into a rectangular frame 3a. The front door 3 is composed of a pair of left and right, and closes the opening 2, and is pivotally supported by the left and right edges of the opening 2 to open and close the opening 2 of the main body case 1 in the left-right direction. A locking device 4 is provided between the main body case 1 and the front door 3. The locking device 4 permits / denies the opening / closing of the front door 3 by the locking / unlocking operation from the front side of the main body case 1. The front door 3 is normally locked by the locking device 4 and is in an open / close refusal state. A handle 5 is provided at the open end of each front door 3 so that a hand can be placed when the front door 3 is opened.

  A product outlet 6 is provided below the front side of the main body case 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the commodity outlet 6 opens in a rectangular shape and communicates with the inside and outside of the main body case 1, and can be opened and closed by the outlet door 7. The lower part of the take-out door 7 is pivotally supported by the lower edge of the product take-out port 6 and rotates in the front lower direction to open the product take-out port 6. Further, the take-out door 7 rotates so as to automatically close the product take-out port 6 by the weight 7a. The extraction door 7 is provided with a door lock mechanism (not shown), and the closed state of the extraction door 7 can be maintained by this door lock mechanism.

  On the inner rear side of the main body case 1 and inside the opening 2 opened and closed by the front door 3, a product storage 8 is configured. The storage 8 is provided with a plurality of (six in this embodiment) product storage shelves 9. Each of the product storage shelves 9 is configured by arranging product storage racks 10 (hereinafter referred to as racks) as storage units in a plurality of rows (eight rows in this embodiment) in the left-right direction. The rack 10 is provided with a conveying means 11. The transport means 11 is formed by winding an endless transport belt 11b around rollers 11a arranged in parallel in the front and rear direction. The upper surface of the conveyor belt 11b is horizontally disposed in the front-rear direction. Then, the conveying means 11 puts the product on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 11b, drives the roller 11a, circulates the conveyor belt 11b, and pays the product from the rear toward the front (product delivery direction). put out.

  The racks 10 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction in such a manner that the product payout directions by the transport means 11 are parallel to each other. Each adjacent rack 10 is configured such that the transport means 11 can be interlocked. Therefore, if the conveying means 11 of the racks 10 adjacent to each other are interlocked, the rack 10 that stores and conveys a relatively large product can be obtained. In addition, if the conveyance means 11 of the adjacent racks 10 are sequentially interlocked, all the racks 10 arranged in parallel on one commodity storage shelf 9 can be made into one rack 10. In such a case, the total left-right width of all the racks 10 becomes the maximum area of the product payout area.

  Product unloading means is provided on the front side of the main body case 1 and in the front area of the product storage shelf 9. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the product carry-out means includes a product receiving base 12 (hereinafter referred to as a receiving base). The cradle 12 is formed to have a width corresponding to the total left and right width of all racks 10 arranged on one commodity storage shelf 9, that is, the same width as the maximum area of the commodity dispensing area. The cradle 12 has left and right side walls 13 at the ends in the left-right width direction. A receiving surface 14 is formed between the left and right side walls 13 so as to incline forward and downward to form a product storage area. The cradle 12 configured in this manner is provided so as to be vertically movable in the front area of the product storage shelf 9, and each receiving position for receiving the product corresponding to each product storage shelf 9 (two points in FIG. 3). And a take-out position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) for delivering the product to the outside of the main body case 1 corresponding to the product take-out port 6.

  Further, the product carry-out means includes a drive unit 15. The drive unit 15 is for driving the transport means 11 of the rack 10. The drive unit 15 is provided on the cradle 12 and is configured to be movable in the left-right direction of the cradle 12. Then, when the cradle 12 is in the receiving position, the driving unit 15 moves to a driving position corresponding to each rack 10 and transmits power to the conveying means 11 of each rack 10. In the rack 10 to which the power is transmitted, the conveyor belt 11b circulates and pays out the products on the conveyor belt 11b toward the receiving surface 14 of the receiving tray 12.

  Further, the product carrying means includes an inner door 16. The inner door 16 has a plate-like lower end pivotally supported on the lower front side of the cradle 12 so as to be rotatable in the front lower direction. The inner door 16 is allowed to rotate so as to open the receiving surface 14 of the receiving table 12 facing the product outlet 6 when the receiving table 12 is in the take-out position. At this time, the inner door 16 is in a position overlapping the take-out door 7 of the product take-out port 6, and rotates together when the take-out door 7 is rotated to open the product take-out port 6. Then, the product on the receiving surface 14 of the receiving tray 12 can be taken out from the main body case 1 through the product outlet 6. Further, the inner door 16 is controlled to rotate at a position where it is raised so as to close the front side of the cradle 12 when the cradle 12 is moved or moved to each receiving position, and is transported from each rack 10. The product is prevented from falling from the cradle 12.

  On the other hand, a cover member 17 is provided on the inner front side of the main body case 1 at the lower position of the lowermost product storage shelf 9 and at the upper position of the cradle 12 at the take-out position. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover member 17 is formed of a rectangular plate, and is configured to be pivotable in the front-up direction with the front end side being pivotally supported in a substantially horizontally disposed state. When the cradle 12 is in the take-out position, the cover member 17 rotates to a substantially horizontal position and hides the cradle 12. At this time, the cover member 17 is locked by the cover lock mechanism 18 and the concealed state is maintained. As a result, it is possible to partition between the area where the receiving tray 12 is located and the area where the receiving shelf 9 is located when taking out the merchandise on the receiving tray 12 from the merchandise outlet 6. Further, when the cradle 12 is moved, the cover member 17 is rotated to a substantially vertical position by releasing the cover lock mechanism 18 when the cradle 12 is moved to each receiving position. Allow.

  An operation unit 20 connected to the main body case 1 is configured outside the main body case 1 and on the right side of the main body case 1 in FIG. The operation unit 20 includes a billing unit 21 as a payment processing unit that accepts or deposits money or the like when automatically selling a product, and an operation unit 22 that selects a product. The billing unit 21 includes a bill slot 21a for receiving banknotes, a coin slot 21b for receiving coins, a return lever 21c for instructing return of change, banknotes and coins, a return slot 21d for returning change, and the like. Although not explicitly shown in the figure, the billing unit 21 has a function of processing payment by a payment medium such as a prepaid card, a credit card or an IC card, or a terminal incorporating an IC tag. The operation unit 22 includes operation buttons 22a such as a product selection numeric keypad constituting the product selection means and a confirmation key for confirming product selection, a product selection correction key constituting the selection correction means, and the selected product. It has a display panel 22b for displaying such a number or the received amount or change amount.

  By the way, the vending machine illustrated in the present embodiment can be used as a vending machine for automatically selling products, and can also be used as a showcase on the premise of manned sales. In the vending machine mode used as a vending machine, the front door 3 is locked and set so that the operation unit 20 can be used. In the showcase mode used as a showcase, the front door 3 is unlocked and the extraction door 7 cannot be opened and closed so that the operation unit 20 cannot be used. Further, in the showcase mode, the receiving stand 12 of the product carry-out means is put on standby at the take-out position, and the receiving stand 12 is covered with the cover member 17 to be concealed.

  In the vending machine described above, the rack 10 and the product carry-out means constitute a product delivery device. Hereinafter, details of the commodity dispensing apparatus will be described.

  Details of the merchandise carry-out means will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the cradle moving mechanism, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the drive part moving mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cradle 12 is moved up and down by the cradle moving mechanism 25. The cradle moving mechanism 25 is provided on each side plate 26 disposed along the left and right side walls inside the main body case 1. Each side plate 26 is provided with pulleys 27 at the upper and lower ends. An endless timing belt 28 is wound around each pulley 27. In one side plate 26, a support plate 29 extending from the left side wall 13 of the cradle 12 is fixed to a part of the timing belt 28. In addition, a balancer 30 that holds the weight of the cradle 12 is fixed at a symmetrical position of the position at which the support plate 29 is fixed in the timing belt that is hung around each pulley 27. In addition, in the other side plate 26, similarly to the one side plate 26, a support plate 29 extending from the right side wall 13 of the cradle 12 and a balancer 30 are fixed to the timing belt 28. Further, the pulley 27 at the upper end of each side plate 26 is connected by a rotating shaft 31. The rotating shaft 31 is rotationally driven by a motor 32. That is, by driving the motor 32, the timing belts 28 on the side plates 26 circulate synchronously, and the cradle 12 moves up and down while maintaining the weight by the balancer 30.

  Further, the position of the cradle 12 that moves up and down is detected by the cradle position detection means 33. The cradle position detection means 33 is disposed on one side plate 26 and the cradle 12. One side plate 26 is provided with a position detection plate 34 and a position confirmation plate 35 along the vertical direction in which the cradle 12 moves. The position detection plate 34 is provided with a notch groove 34a as a coordinate mark, and the position confirmation plate 35 is provided with a notch groove 35a as a check mark. Each notch groove 34a, 35a is provided corresponding to the position of the cradle 12 at each receiving position and extracting position. On the other hand, the support plate 29 of the cradle 12 is provided with a stop sensor 36 and a confirmation sensor 37 made of a photo interrupter so as to sandwich the position detection plate 34 and the position confirmation plate 35, respectively. Each sensor 36, 37 outputs a signal when it comes to the position of the notch grooves 34a, 35a, respectively. That is, the cradle 12 that moves up and down is detected by the cradle position detecting means 33 at each receiving position or taking-out position.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the drive unit 15 is moved in the left-right direction of the cradle 12 by the drive unit moving mechanism 40. The drive unit moving mechanism 40 is provided on a bottom plate 41 disposed at the bottom of the cradle 12. The bottom plate 41 is disposed between the left and right side walls 13 along the left-right width direction of the cradle 12. The bottom plate 41 is provided with pulleys 42 at the left and right ends. An endless timing belt 43 is wound around each pulley 42. A drive unit 15 is fixed to a part of the timing belt 43. One pulley 42 is driven to rotate by a motor 44. The bottom plate 41 is provided with a guide bar 45. The guide bar 45 is fixed in a manner parallel to the timing belt 43 wound around each pulley 42 over the lateral width direction of the cradle 12. The drive unit 15 is slidable along the guide bar 45. That is, the timing belt 43 circulates by driving the motor 44, and the drive unit 15 moves in the left-right direction while being guided by the guide rod 45.

  The position of the drive unit 15 that moves in the left-right direction is detected by the drive unit position detection means 46. The drive unit position detection means 46 is disposed on the bottom plate 41 and the drive unit 15. The bottom plate 41 is provided with a position detection plate 47 and a position confirmation plate 48 along the left-right direction in which the drive unit 15 moves. The position detection plate 47 is provided with a notch groove 47a as a coordinate mark, and the position check plate 48 is provided with a notch groove 48a as a check mark. Each notch groove 47a, 48a is provided corresponding to the position of the drive unit 15 at each drive position. On the other hand, the driving unit 15 is provided with a stop sensor 49 and a confirmation sensor 50 made of a photo interrupter so as to sandwich the position detection plate 47 and the position confirmation plate 48, respectively. Each sensor 49, 50 generates a signal when it comes to the position of the notch grooves 47a, 48a, respectively. That is, the drive unit 15 that moves in the left-right direction detects that it is in each drive position by the drive unit position detection means 46.

  In addition, as described above, the cradle 12 is provided with the inner door 16. As shown in FIG. 5, the inner door 16 is opened and closed by an inner door drive mechanism 52. The inner door drive mechanism 52 is disposed in the right side wall 13. In the inner door drive mechanism 52, a pin 54a is provided on a disc 54 that is rotated by driving of a motor 53. An arm 55 supported so as to be swingable can contact the pin 54a. The arm 55 abuts against the pin 54a by always urging the swing end side upward by a spring member or the like shown in the drawings. As a result, the swing end side of the arm 55 in contact with the pin 54a that moves by the predetermined circle activation by the rotation of the disk 54 swings up and down. A movable piece 57 that abuts on the swing end of the arm 55 is fixed to the rotary shaft 56 that pivotally supports the inner door 16. The inner door 16 is closed by the movable piece 57 being pushed when the swing end of the arm 55 swings downward. Further, the inner door 16 is allowed to open without the movable piece 57 being pushed by the swing end of the arm 55 swinging upward, and is biased to the open side by a spring member (not shown).

  An open state and a closed state of the inner door 16 by the inner door driving mechanism 52 are detected by the inner door opening / closing detection means 58. The inner door opening / closing detection means 58 includes a shielding piece 54b extending a part of the outer peripheral edge of the disc 54, and an opening / closing sensor 59 composed of a photo interrupter sandwiching the shielding piece 54b. Then, the inner door opening / closing detection means 58 detects that the inner door 16 is in the closed state at the timing when the shielding piece 54b is shielded from the state where it is removed from the opening / closing sensor 59. Further, the inner door opening / closing detection means 58 detects that the inner door 16 is in an open state at a timing when the shielding piece 54b deviates from the state where the opening / closing sensor 59 is shielded.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the cradle 12 includes a product take-in member 61. The product take-in member 61 is pivotally supported between the left and right side walls 13 across the left-right width direction of the cradle 12 on the upper end side of the inclined receiving surface 14 behind the cradle 12. The product take-in member 61 is a rod-like body that is elongated in the left-right width direction of the cradle 12, and a blade piece (not shown) is provided on the outer periphery along the longitudinal direction. The product take-in member 61 can be rotated by a take-in member drive mechanism 62 provided in the left side wall 13 of the cradle 12. The take-in member drive mechanism 62 is formed by winding an endless timing belt 65 around a pulley 63 provided at one end of a product take-in member 61 that is pivotally supported and a pulley 63 that is rotated by driving a motor 64. That is, the product take-in member 61 is rotated by driving the motor 64, and the product is taken into the receiving surface 14 side of the receiving tray 12.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the cradle 12 includes a commodity detection means 66. The product detection means 66 is configured by a light projecting / receiving type product detection sensor that is provided on each of the left and right side walls of the cradle 12 and includes a light projecting element and a light receiving element facing each other between the left and right side walls. The product detection means 66 includes a product detection sensor 66A at a position above the product take-in member 61, a product detection sensor 66B at a middle position of the receiving surface 14, and a product detection sensor 66C at a lower position of the inclination of the receiving surface 14. It is. That is, the product detection sensor 66A is provided at a position closest to the rack 10 in the product payout direction. Further, the product detection sensor 66B and the product detection sensor 66C are provided as different product detection means in the order of the product detection sensors 66B and 66C at a position subsequent to the product delivery direction from the position where the product detection sensor 66A is provided. . The commodity detection means 66 detects that the commodity has been paid out from the rack 10 to the receiving tray 12 by detecting the passage of the commodity by the sensors 66A, 66B, 66C.

  FIG. 6 is a front view showing the drive unit, and FIG. 7 is a side view showing the drive unit (a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 6). The drive unit 15 drives the transport unit 11 of the rack 10. The drive unit 15 meshes a reduction gear 72 with a motor gear 71 provided on the output shaft of the motor 70. The reduction gear 72 is provided with a pulley 73 that rotates coaxially. An endless timing belt 75 is wound around the pulley 73 and another pulley 73 provided on another support shaft 74. In addition, an interlocking gear 76 is provided on the support shaft 74 of the other pulley 73. A driving output gear 77 is engaged with the interlocking gear 76. Accordingly, the drive output gear 77 is rotated by driving the motor 70.

  The drive output gear 77 is connected to the interlocking gear 76 via a link 78. The drive output gear 77 rolls around the interlocking gear 76 while maintaining the meshed state with the interlocking gear 76 by the link 78. A movable member 80 is connected to the support shaft 79 of the drive output gear 77. A contact pin 81 is provided on the movable member 80. As shown in FIG. 7, the abutment pin 81 abuts on an extruding member 84 that is movable by a napier screw 83 driven by another motor 82. That is, the drive output gear 77 can move to the retracted position indicated by the solid line and the connecting position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Further, the drive output gear 77 in the coupling position transmits power to the transport means 11 of each rack 10 described above. The retracted position and the connecting position of the drive output gear 77 can be detected by a detecting means (not shown) that detects the moving position of the pushing member 84.

  Details of the rack will be described. 8 is a perspective view showing the rack, FIG. 9 is a side view showing the operation of the rack, and FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the operation of the rack.

  As described above, the rack 10 is provided with the conveying means 11 in which the endless conveying belt 11b is wound around the rollers 11a arranged at the front and rear. The conveying means 11 includes a front roller 11a as a driving roller (hereinafter referred to as a driving roller) via a conveying belt 11b, and a rear roller 11a as a driven roller (hereinafter referred to as a driven roller). Each roller 11 a is rotatably attached to a frame 86 that forms the base of the rack 10. A roller gear 88 fixed to the rotating shaft 87 of the drive roller 11a is provided on the left outer side of the frame 86. The roller gear 88 meshes with the intermediate gear 89. The intermediate gear 89 meshes with the drive transmission gear 90. The drive transmission gear 90 meshes with the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 described above. As a result, the roller gear 88 is driven from the drive transmission gear 90 via the intermediate gear 89, and power is transmitted to the drive roller 11a (conveying means 11). The drive transmission gear 90 is formed longer on the left side than the roller gear 88 and the intermediate gear 89 and protrudes most outward on the left side of the frame 86.

  In the frame 86, a gear 91 coaxial with the roller gear 88 is formed in the middle of the drive roller 11a. One of the paired connecting gears 92 meshes with the gear 91. The connecting gears 92 are provided at both ends of a support shaft 93 that is rotatably provided on the frame 86 in parallel with the rotating shaft 87 of the driving roller 11a. One connecting gear 92 meshes with the gear 91 of the driving roller 11a. is doing. The other connecting gear 92 is provided on the right outer side of the frame 86. That is, when the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 meshes with the drive transmission gear 90 to transmit power to the conveying means 11, the connecting gear 92 is also driven at the same time.

  The intermediate gear 89 and the drive transmission gear 90 are pivotally supported on the base member 94. The base member 94 is rotatably supported on the rotation shaft 87 of the drive roller 11a. That is, the intermediate gear 89 and the drive transmission gear 90 can be rotated about the rotation shaft 87 of the drive roller 11 a via the base member 94. During this rotation, the intermediate gear 89 maintains the meshed state with the roller gear 88 and the drive transmission gear 90. Further, one end of a long plate-like link member 95 is pivotally supported on the base member 94. The other end of the link member 95 is supported via a support pin 97 in a long hole portion 96 extending forward and backward on the left side of the frame 86.

  A partition plate 98 that is elongated in the front-rear direction is provided on the left outer side of the frame 86. The partition plate 98 is separate from the frame 86, and is provided so as to move up and down with respect to the upper surface of the frame 86. The partition plate 98 has a long hole portion 99 extending vertically on the front side, and has a substantially inverted L-shaped hole portion 100 that extends obliquely rearward and extends rearward on the rear side. Then, a support pin 97 that supports the other end of the link member 95 is inserted into the long hole portion 99, and a fixing pin 101 extending to the left outer side of the frame 86 is inserted into the hole portion 100, so that the partition plate 98 is substantially omitted. It is supported so that it can move up and down.

  Further, a hook portion 102 facing rearward is formed on the lower side of the front end of the partition plate 98. When the partition plate 98 is moved upward, the hook portion 102 is locked to a locking piece 103 extending to the left outer side of the frame 86 (see FIG. 9A). Further, on the front side of the partition plate 98, a locking portion 104 bent sideways is formed. When the partition plate 98 is moved downward, the locking portion 104 is locked to the locking piece 105 extending to the left outer side of the frame 86 (see FIG. 9B). Further, the partition plate 98 is always pulled backward by the spring member 106.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the rack 10 configured in this way pulls the partition plate 98 upward, and the partition plate 98 moves upward according to its own long hole portion 99, while following the hole portion 100. Move up and forward. At this time, the link member 95 pushes the base member 94 forward because the support pin 97 moves forward according to the long hole portion 96 of the frame 86 as the partition plate 98 moves forward. That is, the intermediate gear 89 and the drive transmission gear 90 provided on the base member 94 are pushed forward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10A, the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 can be engaged with the drive transmission gear 90 and the power of the drive unit 15 can be transmitted to the conveying means 11. . A protruding piece 98 a is provided on the upper rear end of the partition plate 98. Then, by pushing the protruding piece 98a downward from the state of FIG. 9B, the front end side of the partition plate 98 is lifted upward with the fixing pin 101 as a fulcrum, so that the partition plate 98 can be easily pulled upward. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the rack 10, when the partition plate 98 is immersed downward, moves the partition plate 98 downward according to its own long hole portion 99, and lowers rearward according to the hole portion 100. Move to. At this time, the link member 95 pulls the base member 94 rearward because the support pin 97 moves rearward along the elongated hole portion 96 of the frame 86 as the partition plate 98 moves rearward. That is, the intermediate gear 89 and the drive transmission gear 90 provided on the base member 94 are pulled backward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 cannot mesh with the drive transmission gear 90, and the power of the drive unit 15 cannot be transmitted to the transport unit 11.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the drive transmission gear 90 pulled rearward meshes with a connecting gear 92 on the right outer side of the other rack 10 adjacent to the left side. As a result, the transport means 11 of the rack 10 in which the drive transmission gear 90 is pulled rearward is connected to the transport means 11 of another rack 10 adjacent to the left side thereof. In the rack 10 in which the drive transmission gear 90 is pulled rearward, when the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 meshes with the drive transmission gear 90 of the other rack 10 adjacent to the left side, the power of the drive unit 15 is transmitted. In addition, power is transmitted to the transport means 11. That is, the conveyance means 11 of each rack 10 adjacent to the left and right is integrally driven to form one rack 10 in which the left and right widths are connected.

  With respect to the rack 10 configured as described above, the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 meshes with the drive transmission gear 90 at the position pushed forward from the lower front side. At this time, the base member 94 that pivotally supports the drive transmission gear 90 supports the position of the drive transmission gear 90 without escaping backward by the support by the link member 95 and the engagement between the hook portion 102 and the engagement piece 103. . For this reason, the engagement between the drive transmission gear 90 and the drive output gear 77 is ensured, and the transmission of power from the drive output gear 77 to the drive transmission gear 90 is reliably performed. Further, the connecting gear 92 meshes with the drive transmission gear 90 in the position pulled rearward at the upper rear side. At this time, the base member 94 supporting the drive transmission gear 90 is pulled by the spring member 106, supported by the link member 95, and locked by the locking portion 104 and the locking piece 105. Support without running forward. For this reason, the drive transmission gear 90 and the coupling gear 92 are reliably meshed, and the driving force is reliably transmitted from the drive transmission gear 90 to the coupling gear 92.

  In this way, the racks 10 adjacent to each other on the left and right sides are separated from each other's transport means 11 by pulling out the partition plate 98 therebetween. In addition, the racks 10 adjacent to each other on the left and right are connected to each other by immersing the partition plate 98 therebetween, and each of the racks 10 is transferred by transmitting the power of the driving unit 15 of one (left side) rack 10. Means 11 are driven together. Further, when the conveying means 11 of the adjacent racks 10 are connected, only the drive transmission gear 90 of one connected conveying means 11 can be meshed with the drive output gear 77 of the driving unit 15, and the other conveying means 11 connected. The drive transmission gear 90 cannot be meshed with the drive output gear 77.

  Hereinafter, the operation control of the above-described vending machine will be described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a vending machine according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the main control unit 200 is connected with an operation unit 22, such as a display panel 22b and operation buttons 22a, a bill validator, a coin mechanism, a mode setting switch 120, a keyboard 130, and a carry-out control unit 115. These are directly controlled by the main control unit 200. The main control unit 200 includes a CPU, a memory such as a RAM and a ROM, and an element such as a CLOCK.

  The main control unit 200 inputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation of the operation button 22 a of the operation unit 22, displays that fact on the display panel 22 b, and outputs a carry-out command to the carry-out control unit 115.

  The mode setting switch 120 is used to select a vending machine mode and a showcase mode. When the vending machine mode is set, the vending machine according to this embodiment functions as a vending machine. When the case mode is set, the vending machine according to the present embodiment functions as a showcase.

  The keyboard 130 has operation keys and a display unit, and is for performing various settings, various tests, sales totalization, or inspection at the time of failure, for example, in the vending machine mode and the showcase mode.

  The carry-out control unit 115 includes a product dispensing device (a cradle moving mechanism 25, a cradle position detecting unit 33, a driving unit moving mechanism 40, a driving unit position detecting unit 46, a driving unit 15, a commodity detecting unit 66, and a take-in member driving unit. The mechanism 62, the inner door drive mechanism 52, the inner door opening / closing detection means 58), the cover lock mechanism 18, the door lock mechanism 116, and the drive transmission amount detection means 118 are connected to each other via the carry-out control unit 115. It is indirectly controlled by the control unit 200. As with the main control unit 200, the carry-out control unit 115 has a CPU 117, a memory 117 such as a RAM and a ROM, and an element such as a CLOCK.

  The memory 117 stores each access position to each commodity storage shelf 9 in the cradle 12 and each access position to each rack 10 in the drive unit 15. The drive transmission amount detection means 118 detects the transmission amount of power from the drive unit 15 to the carry-out means 11 of the rack 10 and outputs a detection signal to the carry-out control unit 115. The drive transmission amount detection means 118 may be any device that detects the transmission time of power or the rotational speed of a shaft that generates power as the transmission amount of power. This transmission amount can be set by the keyboard 130.

  Further, the carry-out control unit 115 drives the cradle moving mechanism 25 and, in accordance with a carry-out command input from the main control unit 200, in response to a detection signal from the cradle position detection means 33, the specified rack 10 (product). The cradle 12 is moved to the position of a certain commodity storage shelf 9. Further, the carry-out control unit 115 drives the drive unit moving mechanism 40 and, in accordance with a carry-out command input from the main control unit 200 based on a detection signal from the drive unit position detection unit 46, the specified rack 10 (product). The drive unit 15 is moved to the position. Further, the carry-out control unit 115 meshes the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 with the drive transmission gear 90 (90a) of the rack 10 to drive the drive output gear 77. Further, the carry-out control unit 115 drives or stops the take-in member drive mechanism 62 and stops the drive output gear 77 according to the detection signal from the product detection means 66. Further, when the cradle moving mechanism 25 is driven, the carry-out control unit 115 drives or stops the inner door driving mechanism 52 and detects the open / closed state of the inner door 16 by the inner door opening / closing detection means 58. The carry-out control unit 115 drives the cover lock mechanism 18 for opening the cover member when the cradle moving mechanism 25 is driven. The carry-out control unit 115 drives the door lock mechanism 116 for closing the take-out door 7 of the product take-out port 6 when the receiving table moving mechanism 25 is driven.

  The sales operation of the vending machine will be described. 12 to 14 are flowcharts showing the sales process of the vending machine.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the vending machine according to the present embodiment can perform a pre-selected sales process (step S100) and a post-selected sales process (step S200) as the sales process. The pre-selection sales process is a process for selecting a product with the operation button 22a before performing a deposit process in the charging unit 21 (payment processing means) such as insertion of money or recognition of a payment medium. The post-selection sales process is a process of selecting a product by the operation button 22a after performing a deposit process in the charging unit 21 such as insertion of money or recognition of a payment medium.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the pre-selected sales process (step S100), the receiving tray 12 is in the take-out position (the position of the product take-out port 6) in the standby state. If the number of selection corrections (n) does not exceed the predetermined number (x) before the payment process by the billing unit 21 as the payment processing means (step S101: No), the operation button 22a as the product selection means is selected. The push is valid and the product can be selected. The predetermined number (x) is an arbitrary number and can be set in advance by the keyboard 130. The operation button 22a corresponds to the address of the rack 10, and for example, the rack 10 in the uppermost product storage shelf 9 is assigned addresses 1 to 8 from the left side, and is in the product storage shelf 9 in the following level. .. Are assigned to the rack 10 from the left side. When the pressing of the operation button 22a is validated, for example, a lamp (not shown) of the operation button 22a is turned on to display a message for prompting product selection on the display panel 22b. As described above, in the pre-selection sales process, the product can be selected by the operation button 22a before the insertion of money and the confirmation of the payment medium.

  Then, when the operation button 22a is pressed to select the rack 10 in which the commodity desired to be purchased is stored (step S102: Yes), the process proceeds to the next step. Since the operation button 22a includes a so-called numeric keypad and a confirmation key, the rack is selected by pressing the confirmation key after inputting a number corresponding to the rack address. When the operation button 22a is pressed, the carry-out control unit 115 locks the extraction door 7 in the closed state and maintains the inner door 16 in the closed position.

  In the next step, the cradle 12 is moved to the receiving position. That is, it moves up to the receiving position of the product storage shelf 9 where the rack 10 storing the selected product is located (step S103). Subsequently, the drive unit 15 is moved to the transport unit 11 and the drive position of the selected rack 10 (step S104). Note that the movement of the cradle 12 (step S103) and the movement of the drive unit (step S104) may be performed simultaneously.

  The charging unit 21 is in charge until the cradle 12 moves to the receiving position and the driving unit 15 moves to the driving position, or after the cradle 12 moves to the receiving position and the driving unit 15 moves to the driving position. When money equal to or greater than the amount of the selected commodity is inserted or the payment unit 21 confirms the payment medium (step S105: No, step S106: Yes), the drive unit 15 is connected to the transport means 11 of the rack 10 ( Step S107). That is, the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 is moved to the drive position and connected to the drive transmission gear 90 (90a) of the rack 10. Next, the drive unit 15 is driven and the product take-in member 61 is driven until the product is delivered to the receiving tray 12 (step S108). That is, the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 is driven to transmit power to the drive transmission gear 90 (90a) of the rack 10 to drive the transport means 11 of the rack 10.

  When the delivery of the product is detected by the product detection means 66 provided on the cradle 12 (step S109: Yes), the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 is stopped, and the drive unit 15 is detached from the transport unit 11 of the rack 10. (Step S110). That is, the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 is moved to the retracted position, and is separated from the drive transmission gear 90 (90a) of the rack 10.

  Subsequently, the cradle 12 is lowered (step S111). That is, the cradle 12 is moved to the take-out position (standby position). When the cradle 12 is moved to the take-out position and the carry-out of the product is confirmed, the above-mentioned selection correction count (n) is initialized to 0 (step S112), the take-out door 7 is unlocked, the inner door 16 is unblocked, and Change change is performed (step S113). Therefore, the extraction door 7 can be opened, and the inner door 16 is opened as the extraction door 7 is opened. Further, the change is returned to the return port 21d.

  Thereafter, if the product is taken out (step S114), the process returns. The product is taken out by opening the take-out door 7 and taking out the product on the receiving surface 14 of the receiving tray 12. The fact that the product has been taken out can be determined, for example, by the fact that the product is no longer detected by the product detection means 66 at the middle position of the receiving surface 14 of the cradle 12 or the lower position of the inclination of the receiving surface 14.

  Further, if the product is not paid out in step S109 (step S109: No, step S115: Yes), the sold-out display is performed (step S116). The determination that the product is not paid out is performed when the product detection unit 66 does not detect the product even if the drive unit 15 is driven by a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount drive means that, for example, the drive unit 15 transmits driving to the transport means 11 of the rack 10 and all the products placed on the transport belt 11b of the rack 10 are paid out to the receiving tray 12. It can be set as the time.

  Thereafter, the selected corresponding rack 10 is disabled (step S117). Note that the rack 10 can be selected by replenishing the corresponding rack 10 with a product and performing the setting for canceling the sellout. Subsequently, the driving unit 15 is detached from the transport means 11 of the rack 10 (step S118), the receiving table 12 is moved to the take-out position (standby position) (step S119), and the billing unit 21 performs a refund process. (Step S120) and the process returns.

  Incidentally, in step S101, when the number of selection corrections (n) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (x) (step S101: Yes), the pressing of the operation button 22a is invalidated (step S121). The invalidation of pressing of the operation button 22a means, for example, that a lamp (not shown) provided on the operation button 22a is turned off, and a message that prompts the user to insert money or confirm the payment medium is displayed on the display panel 22b. Thereafter, the process proceeds to the post-selection sales process (step S200).

  In step S105, when the correction key (operation button 22a) as the selection correction means is pressed and the selected product is canceled (step S105: Yes), “+1” is added to the number of corrections (n) (step S105). S122). If the selected correction number (n) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (x) (step S123: Yes), the pressing of the operation button 22a is invalidated (step S124). Thereafter, the cradle 12 is moved to the take-out position (standby position) (step S125), and the process proceeds to the post-selection sales process (step S200). On the other hand, when the selection correction number (n) does not exceed the predetermined number (x) (step S123: No), the selection of the product is waited (step S102). If the number of selection corrections (n) does not exceed the predetermined number (x) (step S123: No), the cradle 12 is stopped at the moved position and waiting for selection of a product, or the cradle 12 is taken out. It may be any one of returning to a position (standby position) and waiting for selection of a product.

  Further, in step S106, when the deposit process is not performed (step S106: No) and the selection of the product is canceled (step S126: Yes), the receiving tray 12 is moved to the take-out position (standby position). (Step S127) This process is returned. Note that the selection of the product is canceled by, for example, operating the return lever 21c of the charging unit 21 or pressing a cancel key (not shown) provided on the operation button 22a.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the pre-selection sales process (step S200), the receiving tray 12 is in the take-out position (the position of the product take-out port 6) in the standby state. When money is inserted into the billing unit 21 or the payment unit 21 confirms the payment medium in this standby state (step S201: Yes), the pressing of the operation button 22a is validated and the product can be selected.

  Then, when the operation button 22a is pressed to select the rack 10 in which the commodity desired to be purchased is stored (step S202: Yes), the process proceeds to the next step. When the operation button 22a is pressed, the carry-out control unit 115 locks the extraction door 7 in the closed state and maintains the inner door 16 in the closed position.

  In the next step, the cradle 12 is moved to the receiving position. That is, it moves up to the receiving position of the product storage shelf 9 where the rack 10 in which the selected product is stored is located (step S203). Subsequently, the drive unit 15 is moved to the transport means 11 and the drive position of the selected rack 10 (step S204). Note that the movement of the cradle 12 (step S203) and the movement of the drive unit (step S204) may be performed simultaneously.

  And the drive part 15 is connected with the conveyance means 11 of the rack 10 (step S205). Next, the drive unit 15 is driven and the product take-in member 61 is driven until the product is delivered to the receiving tray 12 (step S206).

  If the delivery of the product is detected by the product detection means 66 provided on the receiving tray 12 (step S207: Yes), the drive output gear 77 of the drive unit 15 is stopped, and the drive unit 15 is detached from the transport unit 11 of the rack 10. (Step S208).

  Subsequently, the cradle 12 is lowered (step S209). That is, the cradle 12 is moved to the take-out position (standby position). When the cradle 12 is moved to the take-out position and the carry-out of the product is confirmed, the above-mentioned selection correction number (n) is initialized to 0 (step S210), the take-out door 7 is unlocked, the inner door 16 is unblocked, and Change is released (step S211). Therefore, the extraction door 7 can be opened, and the inner door 16 is opened as the extraction door 7 is opened. Further, the change is returned to the return port 21d.

  Thereafter, if the product is taken out (step S212), the process returns. The product is taken out by opening the take-out door 7 and taking out the product on the receiving surface 14 of the receiving tray 12. The fact that the product has been taken out can be determined, for example, by the fact that the product is no longer detected by the product detection means 66 at the middle position of the receiving surface 14 of the cradle 12 or the lower position of the inclination of the receiving surface 14.

  If the product is not paid out in step S207 (step S207: No, step S213: Yes), a sold-out display is performed (step S214).

  Thereafter, selection of the selected corresponding rack 10 is disabled (step S215). Note that the rack 10 can be selected by replenishing the corresponding rack 10 with a product and performing the setting for canceling the sellout. Subsequently, the driving unit 15 is detached from the transport means 11 of the rack 10 (step S216), the receiving table 12 is moved to the take-out position (standby position) (step S217), and the refunding process is performed in the charging unit 21. (Step S218) and the process returns.

  By the way, in step S202, if a product is not selected (step S202: No) and is canceled (step S219: Yes), the charging unit 21 performs a refund process (step S218) and returns to this process. To do. In addition, cancellation of selection of goods is performed by operating the return lever 21c of the accounting part 21, for example.

  The post-selection sales process (step S200) is not limited to the case where the operation button 22a is disabled in the above-described preselection sales process (step S100), and the preselection sales process is possible. Processing can be performed even in the state.

  In the above-described pre-selection sales process (step S100) and post-selection sales process (step S200), the selection correction count (n) is initialized to 0 when the receiving tray 12 is moved to the take-out position and the delivery of the product is confirmed. It has become. For example, the number of selection corrections (n) may be initialized to 0 by operating the return lever 21c of the accounting unit 21, for example.

  As described above, according to the vending machine described above, in the pre-selected sales process (step S100), in the standby state, the operation as the product selection unit is performed before the payment process by the charging unit 21 as the payment processing unit. The product can be selected by enabling the button 22a to be pressed. For this reason, the depositing process can be performed before the cradle 12 moves to the receiving position and the driving unit 15 moves to the driving position. As a result, since the movement time of the receiving tray 12 and the payment time overlap, it becomes possible to reduce the sales time of the product.

  Further, in the pre-selection sales process (step S100), until the cradle 12 moves to the receiving position and the driving unit 15 moves to the driving position, or the cradle 12 moves to the receiving position and the driving unit 15 After moving to the driving position, the deposit process can be performed. For this reason, when the selected product is mistaken for the desired product, this can be corrected.

  Further, in the pre-selection sales process (step S100), the number of selection corrections (n) obtained by correcting the selection of the product is integrated, and when the number of selection corrections (n) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (x), the operation button 22a Disables pressing of. For this reason, it is possible to prevent mischief and the like, prevent shortening of the mechanical life of the product carrying means, and predict the mechanical life. If the number of selection corrections (n) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (x), the post-selection sales process (step S200) can be executed, so that a situation where sales opportunities are missed can be prevented. Furthermore, since the number of selected corrections (n) is initialized to 0 when the cradle 12 is moved to the take-out position and the carry-out of the goods is confirmed, it is possible to return the pre-selected sales process (step S200) to be executable. It is.

  Further, the above-mentioned pre-selected sales process (step S100) can be handled by changing software for a conventional vending machine.

  In the embodiment described above, the cradle 12 is formed to have a width corresponding to the total left and right width of all the racks 10 arranged on one commodity storage shelf 9, that is, the same width as the maximum area of the commodity dispensing area. An example is described. For example, the drive unit 15 may constitute a receiving base and move to the position of each rack 10. In the above-described embodiment, a vending machine having a showcase mode is described as an example. Not limited to this, it may be a vending machine dedicated machine.

1 is a front view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a plane sectional view of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a sectional side view of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a cradle moving mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows a drive part moving mechanism. It is a front view which shows a drive part. It is a side view (arrow AA figure of FIG. 6) which shows a drive part. It is a perspective view which shows a rack. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of a rack. It is a top view which shows operation | movement of a rack. It is a block diagram of the vending machine concerning a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the sales process of the vending machine concerning a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows a pre-selection sales process. It is a flowchart which shows post-selection sales processing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 6 Merchandise take-out opening 7 Take-out door 8 Storage 9 Merchandise storage shelf 10 Commodity storage rack 11 Conveyance means 12 Commodity stand 15 Drive part 16 Inner door 21 Billing part 21a Bill slot 21b Coin slot 21c Return lever 21d Return slot 22 Operation unit 22a Operation button 22b Display panel 115 Unloading control unit 130 Keyboard 200 Main control unit

Claims (4)

Product take-out means for moving the product receiving base to the receiving position for receiving the product placed inside the main body case and the take-out position for taking out the product received outside the main body case, and the product receiving base at the receiving position. In a vending machine comprising a product selection means for selecting a product to be moved to and a payment processing means for performing deposit processing
When the product selection means is validated before the payment processing by the payment processing means and the product is selected by the product selection means before the payment processing by the payment processing means, The vending machine moves to the receiving position corresponding to the selected product .   2. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising selection correction means for correcting the selection of a product made by the product selection means before the payment processing by the payment processing means.   3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the number of corrections by the selection correction unit is integrated, and the product selection unit is invalidated when the number of corrections reaches a predetermined number.   2. The product selection means is validated by initializing the number of corrections when the product carry-out means moves to the take-out position in response to a deposit process by the payment processing means. 3. Vending machine according to 3.

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