JP4702232B2 - Push button device of vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a push button device, and more particularly, to a push button device used in equipment such as a vending machine.

  In general, a front panel of a vending machine is provided with a plurality of display shelves displaying product samples along the left-right direction, and push button devices are arranged corresponding to the respective display shelves. The push button device includes a casing extending along the display shelf, and a push button switch arranged to be operable with respect to the casing. For example, money inserted from a bill insertion slot or a coin insertion slot is a selling price of a product. In the case described above, the button of the push button switch is turned on to clearly indicate to the purchaser a product that can be sold.

  Conventionally, as a light source of a push button device, a light emitting diode (LED: Light-emitting diode) has been used, but since the straightness of light emitted from the light emitting diode is strong, the button cannot be illuminated uniformly. There was a problem of poor visibility. Therefore, a light scattering member made of a light-transmitting material and having a plurality of grooves formed on the light incident surface by cutting, molding, or the like is disposed in the passage region of light emitted from the light source, and this light scattering member Therefore, the visibility of the pressing operation unit is improved by refracting and reflecting light to diffuse the light (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-317375 A

  By the way, the push button device used in the conventional vending machine is merely a device that clearly indicates to the user a product that can be sold, and even if the light scattering member as in Patent Document 1 is used to improve the visibility. As a result, the user's attention could not be drawn. There are many vending machines that draw the attention of users, such as a lot of lottery lamps arranged on the front panel of the outer door, and these lamps sequentially turned on. However, in such a vending machine, extra equipment must be added in order to draw the user's attention, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases accordingly.

In view of the above points, the present invention provides a push button for a vending machine that has excellent visibility and can attract the attention of the user even when light that is highly linear, such as a light-emitting diode, is applied to the light source. An object is to provide an apparatus.

The push button device of the vending machine according to the present invention has a first light source that is turned on when a product can be selected, a second light source that is turned on when the product cannot be sold, and a push operation. An operation member that transmits light emitted from the first light source or the second light source, and a light- transmitting material, and includes the first light source, the second light source, and the operation member. An indication that sale is not possible is provided in a partial range through which light emitted from the second light source is transmitted, and sale is not possible when light is emitted from the second light source. In the push button device of the vending machine provided with a display board on which the display of the above is lifted, the light emitted from the first light source is scattered so that the light incident from the first light source is scattered and emitted from the operation member. Part of the entrance surface and part of the exit surface of the display panel that transmits By subjecting the silk printing circumference, characterized in that the light emitted from the first light source to form an uneven surface on a part range of the display panel for transmitting.

According to the push button device of the vending machine of the present invention, the light incident from the first light source is scattered and emitted from the operation member so that the light emitted from the first light source is transmitted through the incident surface of the display plate. By applying silk printing to a partial range and a partial range of the emission surface, an uneven surface is formed in a partial range of the display panel through which light emitted from the first light source is transmitted. Light is scattered and emitted from the operation member , and the light can be transmitted through the wide range of the operation member without any spots, so that the visibility of the operation member can be improved. In addition, silk printing can give a high-definition pattern (uneven surface) that cannot be applied by machining such as cutting, which is different from the display by emitted light scattered by grooves formed by cutting. It is possible to make a display not present in Thus, the push button device for an automatic vending machine of the present invention, in addition to the original function of the push button device for an automatic vending machine that explicitly salable product to the user, automatically functions to draw the attention of the user or passerby It can be given to the push button device of the vending machine . As a result, it is possible to draw the attention of the user or passerby by using only the push button device without adding extra equipment.

  Exemplary embodiments of a push button device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a vending machine to which a push button device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vending machine 1 illustrated here sells products such as canned beverages and plastic bottled beverages in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 2 and an outer door 3.

  The main body cabinet 2 is configured by combining a plurality of steel plates and has a box shape with a heat insulating structure having an open front surface. Although not shown in the figure, a plurality of products are stored in the main body cabinet 2 via a product storage rack. The outer door 3 is for closing the front opening of the main body cabinet 2 and is held at one side edge of the main body cabinet 2 in such a manner that it can be opened and closed.

  On the front panel of the outer door 3, a bill insertion slot 4, a coin insertion slot 5, a display unit 6, and a product outlet 7 are provided. The bill insertion slot 4 is an opening for a user to insert a bill, and the coin insertion slot 5 is an opening for a user to insert a coin, and is provided at an intermediate position in the height direction of the front panel. It has been. The money inserted through the bill insertion slot 4 and the coin insertion slot 5 is appropriately processed in a money processing apparatus (not shown). The money handling apparatus determines whether or not the money inserted through the bill insertion slot 4 or the coin insertion slot 5 is a regular one, and takes in the money that has been identified as a regular one, while identifying it as a regular currency. When it is not possible and when the return lever 8 is operated after the insertion operation, the money is returned. In addition, the banknote insertion port 4 functions also as a banknote return port at the time of returning a banknote with respect to a user. On the other hand, the coins inserted from the coin insertion slot 5 are returned to the user through the coin return slot 9. The display unit 6 is for displaying various information necessary for selling products, such as the amount of money input by the user and the amount of change, and is configured by a liquid crystal display, for example. Yes. The product outlet 7 is an opening through which a user takes out a product paid out from the main body cabinet 2 and is provided at the lowermost part of the front panel.

  In addition, a display window 10 is provided on the front panel of the outer door 3 at an upper portion thereof. The display window 10 is a window whose front surface is covered with a transparent plate 11, and a plurality of display shelves 13 displaying product samples 12 along the left-right direction are provided therein, and the product samples of each display shelf 13 are provided. 12 can be visually recognized from the outside through the transparent plate 11.

  On the front surface of the transparent plate 11, a push button device 100 for selecting a sale product corresponding to each display shelf 13 is provided. The push button device 100 includes a casing 110 and a plurality of push button switches 120 disposed so as to be capable of being pushed with respect to the casing 110, and is used by being supported on the transparent plate 11 by a support member (not shown). This is to provide a push button switch 120 corresponding to each product sample 12 to a person individually.

  2 is an exploded perspective view of the push button device 100 applied to the vending machine 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. In FIG. 1, six push button switches 120 are arranged in one casing 110. However, in the following description, for convenience, two push button switches are provided in one casing 110 as shown in FIG. The thing in which 120 is arrange | positioned is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the casing 110 in the push button device 100 includes a base member 111 and a cover member 112.

  The base member 111 has a rectangular plate shape. The base member 111 has a frame portion 111a at the periphery of the surface thereof and a mounting groove 111b in the frame portion 111a. The frame portion 111a has a rectangular frame shape provided along each side of the base member 111. The frame portion 111a protrudes from the surface of the base member 111 toward the surface side, and the mounting groove 111b is a protruding end surface of the frame portion 111a. The narrow recess is formed in an endless rectangular shape.

  The cover member 112 is for covering the surface of the base member 111, and includes a front plate portion 112a and a pair of side plate portions 112c. The front plate portion 112a has an arc-shaped cross section centered on an axial center along the longitudinal direction, and has two button insertion holes 112d. The button insertion hole 112d is for exposing an operation member 125 of a push button switch 120 described later to the outside. The cover member 112 is configured to have a size that allows the base member 111 to close a rectangular opening formed by the front plate portion 112a and the side plate portion 112c. The cover member 112 is formed of a light-shielding material or coated with a light-shielding property so that the light is not transmitted to the front surface side when light is irradiated from the back side. Is processed.

  The push button switch 120 is configured by sequentially superposing a wiring board 121, a housing 122, a packing 123, a display panel 124 and an operation member 125.

  One wiring board 121 is prepared for each of the two pushbutton switches 120, and is formed in a rectangular shape having a size that can be accommodated in the frame portion 111a of the base member 111 described above. On the surface of the wiring board 121, mounting regions for the pushbutton switches 120 are formed in respective portions that are approximately bisected in the longitudinal direction. The contact member 126, the first light source 127, and the second light source are respectively formed in the mounting regions. A light source 128 is mounted, and an integrated circuit element 129 that is commonly used by the two pushbutton switches 120 is mounted at a portion that is a boundary between both mounting regions.

  When the contact member 126 is pressed, a desired electronic circuit configured on the wiring board 121 is switched to an ON state, and two contact members 126 are arranged at both ends of each mounting region in each push button switch 120. .

  The first light source 127 and the second light source 128 are used for notifying the state of the vending machine 1 according to the difference in the blinking state, and each includes two pairs of light emitting elements having different emission colors, for example, a pair of light emitting diodes. Composed. More specifically, the first light source 127 interconnects the first blue light emitting diode 127a that emits blue light emission color and the first orange light emitting diode 127b that emits orange light emission color at one end side of each mounting region. The second light source 128 includes a second red light emitting diode 128a that emits red light and a second orange light emitting diode 128b that emits orange light. Are arranged in parallel in the short direction of the wiring board 121 on the other end side of each mounting region.

  The integrated circuit element 129 outputs an individual operation signal to a main controller (not shown) of the vending machine 1 when the contact member 126 arranged in each mounting area is pressed, and receives a command from the main controller. In this case, the first light source 127 and / or the second light source 128 disposed in each mounting area is blinked in response to this command.

  The housing 122 is provided individually for each push button switch 120 and prevents the light emitted from the first light source and the second light source from overlapping. The housing 122 is made of a light-shielding material and is accommodated between the contact members 126 in each mounting region of the wiring board 121.

  A portion of the housing 122 corresponding to the first light source 127 is formed with a light passage surface 122a through which light from the first blue light emitting diode 127a and the first orange light emitting diode 127b passes. The light passage surface 122a is formed in a cylindrical shape having an oval opening 122c on the surface of the housing 122, and includes a first blue light emitting diode 127a and a first orange light emitting diode 127b on the side facing the light source of the housing. It has an elliptical opening 122d formed more than that.

  On the other hand, individual reflecting surfaces 122b are provided at portions corresponding to the second red light emitting diode 128a and the second orange light emitting diode 128b of the second light source 128, respectively. The reflecting surface 122b is formed in a quadrangular pyramid shape having a rectangular opening 122e on the surface of the housing 122, and the second red light emitting diode 128a and the second orange light emitting diode 128b are provided on the side facing the light source of the housing. Each of the openings has a rectangular opening 122f formed in a size including each of the openings. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, aluminum or aluminum alloy rich in light reflectivity is deposited on the reflecting surface 122b.

  One packing 123 is prepared for each of the two pushbutton switches 120, and is provided to seal the wiring board 121 to ensure dustproofness and watertightness, such as silicone rubber. The base 123a is formed into a rectangular shape having a size equivalent to that of the wiring board 121 by a material having translucency and elasticity. The packing 123 is integrally formed with a ridge portion 123b, a button mounting portion 123c, a component housing portion 123d, and a spring portion 123e.

  The protruding portion 123b is an endless rectangular portion that protrudes from the periphery of the back surface of the base portion 123a along each side, and is configured to correspond to the mounting groove 111b of the base member 111.

  The button mounting portion 123c has an elliptical opening into which the housing 122 can be fitted and inserted into a portion corresponding to each mounting region of the wiring board 121 on the back surface of the base portion 123a, and from this opening to the surface side of the base portion 123a. It is the part which protruded toward it, and has comprised the elliptical cylinder shape by which each protrusion end surface was obstruct | occluded.

  The component housing portion 123d is a portion for avoiding interference with an electronic component having a large protruding amount, such as the contact member 126 and the integrated circuit element 129 mounted on the wiring board 121, and a base portion 123a at a portion corresponding to these electronic components. It protrudes from the surface to the surface side and is formed in such a manner as to cover the electronic component. Each of the component housing portions 123 d is provided with a protrusion 123 f at a portion corresponding to the contact member 126.

  The spring portion 123e is a portion formed in a thin wall so as to be more easily elastically deformed than other portions while maintaining a desired elastic restoring force, and between the base portion 123a and the button mounting portion 123c, and It is comprised between the base 123a and the component accommodating part 123d.

  The display board 124 is provided individually for each push button switch 120, is made of a light-transmitting material, and is formed in substantially the same shape as the protruding end face of the button mounting portion 123c of the packing 123. FIG. 4 is a front view of the display board 124. As shown in FIG. 4, the display plate 124 is provided with blank characters 124 a at portions corresponding to the second light source 128, that is, portions corresponding to the two reflecting surfaces 122 b of the housing 122. An uneven surface 124 b is formed at a portion corresponding to the light source 127, that is, a portion corresponding to the light passage surface 122 a of the housing 122.

  The cutout character 124a is such that a character part is lifted when light is transmitted through the display board 124 by performing a process such as applying a light-shielding coating to a part other than the character. In the embodiment, “sold out” is displayed on the part corresponding to the reflective surface 122b of the second red light emitting diode 128a, while “preparing” is provided on the part corresponding to the reflective surface 122b of the second orange light emitting diode 128b. Is displayed.

  The concavo-convex surface 124b is a pattern (pattern) silk-printed using a transparent ink having translucency, and is formed when the ink layer of the pattern portion becomes a convex portion. The uneven surface 124b has an elliptical shape having a size equivalent to the opening 122c in the light passage surface 122a of the housing 122, and refracts and reflects light from the first blue light emitting diode 127a and the first orange light emitting diode 127b. Scatter. In the present embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 124e printed on the entrance surface and a plurality of projections printed on the exit surface are formed on both surfaces of the display plate 124, that is, the light entrance surface 124c and the exit surface 124d of the light of the first light source 127. The uneven surface 124b is formed in such a manner that the strips 124f are orthogonal to each other.

  Of course, the pattern of the uneven surface 124b applied by silk printing is not limited to the linear pattern as shown in FIG. 4, and for example, various patterns such as a shrink pattern and a dot pattern. Can be printed.

  The uneven surface 124b is formed by directly silk-printing on the surface of the display plate 124, or a light-transmitting film or the like that has been silk-printed in advance is molded, and this is attached to the surface of the display plate 124. Can be formed. Further, the periphery of the concavo-convex surface 124b is subjected to processing such as coating with light-shielding properties in the same manner as the processing of the extracted character 124b.

  The operation member 125 is individually provided on the push button switch 120, is made of a light-transmitting material, and includes a button base portion 125a, a button portion 125b, and a pressing operation surface 125c. The button base portion 125 a is larger than the button insertion hole 112 d formed in the front plate portion 112 a of the cover member 112, and has a width and length sufficient to cover the two contact members 126 mounted in the mounting area of the wiring board 121. The outer shape of the button base 125 a bulges in an arc shape following the inner surface of the cover member 112.

  The button part 125b has an elliptical opening into which the button mounting part 123c of the packing 123 and the display plate 124 can be fitted and inserted into the back surface of the operation member 125, and the elliptical part extends from the opening toward the front side of the button base part 125a. The outer dimensions of the cover member 112 are such that they can be inserted into the button insertion hole 112d of the cover member 112. The protruding height of the button portion 125b from the outer surface of the button base portion 125a is configured to be slightly larger than the plate thickness of the cover member 112, and the tip surface of the button portion 125b is a pressing operation surface 125c. FIG. 5 is a front view of the operation member 125. As shown in FIG. 5, the pressing operation surface 125c is a portion through which light from the first light source 127 is transmitted, that is, a displayable display lighting unit 125d and a second light source. A portion through which light from 128 is transmitted, that is, a character display portion 125e on which a blank character 124a is displayed.

  The push button device 100 having the above configuration is assembled as follows, for example. First, the housing 122 is fitted and inserted into the button mounting portion 123c provided in the packing 123, and the display plate 124 is superimposed on the protruding end surface of the button mounting portion 123c of the packing. Then, the housing 122, the packing 123, the display plate 124, and the operation member 125 are integrated with each other by being fitted inside the button 125b. Thereafter, the operating member 125 is held on the base member 111 by press-fitting the protruding portion 123b of the packing 123 into the mounting groove 111b in a state where the wiring board 121 is accommodated in the frame portion 111a of the base member 111. Next, the base member 111 is covered with the cover member 112 in such a manner that the button portion 125b of the operation member 125 is inserted into the button insertion hole 112d of the cover member 112, and the two are bonded to each other by a method such as laser welding. A casing 110 is configured, and a push button device 100 in which a plurality of push button switches 120 are operably disposed inside the casing 110 is configured.

  Next, an operation and an action when the push button device 100 having the above configuration is applied to the vending machine 1 will be described. First, when the money inserted from the bill insertion slot 4 or the coin insertion slot 5 becomes equal to or higher than the sales price of the product, the first light source 127 of the push button switch 120 corresponding to the product is driven. At this time, in the case of the pushbutton switch 120 corresponding to the product held in the cold state, the first blue light emitting diode 127a is driven, and in the case of the pushbutton switch 120 corresponding to the product held in the warm state, The first orange light emitting diode 127b is driven.

  When the first blue light emitting diode 127a and / or the first orange light emitting diode 127b is driven, the emitted light passes through the light passage surface 122a of the housing 122, passes through the button mounting portion 123c of the packing 123, and is displayed on the display panel 124. Reaches the concave / convex surface 124b, and is refracted / reflected and scattered by the concave / convex surface 124b to be scattered light and transmitted through the pressing operation surface 125c. Thereby, the sale possible display lighting part 125d is turned on, and the saleable product is clearly shown to the user.

  Next, when the pressing operation surface 125c is pressed, the spring portion 123e of the packing 123 is elastically deformed, and the contact member 126 is pressed via the operation projection portion 123f of the packing 123, whereby an input signal is sent to the main controller. The product corresponding to the push button switch 120 sent out and pressed is paid out to the product take-out port 7. On the other hand, when the pressing of the pressing operation surface 125c is released, the pressing of the contact member 126 is also released by the elastic restoring force of the spring portion 123e.

  On the other hand, when there is no more product to sell, the second red light emitting diode 128a of the pushbutton switch 120 corresponding to the product is driven, and when the product to be sold has not reached an appropriate temperature state, it corresponds to the product. The second orange light emitting diode 128b of the push button switch 120 to be driven is driven. In this case, the emitted light of the second red light emitting diode 128a and / or the second orange light emitting diode 128b passes through the light passage hole 122f and is reflected by the reflecting surface 122b, and then the packing 123, the display panel 124, and the operation member 125 The pressing operation surface 125c is sequentially transmitted. Then, the characters “sold out” are displayed as shown in FIG. 6 by raising the characters “sold out” on the character display portion 125e of the pressing operation surface 125c by the transmitted light of the second red light emitting diode 128a. To do. In addition, the character “preparing” is displayed as shown in FIG. 7 by causing the character display portion 125e to raise the character “not preparing” by the transmitted light of the second orange light emitting diode 128b.

  According to the push button device 100 described above, the light emitted from the first light source 127 is refracted and reflected by the uneven surface 124b formed by silk printing on the display board 124, and is scattered to be scattered light. Since the light passes through the surface 125c, light can be transmitted through a wide range of the button portion without any spots, and the visibility of the button can be improved. In addition, silk printing can provide a high-definition pattern (uneven surface) that cannot be applied by machining such as cutting, which is different from the display by emitted light scattered by grooves formed by cutting or molding. In addition, it is possible to display an unprecedented display. Accordingly, in addition to the original function of the push button for clearly indicating the commodities that can be sold to the user, it is possible to provide the push button with a function of drawing the attention of the user or the passerby. As a result, it is possible to draw the attention of the user or passerby by using only the push button device without adding extra equipment.

  In addition, it is not necessary to separately provide a lens for diffusing light from a light source or a scattering plate for scattering light as in the prior art, so the number of parts can be reduced and manufacturing cost can be reduced. Can do.

  In the above embodiment, the uneven surface 124b is formed on both the entrance surface 124c and the exit surface 124d of the display plate 124, but it may be formed on only one of the surfaces.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the uneven surface 124b was formed in the display board 124, it is not limited to this, Of course, you may form an uneven surface in the surface of the other member which comprises the pushbutton switch 120. . For example, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained when uneven surfaces are formed on the surface of the wiring board 121, the light passage surface 122a of the housing 122, the button mounting portion 123c of the packing 123, and the pressing operation portion 125c of the operation member 125. It is done. Moreover, you may form an uneven surface in the surface of several members among the said structural members. In addition, when forming an uneven surface on the light passage surface 122a of the wiring substrate 121 or the housing 122, there is no need to use a light-transmitting ink, and for example, a highly reflective ink made of particles such as metal is used. be able to.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, when the money inserted from the banknote slot 4 or the coin slot 5 becomes more than the sales price of goods, ie, when a user purchases goods, the 1st light source 127 is driven. The saleable display lighting unit 125d is turned on, but the saleable display lighting unit 125d may be always turned on during normal standby other than the time of product purchase.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the thickness of the plate material of the pressing operation surface 125c of the operation member 125 is made uniform. This portion may be formed as a lens portion. In this case, it is preferable to use a convex lens in which the thickness of the central portion is the largest. By configuring the sellable display lighting unit 125d as a lens unit, the aesthetics of the transmitted light from the first light source 127 is further improved.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the pushbutton apparatus 100 for selecting the sales goods in the vending machine 1 is illustrated, it is applicable also to another use.

1 is a front view of a vending machine to which a push button device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a disassembled perspective view of the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing of the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view of the display board which comprises the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG. It is a front view of the operation member which comprises the pushbutton apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of a pushbutton switch showing a case where a second red light emitting diode constituting the pushbutton device shown in FIG. 2 is caused to emit light. FIG. 3 is a front view of a pushbutton switch showing a case where a second orange light emitting diode that constitutes the pushbutton device shown in FIG. 2 emits light.

Explanation of symbols

100 Push button device 125b Button portion 124b Concavity and convexity 127 Light source (light emitting element)

Claims (1)

A first light source that illuminates when the item is selectable;
A second light source that illuminates when the item is not available for sale;
An operation member disposed so as to be able to be pushed and transmitting light emitted from the first light source or the second light source ;
Made of a light-transmitting material, interposed between the first light source, the second light source, and the operation member, and cannot be sold to a partial range through which light emitted from the second light source passes. And a display board that displays a message indicating that it cannot be sold when light is emitted from the second light source.
In a push button device of a vending machine provided with
A partial range of the incident surface and a part of the emission surface of the display panel through which the light emitted from the first light source passes so that the light incident from the first light source is scattered and emitted from the operation member A push button device for a vending machine, wherein an uneven surface is formed in a partial range of a display plate through which light emitted from the first light source is transmitted by performing silk printing on the range .

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