JP5552848B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly to the structure of a product display room for displaying product samples.

  Generally, a vending machine is provided with a product display room on an outer door disposed on the front surface of a main body cabinet that is a main body of the vending machine. The product display room is covered with a transparent plate at the front, and a product sample corresponding to the product for sale is accommodated in the interior. The product sample is mounted in a state of being aligned with a product display stand supported on the back plate of the product display room. Moreover, what has arrange | positioned the fluorescent lamp as a light source for illuminating a product display room and a product sample inside a product display room is known (for example, refer patent document 1).

  By the way, in recent years, there is a demand for energy saving by reducing power consumption, and attention is paid to light emitting diodes such as LEDs, which consume less power than fluorescent lamps. There has also been proposed a vending machine in which such a light-emitting diode is used as a light source for illuminating a product display room and a product sample in place of the fluorescent lamp (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-10-79078 JP 2002-358561 A

  However, light-emitting diodes have the property of being directional because they are point light sources. Therefore, in vending machines using such light-emitting diodes as light sources, the brightness of illuminated product samples is uneven. As a result, there is a problem that the product sample cannot be illuminated well. In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to arrange a large number of light emitting diodes or use a light diffusing member. However, this increases the number of parts, leading to an increase in manufacturing cost.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of illuminating a product sample satisfactorily while saving energy without increasing manufacturing costs.

To achieve the above object, a vending machine according to the present onset Ming, surface is covered with the light transmitting member, and the vending machine having a product display compartment that accommodates placing the product sample, illuminating the product sample A light source support means for supporting a light emitting diode applied as a light source to be movable at least in the front-rear direction, and the light source support means is attached in a manner protruding forward on a back plate constituting the product display room A pair of left and right mounting members, and a holding member that is disposed in a manner spanned between the mounting members and that holds the light emitting diode so as to be able to illuminate a product sample located below the mounting member. The holding member is movable in the front-rear direction along a long hole formed in the attachment member, and a concave portion formed in the holding member engages with a protrusion formed in the attachment member. The Rukoto, light emitting direction from the light emitting diode is characterized in that it is regulated.

  According to the vending machine of the present invention, the light source support means supports the light emitting diode applied as a light source for illuminating the product sample so as to be movable at least along the front-rear direction. The position of the light emitting diode can be changed according to the above, and the product sample can be illuminated well. In addition, since a light emitting diode is used, power consumption can be reduced, and further, since no light diffusing member is used as in the prior art, there is no possibility that the number of parts increases. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to favorably illuminate the product sample while saving energy without increasing the manufacturing cost.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of the vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a main part of the product display room shown in FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the light source support unit shown in FIG. 3 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the light source support unit shown in FIG. 3 in an enlarged manner, and the holding member is indicated by a chain line. FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the main part showing the main part of the light source support unit shown in FIG. 3 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a light source supported by the light source support unit shown in FIG. 3 and a product sample. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a light source supported by the light source support unit shown in FIG. 3 and a product sample. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing an enlarged main part of a modification of the light source support unit. FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view showing a modified example of the light source support unit.

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

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine illustrated here sells beverages in containers such as canned beverages, beverages in plastic bottles, and beverages in bottles as products, and includes an outer door 2 on the front surface of a main body cabinet 1 that accommodates the products. Yes. The outer door 2 is supported by the main body cabinet 1 through one side edge, and can swing in a manner to open and close the front opening of the main body cabinet 1.

  The outer door 2 is provided with a bill insertion slot 3, a coin insertion slot 4, a return lever 5, a coin return slot 6, and a display 7 at the other side edge of the surface, and a product at the lower center of the surface. An outlet 8 is provided.

  The bill insertion port 3 is an opening for a user to insert a bill. The banknote inserted through the banknote insertion slot 3 is appropriately processed in a banknote processing apparatus (not shown). In addition, this banknote insertion port 3 functions also as a banknote return port at the time of returning a banknote with respect to a user.

  The coin slot 4 is an opening through which a user inserts coins. The coins inserted through the coin insertion slot 4 are appropriately processed in a coin processing device (not shown).

  The return lever 5 is an operation unit for returning a bill inserted from the bill insertion slot 3 or a coin inserted from the coin insertion slot 4, and is disposed in the vicinity of the coin insertion slot 4. The coin return opening 6 is an opening for returning coins to the user, and is provided at a position below the coin insertion opening 4. The display 7 is for displaying various information necessary for selling the product, such as the amount of money deposited, whether the product is being sold, whether there is change, etc. For example, a liquid crystal display is used. The merchandise outlet 8 is an opening for receiving merchandise purchased by the user, and is formed in a horizontally long portion below the outer door 2.

  In addition, the outer door 2 of the vending machine is provided with a product display room 10 at the upper center portion thereof. As shown in FIG. 2, the merchandise display room 10 is configured in an area surrounded by the back plate 11 and the transparent plate 12 inside the outer door 2.

  The back plate 11 is formed of a relatively rigid thin plate such as a steel plate, and is supported on the outer door 2 so as to be swingable via a hinge shaft 13 extending along the vertical direction. More specifically, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, when the back plate 11 is swung in the direction approaching the outer door 2, the back plate 11 is disposed at a position that coincides with the outer surface of the outer door 2. On the other hand, when the back surface of the exhibition room 10 is closed, when the back plate 11 is swung in a direction away from the outer door 2 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It will be in an open state.

  The transparent plate 12 is configured by a thin plate made of synthetic resin having translucency, and is attached to the outer door 2 in such a manner that the front opening of the product display room 10 is always closed.

  In the product display room 10, a product display stand 14 is provided on the back plate 11, while a push button unit 20 is provided on the transparent plate 12.

  The merchandise display stand 14 is configured in a table shape so that the merchandise sample 15 can be mounted, and is formed of a synthetic resin material having translucency, for example. In the present embodiment, the product display table 14 is provided so that a total of 30 product samples 15 can be arranged in the product display room 10, 10 in each of the upper, middle, and lower rows. More specifically, a portion of the back plate 11 where the product display stands 14 are arranged in a row is provided with a display stand support frame 16 that is elongated along the left-right direction. The product display stand 14 is held in each. Although not clearly shown in the figure, a display board for displaying the price and cold / hot state of the product is attached to the front surface of the product display stand 14.

  The push button unit 20 is configured by holding a plurality of push button switches 22 on the mounting body 21, and is located on the inner surface of the transparent plate 12 at a position corresponding to the upper, middle, and lower rows of product samples 15. Each extends along the horizontal direction.

  The attachment body 21 is a frame-like member formed of metal, for example, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section in which the front wall portion 21b and the rear wall portion 21c extend upward from both sides of the base wall portion 21a. .

  The push button switch 22 outputs an individual selection signal to a control device (not shown) of the vending machine when the user presses the push button 22a, and is provided corresponding to each product sample 15. is there. The push button 22a of the push button switch 22 is exposed to the outside through a through hole formed in the transparent plate 12, and can be directly operated by the user. Although not shown in the drawing, the signal cable of each pushbutton switch 22 in each pushbutton unit 20 passes through the inside of the attachment body 21 and is led out to one side of the outer door 2. There is no fear of being visually recognized.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the main part of the product display room described above. As shown in FIG. 3, a light source support unit (light source support means) 40 is provided in the upper area of each product display table 14. The light source support unit 40 includes an attachment member 41 and a holding member 42.

  The attachment member 41 is formed by bending a sheet metal or the like, for example, and is attached to the back plate 11 in a left-right paired manner. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the attachment member 41 has a base portion 411 facing the back plate 11 and a support portion 412 extending forward from the end portion of the base portion 411. After being hooked on the back plate 11 by the claw portion 413 provided on the base portion 411, the mounting screw 415 is passed through and tightened through the through hole 414 provided on the base portion 411 so that the back plate 11 is attached. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a long hole 416 whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction is formed in the support portion 412 of the mounting member 41, and the front end portion of the long hole 416 faces downward. An extending recess 416a is provided. Further, in the support portion 412 of the mounting member 41, a hole portion 417 is formed below the front end portion of the long hole 416, and the peripheral portion of the hole portion 417 protrudes inward to form the protrusion portion 418. It is composed. In the present embodiment, the concave portion 416a is provided at the front end portion of the long hole 416. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of concave portions may be provided along the extending direction of the long hole 416. good.

  The holding member 42 is formed by bending a sheet metal or the like, for example, and is a long member whose left-right direction is the longitudinal direction. The holding member 42 is provided with a main body case 30 at a predetermined interval in the lower portion thereof. The main body case 30 has a box shape made of a material having transparency, and although not shown in the drawing, a light emitting diode as a light source and a light emitting diode module such as a circuit board are mounted therein. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the main body case 30 has a rectangular shape in which the left and right lengths are larger than the front and rear lengths and the vertical length and has a plurality of light emitting diodes. Such a main body case 30 illuminates a plurality of product samples 15 below itself by irradiating light from the light emitting diodes.

  Insertion holes 421 are formed on both end surfaces of the holding member 42, and as shown in FIG. 5, support screws such as decorative screws that insert the insertion holes 421 and the long holes 416 of the attachment member 41. Fastened by 422, the holding member 42 is arranged so as to span the pair of left and right mounting members 41. More specifically, the holding member 42 is disposed so as to be movable in the front-rear direction by the long hole 416 of the mounting member 41.

  Further, a tongue-like downward extending portion 423 extending downward is formed on both end surfaces of the holding member 42, and the protruding portion of the attachment member 41 is formed at the extending end of the downward extending portion 423. A recess 424 conforming to 418 is formed. Here, the concave portion 424 of the downward extending portion 423 of the holding member 42 is formed so that the mounting screw 41 protrudes when the support screw 422 that passes through the insertion hole 421 of the holding member 42 is positioned in the recessed portion 416 a of the long hole 416. The portion 418 is engaged. When the support screw 422 is thus positioned in the recessed portion 416a of the long hole 416 and the concave portion 424 of the holding member 42 is engaged with the protruding portion 418 of the mounting member 41, as shown in FIG. Is adjusted so that it is injected with an inclination of about 5 ° slightly forward from the vertical direction.

  In the vending machine configured as described above, when coins having a price equal to or higher than the price of the merchandise are inserted from the bill insertion slot 3 or the coin slot 4, the push button switch 22 corresponding to the corresponding merchandise becomes effective. When the user presses the pushbutton 22a of the pushbutton switch 22 corresponding to the desired product from the activated ones, a selection signal of the pushbutton switch 22 that has been pressed is a signal cable (not shown). To be sent to a control device (not shown). As a result, the selected product is paid out and can be provided to the user via the product outlet 8. When the return lever 5 is operated without operating the push button switch 22 after inserting the money, the inserted money is returned to the user as it is from the bill insertion slot 3 or the coin return slot 6. In addition, with respect to money that has been inserted beyond the price of the merchandise sold, the difference is returned to the user as change from the coin return slot 6 after the merchandise has been paid out.

  Here, in the vending machine, when power is supplied to the light emitting diode module in the main body case 30 through a power supply cable (not shown), the light emitting diode is turned on in each light emitting diode module. When the light emitting diode is turned on in this way, the entire product display room 10 is illuminated.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the support screw 422 is positioned in the recessed portion 416 a of the elongated hole 416 of the mounting member 41, the holding member 42 is also positioned on the front end side, and the concave portion 424 of the holding member 42. Is engaged with the protrusion 418 of the mounting member 41, so that light from the light emitting diode is emitted with an inclination of about 5 ° toward the front slightly from the vertical direction. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the front surface of the product sample 15 can be irradiated. Such irradiation is effective because the front surface of the product sample 15 can be illuminated when the product sample 15 is made of a material having a low light transmittance (such as an actual can).

  Further, the tightening by the support screw 422 is loosened so that the concave portion 424 of the holding member 42 is detached from the protruding portion 418 of the mounting member 41, and the holding member 42 is moved rearward as shown in FIG. By tightening the support screw 422, the position of the holding member 42 is regulated. In this case, the light from the light emitting diode can irradiate the rear side of the product sample 15. Such irradiation is effective because the entire product sample 15 can be illuminated when the product sample 15 is made of a material having a high light transmittance.

  Further, in this case, since the concave portion 424 of the holding member 42 is not engaged with the mounting member 41, the angle of the main body case 30 held by the holding member 42 can be freely adjusted, and thereby the light from the light emitting diode can be adjusted. The injection direction can be adjusted freely.

  As described above, according to the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, the mounting member 41 constituting the light source support unit 40 can move the holding member 42 constituting the light source support unit 40 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the light-emitting diode is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and the position of the light-emitting diode can be changed according to the material, shape, size, etc. of the product sample 15, and thereby the product sample 15 Can be illuminated well. In addition, since light emitting diodes are used, power consumption can be reduced, and since no light diffusing member is used, there is no possibility that the number of parts increases. Therefore, it is possible to illuminate the product sample 15 satisfactorily while saving energy without increasing the manufacturing cost.

  Further, according to the vending machine, since the recessed portion 416a is provided in the front end portion of the long hole 416, the holding member 42, that is, the light emitting diode can be easily positioned by positioning the supporting screw 422 in the recessed portion 416a. It can be carried out.

  Further, according to the vending machine, when the support screw 422 is positioned in the recessed portion 416 a of the elongated hole 416 of the mounting member 41, the holding member 42 is not attached to the protruding portion 418 formed in the mounting member 41. By engaging, illumination by the light emitting diode can be performed at a predetermined angle.

  Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

  In the embodiment described above, the protruding portion 418 provided on the support portion 412 of the mounting member 41 is configured by protruding the peripheral portion of the hole portion 417 formed in the support portion 412 inward. In the invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the protruding portion 419 may protrude inward without forming a hole.

  In the above-described embodiment, the elongated hole 416 provided in the support portion 412 of the mounting member 41 has the recessed portion 416a provided in the front end portion, but in the present invention, as shown in FIG. You may make it form the recessed part 416a, 416b, 416c in a center part and a rear-end part. According to this, it is possible to facilitate positioning when the holding member 42 (light emitting diode) is moved in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, in this invention, as shown in FIG. 10, the notch part 4121 may be provided in the aspect which continues to the long hole 416 'of support part 412'. Due to the presence of the notch portion 4121, the mounting screw 41 can be attached to or detached from the mounting member 41 with the support screw 422 inserted through the holding member 42.

  In the above-described embodiment, the holding member 42 has a configuration in which the light emission direction from the light emitting diode is regulated by engaging the concave portion 424 with the protruding portion 418 formed in the mounting member 41. However, in the present invention, although not clearly shown in the drawing, the illumination by the light emitting diode can be appropriately determined by inserting the convex portion provided in the holding member 42 into the restriction hole provided in the support portion 412 of the mounting member 41. You may make it carry out at an angle.

  In the above-described embodiment, the holding member 42 has a configuration in which the light emission direction from the light emitting diode is regulated by engaging the concave portion 424 with the protruding portion 418 formed in the mounting member 41. However, in the present invention, a plurality of protrusions may be provided, and any one of the protrusions and the recess may be engaged with each other so that illumination by the light emitting diode is performed at various angles.

  As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention is useful for selling beverages in containers such as canned beverages, beverages in plastic bottles, and beverages in bottles as products.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 2 Outer door 10 Commodity display room 11 Back plate 12 Transparent board 14 Commodity display stand 15 Commodity sample 20 Pushbutton unit 30 Main body case 40 Light source support unit 41 Mounting member 42 Holding member 411 Base part 412 Support part 413 Claw part 414 Through Hole 415 Mounting screw 416 Long hole 416a Recessed part 417 Hole part 418 Projection part 421 Insertion hole 422 Support screw 423 Lower extension part 424 Recessed part

Claims (1)

In a vending machine having a product display room in which the surface is covered with a translucent member and the product sample is accommodated and arranged,
A light source support means for supporting a light emitting diode applied as a light source for illuminating the product sample so as to be movable at least along the front-rear direction ;
The light source support means is
A pair of left and right attachment members attached in a manner protruding forward to the back plate constituting the product exhibition room;
A holding member that is arranged in a manner spanned over the mounting member and holds the light emitting diode so as to be able to illuminate a product sample located under the mounting member;
With
The holding member is movable in the front-rear direction along a long hole formed in the mounting member, and a recess formed in the holding member engages with a protruding portion formed in the mounting member. Accordingly, the direction of light emission from the light emitting diode is regulated .

Images