JPH02226495A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily take out a commodity by changing the direction of a commodity dropped to a commodity receiver, which is carried from a commodity housing in a turned over state, together with the commodity receiver on the way of carriage to a commodity output port by means of a commodity carrying device, erecting the commodity, and carrying it to the commodity output port. CONSTITUTION:While the commodity carried in the turned over state by means of a commodity carrying means 4 and dropped in a commodity receiver 8 is carried to a commodity output port 12, the commodity is changed from the turned over state to the erect state together with the commodity receiver 8, and guided to the commodity output port 12 in the erect state. Thus, the commodity is carried in the erect state to the commodity output port 12 without especially altering a commodity housing 2. Thus the taking out of the commodity can be extremely facilitated. Further the erect state, which is the original state of the commodity, in the commodity output port, is preferable on the viewpoint of design.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a vending machine, and particularly to an automatic vending machine equipped with a means for conveying a product to a product outlet provided at a relatively high position. Regarding vending machines.

(Prior art) In general, in conventional vending machines, the product storage chamber is located at a higher position than the product takeout port, and due to the difference in height between the product storage chamber and the product takeout port, the products taken out naturally fall or slide down. , and is configured to be guided to the product outlet. Also,
In order to store as many products as possible, the vertical dimension of the product storage chamber is made large, but if the product storage chamber with a large vertical dimension is set at a high position, the vertical dimension of the vending machine will increase. , product replenishment becomes difficult. For these reasons, the product outlet has to be set at a relatively low position, making it extremely difficult for adults to remove products from the product outlet as they must bend over. There is.

Therefore, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 83-201893, an automated system is proposed in which the product taken out from the product storage chamber is slid down by a chute and then transported to the product take-out port using a conveyance device. A vending machine is proposed. According to this configuration, the product storage capacity can be increased without increasing the height dimension of the vending machine more than necessary, and the product outlet can be set at a high position, making it possible for purchasers to You can take out the product without bending over.

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional vending machine, since the products in the product storage chamber are stored in an overturned state, the products are necessarily in an overturned state when taken out to the product outlet. However, in vending machines where the product takeout port is located at a high position, especially when the product is a canned beverage, in order to make it easier to take out the product,
Also, from a design perspective, it is preferable for the products inside the product storage opening to be in an upright position rather than in an overturned position. The first idea is to store the products in an upright position from the beginning, and then take them out and transport them in that position. However, this method not only increases the size of the product storage chamber in the height direction, but also makes it difficult to store the products, and is extremely impractical.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, in conventional vending machines that use a conveyance device to transport products to a product takeout port set at a relatively high position, the products are not placed in an upright position. Since the product cannot be transported to the product takeout port, it is not desirable from the viewpoint of ease of product removal and design.Furthermore, if the product is stored in an upright position in the product storage room, the height dimension will increase, making it difficult to store the product. There was a problem that the work became difficult.

The present invention was made in order to solve such problems, and is a vending machine that transports products to a product outlet set at a relatively high position. To provide a vending machine capable of transporting products in an upright state to a product take-out port even though the products are stored in an overturned state.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention raises the product receiver to a predetermined height to receive the products discharged from the lower part of the product storage chamber and dropped. The present invention is characterized in that a direction changing means is provided in the conveyance path for conveying the product to the product takeout port for changing the direction of the product receiver so that the product in the product receiver is in an upright state.

Furthermore, in the present invention, in order to prevent the product inside from falling during transportation, the product receiver is kept in a closed state until just before it reaches the product takeout port, and the product receiver holds the product inside. It is desirable to provide a slidable product holding device that opens so that the product is positioned at the product removal port when the product reaches the product removal port.

(Function) According to the present invention, ``the product, which is carried out in an overturned state by the product carrying means and dropped into the product receiver, is changed from the overturned state to the upright state together with the product receiver while being conveyed to the product takeout port. The product is then guided to the product outlet in that state.

In this way, without making any special changes to the product storage room,
Since the product is conveyed to the product outlet in an upright state, it is extremely easy to take out the product.

Furthermore, it is preferable from a design point of view that the product in the product outlet is erected in its original state.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagonal Y1 diagram showing the configuration of the main parts, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the product receiver and the product, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the product take-out port.

In FIG. 1, a product storage chamber 2 in which multiple products (for example, canned drinks, etc.) are stacked and stored in an overturned state is arranged in a main body 1 of the vending machine. A product unloading device 4 is arranged to drop and transport selected products one by one from the bottom when a customer presses a product selection switch 3. A chute 6 is provided below the product carrying-out device 4 to drop the carried-out product 5 in an overturned state. A door 7 for heat insulation is provided at the exit portion of the chute 6 so as to be openable and closable.

This door 7 is normally closed, and is pushed open by the product 5 when the product 5 passes through.

A product receiver 8 for receiving the product 5 is provided on the opposite side of the door 7 from the chute 6. A product holding field 9 for holding the product 5 is attached to the product receiver 8. In the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, this product holding field 9 is capable of sliding with respect to the product receiver 8 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.
Usually, it is configured to hold the product 5 and prevent it from falling by being biased by a magnet 10 (see FIG. 4) to form a box shape.

The product conveyance device 11 carries the product 5 along with the product receiver 8 into the main body 1.
Product outlet 1 provided at a predetermined height on the front side of the
2, and after the product is transported, the product receiver 5 is lowered to its original position. This product conveyance device 11 includes a motor 13 that is a drive source, a belt 14 that transmits the rotation of the motor 13, a screw shaft 15 that is driven by the rotation transmitted by the belt 14, a screw bearing 16 that meshes with this, and It consists of a guide shaft 17 that prevents rotation of the screw shaft 15. The product receiver 8 is rotatably supported by a screw shaft 16 via a shaft 18.

On the other hand, a direction changing means is provided in the conveyance path between the outlet of the chute 6 and the product takeout port 12 for changing the direction of the product receiver 8 so that the product 5 in the product receiver 8 changes from an overturned state to an upright state. A guide bar 19 is provided. The product receiver 8 moves along the guide bar 1 around the shaft 18 during the conveyance operation.
Rotation is regulated by 9. Here, the product “stands up”
The condition includes, for example, a state where the top and bottom are reversed in a product that has a top and bottom (distinction between top and bottom), such as canned drinks.

Note that a stopper 20 is provided at the product takeout port 12 to prevent the product holding field 9 from protruding into the product takeout port 12 when the product 5 in the product receptacle 8 reaches the product takeout port 12. . Further, the product holding field 9 is provided with a magnet 21 that attracts the stopper 20 and the product holding field 9 when it comes into contact with the stopper 20 .

Next, the operation of the vending machine of this embodiment will be explained.

First, when a purchaser inserts a predetermined amount of coins into the coin slot and presses the product selection switch 3, the selected product 5 is carried out from the product storage chamber 2 onto the chute 6 by the product delivery device 4, and After falling on its side, the product pushes open the door 7 and enters the product receptacle 8. The product 5 that has entered the product receptacle 8 is held by a product holding field 9.

This state is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3(a).

When the product 5 is placed in the product receiver 12 in this way, the product receiver (not shown) is detected by the product presence/absence detector inside the product receiver.
Based on this, the motor 13 is driven by control from a control circuit (not shown), and the rotation of the motor 13 is controlled by the belt 1.
4 to the screw shaft 15. Since the rotation of the screw bearing 16 is restricted by the guide shaft 17, the rotation of the screw shaft 15 causes the screw bearing 16 to move vertically, in this case upward.

When the screw bearing 16 moves upward, the shaft 1
8 through screw bearing 16. The product receiver 8 connected to the product also moves upward. When the product receiver 8 is moved upward, one end side is regulated by the guide bar 19, so that it rotates about the shaft 18 as shown in FIG. 3(b). In this way, when the product receiver 8 rotates 90@ and changes direction until it is in the upright state, the product 5 held by the product holder n9 of the product receiver 8 also moves from the overturned state to 90 degrees.
The product receiver 8 rotates 0" and becomes a standing state. Once the product receiver 8 has rotated 90', it does not rotate any further and rises along the guide bar 19 while remaining in an upright state, and is eventually transported to the product outlet 12. During the rising process of the product receiver 8, the product holding door 9 is stopped midway by a stopper 20, and the product receiver 8
only overcomes the attraction force of the magnet 10 and continues to rise. Then, the product 5 is put into the product outlet 12 in an upright state.

Next, when the product 5 is taken out from the product takeout port 12 by the purchaser, the motor 13 is activated based on a signal from a product presence/absence detector in the takeout port (not shown) that detects the presence or absence of the product in the product takeout port 12. It is rotated in the opposite direction. As a result, the product receiver 8 descends together with the screw bearing 16 and returns to the initial position. At this time, the product receiver 8 is turned over by 90 degrees and returns to the overturned state, in preparation for loading the next product into the product receiver 8.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, a product that has been carried out from a product storage room in an overturned state and has fallen into a product receptacle is changed direction along with the product receptacle while being transported by a product conveyance device to a product takeout port and is placed in an upright state. Since the product is conveyed to the product take-out port as a holder, the customer does not have to twist his or her hands when taking out the product, making it extremely easy to take out the product, and ensuring that the product in the product take-out port is upright. This makes it more visually appealing. Further, in the present invention, although the products may remain in an overturned state as before in the product storage chamber, the height dimension of the vending machine does not increase unnecessarily or the storage operation becomes difficult.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main parts of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the product receiver and the movement of the product during the sales operation in the same embodiment, and Fig. 4 is the same embodiment. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the product receiver and the product have reached the product outlet. 1...Vending machine body, 2...Product storage room, 4...
・Product unloading device, 6... Shooter, 8... Product receiver, 9... Product holding door, 11... Product transport device, 12
... Product outlet, 19... Guide bar (direction changing means), 20... Stopper. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2 (a) (b) Packaging)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A product storage chamber for storing a plurality of products in an overturned state; a product unloading means for transporting the products in the product storage chamber from the lower part and dropping them in the overturned state; and a product discharging means that is movable up and down. a product receiver for receiving the products that have been carried out and dropped; a product transport means for raising the product receiver to a predetermined height along a conveyance path and transporting the products in the product receiver to a product takeout port; 1. A vending machine comprising: a direction changing means for changing the direction of the product tray so that the products in the product tray are in an upright state. (2) The product is held in the product receiver in a closed state until just before the product receiver reaches the product takeout port, and when the product receiver reaches the product takeout port, the product is removed. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a slidable product holding door that opens so as to be positioned at the exit.