JPH0325257Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial application field This invention is a vending machine that stores cylindrical products such as cans and bottles in a line in a meandering product path and sells them sequentially starting with the products at the bottom. The present invention relates to a product storage device.

Conventional technology In recent years, products have been stored in a meandering manner from the top to the bottom.
In a type of vending machine that sells products from the bottom, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1983-1987 discloses a device that reduces the impact of products rolling down the product path and prevents damage to the products.
It is known from Publication No. 90794, etc.

Hereinafter, a conventional product storage device of this type of vending machine will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a product storage device, which is provided with a product running path 3 formed in a meandering shape by arranging a large number of arc-shaped guide plates 2 in two vertically opposing rows. The guide plate 2 has a lug 4 formed on its upper side and is rotatably attached to the partition wall 5 by a shaft 6. A spring 7 is attached to the shaft 6 and biased so that the lower side of the guide plate 2 protrudes into the product running path 3. A stopper 8 is provided on the partition wall 5 to prevent the lower side of the guide plate 2 from moving outward from the product running path 3.

Next, the operation of the above conventional example will be explained.

When the product 9 is introduced from above the product travel path 3,
Product 9 corresponds to information board 2. When the product 9 hits the guide plate 2 and moves downward, it overcomes the spring 7 and moves the lower side of the guide plate 2 to the outside of the product travel path 3. As a result, the falling speed of the product becomes weaker, and if the product 9 is on the product travel path 3 first,
Since the impact force when hitting product 9 is softened,
This would prevent product 9 from being damaged or cracked.
In addition, the solid line in FIG. 1 shows the normal state, and the broken line shows the moved state.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above conventional example, the force of the spring 7 weakens the impact force, so it is necessary to increase the force of the spring 7 in order to soften the falling speed of the product on the lower side of the guide plate 2. There is. Conversely, when the force of the spring 7 becomes strong, it becomes difficult to move the guide plate 2, resulting in the product stopping within the product travel path 3.
Further, since the speed of the product 9 cannot be softened up to the lower side of the guide plate 2, depending on the position of the product on the product travel path 3, the product may come into contact with the product at a high speed, resulting in damage or cracking.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a product storage device for a vending machine that reduces the falling speed of the products and reliably prevents the products from being damaged or cracked.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned problems, the product storage device for a vending machine of the present invention rotatably supports the lower side of a guide plate, and the upper side of the guide plate crosses the product travel path. A spring that biases the upper side of the guide plate to protrude toward the product travel path is provided on a shaft that supports the lower side of the guide plate, and the upper side of the guide plate rolls. It is equipped with an elastic piece such as rubber that comes into contact with the product.

Function: As a result, the product moving along the product travel path comes into contact with the upper side of the guide plate, and the impact is absorbed by the elastic piece, and the impact force is further absorbed by the movement of the guide plate.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a product storage device, in which a large number of arcuate guide plates 11 are arranged in two vertical rows facing each other, forming a product travel path 12 that meanders from above to below to accommodate products. are doing. The guide plate 11
has a curled portion 13 formed on its lower side, and is rotatably mounted between a pair of partition walls 14 with a shaft 15 passing through this curled portion 13. Further, the upper side of the guide plate 11 also forms a curled portion 16, and a shaft 17 passing through this curled portion 16 extends in the left-right direction in the figure to form the partition wall 1.
It is inserted into a guide path 18 consisting of a hole formed in 4. The guide path 18 is formed in an arc shape with the shaft 15 as the center and along the locus of movement of the curled portion 16 of the guide plate 11. Reference numeral 19 denotes an elastic piece made of rubber, which is formed into a ring shape so as to pass through a hole 20 formed above the guide plate 11 and cover the upper end curl part 16 of the guide plate 11, so that the ends of the elastic piece are joined together. It is fixed with rivets 21 on the outside of the product running path 12. This elastic piece 19 has a curled portion 1 of the guide plate 11.
A bag-shaped fin 22 is formed above 6. 23
is a coil-shaped spring, and the coil portion is located in a notch formed in the curled portion 13 at the lower part of the guide plate 11, and the shaft 15 is attached thereto. The end of the spring 23 has a short piece 24 and a long piece 25. The long piece 25 is bent into a substantially L shape. Further, the short piece 24 of the spring 23 comes into contact with the outside of the product traveling path 12 at the lower side of the guide plate 11, and the short piece 24 of the spring 23
The upper side of is biased toward the inside of the product running path 12. Further, the long piece 25 of the spring 23 is arranged so that the shaft 17 of the curled portion 16 is guided along the product running path 12 along the guide path 18 consisting of a hole formed in the partition wall 14 at the top of another guide plate 11 located at the bottom. It is biased in the direction of narrowing. That is, the spring 23 biases the upper and lower guide plates 11 as one set so that the upper sides of the guide plates 11 protrude toward the inside of the product running path 12.

Next, the operation will be explained.

When the product 9 is introduced from above the product running path 12, the product 9 hits the elastic piece 1 provided at the upper end of the guide plate 11.
It corresponds to fin 22 of number 9. As a result, information board 1
1 moves outward of the product running path 12 within the range of the guide path 18 around the axis 15 on the lower side to soften the speed of the product 9. Further, as the guide plate 11 moves outward, the spring 23 rotates and the long piece 25 moves the upper side of the lower guide plate 11 towards the product running path 12.
Force it to protrude inward. The product 9 then falls below the product travel path 12, and the product 9 comes into contact with the upper side of the lower guide plate 11, reducing the falling speed of the product 9 as well. By moving the lower guide plate 11 outward, the upper side of the upper guide plate 11 is moved inward of the product running path 12 to wait for the next product to arrive. In this way, the products 9 are piled up and stored in the product travel path 12, but since the falling speed of the products is already softened by the elastic piece 19 on the upper side of the guide plate 11, the products 9 that have already been stored are No damage or cracks will occur due to impact force, even if the product is hit by an object. Further, since the buffering effect is not only produced by the force of the spring 23, but also by the other guide plate 11, the product does not stop falling within the product travel path 12.

Next, another embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.
Since the only difference is the structure of the guide plate, only the structure of the guide plate will be explained.

In the figure, reference numeral 26 denotes a guide plate formed in an arc shape, and has a curled portion 27 on its lower side and a curled portion 28 on its upper side. And the curl part 27,2
Shafts 15 and 17 are inserted into the shafts 8, respectively. A horizontally long hole 2 is located approximately in the center of this guide plate 26.
9 is formed. Both ends of an elastic piece 30, which is narrower than the width of the hole 29 and is formed in a ring shape and passes through the hole 29 and covers the curled portion 28 of the guide plate 26, are fixed to the guide plate 26 with rivets 31.
This elastic piece 30 is not attached tightly to the guide plate 26, but is attached with some slack. and,
The guide plate 26 is attached between the partition walls as in the previous embodiment.

In such products, the product is made up of elastic pieces 30
The product falls while contacting the surface of the guide plate 26, and the contact resistance softens the speed of the product.
It also softens the speed of movement.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, the present invention pivots the lower side of the guide plate and provides an elastic piece on the upper side to make the upper side movable. Since the elastic piece can absorb the energy and weaken it by moving the upper side, even if it collides with a product already on the product travel path, the impact force is weak and the product can be prevented from being damaged or cracked.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional vending machine product storage device, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the guide plate shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a vending machine product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. A sectional view, Figure 4 is a front view of Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a front view of Figure 3.
6 is a sectional view of the guide plate of FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the guide plate of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view of another embodiment corresponding to FIG. 6. 11, 26... Information board, 12... Product running path,
14... Partition wall, 15, 17... Shaft, 18... Guide path, 19, 30... Elastic piece, 23... Spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Between a pair of vertically extending partition walls, a large number of arc-shaped guide plates are arranged vertically in two rows facing each other to form a meandering product travel path, and a meandering product travel path is formed from above. In a product storage device for a vending machine that stores inserted products in a line, the lower side of the guide plate is rotatably supported, and a shaft to which the upper side of the guide plate is attached is formed on the partition wall. A shaft that is inserted into the guide path so as to be movable in a direction across the product running path and pivotally supports the lower side of the guide plate is provided with a spring that urges the upper side of the guide plate to protrude toward the product running path, and A product storage device for a vending machine, wherein an elastic piece is provided on the upper side of the guide plate to come into contact with products rolling on a product travel path.