JPH03291797A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To set a column form according to a merchandise form by providing between side plates the connecting plates to connect mechanically at least the plural second shafts. CONSTITUTION:A pair of switching side plates 26 are attached outside a side plate 21 for supporting the first shaft 24 in order to make a pair with each other along the side plate 21, and the third long hole 26 is made so that the second shaft 25 can move in a longitudinal direction, and a connection plate 27 is fixed in the middle of the plural second shafts 25. Thus, the depth direction of an entire column rail 22 moves only in a width (d) and the depth of a column 23 is shorten only in the width (d). In this state, the column rail 22 is stabilized after the connecting plate 27 moves the second shaft 25 along the third long hole 26a and the second long hole 21b to the bottom.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention is directed to storing soft drinks etc. packed in bottles or cans, for example, and by inserting coins etc. This invention relates to an improvement in a vending machine configured to allow products to be taken out.

(Prior Art) In recent years, various drinks including soft drinks have come to be sold through vending machines.

Vending machines allow you to purchase desired products without human intervention by inserting coins, banknotes, or prepaid cards.
It is widely installed because of its convenience.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a conventional vending machine with the door open.

Although not shown, there is a 7th mark on the door 1 of the vending machine for coins, etc.
As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 8, there are a pair of side plates 21 for storing products, and a vertical column rail 22 that is supported on one side and swingably attached between the side plates 21 and the other side. A plurality of columns 23 are arranged so as to be continuous in the direction, and the columns 23 for storing the products are formed in four rows in both width and depth directions in this illustration.

Taking canned products as an example, a vending machine has a capacity of 200 mQ.
, 250mQ, 350mQ, etc. are the main products, and with the diversification of products, drinks with even smaller volumes are also being sold.

As the capacity of the product becomes smaller, the height and diameter of the product will naturally become smaller, and if it is stored in a normal vending machine, the storage space will be too large, so the upper insertion slot 23a
If you insert the product from the beginning, the product may tilt midway and get caught in the middle, resulting in a jam.

Therefore, when storing products in particularly small bottles or cans, it is necessary to separately prepare a special column with a narrow depth and width in advance, which imposes restrictions on common use and prevents versatility. Since there is no such thing, it is necessary to provide it separately, which has the disadvantage of being limited in common use and not being versatile.

Furthermore, once a special column is provided, it is difficult to return to a general-purpose column, and there is a problem that it is not convenient to use.

(Question 8 that the invention seeks to solve) In conventional vending machines, the size of the column is fixed, so small items may cause jams in the middle, and it is difficult to accommodate different sizes of products. If the size of the column is set in advance, there are problems such as loss of versatility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that has a simple structure and can easily change the size of a column to accommodate products of different sizes.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) This invention provides a front door with an input port for coins, a bottle or can product selection mechanism, a take-out port for the product, etc. includes at least one pair of vertically paired side plates for product storage, and at least two rotatably attached so as to form a product storage space between the side plates.
In the vending machine equipped with two column rails, a first shaft that rotatably supports the column rail is provided on the pair of side plates so as to be slidable in the depth direction, corresponding to each column rail. a first elongated hole; and a second substantially U-shaped second shaft such that the second shaft for regulating the swinging of the column rail has an upper bottom portion substantially parallel to the first elongated hole.
A pair of switching side plates provided in pairs along the side plates support the first shaft and allow the second shaft to move freely in the vertical direction. The invention is characterized in that a connecting plate is provided between the side plates to mechanically connect the third elongated hole provided in the side plate and at least a plurality of the second shafts.

(Function) According to the present invention, the second shaft is moved upward along the third elongated hole and the second elongated hole, and the first shaft is moved along the first elongated hole. In addition, it can be moved by the length of the bottom of the U-shape that forms the second elongated hole. Therefore, due to the interlocking movement of the second shaft and the first shaft, the entire column rail moves in the depth direction, and the depth of the column becomes shorter.

In this state, the column rail is stabilized by moving the second shaft to the lower bottom.

At the same time, since a connection plate is configured to mechanically connect the plurality of second shafts to each other, the movement of the plurality of second shafts can be performed simultaneously by holding the connection plate, making it easy to handle. .

In the vending machine according to the present invention, the depth of the column is determined according to the size of the product shape by selecting the length of the first long hole and the length of the U-shaped bottom of the second long hole. The depth of the column can be selected and products can be stored smoothly with simple operations.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Components that are the same as those shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention, and a door 1 includes a slot for inserting coins, a selection mechanism for bottle or can products, a product takeout port, etc. As shown in FIG. 2, four product storage columns 23 are formed in each of the width and depth directions in the main body 2 when the door 1 is opened.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the column 23 is a column in which one side is supported between the pair of side plates 21 and the other side is swingably mounted. rail 2
It is composed of 2. Therefore, a first elongated hole 21a and a second elongated hole 21b are formed in the pair of side plates 21. The first elongated hole 21a is formed between the side plates 21 and the column rail 2.
The first shaft 24 supporting the upper side of the second elongated hole 21b is formed so as to be slidable in the depth direction.
is the second column rail 22 that restricts the swinging of the other lower part of the column rail 22.
A shaft 25 is provided so as to be movable in a substantially U-shape on the side plate surface.

As is clear from FIG. 4, the second elongated hole 21b, which is formed in a substantially U-shape, is formed so that the bottom in the horizontal direction is upward and that part is approximately parallel to the first elongated hole 2+, a. is formed.

Further, a pair of switching side plates 26 are attached to the outside of the side plate 21 so as to support the first shaft 24 so as to form a pair with each other along the side plate 21. A third elongated hole 28a is formed so as to be movable in the direction.

Further, a connecting plate 27 is fixed between the central portions of the plurality of second shafts 25.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, holding the connecting plate 27, the plurality of second shafts 25 are simultaneously moved upward along the third elongated hole 28b and the second elongated hole 2+, b, and each joint is moved upwardly. As the first shaft 24 moves along the first elongated hole 21a, the second elongated hole 21b can be moved in the depth direction. As a result, the entire column rail 22 moves in the depth direction by the width d, and the depth of the column 23 becomes shorter by the width d.

In this state, the column rail 22 is moved by moving the second shaft 25 to the bottom bottom along the third elongated hole 2Ba and the second elongated hole 21b using the connecting plate 27.
becomes stable.

In the above embodiment, the switching side plate 26 is provided on the outside of the side plate 21, but each shaft 24, 25 is connected to each elongated hole 21. a, 21b, 2[fb].
It may be provided inside 1. In addition, in FIG. 4, 24a and 25a indicate screws that prevent the shaft 24 and 250 from coming off, respectively.

Note that the second shaft 25 is in a stable state when it remains at the lower end of the third elongated hole 26a;
It can also be configured to always maintain this state.

That is, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment according to the present invention, and the difference from the first embodiment is that the second shaft 2
5, a locking tool z1c provided on the side plate 21 below the second shaft 25 and a coil spring 21, as shown in the figure.
This is because they are connected by d.

As a result, even if some kind of impact is applied to the vending machine, for example, the second shaft 25 is always pulled downward by the coil spring 21d, and is in a stable state regardless of the position of the connecting plate 27.

As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention has a simple configuration, and allows the size of bottles and cans to be adjusted, and the depth and width of the column 23 to be easily adjusted with one hand using the connecting plate 27 on-site as necessary. , it is highly versatile and can standardize equipment.

By adjusting the depth and width in this way, the product can fall smoothly even under the optimal column cross-sectional area, be stored without becoming clogged in the form of a bridge, and be taken out smoothly.

[Effects of the Invention] The vending machine according to the present invention has an extremely simple configuration as described above, and can set the column shape according to the shape of the product. It's large.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a part of the vending machine shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged exploded view of FIG. 6 is a front view showing a conventional vending machine, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 shows a part of the vending machine shown in FIG. 6. It is a perspective view taken out and shown. 1... Door, 2... Main body, 21... Side plate, 21a.
...First elongated hole, 21b... Second elongated hole, 22... Column rail, 23... Column, 24... First shaft, 25... Second shaft, 26... ...Switching side plate, 26
a... Third long hole, 27... Connecting plate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The front door is provided with an input port for coins, etc., a selection mechanism for bottle or can products, and a take-out port for the products, and the main body has at least one pair of vertically paired side plates for storing products; In a vending machine equipped with at least two column rails rotatably attached to form a product storage space between the side plates, each of the pair of side plates has a column rail corresponding to each column rail. A first elongated hole provided so that a first shaft that rotatably supports the rail can slide in the depth direction, and a second shaft that restricts rocking of the column rail is provided in the first elongated hole. The first shaft is supported by a pair of switching side plates that are provided in pairs along the side plates and have a second elongated hole that is substantially U-shaped so as to have a substantially parallel top bottom. Further, a connecting plate is provided between the side plates to mechanically connect a third elongated hole provided so that the second shaft can move freely in the vertical direction and at least a plurality of the second shafts. Featured vending machines.