JPH0536577U - Vending machine product transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Structure] A front guide wall 47 is vertically provided on the front side of the conveyor belt 41 of the transverse feed mechanism 26. Further, an inclined slide table 71 is provided at the end of the conveyor belt, and the bucket 28 of the vertical feed mechanism is formed into a bifurcated shape having a pair of fork portions 65, and these fork portions are arranged on both sides of the slide table. .. [Effect] The dispensed product C is guided by the front guide wall 47, correctly placed on the conveyor belt 41 and conveyed, slides down on the sliding table 71, and becomes 28 in a bifurcated bucket.
Hold correctly. Also, when the product C is dispensed to the vertical feed mechanism, it slides down on the slide table 71 and is properly held in the bucket 28. In addition, the width of the entire conveying device 25 can be reduced and the position of the transverse feed mechanism can be lowered to effectively use the internal space of the vending machine.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a so-called waist take-out type vending machine transport device in which a product take-out port is disposed above and a paid-out product is carried to the product take-out port by a carrying device.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention provides a transfer device that can reliably transfer the dispensed product to the product outlet and requires less installation space.

[0003]

[Prior Art]

 In general, the above-mentioned waist take-out type vending machine has a product take-out port arranged at the upper side so that the user can take out the product without bending. Such a vending machine is equipped with a carrying device for carrying the dispensed product to an upper product take-out port. However, if such a carrying device is built in, the depth of the vending machine may increase. However, it causes problems such as the storage space for products being reduced.

In order to prevent such a problem, in general, the above-mentioned transfer device is provided with a transverse feed mechanism arranged at a lower part of the vending machine and a vertical feed mechanism arranged at one side of the vending machine. It is configured to make effective use of the internal space of this vending machine.

An example of such a conventional waist take-out type vending machine and its carrying device is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 shows the whole of the conventional vending machine. Reference numeral 1 in the figure is a main body of the vending machine, and a door 2 is attached to the front of the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable. A product sample, a coin counting device, a product selection button, and the like (all not shown) are attached to the door 2.

A product storage unit 3 is provided in the main body 1 and a plurality of products C, for example, canned beverages, are stored in the product storage unit 3. Then, when the user inserts a coin and presses the product selection button, the selected product C is dispensed from the lower end of the product storage unit 3 through the chute 4.

A transfer device 5 is provided in the main body 1, and the delivered product C is transferred by the transfer device 5 to the product outlet 9 provided at the upper portion of the door 2. Be transported. Therefore, the user does not have to bend over to take out the product.

By providing the above-mentioned carrier device 5, the above-mentioned carrier device 5 is arranged as follows in order to prevent the vending machine from becoming deep and the space of the product storage unit 3 from becoming small. , It is configured to make effective use of the space inside this vending machine. That is, the transport device 5 is composed of a horizontal feed mechanism 6 and a vertical feed mechanism 7. The lateral feed mechanism 6 is arranged in the lower part of the door 2 in a substantially horizontal direction, and the vertical feed mechanism 7 is arranged substantially vertically along one side edge of the door 2. ..

The product C dispensed from the product storage unit 3 drops onto the transverse feed mechanism 6 via the chute 4. The lateral feed mechanism 6 is provided with a conveyor belt that steers in the horizontal direction, and conveys the product in the lateral direction to the lower portion of the vertical feed mechanism 7 described above. The vertical feed mechanism 7 includes a bucket 8 that moves up and down. The product C delivered to the bucket 8 rises together with the bucket 8. The bucket 8 tilts when it reaches the upper portion of the vertical feed mechanism 7, and feeds the product C to the product take-out port 9 through the chute 10.

By the way, conventionally, the transverse feed mechanism 6 as described above has a structure as shown in the transverse sectional view of FIG. That is, the conveyor belt 12 is stretched around the pulley 11. A gutter-shaped guide 13 is provided along the upper surface of the conveyor belt 12 to guide the product C dropped from the chute 4, and the axial direction of the product C is directed on the conveyor belt 12 in the traveling direction. It is placed and transported. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the dropped product C may rise obliquely to the gutter-shaped guide 13. In such a case, the end of the product C rides on the traveling conveyor belt 12, the traveling of the conveyor belt 12 moves the end of the product C, and finally the product C has its axis. The conveyor belt 12 is rotated until its direction coincides with the traveling direction of the conveyor belt 12, and is placed on the conveyor belt 12.

However, in such a conventional case, when the state as shown in FIG. 2 is reached, the end of the inclined product C abuts on the edge of the conveyor belt 12. The conveyor belt 12 is made of an elastic material such as a rubber material and easily deforms. Therefore, when the end of the product C rides on the edge of the conveyor belt 12, the edge of the conveyor belt 12 may bend and the load of the product C may not be sufficiently received. In such a case, since the contact pressure between the end of the product C and the conveyor belt 12 is small and the frictional force is also small, such an inclined product C can be rotated to the correct position. It may disappear. In such a case, the merchandise C is not conveyed to the merchandise take-out port 9, and the user cannot take out the merchandise C despite the coin being inserted.

[0012] Also, there is a product C dispensed through the chute 4 that directly drops into the bucket 8 of the vertical feed mechanism 7. In such a product, the product C is shown in FIG. As shown, this product C may be held obliquely in the bucket 8, and a part of this product C may protrude from the bucket 8.

As described above, when the bucket 8 is lifted without the commodity C being properly placed on the bucket 8, the commodity C is attached to the inner door 15, for example, as shown in FIG. There is also a possibility that the payout door 16 may get caught and cause malfunction or damage to parts.

Further, in order to effectively use the space inside the vending machine, it is necessary to set the bottom stop position of the bucket of the vertical feed mechanism to be as low as possible and the arrangement position of the horizontal feed mechanism to be as low as possible. is there. However, in the conventional transport device, the product transported to the end of the horizontal feed mechanism is configured to drop from this end into the bucket of the vertical feed mechanism. Therefore, the upper surface of the conveyor belt of this transverse feed mechanism needs to be arranged at a position higher than the bucket of this longitudinal feed mechanism, and the arrangement position of this transverse feed mechanism cannot be lowered so much.

Further, when the product is dropped from the horizontal feed mechanism into the bucket of the vertical feed mechanism, the product may not be placed in the correct posture in the bucket. In such a case, as described above, When the product ascends together with this bucket, it could hit other parts and cause malfunction or damage to the parts.

[0016]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and in a waist dispense type vending machine, it is possible to reliably carry the product and to effectively use the space in the vending machine. The purpose is to provide.

[0017]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The transport device of the present invention comprises a horizontal feed mechanism and a vertical feed mechanism. The transverse feed mechanism is provided along the lower part of the vending machine and has a conveyor belt that travels in a substantially horizontal direction. A guide is provided along the conveyor belt. This guide is equipped with a front guide wall that is arranged on the front side of the vending machine, that is, on the side opposite to the rear side from which the products fall, and this front guide wall is located near the edge of the Conveyor belt. It stands vertically.

Further, according to the present invention, a sliding table inclined downward from the end of the conveyor belt of the transverse feed mechanism is arranged at the end of the transverse feed mechanism. Therefore, the product conveyed on the conveyor belt of the transverse feed mechanism slides down on the sliding table and is held in an oblique posture. In addition, the rack of the vertical feed mechanism has a bifurcated shape, and at the lowest position, the bifurcated portions are located on both sides of the sliding table, and hold the products that have slid down on the sliding table and raise it. To do.

[0019]

[Action]

 If the product falling from the product storage unit onto this traverse mechanism is skewed, the upper part of the end of this product abuts against this front guide wall, and the lower part of the end of this product Abut on the conveyor belt. In this case, since the front guide wall is vertical, the end of this product is not caught, and the load at the end of this product acts on the conveyor belt. Therefore, the frictional force is large, and the product is surely rotated by the traveling of the conveyor belt, and is placed on the conveyor belt in the correct posture in which the axial direction matches the traveling direction of the conveyor belt.

Further, since the product conveyed to the end of the transverse feed mechanism slides down along the sliding table and is held in the bucket, it is transferred from the transverse feed mechanism to the bucket of the vertical feed mechanism. In this case, this product will not be slanted.

Also, when the above-mentioned product falls into the bucket of the vertical feed mechanism, this product slides down along the above-mentioned sliding table, so that this product is properly held in this bucket, and this product is kept in the bucket. It is placed diagonally on the surface and part of it does not protrude outside the bucket.

Further, the upper end of the sliding table is located at substantially the same height as the upper end of the conveyor belt of the transverse feed mechanism. Therefore, this transverse feed mechanism can be placed at a lower position than before, and the space inside the vending machine can be used more effectively.

Further, since the product is transferred into the bucket of the vertical feed mechanism while being reliably positioned by the sliding table, when the product is, for example, a canned beverage, the width of this bucket is the width of the product. The width of this bucket may be narrow enough to accommodate the width of the bucket, that is, the width in the diametrical direction. Need not be unnecessarily wide. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the width of the entire conveying device as compared with the conventional one.

[0024]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This example is a waist dispenser vending machine that sells products, such as canned beverages. FIG. 4 shows the entire vending machine.

Reference numeral 21 in the figure is a main body of the vending machine, and a door 22 is attached to the front surface of the main body 21 so as to be openable and closable. A product sample, a coin counting device, a product selection button, and the like (all not shown) are attached to the door 22.

A product storage unit 23 is provided in the main body 21, and a plurality of products C, such as canned drinks, are stored in the product storage unit 23. Then, when the user inserts a coin and presses the product selection button, the selected product C is paid out from the lower end of the product storage unit 23 through the chute 24.

A transfer device 25 of the present invention is provided in the main body 21, and the delivered product C is provided by the transfer device 25 at the product take-out port provided on the upper portion of the door 22. It is transported to 29. Therefore, the user does not have to bend over to take out the product.

The above-mentioned transfer device 25 is arranged as follows, and is configured so that the space in this vending machine can be effectively used. That is, the transport device 25 is composed of a horizontal feed mechanism 26 and a vertical feed mechanism 27. The lateral feed mechanism 26 is arranged in the lower part of the door 22 in a substantially horizontal direction, and the vertical feed mechanism 27 is arranged substantially vertically along one side edge of the door 22.

The product C dispensed from the product storage unit 23 drops onto the transverse feed mechanism 26 via the chute 24. The lateral feed mechanism 26 is provided with a conveyor belt that steers in the horizontal direction, and conveys the product in the lateral direction to the lower portion of the vertical feed mechanism 27. The vertical feed mechanism 27 includes a bucket 28 that moves up and down. The product C delivered to the bucket 28 rises together with the bucket 28. The bucket 28 tilts when it rises to the upper part of the vertical feed mechanism 27, and feeds the product C to the product outlet 29 through the chute 30.

The lateral feed mechanism 26 is configured as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. Reference numeral 41 in the figure denotes a conveyor belt, which is made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber and has an endless shape. The conveyor belt 41 is movably stretched between the drive pulley 42 and the driven pulley 43. Further, 44 is a drive motor, and this drive motor 44 is connected to the above-mentioned drive pulley 42 via gears 45 and 46, and rotationally drives this drive pulley 42. Therefore, the conveyor belt 41 is driven and driven by the motor 44.

The drive mechanism such as the motor 44 and the gears 45, 46 is arranged on the rear side of the conveyor belt 41, and is configured to reduce the overall height of the transverse feed mechanism 26. There is.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a front guide wall 47 and a rear guide wall 48 are erected on both sides of the upper surface of the conveyor belt 41 along the conveyor belt 41. Each of the guide walls 47 and 48 is formed of a thin steel plate. The front guide 47 is substantially vertical from the front edge of the conveyor belt 41, that is, the edge opposite to the rear side where the product C is dispensed from the product storage unit 23. Is erected in Further, the rear guide wall 48 is arranged obliquely upward from the vicinity of the rear edge of the conveyor belt 41 and is continuous with the chute 24 of the commodity storage section 23.

An elongated plate-shaped conveyor table 49 is provided along the lower surface of the traveling portion above the conveyor belt 41. Therefore, the traveling portion above the conveyor belt 41 is supported by the conveyor table 49 and does not bend. A ridge 51 is provided at the center of the back side of the conveyor belt 41. A concave groove 50 corresponding to the protrusion 51 is formed in the central portion of the conveyor table 49. Then, the above-mentioned ridge 51 fits into this groove 50 and slides, and this conveyor belt 41 is guided.

A merchandise C such as a canned beverage or the like passes through the shoot 24 from the merchandise storage section 23 in a posture in which the axial direction is the left-right direction of the vending machine, that is, the traveling direction of the conveyor belt 41. Will be paid out. In a normal case, the product C rolls and drops on the chute 24 and the rear guide wall 48 and is placed on the conveyor belt 41 with its axial direction aligned with the traveling direction of the conveyor belt 41. Then, the traveling of the conveyor belt 41 conveys it to the lower portion of the vertical feeding mechanism 27.

However, when the posture of the product C changes during the fall, or when the product C collides strongly with the front guide wall 47 and bounces off, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. There is a case where the posture becomes oblique or orthogonal to the traveling direction of. In such a case, the upper part of the front end of the product C contacts the front guide wall 47, and the lower part of the end of the product C contacts the conveyor belt 41. In this case, since the front guide wall 47 is substantially vertical, it is not caught, and the load on the end portion of the product C is entirely supported by the conveyor belt 41. Further, since the front guide wall 47 is vertical, the lower part of the end of the product C is on the rear side of the upper part, so that the lower part of the end of the product C is the edge of the conveyor belt 41. It comes into contact with a position that is considerably closer to the center than the part. Therefore, the contact force between the end of the product C and the conveyor belt 41 is large, and a sufficient frictional force is generated. Therefore, by the traveling of the conveyor belt 41, the front end portion of the product C is reliably fed together with the conveyor belt 41. Therefore, the product C is surely rotated, is placed on the conveyor belt 41 in a correct posture with its axial direction aligned with the traveling direction of the conveyor belt 41, and is transported as in the usual case.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the traveling portion above the conveyor belt 41 is supported by the conveyor table 49, the commodity C is inclined as described above, and its end portion is local to the conveyor belt 41. The conveyor belt 41 does not bend even when it comes into contact with each other, and the commodity C can be surely rotated and placed on the conveyor belt 41 in the correct posture as described above.

Next, the configuration of the vertical feed mechanism 27 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, 8 and 9. 5 shows the lower part of the vertical feed mechanism 27, and FIG. 6 shows the upper part. The vertical feed mechanism 27 is provided with a guide rail 60 which is erected substantially vertically. The bucket 28 is attached to an elevating member 66, and the elevating member 66 is guided by a plurality of guide rollers 63 and is configured to ascend and descend along the guide rails 60. The bucket 28 is driven up and down by a drive mechanism 61 and a lifting belt 62 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the guide rail 60 is curved, and when the bucket 28 rises to the upper end, the bucket 28 tilts and holds as shown in FIG. The commodity C is slipped off and dropped through the chute 30 into the commodity outlet 29.

The vertical feed mechanism 27 lowers the lowermost stop position of the bucket 28 as much as possible, lowers the arrangement position of the horizontal feed mechanism 26 as much as possible, and moves it vertically from the horizontal feed mechanism 26. In order to ensure the transfer of the product C to the bucket 28 of the feed mechanism 27 and to convert the product C discharged from the product storage unit 23 directly to the bucket 28 of the vertical feed mechanism 27 through the chute 24 in the axial direction, It is configured as follows.

The bucket 28 has a U-shaped cross section in which side walls 67 are erected on both sides so as to vertically hold a product C, for example, a canned beverage. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 9, the bucket 28 has a notch 63 formed in the center thereof, is bifurcated, and has a pair of forks 65. The bucket 28 is attached to the elevating member 66 while being inclined so that its front end portion is slightly upward. When the bucket 28 is located at the lowest position as shown in FIG. 5, the bucket 28 is located below the upper surface of the conveyor belt 41 of the lateral feed mechanism 26.

Further, a sliding table 71 1 as shown in FIG. 8 is provided at the end of the lateral feed mechanism 26. The sliding table 71 has an elongated shape and is located in the cutout portion 64 of the bucket 28. The upper surface of the sliding table 71 is inclined, and the end portion on the side of the horizontal feed mechanism 26 is close to the end portion of the upper surface of the conveyor belt 41, and from this end toward the end on the side of the vertical feed mechanism 27. And tilts downward. A slide plate 72 made of a material having a small friction coefficient is attached to the upper surface of the slide table 71. A detecting member 73 is provided at the lower end of the sliding table 71, that is, at the end on the vertical feed mechanism 27 side. The detection member 73 is pivotally attached to the upper surface of the detection table 71 so as to project and retract, and is biased by a spring 75 so as to project upward. The urging force of the spring 75 causes the detection member 73 to rotate to a position flush with the upper surface of the slide table 71 due to the weight of the product C when the commodity C slides down on the slide table 71. It is set to such a biasing force. A sliding plate 74 made of a material having a small friction coefficient similar to the above is attached to the upper surface of the detecting member 73.

A magnet 76 for detecting operation is attached to the lower surface of the detecting member 73. A proximity switch 77 for detection is provided below the detection member 73.

In the vertical feed mechanism 27 as described above, the bucket 28 is on standby at the lowest position. In this state, the sliding table 71 is located in the notch 64 of the bucket 28, and the fork portions 65 of the bucket 28 are located on both sides of the sliding table 71.

When the dispensed product C is carried to the end by the lateral feed mechanism 26, the product C slides down on the upper surface of the sliding table 71. In this case, the product C is guided by the side wall portion 67 of the bucket 28 that is on standby, slides down in the axial direction thereof, and the product C does not turn sideways during the transfer. When the product C completely slides down on the slide table 71, the weight of the product C causes the detection member 73 to rotate downward against the urging force of the spring 75. Then, the magnet 76 attached to the detection member 73 approaches the proximity switch 77, and the proximity switch 77 operates to detect that the product C has completely slipped down.

Further, the product C dispensed from the product storage unit 23 through the chute 24 slides down in the axial direction by the sliding table 71. At this time, the product C does not face the lateral direction. The detection of the product C is the same as that in the case of the transfer from the transverse feed mechanism.

Next, by the signal from the proximity switch 77, the drive mechanism 61 of the vertical feed mechanism 27 is activated and the bucket 28 is moved up. The product C held on the sliding table 71 is held in the bucket 28 and lifted. The bucket 28 that has risen to the upper end portion of the guide rail 60 tilts as shown in FIG. 6, the product C slides down, and then slides down to the product outlet 29 via the chute 30.

Therefore, the merchandise C is reliably transferred from the lateral feed mechanism 26 to the bucket 28 of the vertical feed mechanism 27, and the merchandise C is not displaced or slanted during this transfer. Further, since the uppermost end of the sliding table 71 may be at the same height as the upper surface of the conveyor belt 41 of the lateral feed mechanism 26, the position of the lateral feed mechanism 26 can be lowered, and the product C faces the lateral direction. Since the carrier device 25 can be made thin in the width direction, the space inside the vending machine can be effectively used. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the product is not limited to a canned beverage, but may be a vending machine for other products.

[0047]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, the product dispensed from the product storage unit can be reliably placed in the correct posture on the transverse feed mechanism and transported. In addition, when the product is transferred from the horizontal feed mechanism to the vertical feed mechanism, the product can be surely transferred in the correct posture. In addition, the product dispensed from the product storage unit can be reliably placed in the correct posture on the bucket of the vertical feed mechanism. Further, the position of the transverse feed mechanism can be lowered, and the entire conveying device can be thinned in its width direction, so that the space inside the vending machine can be effectively used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional vending machine.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional lateral feed mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a bucket of a conventional vertical feed mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vending machine of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a lower portion of a horizontal feed mechanism and a vertical feed mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the upper portion of the vertical feeding mechanism of the present invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view of the traverse mechanism of the present invention taken along line 7-7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the sliding table and bucket portion of the vertical feed mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the bucket of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 23 product storage unit 25 product transfer device 26 horizontal feed mechanism 27 vertical feed mechanism 28 bucket 29 product outlet 41 conveyor belt 47 front guide wall 49 conveyor table 65 fork unit 71 sliding table 74 detection member

Claims (5)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A transverse feed mechanism, which is arranged in a lower portion inside the vending machine and horizontally conveys the product dispensed from the product storage section, and a lateral feeding mechanism arranged inside the vending machine. It is equipped with a vertical feed mechanism that raises the product sent by the horizontal feed mechanism and conveys it to the product outlet, and the above-mentioned horizontal feed mechanism is equipped with a conveyor belt that runs in the horizontal direction, and the front side of this conveyor belt. An article-conveying device for a vending machine, comprising a front guide wall that is vertically provided upright from the vicinity of the edge. 2. The conveyor table is provided on the lower surface of the traveling portion above the conveyor belt, and the traveling portion above the conveyor belt is supported by the conveyor table. Product transport device for vending machines 3. A transverse feed mechanism, which is arranged at a lower portion inside the vending machine and horizontally conveys the product dispensed from the product storage section, and a lateral feeding mechanism arranged inside the vending machine. It is provided with a vertical feed mechanism that raises the product sent by the horizontal feed mechanism and conveys it to the product outlet, and the horizontal feed mechanism includes a conveyor belt that runs in the horizontal direction, and the conveyor belt of the horizontal feed mechanism. A slide table is provided at the end of the conveyor, which is inclined downward from the upper end of the conveyor belt, and the vertical feed mechanism is provided with a vertically movable bucket. The bucket has a bifurcated shape having a pair of forks, and when the bucket is at the lowest position, the forks are located on both sides of the sliding table. Product transport device. 4. The vending machine product according to claim 3, wherein the upper end of the upper surface of the sliding table is located at the same height as the upper end of the upper surface of the conveyor belt of the transverse feed mechanism. Transport device. 5. A detecting member is pivotally attached to the lower end of the sliding table so as to be capable of projecting and retracting, and the detecting member is biased in a projecting direction by a spring and slides down on the sliding table. 4. The automatic vending machine according to claim 3, further comprising a switch that rotates downward against the biasing force of the spring due to the weight of the product and detects downward rotation of the detecting member. Machine product transport device.