JPH0567998B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a product delivery device for a vending machine that sells a wide variety of products such as cans, bottles, and barrels.

Conventional Technology In recent years, with the diversification of containers in vending machines, there has been an increasing trend towards larger machines and multi-flavored machines. Containers also tend to become more diverse and larger.

An example of a conventional product delivery device for a vending machine will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12 respectively show an external perspective view of a conventional product vending machine, a front view with the door open, a schematic partial side sectional view, and a perspective view of a vertical feed device.

In the figure, 1 is the main body of the vending machine, and inside the main body 1, a large number of shelves 2 for storing products are arranged vertically, horizontally, and horizontally, and in the center thereof, there is a conveying device 3 that can freely move up and down in the vertical direction. be. Although not shown, the product storage shelf 2 is equipped with a horizontal feeding device (which may be a general conveyor belt) for transporting the products to the center. In addition, samples 6a of products to be sold stored on the shelf 2 can be directly viewed through the front transparent plate 5 of the door 4 attached to the front of the main body 1, and there is a coin insertion slot operated by the purchaser on the front. An operation panel 7 equipped with an opening, a return button, etc., a product selection button 8, and a product takeout door 9 that covers a product takeout port 9a for taking out the product are provided. On the other hand, inside the main body 1, the product storage shelves 2 are held on pillars 10 erected at the four left and right corners. Sho post 1
0 is composed of a left column 10a and a right column 10b, and is fixed to the inside of the main body 1 with a pin 11. Reference numeral 12 denotes a support body, and a left frame 12a has a front edge flange 12'a which is erected with a space between left and right sides;
Right frame 12b with leading edge flange 12'a
It is fixed with screws 13 to the rear surface 1a at the center of the main body 1, which is composed of a bottom frame 12c and a bottom frame 12c. Reference numeral 14 denotes a shaft attached to the lower portions of the left and right frames 12a, 12b of the support body 12. 15 is the left and right frame 12a, 12b.
It is a shaft attached to the top of the The shaft 14 is attached at both ends to the left and right frames 12a, 12b via bushes 16, and a sprocket 18 is attached to both inner ends of the bushes 16 to which an endless chain 17 extending vertically is attached.
is fixed to the shaft 14 with a pin 19. 2
0 is a driving motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, which is fixed to the bottom frame 12c with screws 21, and connects its output shaft, the lower shaft 14, and each sprocket 2.
2 and 23 are attached by a key (not shown), and are connected by a chain 24.
Note that, like the lower shaft 14 described above, the shaft 15 is fitted to the frame 12 at both ends via bushes 16, but the upper sprocket 18 is not fixed to the shaft 15 and is free to move as the chain 17 moves. It rotates. Also, the chain 17 is the frame body 1
2, it is connected to each sprocket 18 of the upper and lower shafts 14 and 15 in an endless manner in the vertical direction as shown by a chain line. Reference numerals 25 and 26 denote a pair of holding plates, which are attached to the chains 17 at both ends by inserting pins 17a, and rollers 27 are attached to the rear of each holding plate 25 and 26 to abut against the frame 12 and smooth the movement. Rollers 28 and 29 are mounted vertically on the inner surface of the body 12 and on the outer surface of the frame 12, and the pin 3
It is held at 0. That is, the leading edge flanges 12'a, 12'b are sandwiched between the roller 27 and the rollers 28, 29. Reference numeral 31 is a roughly U-shaped bucket with both sides open, and approximately L-shaped brackets 32 are arranged at intervals on the back side of both ends of the bottom of the bucket 31. A hole 32a is formed in each of the retaining plates 25, 26 to engage with the distal end sides of the retaining plates 25, 26, and the retaining plates 25, 26 are supported by a pin 33. Further, at the rear of the bottom of the bucket bag 31, there is a leg stay 34 which serves as reinforcement in the lateral direction when viewed from the front. Mata Bucket 31
Compression spring 3 to reduce the backlash of the
5 is hooked on the back surface of the bucket bag 31 between a hook 31a and a bracket 25a with a hole for holding at the center of the holding plate 25. A substantially U-shaped stopper plate 36 contacts the bottom of the bucket 31 behind the pin 33 and tilts the bucket around the pin 33, and a roller 37 that directly contacts the bucket 31 is placed on the front upper part of the stopper plate 36. 36 and held by a shaft 38. The stopper plate 36 is fixed with screws 40 between the frame 12 in the lower rear surface of the main body 1.
Reference numeral 41 denotes a chute inside the warehouse that guides the product to the product take-out door 9, and is attached to the lower center of the front surface of the frame 12. When the bucket 31 is on standby, its tip is close to the chute 41 inside the refrigerator. Note that the product take-out door 9 is locked during the waiting period.
Further, on the front side of the left frame 12a of the frame body 12, switches 42 are provided at the bottom and top stages in contact with the holding plate 25 to switch the drive of the motor 20 between forward and reverse rotations and to turn it off. There is.

The operation of the product dispensing device for a vending machine configured as described above will be described below.
First, when purchasing the product 6, the purchaser inserts coins, gift certificates, etc. into the vending machine. A mechanism (not shown) determines whether the inserted coin or gift certificate is the correct one, and if the coin or gift certificate is correct, a true signal is output from an identification device (not shown). Next, when the purchaser presses the product selection button 8, the motor 20 switches to the first
It rotates in the forward rotation A direction shown in FIG. Then, the bucket 31 is raised through the holding plates 25 and 26 connected to the chain 17, and the selected product 6 is lifted up.
It is stopped by a switch (not shown) at a certain product storage shelf 2. At this time, the product 6 is dispensed into the bucket 31 by a horizontal feeder (not shown) provided on the product storage shelf 2 (the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 11).

When the dispensing of the product 6 is completed, the motor 20 switches to the first
The bucket bag 31 rotates in the reverse rotation direction B shown in FIG. After that, Bucket 3
1, the holding plates 25 and 26 descend, and the roller 37 of the lower stopper plate 36 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the bucket 31. Further, since the retaining plates 25 and 26 and the bucket 31 are pivoted around the pin 33, when the retaining plates 25 and 26 are lowered, the rear of the bucket 31 is not lowered by the stopper plate 36, and the front of the bucket 31 is Only tilt downward. At this time, immediately before returning to the standby state, although not shown, the product removal door 9 is released and at the same time the motor 20 is stopped by the holding plate 25 and the switch 42. Therefore, the products 6 in the bucket 31 are delivered to the chute 41. At this time, the purchaser can open the product take-out door 9 and take out the product 6. Further, when the purchaser closes the product take-out door 9 after taking out the product 6, the switch (not shown) connected to the product take-out door 9 locks again and enters the waiting state.

Regarding the operation of raising and lowering the bucket 31 when purchasing the aforementioned product 6, the operation is performed in the reverse order of the lowering of the bucket 31. That is, the front of the bucket 31 moves up and down, and the bucket 31 advances to a horizontal state, and when it moves away from the stopper plate 36, it becomes horizontal, and the product 6 can be loaded into the bucket 31.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with the above configuration, when an unbalanced product 6 is placed in the bucket 31 and a large load is applied to the front side of the bucket 31, the tension of the spring 35 pulling the bucket 31 is reduced. Holder plate 2
Since it is located above 5 and 26, spring 3
The front side of the pin 33 would be heavier than the 5-force, and there was a risk that the front side would tilt downward. In addition, to prevent this, it is possible to make the spring 35 stronger, but it is not possible to make it stronger because the torque of the motor 20 will be affected when the spring 35 is tilted. In addition, when the product 6 is placed inside the bucket 31 and the bucket 31 comes into contact with the roller 37 of the stopper plate 36 that tilts the bucket 31, the impact is large, and the product containing carbonated beverages in particular is in a forming state inside. Therefore, there was a risk that the taste of the contents would be affected. Furthermore, the lightweight product 6 could bounce upon impact, change its direction, and protrude from the bucket 31, which could be a problem.

In view of the above problems, the present invention transports products with unbalanced weight in a stable state, reduces the impact force on the products, and minimizes the power of the motor.
We provide vending machines that sell a wide variety of products.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the product dispensing device of the vending machine of the present invention is bent into a bucket shape, and vertically extends from above to a straight part, a circular arc part, and a straight part. A pair of guide lifts with continuous grooves are installed, and a roller attached to a holder connected to a chain extending in the vertical direction is inserted into the groove of the guide lift to connect the roller and the stopper of the guide lift. a first roller that supports the bucket to move up and down in abutment and that contacts the bucket at a position below the contact position of the support and the roller and the stopper to smooth the vertical movement; The receiving surface has a recessed portion in a direction away from the product removal port and protrudes forward from the vertically extending pillar in order to release the contact between the second roller disposed below and the pillar and tilt the bucket. A guide roller is provided and the second roller and the guide roller are arranged so as to engage with each other.

Effects According to the present invention, with the above-described configuration, the bucket contacts the support column and moves in the vertical direction, and also moves along the guide roller at the position where the contact between the second roller and the support support is released when descending. The second roller is guided, and as a result, the bucket is tilted toward the product outlet side due to the contact between the guide lift and the roller.

Embodiment A product dispensing device for a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Omitted.

In the figure, reference numeral 43 denotes a vertical conveyance device that can be vertically moved vertically at the center of the product storage shelves 2 arranged vertically and horizontally. 44 is the transport device 4
Left frame 44a, right frame 44b, bottom frame 44
c and a top frame 44d, each corner of which is fixed with screws 45. Further, shafts 14 and 15 are fitted to the lower and upper portions of the column 44 via bushes 16 in the same manner as in the prior art. Each chain 17 is connected to the upper and lower ends of the sprocket 18 in an endless manner. In addition, a driving motor 20 that can be rotated in forward and reverse directions is connected to the bottom frame 4.
4c with screws 21, and connected to the shaft 14 with a chain 24 as in the conventional example.

The conveying device 43, the bucket 50, and the chain 17 are formed larger. Also, 46
is a connecting plate bent into a substantially U-shape, and is attached to the chain 17 at both ends by inserting pins 17'a. A roller 47 is attached to the bent portion 46a of the connecting plate 46 with a shaft 47a, which makes contact with the support column 44 to make the movement smooth. 48 is a holder which is fastened together with the connecting plate 46 by the shaft 47a, and is brought into contact with the pin 17'a on the side opposite to the bent part 46a of the connecting plate 46 attached to the chain 17, so that the pin 17'a is brought into contact with the pin 17'a. It is designed to prevent it from coming out. Reference numeral 49 is connected to the back side of a substantially U-shaped bucket 50, which has a placing plate 50a for receiving goods in parallel with the guide lift product storage shelf 2, and a covering plate 50b located above the placing plate 50a, which is shorter than the above-mentioned placing plate 50a. has been done. The guide lift 49 is a groove extending in the vertical direction and has a substantially doglegged straight part 49a, an arc part 49b, and a straight part 49c.
and a stopper 49d located at the top of the groove. Then, the roller 51 attached to the holder 48 is inserted into the groove of the guide lift 49 and moved, and the stopper 4 at the upper part of the groove is moved.
The roller 51 comes into contact with the bucket 9d to prevent the bucket 50 from moving downward, and moves to the top of the product storage shelf 2. 50c is a support plate that connects the bucket 50 and the guide lift 49 and extends downward. In the middle of this support plate 50c, the flange back surface 44'a of the left frame 44a
A first roller 52 is located between the back surface 44'b of the flange of the right frame 44b and the chain 17, and is held on the side surface of the support plate 50c by a roller pin 52a. The first roller 52 is always in contact with the flange back surfaces 44'a and 44'b. Further, a second roller 53 is attached to the lower side surface of the support plate 50a. This second roller 53 comes into contact with the flange front surface 44''a of the left frame 44a and the flange front surface 44''b of the right frame 44b, and moves up and down. Also, the lower left frame 4
4a, the right frame 44b has a partial notch 44e,
44f, and a guide roller 54 having a recessed portion 54' in the notch portion rearward from the pillar for guiding the second roller 53 is fixed to each of the left frame 44a and the right frame 44b with screws 55. The guide roller 54 has its lower end protruding forward from the support column 44, and the second roller 5 is attached to the front (left side in FIG. 8) of the first roller 52 that falls vertically.
3 has a receiving surface 54a that contacts. Further, a guide plate 56 of an appropriate length between the first roller 52 and the chain 17 is attached with screws 57 at the upper part adjacent to the guide roller 54. In other words, the second roller 53 rotates around the first roller 52 as the guide roller 5.
4, the guide lift 49 and roller 51 draw an arc together with the support plate 50a, and the bucket 50 tilts forward due to its own weight.

Further, a substantially L-shaped plate 46b extending from the back surface to the side surface of the connecting plate 46 is fixed by welding or the like. And the plate 46b is attached to the right frame 44b.
The motor 20 is provided with a switch 42 that is turned on and off by the switch 42, and is used to change the direction of rotation of the motor 20. The chute 41 inside the warehouse is attached to the central part of the front surface of the support column 44 so as to be inclined toward the product outlet 9a, as in the conventional case. When the bucket 50 is on standby, its tip is close to the chute 41. Note that the product take-out door 9 is locked during the waiting period.

The operation of the product dispensing device of the vending machine configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

First, the bucket 50 in FIG. 1 is indicated by a dashed line while it is on standby, and the solid line indicates that it is raised and stopped by a switch (not shown) at the product storage shelf 2 where the selected product 6 is located. A horizontal feeding device (not shown) allows the bucket 50 to be
This shows a state in which the product 6 is discharged.

The product sales operation will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. When the product 6 has been discharged from the product storage shelf 2, the motor 20 rotates in the reverse rotation direction shown in the figure, and moves the guide lift 49, the support plate 50a, and the bucket 50 through the connecting plate 46 connected to the chain 17. comes down to the bottom. At this time, the second roller 53 is on the verge of contacting and guiding the guide roller 54. Also, Figure 7 shows Bucket 5.
0 is tilted and the product 6 is discharged to the chute 41. The operation up to payout will be explained below with reference to FIG. When the motor 20 further rotates in the reverse rotation direction from the horizontal state of the bucket 50, the connecting plate 46 connected to the chain 17
moves downward of the support column 44 while coming into contact with the roller 47. As a result, the roller 51 attached to the holder 48 separates from the stopper 49d of the guide lift 49 connected to the bucket belt 50, and
Make bucket 50 free. When the connecting plate 46 further descends, the second roller 53 is guided to the recess 54' of the guide roller 54, and the first roller 5
2 is centered around the back surfaces 44'a and 44'b of the flanges of the guide plate 56 and the support column 44, and the roller 51 is moved up to the arcuate portion 49b of the guide lift 49, so that the bucket 50 is gently tilted by its own weight. becomes the starting state. Furthermore, the connecting plate 4
6 descends, the arc portion 49b of the guide lift 49
As the roller 51 moves in a large circular arc, the bucket 50 immediately enters the product dispensing and waiting state with a large steep slope. Therefore, product 6 in bucket 50 is chute 41
will be paid out to. At the same time, the motor 20 is stopped by turning off the power circuit using the plate 46b fixed to the connecting plate 46 and the switch 42 (shown in FIG. 3). Further, the product take-out door 9 (shown in FIG. 1) is released, although not shown, just before returning to the standby state, as in the conventional case. The product 6 delivered to the chute 41 can be taken out by the purchaser by opening the product removal door 9. Thereafter, by closing the product take-out door 9, the product take-out door 9 is locked again to prevent theft and enters a standby state (not shown).

When purchasing the product 6, the up-and-down movement of the bucket 50 from the standby state to the horizontal state is performed in the reverse order of the lowering of the bucket 50. In other words, the motor 20 rotates in the forward rotation direction A, which is transmitted from the chain 24 to the chain 17, and the connecting plate 46 begins to move up and down. Then, the roller 51 comes into contact with the straight portion 49c of the guide lift 49. When the roller 51 rises a little above this state, it reaches the arcuate part 49b of the guide lift 49, the tip of the bucket 50 rotates around the first roller 52, and the second roller 53 moves behind the recessed part 54' of the guide roller 54. Comes forward from. In other words, it becomes a state. When the connecting plate 46 further moves up and down, it comes to the position of the linear part 49c of the roller 51 and the guide lift 49, and comes into contact with the stopper 49d to lift the bucket. By this, Bucket 5
0 is in a horizontal state and moves up and down together with the connecting plate 46 from a free state. In other words, the state becomes such that the product 6 can be loaded into the bucket cart 50.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by contacting the main body of the bucket cart 50 and tilting the bucket in a buffered state by the guide lift, guide roller, and each roller, it is possible to always stably dispense products. .

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention moves the bucket up and down by contacting the support via the roller, and also moves the bucket along the guide roller at the position where the contact between the second roller and the support is released when descending. Since the second roller is guided to tilt the bucket, the force applied to the bucket is weakened, and in products containing carbonated beverages, forming is suppressed and changes in flavor are reduced.

In addition, when transporting products in the bucket, the bucket is brought into contact with the support via rollers, which prevents rattling.Even if the weight of the product placed on the bucket is unbalanced, it will not wobble, making it possible to make even heavy products lightweight. However, products can be transported stably.

Furthermore, since the weight of the bucket is not applied at the time of starting the motor, the starting torque is small, and since the weight of the bucket is then applied, it is possible to use a low-torque motor, which also has the effect of saving energy such as electricity costs.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic front sectional view of the vending machine shown in FIG. A perspective view, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the main part of the vertical feed conveyance device shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the bucket in a tilted state;
The figure is a side cross-sectional view of the main part showing the product delivery state in Figure 3, Figure 9 is an external perspective view of a conventional vending machine, Figure 10 is a front view of the same Figure 9 with the door open, and Figure 11 is FIG. 9 is a sectional side view of a main part showing the product being carried out, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the vertical feeding device of FIG. 9. 9...Product removal door, 17...Chain, 41...
...Chute, 43...Transport device, 44...Strut,
49...Guide lift, 50...Bucket, 51
...Roller, 52...First roller, 53...Second
Roller, 54...Guide roller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A product storage shelf with a horizontal feed device arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction, a mounting plate that is parallel to the product storage shelf and on which products sent from the product storage shelf are placed, and a mounting device that covers the top of the product. A roughly U-shaped bucket with a cover plate shorter than the board, a chain driven by a forward and reverse motor that moves the bucket vertically and guides the product to the product outlet below, and supports the chain. A pair of guide lifts are attached to the bucket, which are bent into a substantially dogleg shape and have a straight part, an arc part, and a groove continuous with the straight part from above in the vertical direction, and are connected to the chain. The roller attached to the holder is inserted into the groove of the guide lift, and the roller and the stopper of the guide lift support the bucket to move it up and down. a first roller that contacts below the contact position to smooth vertical movement; and a second roller that is disposed below this support to release the contact between the support and the support and tilt the bucket. A vending machine comprising: a guide roller having a recessed part in a direction further away from the vehicle and having a receiving surface protruding forward than the vertically extending column; and disposed so that the second roller and the guide roller engage with each other. Machine's product unloading device.