JPH06282734A - Push button system for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the push button system for automatic vending machine which can surely perform the pressing and recovering operations of push buttons while continuously and laterally parallelly providing the plural push buttons inside a long hole in the adjacent state without interfering the adjacent push buttons. CONSTITUTION:A laterally extended long hole 11 is formed on a front panel 4 and inside this long hole 11, plural push buttons 12 are continuously and laterally parallelly provided in the adjacent state. Then, both side faces 16f and 16g of the push buttons are formed in the shape of a bent form so that the rear side can be planarly expanded to the side, and projecting parts 16k protruded to the sides are provided at vertical two positions of one side face 16g. Thus, the adjacent push buttons 12 are abutted in a small touch area, the frictional force is suppressed, and the pressing and recovering operations of push buttons 12 are more satisfactorily performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a push button device for a vending machine, and more particularly to a push button device having a large number of push buttons arranged side by side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a conventional vending machine, as shown in FIG. 8, a hole such as a square is formed in a front panel 31 serving as a customer service in a lateral direction at a plurality of positions at predetermined intervals. A rectangular frame 32 or the like is attached to the hole, and a push button 33 for product selection or the like is fitted in the frame 32 and arranged side by side. Then, from among the plurality of push buttons 33, the push button 33 related to a desired product or the like is selected and pushed.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional vending machine, the frame 32 is attached to the peripheral wall of the hole in the front panel 31, and a predetermined space is provided between the adjacent push buttons 33. Therefore, too many pushbuttons 33 cannot be arranged in the horizontal direction, and if the pushbuttons 33 are forcibly arranged in the horizontal direction, the width of each pushbutton 33 becomes small and the operability is deteriorated. was there.

As a means for coping with this, as shown in FIG. 9, a hole into which the push button 35 is fitted is formed in an elongated hole shape extending in the lateral direction, and a plurality of rectangular push buttons 35 are adjacent to the elongated hole 36. It is conceivable that the push buttons 35 are continuously arranged side by side in this state. According to this configuration, the space between the push buttons 35 can be almost eliminated, and thus a large number of push buttons 35 having a relatively wide width are arranged in the horizontal direction. be able to.

However, in this case, the side surfaces of the adjacent push buttons 35 come into contact with each other and interfere with each other to increase the frictional force between them, so that the push buttons 35 adjacent to each other as the pushed push buttons 35 are pushed. There is a problem that the pressing operation is performed, or when the pressed push button 35 tries to return, the frictional force at the contact portion is larger than the returning force, and the returning operation is not performed.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem. While a plurality of pushbuttons can be continuously arranged side by side in the elongated hole in the lateral direction, the pushbuttons can be pressed and returned in the same direction. An object of the present invention is to provide a push button device for a vending machine which can be surely operated without interfering with buttons.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, a first means of the present invention is to form a laterally extending elongated hole in a panel member, and a plurality of push buttons that can be retracted and retracted in the elongated hole. Are continuously arranged side by side in the elongated holes in a state of being adjacent to each other, and at least one side surface of the push button is formed in a curved shape that is curved laterally.

According to the second means of the present invention, an elongated hole extending in the lateral direction is formed in the panel member, and a plurality of pushbuttons that can freely move in and out of the elongated hole are continuously arranged in the elongated hole in a state of being adjacent to each other. Is provided side by side in a lateral direction, and a protrusion protruding laterally is provided on at least one side surface of the push button.

[0009]

In the first means, since at least one side surface of the push button is formed to have a curved shape that is curved laterally, one side surface having the curved shape of the push button and the other side surface adjacent to the push button are adjacent to each other. Contact in a small area, and the frictional force at the contact point is minimized.

Further, in the above-mentioned second means, since at least one of the side surfaces of the push button is provided with the projecting portion projecting laterally, the other side surface of the adjacent push button comes into contact with the tip of the projecting portion of the push button. Then, they are in contact with each other in a small area, and the frictional force at the contact point is minimized.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an automatic vending machine including, for example, a meal ticket vending machine, and a front door 2 of the automatic vending machine 1 has a resin panel in an opening 3a provided in an upper front portion of a front door main body 3 made of metal. A front panel 4 as a member is arranged. A plurality of rows (five rows in this embodiment) of push button devices 10 for selecting food ticket items are arranged on the front panel 4 together with a bill insertion slot 5, a coin slot 6, a coin return lever 7, and the like. There is. That is, five long holes 11 extending in the horizontal direction are formed vertically in the front panel 4, and a plurality of (eight in FIG. 2) push buttons 12 are continuously arranged in the horizontal direction in each long hole 11. It is installed side by side.

In FIG. 2, reference numerals 8 and 9 denote a food ticket and a return coin take-out port and a coin return button provided at the center of the front surface of the front door body 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, vertical frame members 13 as vertically extending fixed-side members are arranged on both inner side portions of the front door body 3, and a bracket 14 is provided between these vertical frame members 13. A support member 15 made of an extruded aluminum material for supporting a push button is fixedly provided therebetween. The support member 15 extends laterally (in the width direction of the front door 2) above each elongated hole 11 on the back side of the front panel 4.

As shown in FIG. 5, each support member 15 has a shaft support portion 15a which is open downward and has a concave cross section and extends in the lateral direction.
Are formed. Further, the button transparent body 16 serving as the main body of the push button 12 has an upper end portion extending upward to form a swing shaft portion 16a having a circular cross section. The swing shaft portion 16a of the button transparent body 16 is fitted into the shaft support portion 15a of the support member 15, and the push button 12 has its lower portion in the front-rear direction (direction a in FIG. 5) centering on the swing shaft portion 16a. It is supported so that it can swing. Further, a supporting projection 15b projecting upward is formed on the upper surface of the shaft supporting portion 15a of the supporting member 15, and the supporting projection 15b is formed.
However, the push button 12 is supported from below while sliding on the curved lower surface 16b of the button transparent body 16 disposed above the support member 15.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the button transparent body 16 is provided with a concave portion 16c which is opened upward at a substantially central position on the swing shaft portion 16a. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a rivet member 17 made of resin or the like as a convex portion can be inserted into and removed from holes 15c provided at predetermined intervals on the back surface side of the shaft support portion 15a of the support member 15. ,
The tip of the inserted rivet member 17 is fitted into the recess 16c of the transparent button body 16,
The rivet member 17 regulates the position of the push button 12, especially the upper side thereof, so as not to move laterally along the elongated hole 11 to the outside of a predetermined range.

Further, supporting members 15B arranged on the lower rear side of the elongated holes 11 in the front panel 4 respectively.
Behind (15), the switch body 2 which is turned on and off via the spring material 22 by the pushing operation of the push button 12.
1 and an LED lamp (not shown) that lights up when sold out, a circuit board 23, and the like are provided. These switch bodies 21 and the like are assembled to the support frame member 24, and the support frame member 24 to which these switch bodies 21 and the like are assembled is rotated from the position of the virtual line portion to the position of the solid line portion shown in FIG. It is moved and placed. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a pair of front cut-and-raised protrusions 24a are formed in the lower front portion of the support frame member 24, and the support frame member 24 and the like are mounted on the rear portion of the support member 15B. When placed, the front cut-and-raised convex portion 24a of the support frame member 24 has a stopper body 16d for regulating the lower rotation position of the button transparent body 16.
Also, the push button 12, especially the lower side thereof, is laterally moved along the elongated hole 11 to the outside of a predetermined range even by fitting into the notched recessed portion 16e formed in the above, and also by these front cut-and-raised protrusions 24a and the notched recessed portion 16e. The position is regulated not to. The support frame member 24 is placed on the rear portion of the support member 15B, and then fixed by being screwed to the vertical frame members 13 on both inner sides of the front door body 3, as shown in FIG. . Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the stopper body 16d for restricting the lower rotation position is tilted so as not to hit the support frame member 24 even when the push button 12 is pushed to one side.

As described above, the push button 12 is positionally regulated in the upper and lower portions thereof so as not to move laterally along the elongated hole 11 to the outside of a predetermined clearance (clearance) range. The pressing operation and the returning operation are performed well.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the button transparent body 16 has both side surfaces 16f and 16g formed in a curved shape such that the rear side thereof bulges laterally when viewed in plan. Projecting portions 16k projecting laterally are provided at the upper and lower sides of the side surface 16g so as to extend forward and backward.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 15A is a supporting member disposed on the upper back side of the uppermost slot 11 in the front panel 4, and 15e is a hook-shaped bend at the front end of each supporting member 15. A locking portion formed to support the peripheral portion of the long hole 11 in the front panel 4, a back cover 25 attached to the button transparent body 16 so as to be openable and closable so that a meal ticket menu 26 and the like can be put in and taken out, 27 Is a leaf spring for urging the lower part of the push button 12 toward the front side.
16h is a side surface 16 of the button transparent body 16.
The side surface 16 of the push button 12 is projected laterally from f.
It is a cover portion that closes the gap between the side surface 16g of the push button 12 and the side surface 16g of the adjacent push button 12.

In the above structure, the push button 12 has the long hole 1
The push buttons 12 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction in one unit, and particularly when the push buttons 12 are pressed or returned, adjacent push buttons 12 may come into contact with each other. However, the contact button transparent body 16
Since both side surfaces 16f and 16g are formed in a curved shape, even if adjacent push buttons 12 come into contact with each other, the curved surfaces come into contact with each other, and the contact area becomes small. Further, one side surface 16 of the push button 12
Since projecting portions 16k that project laterally are provided at two upper and lower positions of g, when the adjacent push buttons 12 come into contact with each other, the tip ends of the projecting portions 16k of one push button are adjacent to each other. It comes into contact with the curved side surface 16f of the button, so that it comes into contact with a smaller contact area and its frictional force is minimized. Therefore, the pressing operation and the returning operation of the push button 5 are performed more favorably.

In the above embodiment, the case where both side surfaces 16f and 16g of the contact button transparent body 16 are curved is described, but only one side surface may be curved. In addition, although the case of curving in a plan view is shown,
It can be configured so as to be curved when viewed from the front, and further, can be curved in a concave shape.

Further, only one of the curved configuration and the configuration in which the protrusion 16 is provided may be adopted.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, at least one side surface of the push button is formed in a curved shape that is curved laterally, or at least one side surface of the push button is
By providing a protruding portion that protrudes to the side, the side surfaces of the adjacent push buttons contact each other with a small contact area when they contact each other, and the frictional force is minimized.
The pressing operation and the returning operation of the push button are more favorably performed. As a result, the reliability of the push button device, and thus the vending machine, is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a push button in a push button device of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall front view of the same vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a fixed side support structure of a support member of the push button device of the vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an essential part showing a fixed side support structure of a support member of the push button device of the same vending machine.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a push button device of the same vending machine.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the push button device seen from the back side.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a main part of the push button device.

FIG. 8 is an overall front view of a conventional vending machine.

FIG. 9 is an overall front view of a conventional vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vending Machine 2 Front Door 4 Front Panel (Panel Member) 10 Push Button Device 11 Long Hole 12 Push Button 16 Button Transparent Body 16f, 16g Side Surface 16k Projection

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An elongated hole extending in the lateral direction is formed in a panel member, and a plurality of pushbuttons that can be retracted and retracted in the elongated hole are continuously arranged in the elongated hole in the lateral direction in an adjacent state. A push button device for a vending machine, wherein at least one side surface of the push button is formed in a curved shape that is curved laterally. 2. An elongated hole extending in the lateral direction is formed in a panel member, and a plurality of push-buttons which can freely move in and out of the elongated hole are arranged in the elongated hole continuously in a lateral direction in the adjacent state. A push button device for a vending machine, wherein at least one of the side surfaces of the push button is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes laterally.