JPH0675073U - Pushbutton device for vending machines - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Even if a large number of pushbuttons can be arranged in the lateral direction, even if a small rigid member is used for the panel material such as the front panel on which the pushbuttons are provided, this panel material is There is provided a push button device which is not deformed in the orthogonal direction. [Structure] A long hole 11 extending in the lateral direction is formed in a front panel 4, and a plurality of push buttons 12 are continuously arranged side by side in the long hole 11 in a state of being adjacent to each other, and are fixed to a fixing vertical member. The member 15 supports the swing shaft portion 16a and the curved lower surface 16b of the push button 12 to swingably hold the push button 12, and the front end portion of the support member 15 has a peripheral edge portion of the elongated hole 11 of the front panel 4. Is provided to engage the peripheral portion of the long hole 11 of the front panel 4 with the support member 15 to improve rigidity strength.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a push button device of a vending machine, and more particularly to a push button device in which a large number of push buttons are arranged side by side.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Generally, in a conventional vending machine, as shown in FIG. 6, holes such as squares are formed laterally at predetermined intervals in a front panel 31 which is a customer service surface, and these holes are formed in these holes. A frame 32 having a rectangular shape or the like is attached, 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]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the above-described 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 required between the adjacent push buttons 33. Could not be arranged in the horizontal direction, and if a large number of push buttons 33 were attempted to be arranged in the horizontal direction, the width of each push button 33 would become small and the operability would deteriorate.

As a means for coping with this, as shown in FIG. 7, 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 formed in the elongated hole 36. It is conceivable that the pushbuttons are arranged adjacent to each other without opening them. According to this configuration, the space between the pushbuttons 35 can be eliminated, so that a pushbutton having a relatively wide operability and having a good operability is laterally arranged. Many can be arranged in.

However, in this case, when a material having a low rigidity such as resin is used for the front panel 37 forming the long holes 36, the front panel 37 forming the long holes 36 is rigid especially in the peripheral portion of the long holes 36. However, there was a problem that it became weak and became easily deformed in the front-rear direction, and then it was lifted up and tended to appear.

The present invention solves the above problem. Even if a large number of pushbuttons can be arranged in the lateral direction, even if a member having low rigidity is used for the panel material such as the front panel for providing the pushbuttons, An object of the present invention is to provide a push button device for a vending machine in which the panel material is not deformed in the direction orthogonal to the panel surface.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to solve the above problem, the present invention forms a long hole extending in the lateral direction in a panel member, and a plurality of pushbuttons are continuously arranged side by side in the long hole in the adjacent state to fix the fixed side. An end portion of the push button is swingably supported by a supporting member fixed to the member, and a locking portion for locking the peripheral portion of the long hole of the panel member is provided at the front end of the supporting member. .

[0008]

[Action]

 With the above configuration, the peripheral edge portion of the elongated hole of the panel member is locked and positionally fixed by the locking portion of the support member fixed to the fixing member, so that the panel material is oriented in the front-back direction orthogonal to the panel surface. It is prevented from being deformed, and the panel material and the push button are connected to each other, so that the structural strength of each is improved.

[0009]

【Example】

 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 such as a meal ticket vending machine. A front door 2 of the automatic vending machine 1 has a resin-made panel member in an opening 3a provided in an upper front portion of a front door body 3 made of metal. The front panel 4 is provided. On the front panel 4, a plurality of rows (five rows in this embodiment) of pushbutton devices 10 for selecting food ticket items are arranged together with a bill insertion slot 5, a coin slot 6, a coin return lever 7, and the like. ing. 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) pushbuttons 12 are continuously arranged in the horizontal direction in each long hole 11. Are 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 sides of the front door main body 3, and brackets are provided between the vertical frame members 13. A support member 15 for supporting a push button made of an aluminum extruded material is fixedly mounted via 14 via screws. The support member 15 extends rightward and leftward (in the width direction of the front door 2) above the elongated holes 11 on the rear surface side of the front panel 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the support member 15 is formed with a shaft support portion 15a that is open downward and has a concave cross-section and extends in the lateral direction. Further, the button transparent body 16 which is 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 transparent button 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 (a in FIG. 1) about the swing shaft portion 16a. Direction) 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 pushed while sliding on the curved lower surface 16b of the button transparent body 16. The button 12 is supported from below.

Here, at the front end portion of the support member 15, a locking portion 15c that locks the peripheral edge portion of the elongated hole 11 of the front panel 4 is provided. In other words, the lower end of the front end portion of the first supporting member 15A disposed on the upper back side of the uppermost long hole 11 is provided with the hooking section 15c having a hook-shaped cross section that bends upward, and the front panel 4 is provided. The upper edge of the peripheral edge portion of the long hole 11 at the uppermost position is locked so as to be sandwiched between the upper edge of the elongated hole 11 and the front surface of the shaft support portion 15a. Further, a locking portion 15c having a hook-shaped cross section that bends upward is also provided on the upper end of the front end portion of the second support member 15B that is disposed on the lower back side of each elongated hole 11, respectively. Similarly, the upper edge of the peripheral edge of each elongated hole 11 is locked. Then, the peripheral portions of the elongated holes 11 in the front panel 4 are securely fixed in position by these locking portions 15c.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes a switch body which is turned on and off via a spring material 22 by a pressing operation of a push button 12, and is supported by a holding member 24 which holds a printed circuit board circuit 23 and the like. Further, 25 is a back cover which is attached to the button transparent body 16 so as to be openable and closable. By opening the back cover 25 to the back side as shown in FIG. The meal ticket menu 26, etc. can be taken in and out. Further, 27 is a leaf spring for urging the lower part of the push button 12 to the front side, and 28 is a stopper body of the button transparent body 16 for restricting the front side rotational position of the lower part of the push button 12.

In the above structure, the front panel 4 is made of resin, so that it has an advantage that it can be easily adapted to a design having an aesthetic appearance. When the elongated hole 11 that is long in the direction is formed, the peripheral portion of the elongated hole 11 tends to become weak in rigidity. However, as described above, the peripheral portion of the long hole 11 in the front panel 4 is locked by the locking portion 15c of the support member 15 fixed to the vertical frame member 13 as a fixing member, and the position is reliably fixed. Therefore, the front panel 4 is prevented from being deformed in the front-rear direction, and the front panel 4 and the supporting member 15 are coupled at the upper or lower peripheral portion of the entire width of the long hole 11, so that the structural strength is also improved. improves.

Here, in the above embodiment, the locking portion 15c bent in a hook shape is shown, but the locking portion may have a structure such as a claw shape that can be locked. Further, the structure for supporting the push button by the support member is not limited to the above structure, and the engaging portion may be formed on the support member configured to support the lower end side of the push button.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, a long hole extending in the lateral direction is formed in a panel member, and a plurality of push buttons are continuously arranged side by side in the long hole in the adjacent state. As a result, a large number of push buttons can be arranged, and a support member that swingably supports the end portion of the push button is fixed to the fixed-side member, and the front end portion of this support member is Locking the peripheral edge of the long hole of the panel member Locking the peripheral edge of the long hole of the panel member with the lock part of the support member fixed to the fixed member By doing so, the panel material is prevented from floating in the front and back, and the structure in which the panel material and the push button are joined together improves the rigidity strength.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of 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 a main part showing the fixed-side support structure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an opening / closing operation of a back cover of the push button device.

FIG. 6 is an overall front view of a conventional vending machine.

FIG. 7 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 13 Vertical Frame Material (Member on Fixed Side) 15, 15A, 15B Supporting Member 15a Shaft Supporting Part 15b Supporting Protrusion 15c Locking part 16a Swinging shaft part 16b Curved lower surface

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A push button device for a vending machine, wherein a panel member is provided with a plurality of push buttons, wherein an elongated hole extending in a lateral direction is formed in the panel member, and the plurality of push buttons are provided in the elongated hole. The end portions of the push button are swingably supported by a supporting member fixed to a member on the fixed side, which are continuously arranged side by side in the adjacent state, and the front end portion of the supporting member is provided with a long hole of the panel member. A push button device for a vending machine provided with a locking portion for locking the peripheral portion.