JPH0696336A - Vending controller of automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the efficiency of vending by decreasing unsold commodities and to prevent a commodity from being misvended. CONSTITUTION:The automatic vending machine is provided with a commodity storage shelf 1 where commodities are stacked and stored in a commodity storage box and also equipped with a carrying-out device 2 which moves a pressure plate 2C forth and back in each vending operation and pushes and carries the lowermost commodity G1 out of a carry-out opening 1B in the forward movement below the commodity storage shelf 1. Further, this automatic vending machine is equipped with a sellout switch 4 which detects whether or not there is a commodity at a specific position on the commodity storage shelf 1 and a vending control circuit 5 which stops the carrying-out device 2 once the sellout switch 4 detects not commodity so that the push plate 2C in the vending operation stops at a specific position halfway in movement for mounting a commodity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine sales control device for controlling a carry-out device for carrying out products stored in a product storage rack.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A configuration in which the lowest product placed on a product storage column (product storage shelf) in a main body of a vending machine is slid and carried out by a carry-out device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-1.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 54995. With the above configuration,
Based on the sales signal, the product delivery mechanism (delivery device) is driven to push the lowest product forward with a pusher (pressing member). The pusher from which the product has been pushed backs up to return the pusher to the standby position and waits for the next sale.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, when there is only one product stored in the product storage rack 1 as shown in FIG. 4, the pressing plate 2C, which is an extruding member, stands by. When returning to the position, there is a problem that the product G on the pressing plate 2C is unbalanced and carried out, causing erroneous sales.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, as shown in FIG. 5, there is also known a configuration in which a plurality of products G1 and G2 are left on the product storage shelf 1 and sold out to end the sale.
With this configuration, the product G2 placed on the lowest product G1
The weight of the product G1 maintains the balance of the product G1 and prevents erroneous sales. However, a plurality of products are left in the product storage shelf 1 and the sales efficiency is deteriorated.

Therefore, the present invention aims to reduce the number of unsold merchandise to increase the sales efficiency and prevent the erroneous sale of merchandise. Another object is to increase the number of products stored when the products are filled.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, a product storage shelf for stacking and storing products in a product storage is provided, and a pressing member is provided at the bottom of the product storage shelf for each sales operation. In a vending machine equipped with a carry-out device that reciprocates and pushes out and carries out the lowest product from the carry-out port at the time of the forward movement, product detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a product at a predetermined position of the product storage shelf, and the product. When the detection unit detects the absence of the product, the control unit stops the unloading device so that the pressing member during the selling operation is stopped at a predetermined position which is in the middle of moving the product.

Further, a product storage shelf for stacking and storing products in the product storage is provided, and a pressing member is reciprocated once for each selling operation at the lower part of the product storage rack, and the lowest product is moved in the forward movement. In a vending machine equipped with a carry-out device that pushes out and carries out a product from a carry-out port, a product detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a product at a predetermined position of the product storage shelf, and when the product detection unit detects the absence of a product, a sales operation is performed. Control means for stopping the carry-out device so that the pressing member is stopped at a predetermined position where the product can be placed, and a state where the pressing member is stopped at a predetermined position where the product can be placed. When the product detection signal detects that the product is present, the control device drives the carry-out device to return the pressing member to the standby position.

[0008]

When the product detection means detects the absence of the product, the control means sets the pressing member at the time of the selling operation to the stop position in the middle of the movement in which the product can be placed, so that the product remains placed above the pressing member. The product does not lose its balance, and since the product is positioned higher than the opening of the carry-out port on the pressing member, erroneous discharge can be prevented.

Further, when the product detection means detects that the product is stored in the product storage shelf which has been sold out while the product is placed above the pressing member, the pressing member is retracted. By driving and returning the pressing member to the standby position, the product on the pressing member drops on the product placing table, so the amount of product to be filled when packing the product is one (only the thickness of the pressing member. ) Can be increased. Further, when the first product after being filled with the product is sold, the pressing member is returned to the standby position, so that the selling operation time can be the same as the normal selling operation.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Each drawing shows an embodiment of the present invention.
Is a product storage rack provided inside the vending machine, and the product storage rack 1 stores the products G (G1, G2, ...) In a stacked manner. The vending machine includes the product storage shelf 1
Device 2 for pushing out the lowest product G1 stored in the container and carrying it out, and the product G1 carried out by the carrying device 2.
The product guide chute 3 for sliding and guiding the product, the sold-out switch 4 which is a product detection means for detecting the sold-out of the product G stored in the product storage rack 1, and the product guide chute 3 The product G1 is provided with a product outlet (not shown).

The product storage shelf 1 is formed in a substantially U shape by a rear wall and a side wall, a sold-out switch 4 for detecting the presence / absence of the product G is arranged on the rear wall, and the stored product is stored in the front opening. G
A guide member 1A for preventing the falling of the sheet is provided.
By making the guide member 1A openable, the product G can be stored. In addition, a carry-out port 1B having an area through which the lowest product G1 can pass is provided on the front surface of the lower portion of the product storage shelf 1, and a pressing member described later is provided on the rear surface of the lower portion of the product storage shelf 1. A pressing plate passage opening 1C having an area through which the pressing plate 2C can pass is provided.

The carry-out device 2 includes a sales motor 2A which is driven based on a product sales command from a sales control circuit 5 which will be described later.
A shaft 2B in which the driving force in one direction of the selling motor 2A moves back and forth via a cylindrical cam having an endless spiral groove (not shown).
And a pressing plate 2 that engages with the shaft 2B and moves back and forth to press the rear end of the product G1 and convey the product G1 from the carry-out port 1B.
C and a product placing table 2D on which the pressing plate 2C slides on the upper surface and the lowest product G1 stored in the product storage shelf 1 is placed. The pressing plate 2C of the carry-out device 2 is moved from the pressing plate passage opening 1C to the outside of the product storage shelf 1 from the standby position, and the pressing plate 2C is moved for each sales operation based on the sales command of the sales control circuit 5. One reciprocating movement is performed and the lowest order product G1 is pushed out at the time of forward movement.

The product loading table 2D has the lowest-ranked product G1 placed behind the product storage rack 1 by about two-thirds of the width in the front-rear direction. As a result, the transport distance of the pressing plate 2C of the carry-out device 2 can be shortened, and thus the width of the vending machine in the front-rear direction can be reduced, or the number of products G stored can be increased. The product guide chute 3
Is provided below the product storage shelf 1 and is inclined so that the front corresponds to the product take-out port, and the rear upper end is located corresponding to the front end of the product placing table 2D of the carry-out device 2.

The sold-out switch 4 is located on the rear wall of the product storage rack 1, and the actuator 4A is biased so as to project into the product storage rack 1. It is pressed by the stored product G and is driven backward. Further, in the sold-out switch 4, the lowest stored product G1 is discharged from the discharge port 1B, and the product G2 to be sold next is the push-out plate 2.
When placed on C, the actuator 4A is provided at a predetermined height to drive the actuator 4A forward when one product G remains on the product storage rack 1. The predetermined position can be arbitrarily set depending on the size and weight of the product, the number of products to be left when sold out, and the like.

The sales control circuit 5 as a control means includes at least the selling motor 2A of the carry-out device 2 and a carrying switch 6 for detecting one selling operation of the carry-out device 2.
And a position detection switch 7 which is a detection means for detecting that the pressing plate 2C is at the position where the product G1 is pushed out,
The sold-out switch 4 is provided. The sales control circuit 5
Is for issuing a command to sell the product G based on information from a money handling device and a product selection means (not shown). When the sold-out switch 4 detects the absence of the product, the pressing plate 2C is placed on the product during the selling operation. A stop position is set at a predetermined position during possible movement.

In the present embodiment, the predetermined position which is in the middle of the movement is a position where the pressing plate finishes pressing the product, that is, a position where the forward movement is completed, but it is not limited to this, and the product is placed on the pressing plate. As long as it is a position where the product is prevented from being discharged from the discharge port, it may be before the forward movement is finished or after the forward movement is completed, but the position where the forward movement is closest to the discharge outlet is most effective. .

The carrying switch 6 is the sales motor 2
The pressing plate 2C is turned on at a standby position before the pressing plate 2C presses the product G1 by abutting on a first contact portion (not shown) provided on the shaft 2B of A, and the pressing plate 2C presses the product G1. It is turned off in the route during the movement, and turned on at the position where the pressing plate 2C has finished extruding the product G1. The position detection switch 7 contacts a second contact portion (not shown) provided on the shaft 2B of the selling motor 2A, and the transport switch 6
The pressing plate 2C is turned on in synchronization with the operation of turning on the pushing plate 2C at the position where the extrusion of the product G1 is completed.

Next, the operation of the vending machine sales control device of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. Based on information from the money handling device and the product selection means (not shown), the sales control circuit 5 performs steps. In S1, the selling motor 2A is driven. Then, the selling motor 2A drives the cylindrical cam to drive the shaft 2B and the pressing plate 2C. Axis 2B
Since the first contact portion provided on the
The carrying switch 6 being turned off is turned off, and it is determined that the carrying switch 6 is off in step S2, and then step S1
Then, the drive of the selling motor 2A is continued.

The pressing plate stopped at the standby position by the drive of the selling motor 2A passes through the pressing plate passage opening and the product storage rack 1
The lowest-ranked product G1 among the products G stored in is pushed and carried forward from the carry-out port 1B. As shown in FIG. 2, when the product G1 carried out from the carry-out port 1B is carried out by about two-thirds, it comes into contact with the product guide chute 3 and is carried out. Extruded plate 2
When C reaches the position where the extrusion of the product G1 is completed (the end of the forward movement), the transport switch 6 is turned on, and a signal is transmitted to the sales control circuit 5. In step S2, when it is detected that the transport switch 6 is ON, the process proceeds to step S3, and it is determined whether the position detection switch 7 is turned ON.

At the position where the extrusion plate 2C finishes extruding the product G1, the position detection switch 7 is turned on in synchronization with the turning on of the transport switch 6, so that the steps S3 to S4 are performed.
Then, it is determined whether the sold-out switch 4 is ON.
In step S4, the signal from the sold-out switch 4 becomes O.
If it is N, that is, if two or more products G remain in the product storage rack 1, the process proceeds to step S1 to drive the selling motor 2A. Since the pushing plate 2C has moved to the end of the position where the pushing of the product G1 is finished, the shaft 2B and the pressing plate 2C are retracted toward the standby position by the cylindrical cam having an endless spiral groove, and the transport switch 6 and The position detection switch 7 is turned off synchronously. Step S when the transport switch 6 is turned off
In step 2, the process returns to step S1 to continue driving the selling motor 2A.

When the pushing plate 2C reaches the standby position,
The transport switch 6 is turned on, and the process proceeds from step S2 to step S3. In step S3, the position detection switch 7
The position detection switch 7 is not turned on at the standby position, so the process proceeds to step S7 and the selling motor 2
A signal for stopping the driving of A is transmitted, and the pressing plate 2C stops at the standby position to prepare for the next sale.

Next, in step S4, the sold-out switch 4
Is OFF, that is, when there is only one product G stored in the product storage shelf 1, the process proceeds to step S5, and the product G is subjected to a sold-out process such as a sold-out display, and step S
Proceed to step 6 to stop driving the selling motor 2A, and then step S4
Return to. Since the pressing plate 2C is stopped at the position where the extrusion of the product G1 is finished, the pressing plate 2C is stopped while the product G2 is placed on the pressing plate 2C.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, since the pressing plate 2C does not move, the product G2 is still placed above the pressing plate 2C, the product G2 does not lose its balance, and the carry-out port 1B is the product. Since the opening has a height of one piece, and the product G2 is placed on the pressing plate, the position of the product G2 is increased, so that erroneous discharge can be prevented. When the product G is filled, the guide member 1A is opened and the product G is stored in the product storage shelf 1
To fill. When the product G is filled, the actuator
4A is pressed to drive backwards and the sold-out switch is turned on. When it is determined in step S4 that the sold-out switch 4 has been turned on, the process proceeds to step S1 in which the sales control circuit 5 transmits a signal for driving the sales motor 2A to drive the pressing plate 2C, but returns to the standby position described above. Similarly, since the pressing plate 2C has moved to the end of the position where the extrusion of the product G1 is completed, it is retracted toward the standby position by the cylindrical cam having an endless spiral groove.

When the retracted pressing plate 2C reaches the standby position, the transport switch 6 is turned on, the determination is made in step S2, and the process proceeds to step S3. Since the pressing plate 2C is located at the standby position and the position detection switch 7 is off, the process proceeds from step S3 to step S7 to stop the selling motor 2A and wait until the next sale. Therefore, when filling products, press plate 2
Since C returns to the standby position, the product G2 on the pressing plate 2C drops onto the product placing table 2D, so that the filling amount of the product G at the time of filling the product G is one (for the thickness of the pressing plate 2C. Only) can be increased. Further, when selling the first product after filling the product G, the pressing plate 2C is returned to the standby position, so that the selling operation time can be the same as the normal selling operation.

In this embodiment, two switches, that is, the transport switch 6 and the position detection switch 7 are provided.
It is also possible to use only one switch by also using the signal of the transport switch 6 for detecting that it has come to the position where the extrusion of is completed as the signal of the position detection switch 7.

[0026]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, it is possible to reduce the number of unsold merchandise, increase the sales efficiency, and prevent erroneous sales of merchandise. In addition, the number of stored products when the products are filled can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a sales control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the main configuration showing a state in which the carry-out device of the present invention has sent out a product to a product guide shoe.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of a main configuration showing a state in which a product is placed on a pressing plate of the carry-out device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the main configuration showing a state in which a product is erroneously discharged when the pressing plate of the conventional unloading device retracts.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the main configuration showing a state in which a conventional unloading device is sold out with a plurality of products left behind.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the sales control circuit of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 product storage shelf 1B carry-out port 2 carry-out device 2C pressing plate 4 sold-out switch 5 sales control circuit 6 transport switch G product

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A product storage shelf for stacking and storing products in a product storage is provided, and a pressing member is reciprocated once for each sales operation at the lower part of the product storage shelf, and the lowest product is moved in the forward movement. In a vending machine equipped with a carry-out device that pushes out and carries out a product from a carry-out port, a product detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a product at a predetermined position of the product storage shelf, and when the product detection unit detects the absence of a product, a sales operation is performed. 2. A vending machine sales control device comprising: a control unit that stops the carry-out device so that the pressing member is stopped at a predetermined position where the product can be placed. 2. A product storage shelf for stacking and storing products in a product storage is provided, and a pressing member is reciprocated once for each selling operation at the lower part of the product storage shelf, and the lowest product is moved in the forward movement. In a vending machine equipped with a carry-out device that pushes out and carries out a product from a carry-out port, a product detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a product at a predetermined position of the product storage shelf, and when the product detection unit detects the absence of a product, a sales operation is performed. Control means for stopping the carry-out device so that the pressing member is stopped at a predetermined position where the product can be placed, and a state where the pressing member is stopped at a predetermined position where the product can be placed. In the vending machine sales control device, the control device drives the carry-out device to return the pressing member to the standby position when the product detection signal detects that the product is present.