JPH0716274U - vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide an automatic vending machine that can always operate the sold-out detection lever accurately regardless of the shape of the product. [Structure] When there is a product A on the product shelf 2 at the carry-out standby position, the weight of the product shelf 2 and the product A exceeds the urging force of the sold-out detection lever 10, and the sold-out detection lever 10 rotates downward. As a result, the sold-out detection lever 10 turns the micro switch 14
It is separated from the contact point 14a, and it is determined that it is not sold out.
If there is no product A on the product shelf 2 at the carry-out standby position,
The urging force of the sold-out detection lever 10 exceeds the weight of the product shelf 2,
The product shelf 2 rotates upward. As a result, the sold-out detection lever 10 does not rotate and the contact 14a of the micro switch 14
Is pressed and it is determined that the product is sold out.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a vending machine for selling products such as beverages in bottles or specially shaped containers.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, for example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-22940, a chain hung on a pair of upper and lower sprockets, a motor for driving the chain to rotate, and a chain mounted on the outside of the chain at equal intervals. Equipped with a large number of product shelves, each product shelf is lowered on one side of the chain, and each product shelf is moved by one pitch, so that the products supported by each product shelf are inverted from the descending side to the ascending side. An automatic vending machine that is designed to be sequentially dropped from a product shelf is disclosed. The merchandise is supported by the merchandise shelves and the walls on the sides of the chain.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 In the above-mentioned type of vending machine, a sold-out detection lever is provided between the product shelf at the carry-out standby position and the wall, and the presence or absence of the product is detected by contacting the sold-out detection lever with the product. Has become. However, the size and shape differ depending on the product being sold, so the sold-out detection lever may not come into contact with a product with a special shape. For this reason, there is a risk that sold-out may be detected despite the fact that there is a product, and there is a problem that the service for the purchaser is deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine capable of always operating the sold-out detection lever accurately regardless of the shape of the product. To provide.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of product shelves mounted on an endless member that rotates in a vertical direction, and a rotatable sold-out detection for detecting a product sold-out. With a lever, the product is supported by the product shelf located on the descending side of the endless member, and the product is sequentially dropped from the product shelf that is reversed from the descending side to the ascending side. In a vending machine that detects whether or not there is a sold-out detection lever, the product shelf is rotatably attached to an endless member, and the sold-out detection lever contacts the product shelf at the carry-out standby position. The sold-out detection lever is provided with a biasing means for rotating the sold-out detection lever when there is a product in the product shelf and for rotating the product shelf upward when there is no product in the product shelf. There is.

Further, in claim 2, a groove for receiving a product is provided on the product shelf.

[0007]

[Action]

 According to the automatic vending machine of claim 1, when there is a product on the product shelf at the carry-out standby position, the weight of the product shelf and the product exceeds the urging force of the sold-out detection lever, and the sold-out detection lever rotates. When there is no product on the product shelf at the carry-out standby position, the urging force of the sold-out detection lever exceeds the weight of the product shelf, and the product shelf rotates. Therefore, since the sold-out detection lever operates by contact with the product shelves, the sold-out detection lever always operates accurately regardless of the shape of the product.

Further, according to the vending machine of claim 2, in addition to having the operation of claim 1, since the product on the product shelf is received in the groove of the product shelf, the attitude of the product is always stable. Retained.

[0009]

【Example】

 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a vending machine. This vending machine is provided with a large number of product shelves 2 arranged at equal intervals inside a vending machine body 1, and each product shelf 2 stores products A such as beverages in bottles or specially shaped containers. It is supposed to be supported.

Each of the product shelves 2 is formed in an L shape as shown in FIG. 2, and a groove 2 a for receiving the product A is provided on the upper surface thereof. Each of the product shelves 2 is attached to a chain 4 stretched between a pair of upper and lower sprockets 3 (only the upper part is shown), and the upper end thereof is rotatably connected to the chain 4 via a pin 5. Each sprocket 3 is rotatably supported by side plates 6 provided on both sides of each product shelf 2, and a motor 7 is connected to a rotating shaft 3a of the upper sprocket 3 via a speed reducer 8.

In this vending machine, each of the product shelves 2 descends on one side of the chain 4 and ascends on the other side, and the product A is supported on the descending product shelf 2. At this time, since the product A is received in the groove 2a of the product shelf 2, the attitude of the product A is always maintained stably. That is, each of the product shelves 2 is moved by one pitch by the motor 7, and when the product shelves 2 reaching the lower end are reversed to the ascending side, the product A of the product shelves 2 is dropped and carried out. Further, the product A dropped from the product shelf 2 is carried out to the product outlet 1a of the vending machine body 1 via the chute plate 9 as shown by the chain double-dashed line in the figure.

A sold-out detection lever 10 for detecting the presence or absence of the product A is provided at the carry-out standby position of the product shelf 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the sold-out detection lever 10 has one end rotatably attached to the substrate 11 by a pin 12, and the other end thereof is provided with an operating piece 10a extending obliquely downward. The pin 12 is inserted into the hole 10b of the sold-out detection lever 10 and its tip is screwed into the screw hole 11a of the substrate 11. A coil spring 13 for urging the sold-out detection lever 10 is wound around the pin 12, and one end of the coil spring 13 is on the lower surface of the sold-out detection lever 10 and the other end thereof is a protrusion 11b of the substrate 11. , And the sold-out detection lever 10 is urged upward. Further, a micro switch 14 is attached to the substrate 11, and its contact point 14a comes into contact with the upper surface of the sold-out detection lever 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operation piece 10a of the sold-out detection lever 10 comes into contact with the back surface of the product shelf 2, and when the product A is on the product shelf 2 at the carry-out standby position, The weight of the product shelf 2 and the product A exceeds the urging force of the sold-out detection lever 10, and the sold-out detection lever 10 rotates downward as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure. When there is no product A on the product shelf 2 in the carry-out standby position, the urging force of the sold-out detection lever 10 exceeds the weight of the product shelf 2 and the product shelf 2 rotates upward as shown by the solid line in the figure. . That is, the urging force of the sold-out detection lever 10 is set to be larger than the load received only by the product shelf 2 and smaller than the load obtained by adding the weight of the product A to the product shelf 2.

In the vending machine according to the present embodiment, when the sold-out detection lever 10 is rotated downward by the next product shelf 2 which has moved to the carry-out standby position after performing the carry-out operation once, the sold-out detection lever is detected. The bar 10 is separated from the contact 14a of the micro switch 14, and it is determined by the control means (not shown) connected to the micro switch 14 that the bar 10 is not sold out. When the product shelf 2 moved to the carry-out standby position is rotated upward by the sold-out detection lever 10, the sold-out detection lever 10 does not rotate and the contact 14a of the micro switch 14 remains pressed, The control means determines that the item is sold out.

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, the sold-out detection lever 10 is operated by contact with the product shelf 2. Therefore, the sold-out detection lever 10 can be used for any product of any shape. The 10 can be operated accurately, and the malfunction of the sold-out display as in the past can be reliably prevented. Further, since the groove 2a for receiving the product A is provided on the upper surface of the product shelf 2, the attitude of the product A can always be stably maintained.

[0016]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the automatic vending machine of claim 1, it is possible to accurately operate the sold-out detection lever regardless of the shape of the product. It can be surely prevented, and the service to the purchaser can be thorough.

Further, according to the vending machine of claim 2, the effect of claim 1 can be achieved, and since the posture of the product can always be held stably, it can be applied to products having more shapes. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a vending machine.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of essential parts of the vending machine.

[Figure 4] Operation explanatory diagram of the sold-out detection lever

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... product shelf, 2a ... groove, 4 ... chain, 10 ... sold-out detection lever, 13 ... coil spring, A ... product.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A descent of an endless member, comprising a large number of product shelves attached to an endless member that rotates in a vertical direction, and a rotatable sold-out detection lever that detects whether the product is sold out. It is supported by the product shelves located on the side, and the products are sequentially dropped and carried out from the product shelves that are inverted from the descending side to the rising side.
In a vending machine configured to detect the presence or absence of a product on the product shelf at the carry-out standby position by the sold-out detection lever, the product shelf is rotatably attached to an endless member, and the sold-out detection lever is at the carry-out standby position. When the sold-out detection lever has a product on the product shelf, the sold-out detection lever is rotated, and when there is no product on the product shelf, the sold-out detection lever is rotated upward. An automatic vending machine, which is provided with a power means. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the product shelf is provided with a groove for receiving a product.