JPH07272103A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an automatic vending machine where an upper part discharge system is adopted, product can be raised in a stable state, the product can stably be discharged, many products can be stored, the pushup of the products can easily be executed and the structure is simple. CONSTITUTION:A pusher 40 which moves forward and backward in the upper part of a column 34 by rotating a first feed screw 44 in one direction, pushes out a pack of cigarettes T1 at the highest position in a cigarette pack column when it moves forward from behind and discharges the cigarette pack from the column, an elevating/lowering stand (elevating/lowering bar 72) supporting the cigarette pack column from below and elevating/lowering the pack column and a second feed screw 62 which is rotated through a power transmission belt 58 and a clutch joint 60, which rotates when the pusher moves backward and elevates the elevating/lowering stand with the pack column are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a vending machine,
In particular, the present invention relates to a vending machine suitable for boxed cigarettes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of vending machine, one disclosed in JP-A-2-168389 has been well known. According to this vending machine, an upper discharge type bend rack is housed inside. As a result,
The product outlet can be provided at the height of the purchaser's hand, and the product discharged from the bend rack can be directly carried out to the product outlet. As a result, the purchaser can receive the product from the product outlet in a comfortable posture without bending over.

This upper discharge type bend rack is composed of a rack in which products are stacked and stored, and a pusher type bend mechanism arranged on the upper part of the rack, and the bend mechanism is operated based on a sales instruction. Then, the products in the rack are carried out one by one from the top to the product outlet. The products accommodated in the rack are supported from below by an elevating product support table. And the product support is
The spring (biasing means) is constantly biased upward together with the products stored in the rack. This mechanism moves the next item to be sold to the top of the rack,
It will be in a sales standby state.

In addition, in the upper discharge type bend rack, when replenishing a product in the rack on the way, if a new product is replenished by pulling down the merchandise support table, a new product is placed on the old product. . For products with expiry dates, it is common to sell older products before newer products. Therefore, according to the principle of first-in first-out of products, it is necessary to sort the products so that the old products are placed on top of the new products. However, rearranging this product is very troublesome.

In order to solve this inconvenience, the bend rack according to the conventional invention is constructed so that it can be pulled out rotationally with its upper end as a fulcrum, tilted by 90 degrees or more. By doing this, at the position where the bend rack is pulled out, the product support base can be retracted while the remaining products in the rack are stopped on the bend mechanism side, and new products can be supplied to the empty space in the rack. it can. That is, in the state where the products are replenished to the rack, the products replenished afterwards are lined up on the rear row side of the remaining products, and it is possible to carry out the product first-in first-out without the need to rearrange the products again.

[0006]

However, as in the prior art, the type in which the product support base is biased upward by the spring as shown in FIG.
The weight of the entire product increases or decreases. Therefore, it is difficult to keep the biasing force of the spring constant, and it is impossible to lift the products in the rack with a constant force. Therefore, it becomes difficult to stably discharge the product.

In order to enable stable discharge of goods,
It is possible to increase the biasing force of the spring. However, when the products stored in the rack are soft like cigarettes, when many products are stored in the rack, the products are strongly pressed and deformed in the rack. Moreover, when the pusher pushes out the product, the product may be damaged. Further, in the case where the bend rack can be drawn out for the purpose of first-in first-out of the product, the structure around the bend rack becomes complicated only because the bend rack can be drawn out. In addition, when the fulcrum of rotation of the bend rack is at a high position, the drawn bend rack is at a high position, which makes it difficult to replenish the product.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to employ a top discharge method and raise a product in a stable state so that the product can be discharged stably. The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine which can accommodate a large number of products, can carry out the products in a first-in first-out manner, and has a simple structure.

[0009]

An automatic vending machine according to the present invention stacks products in a product storage frame to form a product line,
In an automatic vending machine in which the products at the top of the product line are sequentially discharged from the product storage frame, the uppermost part of the product storage frame is reciprocally moved back and forth, and when moving forward from the rear to the front, A pusher that pushes out a higher-order product and discharges it from the product storage frame, an elevator that supports the product row in the product storage frame from below and raises and lowers the product row, and the pusher rotates when returning, and And a feed screw for raising the elevating table together with the product row.

Preferably, an endless power transmission belt, which is horizontally wound around a pair of pulleys arranged in front and rear of the upper part of the commodity storage frame, is driven in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the pusher, and one pulley. Is provided between the power transmission belt and the feed screw, and is driven by the power transmission belt when the power transmission belt moves forward together with the pusher. And a clutch for intermittently transmitting the rotation of the pulley to the feed screw.

[0011] Further, preferably, it is provided above the product storage frame, and is lifted and lifted by the top product in the product row, while the top product is discharged from the product storage frame. When the upper end sensing member is lowered,
And a connection state changing means for switching the clutch to the disengaged state when the upper end sensing member is in the raised position, and switching the clutch to the connected state when the upper end sensing member is in the lowered position. .

According to another aspect of the vending machine, the vending machine stacks the products in the product storage frame to form a product line and sequentially pushes out the topmost product of the product line from the product storage frame and discharges the product. In the above, an elevating table for supporting a product row in the product storage frame from below and moving the product row up and down, and provided on an upper portion of a rear surface of the product storage frame, one end of which is rotatably supported outside the product storage frame. On the other hand, a product stopper urged toward the inside of the product storage frame is provided, and the product stopper contacts the product row when the elevating table is positioned below the height position of the product stopper. While being held at the first rotation position, the lifting table further rises, and when the lifting table is positioned above the height position of the product stopper, the product storage frame is provided just below the lowest product in the product row. And swivel further inside Positioned in the second rotational position, wherein the blocking falling of the product column.

[0013]

According to the vending machine of the present invention, the pusher is
It is reciprocated back and forth above the product storage frame. When the pusher moves from the rear to the front, the pusher pushes out the uppermost product in the product row from the product storage frame.
The product discharged from the product storage frame is guided to the product outlet of the vending machine.

After ejecting the goods, the pusher is moved back,
When the pusher is moved back, the lead screw is rotated. Then, due to the rotation of the feed screw, the lift table on which the product rows are placed is raised. The power transmission belt is driven in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the pusher. The clutch is in an idling state when the power transmission belt moves back together with the pusher,
When the power transmission belt moves forward together with the pusher, the connection state is established, and the rotation of the pulley driven by the power transmission belt is intermittently transmitted to the feed screw.

The upper end sensing member is lifted and raised by the uppermost product in the product row, and is lowered when the uppermost product is discharged from the product storage frame.
The connection state changing means changes the connection state of the clutch according to the vertical position of the upper end detection member, that is, when the upper end detection member is in the raised position, switches the clutch to the disengaged state while the upper end is changed. When the sensing member is in the lowered position, the clutch is switched to the engaged state.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the product stopper is held at the first rotation position in contact with the product row when the lifting table is located below the height position of the product stopper. When the elevator is further raised and the elevator is located above the height position of the product stopper, the product is further swung into the product storage frame to the position right below the product at the bottom of the product row. Positioned in two pivot positions to prevent product rows from falling.

Therefore, when the elevator is lowered while the product stopper is positioned at the second rotation position, the product row left in the product storage frame is supported by the product stopper. Then, when a new product is replenished in the space between the remaining product row and the lowered elevator, and the elevator is raised again from this state, the product stopper is again in the first rotation position and left. The item is placed on top of the newly replenished item.

[0018]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a cigarette vending machine to which the present invention is applied, and the vending machine includes a housing 10. An opening / closing door 12 is attached to the front surface of the housing 10 via a hinge (not shown), and by opening the opening / closing door 12, it is possible to replenish tobacco as a product and collect charges.

The opening / closing door 12 is provided with, for example, an advertisement lamp 14 and a two-stage cigarette sample display shelf 16 from the upper part thereof, and a selection button corresponding to the cigarette sample is provided at the bottom of each display shelf 16. 18 are arranged respectively. Further, in the opening / closing door 12, below the lowermost display shelf 16, there are provided a coin insertion slot 20, a bill insertion slot 22, and various function buttons 24 such as a withdrawal button and a continuous buying button. The amount of money inserted or inserted through the insertion port 20 and the insertion port 22 is digitally displayed on the display window 26.

Further, the opening / closing door 12 is provided with a cigarette withdrawal port 28 and a changeout withdrawal port 30 located in the vicinity of the withdrawal port 28 at the waist level of the purchaser. According to the above-mentioned automatic vending machine, a predetermined amount of money is inserted or inserted from the coin insertion slot 20 or the bill insertion slot 22 and the selection button 18 is pushed to receive the desired cigarette from the ejection slot 28. In addition, if there is change, the change can be received from the refund port 30.

Since the cigarette take-out port 28 and the change refund port 30 are provided at the height of the purchaser's waist, the purchaser does not have to bend over and the cigarette and the change are paid in a comfortable posture. Can receive. Next, referring to FIG. 2, a part inside the housing 10 is shown. In the housing 10, a plurality of casings 32 are housed side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions of the vending machine (not shown). In each of the casings 32, a product storage frame, that is, a so-called column 34 and a cigarette discharging device 36 described later are stored. It should be noted that only one casing 32 is shown in FIG.

The column 34 includes a side wall of the casing 32,
It is defined between the front wall 34a and the rear wall 34b. The front wall 34a is provided in a part of the upper portion of the column 34,
The upper end of the front wall 34a is obliquely downward and forward (tobacco discharge direction)
Extending towards. In the column 34, the front wall 34a
The upper part of the figure is a tobacco discharge port, and the discharged tobacco is guided to the tobacco extraction port 28 through a shooter (not shown).

In the case of this embodiment, the cigarettes T of the same brand are stacked and accommodated in a row in the column 34.
Here, each of the cigarettes T is, for example, 20 cigarettes packed in a box. In FIG. 2, the tobacco rows are tobacco T1, T2, T3 ,. ． ． It consists of Tn. The lower part of the front wall of the column 34 is opened forward so that the tobacco T can be easily replenished. After the tobacco T is replenished, a vertically extending stopper rod (not shown) can be arranged in front of the opening so that the tobacco row does not jump forward from the opening of the column 34.

A slit 34c is formed in the rear wall 34b of the column 34 in the vertical direction.
An elevating bar 72, which will be described later, extends into the column 34 through 4c. The tobacco row in the column 34 is placed on an elevating table composed of an elevating bar 72, and is elevated by the elevating table. On the other hand, the cigarette discharge device 36
Is arranged in the upper part of the column 34 in the casing 32, and includes a pusher 40 that can reciprocate in the front-rear direction.

The pusher 40 is connected to a slider 46 provided on the first feed screw 44 via a pusher rod 42. The first feed screw 44 is arranged so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the casing 32. The first feed screw 44 is connected to the electric motor 50 via the reduction gear 48, and is rotated in one direction when the electric motor 50 is driven. Therefore, when the first feed screw 44 is rotated in one direction, the pusher 40
Is moved back and forth together with the slider 46.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the first feed screw 44 has a feed groove 44a (right-handed groove) and a return groove 44b.
(Left winding groove) is formed in a spiral shape. And
The feed groove 44a and the return groove 44b are continuous at both ends of the first feed screw 44. A pin 46a provided in the slider 46 is projected and guided in these grooves 44a and 44b.

The pin 46a of the slider 46 is connected to the feed groove 44a.
When the first feed screw 44 is rotated while being guided to, the slider 46 and the pusher 40 are moved forward from the rear to the front. When the pusher 40 moves forward, the pusher 4
For 0, the cigarette T located at the discharge position above the column 40 is pushed forward and discharged. When the first feed screw 44 further rotates, the slider 4 is attached at the front end of the first feed screw 44.
The pin 46a of No. 6 moves from the feed groove 44a side to the return groove 44b side. Then, when the first feed screw 44 is rotated in the same direction when the pin 46a of the slider 46 is guided to the return groove 44b, the slider 46 and the pusher 40 are moved back from the front to the rear.

At the rear end portion of the first feed screw 44, the pin 46a of the slider 46, conversely, moves from the return groove 44b side to the feed groove 44a side again. Therefore, the slider 46 and the pusher 40 rotate the first feed screw 44 in one direction, whereby the feed groove 44 of the first feed screw 44 is rotated.
The reciprocating motion is repeated between the area in which a and the return groove 44b are formed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plate 52 is arranged below the first feed screw 44 so as to extend horizontally in the front-rear direction of the casing 32. First and second pulleys 54, 56 are separately supported on the upper surface side of the front and rear ends of the plate 52, and an endless power transmission belt 58 (for example, Timing belt) is hung horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first pulley 54 is connected to the second feed screw 62 via the clutch joint 60. Specifically, the clutch joint 60 includes a first clutch half body 60a and a second clutch half body 60b, and the first pulley 54 is rotatable integrally with the first clutch half body 60a with the plate 52 interposed therebetween. ing. On the other hand, the second clutch half body 60b is rotatable integrally with the second feed screw 62.

First pulley 54 and first clutch half 6
0a is rotatably supported by a shaft 62a that extends upward and is fixed to the second feed screw 62.
It is possible to move up and down together with 2. First pulley 5
Bracket 32 provided on the upper part of 4 and the casing 32
between the coil spring 6 and the shaft 62a.
4 is fitted, and by this coil spring 64, the first clutch half body 60a of the clutch joint 60 and the second clutch half body 60a
The clutch half body 60b is normally biased and pressed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, a small diameter portion 42a of the pusher rod 42 is loosely fitted to a predetermined portion of the power transmission belt 58 via a joint 66, and the power transmission belt 58 is attached to the pusher 40. Together with it, it is designed to be moved back and forth. Further, the power transmission belt 58 is
It can also move freely up and down without bending.

As shown in FIG. 6, the pusher 40 is rotatably supported by the lower end of the pusher rod 42, and is hung by its own weight at a predetermined angle. When the pusher 40 is pushed up from below, the pusher 40 is rotated to a substantially horizontal position (two-dot chain line in FIG. 6). A protector 40a having a smooth surface is attached to the tip of the pusher 40.
When the tip of 0 comes in contact with the cigarette T, the surface of the cigarette is not scratched.

When the power transmission belt 58 moves forward together with the pusher 40, the first pulley 54 and the first clutch half body 60a reversely rotate on the shaft 62a, and the clutch joint 6
Zero spins. Further, when the power transmission belt 58 moves back together with the pusher 40, the first pulley 54 and the first clutch half body 60a rotate in the forward direction to connect the clutch joint 60. Therefore, when the pusher 40 moves forward, the second feed screw 62 is not rotated. When the pusher 40 returns, the clutch joint 60 is connected, the rotation of the first pulley 54 is transmitted to the second feed screw 62 through the clutch joint 60, and the second feed screw 62 is rotated.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a slider block 68 is provided on the second feed screw 62, and the slider block 68 rotates the second feed screw 62 to one side, It can be moved up and down. Second
A pair of guide rods 70 are provided upright on both sides of the feed screw 62 in parallel with the second feed screw 62, and the tip portions of arms 68 a extending from the slider block 68 to both sides slide on these guide rods 70. It is freely connected.
With these guide rods 70, the slider block 68
Can move up and down in a stable state.

The arm 68a of the slider block 68 is connected to a pair of lift bars 72, which are lifts, in a horizontal and parallel manner. The lift bars 72 extend from the slit 34c of the rear wall 34b of the column 34 to the inside of the column 34. Extends to. As shown in FIG. 2, a tobacco row is placed on the pair of lifting bars 72 extending into the column 34. The second feed screw 62, like the first feed screw 44, has a feed groove 62a and a return groove 62b, and these grooves project into the slider block 68 as shown in FIG. The pin 74 is guided. This pin 74 is normally biased by a spring 76, and feed pin 62 a or return groove 62 a.
It is in a state of being engaged with b. A release lever 78 is integrally connected to the pin 74.
Is pulled in the direction of the arrow (in FIG. 8), the engagement between the pin 74 and the feed groove 62a or the return groove 62b is released. When the engagement between the pin 74 and these grooves is released, the slider block 68, that is, the lift base can be manually moved up and down. The release lever 78 is used especially when replenishing the tobacco T in the column 34. The release lever 78 is positioned below the elevating bar 72.

Therefore, when the pusher 40 returns from the front to the rear, the second feed screw 62 is rotated, and the slide block 68, that is, the lift table is raised. When the pusher 40 moves forward from the rear to the front, that is, when the pusher 40 pushes out the cigarette, the clutch joint 60 idles, the second feed screw 62 does not rotate, and the lifting platform does not rise.

On the other hand, on the lower surface side of the plate 52, a sensing plate 80 (upper end sensing member) is connected above the column 34. The uppermost tobacco T of the tobacco row is brought into contact with the sensing plate 80 and lifted, and the plate 52, the power transmission belt 58, and the first clutch half body 60a are lifted together. When the sensing plate 80 is in this raised position, the clutch joint 60 is kept disengaged against the spring force of the coil spring 64. Since the clutch joint 60 in this state is rotated with no load, the power transmission belt 58, that is, the pusher 40 is also driven (forward) with no load.

On the other hand, when the uppermost tobacco T pushing up the sensing plate 80 is discharged from the column 34, the sensing plate 80 is lowered together with the plate 52, the power transmission belt 58 and the first clutch half body 60a. When the sensing plate 80 is in this lowered position, the clutch joint 6
0 is biased by the coil spring 64 to be in a connected state. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 82 denotes a cigarette sold-out switch, and the selection button 18 is displayed as sold-out based on the detection signals of these sold-out switches 82. When the detection signal of the sold-out switch 82 is detected,
The second feed screw 62 is further rotated, and the lifting platform is lowered to the lowermost end. This makes the tobacco T
Can be replenished immediately.

Next, the operation of the vending machine described above will be described with reference to FIG.
14 to 14 will be additionally described. From the state shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
When is pressed, a sales command signal is transmitted to the electric motor 50. Therefore, at this time, the electric motor 50 is driven, and the rotation of the first feed screw 44 is started via the reduction gear 48.

At this time, the pusher 40 is in a suspended state as shown by the solid line in FIG. 6, and while maintaining this state, the upper part of the column 34 is directed from the rear to the front by the rotation of the first feed screw 44. Move forward. In this way, when the pusher 40 moves forward over the column 34, the pusher 40 comes into contact with the uppermost tobacco T1 in the tobacco row and pushes the tobacco T1 forward (FIG. 10).

In this state, the sensing plate 80 is
The uppermost tobacco T1 in the tobacco row is brought into contact with and lifted up, and the plate 52, the power transmission belt 58 and the first clutch half body 60a are positioned at the raised position. Then, the clutch joint 60 is in a state of being released against the spring force of the coil spring 64. Therefore, when the power transmission belt 58 moves forward together with the pusher 40,
The first clutch half 60a of the clutch joint 60 rotates with no load, and the second clutch half 60b and the second lead screw 6
2 is not rotated. For this reason, the forward movement of the pusher 40 becomes no load, resulting in smooth movement. Further, since the second feed screw 62 is not rotated, the lift table (lift bar 72) is stopped in the column 34 at the same height position.

When the pusher 40 further moves forward, the cigarette T1 is discharged from the front of the column 34 to the chute as shown in FIG. The discharged tobacco T is guided to the extraction port 28 through this chute.
When the tobacco T1 that was at the top of the tobacco line is discharged,
The contact of the tobacco T1 with the sensing plate 80 is released, and the plate 52 having the power transmission belt 58 is in the lowered position. Then, the clutch joint 60 is urged and connected to the coil spring 64.

When the first feed screw 44 is further rotated,
The pin 46a of the slider 46, which has been guided to the feed groove 44a side of the first feed screw 44, is moved to the return groove 44b side,
The slider 46 that has moved forward moves back. That is, the pusher 40 is returned from the front to the rear above the column 34 (FIG. 12). Since the pusher 40 is connected to the power transmission belt 58 via the pusher rod 42, the power transmission belt 58 is returned together with the pusher 40, and by the return movement of the power transmission belt 58, the clutch joint 60 of the first pulley 54 is moved. The second feed screw 62 is rotated via. The rotation of the second feed screw 62 raises the elevating bar 72, that is, the elevating table via the slider block 68, and the tobacco row on the elevating table rises in the column 34.

Then, due to the rising tobacco row, the topmost tobacco T2 of the tobacco row comes into contact with the release plate 80, and the plate 52, the power transmission belt 58, and the first pulley 5
4 and the first clutch half 60a are lifted together. Further, although the top surface of the cigarette T2 is in contact with the tip of the pusher 40 which moves back, the pusher 40 is rotated in response to the push-up, so that the pusher 40 smoothly moves back (FIG. 1).
3).

When the pusher 40 further returns and moves to the initial position shown in FIG. 14, the pusher 40 shown in FIGS.
The state similar to the state is reproduced, the electric motor 50 is stopped at this position, and the selling operation of the cigarette T1 is completed. Further, in this state, the tobacco T2 at the top of the tobacco row is positioned at the discharge position.

Next, when the sales command signal is output again from the state shown in FIG. 14, the cigarette T2 is similarly output.
Are discharged from the column 34. The tobacco T2 thus discharged is also guided to the outlet 28 through the chute 72. Therefore, the above-described operation of the vending machine is repeatedly performed, so that the tobacco T at the top of the tobacco row is sequentially transferred to the column 34.
It will be discharged from inside.

According to the vending machine of the present invention, the cigarette T
Since the cigarettes are discharged from the upper part of the column 34, the tobacco T discharged from the column 34 is located above the front of the vending machine (at the waist position of the purchaser) without using any special transportation means such as an elevator mechanism. The product can be directly carried out to the take-out port 28 of the product. Therefore, the column 34 can be arranged up to the bottom of the in-machine space without being restricted by the product outlet 28. That is, more cigarettes T can be stored in the limited storage space.

Further, since the elevating table is moved up and down by the second feed screw 62, the tobacco row can be stably moved up and down even if the weight of the entire tobacco row is increased or decreased depending on the size of the tobacco T and the number of stored tobacco. Therefore, it becomes possible to stably discharge the tobacco T. Further, the second feed screw 62 is attached to the pusher 4
Since 0 reciprocates, it is intermittently rotated via the power transmission belt 58 and the clutch joint 60. Therefore, the pusher 40 and the lifting platform can be driven by only one drive source, that is, the pusher drive source. You can Therefore, the drive mechanism can be simplified.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front wall 34 of the column 34 is
A holding portion 34d is formed by bending the front wall at the lower part of a. At the upper part of the rear wall 34b of the column 34, the rear wall 34
A product stopper 84 is rotatably supported by a bracket provided at b, and the product stopper 84 is urged toward the inside of the column 34 from the slit 34c by its own weight. The product stopper 84 is provided at a position shifted so that the vertical position of the lifting table, that is, the lifting bar 72 does not overlap.

As shown in FIG. 15, a predetermined number (for example, three) of cigarettes T are contained in the column 34,
When the cigarette T is present at the height position of the product stopper 84, that is, when the lifting platform is located below the upper end position of the product stopper 84, the product stopper 84 that is urged into the column 34 is the 84 column 34. The cigarette T inside is leaned to the extent that it does not hinder its rise (first
Turning position).

Then, when the tobacco row in the column 34 is lifted and the tobacco T does not exist at the height position of the product stopper 84, that is, when the elevator is positioned above the upper end position of the product stopper 84, The product stopper 84 is
To the bottom of the cigarette T at the bottom of the product line, column 34
It is further rotated inward and enters a state of being rushed (second rotating position).

In this state, when the release lever 78 is pulled and the elevating table is manually lowered, the old tobacco row remaining in the column 34 (shown by hatching in FIGS. 15 to 19) is the lowest. The front end of the cigarette T in the above is held by the holding portion 34d of the front wall 34a, and the lower rear portion of the cigarette T is supported by the product stopper 84. Therefore,
The old tobacco row remains upward in the column, and a space for replenishing the tobacco T is secured between the remaining tobacco row and the lifting table.

Thereafter, when new tobacco T is supplied to the secured supply space in the column 34 and the lifting platform is raised, the old tobacco T is stacked on the new tobacco T (FIG. 18). Further, the product stopper is pushed by the new tobacco line of the tobacco T and returns to the original state (first rotation position) (FIG. 19). As described above, by providing the product stopper 84, the old tobacco T can be stacked on the new tobacco T without taking out the old tobacco T. That is, the products (cigarettes) can be easily put in first-in first-out without rearranging. In addition, the product stopper 84 is attached to the column 34.
Since it is only provided on the upper portion of the rear wall 34b, it is not necessary to have a structure for pulling out the column, so that the structure can be simplified.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but various modifications can be made. For example,
The first and second feed screws 44 and 62 may be provided with only feed grooves. However, each feed screw must be rotated in both directions as needed.

The product stopper 84 may be biased toward the first rotation position side by a spring or the like as long as it does not affect the cigarette T rising in the column 34. .

[0057]

Since the vending machine of the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following excellent effects. Since the product is discharged from the upper part of the product storage frame, the product discharged from the product storage frame can be located above the front of the vending machine (the height of the waist of the purchaser) without using a special transportation means such as an elevator mechanism. It is possible to directly carry out the product outlet provided at the position.

Therefore, the product storage frame can be arranged up to the bottom of the in-machine space without being restricted by the product outlet. That is, more products can be stored in the limited storage space. Further, since the elevating table is moved up and down by the feed screw, it is possible to stably move up and down the product row and to stably discharge the products.

Since the feed screw is intermittently rotated by the reciprocating motion of the pusher via the power transmission belt and the clutch, the pusher and the lifting table are driven by only one drive source, that is, the pusher drive source. be able to. Therefore, the drive mechanism can be simplified. According to the aspect including the product stopper of the present invention, when the products are replenished in the product housing frame, the products can be first-in first-out without rearranging the products. Therefore, the old product can be sold before the supplied new product.

Further, in the mechanism which enables the first-in first-out of the products, since the product stopper is simply provided on the upper part of the rear wall of the product storage frame, it is not necessary to take the structure for pulling out the product storage frame when supplying the products. , Can have a simple structure. Furthermore, the product can be replenished in a comfortable posture.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vending machine.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of part of the vending machine of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of V in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a connection relationship between a pusher with a part cut away and a power transmission belt.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a slider block on a second feed screw.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a second feed screw and a slider block.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a state before the operation of the vending machine in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a state in which the state of FIG. 9 is activated in the next stage.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a state in which the state of FIG. 10 is operated in the next stage.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a state in which the state of FIG. 11 is operated in the next stage.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the state of FIG. 12 is activated in the next stage.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the state of FIG. 13 is activated in the next stage.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing a state before the operation of the product stopper.

16 is a schematic view showing a state in which the state of FIG. 15 is operated in the next stage.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing a state in which the state of FIG. 16 is operated to the next stage.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing a state in which the state of FIG. 17 is operated to the next stage.

FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing a state in which the state of FIG. 18 is operated in the next stage.

[Explanation of symbols]

 32 casing 34 column (commodity storage frame) 40 pusher 44 first feed screw 44a feed groove 44b return groove 58 power transmission belt 60 clutch joint 62 second feed screw 68 slider block 72 lift bar (elevation platform) 80 sensing plate 84 product stopper

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An automatic vending machine in which products are stacked in a product storage frame to form a product line and products at the top of the product line are sequentially discharged from the product storage frame. A pusher that reciprocates the upper part back and forth and pushes out the product at the top of the product row and discharges it from the product storage frame when moving forward from the rear to the front, and supports the product row in the product storage frame from below. An automatic vending machine comprising: an elevating table for raising and lowering a product row; and a feed screw that rotates when the pusher moves back to raise the elevating table together with the product row. 2. An endless power transmission belt, which is horizontally wound around a pair of pulleys arranged in front and rear of the upper part of the commodity storage frame and driven in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the pusher, and one pulley. It is provided between the feed screw and the idling state when the power transmission belt moves forward together with the pusher, and becomes the connected state when the power transmission belt returns, and is driven by the power transmission belt. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a clutch that intermittently transmits the rotation of the pulley to the feed screw. 3. The product is provided above the product storage frame and is lifted and lifted by the top product in the product row, and is lowered when the top product is discharged from the product storage frame. An upper end sensing member and a connection state changing means for switching the clutch to a disengaged state when the upper end sensing member is in a raised position, and switching the clutch to a connected state when the upper end sensing member is in a lowered position. The vending machine according to claim 2, further comprising: 4. A vending machine in which products are stacked in a product storage frame to form a product line, and the highest-order product in the product line is sequentially pushed out from the product storage frame and discharged, wherein the product line in the product storage frame. An elevating table for supporting the product row from below and raising and lowering the product row; and one end rotatably supported outside the product storage frame, provided on the upper rear surface of the product storage frame, and directed toward the inside of the product storage frame. And a product stopper that is urged into the product row, the product stopper being held at a first rotation position in contact with a product row when the lifting platform is located below a height position of the product stopper. , When the elevator is further raised and the elevator is located above the height of the product stopper,
An automatic vending machine, which is positioned at a second rotation position where it is further swung into the above-mentioned product housing frame to the position just below the lowest product in the product line to prevent the product line from falling.