JPH073077U - Vending machine product transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] It is an object of the present invention to provide a product transfer device for an automatic vending machine, which corrects a dropped product to an appropriate transfer posture to enable smooth transfer. [Structure] A trough-shaped passage 12 for receiving a product B dropped from a product storage portion S, a rising passage 13 extending upward from one end of the trough-shaped passage 12, and a trough-shaped passage 12 and a rising passage 13 facing each other and being dropped. A conveyor belt 14 for conveying the wrapped product B from the trough-shaped passage 12 to the commodity outlet 6 through the rising passage 13, and a driving means 1 for running the conveyor belt 14.
6 and 17, and the driving means 16 and 17 in the product transporting device of the vending machine in which the claw pieces 14a for preventing the slip of the product B are provided on the surface of the transporting belt 14 at predetermined intervals.
It has a control unit 1 that causes the transport belt 14 to run in the reverse direction once and then run in the forward direction.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a product transfer device for an automatic vending machine, which transfers a product dropped from a product storage section to a product outlet above the dropped position.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 As a product transfer device of this type of automatic vending machine, for example, one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-152690 is known. This device is built into the main door of the vending machine, and once the product that has been dropped into the bottom of the main door is received from the product storage of the vending machine based on the sales order, After that, it is transported to the product outlet located in the center of the main door. The product transport device includes a transport path that extends from the lower part of the main door to a product outlet through a side portion, a transport belt that faces the transport path and transports the product along the transport path to the product outlet, and a transport belt. It consists of a motor that runs the belt forward.

The transport path has a gutter-shaped horizontal part for receiving dropped products, a cylindrical vertical part extending vertically upward from one end of the horizontal part, and a product obliquely downward from the upper end of the vertical part. It is composed of an inclined part that extends to the outlet. On the other hand, the conveyor belt is installed from the horizontal part to the vertical part of the conveyance path, and in order to prevent slipping of the product during conveyance, the pawls stand on the surface at a predetermined interval. It is set up. When the product is dropped in the horizontal part of the transport path, the motor operates and the transport belt runs forward, and the product is transported from this horizontal part to the upper end of the vertical part. Then, the product conveyed to the upper end of the vertical portion rolls on the inclined portion of the conveying path by its own weight and is guided to the product outlet.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

In such a product transfer device for an automatic vending machine, when the product dropped from the product storage is landed on the horizontal part of the transfer path, the horizontal part is formed into a gutter-like shape. It becomes a sideways posture (appropriate posture). However, depending on the rotation of the product when it falls, the state of bouncing in the horizontal part, the drop position, etc., the product may stand up on the conveyor belt, lean against the side wall of the conveyor path, or claw on the conveyor belt when landing. There is a case where the user leans against the head, or the neck of a bin is pinched between the claw piece and the side wall of the conveyance path (incorrect posture).

Even when the product lands on the transport path (on the transport belt) in an improper posture as described above, when the transport belt is run, the product falls due to inertia and falls in a proper posture. However, in particular, when the product is leaning against the claw piece from the downstream side in the transport direction or lands in a state of being sandwiched, when the transport belt is run, the above inertial force is The product acts in the direction in which it falls toward the side of the nail or pushes it in, and the product is conveyed while being supported by the nail. Then, the product is caught in the vertical portion of the transport path formed into a tubular shape. That is, the product is sandwiched between the lower end of the vertical portion and the pawl piece of the conveyor belt, and finally the pawl piece is bent and the product is flipped upstream. If such a situation occurs, the pawl pieces of the conveyor belt may be damaged or the motor may be damaged due to overload, and the conveyor time may be delayed, which may cause the purchaser to feel uncomfortable. As a result, the carbonated beverage will have problems such as the beverage spouting after opening.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a product transfer device for a vending machine that corrects a dropped product to an appropriate transfer posture to enable smooth transfer. The purpose is to provide a table.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gutter-shaped passage for receiving a product dropped from a product storage part, a rising passage extending upward from one end of the gutter-shaped passage, and a gutter-shaped passage and a rising passage. A claw piece that prevents the product from slipping on the surface of the transport belt by including a transport belt that transports the loaded product from the gutter-shaped passage to the product outlet through the rising passage and a drive unit that runs the transport belt. In the product transporting device for an automatic vending machine, which is provided at a predetermined interval, the drive means has a control unit for causing the transport belt to run in the reverse direction and then in the forward direction.

[0008]

[Action]

 The product dropped from the product storage section is received in the gutter-shaped passage, and is transported to the product outlet from the gutter-shaped passage through the rising passage by the traveling of the conveyor belt by the driving means. In this case, the drive means is provided with a control unit that causes the conveyor belt to run in the reverse direction and then to run in the normal direction. The posture is corrected before reaching the passage.

That is, the conveyor belt is provided with claw pieces for preventing slippage of the product at a predetermined interval, and the product stands upright on the conveyor belt between the claw piece and the claw piece. Moreover, even if the product is landed while leaning against the side wall of the gutter-shaped passage, the product is collapsed due to the inertia due to the reverse running of the first conveyor belt. Even if the product lands on the conveyor belt with the pawl piece leaning from the upstream side or the downstream side in the conveying direction, the conveyor belt travels normally in the former case and the conveyor belt in the latter case. Due to the reverse running of the product, the product is tilted to the side opposite to the claw piece by the inertia so that the product is scooped under each foot. Similarly, even if a product such as a bottle lands with its neck part sandwiched between the claw piece and the side wall of the gutter-shaped passage from the upstream side or the downstream side, in the former case, the conveyor belt The product is pulled out from between the claw piece and the side wall due to the inertia due to the forward running and, in the latter case, the reverse running of the conveyor belt in the latter case.

[0010]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a product transfer device of an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. This vending machine sells carbonated drinks in bottles as products, and Fig. 1 is an external view of the vending machine schematically showing the product transporting device. As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine 1 is composed of a vending machine body 2 and a main door 3 that opens and closes a front opening of the vending machine body 2. It is provided in the pocket of half. At the middle right part of the front of the main door 3, a customer service panel 5 having a coin slot and the like is provided, and at the lower part of the customer service panel 5, a circular product outlet 6 is provided. .

The merchandise conveying device 4 once receives the merchandise B dropped from the merchandise storage box S (see FIG. 3) of the vending machine body 2 and conveys the merchandise B to the outlet box 11 that faces the commodity outlet 6. In addition, a conveyance path including a gutter-shaped passage 12 provided horizontally in the lower pocket of the main door 3 and a rising passage 13 extending obliquely upward from one end of the gutter-shaped passage 12 to the outlet box 11 is provided. There is. A conveyor belt 14 is provided along the conveyor path, and the conveyor belt 14 allows the product B dropped in the gutter-shaped passage 12 to be taken from the gutter-shaped passage 12 through the rising passage 13. It is designed to be transported to the exit box 11.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the product transfer device 4 includes a chassis 15 that forms a transfer path and an outlet box 11 and an outer shell of the product transfer device 4, a transfer belt 14, and a transfer belt 14. Various types of pulleys for supporting the traveling of the conveyor belt 14, a drive motor 16 for traveling the conveyor belt 14, and a controller 17 for rotating the drive motor 16 forward and backward are incorporated. The chassis 15 rises from one end of the horizontal portion 21 that constitutes the gutter-shaped passage 12, a vertical portion 22 that constitutes the upstream half of the rising passage 13, and a diagonally upper portion from the vertical portion 22. And a chassis main body 24 that connects the upper end of the inclined portion 23 and the other end of the horizontal portion 21 to each other. It is joined to the and is constructed in the shape of a right triangle as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 3, the chassis (commodity transfer device 4) 15 is housed in the full thickness of the main door 3 with the horizontal portion 21 facing down, and in this state, the gutter The upper space of the channel 12 is arranged so as to face the carry-out port Sa of the product storage S. That is, the product B dispensed from the product storage S passes through the carry-out port Sa and is dropped from the upper space of the gutter-shaped passage 12 into the gutter-shaped passage 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, the gutter-shaped passage 12 has a gutter-shaped cross-sectional shape in which the upper portions of the front plate 31 and the rear plate 32 are widened, and the middle portion of the bottom plate 33 is opened. The conveyor belt 14 is disposed so as to face this portion from below. As shown in FIG. 5, the rising passage 13 includes a guide plate 45 in a hollow portion surrounded by the front plate 41, the rear plate 42, the upper plate 43, and the lower plate 44. Also in this case, as in the case of the gutter-shaped passage 12, the intermediate portion of the upper plate 43 is opened, and the conveyor belt 14 is disposed so as to face this portion from above. The product B dropped in the gutter-shaped passage 12 has its posture corrected by the front plate 31 and the rear plate 32 thereof, and lands on the conveyor belt 14 in a state of lying down. The landed product B is conveyed while being carried on the conveyor belt 14, and is guided to the guide plate 45 in the subsequent rising passage 13 without losing its posture and is conveyed to the outlet box 11 (FIG. 1). reference).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, an outlet box 11 is formed in the upper portion of the chassis body 24, and the upper space of the outlet box 11 is connected to the downstream end of the rising passage 13. An opening 11a is formed in the lower portion of the front surface of the take-out box 11, and the opening 11a faces the merchandise take-out port 6. A drive motor 16 and a drive pulley 51 are arranged side by side below the take-out box 11. A control device 17 is connected to the drive motor 16, and the drive motor 16 and the control device 17 constitute drive means for causing the transport belt 14 to travel in the forward and reverse directions.

A timing belt 52 is stretched between the output pulley 16 a of the drive motor 16 and the drive pulley 51, and the rotation of the drive motor 16 can be transmitted from the drive pulley 51 to the conveyor belt 14. . An end point pulley 53 and a start point pulley 54, which are located at the peripheral edge of the chassis 15 and are freely rotated, are attached diagonally above and diagonally below the drive pulley 51, respectively, and at appropriate positions on the peripheral edge of the chassis 15. A large number of free-rotating pulleys 55 are attached to the carriage along the conveyance path. The conveyor belt 14 is stretched around the peripheral edge of the chassis 15 around the start point pulley 54, the free rotation pulley 55, and the end point pulley 53, and is bent in the opposite direction at the end point pulley 53 to drive the drive pulley 51. From the starting point to the starting point pulley 54.

The starting point pulley 54 is attached to an arm 56 rotatably attached to a support shaft 51 a of the drive pulley 51, and is urged upward by a coil spring 57 fixed to the arm 56. That is, the starting point pulley 54 also functions as a tension pulley that applies a tension to the conveyor belt 14 by upwardly urging the conveyor belt 14. The various pulleys 52, 53, 54, 55 other than the drive pulley 51 are composed of a pair of pulleys that are coaxially provided with a gap, and the claw pieces 14a of the conveyor belt 14 which will be described later are provided in the gap. It is designed to slip through.

The transport belt 14 has a plurality of T-shaped claw pieces 14a standing upright on a surface of an endless belt at a predetermined interval, and the claw pieces 14a face inward. It is provided along the peripheral edge of 15. As shown in FIG. 4, the conveyor belt 14 is arranged in the trough-shaped passage 12 so as to face the open portion of the bottom plate 33 of the trough-shaped passage 12, and its claw edge 14 a is inside the trough-shaped passage 12. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, in the rising passage 13, it is arranged so as to face the open portion of the upper plate 43 of the rising passage 13 and its claw side 14 a is located inside the rising passage 13. It is designed to take a deep look. That is, the claw piece 14a functions as a slip stopper for the product, and the product B is carried on the conveyor belt 14 in the gutter-shaped passage 12 and conveyed in a conveyor form, and in the succeeding rising passage 13, the pawl of the conveyor belt 14 is conveyed. It is conveyed so as to be pushed up by the piece 14a.

The control device 17 waits for a predetermined product dropping time from the sales command, reverses the drive motor 16 for a short time (about 0.3 seconds), and then rotates it forward for the time required for the conveyance. That is, the transport belt 14 is controlled to run in the reverse direction and then in the forward direction. Therefore, when the product B dropped in the gutter-shaped passage 12 lands on the conveyor belt 14, the commodity B is once conveyed to the upstream side in the reverse direction and then conveyed to the downstream side in the normal direction, and then to the outlet path box 11 via the succeeding rising passage 13. It is transported to the upper space of and is dropped into the outlet box 11 from here.

As described above, since the conveyor belt 14 is made to reversely move once and then to make normal movement, the pawl piece 14a of the conveyor belt 14 for the product B, which has been conventionally the cause of defective conveyance, is the product B. When landing with leaning from the downstream side, and when the product (bin) B has its neck portion clamped from the downstream side between the claw piece 14a and the front plate 31 or the rear plate 32 of the gutter-shaped passage 12. Even if it lands in a sloping state, the backward movement of the transport belt 14 causes the product B to be scooped by the inertia, so that the product B is laid down on the side opposite to the claw piece 14a, or the product B is caused by the inertia. It is pulled out from between the claw piece 14a and the front plate 31 or the rear plate 32. Therefore, even if the product B lands on the trough-shaped passage 12 in various improper postures, the commodities B are corrected to the proper posture by the forward / reverse conveyance before approaching the rising passage. Therefore, conveyance failure such as the product B being sandwiched between the upstream end of the rising passage 13 and the claw piece 14a of the traveling conveyor belt 14 is avoided, and the claw piece 14a of the conveyor belt 14 is damaged, and the drive motor is not driven. It is possible to prevent the image sticking of 16 and the dance of the product B.

In the present embodiment, the product transfer device of the vending machine that uses bottled carbonated drinks as a product has been described, but the present invention is applied to the product transfer device of an automatic vending machine that sells beverages in cans and other containers. It goes without saying that you can do it.

[0022]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the product transfer device of the vending machine of the present invention, the product is corrected to a proper transfer position by the extremely simple structure in which the transfer belt is reversely moved and then normally moved. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the damage of the claw pieces of the conveyor belt, the failure of the driving means, the extension of the waiting time of the product purchaser, and the dance of the product, which are caused by the defective conveyance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external front view of a vending machine schematically showing a product transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the product transport device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of cutting around the product transport device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic vending machine 4 Commodity conveying device 6 Commodity take-out port 11 Take-out box 12 Gutter-like passage 13 Rising passage 14 Conveyor belt 14a Claw piece 16 Drive motor 17 Control device

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A trough-shaped passage for receiving a product dropped from a product storage unit, a rising passage extending upward from one end of the trough-shaped passage, a trough-shaped passage and the rising passage, and is dropped. A claw piece that includes a conveyor belt that conveys a product from the trough-shaped passage to the product outlet through the rising passage and a drive unit that causes the conveyor belt to travel, and that prevents slipping of the commodity on the surface of the conveyor belt. In the vending machine product transporting device provided with a predetermined interval, the drive means has a control unit that causes the transport belt to reversely run once and then to run forward. apparatus.