JPH0785357A - Commodity discharge device of automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a commodity discharge device of an automatic vending machine, in which the depth size of a whole device can be shortened and the structure can be simplified. CONSTITUTION:The product discharge device of the automatic vending machine, in which an upper weir board 12 and a lower weir board 13 constituted so that they freely turn between a restraining position protruded to a commodity path and a saving position saved from the commodity path the provided above and below, the upper weir board 12 is turned to the restraining position when the lower weir board 13 turns in the saving position, the upper weir board 12 is turned in the saving position when the lower weir board 13 turns to the restraining position and the commodities A in the commodity path are discharged one by one, is provided with operation members 61 and 62 which are constituted to freely move upward/downward, are engaged with the base path of the upper weir board 12, turn it to the restraining position at the time of ascending movement and, are engaged with he base part of the lower weir board 13 and turn it in the restraining position at the time of descending movement, and with a solenoid 15 moving the operation members 61 and 62 upward and downward. The operation members 61 and 62 are directly connected to the plunger 51 of the solenoid 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention is based on a sales order,
The present invention relates to a product dispensing device for an automatic vending machine that dispenses products one by one.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional product dispensing device for an automatic vending machine, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-76193 is known. This product dispensing device includes a chassis that constitutes one passage wall of a product passage, an upper dam plate and a lower dam plate, a swing link that operates both upper and lower dam plates, a solenoid that constitutes a drive source, and a solenoid. It is configured by incorporating a coil spring provided facing each other. Both the upper and lower weir plates are rotatably attached to support shafts arranged horizontally in the upper and lower directions at each base, and are rotated between a stopping position protruding into the product passage and a retracting position retracting from the product passage. Be moved. An arm portion extending rearward from the base portion is extended to the upper dam plate, and a swing link is connected to a tail end of the arm portion. The swing link is swingably connected to the plunger of the solenoid at the upper end portion and is swingably connected to the arm portion of the upper dam plate at the lower end portion. Further, the arm portion is urged downward by a coil spring whose lower end is fixed to the chassis. On the other hand, an actuating pin is horizontally inserted in the middle part of the arm part of the upper dam plate, and the engaging part of the base part of the lower dam plate is engaged with this actuating pin to rotate the lower dam plate. It has become so.

In this structure, the upper barrier plate is in the retracted position,
When the solenoid is excited from the steady state in which the lower dam plate is in the stop position, the swing link is moved upward via the plunger, the engagement between the operating pin and the lower dam plate is released, and the lower dam plate is in the retracted position. And the upper barrier plate is rotated to the stop position. Then, when the solenoid is demagnetized, the upper dam plate is rotated to the retracted position via the arm portion by the biasing force of the coil spring, and the operating pin and the lower dam plate are engaged with each other to block the lower dam plate. It is rotated to the position. Thus, by driving the solenoid, when the lower dam plate rotates to the retracted position, the upper dam plate rotates to the stop position, and when the lower dam plate rotates to the stop position, the upper dam plate moves. The products are turned to the retracted position and the products in the product passage are dispensed one by one.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional product dispensing device, the arm portion of the upper dam plate is extended rearward and the swing link is connected to the arm portion. The depth dimension was longer. On the other hand, since the upper dam plate is rotated via the swing link and the lower dam plate is rotated via the swing link and the arm portion of the upper dam plate, the structure becomes complicated, As the frequency of failures increases,
There was a problem that the operation timing was likely to be shifted due to wear of the connecting portion.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a product dispensing device for a vending machine, which can shorten the depth of the entire device and simplify the structure. Its purpose is to provide.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has an upper weir, each of which is configured to be rotatable between a stop position projecting into a product passage and a retract position retracting from the product passage. The plate and the lower barrier plate are arranged vertically, and when the lower barrier plate is rotated to the retracted position, the upper barrier plate is rotated to the stop position,
When the lower barrier plate is rotated to the stop position, the upper barrier plate is rotated to the retracted position to dispense the products in the product passage one by one. An actuating member that is freely configured and that engages with the base of the upper dam plate when it moves upward to rotate it to the stop position and that engages with the base of the lower dam plate when it moves downward to rotate it to the stop position. And a solenoid for moving the actuating member up and down, and the actuating member is directly connected to the plunger of the solenoid.

[0007]

When the actuating member is moved upward by the solenoid, the actuating member engages with the base of the upper dam plate to rotate it to the stop position, while when the actuating member is moved downward, the actuating member moves downward. Engage with the base of the weir plate and rotate it to the stop position. In this case, the actuating member is directly connected to the plunger of the solenoid and is configured to be vertically movable, and is adapted to engage with the base portions of both the upper and lower dam plates. Therefore, both the upper and lower weir plates can be directly rotated by the solenoid through the actuating member, and the device can be configured without using a structural member extending in the front-rear direction, a rotating member, or a rotating member. Yes, it can have a simple structure.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A commodity dispenser for an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
This product dispensing device is provided at the bottom of a product rack of a vending machine for canned beverages, and FIG. 1 is a cut side view around the product dispensing device at the bottom of the product rack. As shown in the figure, the product rack 1 is a case 2 in which two series of product storage columns 3, 3 capable of selling two kinds of products A, A are provided side by side back and forth. Each product storage column 3 is formed with a product passage 4 in which a large number of the same products A are stored in the vertical direction. Before and after the lower part of the product rack 1, a pair of product dispensing devices 5 and 5 are provided back to back so as to form one passage wall of each of the pair of product passages 4 and 4. 5, the products A in the product passage 4 are dispensed one by one to the outside.

In the following description of the product dispensing device 5,
The description will be given by taking the one located on the left side of the figure as an example.
The right side, the left side, the left side, the front side, and the rear side of the commodity dispensing device 5 as viewed from the commodity passage 4 side (front side) will be described as “right”, “front”, and “rear”, respectively.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 2, the front view of FIG. 3, the rear view of FIG. 4, and the exploded perspective view of FIG. 5, each product dispensing device 5 is detachably attached to the case 2 of the product rack 1. Chassis 11, an upper dam plate 12 and a lower dam plate 13 rotatably attached to the chassis 11, an operating mechanism 14 for rotating both upper and lower dam plates 12, 13, and a solenoid 15 as a drive source, The coil spring 16 is provided so as to face the solenoid 15. When the solenoid 15 is excited and demagnetized based on the sales instruction and the coil spring 16 expands and contracts in response to the excitation, the upper dam plate 12 and the lower dam plate 13 via the actuating mechanism 14 respectively pass the product passage 4 at predetermined timings. The product A in the product passage 4 is rotated to the side
The lowest one is dropped one by one.
In this case, the operating mechanism 14 and the solenoid 15 are attached to the right side of the chassis 11 so as to be overlapped in the front-rear direction with the operating mechanism and the solenoid of the other product dispensing device 5 provided back to back. Has been.

The chassis 11 is formed by bending both sides of the plate material to the rear, and U-grooves formed at the upper and lower ends of the bent portions 21 and 21 support the upper and lower portions of the product rack 1 passed to the case 2. It is attached to rods 6 and 6 (see FIG. 2). The front surface of the chassis 11 is formed flat so that one passage wall of the product passage 4 is formed. An opening 22 for exposing the upper and lower dam plates 12 and 13 to the product passage 4 is formed in the middle portion of the chassis 11, and
Both side edge portions of the opening 22 are cut and raised rearward, and the support shafts 31 and 41 of the upper and lower dam plates 12 and 13 are supported by the cut and raised portions 23 and 23 in a two-sided manner. Chassis 1
The upper end of 1 has a solenoid mounting portion 2 bent backward.
4 is formed, and similarly, a spring mounting portion 25 bent backward is formed at the lower end portion. Incidentally, reference numeral 26 in the drawing
Is a stopper piece that regulates the retracted position of the lower dam plate 13.

The upper barrier plate 12 is formed in a rectangular shape with a full width in the opening 22 of the chassis 11 and is rotatably mounted on a support shaft 31 horizontally extending between the cut-and-raised portions 23, 23 of the chassis 11 at the base portion. It is supported. In this state, the upper barrier plate 12 is configured to be rotatable between the stop position projecting obliquely from above in the product passage 4 and the retracted position retracting rearward from the product passage 4 through the opening 22 of the chassis 11. Has been done. At this stop position, the tip of the upper barrier plate 12 comes into contact with the product A obliquely from below and the weight of the product A added in the retreat direction (the weight of all the products actually stacked and stored) will be described later. The engaging structure of the operating rod 62 and the guide members 63a and 63b,
And it is held by the force of the excited solenoid 15.
When the solenoid 15 is demagnetized from this state, the upper barrier plate 1
2 rotates by the weight of the product A so as to be pushed back from the stop position to the retracted position, and automatically returns to the retracted position.

On the right side of the upper barrier plate 12, there is formed a notch 32 having a deeply cut out base portion. Engaging portions 33 extend from the base portion on both sides of the notch portion 32. It is set up. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the engaging portion 33 has an inverted “U” -shaped engaging groove 34 formed downward and a guide surface 35 extending rearward from the engaging groove 34. ing. In the engagement groove 34 and the guide surface 35,
An operating rod (to be described later) 62 of the operating mechanism 14 for rotating the upper dam plate 12 is adapted to engage from below.

That is, when the operating rod 62 is in the lower end position, the upper dam plate 12 is in the retracted position and the upper dam plate 1 is in the retracted position.
The engagement between the second engagement groove 34 and the operating rod 62 is released, and the guide surface 35 thereof is in contact with the operating rod 62 (see FIG. 6). When the operating rod 62 moves upward from this state, the guide surface 35 is pushed by the operating rod 62, the upper dam plate 12 rotates forward, and the operating rod 62 moves from the guide surface 35 to the engaging groove 34. Engage with. Then, when the operating rod 62 reaches the upper end position, the operating rod 62 is completely engaged with the engaging groove 34, and the front portion 36 of the engaging groove 34 is moved to the operating rod 6 position.
Rotation is restricted by hitting 2 (see FIG. 7). And
The state in which this rotation is restricted is the stop position of the upper barrier plate 12.

Like the upper dam plate 12, the lower dam plate 13 is formed in the opening 22 of the chassis 11 in a rectangular shape with the full width, and is rotatably supported by the support shaft 41 at the base portion. Lower dam plate 1
3 is configured to be rotatable through an opening 22 of the chassis 11 between a restraining position that projects obliquely from below into the product passage 4 and a retracted position that retracts rearward from the product passage 4. Then, the lower dam plate 13 comes into contact with the product A obliquely from below, and the weight of the product A added in the retreating direction is determined by the engaging structure of the operating rod 62 and the guide members 63a and 63b, and the coil spring 16 as described later. Holding with the power of. When the solenoid 15 is excited from this state, the lower dam plate 13
Rotates so that the weight of the product A pushes it from the stop position to the retracted position.

Like the upper dam plate 12, a cutout part 42 is formed in the lower dam plate 13 toward the right side, and the base part is cut out. The notch part 42 is sandwiched between the base parts on both sides. The engaging portion 43 extends from. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the engaging portion 43 has an engaging groove 44 formed in an arc shape facing upward and a guide surface 45 extending rearward from the engaging groove 44. . The engagement mechanism 44 for rotating the lower dam plate 13 is provided in the engagement groove 44 and the guide surface 45.
The operating rod 62 of is engaged from above.

That is, when the operating rod 62 is in the upper moving end position, the lower dam plate 13 is in the retracted position and the lower dam plate 1 is in the retracted position.
The engagement groove 44 of FIG. 3 and the operating rod 62 are disengaged, and the guide surface 45 thereof is in contact with the operating rod 62 (see FIG. 7). When the operating rod 62 moves downward from this state, the guide surface 45 is pushed by the operating rod 62, the lower dam plate 13 rotates forward, and the operating rod 62 moves from the guide surface 45 to the engaging groove 44. Engage with. After that, when the operating rod 62 reaches the lower end position, it is completely engaged with the engaging groove 44 (see FIG. 6). Then, this state is the stop position of the lower barrier plate 13.

The solenoid 15 is formed to be flat and thin,
It is screwed to the solenoid mounting portion 24 of the chassis 11. The plunger 51 of the solenoid 15 has a bifurcated front end, and the upper end of the actuating mechanism 14 is sandwiched by the front end. Then, in this state, the plunger 51 is connected to the operating mechanism 14 by the pin 52 penetrating the tip end portion of the plunger 51 and the upper end portion of the operating mechanism 14. When the solenoid 15 is excited, the plunger 51 moves backward (upward) against the coil spring 16, and when demagnetized, the plunger 51 moves forward (downward) due to the biasing force of the coil spring 16 to move the operating mechanism 14 Will be moved up and down.

The operating mechanism 14 includes a main body (operating member) 61.
And an operating rod (operating member) 62 fixed to the body 61
And a pair of left and right guide members 63a and 63b for guiding the movement of the operating rod 62. The body 61 is
The interior is hollowed out in a square shape to form a house, and the hollowed opening 65 faces the right half of the engaging portions 33, 43 of the upper and lower dam plates 12, 13. Body 6
A coil spring 1 has an upper end connected to the plunger 51 and a lower end fixed at one end to the chassis 11.
It is connected to 6. As a result, the main body 61 is moved upward against the coil spring 16 when the solenoid 15 is excited, and is moved downward by the coil spring 16 when demagnetized. As shown in FIG. 5, in the connecting portion between the main body 61 and the plunger 51, the pin hole 61a on the main body 61 side is an elongated long hole in the vertical direction, and the sudden movement of the solenoid 15 is buffered to operate. It can be transmitted to the mechanism 14.

An actuating rod 62 is attached to an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the main body 61 so as to horizontally penetrate therethrough.
The right-hand penetrating end portion of the operating rod 62 engages with the right-hand guide member 63a, and the intermediate portion facing the hollowed-out opening 65 is in the right half portion of the engaging portions 33, 43 of the upper and lower dam plates 12, 13. The left-side penetrating end portion is engaged with the left-side guide member 63b and the left half portions of the engaging portions 33, 43 of the upper and lower dam plates 12, 13, respectively. The operating rod 62 that moves up and down together with the main body 61 includes the guide members 63a, 63.
By b, the vertical movement is guided and the upper and lower moving end positions thereof are restricted.

The guide member 63a on the right side is the chassis 11
Both the support shafts 3 of the upper and lower dam plates 12 and 13 provided along the cut-and-raised portion 23 from the outside and supported by the cut-and-raised portion 23.
Since the end portions of the shafts 1, 41 penetrate, they are fixed so as to pass between the support shafts 31, 41. Further, the left guide member 63b is provided with the notched portions 32, 42 of the upper and lower dam plates 12, 13.
Both support shafts 3 of the upper and lower barrier plates 12 and 13 when inserted in the
By passing through the shafts 1, 41, the shafts 31 and 41 are fixed so as to pass between them. In addition, each guide member 63a, 6
3b has a left half portion projecting rearward, and a guide groove (hole) 66 for guiding the vertical movement of the operating rod 62 is formed in this portion.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each of the guide grooves 66 has a long hole in which the middle portion is curved rearward somewhat, and the operating rod 62 is engaged with the upper end position of the guide groove 66. In the state of being engaged, the intermediate portion of the operating rod 62 releases the engagement with the lower dam plate 13 and the engaging groove 34 of the upper dam plate 12.
When the operating rod 62 is engaged with the lower end position of the guide groove 66, on the contrary, the intermediate portion of the operating rod 62 releases the engagement with the upper dam plate 12 and moves downward. Barrier plate 13
Is engaged with the engaging groove 44. And the operating rod 62
Between the upper end position and the lower end position is vertically moved in a gentle arc locus.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower barrier plate 13
The load of the product A applied to the actuating rod 62 via is supported by the spring force of the coil spring 16 and the guide members 63a and 63b. That is, the guide members 63a and 63b that receive the load of the product A via the operation rod 62.
The guide surface (the front surface 66a of the lower end portion of the guide groove 66) of is at an angle substantially orthogonal to the acting direction of the load.
Most of the load is released to the chassis 11 via the guide members 63a and 63b, and the remaining vertical component force can be supported by the coil spring 16. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7, the load of the product A applied to the operating rod 62 via the upper dam plate 12 is supported by the supporting force of the solenoid 15 and the guide members 63a and 63b.
That is, the upper front surface 66b of the upper end portion of the guide groove 66 is at an angle substantially orthogonal to the acting direction of the load, and most of the load of the product A is released to the chassis 11 via the guide members 63a and 63b, and the remaining vertical direction. Solenoid force 1
It can be supported by 5.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the payout operation of the product payout device 5 will be described. When the solenoid 15 is excited by the sales command from the steady state in which the upper dam plate 12 is at the retracted position and the lower dam plate 13 is at the stop position shown in FIG. 6, the actuating rod 62 is acted against the coil spring 16. It is guided by the guide members 63a and 63b to move upward. When the operating rod 62 moves upward, the engagement between the engaging portion 43 of the lower dam plate 13 and the operating rod 62 is released, and the lower dam plate 13 is placed at the stop position by the weight of the lowest product A, that is, the product Aa sold. To the retracted position. Along with this, the sale product Aa is dropped downward. On the other hand, the engagement between the engaging portion 43 of the lower dam plate 13 and the operating rod 62 is released, and at the same time, the operating rod 62 is released.
Engages with the engaging portion 33 of the upper dam plate 12, and the upper dam plate 12 is rotated from the retracted position to the stop position. The rotation of the upper dam plate 12 is performed just before the sale product Aa is dropped downward, and the upper weir plate 12 is moved to the next sale product Ab so that the next sale product Ab is not dropped together with the sale product Aa. Hold from diagonally below. That is, the next sale product Ab is held in the product passage 4 and only the sale product Aa is paid out (state of FIG. 7).

Next, after a moment, the solenoid 15 is demagnetized, and the actuating rod 62 is guided by the guide members 63a and 63b by the biasing force of the coil spring 16 to move downward. When the actuation rod 62 moves downward, the engagement between the engagement portion 33 of the upper dam plate 12 and the actuation rod 62 is released, and the upper dam plate 12 rotates from the stop position to the retracted position by the weight of the next sale product Ab. To be done. Along with this, the next sale product Ab is dropped downward. In addition, the engaging portion 33 of the upper barrier plate 12 and the operating rod 62
At the same time as the engagement with the is released, the operating rod 62 engages with the engaging portion 43 of the lower dam plate 13, and the lower dam plate 13 is rotated from the retracted position to the stop position. The rotation of the lower dam plate 13 is performed immediately before the next sale product Ab is dropped downward, and the lower sale plate 13 receives the next sale product Ab that has been dropped and holds it. That is, it returns to the steady state of sales standby shown in FIG.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the main body 61 and the operating rod 62 of the vertically moving actuating mechanism 14 are directly connected to the plunger 51 of the solenoid 15, and the upper and lower dam plates 12 and 13 are directly connected to each other. Since it is configured to rotate, the structure of the actuating mechanism 14 can be simplified, and the actuating mechanism 14 can be made to have no part for rotating or rotating. The dimension, that is, the depth dimension of the product dispensing device 5 can be shortened. Moreover, the shape of the guide groove 66 of the guide members 63a and 63b allows the load of the product A to be efficiently released to the chassis 11. Therefore, even if the structure of the operating mechanism 14 is simplified, the delivery function of the product A is hindered. It is possible to reduce the number of failures by simplifying the structure.

[0027]

As described above, according to the product dispensing device of the vending machine of the present invention, the structure can be simplified without impairing the product dispensing function, and the depth dimension of the entire device can be reduced. This has the effect of being able to shorten the length of the vending machine and thus achieving a thinner vending machine.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cut side view of a product rack equipped with a product dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the product dispensing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the product dispensing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a back view of the product dispensing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the product dispensing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the lower barrier plate is rotated to the stop position.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the upper barrier plate is rotated to the stop position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Product Rack 4 Product Passage 5 Product Dispensing Device 12 Upper Barrier Plate 13 Lower Barrier Plate 14 Operating Mechanism 51 Plunger 61 Main Body 62 Operating Rod A Product

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Masaki Tsuzuki 1311 Kawasaki-cho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An upper dam plate and a lower dam plate, which are configured to be rotatable between a stop position protruding into a product passage and a retract position retracted from the product passage, are arranged above and below, respectively. When the barrier plate is rotated to the retracted position, the upper barrier plate is rotated to the stop position, and when the lower barrier plate is rotated to the stop position, the upper barrier plate is rotated to the retracted position. In a product dispenser for a vending machine that dispenses products in a product passage one by one, the product is configured to be vertically movable, and engages with the base of the upper dam plate to move it to a stop position when moving upward. An operating member that rotates and engages with a base portion of the lower dam plate to rotate it to a stop position when moving downward, and a solenoid that moves the operating member up and down, and the operating member is a plunger of the solenoid. Vending machine product withdrawal characterized by being directly connected to Location.