JPH08324794A - Article supply device and article dispensing device furnished with it - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To dispense articles except for a card by providing a drive mechanism to move an article support member to under a stocker so as to move a hole part for article storage to an article discharge position on the side of the stocker from under the stocker to discharge the article outside. CONSTITUTION: In case when an article (m) is not stored in a hole part 4 for article storage, when a chain drive mechanism 2 receives a starting signal, a chain 20 is driven, and and the hole part 4 for article storage moves to under a stocker 1. At this time, one of the article (m) of the lowest layer out of the article (m) in a storage part 10a is dropped in the hole part 4 for article storage. Thereafter, when the article (m) moves to a storage part 10j, a piece 20 for positioning is detected by a sensor C2 for position detection, movement of the article (m) is reversed, the article (m) is detected by a sensor Ca for article detection, and the hole part 4 for article storage moves onto a shooter 7. Additionally, as there is an opening part 60 on a fixed plate 6 of the shooter 7, the article (m) in the hole part 4 for article storage is naturally dropped in the shooter 7. Consequently, it is possible to supply only one of the desired articles.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article supply apparatus for sequentially taking out a desired number of articles contained in a stocker and supplying the articles to a predetermined position, and an article delivery apparatus equipped with the article supply apparatus.

[0002]

Conventionally, as this kind of article supply device, various structures have been proposed, such as those incorporated in an automatic vending machine for cigarettes or canned juice. However, the mechanism of each of these conventional article supply devices is large and complicated, and the manufacturing cost thereof is high.

On the other hand, as is well known, in recent years, there has been proposed a payout device in which a card supply device is incorporated in a housing provided with a game machine. This payout device is a so-called character card in which a card supply device is activated and an animated character or the like is printed when a game player operates a game machine to play a game to obtain a high score or win the game. Is configured to be paid out to the player.

However, such a payout device can only provide a player with cards such as a character card. As a dispensing device, not only providing cards, but also stationery such as pencils and erasers, and other articles can be dispensed in the same manner to attract more interest to the player and It is possible to meet the needs of and improve service.

As a means for meeting such expectations, for example, instead of the card supply device incorporated in the above-mentioned dispensing device, it is conceivable to incorporate an article supply device capable of supplying a desired number of articles to be supplied in desired numbers. . However, as described above, the conventional article supply device has drawbacks such as a complicated structure, and the article supply function is not necessarily suitable for the above-described dispensing device, and the card In providing services such as paying out items other than items such as stationery,
There were various difficulties.

The present invention has been devised under such circumstances, and an apparatus having a simple overall structure and capable of being manufactured in a small size and at a low cost is suitable for each desired number of non-card-shaped articles. The task is to be able to supply to. Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to pay out goods other than cards such as character cards by a paying-out device so as to improve the service to the player.

[0007]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the first aspect of the present invention, a stocker in which a plurality of lower opening-shaped storage portions for vertically stacking and storing articles to be supplied are accommodated, and each storage portion of the stocker. One or a plurality of article supporting members for arranging below the stocker so as to prevent the articles accommodated in the article from falling from each accommodation section, and a part of the article supporting member or the article supporting member. It is provided by forming an opening in a part of the arrayed portion, and when this opening is located below the stocker, it is located in the lowest layer of the articles in the accommodation section located directly above this opening. 1
Alternatively, an article accommodation hole formed so that only a plurality of desired numbers of articles can be dropped from the accommodation section and accommodated and held, and the article in the stocker is dropped and accommodated in the article accommodation hole. While moving the accommodation hole from the side of the stocker to the lower side of the stocker, the article accommodation hole is provided from below the stocker to the side of the stocker in order to discharge the article in the article accommodation hole to the outside. And a drive mechanism for moving the article support member below the stocker so as to move it to the article discharge position.

As the article to be supplied, a rod-shaped article such as a pencil-type eraser or a writing instrument, or a non-card-shaped article other than a rod-shaped article such as a columnar shape, a prismatic shape, a tubular shape, or a rectangular parallelepiped shape may be applied. Is possible. Further, the drive mechanism is such that an endless member such as a chain or a belt is provided on the lower side of the stocker so as to be driven along the same direction as the arrangement direction of the plurality of storage portions of the stocker, The article support member may be configured as a plurality of plate-shaped members or bar-shaped members that are attached in series to the endless member so as to exclude the formation location of the article accommodation hole.

In the present invention, by moving the article support member by driving the drive mechanism, the article accommodating hole can be moved from the side of the stocker to the bottom of the stocker as the first operation. As a result, one or a desired number of, for example, a rod-shaped stationery or other desired articles accommodated in the stocker can be dropped and accommodated in the article accommodation hole. In addition, after the desired number of articles are accommodated in the article accommodation holes in this manner, when the article accommodation holes are moved so as to be sequentially arranged below the other accommodation portions of the stocker. However, since a desired number of articles have already been accommodated in the article accommodating hole and the article accommodating hole is in a closed state, the articles in the other accommodating sections can be used for accommodating the article. It is possible to avoid further accommodation in the hole. Further, by placing an article support member at a position other than the location where the above-mentioned article accommodation hole is arranged in the lower position of the stocker, the articles in the stocker can be moved to a location other than the article accommodation hole. It is also possible to avoid falling unfairly.

After the first operation is completed,
As a second operation, the drive mechanism is driven to further move the article support member to move the article accommodation hole to the article ejection position on the side of the stocker and accommodate the article accommodation hole in the article accommodation hole. Discharge the desired number of items,
The desired number of articles can be supplied to a predetermined position. By driving the driving mechanism and repeating the series of operations as described above, it is possible to sequentially supply a desired number of articles stored in the stocker to a predetermined position.

As described above, according to the invention of the present application, a desired number of rod-shaped stationery items and other various shaped articles can be obtained by a simple structure in which the article support member having the article accommodation hole is moved below the stocker. It is possible to surely supply each to a predetermined place. Therefore, the structure of the entire apparatus can be simplified and can be manufactured in a small size, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, as an important effect, in the present invention,
When the article accommodation hole is moved to the lower side of the stocker, the articles accommodated in the accommodation section located immediately above the article accommodation hole should be dropped and accommodated in the article accommodation hole. You can That is, although the stocker is provided with a plurality of storage units, the articles are not ejected from the stocker at random, but first, the articles in the storage unit located closest to the end of the stocker are stored. It can be dropped and sequentially accommodated in the accommodation hole. Then, when the articles in the accommodation section closest to the end are exhausted, the articles in the adjacent accommodation section can be subsequently ejected into the article accommodation hole.
Therefore, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the entire amount of the articles stored in the stocker can be reliably supplied in order in a fixed order. Further, if the articles in the stocker can be supplied in order in this manner, a plurality of storage units in the stocker will be emptied one by one, so that new articles are loaded into the stocker to replenish the articles. It becomes easy to perform work and stock management of goods.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom portion of the article accommodating hole is formed in an opening shape capable of dropping the article accommodated in the article accommodating hole downward. Of the lower part of the movement path of the article storage hole,
Except above the article discharge position, the articles in the article accommodation holes are supported so that the articles dropped from the stocker into the article accommodation holes are accommodated and held in the article accommodation holes. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which a fixing plate for

According to such a construction, although the bottom portion of the article accommodating hole portion is open, the article accommodating hole portion is predetermined after the article in the stocker is dropped into the article accommodating hole portion. Until the article is moved to the article discharge position, the article can be properly accommodated in the article accommodation hole by being supported by the fixing plate. Then, when the above-mentioned article accommodation hole is transferred above a predetermined article discharge position, there is no fixing plate at that position,
Since the article in the article accommodation hole is not supported by the fixing plate, the article can be naturally dropped from the bottom of the article accommodation hole and discharged. Therefore, it is not necessary to additionally provide a special drive means for performing the discharging operation of the article from the article accommodating hole, and an advantage that the configuration of the entire apparatus can be further simplified can be obtained. .

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
An article detection means is provided for detecting whether or not an article is accommodated in the article-accommodating hole when the article-accommodating hole is located or moved to a predetermined home position on a side of the stocker. When the article detecting means detects an article in the article accommodation hole when moving the article support member, the drive mechanism moves the article accommodation hole to a predetermined article ejection position. While moving the article support member in the direction of direct movement, when the article detecting means does not detect the article in the article accommodation hole, the article support is moved in the direction of moving the article accommodation hole below the stocker. The member may be configured to move.

According to such a configuration, in the case of performing the article supplying operation, the drive mechanism is configured such that the article accommodating hole is located when the article accommodating hole is located at a predetermined home position or has moved. Only when the article is not accommodated in the section, the operation is performed to move the article accommodation hole below the stocker and accommodate the article in the stocker into the article accommodation hole. That is,
When an article is already stored in the article storage hole, the article storage hole is no longer moved below the stocker, and the article storage hole is directly moved to a predetermined article discharge position. The Rukoto. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the waste of the operation of the drive mechanism, and there is an advantage that the supply operation of the article can be performed quickly. Further, since the article-accommodating hole moves to the predetermined article discharge position only when the article-accommodating hole is accommodated in the article-accommodating hole, it is possible to increase the reliability of the article supply.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, it has the above-mentioned article supply device according to the present invention and a game machine.
Further, it is characterized in that the activation of the article supply device is controlled based on a signal from a game result judging means built in the game machine.

According to the present invention having such a structure, as a result of the player playing the game using the game machine, the player becomes the winner of the game, or the player obtains a score of a predetermined value or more. When a predetermined result is obtained, the game result determination means outputs a predetermined signal to the article supply device. Then, based on this signal output, the article supply device is activated, and the desired article is delivered. As described above, the above-described article supply device can reliably supply a desired number of rod-shaped stationery items and other various-shaped articles of different shapes. It is possible to pay out the merchandise, and there is an advantage that the service to the player can be improved.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
A specific description will be given with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing an example of an article supply apparatus A according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway right side sectional view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan sectional view of FIG. 1.

The article supply apparatus A includes a stocker 1 for accommodating a large number of desired articles m to be supplied, a chain drive mechanism 2 provided below the stocker 1, and two chain drive mechanisms 2. A plurality of support plates 3 attached to the chains 20, 20, an article accommodating hole 4 provided between two predetermined support plates 3a, 3b of the plurality of support plates 3, the article referred to in the present invention It comprises a shooter 7 provided at a position corresponding to the discharge position, and other parts described later.

The stocker 1 has a plurality of accommodating portions 10 which can be stacked vertically to accommodate desired articles m such as a pencil-type eraser formed in the shape of a substantially cylindrical rod. The chain drive mechanism 2 is attached to and supported by an appropriate fixing member such as a casing 5 formed so as to cover substantially the entire chain drive mechanism 2. Each of the plurality of housing portions 10 has a form in which the lower portion is opened. However, since the plurality of support plates 3 are arranged below the stocker 1, the articles m in the stocker 1 are
Are supported by the support plate 3 so that the articles m can be prevented from being unjustly dropped from the stocker 1.

The chain drive mechanism 2 includes two chains 20, 2 parallel to each other below the stocker 1.
It drives 0. Each chain 20 is wound around a pair of chain sprockets 21 and 21 so as to extend in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the plurality of storage portions 10 of the stocker 1, and any one chain sprocket 2
1 includes pulleys 22 and 22a and a timing belt 2
The driving force of the motor M is configured to be transmitted via 3 or the like. Therefore, it is possible to drive the chains 20 with a desired locus by the driving force of the motor M. However, as will be described later, the chains 20 are cyclically driven between the set of chain sprockets 21 and 21. Instead, the above-mentioned hole 4 for accommodating articles is provided in the stocker 1.
Is driven so as to reciprocate in a certain mutual region between the lower position of the s and the side position thereof.

The plurality of support plates 3 are formed of, for example, narrow flat plate members, and are shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of support plates 3 have two ends of each of the two ends of the chain drive mechanism 2 of the chain drive mechanism 2, 2.
Supported by 0, these two chains 20,
It is installed horizontally between 20 and these two chains 20, 20
Are provided in series at predetermined pitch intervals. Therefore, each support plate 3 moves along the same trajectory as the chains 20, 20 as the chains 20, 20 move. In addition, each support plate 3 is not always the two-chain chain 2
It need not be provided over the entire length of 0,20. Each support plate 3 can prevent the articles m in the stocker 1 from being unduly dropped to a place other than the article accommodation holes 4 when the article accommodation holes 4 move within a certain stroke range. It should be provided. Therefore, the plurality of support plates 3 may be partially provided in a certain area between the chains 20, 20.

The article accommodating hole 4 is provided between the predetermined support plates 3a and 3b among the plurality of support plates 3 and the article m is provided therebetween.
Opening 4 with a width slightly larger than the width or outer diameter of the
It is provided by forming 0. Therefore, the chains 20 and 20 are driven to support the support plates 3
When is moved, the article accommodating hole 4 is also moved accordingly. Then, when the article accommodation hole 4 is arranged below the stocker 1 in an empty state, the article m in the stocker 1 immediately above the article accommodation hole 4 is placed in the article accommodation hole 4 Can be dropped into. In the present embodiment, the bottom of the article accommodation hole 4 is open, and the article m cannot be accommodated and held in the article accommodation hole 4 alone. .
Therefore, a fixing plate 6 is provided below the moving path of the article accommodating hole 4.

The fixed plate 6 is formed of, for example, a flat plate-like member, and both ends of the fixed plate 6 are supported by fixed members such as the housing 5 and attached in a substantially horizontal state. The article m that has fallen into the article accommodating hole 4 is fixed by the fixing plate 6
As a result of being supported by, it is properly accommodated and held in the article accommodation hole 4. Also, this fixing plate 6
The mounting height is set such that the depth dimension of the article accommodating hole 4 is substantially the same as the diameter or height dimension of the article m. As a result, the above-mentioned article accommodation hole 4
It is possible to accommodate only one article m in the stocker 1 therein. Further, when only one article m is accommodated in the article accommodating hole 4, the top or upper surface of the article m is substantially flush with the upper surface of the support plate 3, so that the article m is stored in the stocker 1 It is also possible to smoothly move the article accommodating hole 4 below the stocker 1 along the horizontal direction without causing a catch on the bottom of the stocker or other articles m located on the bottom of the stocker 1. .

The fixed plate 6 is provided over the entire area below the stocker 1 and the area from below the stocker 1 to above the shooter 7. However, at a position directly above the shooter 7, an opening is formed in the fixed plate 6. The fixing plate 6 is set so that the fixing plate 6 does not exist immediately above the shooter 7, for example, by providing 60. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the article m is accommodated in the article accommodating hole 4, when the article accommodating hole 4 moves in the horizontal direction, the article m is placed on the fixing plate 6. It moves with the article accommodating hole 4 by rolling or sliding, but when the article accommodating hole 4 reaches directly above the shooter 7, the article m is moved from the bottom of the article accommodating hole 4. It will fall naturally into the shooter 7.

In order to surely move the article m inside the article accommodating hole 4 as the article accommodating hole 4 moves, for example, as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the plates 3a and 3b are provided with the downward protruding edge portions 30a and 30b so that the article m can be properly accommodated between the downward protruding edge portions 30a and 30b. Further, in order to prevent the articles m accommodated in the article accommodating holes 4 from being displaced in the longitudinal direction of the article accommodating holes 4 (direction of arrow a1 in FIG. 2), for example, on the fixing plate 6 It is also preferable to provide a means for providing two convex portions 61, 61 in series.

The shooter 7 has a hole 4 for accommodating the article.
The articles m dropped and discharged from the bottom of the
Article passage 7 for guiding the supply to a desired position outside the vehicle
0 is formed. The bottom plate portion 71 forming the article passage 70 has a chain 20 as shown in FIG.
It is inclined to avoid interference with. As a result, the article m guided by the shooter 7 is discharged to one side of the article supply apparatus A as shown by an arrow b in FIG. The shooter 7 is not provided immediately below the stocker 1, but is provided at a position outside the position below the stocker 1 by an appropriate size.

In the above-mentioned article supply apparatus A, the chain drive mechanism 2 moves the upper and lower horizontal movement paths R1 of the chains 20, 20.
In the upper horizontal movement path R1 of R2, the chain 2 is moved so as to move the article accommodating hole 4 in the horizontal direction.
Although 0 and 20 are driven, specifically, the following drive control is performed.

That is, the chain drive mechanism 2 is constructed so that the article accommodating hole 4 can be placed at a predetermined home position H when the article supply device A is not driven. . Specifically, at this home position H, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the article accommodation hole 4 is located outside the stocker 1 closer to the shooter 7 than below the accommodation part 10a at one end of the stocker 1. It can be located at a position slightly closer to the stocker 1 than just above the shooter 7 and slightly displaced in size.

As means for positioning and arranging the article accommodating hole 4 at the home position H, for example, a positioning piece 33 provided at one longitudinal end of the support plate 3a is fixed at a predetermined position. It is possible to employ means for stopping the drive of the motor M of the chain drive mechanism 2 when detected by the first position detection sensor C1 that is provided. As the first position detecting sensor C1, for example, a photo sensor can be used, but it is of course possible to use various sensors such as optical type, magnetic type, or mechanical type other than this, or switches. Is. The same applies to the second and third position detecting sensors C2 and C3 and the article detecting sensors Ca and Cb which will be described later, and various detecting means can be adopted.

It should be noted that, above the home position H, whether or not a predetermined article m is accommodated therein when the article accommodating hole 4 is arranged or moved to the home position H. A first article detection sensor Ca is provided for determining As the first article detection sensor Ca, for example, a light reflection type photo sensor can be used.

In the chain drive mechanism 2, when the article accommodating hole 4 is located at the home position H or is moving, the first article detecting sensor Ca causes the inside of the article accommodating hole 4 to move. The contents of the drive control of the motor M differ depending on whether or not the article m is detected. Specifically, in the chain drive mechanism 2, when the article housing hole 4 is located at the home position H, the inside of the article housing hole 4 is empty and
When the article detection sensor Ca of FIG. 5 does not detect the article m, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 1, the article accommodating hole 4 is moved to the lower side of the stocker 1 so as to move the chains 20, 20. Is driven in the direction of arrow d.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the vicinity of the lower end of the storage portion 10j at the other end of the stocker 1, when the article storage hole portion 4 moves to directly below the storage portion 10j, the support plate 3 is formed.
A second position detecting sensor C2 for detecting the positioning piece 33 of a is provided. In the chain drive mechanism 2, when the article position hole 33 is moved from the home position H to the lower side of the stocker 1 and the positioning piece 33 is detected by the second position detection sensor C2, At the time point, the motor M is rotated in the reverse direction so that the article accommodation hole 4
Is moved in the direction of arrow e, and the chain is driven so as to return to the home position H side.

When the article accommodating hole 4 is returned to the home position H as described above, the article m is not accommodated in the article accommodating hole 4 and the first article detecting sensor Ca When the article m is not detected by the chain drive mechanism 2, the chain drive mechanism 2 repeatedly executes the operation of moving the article accommodation hole 4 below the stocker 1 and then returning it to the home position H. In the case where the first article detection sensor Ca cannot detect the article m even if the operation of moving the article accommodation hole 4 below the stocker 1 and then returning to the home position H is repeated a certain number of times. , Is the stocker 1 empty?
Alternatively, it can be considered that some trouble has occurred. Therefore, in this case, the control means (not shown) of the chain drive mechanism 2 actuates a predetermined notifying means (not shown) such as a buzzer or lamps for notifying that effect.

On the other hand, when the article accommodating hole 4 is placed in the home position H or returned, the article m is accommodated in the article accommodating hole 4 so that the article m Is the first article detection sensor Ca
When detected by the chain drive mechanism 2
Moves the article-accommodating hole 4 in the direction of approaching the position directly above the shooter 7 (the same direction as the arrow e). As shown in FIG. 6, when the article accommodating hole 4 is moved directly above the shooter 7, the positioning piece 33 of the support plate 3a is detected by the third position detecting sensor C3. When the positioning piece 33 is detected by the third position detecting sensor C3, the chain drive mechanism 2 stops driving the chain at that time.

Further, the shooter 7 is provided with a second article detecting sensor Cb for detecting an article m passing through the shooter 7. The second article detecting sensor Cb allows the shooter 7 to operate. When the article m passing through the inside is detected, the chain drive mechanism 2 then reverses the motor M to move the article accommodation hole 4 to the home position H side. Then, when the positioning piece 33 is detected by the first position detecting sensor C1, the chain drive mechanism 2 stops the driving of the motor M at that time, and the article accommodating hole 4 is moved to the home position H position. Is configured to stop.

In the drive control of the chain drive mechanism 2 described above, after the article m in the article accommodation hole 4 is dropped into the shooter 7 and discharged, the article accommodation hole 4 remains empty. Although it is controlled to return to the predetermined home position H and stand by, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, for example, after moving the article accommodation hole 4 below the stocker 1 to drop and accommodate the article m in the stocker 1 into the article accommodation hole 4, the article accommodation hole 4 is opened. You may make it return to the home position H and stand by. According to such a control system, the article supply device A can be kept on standby while the article m is accommodated in the article accommodation hole 4, so that when the article supply device A is subsequently activated, Since it is possible to immediately transfer the article m in the article accommodation hole 4 to a position immediately above the shooter 7 and drop and discharge it, there is an advantage that the time required for article supply can be shortened, which is preferable.

Next, the operation of the article supply apparatus A having the above configuration will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the chain drive mechanism 2 is in a standby state where the article m is not accommodated in the article accommodating hole 4 located at the predetermined home position H.
When a start signal is received from a predetermined control means (not shown), the chains 20, 20 are driven in the direction of arrow d, and the article accommodating hole 4 moves below the stocker 1. When the article accommodating hole 4 is moved, as shown in FIG.
Of the plurality of articles m in the accommodation section 10a located at one end of the stocker 1, one article m located in the lowermost layer can be dropped into the article accommodation hole 4. Further, the article m dropped in this way can be supported by the fixing plate 6, and can be properly accommodated and held in the article accommodation hole 4.

After that, the article accommodating hole 4 is still moved in the direction of the arrow d by driving the chains 20 and 20, but the article accommodating hole 4 is located in the accommodating portion 10j of the other end of the stocker 1. When moving to the position directly below, the second position detecting sensor C2 detects the positioning piece 20, so that the moving direction is reversed and the home position H is restored. Then, the article m in the article accommodation hole 4 is detected by the first article detection sensor Ca. Therefore, thereafter, the article accommodating hole 4 moves to a position directly above the shooter 7, as shown in FIG.

Since the opening 60 is provided in the fixing plate 6 immediately above the shooter 7, the article m in the article accommodating hole 4 can no longer be supported by the fixing plate 6. Instead, the article m in the article accommodation hole 4 can be naturally dropped into the shooter 7 from the open bottom of the article accommodation hole 4. Therefore, only one desired article m can be appropriately supplied to the predetermined supply position via the shooter 7.

When the article m is dropped into the shooter 7, the article m is detected by the second article detecting sensor Cb, so that the chain drive mechanism 2 is emptied of the article accommodating hole portion 4. Will be returned to the home position H. Therefore, when the chain drive mechanism 2 is activated thereafter, the series of article supply operations described above can be repeated.

Unlike the above, the article accommodating hole 4
Even when the chain drive mechanism 2 is controlled such that the chain drive mechanism 2 is not made to stand by at the home position H without being emptied but is made to stand by at the home position H while the article m is accommodated in the article accommodating hole portion 4, Basically, an operation similar to the series of article supplying operation described above can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to discharge the articles m in the stocker 1 one by one from the shooter 7.

In the case where the above series of article supplying operations are repeatedly executed, the empty article accommodating hole 4 can always be moved from the constant home position H to the lower side of the stocker 1, so that the stocker 1 inside It is possible to sequentially drop the articles m in the specific storage section 10a located at the end of the plurality of storage sections 10 one by one into the article storage hole section 4 and discharge them. Then, the housing portion 10a
When the inside becomes empty, the next accommodation part 10b located next to it
The articles m therein can be sequentially dropped into the article accommodation hole 4 in order and discharged.

Thus, in the end, the articles m in the stocker 1
Will be sequentially discharged from the stocker 1 according to the order of the accommodating portions 10a to 10j, so that the discharge order of the articles m can have a certain regularity, and the entire quantity of the articles m in the stocker 1 does not remain. It can be appropriately discharged from the stocker 1. In addition, the order in which the storage unit 10 of the stocker 1 is emptied is also regular, so the stocker 1
Further, the work of newly replenishing the article m and stock management of the article m are facilitated.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an article dispensing device B equipped with the above-mentioned article supply device A. FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram showing the hardware configuration thereof.

The article payout device B is one in which the article supply device A is incorporated in a housing 85 having a game machine 8. As the game machine 8, for example, a so-called computer game machine such as a roulette system can be adopted. Specifically, this game machine 8 has an operation switch 84 after the player has inserted a coin into a predetermined slot 82.
When a number on the roulette wheel 83 is selected by operating, the control means (not shown) such as a CPU for controlling the operation of the game machine 8 thereafter causes the roulette wheel 83 to operate in a pseudo manner. Then, it is judged by the game result judging means 80 of the control means whether or not the number selected by the player is hit, and if the number selected by the player is a hit, the game result judging means 80 outputs the article. A signal for starting the supply device A is output. This signal is output to the driver 81, and the driver 81 drives the motor M of the article supply apparatus A.

In the above-mentioned article dispensing device B, when a player hits the roulette using the game machine 8,
The article supply device A incorporated in the article delivery device B is activated, and articles m such as a pencil-type eraser are delivered one by one from a predetermined delivery port 86. Therefore, it is possible to accurately provide the desired item m to the player, and thereby the player's interest can be attracted. Of course, since the article supply device A incorporated in the article delivery device B can be manufactured at low cost, the production cost of the entire article delivery device B can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the case where the rod-shaped articles m such as the pencil type eraser are fed one by one by the article feeding apparatus A has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, for example, the articles m may be supplied in twos or two or more. This depends on the number of items m
This can be easily performed by changing the depth of the hole 4 for accommodating articles. Further, as an article to be supplied, other than a writing instrument such as a stick-shaped eraser or a pencil, for example, various non-card-shaped articles such as a columnar shape other than a rod shape, a prismatic shape, a cylindrical shape, or a rectangular parallelepiped shape can be supplied. It is possible to do so, and the specific kind of the article is not limited.

Further, the article supply apparatus A of the above embodiment is
Although the plurality of support plates 3 are attached to the two chains 20 of the chain drive mechanism 2, the present invention is not limited to this. The drive mechanism of the present invention, for example, drives only the single-strand chain 20,
One end of each of the plurality of support plates 3 may be supported by the single chain 20 in a cantilever shape. Further, the drive mechanism of the present invention is not necessarily limited to a chain drive mechanism for driving a chain, and may be one that drives other types of endless members other than the chain, such as a belt wound around a pulley. Of course, it is also possible to use, for example, a reciprocating cylinder as will be described later.

The article supporting member referred to in the present invention may be configured as, for example, a bar-shaped member, unlike the plate-shaped member such as the support plate 3, and the bar-shaped member may be, for example, the above-mentioned chain. The chain 20 of the drive mechanism 2,
The articles m in the stocker 1 may be supported by mounting a large number of the articles 20 on the stocker 1. Further, after the article supporting member according to the present invention is configured as one plate-shaped or sheet-shaped member, the plate-shaped or sheet-shaped member is horizontally arranged below the stocker 1 and its peripheral portion by reciprocating chilling or the like. It may be provided so as to be capable of reciprocating along a direction or a substantially horizontal direction. When an article support member is formed by using one plate-shaped or sheet-shaped member, an article accommodation hole is appropriately formed by forming an appropriate opening in a part of the article support member. Is possible.

Further, in the present invention, it is not always necessary to form the article accommodating hole 4 in the shape of the bottom opening. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a non-open bottom 42 may be provided in the article accommodation hole 4. According to this structure, unlike the above embodiment, the article m can be housed and held in the article housing hole 4 without the need for the fixing plate 6. In this case, as shown by reference numeral N1, for example, the article accommodating hole 4 is moved to the lower side of the chain sprocket 21 for guiding the chain 20,
By vertically inverting or tilting the article accommodating hole 4, the article m in the article accommodating hole 4 can be naturally dropped above the desired article discharge position.

In addition, the article supply apparatus according to the present invention,
The specific configuration of each part of the article dispensing device including the article supply device can be variously changed in design. It goes without saying that the game equipment of the article dispensing device is not limited to the roulette type. Further, the article supply apparatus according to the present invention does not necessarily have to be used by being incorporated in the article dispensing apparatus, and can be used as an article supply apparatus in, for example, an automatic vending machine. The mode does not matter.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing an example of an article supply apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

2 is a partially cutaway right side sectional view of the article supply apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan sectional view of the article supply apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view of the essential parts showing one operating state of the article supply apparatus shown in FIG.

5 is a front cross-sectional view of main parts showing another operating state of the article supply apparatus shown in FIG.

6 is a front sectional view of a main part showing another operating state of the article supply apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of an article dispensing device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic hardware configuration of an article dispensing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the article supply apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 stocker 2 chain drive mechanism (drive mechanism) 3 support plate (article support member) 4 article accommodating hole 6 fixing plate 7 shooter 8 game machine 10 accommodating section 20 chain 40 opening (for article accommodating hole) 80 game Result determination means C1 1st article detection sensor (detection means) m Article M Motor A Article supply device B Article delivery device

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A stocker in which a plurality of lower opening-shaped storage portions for accommodating articles to be supplied in a vertically stacked manner are arranged in parallel, and the articles stored in the storage portions of the stocker are transferred from the storage portions. One or a plurality of article support members to be arranged below the stocker so as to prevent falling, and an opening is formed in a part of the article support member or a part of an arrangement position of the article support members. Of the articles in the accommodation section located directly above the opening when the opening is provided below the stocker, and only one or a desired number of articles located in the lowermost layer are An article-accommodating hole formed so as to be dropped from the accommodating portion so that it can be accommodated and held, and an article-accommodating hole for allowing the article in the stocker to fall and be accommodated in the article-accommodating hole. While moving from the side of the mosquito to the lower side of the stocker, in order to discharge the article in the article storing hole to the outside, the article storing hole is moved from the lower side of the stocker to the article discharging position on the side of the stocker. As described above, the article supply device, comprising: a drive mechanism for moving the article support member below the stocker. 2. The article to be supplied is a rod-shaped article such as a pencil-type eraser or a writing instrument, or a non-card-shaped article other than a rod-shaped article such as a columnar shape, a prismatic shape, a tubular shape, or a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The article supply apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The drive mechanism is such that an endless member such as a chain or a belt is provided laterally below the stocker so as to be freely driven along the same direction as the arrangement direction of the plurality of storage portions of the stocker. In addition, the article support member is a plurality of plate-shaped members or bar-shaped members that are attached in series to the endless member so as to exclude the formation location of the article accommodation hole, The article supply device described. 4. The bottom of the article accommodating hole is formed in an opening shape capable of dropping an article accommodated in the article accommodating hole downward, and a movement path of the article accommodating hole. Of the lower part of the article storage hole except the upper part of the article discharge position so that the articles dropped from the stocker into the article storage hole are stored and held in the article storage hole. The article supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing plate for supporting the article. 5. Article detection for detecting whether or not an article is accommodated in the article-accommodating hole when the article-accommodating hole is located at or moved to a predetermined home position laterally of the stocker. When the article detection means detects an article in the article accommodation hole when the article support member is moved, the drive mechanism defines the article accommodation hole. While moving the article support member in the direction of directly moving to the article discharge position, when the article detecting means does not detect the article in the article accommodation hole, the article accommodation hole is moved below the stocker. The article supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is configured to move the article support member in a direction in which the article support member is moved. 6. The article supply device according to claim 1, the game machine, and the game machine. The game machine includes the game machine and the game machine based on a signal from a game result determination means built in the game machine. An article dispensing apparatus, characterized in that the activation of the article supply apparatus is controlled.