JPH0922486A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an ejection trouble such as the jamming of articles by piling up articles in their normal attitudes even if articles are the one whose lengths of the conical shoulder parts between the mouth parts and the waist parts are the lengths of the waist parts or longer in the automatic vending machine storing thin-mouse bottle-shaped articles by piling up them by making them falling sideways attitudes in the article path of an article storage rack. SOLUTION: In the left and right side plates 1A, (1B), of an article storage rack 1, a regulation plate 12 which is supported so that it may be rotated in the vertical direction by the side plate 1A of the side to which the mouth part of an article is opposed via a spindle, is pressed in the upper direction by a spring, and projects into an article path 3 is provided. This regulation plate 12 supports the mouth part of the article and prevents the article from inclining. The regulation plate 12 is rotated downward by the weight of the article when the article is ejected and does not hinder the ejection of the article. Thus, the jamming of article due to the inclination of article is eliminated and the article is always and surely ejected without hindrance.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine provided with a function of correctly controlling the posture of a product on a product storage shelf for storing a narrow-mouthed bottle-shaped product.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Vending machines that sell cylindrical products are
Most of the product storage shelves are of the serpentine type, and in particular for products such as narrow bottles, Figs.
As shown in FIG. 8, a product having a function of correctly controlling the posture of the product is used. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a serpentine-type product storage rack. This product storage rack has a pair of left and right side plates 1A and 1B and rolling plates 2 each having a curved surface arranged vertically. 1 or a plurality of product passages 3 are formed side by side in front and rear, and the inlets 3a for the products to be filled in the product passages 3 are vertically arranged on the upper front face and opened. At the lower end of the product passage 3, which is the product unloading end, the lowest product is locked, and the product locked by the sales signal is released and the next product descended to the lowest product is released. The merchandise carrying-out mechanism 4 to be locked and the passage width are formed so as to face the merchandise carrying-out mechanism 4, and the passage width is adjusted so that the merchandise carrying-out mechanism 4 operates correctly even when selling products having different thicknesses. The adjusting plate 5 is installed so as to be possible. This adjusting plate 5 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in d, the left and right protrusions of the pin 6 provided on the upper and lower sides are supported by engaging with the grooves 7 formed on the upper and lower sides of the side plates 1A and 1B, respectively, and restricting the passage width. And, for example from FIG. 15a to 15d pin 6
Is moved along the groove 7 and is moved forward by changing the locking position of the pin 6 in the groove 7 to reduce the passage width by the dimension K to fit a small product. Further, when the mouths of the bottles, which are the products, are narrow and stacked, the products 20 of the narrow-mouthed bottles are stored with the mouth 20a lowered as shown in FIG. In addition, a regulating plate 8 for correcting the posture of the product, which is attached to the adjusting plate 5, is provided. The regulation plate 8 has a tongue shape, and has a base end rotatably supported by the adjustment plate 5 via a support shaft 9 and has a support shaft 9
It is urged upward by the spring 10 that fits into the product passage 3 and projects into the product passage 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the regulation plate 8 is brought into contact with the body of the stacked product 20 to hold the narrow bottle horizontally, and at the time of carrying out the product, the weight of the product 20 is rotated downward to pass the product 20. Can be carried out without any problems.
The product storage shelf 1 is commonly used not only for products such as canned beverages, but also for products 20 in which narrow-neck bottles are used in the containers as described above and products in which narrow-neck bottles have different thicknesses. Then, the commodities 20 loaded from the loading slot 3a are stacked and accommodated in the commodity passage 3 in a sideways posture, and the commodities are unloaded one by one by the operation of the merchandise carrying-out mechanism 4 in response to the sales signal.
Carry out individually to the product outlet.

[0003]

The narrow bottles used recently as products have diversified shapes, and the length of the conical shoulder extending from the mouth 20a to the cylindrical body is equal to the length of the body. The use of the same or longer is found. With respect to such a narrow mouth bottle, the regulation plate 8 does not function sufficiently in the conventional product storage shelf 1, and the mouth portion 20a is lowered so that the stacked thin mouth bottles make their shoulders contact the regulation plate 8 horizontally. There is a concern that tilting or the mouths 20a of a plurality of upper and lower bottles may be swung back and forth to be stacked, and the product may be jammed in the passage and the product may not be discharged smoothly.

In view of the present situation of bottle products, the present invention
It is an object of the present invention to provide a product storage shelf of a vending machine which does not cause product jamming even for products such as narrow bottles having a long sloping portion and can always reliably carry out products.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a merchandise path which meanders and runs vertically is formed between a pair of side plates, and the merchandise in the form of a narrow bottle is formed in the merchandise path. In a vending machine equipped with product storage shelves that are stacked and stored in a sideways posture, in the product storage shelves, protruding from the window opened on the side plate on the side facing the mouth of the product to the product passage, and vertically A regulation plate that is rotatably supported by being biased upward by a spring and that regulates the position of the mouth of the product is provided.

[0006]

A regulating plate projecting on the inner surface of one of the side plates and biased upward supports the mouth of the narrow bottles that are stacked and accommodated from below, and the mouth of the narrow bottles is lowered and stacked. Prevent. Further, when the bottle is carried out, the regulation plate does not rotate downward due to the weight of the bottle and does not interfere with the carrying out. As described above, narrow mouth bottles with long conical shoulders are also stacked and stored in the normal posture, so that there is no concern about product jams.

[0007]

1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which parts common to or the same as those in FIGS. 12 to 17 are designated by the same reference numerals. 1 to 6, a product storage shelf 1 includes a left and right side plates 1A and 1B, and a product 20 having a long narrow-mouthed bottle stored in a product passage 3 as a container.
At the bottom of the side plate 1A facing the mouth 20a of the product, the product passage 3
A regulation plate 12 is provided to project to This regulation plate 12
Is a spring that is rotatably supported by a support shaft 13 fixed on the outer surface of the side plate 1A, penetrates a window 1a provided in the side plate 1A to project into the product passage 3, and is fitted to the support shaft 13. 14
The upper edge of the window 1a serves as a stopper to keep it substantially horizontal, and when a force is applied, it rotates downward until it is substantially parallel to the side plate 1A. Further, at the carry-out end of the product passage 3, a product carry-out mechanism 4 and the product carry-out mechanism 4 are provided.
As shown in FIG. 5, an adjusting plate 5A having the same mounting structure as that of the conventional one is provided so as to face the above, but the regulating plate (8 in FIG. 14) attached to the conventional adjusting plate is deleted.

In the above-mentioned structure, the product storage shelf 1 has the adjusting plate 5 according to the thickness of the product 20 of the narrow bottle having a long shoulder.
The width of the passage at the carry-out end of the product passage is regulated by A, and the product 20 is loaded from the loading port 3a. Item 2
As for 0, the lowermost one is locked by the merchandise carrying-out mechanism 4, and the merchandise 20 stacked and stored in the lowermost one is opened by the regulating plate 12 as shown in FIG.
0a can be supported. Therefore, the commodities 20 are stacked in the normal posture and accommodated in the commodity passage 3. At the time of selling the product, the lowermost product 20 is unloaded, and when the second or more down products descend, the regulation plate 12 is once rotated downward by the descending product, and the product 20 is unloaded without any hindrance. The mouth portion 20a of the next product 20 is again supported by the spring bias.
Therefore, the products 20 are prevented from being piled up by lowering the mouth portion 20a, and the concern about product jamming is eliminated.

7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the side plate 1A has a regulating plate 12
The window 1b which penetrates is longer in the vertical direction than the above-mentioned embodiment and slightly opens in a diamond shape. On both sides of the window 1b, guide plates 16 having a hook-shaped cross section are fixedly provided on the back surface of the side plate 1A, and between the back plate 1A and the back plate 1A, a groove 16 running in the left-right parallel direction 1 and diagonally up and down.
a is formed. Reference numeral 17 is a diamond-shaped slide plate, and a round hole formed at one corner of the upper part is passed through the pin 6 of the adjusting plate 5A and is held at the end of the pin 6 by a stop ring 18, and the left and right ends are the grooves 16a. Engage with. Moreover, the slide plate 17 is provided on the rear surface thereof with the support shaft 1 as in the above-described embodiment.
The base end portion of the regulation plate 12 is supported via 3. Regulation plate 12
Is a window 17a of the slide plate 17 and the window 1b of the side plate 1A.
Projecting into the product passage 3 and urged upward by a spring 14.

In the above structure, the regulation plate 12 supports the mouth portion 20a of the narrow bottle of the product 20 at the normal position, as in the above-mentioned embodiment. Further, when the adjusting plate 5A moves according to the thickness of the product 20, for example, when the adjusting plate 5A advances and the passage width is adjusted to be small, the slide plate 17 moves along with the groove 16a along with the movement of the upper pin 6. Is guided down and the regulating plate 12 descends. As a result, the position of the regulation plate 12 moves up and down as the mouth portion 20a moves up and down due to the thickness of the product 20, which has the advantage of properly supporting the mouth portion 20a.

9 to 11 show a third embodiment of the present invention. 9 to 11, the side plate 1A has a rectangular window 1c through which the regulating plate 12 passes. This window 1c
A guide plate 23 having a Z-shaped cross section is fixedly provided on the back surface of the side plate 1A on both sides of the side plate, and forms a groove 23a running vertically in parallel with the side plate 1A. In addition, a plurality of upper and lower engaging grooves 23b are formed on the inner edge of the guide groove 23 at appropriate intervals. The regulation plate 12 has a support shaft 13 at a base end portion thereof and a leaf spring 24 having a chevron-shaped engaging portion 24a at a tip end thereof extending downward from the base end portion by engaging with the left and right grooves 23a.

In the above structure, the regulating plate 12 has the locking portion 2
4a is releasably locked in one locking groove 23b and is held by the leaf spring 24, and the support shaft 13 is held in contact with the side plate rear surfaces on both sides of the window 1c. And is urged upward by the spring 14 to support the mouth 20a of the bottle of the product 20 and hold its posture correctly as in the first embodiment. Further, in this embodiment, when it is desired to share the product storage rack 1 for various products in which the thickness of the mouth portion 20a is not proportional to that of the body portion of the commodity 20, the regulation plate 12 properly supports the mouth portion 20a. be able to. That is, the locking portion 24a of the leaf spring 24 is once pushed to disengage it from the locking groove 23b, and the support shaft 13 is moved up and down along the rear surface of the side plate 1A at a proper position where the mouth 20 of the product 20 in which the regulation plate 12 is housed is supported. The locking portion 24a is locked in the locking groove 23b. As described above, there is an advantage that the regulation plate 12 can be set at an appropriate position according to the various products described above.

[0013]

According to the present invention, a merchandise path that meanders and runs vertically is formed between a pair of side plates, and a merchandise storage rack in which narrow bottle-shaped merchandise is stacked and stored in a sideways posture. In a vending machine equipped with, a product is projected from the window opened on the side plate on the side of the product storage shelf opposite to the mouth of the product into the product passage, and is vertically rotatably and spring-biased upward. Since it is provided with a regulation plate that regulates the position of the mouth of the product,
Even if the conical shoulder of the narrow bottle from the mouth to the body is longer than the body of the product bottle, the mouth of the product is lowered to prevent the product from stacking due to tilting, and problems such as product jams may occur. It is possible to eliminate the worry that occurs.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an internal side view of a product storage shelf of a vending machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the product storage shelf shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an essential part of the invention of the product storage shelf shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an attachment structure of a restriction plate of an essential part of the invention shown in FIG.

5 is a perspective view of an adjustment plate of the product storage shelf shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state in which a product is accommodated in the main part of the invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the main part of the invention in the product storage shelf of the vending machine showing the second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a plan view of an essential part of the invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the main part of the invention in the product storage shelf of the vending machine showing the third embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a plan view of an essential part of the invention shown in FIG.

11 is a side view of an essential part of the invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is an internal side view of a product storage shelf in a conventional vending machine.

13 is a front view of the product storage shelf shown in FIG.

14 is a perspective view of an adjustment plate of the product storage shelf shown in FIG.

15 (a) to 15 (d) are explanatory views showing a state where the passage width is adjusted in the product storage rack shown in FIG. 12, respectively.

16 is a perspective view of a regulation plate of the product storage shelf shown in FIG.

FIG. 17 is a front view showing a storage state of a narrow bottle (product) stored in the product storage shelf of FIG. 12 without a regulation plate.

FIG. 18 is a front view showing a storage state of the narrow bottle stored in the product storage shelf shown in FIG. 12 having a regulation plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Product Storage Shelf 1A Side Plate 1B Side Plate 1a Window 1b Window 1c Window 3 Product Passage 4 Product Export Mechanism 5 Adjusting Plate 5A Adjusting Plate 12 Regulation Plate 16 Guide Plate 17 Slide Plate 20 Product 23 Guide Plate 23a Groove 23b Locking Groove

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine provided with a product storage shelf in which a product passage that meanders and runs vertically is formed between a pair of side plates, and product bottle-shaped products are stacked and stored in a horizontal posture. In the article storage shelf, the article is projected from the window opened on the side plate of the article storage shelf opposite to the mouth of the article to the article passage, and is supported so as to be vertically rotatable and biased upward by the spring, A vending machine characterized by being provided with a regulation plate for regulating the position of the mouth portion of the vending machine. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vertical width of the window is widened and the supporting position of the regulation plate is variable in the vertical direction. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein a slide plate that is movable up and down along the back surface of the side plate in accordance with the window position is provided, and the regulation plate is supported by the slide plate. An automatic vending machine, wherein the slide plate is moved up and down in association with a passage width adjusting plate provided opposite to a product unloading mechanism provided at the lower end of the product passage. 4. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein a groove running vertically is formed on a rear surface of a side plate on both sides of the window, and a guide plate having a plurality of locking grooves vertically arranged on an inner edge thereof. The vending machine is characterized in that the regulating plate is guided by the groove so as to be movable up and down and selectively retained in one locking groove.