JPH0950571A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the thickness of an automatic vending machine thin in the cross direction and to improve the storing efficiency of commodities. SOLUTION: A drop chute 11 is formed in the vicinity of the width direction center of a vending machine body 1 along the vertical direction. Plural strings of commodity storing parts are arranged on both the width direction sides of the body 1 through the chute 11. A discharging mechanism 23 for discharging a commodity stored in each storing part 22 to the chute 11 side is arranged on the lower part of the storing part 22. A guide space 17 communicates the lower part side of the storing part 22 arranged on the outside of the storing part 22 adjacent to the chute 11 and the chute 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine that stores products in a stacked state and sequentially dispenses the lowest products.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as an automatic vending machine for storing products in a stacked state and sequentially ejecting the lowest products, for example, as described in JP-A-6-44453, a general vending machine is generally used. Cigarette vending machines are known.

In such an automatic vending machine, rectangular products such as cigarettes are stored in a storage unit in a stacked state, and a bottom member of the storage unit is horizontally pushed to eject the lowest products in order from the front. Put out. In front of the storage unit, a conversion space is formed for turning the products pushed out of the storage unit downward, and a chute for guiding the products turned downward to the outlet. In addition,
In the case of the front / rear delivery type in which the products are stored in the front and rear rows in the storage unit and the front row products are output in the front direction, the conversion space and the chute are formed in both the front and rear sides of the storage unit. It

[0004]

However, in the conventional vending machine, the conversion space for changing the direction of the product pushed out from the storage portion and the chute is in front of the storage portion (in the case of the front-back ejection type). Is located in both front and back), the thickness of the vending machine in the front-rear direction becomes thicker.

Therefore, there is a problem of sticking out on the road, a problem of space when arranging in a facility, and a storage efficiency of a product due to a large number of chutes (a ratio of a product in a full state to a capacity of the entire vending machine. The higher the efficiency, the better).

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine which can be thinned in the front-rear direction and can enhance the storage efficiency of products.

[0007]

A vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machines store products in a stacked state and sequentially eject the products from the lowest order, in the vicinity of the widthwise center of the vending machine body. A drop chute provided along the up-down direction, a plurality of rows on both sides in the width direction of the vending machine body sandwiching the drop chute, a storage section for storing the products in a stacked state, and a lower portion of each storage section. A guide space provided for communicating the lowest product in the storage unit to the side of the drop chute and the drop chute and the lower side of the storage unit outside the storage unit adjacent to the drop chute. And is provided. When an instruction is issued to eject the product stored in the storage unit adjacent to the drop chute, the dispensing mechanism provided below the storage unit is driven, and the lowest product is placed on the side drop chute. When it is instructed to throw out, or to throw out a product in a storage unit which is not adjacent to the drop chute, a dispensing mechanism provided below the storage unit is driven to guide the lowest product to be discharged sideways. It is sent to the drop chute through the space.

A vending machine according to a second aspect is the vending machine according to the first aspect, wherein a rear storage section row provided on the rear side of the vending machine body and the rear side storage in the vending machine body. It is characterized in that the front side of the row of parts is provided with a row of front side storing parts which is rotatably supported by the vending machine body with the outer end as a fulcrum. When loading the front storage compartment row, the front storage compartment row is not rotated and the front storage compartment row can be loaded from the front, and when the rear storage compartment row is loaded, With the front storage unit row being rotated to open the front of the rear storage unit row, the product loading operation from the front to the rear storage unit row can be performed.

A vending machine according to a third aspect of the present invention is the vending machine according to the first or second aspect, in which a storing and dispensing unit in which a storing unit and a dispensing mechanism are integrally combined, and the storing and dispensing unit are provided. And a connecting means that is detachably connected to the vending machine body. It is possible to replace the storage / dispensing unit according to the type of product to be sold. When selling many types of products, many storage / dispensing units having relatively small storage units are attached. ,Also,
When selling a small number of products, only a small number of storage / dispensing units having large storage units are attached.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the vending machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the internal structure of a vending machine for rectangular products such as cigarettes, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the vending machine viewed from the side, and FIG. Figure 4
FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a vending machine.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vending machine includes a box-shaped vending machine body 1 whose front is open, and a door body 2 is provided on the front surface of the vending machine body 1 at one outer end. Is attached so as to be openable and closable with the fulcrum as a fulcrum, and leg portions 3 are attached to both ends of the lower surface of the vending machine body 1 so as to project to the front of the vending machine body 1.

Inside the vending machine body 1, a drop chute 11 is formed at a central position in the width direction over substantially the entire area in the vertical direction.
Product storage spaces 12 are formed on both sides of the drop chute 11.

As shown in FIG. 4, a fixed mounting substrate 13 is disposed on the left and right sides of the product storage space 12 with the drop chute 11 interposed therebetween, and is pivotally mounted on the product storage space 12 at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction. Substrates 14 are arranged on the left and right sides with the drop chute 11 in between. An outer end of the rotary mounting board 14 is axially supported inside the vending machine body 1, a closed position in which the rotary mounting board 14 has a posture parallel to the fixed mounting board 13, and an open position in which the central side is opened in the direction of being pulled out to the front. It is possible to rotate between and.

Then, on each of the surfaces of the mounting boards 13 and 14, there are attached storage / ejection parts 21 which will be described later in three rows in the left-right direction.
The group of storage / ejection parts 21 attached to the fixed mounting board 13 is the rear storage part row 15, and the group of storage / extraction parts 21 attached to the rotary mounting board 14 is the front storage part row 16.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shape of the lower end of each of the mounting substrates 13 and 14 is highest at the portion adjacent to the drop chute 11,
The outermost portion and the outermost portion are formed in order of decreasing height. Also, product storage space
Below 12 is formed a guide space 17 that communicates the drop chute 11 and the lower side of the storage and ejection part 21 outside the storage and ejection part 21 adjacent to the drop chute 11 and below the guide space 17. A lateral chute 18 that guides the product to the drop chute 11 at the center position in the width direction is provided in the. Further, a concave portion 19 for accommodating a bucket 47 described later is formed on the front side of the bottom portion of the drop chute 11, and an inclined surface 20 descending forward toward the concave portion 19 is formed on the rear side.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the storage / ejection unit 21. The storage / ejection section 21 is configured by integrally combining a storage column 22 as a storage section and a ejection unit 23 as a ejection mechanism at a lower portion of the storage column 22.

The storage column 22 has a column frame 25 standing upright with the upper surface of the dispensing unit 23 as the bottom surface 24, and on the bottom surface 24 in this column frame 25, the product is placed along its long side in the left-right direction. It is collected and stored in. On one side of the column frame 25 facing the drop chute 11 side, a discharge port 26 is formed between the column frame 25 and the bottom face 24 so that only one product can pass through. The front surface 27 of the column frame 25 is pivotally supported by a hinge 28 at one end so as to be openable and closable, and a vertically long opening 29 is formed in the front surface 27 so that the types and the remaining amount of products in the storage column 22 can be reduced. You can check it.

The ejecting unit 23 has a case 30 for accommodating the ejecting mechanism portion, and a groove portion 31 for moving an ejecting member (not shown) is formed on the upper surface of the case 30 and the side surface facing the drop chute 11. By the rotation of the dispensing member, the lowest product is sequentially dispensed through the dispensing port 26. A guide portion 32 is projectingly provided on the side surface of the case 30 at a position below the outlet 26.

On the rear surfaces of the storage column 22 and the ejection unit 23, mounting portions 33 to be mounted on the mounting substrates 13 and 14 are formed. The mounting portion 33 is formed with a plurality of mounting holes 35 constituting the connecting means 34, and each mounting board
Mounting protrusions 36 that form the connecting means 34 are provided on the projections 13 and 14, and the storage projection 21 is coupled and fixed to the mounting substrates 13 and 14 by hooking the mounting portions 33 on the mounting projections 36.

Then, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of types having storage columns 22 having different heights are prepared, and are configured to be selectively replaced according to the combination of products to be sold.

In the arrangement example shown in FIG. 1, each mounting board 13, 14 is mounted.
In the portion adjacent to the drop chute 11, a plurality of storage ejecting portions 21 each having a relatively short storage column 22 are attached in the vertical direction. The products from the storage / ejection section 21 are ejected to the drop chute 11.

At the outermost portions of the mounting boards 13 and 14, a storage / ejection section 21 having a large-capacity storage column 22 that covers substantially the entire vertical direction of the mounting boards 13 and 14 is mounted. Goods from this storage and ejection section 21 are sideways shoots
Thrown on 18.

It is possible to attach a single storage / ejection section 21 over the entire upper and lower areas as shown on the left side of FIG. 1 at a portion located between the mounting substrates 13 and 14, and as shown on the right side of FIG. Two storage and ejection parts 21 divided into upper and lower parts near the middle position
It is also possible to attach. However, in the case where two storage / ejection parts 21 are attached, the products that are ejected to a position corresponding to the ejection position of the upper storage / ejection part 21 and adjacent to the drop chute 11. A guide chute 37 that guides to the drop chute 11 is attached. A guide space 17 is formed above the guide chute 37 to connect the drop chute 11 and the ejection position of the storage ejection unit 21.

Since the lower edges of the mounting boards 13 and 14 have steps, even the storage / ejection section 21 arranged at a position not adjacent to the drop chute 11 has the highest level of the mounting boards 13 and 14. For those attached at the lower position, a space for ejecting is secured on the ejection direction side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, on the front side of the door body 2, there is arranged a sample display section 41 having an operation section provided with a coin slot on the upper side and a selection button, and an advertisement on the lower side. The portion 42 is disposed, and the product outlet 43 is formed at the center in the width direction and near the center in the height direction. As shown in FIG. 1, on the back side of the door body 2, a money handling machine 44 is arranged in correspondence with the position of the money input port of the sample display section 41, and the product corresponding to the position of the product outlet 43. Inlet 45 communicating with outlet 43
Is formed, and a lift unit 46 that conveys the product thrown to the widthwise center of the door body 2 to the receiving port 45 is arranged, and in addition, an operation section for a staff member is arranged.

The lift unit 46 has a bucket 47 projecting to the back side of the door body 2, and this bucket 47 is moved up and down between a rear position of the receiving port 45 and a position near the lower end of the door body 2 by a drive mechanism 48. It is possible. The drive mechanism 48, for example, stretches a chain or belt along the vertical direction,
The bucket 47 is integrally lifted up and down by the rotation of these chains and belts. The drive mechanism 48
Is arranged in the door body 2, but a drive motor 49 for giving a driving force to the drive mechanism 48 is arranged in the lower part of the vending machine body 1, and when the door body 2 is closed, it is connected through a connecting means such as a gear. The driving force is transmitted by being connected. This is because the heavy drive motor 49 is provided on the vending machine body 1 side to lighten the door body 2 as much as possible. By making the door body 2 lighter, the opening and closing work is facilitated and the door is opened. It is possible to obtain the effects of preventing the front fall of the door and suppressing the distortion of the door body 2.

When the door 47 is closed, the bucket 47 enters the lowermost recess 19 of the drop chute 11 when the door 2 is closed, and when the drive motor 49 is driven, the inside of the drop chute 11 is lowered. Move up and down.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

First, the replenishment work of the products will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the door 2 is rotated to open the front surface of the vending machine body 1. At this time, it is possible to collectively see the plurality of storage and ejection parts 21 of the front storage part row 16, and to see the inside of the storage column 22 through the opening 29 in the front of the storage column 22 of each storage and projection part 21. You can see.
This makes it easy to see which type of product is loaded in which storage column 22, and which storage column 22 is low in product and needs to be replenished.

As for the storage column 22 that needs to be replenished, the front portion 27 of the storage column 22 is opened to replenish predetermined products.
When the amount of replenishment is small, the product may be replenished through the opening 29 without opening the front face 27.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the rotary mounting board 14 is rotated to the open position to open the front surface of the rear storage section row 15 and to open the rear storage section row 15 in the same manner as the front storage section row 16. Products are replenished in the storage columns 22 of the respective storage and ejection parts 21 of the side storage part row 15.

It should be noted that the fact that a large number of storage / ejection parts 21 can be viewed at one time is not only convenient when replenishing, but it is also easy to find the location of the failure when a failure occurs, and it is also easy to perform the failure release work. There is also the effect.

Then, after returning the rotary mounting substrate 14 to the closed position, the door 2 is closed, and the replenishment work of the products is completed.

Next, a product selling operation will be described.

With the product stored in the storage column 22 of each storage / dispensing unit 21, the rotary mounting substrate 14 and the door 2 are closed to put them in a sales standby state. At this time, the bucket 47 drops
It is in a recess 19 at the bottom of 11.

When the user deposits money and selects a product, the dispensing unit 23 of the storing and dispensing unit 21 storing the product is driven to rotate the dispensing member, and the lowest member in the storage column 22. Merchandise is ejected through the ejection port 26, and the next highest merchandise is placed on the upper surface of the ejection unit 23.

The product thrown out from the front storage throw-out section 21 adjacent to the drop chute 11 is sent into the drop chute 11 and received in the bucket 47 standing by below.
The product thrown out from the rear storage throw-out part 21 adjacent to the drop chute 11 falls in the drop chute 11, slides on the inclined surface 20 at the bottom, and is fed into the bucket 47.

Storage and ejection unit 21 not adjacent to the drop chute 11
The goods thrown out from the inside are sent into the bucket 47 through the lower side chute 18 and the inclined surface 20 at the bottom of the drop chute 11. However, a product that is a storage and ejection unit 21 that is not adjacent to the drop chute 11 and that is ejected from the upper storage and ejection unit 21 of the upper and lower divisions is disposed between the drop chute 11 and the product. Fall chute through guide chute 37
11 and then into bucket 47.

If the next selection is not made within a predetermined time after the completion of the dispensing operation (after completion of a predetermined number of dispensing operations in the case of bulk buying), the drive motor 49 is driven and the bucket 47 is driven. Rises. Bucket 47 is product outlet 43
Drive motor 49 is stopped when it reaches the vicinity of the entrance 45 of
The product is sent out to the product outlet 43 through the receiving port 45.
When the user takes out this product, a series of sales operations are completed. Then, the drive motor 49 is driven again to drive the bucket.
47 is returned to the lower standby position to prepare for the next selling operation.

Next, the change of the storage column 22 will be described.

By removing the storage / ejection part 21 from the mounting boards 13 and 14 and attaching the storage / ejection parts 21 having different sizes, the setting of the storage column 22 can be changed.

When it is desired to throw out a large number of products even if the types of products that can be sold are reduced, the storage / dispensing unit 21 having the long storage column 22 is attached. Since the number of dispensing units 23 can be small, the amount of products stored in the entire vending machine is large.

On the contrary, when many kinds of products are to be sold, it can be dealt with by mounting a large number of storage / ejection units 21 having short storage columns 22. However, the storage and ejection unit 21 that is not adjacent to the drop chute 11 and is not at the lowest position
If you replace the
It is necessary to install a guide chute 37 that guides the user.

After the storage column 22 is replaced, the operator's operation unit is used to change the settings such as connection with the selection button and price setting.

Next, another embodiment will be described.

The connecting means 34 for attaching the storage / ejection part 21 to the attachment substrates 13, 14 may use a magnet instead of the combination of the attachment hole 35 and the attachment protrusion 36.

It is also possible that only the accommodating and ejecting portion 21 adjacent to the drop chute 11 which can be easily replaced can be attached to and detached from the mounting substrates 13 and 14, and the other accommodating and ejecting portion 21 can be fixed.

A product that is thrown out from the storage / dispensing unit 21 at a position where the dispensing position is higher than the product outlet 43 may be provided with a chute that is not fed into the bucket 47 but is directly fed into the product outlet 43.

[0051]

According to the automatic vending machine of the first aspect, a drop chute is provided in the vertical direction near the center of the vending machine body in the width direction, and a plurality of drop chute is provided on both sides of the vending machine body in the width direction. By collecting the products thrown from the storage units provided in rows on the drop chute, the space for pushing the products pushed out of the storage unit downwards and the chute are not arranged in the front-back direction of the storage unit. Since the product can be thinned in the front-rear direction and the products dropped from the plurality of storage sections are received in the common drop chute, the number of chutes can be reduced and the storage efficiency can be improved.

According to the vending machine according to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the vending machine according to the first aspect, it is possible to increase the storage amount and variety of the commodities without making the refilling work difficult.

According to the vending machine according to claim 3, in addition to the effect of the vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, it is possible to easily change the storage amount and the type of the product to be sold according to the sales situation. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an internal structure showing an embodiment of a vending machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vending machine of the same embodiment as seen from a side direction.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a storage / ejection unit according to the same embodiment.

4A and 4B are plan views schematically showing the vending machine according to the embodiment, where FIG. 4A is a plan view at the time of sale, FIG. 4B is a plan view at the time of refilling the front storage row, and FIG. 8] is a plan view of the rear storage unit row when refilling.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vending machine main body 11 Drop chute 15 Rear storage unit row 16 Front storage unit row 17 Guide space 21 Storage ejection unit 22 Storage column as storage unit 23 Ejection unit as ejection mechanism 34 Coupling means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An automatic vending machine that stores products in a stacked state and sequentially ejects the lowest products, and a drop chute provided vertically near a widthwise center of a vending machine body, and the drop chute. A plurality of rows are provided on both sides in the width direction of the vending machine main body sandwiching the storage unit, and storage units for storing the products in a stacked state, and the lowest products in the storage units, and the lowest products in the storage unit are the drop chute. An automatic vending machine, comprising: a discharging mechanism for discharging to a side; and a guide space that communicates the drop chute and a lower side of a storage part outside the storage part adjacent to the drop chute. 2. A rear storage section row provided on the rear side of the vending machine body, and a front end of the rear storage section row in the vending machine body, which is pivotable to the vending machine body with an outer end as a fulcrum. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a front storage section row supported by the vending machine. 3. A storage and ejection unit in which the storage unit and the ejection mechanism are integrally combined, and a connecting means for detachably connecting the storage and ejection unit to the vending machine body. Item 1. The vending machine according to Item 1 or 2.