JPH10105823A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect the temperature of a commodity immediately before discharged and sold-out, to control the selling commodity to be in the state of the appropriate temperature and to sell out all canned commodities in such a state. SOLUTION: A solenoid 41 operates by depressing an operation key for discharge, which is not illustrated, and the output shaft 42a reciprocates downward from an illustrated position by a prescribed line. An auxiliary gate 42 moves to the position of a broken line by a going operation and accepts the succeeding commodity 10B of the product 10A so that it does not drop. Then, a gate 44 moves to the position of the broken line immediately after, the commodity 10A is dropped and it is discharged. The commodity 10B moves to the position of the product 10A by a returning operation and it becomes the new just before commodity. In the string of the commodities 10, they are sequentially sent downward one by one whenever it is discharged. Respective sensor units 45A and 45B containing temperature sensors abutted on the commodities 10 and limit switches as sell-out sensors are buried on the surface of the gate 44.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a can product (hereinafter referred to as the immediately preceding product) which is located at the head of a row of can products (hereinafter referred to as "products") which are sequentially sent downward with payout, and which is to be subsequently delivered. The present invention relates to a vending machine capable of detecting a temperature and a sold-out condition, always keeping a dispensed product at an appropriate temperature state, and selling out all can products at the appropriate temperature condition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional example will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, 1 is an outer box, 2
Is an inner box, 3 is a heat insulating material, and 4 is an inner door. The heat insulating material 3 is filled between the outer box 1 and the inner box 2 and is filled inside the inner door 4. Reference numeral 5 denotes an outer door, on which product samples and the like are arranged. Reference numeral 9 denotes a product storage shelf, which is formed as a space extending in the vertical direction, in which cylindrical products 10 are stacked and stored with their axes horizontal, and are sequentially sent downward as they are dispensed from below. . Therefore, the product storage shelf 9 is a storage for the product 10 and a passage that is sent downward. Here, four products are provided side by side. At the lower part of each product storage shelf 9, a payout mechanism 17 for paying out the products 10 one by one is provided. This dispensing mechanism 17
Is dropped by gravity, guided by the chute 6, passed through the flap door 7 below the inner door 49, and sent out to the outlet 8. The product 10 stored in the product storage shelf 9 is set to a predetermined appropriate temperature by a heater 13 as a cooler 13 or a heater provided in the lower space of the chute 6 in the lower part of the storage of the vending machine. It is cooled or heated so that At that time, the air in the refrigerator is circulated by the fan 18 to cool or heat the product 10. A machine room 19 is provided at the bottom of the vending machine, where a compressor 11 and a condenser 12 of a refrigerator are stored. The temperature control of the product 10 depends on the temperature of the cooler 13
The temperature of air discharged from the heater 14 (see arrow 16) is detected via a temperature sensor 15, and the operation of the compressor 11 and the heater 14 is controlled based on this detection signal. That is, a method was adopted in which the temperature of the product 10 was measured indirectly, not directly, and controlled based on the measured value.

[0003] As the next stage, a method has been adopted in which the temperature of the product 10 is directly measured, and at the same time, the sold-out of the product 10 is detected. This method will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a side view of the temperature sensor 30 and the sold-out sensor (limit switch 20), and FIG. 9 is a wiring diagram in which the temperature sensor 30 and the sold-out sensor (same as above) are connected in series.

In FIG. 8, a U-shaped movable body 21 is composed of a left flat plate portion and an upper operation arm 21a. The movable body 21 is rotatably supported around a shaft 22 at an intermediate bending portion. Clockwise. A temperature sensor 30 is embedded in the flat plate, and the tip of the operation arm 21a can press the operation button 20a of the limit switch (micro switch) 20 as a sold-out sensor. Movable body 21
The limit switch 20 is stored inside the dispensing mechanism 17 as a whole. Therefore, when the product 10 is in contact with the left side of the flat plate portion, the movable body 21 assumes the position indicated by the solid line, the distal end of the operation arm 21a moves away from the operation button 20a of the limit switch 20, and conversely, When 10 is sold out and does not exist, the position indicated by the broken line is taken, the tip of the operation arm 21a presses the operation button 20a, and the limit switch 20 is operated. The products 10 in a continuous vertical line pass through the temperature sensor 30 buried in the flat plate portion of the movable body 21 while being sequentially sent downward with payout. The products 10 passing in front of the temperature sensor 30 are located behind the head of the row (commodities to be paid out next; products immediately before) by a certain number behind.
In other words, even if sold out is detected as an operation, a fixed number of products 10 can be paid out (sellable). The temperature sensor 30 is configured as a temperature measuring resistor, which is covered from the left with a heat conductive plate 31 of aluminum or copper made of a material having a high thermal conductivity, and is surrounded by a filler 32 made of a material having a low thermal conductivity. . The heat conductive plate 31 has a minimum area so as to minimize the influence of heat from components other than the product 10, and has a heat capacity including the temperature sensor 30 as small as possible.

In FIG. 9, a temperature sensor 30, which is a temperature measuring resistor of a resistance R, and a contact of a limit switch 20 as a sold-out sensor are connected in series, and output terminals P1, P2 are provided at both ends.
P2 is provided. The limit switch 20 is configured to be turned off as indicated by a solid line when the product 10 is sold out, and to be turned on as indicated by a broken line during sale. Therefore, the internal resistance between each output terminal P1 and P2 becomes R during sale,
It becomes infinite when sold out.

[0006]

The prior art described above has the following disadvantages. Since the product whose temperature is to be measured is not the product to be paid out next (the immediately preceding product) in operation, but is a product located a certain number behind the product, appropriate temperature control may not always be properly performed with this temperature information. .

[0007] Even if there is a sold-out detection, in practice, there is a surplus number to pay out a certain number from the operation, but it is convenient in operation, but it cannot be said to be accurate sold-out information, and in some cases an incorrect judgment is made. There is fear. Temperature sensor 30 and sold out limit switch 20
By connecting in series, the number of signal lines can be minimized to save space and reduce costs.On the other hand, failures such as disconnection or short-circuit of the temperature sensor 30 itself may cause the temperature sensor 30 to be erroneously detected as sold out even during sales. In addition, the temperature sensor 30 is affected by the contact resistance of the limit switch 20, causing an error in the output, and the reliability may be impaired.

[0008] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art, and to always keep the dispensed product at an appropriate temperature and to sell out all can products at this appropriate temperature. To provide a simple vending machine.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention detects the temperature of a can product (hereinafter referred to as immediately preceding product) located at the head of a row of can products which are sequentially sent downward with payout and which is to be paid next. A vending machine which detects the sold-out state and which abuts on the immediately preceding product to prevent the payout, or cancels the abutment / blockage based on a command and permits the payout of the immediately preceding product; A temperature sensor and a sold-out detection pressure-sensitive switch, which are provided in a contact area with the product immediately before the payout gate.

Further, according to the present invention, the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are arranged side by side in the contact area, or the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are displaceable in the contact direction when the former is positioned higher in the contact area. It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the latter is fixed at a lower position and is arranged in a two-tiered manner so as to be in contact with each other. Further, the pressure-sensitive switch is preferably a limit switch.

Therefore, in the present invention, the immediately preceding product is
The contact / prevention is performed by the dispensing gate, the temperature is measured via the temperature sensor, and the temperature is controlled to an appropriate temperature based on the temperature.
In other words, the possibility of the next payout (whether sold out)
Is detected. In particular, when the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are arranged side by side in the contact area, the configuration is simplified, and the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are two-stage with the former positioned higher and the latter positioned lower in the contact area. When stacked, the product weight is also distributed to the temperature sensor,
While only that force acts on the pressure-sensitive switch,
In this case, since the product weight acts as it is, the sold-out detection can be performed more reliably even in the case of the last one.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a main part of the embodiment, that is, the vicinity of a temperature sensor and a sold-out sensor. The products 10 are stored vertically in a row in the product storage shelf 9, and are abutted / blocked by the gate 44 belonging to the payout mechanism 17 at the lowermost end, that is, the first product 10 A in the figure. The row of the products 10 is sequentially sent downward with the payout of the first product (here, the product 10A). Dispensing mechanism
17 mainly includes a solenoid 41, an auxiliary gate 42, an interlocking tool 43, a gate 44, and a cam 44b. Either of the sensor units 45A and 45B is embedded in the upper surface of the gate 44. Each of these sensor units 45A and 45B is a unit integrating a temperature sensor and a sold-out sensor,
Each has a different structure. This structure will be described later in detail. Before dispensing, product 10A as the last product
Abuts on one of the sensor units 45A and 45B, and is prevented from dropping and being paid out. Before the dispensing, since the auxiliary gate 42 is at the position retracted from the dispensing passage as shown by the solid line, all the commodities 10 following the commodities 10B following the commodities 10A are arranged adjacently. Well, solenoid
At the lower end of the output shaft 42a urged downward by a spring (not shown), an interlocking device rotatable around the shaft 42a is provided.
43 is connected. An auxiliary gate 42 is fixed to the shaft 42a, and a pin 43a protrudes from the interlocking tool 43. The gate 44 and the cam 44b are integrally formed, and are commonly supported rotatably about the shaft 44a.

The solenoid 41 is operated by pressing a dispensing operation button (not shown), and its output shaft 42a
Is lifted upward from the position shown in the figure by a certain stroke against the spring force. By the upward movement of the output shaft 42a by a predetermined stroke, the interlocking tool 43 connected to the lower end of the output shaft 42a
The auxiliary gate 42 fixed to the shaft 42a is rotated clockwise from the solid line position to the broken line position. With the clockwise rotation of the interlock 43, the pin 43a
Moves from the solid line position to the broken line position, and the gate 44 rotates clockwise around the axis 44a to move from the solid line position to the broken line position in such a manner as to follow the engagement of the cam 44b with the contour position. Therefore, the operation of the solenoid 41 moves the auxiliary gate 42 to the position indicated by the broken line (projects on the passage), and the product 10
Take the product 10B following A so that it does not drop. Subsequently, the gate 44 moves to the position indicated by the broken line (withdrawal from the passage), and the commodity 10A is dropped and paid out. Product
Shortly after dispensing 10A, the solenoid 41 stops operating and the output shaft 41a is returned to the initial lower position by a spring (not shown). In conjunction with the return operation of the output shaft 41a, the auxiliary gate 42 and the gate 44 return to the solid line position via the interlocking tool 43. As a result, the product 10B in the figure becomes the product 10A
, And becomes a new immediately preceding product, and thereafter, in the same manner, the rows of the products 10 are sequentially sent downward one by one at every payout.

The structure of the gate 44 and the sensor units 45A and 45B embedded therein will be described below. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the gate 44 and the sensor unit 45A, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the same. In FIG. 2, the sensor unit 45
A is sold out sensor unit 46 and temperature sensor unit
The units 46 and 47 are buried side by side around the center of the surface of the gate 44 (in the area where the unit comes into contact with the immediately preceding product 10A in FIG. 1). The dashed line on the side of the gate 44 corresponds to the rotation axis (see the axis 44a in FIG. 1). Details of the sensor unit 45A are shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, the sold-out sensor unit 46
Includes a holder 48 for storing a main part of the unit, a micro switch 49 (a type is a limit switch) as a pressure-sensitive switch, an operation lever 51 swingable around an axis 50,
It consists of a spring 52. The spring 52 urges the operation lever 51 counterclockwise. The operating lever 51 is an L-shaped member. The upper end of the vertical side of the operating lever 51 comes into contact with the immediately preceding product 10A (see FIG. 1). And the left end of the lower surface of the horizontal side part is separated from the operation button to which the micro switch 49 is not attached, and the contact is turned on. That is, the contact of the microswitch 49 is a so-called b contact (also referred to as a break contact) which is always on and is turned off at the time of pressing operation. The temperature sensor unit 47 includes a holder 53 for storing a main part of the unit and a temperature sensor 54 as a temperature measuring resistor of the main part.
And a heat conductive case 55 made of a high heat conductive material that incorporates the above and conducts heat of the product 10A (see FIG. 1), a filler 56 made of a low heat conductive material, a cover 57, and a spring 58. Temperature sensor
54 is built in a heat conductive case 55 so as to be surrounded by a filler 56, covered with a cover 57 from below, and is urged upward by a spring 58. Here, the spring 58 has a function of cushioning the impact received when the product 10A comes into contact with the upper surface of the heat conduction case 55. The contact signal of the micro switch 49 as a sold-out signal and the temperature sensor 54 as a temperature signal
Since the resistance value signals are individually wired and led out and displayed or used for control, unlike the conventional example, although the number of signal lines is slightly increased, they interfere with each other. There is no fear, and the reliability improves accordingly.

The structure of a gate 44 and a sensor unit 45B embedded therein, which is a modification of the gate section, will be described below. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the gate 44 and the sensor unit 45B, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the same. In FIG.
The sensor unit 45B comprises a sold-out sensor unit 46 and a temperature sensor unit 47, as described above. Each of the units 46, 47 is placed near the center of the surface of the gate 44 (in the area in contact with the immediately preceding product 10A in FIG. 1). ) Is different from the sensor unit 45A in that the sensor unit 45A is buried in a two-tiered manner. Details of the sensor unit 45B are shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, the temperature sensor unit 47
It is buried in the upper part of the gate 44 so as to be vertically displaceable. The sold-out sensor unit 46 is fixed by making the upper end of the operation lever 51 abut against the bottom of the holder 53 of the temperature sensor unit 47, and protruding a part of the holder 48 below the inside of the gate 44, more precisely, partly downward. Is done. Therefore, when the immediately preceding product 10A is blocked by the gate 44 (FIG. 1)
), The temperature of the immediately preceding product 10A is measured by the temperature sensor unit 47, and under its own weight, the temperature sensor unit 47 is pushed downward and moved, and this movement pushes down the operating lever 51 of the sold-out sensor unit 46. Operated. Through this operation, the contact of the micro switch 49 is turned off, and no sold-out signal is output. That is, information indicating that there is a product to be paid out next is output. When sold out and the last product 10A is not blocked by the gate 44, as shown in the figure,
Since the operation lever 51 is not pushed down by the temperature sensor unit 47, the contact of the micro switch 49 is turned on from off, and a sold-out signal is output.

Here, when the temperature sensor unit 47 and the sold-out sensor unit 46 are arranged side by side in the contact area, the product weight is also distributed to the temperature sensor unit 47. Temperature sensor unit 47 and sold out sensor unit
When the 46 is arranged in a two-tiered manner in the contact area, the product weight acts on the sold-out sensor unit 46 as it is, and the detection is performed more reliably even in the last one. Further, by separately wiring the contacts of the temperature sensor 54 and the micro switch 49, a problem as in the conventional example, that is, when the contacts of the temperature sensor 54 and the micro switch 49 are connected in series, the disconnection of the temperature sensor 54 itself It is possible to prevent erroneous detection of sold-out even during sales due to a failure such as a short circuit or short-circuit, and the occurrence of an error in the output of the temperature sensor 54 due to the contact resistance of the microswitch 49.

The contact signal indicating sold out will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. Although not shown here, it is assumed that a time axis is set horizontally. When the payout button for paying out the product is pressed by the customer as indicated by the thick arrow at the top, the solenoid drive signal at the middle is generated from OFF to ON for a certain time T (about 100 ms). Then return to off again. In response to the solenoid drive signal which is kept on for the predetermined time T, the solenoid 41 reciprocates only for a predetermined stroke as shown in FIG. 1, and the immediately preceding product 10A is paid out through the above-described process, and the next product is delivered. A new row of products, starting with 10B, is sent down. Therefore, as shown in the lower row,
The contact signal 49 (of the sold-out sensor unit 46) changes from off to on with a delay of time α from the rise of the solenoid drive signal, returns from on to off with a delay of β from the fall of the solenoid drive signal, and thereafter, The state continues. Each of the delay times α and β is caused by a mechanical operation, and has approximately equal values. The solid-state microswitch contact signal returned to off indicates that it is available for sale. If the product 10B following the product 10A runs out, that is, if the product 10B is sold out, the on state is maintained as indicated by the broken line to indicate that the product is sold out. Here, even when it is possible to sell, the micro switch contact signal is temporarily turned on and an apparent sold-out display is made only for the time T1 (= T + α-β ≒ T) after the time α from the payout button operation. Well, this is the wrong sell-out indication. Therefore, in order to prevent this erroneous apparent sold-out display, the time (α +
Whether the micro switch contact signal after the lapse of T1 + γ) is ON or OFF determines whether the micro switch contact signal can be sold or is sold out. Here, γ is a predetermined margin time. In any case, it is possible to determine whether the product can be sold or sold out based on the state of the microswitch contact signal after a very short period of time after operating the payout button.

[0020]

According to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained. (1) The temperature of the immediately preceding product is measured via a temperature sensor when the product is brought into contact with or blocked by the payout gate, and the temperature is controlled based on the measured temperature. Further, the possibility of paying out the next product, that is, whether or not the product is sold out is detected via the pressure-sensitive switch. Therefore, appropriate temperature control is performed based on the temperature measurement at the forefront of the immediately preceding product, and service to customers can be improved. In addition, it becomes possible to sell out all can products at an appropriate temperature.

(2) Since both the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are buried in the payout gate, the main members are simply unitized. In particular, when the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are arranged side by side in the contact area, the configuration is simplified, and the cost and reliability can be reduced. When the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are arranged in two layers in the contact area, the weight of the product is also distributed to the temperature sensor, but it is not dispersed but acts on the pressure-sensitive switch as it is. Even at the end of the detection, the detection is reliable, and the reliability of the operation can be improved.

(3) According to the embodiment, since the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are individually wired, a failure such as disconnection or short circuit of the temperature sensor itself can be detected. Unlike the case above, the temperature sensor is incorrectly detected as sold out despite being sold due to disconnection or short circuit of the temperature sensor, and an error occurs in the output due to the influence of the contact resistance of the pressure sensor switch of the temperature sensor Can be prevented, and the reliability as a vending machine can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a main part of an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a gate unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the gate portion.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a modification of the gate section in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a modified example of the gate portion.

FIG. 6 is a time chart of a contact signal indicating sold out.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a conventional example (vending machine).

FIG. 8 is a side view of a conventional temperature sensor and a sold-out sensor (limit switch).

FIG. 9 is a wiring diagram of a conventional example in which a temperature sensor and a sold-out sensor (limit switch) are connected in series.

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 Commodity storage shelf 10, 10A, 10B Commodity 17 Dispensing mechanism 41 Solenoid 41a Output shaft 42 Auxiliary gate 42a Shaft 43 Linkage tool 43a Pin 44 Gate 44a Shaft 44b Cam 45A, 45B Sensor unit 46 Sold-out sensor unit 47 Temperature sensor unit 48 Holder (For sold out sensor) 49 Micro switch 50 Shaft 51 Operating lever 52 Spring 53 Holder (for temperature sensor) 54 Temperature sensor 55 Heat conduction case 56 Filler 57 Cover 58 Spring

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor: Motohiro Shimizu 1-1, Tanabe-Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor: Tetsuya Mogi 1, Tanabe-Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa No. 1 Inside Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine for detecting the temperature and selling out of a can product (hereinafter referred to as immediately preceding product) which is located at the head of a row of can products which are sequentially sent downward with payout and which is to be paid next. A payout gate which abuts on the immediately preceding product to prevent the delivery thereof, or releases the abutment / blocking based on a command and permits the delivery of the immediately preceding product; and a contact between the gate and the immediately preceding product. A temperature sensor and a sold-out detection pressure-sensitive switch provided in the area. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are arranged side by side in the contact area. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor and the pressure-sensitive switch are fixed such that the former is higher in the contact area and can be displaced in the contact direction and the latter is lower. Vending machine characterized by being arranged in a two-tiered manner so as to be in contact with each other. 4. A vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said pressure-sensitive switch is a limit switch.