JPH10255160A - Cup type drink automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely lock a cup support device when it's located at a bend position set at the back of a selling port and to prevent the mischievous acts given to the inside of the automatic vending machine. SOLUTION: A cup support device 22 of this vending machine is provided with cap stage 98 which supports the bottom part of a cup and moves up and down according to the cup size, a geared motor which is driven to move up and down the stage 98, a pair of cup flappers 43a and 43b which mutually open and close to support both outer circumference sides of the cup placed on the stage 98, and a geared motor which is driven to open and close the flappers 43a and 43b. A lock mechanism 82 is added to lock the device 22 when it's located at a bend position set at the back of a selling port 8. Then the mechanism 82 is operated in response to the drive of the geared motor that drives the stage 98 of the device 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cup-type beverage vending machine for dispensing beverages in a cup.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a vending machine of this type, there is known a vending machine having a cup supporting device and a transport mechanism for transporting the cup supporting device to various positions in the device.

[0003] That is, the cup supporting device includes a cup stage for supporting the bottom of the cup, and a pair of cup flappers for opening and closing each other on both sides of the outer periphery of the cup disposed on the cup stage. The cup supporting device is conveyed by the conveying device in the XY axis direction in the horizontal plane. During the conveyance, the supply of the cup to the cup supporting device and the supply of the raw materials to the cup are performed. Conveyed to the bend position at the back of the sales outlet together with the device, hot water is supplied into the cup at the bend position, and the contents in the cup are stirred by the stirring device to prepare a beverage, and the beverage in the cup is dispensed. Is provided to the user of the vending machine through the sales outlet.

In a vending machine that sells a plurality of beverage types, a cup having a size corresponding to the type of the beverage is prepared, and a cup of each size is selected according to the type of the beverage to be sold. It is supplied to a support device. The size of the cup is roughly divided into large size and average size,
A large-sized cup is mainly used for a cold beverage, and a medium-sized cup is used for a hot beverage.

When the cup is supplied to the cup supporting device, the cup is supported on the cup stage. At this time, a pair of cup flappers supporting both sides of the cup are larger than the outer diameter of the cup. After the cup is supported on the cup stage, the cup flappers are pivoted in the direction to close each other, and both sides of the cup are elastically clamped by the biasing force of the spring. It has become so.

[0006] By the way, a manual opening / closing door is provided at the front of the vending machine. If the opening at the back of the vending machine is always open, the vending machine is opened through the vending machine. In such a case, a hand or a stick is inserted into the body of the device, and a device or the like disposed inside the device is mischieved. For this reason, when waiting for sale of the beverage, the cup support device is arranged at the bend position at the back of the sales port, and the cup support device shields the opening at the back of the sales port to prevent tampering with the airframe. I have.

[0007] However, if the cup supporting device arranged at the back of the sales opening is forcibly pressed by hand, the cup supporting device moves to the back side of the sales opening. May be mischievous.

In view of this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-320143 discloses a lock mechanism that can lock a cup supporting device disposed at the back of a sales port, and manually opens and closes a door provided at the front of the sales port. Means have been proposed in which, when opened with this operation, the locking mechanism is interlocked with this operation to lock the cup support device, and the locking prevents movement of the cup support device and protects it from tampering. .

[0009]

However, with the structure in which the lock mechanism is operated in conjunction with the opening and closing door, if the opening and closing door is broken, the lock of the cup supporting device is not locked, and therefore the cup supporting device is not locked. Can be pushed, and it is not possible to prevent tampering with the airframe,
Lack of reliability.

Therefore, a lock mechanism for locking the cup support device is provided, and detection means for electrically detecting the position of the cup support device is provided, and the lock mechanism is operated based on a detection signal detected by the detection means. It is conceivable that the cup support mechanism is configured to be locked, but in this case, an independent and exclusive lock mechanism and detection means are required, which increases the cost.

On the other hand, when the cup is supplied to the cup supporting device, as described above, a pair of cup flappers supporting both sides of the cup are opened at a slightly larger interval than the outer diameter of the cup. After the cup flapper is thrown onto the cup stage through the space between the cup flappers, the cup flappers rotate in a direction to close each other so that both sides of the cup are elastically held by the biasing force of the spring.

However, the cup is a lightweight one made of thin paper or plastic. Therefore, when the cup jumps upward due to an impact when the cup lands on the cup stage, the cup is brought into a pair. In some cases, it is supported in an unstable state that is pinched by the cup flapper and rises from the cup stage.

When the cup is supported in such a state,
The top of the cup is located above the regular level position. Various equipment and devices are densely arranged above the area where the cup support device is transported.Therefore, when the upper end of the cup is located above the position of the regular level, the cup is moved during the transport. They may fall off the cup support device by being hooked on the equipment or the like, or may be damaged or soiled.

Further, if the cup is conveyed to the vent stage while being held in an unstable state in which it is lifted above the cup stage, when hot water is poured into the cup or when the cup is stirred by the impeller of the stirring device. The hot water may spill out of the cup, or the cup may fall off the cup support device due to the force of the stirring.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point. One object of the present invention is to provide a simple structure of the cup supporting device when the cup supporting device is disposed at a bend position at the back of a sales outlet. A cup-type beverage vending machine that can accurately lock and prevent tampering with the inside of the machine with high reliability. Another object is to always keep the cup supported by the cup support device in the proper posture. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cup-type beverage vending machine which can hold and support the beverage.

[0016]

According to the present invention, in order to attain the above object, a cup supporting device disposed at a bend position at the back of a vending machine is provided in a vending machine through a transport mechanism. It is conveyed to each position, the supply of the cup to the cup support device and the supply of the raw material to the cup are performed in the middle of this conveyance, and thereafter, the cup is conveyed to the bend position together with the cup support device, and in this bend position Hot water is supplied into the cup, and the contents in the cup are stirred by a stirrer to prepare a beverage, and the beverage in the cup is provided to a user of a vending machine through the sales outlet. In a vending machine, the cup supporting device supports the bottom of the cup and moves up and down according to the size of the cup. And a drive mechanism for driving the cup stage to move up and down, a pair of cup flappers that open and close each other to support both sides of the outer periphery of the cup placed on the cup stage, and to drive the cup flapper A lock mechanism that locks the cup support device at the bend position when the cup support device is located at the bend position, and includes a lock mechanism that locks the cup support device at the bend position. In order to achieve the other object, a cup supporting device arranged at a bend position on the back of a sales opening is used to operate in conjunction with a driving mechanism for driving the cup stage. It is conveyed to each position inside the vending machine via the conveyance mechanism, and during this conveyance, the cap to the cup support device is The supply of the cup and the supply of the raw material to the cup are performed. Thereafter, the cup is transported to the bend position together with the cup support device, where hot water is supplied into the cup at the bend position, and the contents in the cup are provided. In a cup-type vending machine in which an article is stirred by a stirrer and a beverage is prepared, and the beverage in the cup is provided to a user of the vending machine through the vending port, the cup supporting device is moved to the bottom of the cup. A cup stage for supporting, a pair of cup flappers for opening and closing each other on both sides of the outer periphery of the cup disposed on the cup stage, a spring for urging these cup flappers in a direction to close each other, and these cup flappers And a drive mechanism for opening and closing the cup, and the cup is supplied to the cup support device. At the time of supply, and at the time of supply of the raw material into the supplied cup, the interval width of the pair of cup flappers disposed on both sides of the cup is maintained at an interval width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the intermediate portion of the cup. At the time of beverage preparation in which the beverage is dispensed by being conveyed to the bend position together with the cup support device, the pair of cup flappers are operated in a direction to close each other, and these cup flappers are used to bias both sides of the outer periphery of the cup through the urging force of the spring. The pair of cup flappers are elastically sandwiched, and after the preparation of the beverage is completed, the pair of cup flappers are operated in the direction of opening each other so that the gap width is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the cup.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a front view of a vending machine. A body 1 of the vending machine has a box shape with an open front.
A front door 3 is rotatably pivotally connected via the second door 2, and the front door 3 opens and closes an opening on the front surface of the body 1.

The front door 3 has a slot 4 for inserting coins for purchasing beverages, an slot 5 for inserting bills, a return port 6 for returning change, and a plurality of selections for selecting the type and contents of the beverage to be purchased. There are provided a button 7, a selling port 8 for providing a cup containing the selected beverage, and a manual opening / closing door 9 for opening and closing the selling port 8, for example.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cup holder 10 constituting cup supply means, canisters 11, 12, 13, and 14 constituting raw material supply means, and a water heater constituting hot and cold water supply means are provided inside the machine body 1. 15 and the like are provided.

A plurality of cups of various sizes are stored in the cup holder 10, respectively, and as a raw material of the beverage, for example, coffee powder in the canister 11, cocoa powder in the canister 12, and cocoa powder in the canister 13. , Sugar for addition, and cream powder for addition are stored in the canister 14, respectively.

The sales outlet 8 provided in the front door 3 has an opening 1 formed in the front door 3 as shown in FIGS.
6, two side plates 17, 17 and a bottom plate 18 provided inside the front door 3 so as to be disposed on the depth side of the opening 16.
The upper part on the back side of the bottom plate 18 is a beverage preparation part 19.

The back of the sales outlet 8 is at a bend position, and the cup support device 22 is arranged at this bend position. The cup support device 22 is supported via a transport mechanism 23, and is transported by the transport mechanism 23 to predetermined positions in the machine body 1.

A stirrer 25 is provided above the beverage dispensing section 19 at the sales outlet 8, and the stirrer 25 includes a stirrer 27 which is driven by a drive source 26 such as a motor to move up and down and rotate. As shown in FIG. 2, the stirring tool 27 includes a relatively long impeller shaft 28 and an impeller 2 attached to a lower end of the impeller shaft 28.
9.

A hot water supply hose 32 and a cleaning hose 33 are led out of a water heater 15 provided in the machine body 1 through solenoid valves 30 and 31, and a distal end of the hot water supply hose 32 is connected to a sales outlet 8.
Is introduced into the beverage preparation section 19.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transport mechanism 23 for circulating the cup support device 22 includes a pair of fixed rails 35, 35 extending in the left-right direction of the body 1, and
The cup support device 22 is mounted on the movable rail 36.

The movable rail 36 moves along the longitudinal direction of the fixed rails 35 under the control of the DC motor 37.
The cup support device 22 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the movable rail 36 under the control of the DC motor 38, so that the cup support device 22 is transported in the XY axis direction in a horizontal plane.

FIGS. 6 to 11 show the structure of the cup supporting device 22. The cup supporting device 22 has a vertically long case 40, and a recess 41 integrally recessed inside the case 40 is provided on the front surface of the case 40. Is formed. The recess 41 has an upper surface wall 41a, a lower surface wall 41b, a rear wall 41c, and both side walls 41d, 41d which are integrated with the material of the front surface of the case 40.
It is composed of

As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of cup flappers 43a and 43b are provided on the front side of the case 40 so as to face each other on the left and right sides. The cup flappers 43a and 43b are curved in a substantially semicircular shape, and the upper side thereof is expanded in a tapered shape, and the arm portion 4 extending integrally from one end of the hand portion 44.
5 and a boss 4 provided at the tip of the arm 45.
The upper and lower long beads 47 are integrally formed on both sides of the inner surface of the hand unit 44. And the hand part 44 of both cup flappers 43a and 43b,
44 are symmetrically arranged so that the insides of the curves face each other.

In the cup flapper 43a, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a relatively deep cross-section is formed at the center of the upper end surface of the boss 46 so as to form a polygon such as a square or a hexagon. A hole 48 is formed, and a support shaft 49 is integrally formed on the lower surface of the boss portion 46 coaxially with the fitting hole 48. Further, in the other cup flapper 43b, as shown in FIG. 9, a boss portion 46 is formed with a shaft hole 50 penetrating from the upper end surface to the lower end surface.

The upper surface of the lower wall 41b of the recess 41 is slightly inclined obliquely downward toward the opening of the recess 41. In the upper surface of the lower surface wall 41b, a pair of support holes 5 each having a circular cross section and a constant depth
1, 51 are formed. Also, the upper surface wall 41 of the concave portion 41
In a, through holes 53, 53 having a circular cross section are formed to face the support holes 51, 51, respectively.

The bosses 46, 46 of the cup flappers 43a, 43b are inserted into the recess 41 from the front side of the case 40. And one cup flapper 43a
A support shaft 49 on the lower surface of the boss portion 46 is rotatably fitted into the one support hole 51.

In the case 40, a cup flapper 43 is provided.
A geared motor 55 and a power transmission member 56 are provided as a drive mechanism for driving the a and 43b to open and close. The geared motor 55 has an output shaft 55a, a cam 57 is attached to the output shaft 55a, and the power transmission member 56 includes a lever 58 and a roller 59 rotatably provided at one end of the lever 58. , A driving shaft 60 provided integrally with the other end of the lever 58 at a right angle to the longitudinal direction thereof.
A fitting portion 61 having a circular cross section is formed above the drive shaft 60 in a polygon corresponding to the shape 8.

The drive shaft 60 of the power transmission member 56 passes through the through hole 53 of the concave portion 41 and the cup flapper 43.
The drive shaft 60 and the boss portion 46 of the cup flapper 43a are connected to each other by being inserted into a fitting hole 48 having a polygonal cross section formed in the boss portion 46 of FIG. Cup flapper 4
3a rotates about the support shaft 49 of the boss portion 46 as a fulcrum. The circular fitting portion 61 disposed on the upper portion of the drive shaft 60 is fitted to the inner periphery of the through hole 53, and the fitting allows the drive shaft 60 to rotate smoothly around its axis. I have.

The boss 4 of the other cup flapper 43b
6 is arranged to face the other through hole 53 of the concave portion 41. A shaft 62 is inserted from above the through hole 53 into the shaft hole 50 of the boss portion 46 through the through hole 53, and the lower end of the shaft 62 projects from the shaft hole 50 and fits into the support hole 51. The cup flapper 43b is rotatably supported by the shaft 62.

A spring 63 is provided between the cup flapper 43b and the shaft 62 supporting the cup flapper 43b.
Are elastically urged in the closing direction, that is, in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.

Arms 45, 45 are provided on the outer sides of the bosses 46, 46 of the cup flappers 43a, 43b.
Interlocking pieces 64, 64 are formed substantially at right angles to each other, and the tip portions of the interlocking pieces 64, 64 overlap with each other. With this overlapping, the elastic force of the spring 63 acts on the cup flapper 43a, and this action causes the cup flapper 43a. 4
3a is elastically urged clockwise in FIG.

That is, both cup flappers 43a, 43
3b are elastically urged via a spring 63 in the direction in which they close each other. When one cup flapper 43a rotates counterclockwise against the urging force of the spring 63, this operation is transmitted to the other cup flapper 43b via the interlocking pieces 64, 64, whereby the cup flapper 43b is moved. Rotating clockwise, both cup flappers 43a and 43b move in a direction to open each other.

The power transmitting member 56 connected to the boss portion 46 of the cup flapper 43a is urged clockwise in FIG. 6 integrally with the cup flapper 43a via the spring 63, and the urging force causes the power transmitting member 56 to rotate. The roller 59 of 56 elastically abuts the peripheral surface of the cam 57, and the abutment causes the cup flapper 43a to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the cam 57, and the cup flapper 43b to operate in conjunction with the cup flapper 43a. It turns. A detection mechanism 65 for detecting the rotation angle of the cam 57 is provided in the case 40.

The inside of the case 40 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 11, a pair of support plates 69, 69 are provided below the concave portion 41 so as to face each other while being vertically separated from each other, and as shown in FIG. A pair of guide shafts 70, 70 are vertically mounted, and a movable body 71 is slidably mounted on the guide shafts 70, 70, and a horizontally long fitting hole 72 is formed in the movable body 71.

A geared motor 73 is provided in the case 40 as a driving mechanism.
Has an output shaft 73a projecting horizontally in front of it, and a crank 74 is attached to the output shaft 73a.

The crank 74 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 7, a shaft 75 fitted to the output shaft 73a of the geared motor 73, an arm 76 extending from the shaft 75 to the outer peripheral side thereof, and a side surface of the tip of the arm 76 And a pin portion 77 protruding in parallel with the shaft portion 75. A cam portion 78 is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 75, and a roller 79 is attached to the pin portion 77.
Is rotatably mounted.

Further, inside the case 40, a locking plate 80 interlocking with the crank 74 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 3, a lock plate 81 which can be engaged with and disengaged from the lock plate 80 is provided outside the lock plate 80, and a lock mechanism for locking the cup support device 22 with the lock plate 80 and the lock plate 81. 82 are configured.

The locking plate 80 is connected to the case 4 via a pin 83.
The cam surface 84 is rotatably mounted on the mounting portion 40a inside the camshaft 0 and has a substantially elliptical cam hole 84 formed on its plate surface. A locking tongue 85 is integrally formed on a part of the outer peripheral edge. The crank 74 is formed so as to protrude inside the cam hole 84.
Shaft portion 75 is loosely fitted and inserted therethrough. When the shaft 75 of the crank 74 rotates integrally with the output shaft 73a of the geared motor 73, the cam 78 of the shaft 75 comes into contact with and separates from the inner periphery of the cam hole 84 of the locking plate 80. The contact / separation causes the locking plate 80 to swing right and left around the pin 83 as a fulcrum.

The locking plate 80 is provided on one side of the case 40.
A vertically elongated opening 86 corresponding to the engaging tongue piece 85 of
A sealing plate 87 made of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to the root of the engagement tongue 85 in a flange shape. When the locking plate 80 is pivoted to one side of the case 40 with the pin 83 as a fulcrum, the engaging tongue 85 of the locking plate 80 passes through the opening 86 as shown by a chain line in FIG. The sealing plate 87 protrudes to the outside of the side surface of the case 40, and the sealing plate 87 is in close contact with the inner surface of one side surface of the case 40. The opening 86 is sealed by the sealing plate 87, and hot water flows around the case 40 by this sealing. Occasionally, the ingress of the hot and cold water into the case 40 is prevented.

As shown in FIG. 3, a base 89 is provided on one side of the side plate 17 in the sales port 8, and the lock plate 81 is attached to the rear of the base 89. The lock plate 81 has one end. It is supported rotatably in the horizontal direction via a pin 90. The lock plate 81 is elastically urged in the clockwise direction in the figure by a spring 91 mounted on a pin 90, and the stopper piece 81 a formed at the end of the lock plate 81 by this urging force makes one of the bases 89. The rotation of the lock plate 81 in the clockwise direction is restricted by this contact, and in this state, the lock plate 81 is
Are arranged so as to extend toward the back of the sales port 8 from diagonally behind.

A cup supporting device 22 is arranged at a bend position behind the sales outlet 8 and the cup supporting device 22
When the engaging tongue 85 of the locking plate 80 protrudes from one side surface of the case 40 in the above, the lock plate 81 extending toward the back of the sales port 8 is provided on the back surface of the engaging tongue 85.
Are arranged to face each other, whereby the cup support device 22 is locked, so that the cup support device 22 is prevented from moving to the rear.

A roller 79 attached to a pin 77 of the crank 74 fits into a fitting hole 72 of a movable body 71, and is driven by a geared motor 73 to rotate the movable body 71 when the crank 74 rotates. 71 is a guide shaft 70, 7
It moves up and down along zero. A detection mechanism 92 for detecting the upper and lower positions of the movable body 71 is provided in the case 40.

As shown in FIG. 11, a pair of vertically long elongated holes 95, 95 are formed in the lower portion of the front surface of the case 40, and the elongated holes 95, 95 are inverted from the upper end edges along both side edges. U-shaped protrusions 96 are formed on the front surface of the case 40. Then, a pair of support shafts 97, 97 are attached to the movable body 71, and these support shafts 97, 97 project to the front side of the case 40 through the elongated holes 95, 95, and these support shafts 97, 97
The cup stage 98 formed in the shape of a scale at the protruding portion is mounted horizontally so as to face the cup flappers 43a and 43b, and the cup stage 98 moves up and down integrally with the movable body 71. 7 is moved up and down between a low level Lo and a high level Hi.

At the rear edge of the bottom plate 18 at the sales outlet 8,
As shown in FIG. 3, a notch 99 corresponding to the cup stage 98 is formed, and the case 40 of the cup support device 22 is formed.
Is opposed to the opening at the back of the sales port 8,
When the cup stage 98 is fitted into the cutout 9 and the cup stage 98 is located at the low level Lo, the upper surface of the cup stage 98 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 18 are kept flush. It has become.

FIG. 14 shows the cup flappers 43a, 43
3b is a plan view of a cam 57 for opening and closing the cam 3b, and a cam 5 showing the relationship between each angle of the cam 57 and the distance of the cam surface.
7 is a development diagram.

The first cam surface C 1,
Second cam surface C2, third cam surface C3, fourth cam surface C
4 are sequentially formed along the circumferential direction. Cam 57
The distance between the rotation center of the cam surface and each of the cam surfaces C1 to C4 is S
1, S2, S3, S4, where S1>S2>S3> S4
It has a relationship. The rotation angle of the cam 57 is sequentially detected by the detection mechanism 65.

As shown in FIG. 5, a sanitation 100 is provided in the transport area of the cup supporting device 22. The sanitation 100 has a box shape with only one side open. The washing hose 33 led out from the water heater 15 is connected to the water heater 15, and a drain hose 101 is led out from the lower part of the sanitation 100.

Then, the cup supporting device 22 is conveyed in the X-Y direction by the conveying mechanism 23 as required, and the case 40 is directed from the open surface of the sanitation 100 to the interior of the sanitation 100, with the front surface facing the inner side of the sanitation 100. In this state, hot and cold water for cleaning is passed through the cleaning hose 33 and the cup flappers 43a, 43
3b and the cup stage 98 can be sprayed for cleaning.

At this time, the open surface of the sanitation 100 is closed by the case 40 of the cup supporting device 22, so that the washing water does not scatter outside the sanitation 100, and is disposed on the front of the case 40. Cup flappers 43a and 43b and cup stage 98
Can be washed accurately and efficiently. The waste water after washing is discharged to a predetermined disposal section through a drain hose 101.

At the rear of one end of the fixed rail 35 constituting the transport mechanism 23, a tension applying device 102 is provided, and a curl cord 103 which is extended from the cup support device 22 and which can be extended and contracted for energization and for signals is used. It is connected to a predetermined electrical unit (not shown) in the body 1 through the additional device 102.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the tension applying device 102 is configured by attaching support plates 105 to support plates 104 provided on the back plate 1a of the body 1. As shown in FIG. The support plate 105 is rotatably supported at its lower end via a pin 106, and has a bent portion 107 which is bent to the rear side at the upper end of the support plate 105, and an extension extending to the side. And the bent portion 107 are integrally formed.
Is provided with a U-shaped notch 109 at the edge of the.

A spring 109 is mounted on the pin 106 supporting the support plate 105, and the support plate 105 is elastically urged rearward by the spring 109, so that the curl cord 103 led out of the cup support device 22 is moved. The notch 109 in the bent portion 107 of the support plate 105 is in the middle.
And is wired so that the tip side is along the inside of the support plate 105.

Then, the cup supporting device 22 is connected to the supporting plate 10.
5 when moving away from the support plate 105.
Is tilted forward against the urging force of the spring 109, and when the cup supporting device 22 moves in a direction approaching the supporting plate 105, the supporting plate 105 is erected by the urging force of the spring 109, and thereby the cup supporting device When the position of the curl cord 22 is set at any position in the transport area, an appropriate tension is always applied to the curl cord 103 to prevent the curl cord 103 from drooping.

That is, although the curl cord 103 expands and contracts in accordance with the movement of the cup support device 22, when the cup support device 22 approaches the vicinity of the base of the curl cord 103 due to the long movement distance of the cup support device 22, the curl cord 103 curls. The curl code 1
03 may hang down and be caught by a device or the like underneath. However, since an appropriate tension is always applied to the curl cord 103 via the tension applying device 102,
Even if the cup supporting device 22 approaches the vicinity of the base of the curl cord 103, its drooping is prevented.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the curl cord 103 is moved from the notch 109 of the bent portion 107 to the support plate 105.
Therefore, even if a disturbing component a is arranged inside the back plate 1a, wiring can be performed avoiding the component a.

Next, the operation of selling a beverage will be described.
3 and 4, the cup supporting device 22 is disposed at the bend position on the back of the sales opening 8, and the case 4 of the cup supporting device 22 is in standby state.
The opening of the back of the sales port 8 is closed by 0.

As shown in FIG. 14, the first cam surface C1 of the cam 57 comes into contact with the roller 59 of the power transmission member 56, and by this contact, the distance between the cup flappers 43a and 43b is reduced within the cup holder 10. Are held at a space width T sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the cup of any size accommodated in the cup.

The cup stage 98 is at the low level L.
3, the engaging tongue 85 of the locking plate 80 protrudes from the side surface of the case 40 in the cup supporting device 22, as shown in FIG. Are arranged facing each other, and the cup support device 22 is locked.

In this state, when a user of the vending machine inserts a coin into the coin insertion slot 4 or inserts a bill into the bill insertion slot 5 and presses a desired selection button 7, the gear motor 73 is depressed. Is driven, the crank 74 is rotated by a predetermined angle, the rotation of the cup stage 98 is raised to the position of the high level Hi, and the locking plate 80 is rotated about the pin 83 as a fulcrum to engage the tongue. The piece 84 is sunk into the case 40, and thus the locking of the support device 22 is released.

Thereafter, the transport mechanism 23 is driven, and the cup supporting device 22 is transported from the bend position to a position below the cup holder 10 via the transport mechanism 23. If the type of beverage selected by the selection button 7 uses a large-sized cup during the conveyance, the geared motor 55 is used.
As a result, the cam 57 is driven, and the second cam surface C2 is rotated to a position facing the roller 59.

In response to this rotation, the roller 59 moves so as to come into contact with the second cam surface C2, and by this movement, both cup flappers 43a and 43b rotate in the direction to close each other,
The gap width is maintained at the gap width L smaller than the gap width T and larger than the outer diameter of the middle portion of the large-sized cup.

In this state, a large-sized cup is removed from inside the cup holder 10 by the cup flappers 43a and 43b.
It is thrown in from above. At this time, since the gap width between the cup flappers 43a and 43b is maintained at the gap width L larger than the outer diameter of the middle portion of the large-sized cup, the inserted cup enters the cup flappers 43a and 43b with a margin. Then, the bottom of the cup abuts on the cup stage 98 and is supported on the cup stage 98.

The intermediate portion of the cup placed on the cup stage 98 is surrounded by a pair of cup flappers 43a and 43b, but there is ample space between the inner surfaces of the cup flappers 43a and 43b and the peripheral surface of the cup. Therefore, the cup inserted between the cup flappers 43a and 43b is supported in a state where the bottom is always in contact with the upper surface of the cup stage 98 and is correctly upright, and is caught by the cup flappers 43a and 43b to be inclined. It is not supported or suspended in a suspended state in which the bottom is raised above the cup stage 98.

On the other hand, when the kind of beverage selected by the selection button 7 uses a medium-sized cup, the cup stage 98 is held at the high level Hi by driving the geared motor 73, Also gear
By driving the motor 55, the first cam surface C1 is
The third cam surface C3 is moved from the standby state where
The cam 57 rotates to a position opposing to the cam 9.

In response to this rotation, the roller 59 moves so as to come into contact with the third cam surface C3. With this movement, the gap width between the cup flappers 43a and 43b is smaller than the gap width T in the case of a large cup, and is equal to the gap width. The gap width M is kept larger than the outer diameter of the middle part of the cup of the size.

In this state, cups of the same size are placed in the cup flappers 43a and 43b from inside the cup holder 10.
It is thrown in from above. Also in this case, since the space between the cup flappers 43a and 43b is maintained at the interval width M that is larger than the outer diameter of the middle portion of the medium-sized cups, the inserted cups are not used.
43b enters the space 43b with a margin, and the bottom of the space 43b contacts the cup stage 98 and is supported on the cup stage 98. Since there is ample space between the inner surfaces of the cup flappers 43a and 43b and the peripheral surfaces of the cups, the bottom of the cup is always reliably brought into contact with the upper surface of the cup stage 98 and is supported in an upright state. , Being hooked on the cup flappers 43a and 43b and supported diagonally,
There is no case where the bottom is supported in a suspended state that is raised above the cup stage 98.

After a predetermined cup is supplied to the cup supporting device 22, the cup supporting device 22 is sequentially conveyed to the position below the canisters 11, 12, 13, and 14 via the conveying mechanism 23 together with the cup. For example, coffee powder as a raw material of the beverage is supplied from the canister 11 into the cup, sugar is supplied from the canister 13, and cream powder is supplied from the canister 14.

After each raw material has been supplied into the cup, the cup supporting device 22 is transported to the bend position at the back of the selling port 8, and the case 40 of the cup supporting device 22 faces the open portion at the back of the selling port 8. And match.

Since the cup supported by the cup supporting device 22 is kept in a proper posture in which the bottom thereof comes into contact with the upper surface of the cup stage 98 and stands upright, the upper end of the cup is always positioned at a regular level. Therefore, the cup does not get caught on equipment or the like arranged above the area during the conveyance, and therefore, the cup can always be stably conveyed without fear of falling off, damage, or contamination.

When the cup is large, the cup supporting device 22 is transported to the bend position while the cup stage 98 is located at the low level Lo.
Therefore, the case 40 of the cup supporting device 22 is
Of the cup stage 9
8 is arranged almost flush with the bottom plate 18 of the sales port 8 as it is.

When the cup stage 98 is at the low level L
o, the engaging tongue 8 of the locking plate 80
When the cup supporting device 22 moves toward the sales port 8 and coincides with the opening at the back thereof when the cup supporting device 4 projects from the side surface of the case 40, the engaging tongue piece 84 of the locking plate 80 locks. The lock plate 81 contacts the distal end of the plate 81, and the lock plate 81 contacts the spring 91 as shown by a chain line in FIG.
Is rotated counterclockwise in the figure with the pin 90 as a fulcrum against the urging force of this, and the engagement tongue 84 passes through the distal end of the lock plate 81 by this rotation. Due to the urging force of the pin 91, the pin 90 rotates clockwise in FIG.
4, the engaging tongue 84 and the tip of the lock plate 81 are engaged, and the cup support device 22 is locked.

On the other hand, when the cups are of the same size, the cup supporting device 22 is conveyed to the bend position with the cup stage 98 located at the high level Hi position. Is in a state of being immersed inside the side surface of the case 40. Then, in this state, the cup support device 22 moves toward the sales port 8 and is located at the bend position.

When the cup supporting device 22 is located at the bend position, the geared motor 73 is driven, the crank 74 is rotated, and the cup stage 98 is lowered from the high level Hi to the low level Lo. By this lowering, the cup stage 98 is arranged substantially flush with the bottom plate 18 of the sales port 8.

At this time, the outer periphery of the cup supported by the cup stage 98 is the cup flapper 43a, 4
3b, the cup flapper 43
Since there is ample space between the a and 43b and the peripheral surface of the cup, when the cup stage 98 is lowered,
Together with the cup stage 98, the cup also descends integrally without being caught by the cup flappers 43a and 43b.

Further, when the crank 74 rotates and the cup stage 98 moves down, the locking plate 80 is driven by the cam portion 78 of the crank 74, and the engaging tongue 84 protrudes from the side surface of the case 40. The projection engages the engagement tongue 84 so as to oppose the distal end of the lock plate 81, and the cup support device 22 is locked.

In the case of a large-sized cup, immediately after the cup supporting device 22 is placed at the bend position,
In the case of a medium-sized cup, the cup supporting device 22
Is placed in the bend position and the cup stage 98
Immediately after lowering to the low level Lo, the cam 57 is driven via the geared motor 55, and the fourth cam surface C
4 rotates to a position facing the roller 59. In response to the rotation of the cam 57, the cup flappers 43a and 43a rotate in the closing direction by the urging force of the spring 63. When the cam surface C4 faces the roller 59, the roller 5
Before the 9 contacts the cam surface C4, the cup flapper 43
a and 43b contact the outer periphery of the cup, and both sides of the outer periphery of the cup are elastically clamped by the cup flappers 43a and 43b urged by the spring 63.

Thereafter, a predetermined amount of hot water is poured into the cup from the water heater 15 through the hot water supply hose 32, and subsequently, the drive source 26 of the stirring device 25 is driven, and the impeller shaft 28 descends while rotating. The impeller 29 at the lower end thereof enters the cup, and the rotation of the impeller 29 stirs the contents in the cup to prepare a predetermined beverage,
Thereafter, the impeller shaft 28 rises and returns to the initial position.

The cup is a cup flapper 43a, 43a
Before being elastically clamped by the cup, there is a sufficient space between the peripheral surface of the cup and the hand portions 44, 44, so that the center axis of the cup and the impeller shaft 28 may vary due to variations in the position of the cup. Is often off the center axis of
Cup flappers 43a, 43b from both sides
By resiliently pinching, the misalignment is corrected, and the center axis of the cup and the center axis of the impeller shaft 28 exactly match, so that the impeller shaft 28 accurately enters the center of the cup. The contents in the cup are uniformly and efficiently stirred without bias.

At this time, since the cup is elastically clamped from both sides by the cup flappers 43a and 43b, the supporting state is stable, and the cup does not swing or vibrate at the time of stirring. No spillage of beverage.

During the stirring, the cup stage 98 is always located at the low level Lo irrespective of the size of the cup. Therefore, regardless of the size of the cup, the distance between the inner bottom surface of the cup and the impeller 29 is maintained. Is kept constant, so that the contents in the cup can be stirred more uniformly and efficiently.

After the preparation of the beverage is completed, the impeller shaft 28 rises and returns to the original position. At the same time, the cam 57 is driven by the gear motor 55, and the first cam surface C1 is Rotate to a position facing 59.
The rotation of the cam 57 causes the cam surface C1 to come into contact with the roller 59, and this contact causes the cup flappers 43a and 43a to rotate.
a rotates in the closing direction against the urging force of the spring 63, and the gap width between the cup flappers 43a and 43b becomes a gap width T sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the cup of any size, so that the cup is pinched. It is released.

In this state, the user of the vending machine opens the opening / closing door 9 manually, inserts his hand into the vending machine 8 and takes out the cup at the back. When the cup is taken out from between the cup flappers 43a and 43b, both the cup flappers 43a and 43b are configured to interlock with each other, and the cup flappers 43a and 43b
Are open sufficiently large, so that the cup can be easily taken out from the inside only by slightly opening one of the cup flappers 43a outward against the urging force of the spring 63.

Further, regardless of the size of the cup, whether large or medium, the cup stage 98 is held substantially flush with the bottom plate 18 of the sales outlet 8, so that the cup stage 98 is disposed on the cup stage 98. Can be smoothly pulled out to the front side of the sales outlet 8 and taken out.

On the other hand, when the cup support device 22 is located at the bend position, the opening at the back of the sales port 8 is closed by the case 40 of the cup support device 22.
Therefore, it is not possible to insert a hand or a stick into the machine body 1 on the back side from the sales opening 8 at the time of waiting for the sale of beverages, and to do so. The tongue 84 is locked by engaging with the tip of the lock plate 81 disposed on the back thereof. Therefore, even if the cup supporting device 22 is strongly pushed from the sales port 8 to the back side, the cup supporting device 22 is not moved. Therefore, even in such a case, it is possible to reliably protect against mischief such as inserting a hand or a stick into the body 1.

In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 7-320143, the lock mechanism of the cup supporting device is linked to the opening / closing door provided on the front of the sales outlet. Therefore, when the opening / closing door is broken, the lock is not applied. Although incomplete, in the present invention, the lock mechanism 82 of the cup support device 22 operates independently of the opening and closing door 9,
Therefore, even if the opening / closing door 9 is broken, the locking of the cup support device 22 is properly maintained as it is, and mischief with respect to the inside of the machine body 1 can be prevented, and high reliability can be obtained.

Further, the lock mechanism 82 of the present invention
Since it operates in conjunction with the drive mechanism for driving the cup stage 98, that is, the geared motor 73, no other drive mechanism is required, so that the structure can be simple and inexpensive.

Note that, in the above embodiment, the cam 57
The intermittent rotation of the cup flapper 43
The interval widths of a and 43b are sequentially changed to T, L, and M. However, each time one of the interval widths is set, the cam flapper 43 is rotated several times to set the cup flappers 43a and 43a.
The interval width may be set to T, L, M while opening and closing 3b.

Further, another cam surface is formed between each of the cam surfaces C1, C2, C3, C4 of the cam 57 in the above-described embodiment, and the roller 59 is driven by the cam surfaces C1 to C2,
When sequentially shifting from C2 to C3, from C3 to C4, and from C4 to C1, the cup flappers 43a and 43b may be opened and closed by the other cam surfaces in the middle of each.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the opening and closing door 9 on the front of the sales outlet 8 is of a manual type. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Alternatively, the opening and closing door 9 may be automatically opened in conjunction with the upward movement of the impeller shaft 28 after the beverage is stirred at the bend position.

[0095]

As described above, claims 1 and 2
According to the invention described in the above, when the cup supporting device is disposed in the bend position, the supporting device is locked by the lock mechanism, and therefore, even if the cup supporting device is strongly pushed from the sales port to the back side, the cup supporting device is not locked. The device does not move, so that it is possible to prevent mischief such as inserting a hand or a stick into the machine body from the sales outlet. The lock mechanism is not linked to the opening / closing door provided on the front face of the sales outlet, but is linked to the driving mechanism for driving the cup stage. Therefore, even if the opening / closing door is broken, the locking of the cup supporting device is performed. And the lock mechanism is operated using a drive mechanism that drives the cup stage, so no other drive mechanism is required and the structure is simple. It will be cheaper.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the cup is supplied to the cup supporting device and when the raw material is supplied into the supplied cup,
A beverage in which a gap between a pair of cup flappers disposed on both sides of a cup is kept slightly larger than an outer diameter of an intermediate portion of the cup, and the cup is conveyed to a bend position together with a cup supporting device to prepare a beverage. At the time of dispensing, the pair of cup flappers are operated in a direction to close each other, and these cup flappers elastically clamp both sides of the outer periphery of the cup via the biasing force of a spring. The flappers are operated in the direction of opening each other so that the interval width is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the cup. The proper posture can be maintained, and the cup can be easily and smoothly taken out after blending the beverage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration inside the body of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of a vending machine portion of the vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a vending machine portion of the vending machine.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a transport mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view of the cup support device.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of the cup support device.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a support portion of one cup flapper in the cup support device.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a supporting portion of the other cup flapper in the cup supporting device.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a configuration of a supporting portion of the movable body in the cup supporting device.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a part of the front surface of a case in the cup support device.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration of a support portion of a locking plate of the lock mechanism.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a crank for operating a locking plate of a lock mechanism.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the tension applying device.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the tension applying device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Machine body 8 ... Sales outlet 22 ... Cup support device 23 ... Transport mechanism 25 ... Stirring device 43a, 43b ... Cup flapper 55 ... Geared motor 57 ... Cam 63 ... Spring 73 ... Geared motor 74 ... Crank 78 ... Cam part 80 ... Stop plate 81: Lock plate 82: Lock mechanism 98: Cup stage

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Isao Yamamoto, 180 Furuichi-cho, Maebashi-shi, Gunma Toshiba Equipment Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akihisa 180, Furuichi-cho, Maebashi-shi, Gunma Toshiba Equipment Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cup supporting device arranged at a bend position at the back of a sales port is conveyed to each position in a body of a vending machine via a conveying mechanism, and a cup is supplied to the cup supporting device during the conveying. The supply of the raw material to the cup is performed, and thereafter, the cup is transported to the bend position together with the cup support device, and hot water is supplied into the cup at the bend position,
In a cup-type vending machine in which the contents in the cup are stirred by a stirrer to prepare a beverage, and the beverage in the cup is provided to a user of the vending machine through the vending outlet, the cup supporting device Is a cup stage that supports the bottom of the cup and moves up and down according to the size of the cup, a drive mechanism that drives this cup stage to move up and down, and the outer periphery of the cup placed on the cup stage. A pair of cup flappers that open and close to support each other, and a drive mechanism that drives the cup flapper to open and close the cup flapper. When the cup support device is disposed at the bend position, the cup support device is bent. A lock mechanism is provided for locking at a position, and the lock mechanism is a cup stage in the cup support device. A cup-type beverage vending machine, which operates in conjunction with a drive mechanism for driving the cup. 2. The cup stage moves up and down between a high level position and a low level position. When the cup stage is located at the low level position, a lock mechanism locks the cup support device, and 3. The cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the lock is released when is raised to a high level position. 3. A cup supporting device disposed at a bend position at the back of a sales port is conveyed to each position in the body of a vending machine via a conveying mechanism, and a cup is supplied to the cup supporting device during the conveying. The supply of the raw material to the cup is performed, and thereafter, the cup is transported to the bend position together with the cup support device, and hot water is supplied into the cup at the bend position,
The contents in the cup are stirred by a stirring device to prepare a beverage, and the beverage in the cup is provided to a user of the vending machine through the vending machine. A cup stage supporting the bottom of the cup, a pair of cup flappers that open and close each other to support both sides of the outer periphery of the cup disposed on the cup stage, and urged these cup flappers in a direction to close each other. A spring and a drive mechanism for opening and closing these cup flappers are provided. When the cup is supplied to the cup supporting device and when the raw material is supplied to the supplied cup, a pair of the pair of plates are disposed on both sides of the cup. The gap width of the cup flapper is kept slightly larger than the outer diameter of the middle part of the cup, When the beverage is dispensed when the beverage is dispensed by being conveyed to the bend position together with the cup supporting device, the pair of cup flappers operate in a direction to close each other, and these cup flappers act on both sides of the outer periphery of the cup through the urging force of the spring. Are elastically sandwiched, and after the completion of preparation of the beverage, the pair of cup flappers operate in the opening direction to each other, and the interval width is maintained at an interval width sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the cup. Cup-type beverage vending machine. 4. The cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the interval between the pair of cup flappers is regulated by rotation of a cam.