JPH11134541A - Delivery chute structure of vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress trouble such as foaming, etc., of a stored drink by reducing a shock at the time of an article fall by providing an auxiliary plate which receives the fallen article on a delivery chute and supporting the auxiliary plate in a floating state through a spring. SOLUTION: The delivery chute 8 which receives the fallen article 6 and conveys it toward an article taking-out opening 7 is provided below article columns 2 and 3. On the delivery chute 8, the auxiliary plate 10 is provided which receives the fallen article directly when the article 6 is fallen. This auxiliary plate 10 is supported in a floating state across an interposed compression spring 11 between the auxiliary plate 10 and the delivery chute 8. Therefore, the article 6 fallen from an article passage 5 is fallen on the auxiliary plate 10, but the auxiliary plate 10 is supported in the floating state by the compression coil spring 11, so the compression coil spring 11 contracts first with the impact at the time of the falling and then gradually attenuates expanding and contracting operation while expanding and contracting.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a delivery chute portion of a vending machine, and more particularly to a delivery chute structure of a vending machine adapted to reduce an impact when a product is dropped from a product passage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Products stored in a vending machine are usually carried out from a product passage containing the products to a delivery chute in accordance with a customer's selection, and the product is taken out from the delivery chute. Transported to When the product is carried out from the product path onto the delivery chute, the product is often dropped onto the delivery chute, but the product is more or less impacted during this drop. In particular, in the case of a relatively large product such as a PET bottle, the impact force is large, and it is desired to suppress the impact force as small as possible. In addition, in the case of beverages, particularly carbonated beverages, foaming occurs in the stored beverage due to the impact at the time of falling. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the impact as much as possible to suppress foaming.

However, conventionally, there has not been found a delivery chute structure capable of appropriately suppressing an impact when a product falls in response to the above demand.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, in view of the above situation, it is an object of the present invention to greatly reduce the impact of a product falling as compared with the conventional structure, and to significantly reduce the occurrence of inconveniences such as foaming of a stored beverage. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine delivery chute structure that can be suppressed.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to the present invention receives a commodity dropped from a commodity passage and conveys the commodity in a commodity take-out direction. A delivery chute of a vending machine is characterized in that an auxiliary plate for receiving a falling commodity is provided on the delivery chute, and the auxiliary plate is supported by floating via a spring.

The auxiliary plate is rotatably supported at one end, for example, and a spring floats and supports the auxiliary plate in the direction of rotation.

As the spring, for example, a compression coil spring having a conical outer shape can be used. The bottom surface of the cone is connected to the lower surface of the auxiliary plate, and the top of the cone is connected to the delivery chute located below. What is necessary is just to fix it. It is preferable that at least two such springs are provided in the width direction of the auxiliary plate to float and support the auxiliary plate.

In the case where at least two springs are used for one auxiliary plate, for example, the auxiliary plate is rotatably supported at a substantially central portion thereof, and the spring is supported on both sides of the rotation center. , That is, a structure in which the auxiliary plate moves in a seesaw motion.

In such a delivery chute structure of a vending machine, the auxiliary plate provided on the delivery chute main body is floatingly supported via a spring.
When a product falls onto the auxiliary plate, the spring contracts and expands and contracts due to the impact force, and the impact force is absorbed and the impact is greatly reduced. Also, the spring contracts due to the weight of the dropped product, and the auxiliary plate falls down in a state approaching the upper surface of the delivery chute. The product is formed and is conveyed in a predetermined direction along the conveyance path.

In the structure in which springs are provided on both sides of the center of rotation of the auxiliary plate, when a product falls on the auxiliary plate, the springs provided on both sides of the center of rotation alternately repeat the expansion and contraction motion, and Since the plate moves in a seesaw motion, the product can be efficiently conveyed in the product take-out direction by using the seesaw motion while reducing the impact force when the product falls on the auxiliary plate. .

Therefore, in the delivery chute structure of the vending machine according to the present invention, while the original delivery function of the delivery chute is maintained, the impact at the time of falling of the product is greatly reduced, and the deformation of the product, foaming of the contained beverage, etc. Is prevented from occurring.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4
1 shows a delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a vending machine 1 is provided with a product column for storing a plurality of products inside the machine, and in this embodiment, a front column 2 and a rear column 3 are provided. At the lower end of each of the columns 2 and 3, an unloading mechanism 4 for unloading the stacked and stored products is arranged. Four rows of product passages 5 are formed in the front column 2, and two rows of product paths 5 are formed in the rear column 3. Is carried out and dropped downward.

Below the product columns 2 and 3, the dropped product 6 is received, and the product 6 is placed in a product outlet 7.
A delivery chute is provided for conveying in the direction. In this embodiment, the delivery chute has a split structure of the rear delivery chute 8 and the front delivery chute 9. The delivery chute structure according to the present invention is applied to the rear delivery chute 8. However, the structure of the present invention may be similarly applied to the front delivery chute 9.

On the delivery chute 8, there is provided an auxiliary plate 10 for directly receiving the dropped product 6 when the product 6 is dropped. The auxiliary plate 10 is floatingly supported via a compression coil spring 11 interposed between the auxiliary plate 10 and the delivery chute 8. In this embodiment, two compression coil springs 11 are provided in the width direction of the auxiliary plate 10, and the two compression coil springs 11 support the auxiliary plate 10 in a floating manner.

As shown in FIG. 2, the compression coil spring 11 is formed of a spring having a conical outer shape. The bottom side of the cone is connected to the lower side of the auxiliary plate 10, and the top side of the cone is a screw 12 Is fixed to the delivery chute 8 located below via However, this compression coil spring 1
1 may be a normal cylindrical coil spring or a coil spring having another shape. In addition, floating support by a spring other than the coil spring is also possible, but floating support by a compression coil spring is most preferable in terms of shock absorbing performance.

The auxiliary plate 10 is, for example, shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, one end can be rotatably supported. In the present embodiment, the auxiliary plate 10
Is rotatably curled around the shaft 13, the end of the delivery chute 8 is curled around the shaft 13, and the shaft 13 is fixed to the delivery chute 8 side. The compression coil spring 11 floats and supports the auxiliary plate 10 in the rotation direction.

However, a structure may be employed in which the auxiliary plate 10 is floatingly supported by the plurality of compression coil springs 11 on the delivery chute 8 without employing the above-described rotatable structure.

In the delivery chute structure of the vending machine as described above, the commodity 6 dropped from the commodity passage 5 falls on the auxiliary plate 10, but the auxiliary plate 10 is floatingly supported by the compression coil spring 11. Therefore, the compression coil spring 11 first contracts due to the impact force at the time of dropping, and then gradually attenuates the expansion and contraction operation while performing the expansion and contraction movement. By the interlocking of the compression coil spring 11, the impact is absorbed and the impact is greatly reduced.

At the same time, the motion of the compression coil spring 11 stops in a state where the product 6 is present on the auxiliary plate 10, but at this time, the compression coil spring 11 is contracted by the weight of the product 6. is there. That is, the auxiliary plate 10 is in a state of being close to the upper surface of the delivery chute 8, and a product transport path equivalent to the case of the simple delivery chute 8 is formed. Therefore, the product 6 is smoothly conveyed toward the product outlet 7 in a predetermined direction.

The impact force absorbing function of the floating and supporting auxiliary plate 10 greatly reduces the impact when the product 6 is dropped on the delivery chute, and also maintains the predetermined product transport function by the delivery chute in a good condition. Is done.

FIG. 5 shows a delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the delivery chute has a split structure of a rear delivery chute 18 and a front delivery chute 19, and the delivery chute structure according to the present invention is applied to the rear delivery chute 18. The auxiliary plate 14 is provided on the delivery chute 18.
The auxiliary plate 14 is rotatably supported at a substantially central portion by a shaft 15 and has a rotation center (shaft 1).
5) Delivery chute 18 and auxiliary plate 1 on both sides
Between them, springs 16 and 17 are provided.

In the delivery chute structure of the vending machine according to the present embodiment, when a product falls on the auxiliary plate 14, the springs 16, 17 provided on both sides of the center of rotation are provided.
Alternately expand and contract, and the auxiliary plate 14 performs a seesaw motion.
Therefore, while effectively absorbing the impact when the product falls,
Due to the seesaw movement, the product can be smoothly transported to the product outlet direction, that is, to the front delivery chute 19 side.

The type of the product to be applied to the present invention is not particularly limited. However, the present invention relates to a relatively large product such as a plastic bottle, which may be deformed when dropped. Furthermore, it is particularly suitable for products in which foaming of the contained beverage is a problem.

[0024]

As described above, according to the delivery chute structure of the vending machine of the present invention, the auxiliary plate provided on the delivery chute is floatingly supported by the spring, so that the product falls on the auxiliary plate. In this case, the impact can be greatly reduced, and the occurrence of inconvenience such as foaming of the stored beverage can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a vending machine to which a delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial longitudinal sectional view of a portion II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial front view of a portion III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view according to the arrow IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2, 3 Commodity column 4 Unloading mechanism 5 Commodity passage 6 Commodity 7 Commodity take-out 8, 9, 18, 19 Delivery chute 10, 14, Auxiliary plate 11 Compression coil spring 12 Screw 13, 15 Shaft 16, 17 Spring

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A delivery chute of a vending machine for receiving a commodity dropped from a commodity passage and conveying the commodity in a commodity take-out direction, wherein an auxiliary plate for receiving the dropped commodity is provided on the delivery chute. A delivery chute structure for a vending machine, wherein an auxiliary plate is supported by floating via a spring. 2. The delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary plate is rotatably supported at one end thereof, and said spring floats and supports said auxiliary plate in its rotational direction. . 3. The delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said spring comprises a compression coil spring. 4. The compression coil spring is configured as a conical spring having an outer shape, a bottom surface of the cone is connected to a lower surface of the auxiliary plate, and a top of the cone is fixed to an upper surface of the delivery chute. 4. The delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the delivery chute is provided. 5. The delivery chute structure of a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein at least two springs are provided for one auxiliary plate. 6. The delivery chute of a vending machine according to claim 5, wherein said auxiliary plate is rotatably supported at a substantially central portion thereof, and said springs are respectively provided on both sides of said rotation center. Construction.