JPH11185140A - Automatic vending machine for heavy and bulky product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the pay-out function of a product and the storage function of the product just by moving the product for a shelf interval. SOLUTION: This automatic vending machine is composed of a moving fork 4 for vertically moving the product 11 housed on a shelf provided on a front surface side and a back surface side for the shelf interval, a fixed fork 3 on the back surface side for supporting the product from a lower part to be opened and closed by the product moved upwards, the fixed fork 3 on the front surface side for supporting the product from the lower part to be opened and closed by the vertical movement of a connection bar and a pusher 8 for moving the product of the shelf 2 of a top stage from the back surface side to the front surface side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention belongs to the technical field of vending machines for heavy and bulk goods sold at mass retailers,
In detail, by simply moving the product between the shelves, it has a function of paying out the product and storing the product, and the height can be easily adjusted by simply adding or removing a shelf, which is one structural unit, in the vertical direction It belongs to the technical field of vending machines for heavy and bulk goods that can be made.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, heavy and bulk goods are sold by so-called shelf sellers, or goods piled up on the floor, brought to the customer by accounting, and paid or paid. After that, any method of receiving the goods from the clerk is common. When placing products on shelves or stacking them on the floor, there are limits on the height of the products in each case, and in the case of heavy items, the height is such that customers can drop products on the shelf or products on the top . In the case of bulk, the pile height is naturally restricted because the product is bulky.

[0003] Heavy objects include bottled beer, liquor, canned beer in a cardboard box, canned juice, bagged rice, etc. in a case. The weight is heavy and is about 30 kg. Therefore,
The stacking height is around 1.5m due to restrictions that customers can drop. Bulk materials include wrapped toilet paper, disposable diapers, and the like. Although light, the disposable diapers have a stacking height of about 2 m because the outer shape is easily deformed. Many vending machines corresponding to these heavy and bulk materials have been proposed. As an example, there is a gondola system in which a product storage container is vertically rotated by a chain or a belt.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned gondola type has a complicated structure, and the merchandise container is rotated vertically by a chain, belt, or the like. It was difficult to adjust the height according to the space due to changes in the size and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has a function of paying out goods and a function of storing goods by simply moving the goods between shelves. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine for heavy goods and bulk goods in which the height can be easily adjusted simply by adding or removing the vending machine in the vertical direction.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The gist of the invention is that a moving fork moves up and down goods stored in shelves provided on the front and rear sides by a distance between shelves, and supports the goods from below and moves it upward. A fixed fork on the back side that opens and closes depending on the product, a fixed fork on the front side that supports the product from below and opens and closes by moving the connecting bar up and down, and a pusher that moves the product on the top shelf from the back side to the front side Vending machine for heavy and bulk goods.

Further, a shelf on the front side comprising a connecting bar, a fixed fork which supports the product from below and opens and closes by moving the connecting bar up and down, and a moving fork which moves the product up and down by the distance between the shelves; The heavy and bulk goods described above, wherein the fixed fork which is supported and opened and closed by the goods moving upward and the rear shelf provided with a movable fork for moving the goods up and down by a shelf interval are one structural unit shelf. Vending machine.

The above-mentioned vending machine for heavy and bulk goods, wherein a tray on which goods are placed is supported from below by a fixed fork, and the tray is moved up and down by a moving fork.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The vending machine for heavy and bulk goods according to the present invention is provided with shelves for storing goods on the front side and the back side in the vertical direction, stores the goods from the back side, and moves upward. Then, move the product from the back side to the front side on the top shelf,
Thereafter, the commodity on the front side is moved downward and paid out from the front side.

[0010] At the rear side, moving forks for moving goods from the lower shelf to the upper shelf are provided at least at two locations facing each shelf. The moving fork is mounted on an elevating rod that moves vertically by an electric jack or the like. When the elevating rod moves upward to move a product from a lower shelf to an upper shelf, the movable fork is in a closed state ( When the top of the fork supports the product from below while it is horizontal and the lifting bar moves downward, the moving fork is pushed up when it hits the product on the shelf (the top of the fork is inclined, the same applies hereinafter). When a product passes, it is pressed by a spring to return to its original position and close. The moving amount of the moving fork in the vertical direction is within a range that exceeds the shelf interval and the height when the fixed fork is opened.

On the shelf on the back side, fixed forks for supporting stored products from below are provided at least at four locations facing each shelf. The fixed fork is mounted on a bracket fixed to a shelf, and is always closed by being pressed by a spring. Therefore, the fixed fork
When the product is moved upward by the movable fork, the product is pushed up by the product and opened, and when the product passes, the mechanism is pressed by a spring to return to the original position and close.

[0012] At the front side, moving forks for moving goods from the upper shelf to the lower shelf are provided at at least two places opposing each other for each shelf. The movable fork is mounted on an elevating rod that moves vertically by an electric jack or the like, and is normally closed by a connecting bar connected to the movable fork. When the lifting bar moves downward to move the product from the upper shelf to the lower shelf, the moving fork supports the product from below in the closed state, and when the lifting bar moves upward, the connecting bar The moving fork is pushed up and opened by an operation to prevent the moving fork from hitting a product on the shelf during the movement. The vertical movement of the moving fork is within a range exceeding the shelf interval and the height when the fixed fork is opened.

On the front shelf, fixed forks for supporting stored commodities from below are provided at least at four locations facing each shelf. The fixed fork is pivotally mounted on a bracket fixed to a shelf, and is normally closed by a connecting bar connected to the fixed fork. When a product is moved from an upper shelf to a lower shelf by a movable fork, a mechanism for operating the connecting bar to push up and open the fixed fork to pass the product. When the product passes, the fixed fork is closed by operating the connecting bar.

At the top of the shelf, there is provided a pusher for moving goods from the back side to the front side. The product which has been moved to the uppermost shelf on the back side by this pusher is moved from the back side to the front side. The goods are paid out by sequentially moving down the shelves on the front side.

Further, a shelf on the front side comprising a connecting bar, a fixed fork which supports the product from below and opens and closes by moving the connecting bar up and down, and a movable fork which moves the product up and down by the distance between the shelves; A shelf on the rear side having a fixed fork that is supported and opened and closed by an article that moves upward and a movable fork that moves the article up and down by a shelf interval is a shelf of this structural unit, thereby providing a shelf of this structural unit. The height of the vending machine can be easily adjusted simply by adding or removing the vending machine in the vertical direction.

Since the vending machine of the present invention supports the product from below with a fixed fork and moves up and down with the moving fork, the load is concentrated on the portion of the product where the fixed fork and the moving fork are in contact. , The cardboard box may be damaged. In order to prevent this, goods in packages that are easily damaged are placed on a tray and stored together with the tray in a vending machine. As a result, the package is not damaged between the storage of the product and the delivery.

[0017]

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is an overall view of a vending machine for heavy and bulk goods according to the present invention. The vending machine shown in FIG. 1 has seven shelves 1 each having a front shelf and a rear shelf as one structural unit, and a top shelf 2 provided with a pusher 8 thereon. Things. Each shelf is provided with a fixed fork 3 and a movable fork 4 which is pivotally mounted on a lifting rod 5. An electric jack 14 for moving the lifting bar up and down is provided below the lifting bar. In the embodiment, the rack and pinion mechanism is used for the electric jack. However, other than this, a crank mechanism for changing the rotary motion into a reciprocating motion, a mechanism for reciprocating by fluid pressure, or the like may be used. On the front side, connecting bars 7a and 7b for opening and closing the fixed fork and the movable fork are provided. This connecting bar is provided separately for the fixed fork and the moving fork on the front side, and each connecting bar is connected to the fixed fork and the moving fork in the vertical direction, and the vertical fixed fork or the moving fork is simultaneously moved by moving the connecting bar up and down. Can be opened and closed. The connection bar is moved up and down using a cylinder (not shown) which is operated by fluid pressure.

As shown in FIG. 1, a product storage 9 for storing products on the shelf is provided in front of the lowermost shelf on the rear side, and a roller table is provided above the product storage to store the products. It is inclined to the shelf side to make it easier. When storing the products, the products are placed on the roller table of the product storage table and pushed onto the belt conveyor 10 in the shelf using the inclination. Thereafter, the product 11 is pulled into the center of the shelf by the belt conveyor 10. Stored product 11 is a belt conveyor
Because it is supported at 10, there is no fixed fork on the bottom shelf to support the goods.

Further, on the front side of the shelf on the lower front side, there is provided a commodity receiving tray 12 for dispensing commodities, and the upper part of the commodity receiving tray is a belt conveyor 13 which is dispensed from the lowermost shelf. Product 11 is drawn out. When paying out the goods, the goods 11 on the upper shelf are moved to and placed on the belt conveyor 15 on the lowermost shelf with a moving fork. Thereafter, the belt conveyor 15 and the belt conveyor 13 are simultaneously operated, and the product 11 is pulled out to the end of the product receiving tray 12. Since the product 11 moved to the lowermost shelf is supported by the belt conveyor 15, there is no fixed fork for supporting the product on the lowermost shelf.

Next, the movements of the fixed fork, the moving fork and the connecting bar will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 exemplifies a single shelf on the rear side. A fixed fork 3 which is pivotally mounted on a bracket 6 fixed to the shelf is opposed to the shelf 1.
In the corner, a moving fork 4 pivotally mounted on an elevating bar 5 is provided at two places at the center of the shelf 1 so as to face each other. Note that FIG.
Indicates a standby state in which the fixed fork 3a supports the product 11.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams when the product 11 is moved from the lower shelf to the upper shelf. Items11
Is moved from the lower shelf to the upper shelf, the moving fork 4a is moved by moving the lifting rod 5 upward (in the direction of the arrow in the figure).
Then, the product is supported from below and moved upward. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the fixed fork 3b of the upper shelf is pushed up by the product 11 and is in an open state. When the moving fork moves upward and the product exceeds the height of the open fixed fork 3b of the upper shelf, as shown in FIG. 4, the open fixed fork 3b is released by the aforementioned spring (not shown). To return to the closed state. Thereafter, the movable fork is moved downward, and the product on the movable fork 4a is placed on the fixed fork 3b in a closed state. In this way, the products on the lower shelf (3a) can be moved to the upper shelf (3b).

When the movement of the commodity from the lower shelf to the upper shelf is completed, the movable fork is moved to the original lower position and returned to the standby state. At this time, the moving fork 4b is
As shown in FIG. 6, when the movable fork returns to its original position by being lifted up by the product on the upper shelf (upper 3b) and opened, and as shown in FIG. , And returns to the closed state to be in a standby state. The vertical movement of the lifting rod 5
This is performed by the electric jack 14 shown in FIG. In the embodiment, a rack and pinion mechanism was used.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are explanatory diagrams in the case of moving a product from an upper shelf to a lower shelf. When moving the product from the upper shelf to the lower shelf, the product 11 is supported by the moving fork 4b from below by moving the lifting bar 5 upward (in the direction of the arrow in the figure), and the fixed fork 3b is opened. Move up to a height that exceeds the height of. At this time, it is necessary to keep the fixed fork 3c open as shown in FIG. For this reason, a connecting bar 7a connected to the fixed fork is provided on the front side, and the fixed fork on the front side is simultaneously opened and closed by moving the connecting bar 7a up and down. Since the fixed forks 3a, 3b and 3c are in the open state by the operation of the connecting bar 7a, the moving fork 4b is then moved downward as shown in FIG. At this point, the fixed forks 3a, 3b, 3c are closed by operating the connecting bar 7a, the moving fork 4b is further moved downward, and the product on the moving fork 4b is placed on the fixed fork 3a. In this way, the goods on the upper shelf (on 3b) are transferred to the lower shelf (on 3a).
Can be moved to.

When the movement of the commodity from the upper shelf to the lower shelf is completed, the movable fork is moved to the upper original position and returned to the standby state. At this time, if the movable fork 4b moves upward with the movable fork closed, the movable fork 4b hits a product on the fixed fork 3a and cannot move upward.
For this reason, a connecting bar 7b connected to the moving fork is provided on the front side, and the moving forks on the front side are simultaneously opened and closed by vertically moving the connecting bar 7b. Therefore,
As shown in FIG. 8, the movable fork 4b is
a, temporarily move to a position below the product on the a, open the moving forks 4a, 4b, 4c by operating the connecting bar 7b,
The movable fork 4b is moved upward to return to the original position, and the open movable forks 4a, 4b, 4c are
Return to the closing standby state by the operation of b. As described above, simply move the moving fork vertically within the range that exceeds the shelf interval and the height when the fixed fork is opened, and the product is moved from the lower shelf to the upper shelf and vice versa. Can be moved from below to the shelf.

FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the connecting bar 7 on the front side and the fixed fork 3. As shown in FIG. 9, a connecting bar is pivotally mounted on one end of the fixed fork, and a mechanism for opening and closing the fixed fork by vertically moving the connecting bar is provided. That is, when the connecting bar is moved downward, the fixed fork opens. This mechanism is the same in the relationship between the connecting bar 7 and the moving fork 4. A stopper 16 is provided on the bracket 6 so that the upper surface of the fixed fork can be kept horizontal when the fixed fork 3 is closed. This mechanism is the same for the fixed fork on the rear side. Similarly,
As shown in FIG. 10, a stopper 16 is provided on the lifting rod 5 so that the upper surface of the moving fork 4 can be kept horizontal when the moving fork 4 is closed. The movable fork 4 is always kept closed by the spring 18. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the shelf on the front side and the fixed forks, and the relationship between the shelf and the movable forks. As described above, the fixed fork 3 is pivotally mounted on the bracket 6 fixed to the shelf 1. The moving fork 4 is a lifting rod 5
The lifting rod 5 is moved up and down along a lifting guide 17 provided on the shelf 1.

When assembling a shelf with the front side shelf and the rear side shelf as one structural unit, the connection between the shelves is fastened with bolts using a gusset plate, and the connection between the connection bars is connected with a nipple. And the connection between the lifting rod and the lifting rod are assembled by bolting using a gusset plate or the like. The uppermost shelf is provided with a pusher 8 for moving a product from the back side to the front side. Pusher 8 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the product is pushed from behind by the rotation of the motor 19. Other pushers can be used depending on the weight and shape of the product.

If a connecting bar is provided also on the rear side and the mechanism of the fixed fork and the moving fork is the same as that of the front side, the product can be stored from the front side. Also, if the front and rear belt conveyors 10 and 15 shown in FIG. 1 are moved in the same direction, the goods can be moved from the front side to the back side and from the back side to the front side. It can be freely circulated in the vending machine. Therefore, the vending machine of the present invention can easily pay out designated products even if products of different brands are stored for each shelf, and can handle a wide variety of products.

The function of the vending machine is to handle a wide variety of products, so it is possible to pay out the customer's designated products, and to pay bills and coins, prepaid cards, and cards to be paid at the same time as the customer's payment in accounting. It is important to have a function of a conventional vending machine which operates when a medal or the like is inserted and can pay out commodities. It is desirable to provide a display window on the front of the vending machine for displaying a product brand, a failure, a sold out product, and the like.

[0029]

Second Embodiment FIG. 13 shows a standby state in which a fixed fork 3a supports a tray 20 on which goods are placed from below.
As shown in FIG. 13, the use of the tray 20 makes it possible to apply this vending machine to cardboard boxed goods, bagged goods, and small goods that cannot be supported by fixed and movable forks. The size of the tray 20 may be any size that can be supported by the fixed fork and the movable fork, and it is important that the back surface where the fixed fork and the movable fork come into contact is flat. Even if the tray 20 is used, there is no need to change the mechanism of the fixed fork, the moving fork, the connecting bar, and the elevating bar, and the pusher is of a type in which a product that is not placed on the tray and a tray on which the product is placed are pushed. Use something.

[0030]

As is apparent from the above description,
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The vending machine for heavy and bulk goods of the present invention has a function of paying out goods and a function of storing goods by simply moving goods between shelves, and adds a shelf of one structural unit in the vertical direction. Alternatively, it is possible to provide a vending machine for heavy and bulk goods in which the height can be easily adjusted simply by removing the vending machine. By using a tray, the vending machine can be applied to cardboard boxed products, bagged products, and small items.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a vending machine for heavy and bulk goods according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a single shelf on the back side and showing a standby state in which a fixed fork supports a product;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the movement of a fixed fork when a product on the back side is moved from a lower shelf to an upper shelf.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the movement of a fixed fork when moving a product on the back side from a lower shelf to an upper shelf.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the movement of the moving fork when moving the product on the back side from the lower shelf to the upper shelf and returning the moving fork to its original position.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the movement of the moving fork when the product on the rear side is moved from the lower shelf to the upper shelf and the moving fork is returned to its original position.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the movement of a fixed fork when moving a product on the front side from an upper shelf to a lower shelf.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the moving fork when the front side product is moved from the upper shelf to the lower shelf and the moving fork is returned to its original position.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between a connection bar on the front side and a fixed fork.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a lifting bar on the rear side and a moving fork.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a shelf on the front side and a fixed fork, and a relationship between a shelf and a movable fork.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a pusher that moves a product from the back side to the front side in a plan view of the uppermost shelf.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a standby state in which a fixed fork on the back side supports a tray on which products are placed from below.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... shelf, 2 ... top shelf, 3 ... fixed fork, 4 ... moving fork, 5 ... lift bar, 6 ... bracket, 7 ... connecting bar, 7a ... connecting bar connected to the fixed fork, 7b
... Connecting bar connected to the moving fork, 8 ... Pusher, 9 ... Product storage, 10 ... Belt conveyor, 11 ... Product, 12 ... Product receiving stand, 13 ... Belt conveyor, 14 ... Electric jack, 15 ... Belt conveyor , 16 ... stopper, 17
... lift guide, 18 ... spring, 19 ... motor, 20 ... tray.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoichi Nishimoto 3-79-9 Shinnobe Kitamachi, Beppu-cho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture (72) Inventor Shigehiro Shimizu 380-7, Yonedachojima, Takasago-shi, Hyogo Prefecture

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A moving fork for moving goods stored in shelves provided on the front side and the rear side up and down by a distance between shelves, and a rear side fixed for supporting the goods from below and opening and closing by the goods moving upward. A weight comprising: a fork, a fixed fork on the front side that supports the product from below and is opened and closed by moving the connecting bar up and down, and a pusher that moves the product on the uppermost shelf from the back side to the front side. Vending machine for goods and bulk goods. 2. A shelf on the front side comprising a connecting bar, a fixed fork for supporting the product from below and opening and closing by moving the connecting bar up and down, and a movable fork for moving the product up and down by the shelf interval. The heavy object according to claim 1, wherein the fixed shelf for supporting and opening and closing by an article moving upward and a shelf on the rear side provided with a movable fork for vertically moving the article by a shelf interval are a shelf of one structural unit. Vending machine for bulk goods. 3. The vending machine for heavy and bulk goods according to claim 1, wherein the tray on which the goods are placed is supported from below by a fixed fork, and the tray is moved up and down by a moving fork.