JPH11250343A - Commodity storage pay-out device for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a commodity storage pay-out device that can reduce production expenses by reducing the number of constituting components of a driving part. SOLUTION: A commodity storage pay-out device of an automatic vending machine is equipped with plural commodity racks 4 in which a commodity path for storing plural commodities S in rows in a back and forth direction and a pay-out port 4g are formed respectively, plural commodity pay-out mechanisms 10 which are freely movably composed between a pay-out position provided in correspondence to these plural commodity racks 4 and a holding position for holding commodity S in the commodity path, plural connecting mechanisms which are constituted so as to freely connect and release connection of a power source and between this power source and plural commodity pay-out mechanisms 10 and has the commodity pay-out mechanisms 10 connected to the power source move from the holding position to the pay-out position, and a driving means that has the power source and the commodity pay-out mechanisms 10 connected by driving the connecting mechanism corresponding to a sales commodity Sx selected out of the plural connecting mechanism at the time of selling the commodity S.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a so-called see-through type vending machine in which a product to be actually sold can be visually recognized. The present invention relates to a product storage and dispensing device for a vending machine of a type for dispensing backward.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant has already proposed this kind of article storing and dispensing apparatus in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-69210. This merchandise storage and dispensing device is arranged vertically in the vending machine main body, and has a number of shelves fixed to the vending machine main body, a plurality of merchandise racks placed on each of the shelves, An elevator that can be moved up and down in the front and that can receive products from each product rack. Each merchandise rack stores a large number of merchandise in a merchandise aisle in a horizontal direction, and includes a merchandise payout mechanism for discharging the merchandise from the merchandise aisle. The product dispensing mechanism is disposed near the dispensing exit of the product passage, and an opening / closing plate that opens and closes the dispensing opening by rotating, and always pushes the product to the dispensing exit side by the urging force.
And a pusher for pressing.

Each merchandise rack has a drive mechanism for driving an open / close plate of a merchandise payout mechanism, and this drive mechanism is attached to a vending machine main body behind the merchandise rack. The drive mechanism includes a motor, a gear mechanism for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the open / close plate, and a plurality of limit switches for detecting a rotation angle of the open / close plate accompanying rotation of the motor. The drive mechanism drives the motor in response to signals from the plurality of limit switches during operation, thereby opening and closing the open / close plate.

In the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus constructed as described above, when the merchandise is on standby for sale, the opening / closing plate is located at the home position for closing the dispensing opening and holds the merchandise line arranged in the front-rear direction with the pusher. doing. At the time of sale, first, the elevator moves to a predetermined position near the payout exit of the product rack from which the product should be paid out and stops. Thereafter, the drive mechanism operates to rotate the opening / closing plate from the home position to a predetermined angle to open the payout opening. As a result, the product line in the product path is pushed forward by the pusher, and only the product at the foremost position is paid out from the payout port. The delivered product is received by the elevator and transported to a sales outlet below. After the product is dispensed, the motor of the drive mechanism rotates in the reverse direction, so that the open / close plate is rotated in the reverse direction and returns to the home position. This gives 1
Times sales operation ends.

[0005]

According to the above-mentioned conventional product storage and dispensing apparatus, since a drive mechanism is required for each product rack, parts for the drive mechanism such as a motor, a limit switch, and a cable connecting these components are used. However, it is necessary only for the number of product racks installed. Since these parts are expensive in themselves, the cost of parts increases, and the wiring work for connecting the motor and the limit switch with a cable must be performed for each product rack, which increases the assembly cost. As a result, the manufacturing cost is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. In a product storage and dispensing apparatus for a vending machine of a type in which a large number of products are arranged and stored in the front-rear direction and the products are paid out at the time of sale, It is an object of the present invention to provide a product storage and dispensing device capable of reducing manufacturing costs by reducing the number of components of a driving unit.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine product storage and dispensing apparatus having a product path for storing a plurality of products arranged side by side in a front-rear direction. A plurality of product racks each having a payout port for paying out a product; a payout position for paying out the product from the payout port of the product rack; A plurality of merchandise dispensing mechanisms configured to be movable between a holding position held in the apparatus, a power source for moving the plurality of merchandise dispensing mechanisms between the dispensing position and the holding position, A plurality of connection mechanisms configured to be connectable and decoupled between the power source and the plurality of commodity dispensing mechanisms, respectively, for moving the commodity dispensing mechanism coupled to the power source from the holding position to the dispensing position; Sometimes, by driving the coupling mechanism corresponding to the selected commercial item of the plurality of connecting mechanisms, characterized by comprising driving means for connecting the power source and the article dispensing mechanism.

According to the merchandise storing and dispensing apparatus of the vending machine, the driving means drives the connecting mechanism corresponding to the selected selling merchandise, whereby the merchandise dispensing mechanism is connected to the power source. Pay out the products for sale. In this way, a plurality of commodity delivery mechanisms can be selectively driven using one power source, and a commodity can be selectively delivered from a plurality of commodity racks. As a result, unlike the related art, a single power source can be used to pay out products from a plurality of product racks without using a plurality of power sources, so that the cost of parts can be reduced. In addition, for example, since a plurality of merchandise payout mechanisms are driven independently of each other, when all the merchandise payout mechanisms are selected, merchandise can be paid out from all merchandise racks.

In the above, the power source is preferably a motor.

According to the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus of the vending machine, a relatively compact motor that is easily available and can be used as a power source. Further, since it is sufficient to wire only one motor, the number of cables to be wired can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, and the wiring work can be omitted. As a result, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

In the above, the motor is configured to rotate in one direction, and each of the plurality of connecting mechanisms includes a reciprocating member provided so as to be connectable to and disconnectable from the motor. The member is configured to reciprocate between the holding position and the dispensing position by reciprocating in conjunction with rotation of the motor when the member is connected to the motor. It is preferable to connect the reciprocating member of the connection mechanism corresponding to the sold product to the motor when selling the product.

According to the merchandise storing and dispensing apparatus of the vending machine, unlike the related art, the motor rotates only in one direction without rotating in the forward and reverse directions. Since only the OFF drive is required, the control is facilitated. Further, at the time of selling the product, the drive means connects the reciprocating member of the connecting mechanism corresponding to the sold product to the motor, so that the reciprocating member reciprocates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor in one direction. Thereby, the product payout mechanism corresponding to the sold product reciprocates between the holding position and the payout position, and pays out the product. As described above, unlike the related art, since the product can be paid out without the motor rotating in the forward and reverse directions, the limit switch that detects the rotation angle accompanying the two-direction rotation of the motor and the limit switch are electrically connected. A cable for connection is not required, and the cost of parts can be reduced. In addition to this, the wiring work of the cable is not required for the limit switch, so that the assembly cost can be reduced.

Further, in the above, each of the plurality of coupling mechanisms further includes a gear mechanism, the gear mechanism comprising: a first gear rotatably driven by a motor; and gear teeth meshable with the first gear; A second gear formed by cutting out a part of the gear teeth and having a notch with which the first gear cannot be engaged is provided, and the reciprocating member reciprocates by one rotation of the second gear. As described above, the driving means is connected to the second gear, and the driving means always positions the second gear at an angle where the notch faces the first gear, and at the time of selling the product, the gear mechanism corresponding to the sold product. Rotating the second gear to an angle at which the gear teeth mesh with the first gear.
Preferably, a gear driving means is provided.

According to the merchandise storage and dispensing device of the vending machine, when the merchandise is sold, the second gear driving means of the driving means drives the second gear of the coupling mechanism corresponding to the sold merchandise, and the gear teeth of the second gear driving means correspond to the first gear teeth. By rotating the gear to an angle at which it meshes with the gear, the second gear is rotationally driven by the motor via the first gear. By one rotation of the second gear, the reciprocating member becomes one.
The product is reciprocated and the corresponding product dispensing mechanism reciprocates once between the dispensing position and the holding position, and executes the operation of dispensing the sold product once. As described above, the relatively simple structure of the first gear and the second gear having the cutout portion allows
At the time of sale, a structure for paying out selected sale products can be realized.

Further, in the above, there is further provided an elevator which is provided near the payout outlets of a plurality of product racks in the vending machine main body and which can receive the goods by stopping at a stop position near the payout outlet. A plurality of push rods are provided corresponding to the plurality of product payout mechanisms, respectively, and are provided in the elevator and a plurality of push rods extending in the front-rear direction between the vicinity of the payout outlets of the plurality of product racks and the vicinity of the coupling mechanism.
Press means for pressing one end of the push rod corresponding to the product for sale in the front-rear direction toward the connection mechanism at the stop position of the elevator, the connection mechanism being driven by engagement of the other end of the push rod. In addition, it is preferable to connect the product payout mechanism corresponding to the sold product and the power source.

According to the merchandise storage and dispensing device of the vending machine, when the merchandise is sold, the pressing means of the elevator stopped at the stop position presses the push rod corresponding to the merchandise to the connecting mechanism, thereby connecting the merchandise. The mechanism connects the product delivery mechanism corresponding to the product for sale with the power source, the product delivery mechanism pays out the product for sale, and the elevator receives the product for sale. As described above, the driving means for selectively driving the plurality of coupling mechanisms can be achieved by a relatively simple structure of the pressing means and the plurality of push rods selectively pressed by the pressing means. Also, since it is only necessary to press the push rod by the pressing means, by appropriately setting the area of the pressing surface of the pressing means to a sufficient area capable of pressing the push rod even when the stop position of the elevator is shifted, Products can be sold reliably.

Further, in the above, a power source and a plurality of connecting mechanisms are provided, and a shelf plate for mounting a plurality of merchandise racks is further provided. It is preferable to provide a plurality of mounting portions that are arranged and can selectively mount a shelf board.

According to the vending machine product storage and dispensing apparatus, the position at which the shelf board is mounted on the vending machine body can be determined without adjusting the positional relationship between the power source, the plurality of coupling mechanisms, and the plurality of product racks. Can be changed. This facilitates the work of changing the height of the storage space above the shelf.

[0019]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
A merchandise storage and dispensing device for a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Details of each unit of the present invention will be described later, and here, a schematic configuration and its operation will be described first. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, in the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus 1, 32 merchandise racks 4 are arranged in a vending machine main body 3 of a vending machine 2. Each product rack 4 has two left and right product passages 4f, 4f.
f and 4f are provided with two product payout mechanisms 10 and 10 for paying out the product S respectively. Each product rack 4
Is a shelf plate 6 attached to a storage 5 in the vending machine main body 3.
It is placed horizontally on top, and a drive mechanism 20 is provided on the shelf 6.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, the drive mechanism 20 includes one motor 21 and a coupling mechanism 30 provided for each of the commodity delivery mechanisms 10 of the commodity rack 4.
The coupling mechanism 30 and the motor 21 are connected to the reduction gear mechanism 22
And a drive shaft 23. Connection mechanism 3
0 is a connection state (a state shown in FIGS. 12 to 14) for connecting the motor 21 and the commodity delivery mechanism 10 of the commodity rack 4;
The state can be switched to a release state (a state shown in FIG. 11) in which the connection is released, and the state is in a release state when the product S is on standby for sale. The product rack 4 includes a push rod 4 for switching the connection mechanism 30 from the released state to the connected state.
p. As shown in FIG. 8, in the vending machine main body 3, the commodity S paid out by the commodity payout mechanism 10 is received,
An elevator 8 for carrying is arranged. The elevator 8 includes a solenoid mechanism (not shown). When the solenoid mechanism is excited, the elevator mechanism 8 switches the connection mechanism 30 from the released state to the connected state by pressing the push rod 4p.

In the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus 1 having such a configuration, when the merchandise purchaser presses the merchandise selection button 3e and the merchandise S is selected during the selling operation of the merchandise S, first, FIG. As shown in ()), the elevator 8 moves to the vicinity of the payout opening 4g of the commodity passage 4f for storing the selected commodity S, and stops. Thereafter, when the solenoid mechanism is excited and pushes the push rod 4p, the connection mechanism 30 corresponding to the product passage 4f is switched from the released state to the connected state. By this switching, the connecting mechanism 30 connects the motor 21 and the product payout mechanism 10, and the product payout mechanism 10 executes a payout operation of the product S by the rotation force of the motor 21. Thereby, the commodity S is paid out.

Next, the goods storage and dispensing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine 2 is a product S to be actually sold (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
Is a so-called see-through type in which the vending machine can be visually recognized from the front, and has a showcase type vending machine main body 3 in which two vending machines are connected to the left and right. The vending machine main body 3 is provided with two main doors 3a, 3a whose front surfaces can be opened and closed in a double-door manner, and a control panel 3b provided flush with each main door 3a. The main door 3a has a sales port 3c provided at a lower portion thereof, and a transparent window through which a product purchaser can visually recognize the product S. The control panel 3b includes main doors 3a, 3a
And a cash input unit 3d, a ten-key type product selection button 3e,
Locks 3f, 3f for locking and unlocking the main doors 3a, 3a.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the two storages 5, 5 in the vending machine main body 3 has a total of 32 product racks 4 in the vertical direction, with four left and right as one tier and eight tiers in the vertical direction. Is housed. A license plate (not shown) is attached to a front portion of each product rack 4 at a position where the license plate can be referred to, and the number of the license plate indicates the rack number of each product rack 4. The product purchaser sees the product S in the product rack 4, selects the product S to be purchased, and inputs the number of the license plate of the selected product S with the product selection button 3e. To buy.

The above-mentioned one-stage (four left and right) product racks 4
It is placed on one shelf 6. The shelf 6 is attached to the left and right walls 5a, 5a and the back wall 5b of the storage 5 in a horizontal state. Each of the left and right walls 5a, 5a and the back wall 5b has a plurality of mounting holes (plural mounting portions) (not shown) formed in the vertical direction. Left and right insertion portions (not shown) are formed at the left and right end portions of each shelf plate 6, respectively. The left and right insertion portions are inserted into the plurality of mounting holes, respectively, so that the left and right walls of the storage case 5 are formed. 5a, 5
a. As shown in FIG. 9, the rear end of the shelf 6 has a back wall 6b which is bent almost vertically upward.
And a mounting portion 6a bent further rearward from the back wall 6b. The mounting portion 6a is
Of the rear wall 5b. As described above, the insertion portion and the mounting portion 6a of each shelf 6 are selectively inserted into the plurality of mounting holes of the storage 5 and mounted, so that the mounting position of the shelf 6 with respect to the storage 5 is vertically. Be changed.

As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG.
Are two side walls 4a, 4a facing each other and a bottom wall 4b
And a back wall 4c, and at the center of the bottom wall 4b,
A partition wall 4d extending in the front-rear direction is detachably attached. At the lower end of this partition wall 4d, a 2 projecting downward
Claw 4e, 4e is formed, and on the bottom wall 4b,
Two elongated holes h, h for locking the claws 4e, 4e are formed. A torsion coil spring 4h is incorporated at the rear end of the partition wall 4d, and a cutout 4k is formed at the upper end of the back wall 4c.

When the partition wall 4d is mounted on the product rack 4, the claws 4e, 4e are inserted into the slots h, h, respectively, and the rear end of the partition wall 4d is fitted into the notch 4k.
At this time, the torsion coil spring 4h abuts on the inner surface of the back wall 4c while being compressed, and the urging force of the torsion coil spring 4h causes the partition wall 4d.
Press forward. As a result, the claws 4e, 4e are locked in the slots h, h, respectively, and the partition wall 4d is
Fixed to When removing the partition wall 4d, the claws 4e, 4e are respectively removed from the elongated holes h, h by pushing the partition wall 4d backward while resisting the urging force of the torsion coil spring 4h. By removing the partition wall 4d from the product rack 4, for example, a wide product S such as the product S1 of the second product rack 4 from the right in FIG. 3 can be stored. The product rack 4 is provided with an adapter 4i that is detachable from the side wall 4a and the partition wall 4d. By attaching the adapter, the width of the product path 4f between the side wall 4a and the partition wall 4d is regulated, and A narrow product S such as S2 can also be stored.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, on the upper surface of the bottom wall 4b, two third rack gears R3 and R3 are formed symmetrically with the partition wall 4d interposed therebetween. R3 and R3 are adjacent to the partition wall 4d and extend in the front-rear direction. In addition, two second rack gears R2 and R2 each having a downward tooth surface are formed symmetrically on the upper part of the inner surface of each of the side walls 4a and 4a, and these are formed similarly to the third rack gears R3 and R3. It extends in the front-back direction.

The merchandise rack 4 is provided with two merchandise payout mechanisms 10 and 10 for paying out the stored merchandise S. Since the left and right product payout mechanisms 10 and 10 have substantially the same configuration in a symmetrical manner, the product payout mechanism 10 on the right side in FIGS. 4 to 6 will be described below. The commodity delivery mechanism 10 on the right side includes a base plate 11 and the base plate 1.
1 is provided with a stopper 12 disposed on the upper side and an opening / closing plate 13 attached to the front end of the product rack 4. The base plate 11 is placed on the bottom wall 4b, and a product passage 4f for storing the product S together with the side wall 4a and the partition wall 4d.
Is composed. As shown in FIG. 8, the base plate 11
A dispensing position which is movable on the bottom wall 4b in the front-rear direction and whose front end protrudes outward from the dispensing opening 4g of the product rack 4, and a holding position (standby position) which is located almost flush with the dispensing opening 4g. Reciprocate between Base plate 11 at this time
The movement amount L2 between the payout position and the holding position of the base plate 1 is
1 means the amount of protrusion from the outlet 4g when the front end is at the payout position.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the base plate 1
A first rack gear R1 extending in the front-rear direction similar to the rack gears R2 and R3 is formed at the center of the upper surface of the first rack gear R1. The base plate 11 has two projections 1 projecting downward.
1a, 11a are formed by cutting and raising, and these projections 11a, 11a simultaneously contact the base plate stopper 7 at the dispensing position.

As shown in FIG. 6, the base plate stopper 7 has a mounting board 7a screwed to the bottom wall 4b of the commodity rack 4 and a mounting board 7a mounted on the mounting board 7a. And a contact member 7b. The mounting board 7a has three mounting holes h1 arranged at the front end thereof on the left and right, and is screwed to the bottom wall 4b of the commodity rack 4 via these mounting holes h1. Also, the mounting board 7
a has three round holes h2 to h on the rear side of the mounting hole h1.
Four sets of round holes, each having 4 as a set of round holes, are formed side by side in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, the contact member 7b is formed with three projections (not shown) that can be engaged with each set of the round hole groups h2 to h4 of the mounting board 7a.

Therefore, the contact member 7b is attached to the mounting board 7
a and a pair of round holes h2 to h4 of the mounting substrate 7a, which are slidably mounted in the front-rear direction while being sandwiched between the base member 4a and the bottom wall 4b.
By locking the three projections, the mounting substrate 7a
, That is, the mounting position on the product rack 4 can be changed in four stages in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the movement amount (projection amount) L2 until the protrusion 11a of the base plate 11 contacts the contact member 7b can be changed in four steps between the maximum movement amount L2max and the minimum movement amount L2min. Thereby, the base plate 1 is adjusted to the depth dimension of the stored product S.
In this embodiment, the movement amount L2 is set to be substantially the same as the depth dimension of the stored product S in the present embodiment. An elastic body (not shown) (for example, synthetic rubber) is attached to the back surface of the contact member 7b, and this elastic body absorbs an impact when the protrusion 11a contacts.

As shown in FIG. 7, the stopper 12 includes a box-shaped stopper body 12a and a stopper body 12a.
a rotating shaft 12 attached to a so as to extend in the left-right direction.
b, and three pinion gears P1 to P3 which are attached to the rotating shaft 12b and always mesh with the first to third rack gears R1 to R3, respectively. The front wall of the stopper body 12a extends substantially vertically, and comes into contact with the last product S in the product path 4f.

The first pinion gear P1 is disposed at the center of the rotating shaft 12b, and is rotatably fitted to the rotating shaft 12b. This first body is attached to the stopper body 12a.
A lever (first blocking member) 12d for preventing clockwise rotation (clockwise in FIG. 7) of the pinion gear P1 is attached. The central portion of the lever 12d is rotatably supported by the stopper body 12a. Normally, the claw 12f at the front end meshes with the first pinion gear P1 to rotate the first pinion gear P1 clockwise. Block and allow only counterclockwise rotation. Lever 12
The rear end of d is a knob 12e extending upward, and this knob 12e is pushed rearward with a finger, and the lever 12d
By rotating the clockwise, the claw 12f and the first
The meshing with the pinion gear P1 is released, and the first pinion gear P1 can freely rotate clockwise.

The second pinion gear P2 is attached to the right end of the rotating shaft 12b via a one-way clutch (second blocking member) CL. The second pinion gear P2 is rotatable only clockwise with respect to the rotating shaft 12b by the action of the one-way clutch CL. At the left end of the rotary shaft 12b, a cutout portion 12c is formed by flattening a part of the rotary shaft 12b, and the third pinion gear P3 is always kept in a detented state by the cutout portion 12c. And rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 12b. The third pinion gear P3 is connected to the lever 12d via a connecting portion (not shown). When the lever 12d rotates clockwise, the third pinion gear P3 moves leftward along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 12b. To the notch 12
c is disengaged.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the second pinion gear P2 and the third pinion gear P3 have the stopper 12 which is arranged vertically above and below the second rack gear R2 and the third rack gear R3. When moving back and forth, the directions of rotation are reversed. The second pinion gear P2 is connected to the rotating shaft 1 via a one-way clutch CL.
Since the second pinion gear P2 is attached to the second pinion gear 2b, the stopper 12 moves only when the second pinion gear P2 rotates clockwise and the third pinion gear P3 and the rotary shaft 12b rotate counterclockwise by the action of the one-way clutch CL. In this case, rotation becomes possible.

In the stopper 12 having the above structure, when the product S is sold, when the base plate 11 moves to the payout position as shown in FIG. 8B, the first pinion gear P1 is moved by the lever 12d. Since the clockwise rotation is prevented, the base plate 11 does not rotate while meshing with the first rack gear R1. The second pinion gear P2 is allowed to rotate clockwise with respect to the rotation shaft 12b by the one-way clutch CL, and rotates clockwise while meshing with the second rack gear R2. The third pinion gear P3 has a notch 12
By engaging with the third rack gear R <b> 3 of the product rack 4, it rotates counterclockwise integrally with the rotating shaft 12 b by being fitted to the product rack c. Since the first pinion gear P1 is fitted into the rotation shaft 12b with a gap, the first pinion gear P1 does not hinder the counterclockwise rotation of the rotation shaft 12b. Thus, the base plate 11
When the first pinion gear P1 is moved toward the dispensing position side, the first pinion gear P1 is engaged with the first rack gear R1 of the base plate 11, does not rotate, and is fitted into the rotating shaft 12b with a gap. 11 and moves to the dispensing position side together with this.

As shown in FIG. 8C, when the base plate 11 moves to the holding position after reaching the dispensing position, the first pinion gear P1 is connected to the first rack gear R1 of the base plate 11. Rotate counterclockwise while meshing. Since the second pinion gear P2 is prevented from rotating counterclockwise with respect to the rotation shaft 12b by the one-way clutch CL, the second pinion gear P2 does not rotate while meshing with the second rack gear R2. The third pinion gear P3 also engages with the third rack gear R3 of the product rack 4, and the rotation shaft 12b cannot rotate with respect to the second pinion gear P2.
The rotation together with the rotation shaft 12b is prevented. As described above, the second and third pinion gears P2 and P3 do not rotate while meshing with the second and third rack gears R2 and R3 of the product rack 4, respectively.
Is locked to the product rack 4 and has nothing to do with the movement of the base plate 11 to the holding position side, and remains at the position before this movement. The base plate 11 returns to the holding position while rotating the first pinion gear P1 counterclockwise.

Further, the stopper 12 can be moved to the last position of the product passage 4f by, for example, pushing the knob 12e of the lever 12d backward with a finger and pushing the stopper 12 backward when loading the product S. it can. That is, when the knob 12e is pushed backward by a finger, the lever 12d rotates clockwise, whereby the claw 12f at the front end of the lever 12d is disengaged from the first pinion gear P1, and the first pinion gear P1 is disengaged. It is possible to freely rotate with respect to the rotation shaft 12b. At the same time, the lever 12d moves the third pinion gear P3 to the left along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 12b via the connecting portion.

With this movement, the third pinion gear P3
Is disengaged from the notch 12c, becomes independent of the rotating shaft 12b, and can freely rotate with respect to the rotating shaft 12b. When the first pinion gear P1 and the third pinion gear P3 can rotate freely with respect to the rotating shaft 12b, and when the stopper 12 is pushed backward, the first and third pinion gears P1 and P3 are moved to the first and third pinion gears, respectively. It rotates clockwise while meshing with the third rack gears R1, R3. At the same time, the second pinion gear P2 rotates counterclockwise with the rotating shaft 12b while meshing with the second rack gear R2. Thereby, the stopper 12 can be moved to the last position of the product path 4f.

As shown in FIG. 4, the opening / closing plate 13 is a plate made of a transparent synthetic resin attached to the rotating shaft 13a.
Due to the rotation of the rotating shaft 13a, the payout port 4 of the product rack 4
g is opened and closed (see FIG. 8). The rotating shaft 13a is disposed along the front-rear direction at the front upper portion on the outer surface of the side wall 4a of the product rack 4, and moves to the payout position of the base plate 11 when the product S is sold, as shown in FIG. The opening / closing plate 13 is retracted upward from the payout opening 4g by rotating in conjunction with the movement of the opening, and the payout opening 4g is opened.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the commodity payout mechanism 10 is provided on a slide plate 14 attached to the lower surface of the bottom wall 4b of the commodity rack 4 and rotatably provided on the lower surface of the bottom wall 4b. And a coil spring 16 that connects the slide plate 14 and the base plate 11. The slide plate 14 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction as shown in FIGS. 8 and 13, and a fourth rack gear R4 is formed in the rear half. Double gear 1
5 has a large-diameter gear portion 15a and a small-diameter gear portion 15b integrally formed vertically, and the large-diameter gear portion 15a
The fourth rack gear R4 of the slide plate 14 always meshes.

The small-diameter gear portion 15b is arranged so as to be able to mesh with a sector gear 36 of the drive mechanism 20, which will be described later, and rotates clockwise and counterclockwise at a predetermined angle by the mesh. As described above, when the double gear 15 rotates forward and reverse at a predetermined angle, the fourth rack gear R4 and the large-diameter gear portion 15 are rotated.
By the engagement of a, the slide plate 14 moves in the front-rear direction by the movement amount L1 (see FIG. 8). That is, when the double gear 15 rotates clockwise, the slide plate 14
It moves forward and moves backward as it rotates counterclockwise.

As shown in FIG. 6, a projection 14b projecting leftward is formed at the center of the slide plate 14, and a projection 4t is formed at the rear of the bottom wall 4b of the product rack 4 by cutting and raising. Is formed. When the slide plate 14 moves rearward, the protrusion 14b contacts the protrusion 4t,
It is locked at the contact position. This is because when the double gear 15 rotates counterclockwise while meshing with the sector gear 36, even after disengagement with the sector gear 36, the double gear 15 rotates counterclockwise due to inertial force. This is a structure for preventing the problem. Slide plate 14
A hook 14a is formed at the front end of the base plate 11, and a hook 11b protruding downward is formed on the base plate 11 by cutting and raising.

The coil spring 16 is connected to these hooks 14a.
The slide plate 14 and the base plate 11 are connected to each other by being attached to the hook 11b.
When the slide plate 14 moves in the front-rear direction as described above by the connection of the coil springs 16,
The base plate 11 moves between the payout position and the holding position.
In this case, in order for the product payout mechanism 10 to reliably pay out the product S, the base plate 11 needs to be surely reciprocated in the front-rear direction by the maximum movement amount L2max. Therefore, the movement amount L1 of the slide plate 14 is required. (See FIGS. 8 and 13)
Are set so that L1 ≧ L2max. The right product dispensing mechanism 10 is configured as described above, and the left product dispensing mechanism 10 is similarly configured.

As shown in FIG. 9, the bottom wall 4 of the product rack 4
b at the left and right ends of the lower surface, respectively.
r (only two are shown), and a product rack 4
Are movably mounted in the front-rear direction on the shelf 6 via these rollers 4r. Thus, the product rack 4 is always stored in the storage position shown in FIG. 9A, and is pulled out from the storage 5 as shown in FIG. be able to. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 9B, a positioning plate 4m having a notch 4n at the center in the left-right direction is provided at the rear of the lower surface of the bottom wall 4b. A pin 9 that can be fitted to the connector is provided upright.

The pins 9 are arranged so as to fit into the notches 4n of the positioning plate 4m when the product rack 4 is in the storage position, and are used to store the product rack 4 in the storage 5 at the time of loading or the like. By inserting the pins 9 into the notches 4n, the product rack 4 is positioned at predetermined storage positions in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction with respect to the shelf plate 6. A lock device (not shown) is provided at the front end of the bottom wall 4b of the product rack 4, and the product rack 4 is locked to the shelf plate 6 at the storage position by the lock device. . When the product rack 4 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 9B, the lock of the product rack 4 is released by operating the lock device.

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9, two push rods 4p, 4p on the left and right sides are attached to a position below the bottom wall 4b of the product rack 4 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The push rods 4p, 4p
b extends in the front-rear direction along the left and right ends. The front end of each push rod 4p projects forward from a hole in the lower jaw of the front of the product rack 4. The rear end of the push rod 4p extends to the vicinity of a trigger plate 35 of the drive mechanism 20 provided on the shelf 6 near the rear of the product rack 4 (see FIG. 11).

As shown in FIG. 8, an elevator 8 is arranged in front of each product rack 4 and is located between the vicinity of the payout opening 4g of each product rack 4 and the sales outlet 3c. And can be moved up and down and in the left and right directions. The elevator 8 moves to the vicinity of the payout opening 4g of the product rack 4 for storing the selected product S at the time of sale,
It stops and receives the goods S paid out from the payout port 4g, and carries it out to the sales port 3c. Elevator 8 has section L
A guide wall 8a that is rotatable rearward at a predetermined angle
It has. Elevator 8 is always payout 4g
And the guide wall 8a is rotated rearward, so that the goods S paid out from the payout opening 4g can be reliably received. The elevator 8 further includes a solenoid mechanism (not shown).
This solenoid mechanism presses the push rod 4p backward when the elevator 8 stops near the payout port 4g. Furthermore, the left and right push rods 4p, 4p of one product rack 4 can be simultaneously pressed as required.

As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the shelf board 6 is provided with the commodity payout mechanism 1 near the back wall 6b.
A drive mechanism 20 for driving 0 is provided. The drive mechanism 20 includes a motor 21 as a power source, a reduction gear mechanism 22, a drive shaft 23, and a connection mechanism 30. The motor 21 is disposed at the right end on the back side of the back wall 6b, and is connected to the drive shaft 23 via the reduction gear mechanism 22. When the product S is sold, the motor 21 is configured to rotate in only one direction. Reduction gear mechanism 22
Is a combination of a plurality of gears not shown,
By transmitting the rotation of the motor 21 to the drive shaft 23 while decelerating, the drive shaft 23 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 10 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 10). The drive shaft 23 is disposed between the back wall 5b of the storage 5 and the back wall 6b of the shelf 6 and extends in the left-right direction. The drive shaft 23 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) and includes four worms 24. These four worms 24 are respectively arranged corresponding to the four product racks 4 placed on one shelf plate 6, and the left and right sides of the corresponding product racks 4, which will be described later, are connected via the worms 24. The rotation of the drive shaft 23 is transmitted to a pair of coupling mechanisms 30, 30.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, on the shelf 6, the left and right commodity delivery mechanisms 10, 10 of each commodity rack 4 are placed.
, Two sets of left and right connecting mechanisms 30, 30 corresponding to one set, and a total of four sets of connecting mechanisms 30 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 11, the left and right connecting mechanisms 30, 30 have the same configuration except for a part, and thus the configuration of the right connecting mechanism 30 will be described below. The different components will be described later. The connecting mechanism 30 is connected to the worm 2
4 is transmitted to the commodity delivery mechanism 10, and includes a gear mechanism 31 connected to the worm 24. The gear mechanism 31 includes a first gear 32 and a second gear 33 that can mesh with the first gear.

The first gear 32 is constituted by a worm wheel, and is provided on the shelf 6 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis so as to mesh with the worm 24.
With the rotation of, it rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 11 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 11). Similarly to the first gear 32, the second gear 33 is also provided on the shelf 6 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and includes gear teeth 33 a formed on the outer periphery so as to mesh with the first gear 32, A cutout portion 33b formed by cutting out a part of the teeth and not being able to engage with the first gear 32;
An arm 33c formed by notching a portion of one gear tooth 33a facing the notch 33b along the outer periphery.
And

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a projection 33d is provided upright on the lower surface of the second gear 33. The projection 33d is connected to a leaf spring 34 as a second gear driving means and a trigger plate 35. It is sandwiched between. The leaf spring 34 has a rear end fixed to the back wall 6 b of the shelf 6 and a front end
By contacting the second gear 33, the second gear 33 is always rotated clockwise as shown in FIG.
It is energizing. The trigger plate 35 extends in the front-rear direction between the vicinity of the rear end of the push rod 4 p on the shelf 6 and the back wall 6 b of the shelf 6. At the rear of the trigger plate 35, a rear projection 35a is formed which comes into contact with the projection 33d of the second gear 33,
Further, the trigger plate 35 is constantly urged forward by a return coil spring 35b. A long hole 35c is formed in a front portion of the trigger plate 35, and the long hole 35c
Is engaged with a pin 35d erected on the shelf 6.
The front end of the trigger plate 35 is a contact portion 35e that is bent vertically upward.

The trigger plate 35 is locked at a position where the rear edge of the elongated hole 35c contacts the pin 35d (position shown in FIG. 11).
And a start position (a position shown in FIG. 12) in which the front edge abuts on the pin 35d. The trigger plate 35 is configured such that the rear projection 35a abuts on the projection 33d of the second gear 33 at the locking position, and loses contact with the projection 33d at the activation position. At all times,
The trigger plate 35 is held at the locking position by the urging force of the coil spring 35b, and the rear projection 35a of the trigger plate 35 is in contact with the projection 33d of the second gear 33.
Thus, the trigger plate 35 holds the second gear 33 so as not to rotate clockwise while resisting the urging force of the leaf spring 34. At this time, the second gear 33 is held at a first angle (the angle shown in FIG. 11) in which the notch 33b faces the first gear 32 and cannot be engaged with the first gear 32.
On the other hand, when the product S is sold, the push rod 4p is pressed backward by the solenoid mechanism of the elevator 8, so that the rear end of the push rod 4p is
5 (see FIG. 12). As a result, the trigger plate 35 moves from the locking position to the activation position.

When the trigger plate 35 is moved to the start position, the second gear 33 is moved from the first angle by the urging force of the leaf spring 34 to the second angle at which the gear teeth 33a of the arm 33c mesh with the first gear 32 (see FIG. 12) (clockwise angle). At this time, since the arm 33c is elastically deformable so as to bend toward the center of the second gear 33, even if the gear teeth 33a are slightly displaced from the gear teeth of the first gear 32. , Surely meshes while elastically deforming. After meshing with the first gear 32, the second gear 33
As shown in FIG. 14, the rotation of the first gear 32 makes one rotation clockwise. Then, at the time of one rotation, the protrusion 33d of the second gear 33 is again sandwiched between the leaf spring 34 and the trigger plate 35, as shown in FIG. Returns to the first angle.

As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 11, a heart-shaped engaging groove 33e is further formed on the lower surface of the second gear 33. A rotatable sector gear (reciprocating member) 36 is disposed below the second gear 33, and an engagement pin 36 a is provided upright on the upper surface of the sector gear 36. In the sector gear 36, the engagement pin 36a is
It is mounted on the shelf 6 so as to slide inside. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the sector gear 36 rotates counterclockwise by a predetermined angle by being guided by the engagement groove 33 e with one clockwise rotation of the second gear 33, Reverse rotation clockwise at the same angle.

During this forward / reverse rotation, the sector gear 36 meshes with the aforementioned small-diameter gear portion 15b of the double gear 15, rotates it clockwise at a predetermined angle, and then reversely rotates counterclockwise at the same angle. . As described above, when the double gear 15 rotates forward and backward at a predetermined angle, as shown in FIG. 8, the slide plate 14 reciprocates by the movement amount L1 in the front-rear direction, and accordingly, the base plate Reference numeral 11 reciprocates in the front-rear direction with a movement amount L2.

The right connecting mechanism 30 is configured as described above. Next, the difference between the right connecting mechanism 30 and the left connecting mechanism 30 will be described. The left connecting mechanism 30 is substantially symmetrical to the right connecting mechanism 30, and the second
The configurations of the gear 33, the leaf spring 34, and the trigger plate 35 are different. The difference between these configurations is that the left and right coupling mechanisms 3
0, 30 second gears 33, 33
This is because they mesh with the gear 32 and rotate in the same direction. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in the connection mechanism 30 on the left side, the shape of the notch 33 b of the second gear 33 is different, and the projection 33 d is symmetrical in plan view with the right side. Instead, they are arranged to extend obliquely in the same direction. The leaf spring 34 is also disposed in the same oblique direction as the right one, and the rear projection 35a of the trigger plate 35 is formed in an inverted L-shape so as to wrap around and come into contact with the projection 33d from outside to inside. The leaf spring 34 and the rear projection 35a sandwich the projection 33d similarly to the right one. Although the description of the left connecting mechanism 30 having such a configuration is omitted, it operates similarly to the right connecting mechanism 30.

The operation of the commodity storing and dispensing apparatus 1 configured as described above when selling the commodity S will be described in detail. Here, the case where the product S stored in the product passage 4f on the right side of the product rack 4 is selected and sold will be described. When the product purchaser presses the product selection button 3e at the time of selling the product S and the product S is selected, the driving mechanism 2
At 0, the motor 21 is started, and the drive shaft 23 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 10 via the reduction gear mechanism 22. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, the first gear 32 of the coupling mechanism 30 that meshes with the worm 24 of the drive shaft 23 rotates counterclockwise. At this time, the second gear 33 of the coupling mechanism 30
The projection 33d is held at a first angle that does not mesh with the first gear 32 because the projection 33d is sandwiched between the leaf spring 34 and the rear projection 35a of the trigger plate 35.

After the motor 21 rotates, as shown in FIG. 8A, the elevator 8 moves to the vicinity of the payout opening 4g of the commodity passage 4f for storing the selected commodity S, and stops. Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the guide wall 8a of the elevator 8 rotates backward, and the opening / closing plate 13 opens the payout opening 4g. Further, the solenoid mechanism of the elevator 8 is excited, and pushes the push rod 4p backward. Thereby, the connection mechanism 30 of the product passage 4f switches from the released state to the connected state. That is, the rear end of the push rod 4p contacts the contact portion 35e of the trigger plate 35 of the coupling mechanism 30, and moves the trigger plate 35 to the activation position while resisting the urging force of the coil spring 35b (see FIG. 12). By this movement, the rear projection 35a comes off the projection 33d, and the projection 33d is pushed rightward by the urging force of the leaf spring 34. Thus, the second gear 33 rotates clockwise to the second angle, and the arm 33c meshes with the first gear 32 (see FIG. 12). The second gear meshed with the first gear 32
The gear 33 makes one clockwise rotation and returns to the first angle. During the rotation of the second gear 33, the engaging pin 36a of the sector gear 36 is guided by the engaging groove 33e of the second gear 33 and slides in the engaging groove 33e. As a result, the sector gear 36 rotates forward and backward between the angle shown in FIG. 11 and the angle shown in FIG. 13, and reciprocates the slide plate 11 of the commodity dispensing mechanism 10 back and forth between the holding position and the dispensing position. Let it.

That is, when the sector gear 36 rotates counterclockwise from the angle shown in FIG. 11 to the angle shown in FIG. 13, the small-diameter gear portion 15b of the double gear 15 meshing with this rotates, and the large-diameter The slide plate 14 meshing with the gear portion 15a moves forward by a movement amount L1. With the forward movement of the slide plate 14, the base plate 11, which is connected to the slide plate 14 via the coil spring 16, moves forward by the movement amount L2. Stop. When the base plate 11 moves forward, the stopper 12 moves to the first pinion gear P1.
Only the first rack gear R <b> 1 is engaged with the first rack gear R <b> 1 and does not rotate, so that it is locked on the base plate 11 and moves forward together with the base plate 11. At this time, the product S moves together with the base plate 11 while being placed on the base plate 11 and being held in its posture by the stopper 12. Therefore, at the payout position, the foremost sold product Sx of the stored products S projects forward from the payout opening 4g of the product rack 4 by the movement amount L2 of the base plate 11.

Thereafter, when the sector gear 36 reversely rotates clockwise from the angle shown in FIG. 13 through the angle shown in FIG. 14 to the angle shown in FIG. 11, the double gear 15 meshing therewith is rotated.
The small diameter gear portion 15b rotates, and the large diameter gear portion 1 of the double gear
The slide plate 14 meshing with 5a moves backward by the movement amount L1 (see FIG. 8C). As the slide plate 14 moves backward, the base plate 11 moves backward by the movement amount L2. When the base plate 11 moves backward, the stopper 12 is locked to the product rack 4 by the fact that the second and third pinion gears P2 and P3 do not rotate while meshing with the second and third rack gears R2 and R3, respectively. And remains at that position and becomes irrelevant to the base plate 11.

As a result, when the base plate 11 returns to the holding position, the product S on the base plate 11
, And remains at that position irrespective of the base plate 11. At this time, the base plate 11 comes off from the bottom of the sales product Sx that has protruded forward from the payout opening 4g. In this case, the protruding amount of the sales product Sx protruding forward from the payout opening 4g is the moving amount L2, and the moving amount L2 is
Since the depth dimension of the product S is set to be substantially the same as that of the product S, the sales product Sx is paid out onto the elevator 8 in the same posture without rotating (see FIG. 8C). Thereafter, the opening / closing plate 13 closes the payout opening 4g, and the elevator 8 conveys and sells the sales product Sx to the sales opening 3c. With the above, the selling operation of the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus 1 ends.

The second product rack 4 from the right in FIG.
When the wide product S1 placed in one row across the two base plates 11, 11 is dispensed with the product S1 stored in the storage device, that is, with the partition wall 4d removed, the solenoid mechanism is used. First, the left and right push rods 4p, 4p of one product rack 4 are simultaneously pressed. As a result, the left and right merchandise payout mechanisms 10 and 10 operate at the same time and perform the above-described selling operation at the same time, so that a wide commodity S1 can be paid out. Alternatively, when two low-priced products S are to be sold at the same time, the solenoid mechanism is operated in the same manner, or the displacement L2 of the base plate 11 is the same as the depth dimension of the two products S. If set to, it can be easily handled.

As described in detail above, according to the commodity storage and dispensing apparatus 1 of the present invention, a plurality of commodity dispensing mechanisms 10 are selectively driven by one motor 21 and dispenses the commodity S from the commodity rack 4. Therefore, unlike the related art, it is not necessary to provide the motor 21 for each product rack 4, so that the cost of parts can be reduced. In addition, since only one motor needs to be wired, the number of cables to be wired can be reduced, and the wiring work can be omitted. Therefore, manufacturing costs can be reduced. Further, unlike the related art, the product S can be paid out only by rotating in one direction without rotating the motor 21 in the normal and reverse directions.
Its control becomes easy. In addition to this, since there is no forward / reverse rotation of the motor 21, a limit switch for detecting the rotational position of the motor 21 becomes unnecessary unlike the related art, so that the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

Further, the motor 21 is connected to the reduction gear mechanism 2.
2. Since the worm 24 and the gear mechanism 31 of the connecting mechanism 30 are connected to the product payout mechanism 10, by appropriately setting the gear ratio of each gear, even if the torque of the motor 21 is small, the product payout is possible. Drive the mechanism 10,
The product S can be reliably paid out. Further, when the second gear 33 of the gear mechanism 31 meshes with the first gear 32,
The arm 33c is elastically deformed toward the center of the second gear 33, so that even if the positions of the gear teeth are displaced from each other, they are securely engaged. Thereby, the commodity S can be paid out more reliably.

A configuration for switching the connection mechanism 30 to a state in which the motor 21 and the commodity dispensing mechanism 10 are connected is described below.
This can be realized by a relatively simple configuration in which the push rod 4p is pressed by the solenoid mechanism of the elevator 8. In addition to this, the area of the pressing surface of the solenoid mechanism is increased to an area sufficient to press the push rod 8.
By appropriately setting, even when the stop position of the elevator 8 with respect to the product rack 4 is shifted, the push rod 8 can be reliably pressed unlike the conventional case.
Thereby, the product S can be more reliably paid out.

Further, a motor 21, a driving mechanism 20, and four commodity racks 4 are provided on the shelf 6, and the position of the shelf 6 with respect to the storage 5 can be changed in the vertical direction. The position where the shelf plate 6 is mounted on the storage case 5 can be changed without adjusting the positional relationship between the drive mechanism 20 and the four product racks 4. This facilitates the work of changing the height of the storage space above the product rack 4.

In the above-described embodiment, a motor is used as a power source. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which the movement of the plunger of the solenoid is converted into the rotational force of the drive shaft 23 is performed by using a single power source. Any configuration can be used as long as it can rotate 23. In addition, an elevator 8 having a width capable of covering all of the four left and right product racks 4 placed on one shelf plate 6 is provided, and the push rods 4p of the four product racks 4 can be pressed on the elevator 8. By providing a simple solenoid mechanism, a plurality of products S may be paid out from different product racks 4 at the same time.

[0069]

As described above, according to the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus of the vending machine of the present invention, a multiplicity of merchandise storage and dispensing apparatuses for storing and arranging a large number of commodities in a front-rear direction and dispensing the commodities forward at the time of sale. In the above, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by reducing the number of components of the driving unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine provided with a product storage and dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a product rack stored in a storage of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a product rack and a drive mechanism in a storage.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a product rack.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between each pinion gear of a stopper and each rack gear.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view in which a part of a merchandise rack showing a structure of a merchandise payout mechanism is cut away.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stopper.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the operation of the commodity payout mechanism;
(A) shows a state in which the base plate is at the holding position, (b) shows a state in which the base plate has moved to the payout position, and (c) shows a state in which the base plate has returned to the holding position.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing (a) a state in which the product rack is at a storage position on a shelf plate, and (b) a state in which the product rack is pulled out of the storage position at the time of loading or the like.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a coupling mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a configuration of a coupling mechanism.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state where a second gear of the coupling mechanism has been rotated clockwise to a second angle at which the second gear meshes with the first gear.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a state in which the slide plate of the product payout mechanism has moved forward by a movement amount L1 by rotating the second gear clockwise from the state of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a state where the second gear has further rotated clockwise from the state of FIG. 13;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus 2 Vending machine 3 Vending machine main body 4 Merchandise rack 4f Merchandise passage 4g Payout port 4p Push rod 6 Shelf 8 Elevator 10 Merchandise dispensing mechanism 21 Motor 30 Connecting mechanism 31 Gear mechanism 32 First gear 33 Second gear 33a Gear teeth 33b Notch 34 Leaf spring (second gear driving means) 35 Trigger plate (second gear driving means) 36 Sector gear (reciprocating member) S Product S1 Product S2 Product Sx Sales product

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of products each having a product passage for storing a plurality of products arranged in the front-rear direction, and having a payout opening for paying out the product at one of the front and rear ends of the product passage. A rack and a plurality of product racks, respectively.
A plurality of merchandise dispensing mechanisms configured to be movable between a dispensing position for dispensing the commodities from the dispensing outlet of the merchandise rack and a holding position for retaining the commodities in the merchandise passage; A power source for moving the dispensing mechanism between the dispensing position and the holding position; and a power source and the plurality of commodity discharging mechanisms are configured to be connectable and disconnectable, respectively, A plurality of coupling mechanisms for moving the commodity dispensing mechanism coupled to a power source from the holding position to the dispensing position; and a coupling corresponding to a selected one of the plurality of coupling mechanisms when selling the commodity. Driving means for connecting the power source and the commodity dispensing mechanism by driving a mechanism, comprising: a commodity storage and dispensing device for a vending machine. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power source is a motor. 3. The motor is configured to rotate in one direction, and each of the plurality of connecting mechanisms includes a reciprocating member provided to be connectable to and disconnectable from the motor. The member, when connected to the motor, reciprocates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor,
The merchandise dispensing mechanism is configured to reciprocate between the holding position and the dispensing position, and the driving unit, when selling the merchandise, the reciprocating member of the coupling mechanism corresponding to the sold merchandise. 3. The merchandise storage and dispensing device of a vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the device is connected to the motor. 4. Each of the plurality of coupling mechanisms further includes a gear mechanism, the gear mechanism includes: a first gear that is rotationally driven by the motor; and gear teeth that can mesh with the first gear. A second gear formed by notching a part of the gear teeth and having a notch with which the first gear cannot be engaged; and the reciprocating member is rotated by one rotation of the second gear. The drive means is normally connected to the second gear so as to reciprocate, and the drive means normally positions the second gear at an angle at which the notch faces the first gear and sells the product. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a second gear driving means for rotating the second gear of the gear mechanism corresponding to the product for sale to an angle at which the gear teeth mesh with the first gear. Vending machine Product storage and dispensing device. 5. An elevator, wherein the elevator is provided so as to be able to move up and down near the payout port of the plurality of product racks in the vending machine body, and receives the product by stopping at a stop position near the payout port, A plurality of push rods provided in correspondence with the plurality of commodity delivery mechanisms, respectively, and extending in the front-rear direction between the vicinity of the payout opening of the plurality of commodity racks and the vicinity of the connection mechanism; Pressing means provided on the elevator, for pressing one end of the push rod corresponding to the product for sale in the front-rear direction toward the connection mechanism at the stop position of the elevator; The push rod is driven by engagement of the other end thereof, and connects the power supply with the product payout mechanism corresponding to the sales product. A product storage and dispensing device for a vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. A vending machine body provided with the power source and the plurality of coupling mechanisms, further comprising a shelf on which the plurality of merchandise racks are placed, wherein a vending machine main body accommodating the plurality of merchandise racks has a vertical direction. The product storage and dispensing device for a vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a plurality of mounting portions that are arranged on the shelf and that can selectively mount the shelf board.