JPH1139558A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an automatic vending machine thin by thinning a space for illuminating merchandise samples. SOLUTION: A transparent light transmission plate 106 is arranged on the front face of a merchandise sample 102. On the surface of the light transmission plate 106 on the side of the merchandise sample, a linear projecting structure 107 is formed. A fluorescent tube 104 is arranged on the end face of the light transmission plate 106. Light radiated from the fluorescent tube 104 and made incident from the end face to the light transmission plate 106 propagates while fully reflecting in the light transmission plate. The light reaching the side face of the linear projection 107 comes out from the light transmission plate 106 to become light for illuminating the merchandise sample.

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 lighting device for illuminating a sample of a product in a vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional vending machine, an illumination device as shown in FIG. 6 has been used to illuminate a sample of a product. FIG. 6A is a front view of the vending machine.
(B) is a sectional view of a product sample and a portion for illuminating the product sample in the vending machine. Product sample 602 such as canned juice
Has a transparent cover 603 on the front side, and illumination is performed by a fluorescent tube 604 disposed on the upper surface, the lower surface, or the side surface of the illumination space 605 with the product sample.

[0003]

However, in the conventional illuminating device, since the illumination is performed by the light emitted from the fluorescent tube 604 disposed on the upper surface, the lower surface, or the side surface, the product sample 6 is used.
There is a problem that it is difficult to uniformly illuminate the product sample display unit 609 due to a shadow produced by the product 02.

In order to make the shadow of the product sample 602 inconspicuous, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the illumination space 605 and arrange the fluorescent tube 604 in front of the product sample as much as possible.
There is a problem in that the outer shape of the vending machine 601 becomes thicker.

[0005] The present invention solves such a problem, and by using an illumination device having a light guide plate structure,
The purpose is to provide a thin vending machine with easy-to-read product samples.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine comprising: an illuminated body; a light guide plate disposed in front of the illuminated body; and a light guide plate disposed near at least one end face of the light guide plate. A vending machine provided with an illumination device composed of a light source and a light source, wherein a plurality of light emitting structures are formed on at least one surface of the light guide plate.

According to the above configuration, there is an effect that the illuminated body can be uniformly illuminated without requiring a large space in front of the illuminated body such as a product sample.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vending machine according to the first aspect, further comprising means for guiding light emitted from the light source to an end face of the light guide plate.

According to the above configuration, there is an effect that light from the light source can be effectively used as illumination light.

A vending machine according to claim 3 is the vending machine according to any one of claims 1 and 2,
The light emission structure is formed on a surface of the light guide plate on the side of the illuminated body.

According to the above configuration, the illumination light can be effectively emitted from the light guide plate toward the illuminated body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the third aspect, the light emitting structure has a projection shape.

According to the above configuration, the illumination light can be effectively emitted from the light guide plate toward the illuminated body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the fourth aspect, the protrusion structure has a surface substantially parallel to a surface of the light guide plate and a surface substantially perpendicular to a surface of the transparent light guide plate. It is characterized by having a structure composed of various aspects.

According to the above configuration, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent a decrease in visibility when the illuminated object is viewed through the light guide plate.

A vending machine according to a sixth aspect is the vending machine according to any one of the first and second aspects,
The light emitting structure is formed on a surface of the light guide plate opposite to the side of the illuminated body.

According to the above configuration, there is an effect that the manufacture of the light guide plate is facilitated.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vending machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First Embodiment) A vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of a lighting device of a vending machine.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a light guide plate used in the lighting device.

First, the configuration of the lighting device will be described with reference to FIG.

A product sample 102 such as canned juice is arranged inside a vending machine 101, and the product sample can be viewed through a transparent cover 103. A transparent light guide plate 106 is arranged on the front surface of the product sample 102. The fluorescent tubes 104 are arranged on two end surfaces of the light guide plate 106. In order to guide the light emitted from the fluorescent tube 104 to the end face of the light guide plate, a reflector 105 made of a film having a thin metal film such as silver formed on the surface is wound around the fluorescent tube 104.

A plurality of linear projections 107 having a light emitting structure are formed on the surface of the light guide plate 106 on the product sample side.
FIG. 2 shows the structure of the linear projection 107. FIG. 2 also shows the fluorescent tube 104, but the reflector 105 is omitted to make the drawing easier to see.

The linear projection 107 has a linear projection structure parallel to the longitudinal direction of the fluorescent tube 104. The side surface of the linear protrusion 107 is perpendicular to the surface of the light guide plate 106 or is inclined within 10 ° from the perpendicular, and the upper surface of the linear protrusion 107 is substantially parallel to the surface of the light guide plate 106. .

The light is radiated from the fluorescent tube 104 and
Incident on the inside of the light guide plate from the end face of the light guide plate 106
Is totally reflected on the surface of the light guide plate and propagates through the light guide plate, and the linear projection 1
Only the light that reaches the side surface of the light guide plate 07 is emitted from the light guide plate. Therefore, in principle, light is emitted from the light guide plate 106 only to the side where the linear projection 107 is formed.

Therefore, by arranging the light guide plate 106 with the linear projection 107 facing the product sample side, the product sample 102 can be illuminated without leaking light to the transparent cover 103.

Further, since the product sample can be illuminated in a planar manner from the front side (the purchaser of the product), the product sample display portion 609 can be uniformly illuminated even when the distance between the light guide plate and the product sample is reduced. In addition, there is an effect that the vending machine can be made thin.

Acrylic can be used as the material of the light guide plate 106. As the dimensions of the linear projection 107,
The size of the light guide plate is 40cm x 90cm and the thickness is about 4m
m, the width of the linear projection 107 is 0.2 mm, and the height is 20 μm.
m and the pitch can be about 2 mm. The size and distribution of the protrusion structure are optimized in consideration of the size and brightness uniformity of the light guide plate.

By reducing the size of the linear projections 107, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the visibility of the product sample when the purchaser of the product views the product sample through the light guide plate. Also, by making the side surface of the projection structure substantially perpendicular to the surface of the light guide plate and making the upper surface of the projection structure substantially parallel to the surface of the light guide plate, the product sample can be viewed from a direction perpendicular to the light guide plate. In addition, it is possible to prevent the lens function or the prism function from being caused by the projection structure, and to suppress the product sample from being distorted.

As in the present embodiment, the linear projection 1
07 is directed horizontally as shown in FIG.
When the light guide plate 06 is incorporated in a vending machine, the fluorescent tubes 104 are arranged above and below the light guide plate 106. However, when the light guide plate is incorporated so that the linear projections are oriented in the vertical direction, the fluorescent tubes 104 It will be arranged on the left and right of the light guide plate.

When one fluorescent tube is sufficient, the fluorescent tube may be arranged only on one end face of the light guide plate.

(Second Embodiment) A vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure of a light guide plate used in the lighting device.

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in the shape of the projections of the light guide plate constituting the lighting device.

On the surface of the light guide plate 301 on the side of the sample product, a columnar projection 302 having a light emitting structure is formed. As in the first embodiment, the side surface of the columnar protrusion 302 is a surface perpendicular to the surface of the light guide plate 301 or an inclined surface within 10 ° from the vertical, and the upper surface of the columnar protrusion is the surface of the light guide plate. Are almost parallel to.

Although the fluorescent tube is not shown in FIG. 3, the fluorescent tube is arranged on the end face of the light guide plate 301. Columnar projection 30
In the light guide plate 301 where dots 2 are scattered, the anisotropy in the direction of light emission from the protrusion structure is smaller than in the case of the linear protrusions shown in FIG. A fluorescent tube may be provided.

Acrylic can be used as the material of the light guide plate 301. As the dimensions of the columnar projection 302,
The size of the light guide plate is 40cm x 90cm and the thickness is about 4m
m, the diameter of the cylindrical projection is 0.2 mm, the height is 20 μm,
The pitch can be about 2 mm. The size and distribution of the protrusion structure are optimized in consideration of the size and brightness uniformity of the light guide plate.

(Third Embodiment) A vending machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a lighting device of the vending machine.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a structure of a light guide plate used in the lighting device.

As shown in FIG. 4, unlike the first or second embodiment, a conical projection 402 serving as a light emitting structure is formed on the surface of the light guide plate 401 on the side opposite to the product sample. . The arrangement of the conical projections 402 is shown in FIG.

The light incident on the light guide plate 401 from the fluorescent tube 104 propagates while being totally reflected in the light guide plate, but a part of the light reaching the conical protrusion 402 is totally reflected on the slope of the conical protrusion. The product sample is illuminated through the light guide plate from the product sample side.

Some of the light propagating in the light guide plate escapes from the conical protrusion toward the transparent cover 103 of the vending machine, and the product sample is compared with the structure of the light guide plate of the first or second embodiment. Although the efficiency of illuminating is low, there is an advantage that the projection structure is easy to form because the projection structure does not have a nearly vertical surface.

In this embodiment, the conical projection has been described as the light emitting structure. However, other structures for emitting the light in the light guide plate to the product sample side, for example, a spherical recess may be used as the light emitting structure. it can.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, a light emitting diode, an incandescent lamp, or the like can be used as a light source instead of a fluorescent tube.

The present invention can be applied not only to a product sample but also to a vending machine having a flat illuminated object such as a design.

Further, various structures other than the structure described in the embodiment can be applied as the light emitting structure.

[0044]

As described above, according to the vending machine provided with the lighting device of the present invention, light emitted from the light source is converted into planar illumination light using the light guide plate having the light emitting structure. In addition, by illuminating the object to be illuminated from the front, the space for illuminating the product sample can be reduced, and the vending machine can be made thinner.

Further, by using a transparent light guide plate and making the cross-sectional shape of the light emission structure rectangular or optimizing the density of the light emission structure, the visibility of a sample product when viewed through the light guide plate is reduced. Has the effect of preventing

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a lighting device according to a first embodiment of a vending machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a light guide plate used for a lighting device in the vending machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure of a light guide plate used for a lighting device in a vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a lighting device according to a third embodiment of the vending machine of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of a light guide plate used in a lighting device according to a third embodiment of the vending machine of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101, 601 Vending machine 102, 602 Product sample 103, 603 Transparent cover 104, 604 Fluorescent tube 105 Reflector 106, 301, 401 Light guide plate 107 Linear projection 302 Columnar projection 402 Conical projection 605 Lighting space 606 Product selection button 607 Coin slot 608 Product outlet 609 Product sample display

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] January 23, 1998

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Fig. 6

[Correction method] Added

[Correction contents]

FIG. 6 is a view showing a lighting device of a conventional vending machine;
(A) is a front view of a vending machine, and (b) of FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a vending machine product sample and a portion for illuminating the sample.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An automatic lighting apparatus comprising: an illuminating device including an illuminated body, a light guide plate disposed on a front surface of the illuminated body, and a light source disposed near at least one end surface of the light guide plate. A vending machine, wherein a plurality of light emitting structures are formed on at least one surface of the light guide plate. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising means for guiding light emitted from said light source to an end face of said light guide plate. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting structure is formed on a surface of the light guide plate on the side of the illuminated body. 4. The vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting structure has a projection shape. 5. The light guide plate according to claim 4, wherein the projection structure has a surface substantially parallel to the surface of the light guide plate and a side surface substantially perpendicular to the surface of the transparent light guide plate.
The vending machine described. 6. The automatic vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting structure is formed on a surface of the light guide plate opposite to the illuminated body side. Machine.