JPH1186114A - Container collecting device for vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact container vending machine which can built into an automatic vending machine, without decreasing the number of storable commodities. SOLUTION: A primary stock part 4, a secondary stock part 5, a shredder means 6, a material selection means 7, an aluminum collection box 8, a steel collection box 9, a foreign matter collection box 10, etc., are placed under a container collection port 3. If a container 99 collected at the part 5 is heavier than 60 g, for example, it is decided that the contents remain regardless of its being a glass or metallic container 99. Thus, the container 99 is recovered directly into the box 10. Then the container 99 is also recovered into the box 10 even if magnetic sensor 11 decides it as being a non-metallic container 99 when the container 99 is lighter than 60 g. When the container 99 is lighter than 60 g and is made of a metal, it is decided that the container 99 is an empty aluminum or steel can. Then the shredder rollers 17 and 18 are rotated, and a conveyor belt 23 is rotated by a pulley 24, and the chips of the container 99 are discriminated by means of the magnetic force and recovered into either the box 8 or the box 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container collecting device mounted on a vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an apparatus of this kind, for example, a can input section provided at the front door of a vending machine, a can press machine connected to the can input section and installed inside the machine, and a can press arranged below the can press machine. Aluminum cans, steel cans and empty can collection boxes.
An empty can collection device for a vending machine is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-2596.
No. 46 has proposed this.

[0003] As vending machines equipped with the empty can collection device having the above structure are installed, the scattering of empty cans can be prevented,
Although it is expected to promote the recycling of empty cans, it has not been widely used to date. The reason is that the empty can collection device is designed to reduce the volume by pressing the empty can into a flat plate shape.However, after pressing, the empty can collection device is a mechanism that falls freely into a deep collection box and collects it. Since the metal pieces overlap irregularly, only three to four times the number of empty cans before volume reduction can be stored, so if the collection box is not enlarged, the collection box will quickly fill up and the collection box will be large. This is because there is a problem that the number of products that can be stored is reduced.

[0004]

Therefore, the number of items that can be stored can be reduced by reducing the size of the empty can collection box by storing about 10 times the number of empty cans before the volume can be reduced. It was necessary to be able to sell a lot of products without reducing the price.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to a container collecting apparatus mounted on a vending machine, wherein a container collecting port opened at a front door of the vending machine is connected to the container collecting port. Means for judging the material of the container installed in the machine, a foreign substance collection box and shredder means installed downstream of the material judgment means, and a plurality of material collection boxes installed downstream of the shredder means. A container recovery device of the first configuration,

[0006] In the container recovery device of the first configuration,
A container collection device having a second configuration including a magnetic sensor and a weight sensor as material determination means;

[0007] In the container recovery device of the first configuration,
A container collection device having a third configuration, which includes a material selection unit between the shredder unit and the collection box for each material;

[0008] In the container recovery apparatus of the first configuration,
A primary stock part and a secondary stock part are provided between the container collecting port and the shredder means, and a collection start instruction means for moving the collection container from the primary stock part to the secondary stock part and starting a collecting operation is provided in front of the container. A container collection device of a fourth configuration provided on the door,

In the container collecting apparatus of the first to fourth configurations, the vending machine is a vending machine that stores and sells different products for each of a plurality of racks, and stores the container collecting apparatus in a space of one rack. And a container recovery device having a fifth configuration.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
An embodiment will be described. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a front door of the vending machine 200, and a heat insulating door 2 is provided inside the front door.

The inside of the main body of the vending machine 200, which is opened and closed by the front door 1 and the heat insulating door 2, has a rack structure of a plurality of rows which is detachably provided by being hung on a rail or the like. Products and plastic bottle products are stored and sold.

The front door 1 is provided with a container outlet 3 along with a product outlet, a coin slot, and the like, for example, at a portion that covers one rack at the right end. A free lid 3A is provided. Also,
The primary stock part 4, the secondary stock part 5, the shredder means 6, the material sorting means 7, the aluminum inside which communicates with the container collection port 3 and is located below the inside of the machine, that is, the back side of the front door 1 and the heat insulating door 2. A collection box 8, a steel collection box 9, a foreign substance collection box 10, and the like are installed in a space for one rack at the right end, and constitute a container collection device 100.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a magnetic sensor provided on the container collection port 3 side of the primary stock unit 4. The magnetic sensor 11 includes, for example, two induction coils disposed on both sides of the container 99 stored in the primary stock unit 4, for example, and supplies a high-frequency current to one of the induction coils. The container 99 stocked in the primary stock part 4 is made of metal such as conductive iron or aluminum, or made of non-metallic glass having no conductivity. Or plastic.

That is, a predetermined high-frequency current is caused to flow through one of the induction coils, and no induction current is caused to flow through the other induction coil due to the alternating magnetic field generated by the high-frequency current, and is not stocked in the primary stock section 4. Assuming that the current in the state is a reference value, if the container 99 stocked in the primary stock unit 4 is made of glass or plastic having no conductivity, the magnetic field does not change, so that the induction is almost the same as the reference value. An electric current flows through the other induction coil, but if the container 99 stocked in the primary stock unit 4 is made of conductive iron or aluminum, an eddy current is generated in the container 99 by the alternating magnetic field, thereby causing a high frequency current. Since the alternating magnetic field weakens and the induced current flowing through the other induction coil becomes significantly smaller than the reference value, the magnitude of the induced current must be measured. In the container 99 can be determined whether a non-metallic or metallic.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a partitioning means provided between the primary stocking section 4 and the secondary stocking section 5 to prevent access to the inside, and a front door for detecting that the lid 3A is closed. 1 is provided with an electric motor 12M that operates by inputting a signal output when the lid 3A is closed.
, The passage from the primary stock part 4 to the secondary stock part 5 is opened, and the container 99 is dropped from the primary stock part 4 to the secondary stock part 5 by its own weight.

The secondary stock portion 5 is provided at an angle in the same manner as the primary stock portion 4, and a portion for supporting the container 99 is formed by two flaps 14 and 15 which are rotatably supported. . When the operating arms 14A and 15A extending from the shaft supporting portions of the flaps 14 and 15 are turned on by energizing the solenoid 16, the operating arms 1A and 15B are actuated by spring coils 14B and 15B functioning as weight sensors.
4A and 15A are pulled downward by a predetermined force, and when a container 99, which is heavier than a predetermined weight, for example, 60 g, enters, the flaps 14 and 15 rotate downward and between the flaps. Is spread, and the container 99 falls under its own weight through the space.

The shredder means 6 includes a pair of shredder rollers 1 installed obliquely below the secondary stock section 5.
7 and 18, a hydraulic motor 21 for rotating the shredder rollers 17 and 18, a hydraulic pump 21P for circulating oil through the hydraulic motor 21, an electric motor 20 for driving the hydraulic pump 21P, and the like. The lower end of the stocked container 99 slides down between the pair of shredder rollers 17 and 18, and when rotated in the direction in which the shredder rollers 17 and 18 are engaged, the container 99 is bitten from the contact end and shredded. It has become so.

The shredder rollers 17 and 18 are used to shred the container 99 by cutting or cutting the container 99 to a width of about 6 mm and a length of about 40 mm.

In order to reduce the size of this portion, power transmission from the hydraulic motor 21 to the shredder rollers 17 and 18 is performed by gears.

A lock detecting means 22 composed of a rotating magnetic sensor attached to the rotating shaft of the hydraulic motor 21 is provided, and the shredder rollers 17 and 18 are locked (rotation stopped) by biting hard foreign matter. Can be detected.

In this case, the material selecting means 7 is composed of one endless conveyor belt 23 and two pulleys 24 and 25 for driving this endlessly.
Is made of a permanent magnet, and is appropriately rotated in the direction of the arrow by an electric motor (not shown). This conveyor belt 23
The brush 26 is in contact with the lower surface of the conveyor belt 23 so that metal dust and the like adhering to the conveyor belt 23 can be peeled off.

A foreign matter collection box 10 is provided below the secondary stock unit 5, an aluminum collection box 8 is provided below the pulley 24 on the right side of the drawing, and a steel collection box 9 is provided on the left side of the drawing. The aluminum collection box 8
Above the boundary between the steel collection box 9 and the sorting means 7A
Is installed.

Therefore, if the material conveyed by the conveyor belt 23 is a non-magnetic material such as aluminum, it falls away from the conveyor belt 23 when the rotation of the conveyor belt 23 is downward, so that the aluminum collection box 8 enter. However, if the conveyed material is a magnetic material such as steel, the pulley 24 is a permanent magnet even if the rotation of the conveyor belt 23 is downward, so that the conveyer is conveyed to the left in the drawing without separating from the conveyor belt 23. When the magnetic force is removed from the pulley 24 and the magnetic force does not reach the pulley 24, the steel sheet falls and falls into the steel collection box 9.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a controller of the container collecting device 100.
All control is performed when collecting the garbage.

That is, when the container 99 is inserted through the container recovery port 3 and a signal is input from the proximity sensor switch 3S, the magnetic sensor 11 first determines whether the material of the container 99 is metal or non-metal. . Also, the electric motor 1
2M, the partitioning means 12 is tilted backward, and the container 9
9 is transferred from the primary stock unit 4 to the secondary stock 5.

Here, the container 99 is made of glass,
Even if it is made of metal, the contents remain, and 6
If it is heavier than 0 g, the flaps 14 and 15 rotate downward, and the container 99 falls between them and is directly collected in the foreign matter collection box 10.

On the other hand, the container 99 is lighter than 60 g, and is therefore supported by the flaps 14
That the stocker is
The container 99 is checked based on a signal from the optical sensor 28 installed upstream of the container 18, and is detected by the magnetic sensor 11.
Is determined to be non-metallic, the solenoid 1
6, the flaps 14 and 15 are rotated downward, and the container 99 is dropped from between them.
The container 99 is directly collected.

Also, the signal from the optical sensor 28
When it is confirmed that the container 99 lighter than 0 g is stocked in the secondary stock unit 5 and the magnetic sensor 11 determines that the container 99 is made of metal, the container 99 is an aluminum or steel empty can. Therefore, based on the signal from the optical sensor 28, the electric motor 20 is driven to rotate the shredder rollers 17 and 18, the container 99 is shredded, and the conveyor belt 23 is rotated.
The chips in the shredded container 99 are magnetically sorted and automatically collected in either the aluminum collection box 8 or the steel collection box 9.

When the lock detecting means 22 detects the lock of the shredder rollers 17 and 18, the power supply to the electric motor 20 is stopped and then the motor 20 is rotated in reverse to release the lock. When the lock is released by this operation, the electric motor 20 is energized so as to shred again.

The container recovery apparatus 100 of the present invention having the above-described structure.
Can of course be incorporated into newly manufactured vending machines,
Even in existing rack-type vending machines, for example, the bill insertion slot is crushed and incorporated in the portion of the rack provided with the bill insertion slot, or incorporated in another rack portion as appropriate, to a vending machine that can collect containers. Can be remodeled.

Also, without removing the cooling device 29 installed in the main body of the vending machine 200, the container collection device 100
Therefore, the odor generated from the container recovery device 100 can be suppressed by using the air blowing mechanism 30 of the cooling device 29.

[Second Embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. To facilitate understanding, parts having the same functions as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

A plastic collecting box 31 is additionally installed at the position shown in the drawing, so that the conveyor belt 23 can rotate in both directions of the solid arrow and the broken arrow.

When the container 99 inserted through the container recovery port 3 is heavier than a preset 60 g, the controller 27 does not shred the container 99, and
When the container 99 is made of metal and is lightly empty, the shredder rollers 17 and 18 are rotated to shred them, and the conveyor belt 23 is rotated in the direction indicated by the solid line to rotate the aluminum collection box 8. Alternatively, it has the function described in the first embodiment for sorting and collecting chips in the steel collection box 9.

Further, the controller 27 determines that a container 99 weighing less than 60 g is stocked in the secondary stock unit 5 by a signal from the optical sensor 28 and that the container 99
Is determined to be non-metallic by the container 9
9 is an empty container made of plastic instead of glass, so that the electric motor 20 is driven based on the signal from the optical sensor 28 to rotate the shredder rollers 17 and 18 so that the container 9
In addition to shredding 9, the conveyor belt 23 is also rotated in the direction of the dashed arrow to collect the chips of the shredded container 99 in the plastic collection box 31.

Since the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the appended claims.

For example, the magnetic sensor 11 obtains a change in eddy current generated by one induction coil, and determines whether the container 99 is made of metal or nonmetal based on the change. May be.

When the pulley 24 is made of a material that is not a permanent magnet, a permanent magnet or an electromagnet may be added to the pulley 24, or a flap may be provided facing the lower part of the pulley 24 so that the magnetic sensor 11 is For example, when it is determined by a weight sensor provided in the secondary stock unit 5 or the like that the container 99 is made of metal and is, for example, an aluminum can because it is lighter than 25 g, the flaps are used to cut chips into the aluminum collection box 8. To the container 9
If it is determined that the steel 9 is a metal can and is, for example, heavier than 25 g and lighter than, for example, 60 g, it is determined to be an empty steel can, the flaps may guide the chips to the steel collection box 9.

Further, the foreign substance collecting box 10 may be installed at a position higher than the aluminum collecting box 8 and the steel collecting box 9, for example, at the side of the shredder rollers 17 and 18.

As a method of detecting the lock of the shredder rollers 17 and 18, the pressure of the hydraulic pump 21P may be measured and detected.

[0041]

As described above, according to the present invention, since containers are shredded and collected, a large number of containers can be collected in a small space as compared with a conventional device which presses and collects.

For this reason, it is not necessary to reduce the number of commodities to be sold, but also, the collection frequency is reduced, so that labor is less required than in the conventional apparatus, vending machines equipped with a container collection apparatus have spread, and Recovery can be achieved, and scattering of empty cans can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external explanatory view of a vending machine in which a container collection device is incorporated.

FIG. 4 is an internal explanatory view of a vending machine in which a container collection device is incorporated.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front door 2 Insulated door 3 Container collection opening 3A lid 3S proximity sensor switch 4 Primary stock part 5 Secondary stock part 6 Shredder means 7 Material sorting means 7A Sorting means 8 Aluminum collection box 9 Steel collection box 10 Foreign substance collection box 11 Magnetic sensor DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Division means 12M Electric motor 14.15 Flap 14A / 15A Working arm 14B / 15B Spring coil 16 Solenoid 17.18 Shredder roller 20 Electric motor 21 Hydraulic motor 21P Hydraulic pump 22 Lock detection means 23 Conveyor belt 24/25 Pulley 26 Brush 27 Controller 28 Optical Sensor 29 Cooling Device 30 Blowing Mechanism 31 Plastic Collection Box 99 Container 100 Container Collection Device 200 Vending Machine

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A container collecting apparatus mounted on a vending machine, comprising: a container collecting port opened in a front door of the vending machine; and a material discriminating means for a container installed in the machine in connection with the container collecting port. A container collection device for a vending machine, comprising: a foreign substance collection box and a shredder means installed downstream of the material discrimination means; and a plurality of material collection boxes installed downstream of the shredder means. . 2. The container collecting device for a vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a magnetic sensor and a weight sensor as the material discriminating means. 3. The container collecting device of a vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a material selecting means between the shredder means and the material collecting box. 4. Between the container collection port and the shredder means,
The system according to claim 1, further comprising a primary stock unit and a secondary stock unit, and a collection start instruction means for moving a collection container from the primary stock unit to the secondary stock unit to start a collection operation, at the front door. 2. The container collecting device of the vending machine according to 1. 5. A vending machine for storing and selling different commodities for each of a plurality of racks, wherein a container collecting device is stored in a space of one rack. A container collection device for a vending machine according to any one of the above.