KR100378876B1 - Transferring apparatus and vending machine using it - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transfer mechanism and a vending machine using the same, comprising: pressurizing means installed under a cartridge for storing cans vertically stacked inside the vending machine and applying pressure to push the can upward; A horizontal stopper installed above the cartridge to support the top can of the can to prevent the top can from moving in a horizontal direction, and a vertical stop to prevent the can from moving upward by the pressing means In a vending machine employing a transfer mechanism consisting of a stopper, when the purchaser selects a type of can, the horizontal stopper moves downward to separate the top can from the cartridge and drop it or drop it into the discharge port. S Buffer provides a vending machine, characterized in that to permit moving and return to the stop position back to the can is moved one step upward by the pressing means backward.

Therefore, there is an effect that the buyer can withdraw the can without using a simple bend waist.

Description

Transfer mechanism and vending machine using the same {TRANSFERRING APPARATUS AND VENDING MACHINE USING IT}

The present invention relates to a transfer mechanism, in particular a transfer mechanism for transporting cans and the like of vending machines.

In a conventional vending machine, a plurality of cartridges (or magnums) are provided inside the vending machine, and a large number of cans corresponding to each cartridge are accommodated therein. The purchaser inputs a fee corresponding to a coin or banknote slot formed on the front panel of the vending machine and selects a desired product by pressing a product selection button formed on the front panel of the vending machine. The cartridge containing the can selected by the purchaser discharges the can from the cartridge. The can falls to an outlet formed at the bottom of the front panel of the vending machine by its own weight (ie, a natural fall), and the buyer takes the can out through the outlet.

Conventional vending machine having the configuration as described above was inconvenient, such that the discharge port is located at the bottom of the vending machine, the buyer can bend out the can only bend the waist. In addition, when the outside of the cartridge is inserted into the outlet to destroy the lower end of the cartridge, all the cans housed inside the cartridge are discharged to the outlet and are exposed to theft. This problem is particularly serious in the growing trend of unmanned vending machines.

In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to forcibly transport the can to the upper portion and to discharge the can from the upper portion of the cartridge so that the can is discharged through the discharge port located at the top of the vending machine.

That is, Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-143206 installs a spring in a cartridge, accommodates a plurality of cans and pushes the can up, and the top can is a pusher composed of a rack and pinion. It is discharged to the outside and falls into the outlet located at the top of the vending machine. The purchaser can take out the can without bending at the outlet, which is also located at the top front of the vending machine.

However, in the vending machine as described above, the rack itself and the pinion gear are used in the transfer mechanism, which makes the structure itself complicated and requires a certain space for its installation, thereby inevitably increasing the size of the vending machine.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, the can is discharged through the discharge port located at the top of the vending machine, and useful for preventing theft, while simplifying the transfer mechanism, compact transfer mechanism and thus a compact vending machine It is to provide.

1 is a view showing an embodiment of a transfer mechanism according to the present invention;

2 is a view showing the operation of the stopper in the above embodiment;

3 is a view showing a relationship between a groove and a handle formed in the cartridge in the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: cartridge (cartridge) 11: spring (pressing means)

12: pedestal 13: handle

14: horizontal stopper (first stopper) 15: vertical stopper (second stopper)

20: discharge hole

C: Cans

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a transfer mechanism for transferring a plurality of the to-be-transmitted body accommodated in the cartridge, the pressure is installed on one side in the cartridge to apply pressure in a second direction so that the to-be-carried body is pushed to the other side Means, a first stopper provided at the end of the cartridge to support the last object to be conveyed in the object to prevent movement of the last object to be conveyed in a first direction, and the object to be conveyed A second stopper for preventing movement in the second direction by the pressing means, and after the first stopper moves in the second direction to separate or separate the last object to be transported from the cartridge, The second stopper moves in the first direction so that the object to be conveyed is driven by the pressing means. A transfer mechanism is proposed, which allows one step to move in the second direction and returns to the stop position again.

In addition, the transfer mechanism is applied to the vending machine, the pressurizing means is installed in the inside of the vending machine to accommodate the cans stacked vertically and pressurizing means to push the can upwards, the upper side of the cartridge A horizontal stopper installed in the can to support a top can of the can and preventing the top can from moving in a horizontal direction, and a vertical stopper for preventing the can from moving upward by the pressing means. In a vending machine employing a transfer mechanism, when the purchaser selects a type of can, the horizontal stopper moves downward to separate the top can from the cartridge and drop or drop it to the outlet, and the vertical stopper is moved backward. move To allow the can to be moved one step upward by the pressurizing means and to return to the stop position again.

Further, in the vending machine, it is preferable to provide a locking mechanism for providing a pedestal between the pressurizing means and the can and fixing the pedestal to the cartridge.

The locking mechanism is coupled to the pedestal and the screw through a groove formed in a long band in the center of the cartridge front plate, and rotates to secure the pedestal to the cartridge by pinching the pedestal and the front plate of the cartridge. It may be in the form of a handle, or it may be a handle which is connected to the pedestal through a long L-shaped groove in the center of the cartridge front plate and fixes the pedestal to the cartridge by blackening in the lower corner of the groove. .

In addition, in the vending machine, the pressurizing mechanism may be a spring, a step motor or an air cylinder.

(Example)

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a view showing one embodiment of the transfer mechanism of the present invention. In this embodiment, a case of transferring a can in a vending machine will be described.

10 in the figure is a cartridge that can accommodate multiple cans. The cartridge 10 is a substantially rectangular cylinder with an upper opening, and a long strip-shaped groove is formed in the center of the front surface so that the support plate 12 of the spring 11, which will be described later, can move up and down. It is.

When the transfer mechanism of the present embodiment is applied to a vending machine, for example, a large number of these cartridges 10 can be provided. That is, the cartridge 10 may be installed according to the type of the can, or the plurality of cartridges 10 may be installed for one type of can.

A spring 11 is provided at the lower end of the cartridge 10 as a pressurizing means for forcibly transferring the can up. The spring 11 generally uses a coil spring or the like, and has a resilience to receive the load of the can accommodated in the cartridge 10 and to withstand the load to always raise the can.

On the spring 11, a plate-shaped support plate 12 is placed. The supporting plate 12 transmits the lifting force of the spring 11 to the can and also transmits the load of the can to the spring 11.

The base plate 12 is attached with a handle 13 protruding to the outside of the cartridge 10. The handle 13 is attached to the support plate 12 by screwing, etc., so that the support plate 12 and the handle 13 sandwich the front plate of the cartridge 10 by rotating the handle 13. Iii) press the elasticity of the spring 11 to fix the support plate 12 to the cartridge 10.

14 in the figure is a horizontal stopper. The horizontal stopper 14 moves up and down to suppress the top can C from rolling in the horizontal direction or allow the can C to roll so that the can C rolls into the discharge hole 20. . In order to reliably support the can C, the horizontal stopper 14 has a shape along the edge of the can C, a part of which is in contact with the can C, which has an arc shape.

In the figure, 15 is a vertical stopper. The vertical stopper 15 suppresses the can C from rising vertically, and then retreats backward after the top can C falls to the discharge hole 20 by the lowering of the horizontal stopper 14. Allow the next can C to rise and move forward again to prevent the continuous rise of the can C. In order to reliably block the can C, this vertical stopper 15 has a shape along the outer periphery of the can C, a part of which is in contact with the can C has an arc shape.

The stoppers 14 and 15 are attached to the cartridge 10 through guide rails and the like, and are configured to be moved up, down, before, and after by solenoids. Or you may drive using a step motor. Or you may drive using an air cylinder.

On the other hand, 20 in the drawing is a discharge port is a place where the can (C) discharged from the cartridge 10 temporarily stays, is installed in the upper part in the vending machine. In addition, a discharge port (not shown) is formed immediately in front of the discharge hole 20 so that the purchaser can take out the can C by hand through the discharge hole.

The operation in the case of applying the transfer mechanism configured as described above to the vending machine will be described.

First, after driving the drive mechanism to retract the vertical stopper 15 back, the handle 13 is pulled down and the handle 13 is rotated to lock so that the support plate 12 and the handle 13 are cartridges ( The base plate 12 is fixed by clamping the front plate of 10). In this state, the can C is put through the upper opening of the cartridge 10. When the can C is finished, the drive mechanism is driven again to advance the vertical stopper 15 to the original position, and the vertical stopper 15 suppresses the rise of the can C. Next, the knob 13 is turned to release the locking. Even if the locking is released, the can C is not carried out of the cartridge 10 because the vertical stopper 15 has already pressed the can C. In addition, the initial setting of the vending machine is completed by placing one more can C (the uppermost can C) on the horizontal stopper 14 and the vertical stopper 15.

In this automatic vending machine, the state of the can C, the horizontal stopper 14 and the vertical stopper 15 is shown in Fig. 2A.

On the other hand, a plurality of cartridges 10 are installed inside the vending machine, but the method of putting a can into each of these cartridges 10 is the same.

In the initial state of Fig. 2 (a), when the purchaser inserts coins or bills into the inlet of the vending machine and presses the selection button, the driving mechanism is operated to lower the horizontal stopper 14 downward. The can C of the uppermost part which was prevented from rolling by the fall of the horizontal stopper 14 rolls down, and falls to the discharge hole 20 (FIG. 2 (B), can C).

After the uppermost can C rolls off, the drive mechanism is operated to retract the vertical stopper 15 back slightly. In this state, the can C rises due to the elasticity of the spring 11. At this time, the portion in contact with the can C in the vertical stopper 15 is arcuate, so that the rising can C moves forward and is supported by the horizontal stopper 14 (Fig. 2 (D)). ).

When the can C starts to be supported by the horizontal stopper 14 in this way, the vertical stopper 15 is moved forward by the drive mechanism to suppress the rise of the can C again and return to the initial state (Fig. 2 (A)).

On the other hand, the can (C) rolled down to the discharge hole 20 is the buyer put out the hand through the discharge port.

In the above embodiment, the support plate 12 is installed between the spring 11 and the can C, and the handle 13 is connected thereto, but the support plate 12 and the handle 13 are not provided. It's okay. When there is no support plate 12 and the handle 13 in this manner, it is necessary to press with a hand or the like so that the can C is not discharged to the upper portion of the cartridge 10 when the can C is contained in the cartridge 10. After the can C is filled, the vertical stopper 15 is moved forward to remove the pressure applied by hand or the like while the rise of the can C is suppressed.

As shown in Fig. 3, the support plate 12 can be fixed by forming an L-shaped groove in the cartridge 10 so that the handle 13 is placed over the end of the groove.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the spring 11 is used as the pressing means, but is not limited thereto. For example, the step C or the air cylinder may be used instead of the spring 11 to raise the can C.

When using a step motor or an air cylinder in this way, if there is a part which can support the can C in a step motor or an air cylinder, the handle 13 will not need to be installed. In this case, when the can C is put in the cartridge 10, the step C or the air cylinder is driven to lower the can C by lowering the cartridge 10 if possible. Put it in.

As described above, the present invention uses two stoppers to prevent rolled and raised objects such as cans from being rolled up and raised, so that the structure of the present invention is simpler than that of a conventional rack and pinion transfer mechanism. I can make it compact.

In addition, in order to fix the pedestal to the cartridge to the cartridge, the handle is screwed to the outside of the cartridge, and by turning the knob, the handle and the pedestal clamp the wall of the cartridge so that the pedestal is fixed by the simple structure. Therefore, it is easy to put the can into the cartridge.

In addition, the groove formed in the cartridge has an L-shape, so that the pedestal is fixed even by simply hanging the handle connected to the pedestal at the end of the L-shaped groove, thereby showing an excellent effect of fixing the pedestal in a simple structure.

In addition, even when a stepper motor or a cylinder is used as the pressurizing means, it is possible to easily put the can into a cartridge or the like.

Claims (8)

A conveying mechanism for conveying a plurality of conveyed objects accommodated in a cartridge, A pressurizing means installed at one side in the cartridge to apply pressure in a second direction so that the conveyed member is pushed to the other side; A first stopper installed at the end of the cartridge to support the last to-be-conveyed member of the to-be-conveyed member to prevent the last conveyed member from moving in the first direction; A second stopper for preventing the conveyed member from moving in the second direction by the pressing means; Done, After the first stopper moves in the second direction to separate or separate the last object to be transported from the cartridge, the second stopper is moved in the first direction so that the object to be conveyed by the pressurizing means. To move one step in the direction of 2 Transfer mechanism, characterized in that. Pressurizing means installed under the cartridge for accommodating the vertically stacked cans installed inside the vending machine and pressurizing the cans to push upward; A horizontal stopper installed above the cartridge to support a top can of the can to prevent the top can from moving in a horizontal direction; In a vending machine employing a transfer mechanism consisting of a vertical stopper for preventing the can from moving upward by the pressing means, When the purchaser selects the type of can, the horizontal stopper moves downward to separate the top can from the cartridge and drop or drop it to the outlet, then the vertical stopper moves backward so that the can is moved upward by the pressurizing means. To move one step with Vending machine, characterized in that. The method of claim 2, A pedestal is installed between the pressurizing means and the can, And a locking mechanism for fixing the pedestal to the cartridge. Vending machine, characterized in that. The method of claim 3, The locking mechanism, A handle for engaging the pedestal with a screw through a groove formed in a long band at the center of the cartridge front plate, and rotating the clamp to fix the pedestal to the cartridge by pinching the pedestal and the front plate of the cartridge. Vending machine, characterized in that. The method of claim 3, The locking mechanism, A handle that is connected to the pedestal through a long L-shaped groove in the center of the cartridge front plate and fixes the pedestal to the cartridge by blackening at a lower corner of the groove. Vending machine, characterized in that. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, The pressing mechanism is a spring Vending machine, characterized in that. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, The pressurization mechanism is a step motor Vending machine, characterized in that. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, The pressurization mechanism is an air cylinder Vending machine, characterized in that.