JP2002304662A - Commodity carry-out device for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a commodity carry-out device for automatic vending machine which carries commodities out corresponding to various commodity diameters in comparatively simple structure. SOLUTION: In the commodity carry-out device for automatic vending machine for carrying out the commodity one by one from a lowest commodity S111 by a lock lever 24 and a gate lever 25, the lock lever 24 is composed of a main lock lever 22 which is vertically turned and can freely advances to and retracts from the inside of a commodity pass A, and a sub-lock lever 23 which is positioned above the main lock lever 22 and can be freely turned up and down inside the commodity pass A, and the sub-lock lever 23 has a holding member 231 for holding the second lowest commodity S211 by abutting on the upper end of the main lock lever 22, a shaft 232 for supporting the holding member 231 freely turnably, a long hole 231a through which the shaft 232 is passed, for freely moving the holding member 231 along the extending direction of the holding member 321, and a spring for energizing the holding member 231 upward.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article dispensing apparatus for a vending machine which drops and ejects one item at a time from the lowest item in an item column.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a serpentine type vending machine, a product discharging device is installed in a product passage below a product column, and the products are discharged one by one by the product discharging device. To explain this unloading structure, a gate lever that can move in and out of the product passage is installed at the lower part of the product unloading device, and a lock lever that can also move in and out of the product passage is installed at the upper part. When the lowest product is carried out, the lock lever is protruded into the product passage in advance to hold the second lowest product, and then the gate lever is opened to carry out the lowest product. ing.

However, in this product discharging device, the amount of protrusion of the lock lever into the product path is always constant, and it can be used only for products corresponding to this protrusion amount, that is, products of a predetermined product diameter. When a product having a product diameter of is introduced, there is a problem that the product may be blocked in the product path or two or more products may be sold in one selling operation.

[0004] In order to solve such a problem, a product unloading device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-160941 has been proposed. This product unloading device has a gate lever for holding the lowest order product, a first lock lever for thin cans,
A second lock lever for a thick can, and when the thin can enters the product passage, is held by the first lock lever;
When the thick can enters the product passage, it is held by the second lock lever. This makes it possible to deal with both small and large cans, and realizes a product discharge device that can be used for both small and large cans.

[0005]

However, in the latter product discharge device, the first lock lever for the thin can and the second lock lever for the large can each have a constant amount of protrusion into the product passage. Therefore, for example, when a product with a smaller product diameter than the thin can envisioned by the first lock lever is introduced, the product can be held even if the product diameter is slightly smaller. However, there is a problem that the product holding range of the first lock lever is narrow.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine product unloading device capable of unloading products according to various product diameters with a relatively simple structure.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problem. When the lowest product among the products stored in the product column is carried out, the gate lever is retracted from the product passage and the lowest product is placed. In a product unloading device of a vending machine in which a product is dropped and carried out, a lock lever protrudes into a product passage, holds the second lowest product, and carries out products one by one from the lowest product. The main lock lever consists of a main lock lever that pivots up and down so that it can freely enter and exit the product passage, and a sublock lever that is located above the main lock lever and that can pivot up and down in the product passage. A receiving member for receiving the second lowest product from the lower end by contacting the upper end of the lever; a rotating shaft rotatably supporting the receiving member; A long hole to movably wood, and has a structure having a spring for biasing the receiving member upward.

According to the present invention, when a product is stored in the product column, the lowest product is held by the gate lever. Here, the main lock lever is submerged from the product passage, but the sublock lever is maintained in the product passage in a state corresponding to the product diameter. That is, in the stand-by state, when a product hits the tip of the sublock lever, the posture is maintained at the position where the product hits, and at the highest position when the product does not hit it.

Here, when the stored product is a small can having a small product diameter, the distance between the base of the receiving member and the product is increased by the small product diameter, and the tip of the receiving member is at a high position. Hits the product.

Also, when the tip of the receiving member hits the product,
An upward biasing force of the spring and a force received from the product are applied to the receiving member, and these forces act as a backward moving force on the receiving member, so that the receiving member moves rearward along the elongated hole. Moving. This further increases the distance between the base of the receiving member and the product, and the tip of the receiving member hits the product at a higher position.

[0011] When the tip of the receiving member is at a position higher than the main lock lever at the time of standby for selling the product,
At the time of product sale, the main lock lever protrudes into the product passage, while the gate lever is opened and the lowest product is dropped and carried out. With the fall of this lowest product, the lowest product supported by the lowest product is 2
The second product moves downward. When the second product from the lowest position moves downward, the sublock lever also rotates downward due to the product load. At this time, since the main lock lever has already protruded into the product passage, the receiving member of the sublock lever is received. Is supported at the upper end of the main lock lever.

Here, the load of the goods stacked thereon and the support force from the main lock lever are applied to the receiving member, and these forces act as a forward moving force on the receiving member. Therefore, the receiving member moves forward along the elongated hole. As a result, a product having a product diameter even smaller than the product diameter of the product assumed by the sublock lever can be held.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 1 to 11 show a product discharging device of a vending machine according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the vending machine, and FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the product discharging device. , FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the product discharging device, FIG. 4 is a front perspective view when the small-diameter product is discharged, FIG. 5 is a front perspective view when the large-diameter product is discharged, and FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of a small-diameter product at the time of sale, FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of a large-diameter product at a stand-by time, FIG.
FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of a main part showing a force relationship with respect to the receiving member at the time of selling standby, and FIG.

First, an outline of a vending machine will be described with reference to FIG. This vending machine is a serpentine type vending machine, in which a plurality of product columns 1 are arranged in front and behind, and a product unloading device 2 is installed in a product passage A on the lower side of the product column 1. .

FIGS. 2 to 5 show the structure of the product carrying device 2.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The product unloading device 2 has a vertically extending substrate 21, and a sold-out detection switch 20 is installed substantially at the upper center of the substrate 21. Is detected.

The lower end of the shaft 21 is located substantially at the center of the substrate 21.
A plate-shaped main lock lever 22 pivotally supported at 1 extends in the lateral direction. With this shaft 221 as a fulcrum, the shaft 221 is rotatable so as to be able to come and go in the product passage A. The main lock lever 22 has two through holes 222 on the left and right, and a claw 234 of the sublock lever 23 described later fits therein. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of support plates 223 projecting rearward are provided on the back surface of the main lock lever 22 at intervals, and the support plate 223 has a guide groove 224 opened rearward. Has formed. This guide groove 224
When the rotation imparting shaft 225 moves up and down, the rotation imparting shaft 225 traces the guide groove 224 to rotate the support plate 223 up and down, and the main lock lever 22 moves vertically. Is applied.

The sub-lock lever 23 is a receiving member 231 formed in a rectangular shape by a frame. The sub-lock lever 23 is supported by a shaft 232 above the main lock lever 22 so as to be able to rotate up and down in the product passage A. . Shaft 2
A spring 233 is wound around 32, and the receiving member 231 is urged upward by the spring force with the shaft 232 as a fulcrum. As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the portion where the shaft 232 passes on both sides on the base side of the receiving member 231 extends along the direction in which the receiving member 231 extends, that is, from the base of the receiving member 231 to the distal end. An elongated hole 231a is formed along the direction in which it goes. The elongated hole 231a allows the receiving member 231 to move by the length in the longitudinal direction. The front frame of the receiving member 231 is formed with two claws 234 protruding rearward, and the claws 234 are connected to the main lock lever 22.
Can be fitted into the through hole 222. The length from the rotation center to the tip of the sublock lever 23 is, as shown in FIGS.
Is designed so that the tip of the sublock lever 23 projects forward from the upper end of the main lock lever 22 when the tip of the main lock lever 22 contacts the tip of the main lock lever 22.

The main lock lever 22 and the sublock lever 23 configured as described above constitute a lock lever 24 for holding the second lowest products S2 and S21.

On the lower part of the substrate 21, the lowest products S1, S
A gate lever 25 that holds the gate 11 is provided. The gate lever 25 is supported on the substrate 21 by a shaft 251 and is rotatable in the vertical direction. A spring 252 is wound around the shaft 251 and urges the gate lever 25 upward. A stopper arm 253 extends obliquely rearward on the back surface of the gate lever 25.

As shown in FIG. 3, a solenoid 26 is provided on the upper back surface of the substrate 21. This solenoid 26
Plunger 261 extends downward,
A vertically extending operating plate 2 is provided at the lower end of the plunger 261.
62 are connected.

A return spring 263 is connected to the lower end of the operating plate 262, and when the solenoid 26 sucks, the operating plate 262 is pulled upward, while
When the suction operation of the solenoid 26 ends, the operating plate 262 moves downward by the urging force of the return spring 263. The rotation imparting shaft 225 is connected to the upper side of the operation plate 262, and the main lock lever 22 protrudes and retracts into the product passage A as shown in FIGS. To rotate. A stopper shaft 264 is fixed to a lower end of the operation plate 262. When the stopper shaft 264 is at a lower position (when the gate lever 25 is in a standby state), FIG.
As shown in (2), the lower end of the stopper arm 253 is in contact therewith, and restricts the downward rotation of the gate lever 25. On the other hand, when the stopper shaft 264 moves upward, this restriction is released, and the gate lever 25 is allowed to rotate downward.

As shown in FIG. 3, a guide member 2 for guiding the rotation imparting shaft 225 and the stopper shaft 264 up and down on the left and right sides of the operation plate 262 as shown in FIG.
7, 28 are formed. Of the guide members 27, 28, the guide member 27 on the left side as viewed in FIG. 3 is a side plate of the substrate 21, while the guide member 28 on the right side is formed of a vertically extending rod. An upper guide hole 27 for guiding the rotation imparting shaft 225 is provided on an upper side of each of the guide members 27 and 28.
1, 281 and a stopper shaft 26 on the lower side.
4 have lower guide holes 272 and 282.

Next, the operation of the product unloading device 2 according to the present embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. First, the operation of the vending machine when the products S1 and S2 having a small product diameter are stored as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 will be described. At the time of sales standby, as shown in FIG.
2, the distance between the base of the receiving member 231 of the sublock lever 23 and the products S1 and S2 increases because the product diameter of the product 2 is small,
As a result, the upward rotation angle of the sublock lever 23 is increased by the urging force of the spring 233. on the other hand,
The lowermost product S1 is placed on the gate lever 25, and a downward rotational force is applied to the gate lever 25. However, since the stopper arm 253 of the gate lever 25 contacts the stopper shaft 264, the gate lever 25 25 does not rotate downward, and the lowest product S1
Is waiting for sale.

In this state, when a sales signal for a product is input, the solenoid 26 is excited to pull the plunger 261 upward. As a result, the rotation imparting shaft 225 pushes up the support plate 223 while tracing the guide groove 224, so that the main lock lever 22 is moved as shown in FIG.
It protrudes toward the product passage A. On the other hand, the plunger 26
Since the stopper shaft 264 moves upward by the lifting operation of 1, the stopper shaft 264 is disengaged from the stopper arm 253 as shown in FIG. 7, and the gate lever 25 rotates downward due to the product load. As a result, the lowest order product S1 is dropped and carried out.

By dropping and transporting the lowest commodity S1,
The second lowest product S2 stacked on the product S1 moves downward, and the product S2 hits the receiving member 231 of the sublock lever 23, and rotates the receiving member 231 downward. . When the receiving member 231 rotates downward, since the main lock lever 22 has already protruded into the product passage A, FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 7, the distal end of the receiving member 231 contacts the upper end of the main lock lever 22.
One rotation is regulated. Accordingly, the second lowest commodity S2 that is in contact with the receiving member 231 from above is also prevented from falling.

After that, the gate lever 25 having dropped and carried out the lowest commodity S1 returns to the standby position by the urging force of the spring 252. When returning to the standby position, the excitation time of the solenoid 26 ends, and the operating plate 262 moves downward again by the urging force of the return spring 263. The downward movement of the operation plate 262 causes the stopper shaft 264 to move downward and hit the lower end of the stopper arm 253, thereby restricting the gate lever 25 from rotating downward. Also, the operation plate 26
Due to the downward movement of 2, the rotation imparting shaft 225 moves downward again while tracing the guide groove 224.
As a result, the main lock lever 22 returns to the original position so as to separate from the product passage A, while the support state of the receiving member 231 is released, and the second lowest product S2 falls on the gate lever 25. Then, it enters the standby state for sale.

Next, with reference mainly to FIGS. 8 and 9, the operation when the products S11 and S21 having a large product diameter are stored will be described. At the time of selling standby, as shown in FIG. 8, the base of the receiving member 231 of the sublock lever 23 and the products S11
The distance between the receiving member 23 and the receiving member 23 is reduced.
1 is small. On the other hand, the lowest order product S11 is placed on the gate lever 25, and the lowest order product S11 is similar to the above-described products S1 and S2 having a small product diameter.
11 is waiting for sale.

In this state, when a product sale signal is input, the solenoid 26 is excited and the plunger 261 is pulled upward as described above, and the main lock lever 22 is turned on.
As shown in FIG. 9, it protrudes toward the product passage A. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the stopper shaft 264 is disengaged from the stopper arm 253 by the lifting operation of the plunger 261, and the gate lever 25 rotates downward due to the product load. Thereby, the lowest commodity S
11 is dropped and carried out.

By dropping and transporting the lowest order product S11, the second lowest order product S21 stacked on the first product S1 moves downward. At this time, since the main lock lever 22 has already protruded into the product passage A, the product S21 hits the upper end of the main lock lever 22 as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5, the sublock lever 23 has a claw 222 formed with a through hole 234 of the main lock lever 22.
And is held on the front side of the main lock lever 22.

Thereafter, the gate lever 25 returns to the standby position by the urging force of the spring 252, as in the case of the above-described lowest commodity S1, while the excitation time of the solenoid 26 ends and the operation plate 262, the stopper shaft 264 and the rotation applying The shaft 225 returns to the original standby position, the main lock lever 22 and the sublock lever 23 return to the original standby position, and the second lowest product S2 is supported on the gate lever 25.

As described above, according to the commodity discharging apparatus according to the present embodiment, the stored commodities are the small commodities S1, S2
In the case of, at the time of unloading the product, the second lowest product S2
Are supported by the sublock lever 23. On the other hand, when the stored products are the products S11 and S21 having a large product diameter, the second lowest product S21 is the main lock lever 22.
, The product can be securely held in either a thin or large can. In addition, by increasing the dimension up to the tip of the sublock lever 23, it is possible to cope with products of various product diameters.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When selling the S1 and S211 and the tip of the receiving member 231 of the sublock lever 23 is in contact with the lowest product S111, the receiving member 231 receives the upward urging force F1 by the spring 233 and the product S111. Since the force F2 is applied and these forces act on the receiving member 231 as a backward moving force F3, the receiving member 231 moves rearward along the elongated hole 231a as shown by a broken line in FIG. I do. Thereby, the base of the receiving member 231 and the product 2
The distance between the receiving member 231 and the receiving member 231 further increases, and the receiving member 231 rotates as indicated by a broken arrow in FIG.

As described above, since the receiving member 231 of the sublock lever 23 always moves to a high position, the products S11 and S21 having a large product diameter and the products S1 and S2 having a small product diameter are mixed and a product column is provided. Even if the products S1 and S2 are stored in the storage device 1, the products S1 and S2 having a small product diameter can be reliably held by the sublock lever 23.

Also, as shown in FIG.
When the second product S211 is supported by the receiving member 231 of the sublock lever 23, the receiving member 231 receives the load F11 of the product S211 stacked thereon and the supporting force F22 from the main lock lever 22; These forces are applied to the receiving member 231 by a forward moving force F33.
Therefore, the receiving member 231 moves forward along the elongated hole 231a. As a result, it is possible to hold a product having a smaller product diameter than the product diameter of the product assumed by the sublock lever 23.

Furthermore, the above-described linear movement of the receiving member 231 in the front-rear direction has a relatively simple structure.
a and the spring 233.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Even when commodities having different diameters are stored in the commodities column, the commodities can be taken out one by one with a relatively simple structure. In addition, the support range of the second product from the bottom extends, and even when a product having a smaller product diameter than the product diameter to be stored is stored in the product column, it can be reliably supported.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a vending machine.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the product unloading device.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the product unloading device.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view when a small-diameter product is carried out.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view when a large-diameter product is carried out.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a small-diameter product on standby for sale.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of a small-diameter product at the time of sale.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of a large-diameter product on standby for sale.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of a large-diameter product at the time of sale.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a main portion showing a force relationship with respect to a receiving member at the time of standby for sales.

FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a main part showing a force relationship with respect to a receiving member at the time of sale.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Commodity column, 2 ... Commodity discharge device, 22 ... Main lock lever, 23 ... Sublock lever, 231 ... Receiving member, 231a ... Long hole, 232 ... Shaft, 233 ... Spring, 24 ... Lock lever, 25 ... Gate lever , S1,
S2, S11, S12, S111, S211 ... Commodity, A
… Commodity passage.

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 3E046 BB03 DA01 EA08 EA20 EB02 GA01 3F030 AA01 AB01 CA02 CC02 EA02 EB03 3F070 AA07 AA27 BA03 BA09 BE03 BG02 BG04 BG06 BG08 BG10 CA09 FA02 FB01 FB06 FB08 FE05

Claims (1)

[Claims] When the lowest product among the products stored in the product column is carried out, the gate lever is retracted from the product passage and the lowest product is dropped and carried out, and the lock lever projects into the product passage. A product discharging device of a vending machine that holds a second product from the lowest order and discharges one product at a time from the lowest product, wherein the lock lever pivots up and down to freely enter and exit the product path. A main lock lever, and a sublock lever positioned above the main lock lever and rotatable up and down in the product path. The sublock lever contacts the upper end of the main lock lever and is 2 A receiving member for receiving the second product, a rotating shaft rotatably supporting the receiving member, and a movable movable member along a direction in which the rotating shaft extends through the receiving member. A long hole that product unloading device for an automatic vending machine characterized in that it comprises a spring which urges the receiving only member upward.