JP4439168B2 - Vending machine product unloading device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a product unloading device of a vending machine that drops and unloads one by one from the lowest product among stored products.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a serpentine type vending machine, in order to carry out the products in the product column one by one, a product delivery device is installed at the lower part of the product column.
[0003]
An example of the carry-out structure of the product carry-out device will be described. A gate lever is installed at the lower part of the product carry-out device, and protrudes into the product path to hold the lowest product on the gate lever. In addition, a lock lever is installed at the upper part of the product carry-out device, and this is projected into the product passage to hold the second lowest product on the lock lever.
[0004]
In this product carry-out device, the gate lever protrudes into the product passage while the lock lever is retracted from the product passage when in the standby state, so that the lowest product is held on the gate lever. Yes. When a product sales signal is output in this standby state, first the lock lever is protruded into the product passage, the second lowest product is held by the lock lever, and then the gate lever is retracted from the product passage. . Thereby, only the lowest product is dropped and carried out. After carrying out the lowest-order product, the gate lever is again projected into the product passage, and then the lock lever is retracted from the product passage. As a result, the second lowest product held by the lock lever falls on the gate lever, becomes the lowest product, is held on the gate lever, and returns to the initial standby state.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, when the product is carried out, the lock lever needs to protrude into the product passage as described above. Here, when the carry-out product is a cylindrical can product, the lowermost can product and the second lowest can product are in a state in which the cylindrical outer peripheral surfaces face each other. Therefore, there is a large gap for the lock lever to enter between the upper and lower can products, and the second product from the bottom can be held without any trouble.
[0006]
On the other hand, when the carry-out product is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped plastic bottle product, the upper and lower products are stacked in surface contact with each other, and the gap between the products is formed at the corner of the plastic bottle product. Limited to cut parts. Therefore, in order to securely hold the second product from the lowest position with the lock lever, the lock lever should be designed as close as possible to the cut part between the lowest product and the second product from the lowest position. I must.
[0007]
However, the position of the gap between the products differs depending on the size of the plastic bottle product. That is, when the plastic bottle product is small, the gap position between each product is at the lower position, and conversely, when the plastic bottle product is large, the position is at the upper position. In addition, the lock lever must securely hold the second product from the lowest position regardless of whether the plastic bottle product is large or small.
[0008]
An object of the present invention is to take out a vending machine product that can securely hold the second product from the lowest position by a lock lever regardless of whether it is a large rectangular or small plastic bottle product even in the case of a substantially rectangular plastic bottle product. To provide an apparatus.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is configured separately from the gate lever that supports the lowest product in the product passage and the gate lever, and rotates so that the lever upper end protrudes into the product passage. A lock lever that holds the second lowest product in the product passage, and a drive device that applies an upward force to the lock lever to rotate the upper end of the lock lever so as to protrude into the product passage; A product unloading device for a vending machine comprising a gate lever, a lock lever and a substrate provided with a driving device, and alternately ejecting the product from the lowest product by protruding the gate lever and the lock lever into the product passage one by one. in the lock lever includes a shaft portion for supporting the lock lever rotatably, about an axis portion when upward force is applied from the positioned above the shaft portion said drive unit A rotation imparting portion that imparts rotation so that the upper end of the bar protrudes toward the product passage, and the shaft portion of the lock lever is pivotally supported in a long hole extending vertically on the substrate so as to be movable up and down. The elongate hole is raised by an upward force applied to the rotation imparting portion.
[0010]
According to the present invention, an upward force is applied to the lock lever by driving the drive device, and the lever upper end of the lock lever rotates so as to protrude into the product passage. The upper end of the lever protruding into the product passage hits the side of the lowest product, for example, a substantially rectangular plastic bottle product. In addition, the upward force on the lock lever becomes a force that pulls the lock lever upward, whereby the lock lever moves upward over the length of the long hole. By the upward movement of the lock lever, the upper end of the lever approaches the second product from the lowest position (approaches the gap between the lowest product and the second product from the lowest position). Therefore, when the lock lever protrudes into the product passage, the product immediately enters between the upper and lower products, and the second product from the lowest position can be securely held on the lock lever.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 show a product carrying device of a vending machine according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the vending machine, FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the product carrying device, and FIG. 4 is a front perspective view when the product is taken out, FIG. 5 is a schematic side view when the product is on standby, FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing an initial process of holding the lock lever, and FIG. It is a side surface schematic diagram showing the end process of holding operation.
[0012]
First, an outline of a vending machine will be described with reference to FIG. This vending machine is a serpentine type vending machine, and has a plurality of product columns 1 arranged in front and rear, and in the product column 1, a substantially rectangular plastic bottle product, for example, a large plastic bottle product S1. A small product S2 is stored. In addition, a product carry-out device 2 is installed in each product passage A on the lower side of the product column 1.
[0013]
The structure of the product carry-out device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. This product carry-out device 2 has a vertically extending substrate 21, and a sold-out detection switch 20 is installed in the approximate center of the upper portion of this substrate 21, and the product S 1 in the product column 1 is provided by this switch 20. The presence or absence of S2 is detected.
[0014]
A plate-like lock lever 22 having a lower end pivotally supported by a shaft 221 extends in the lateral direction substantially at the center of the substrate 21. ing. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the back surface of the lock lever 22 has a plurality of support plates 222 protruding rearward at intervals, and the support plate 222 is formed with a guide groove 223 opened rearward. is doing. A rotation-giving shaft 224 is installed in the guide groove 223. When the rotation-giving shaft 224 moves up and down, the rotation-giving shaft 224 moves along the guide groove 223 to rotate the support plate 222 up and down. A rotational force in the vertical direction is applied to the lever 22. The product S 12 that is the second lowest from the bottom of the lock lever 22 configured as described above is held.
[0015]
A gate lever 23 for holding the lowest product S11 is installed at the bottom of the substrate 21. The gate lever 23 is pivotally supported on the substrate 21 by a shaft 231 and is rotatable in the vertical direction. A spring 232 is wound around the shaft 231 to urge the gate lever 23 upward. Further, a stopper arm 233 extends obliquely rearward on the back surface of the gate lever 23.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 3, a driving device such as a solenoid 24 is installed on the upper back surface of the substrate 21. The plunger 241 of the solenoid 24 extends downward, and an operation plate 242 extending vertically is connected to the lower end of the plunger 241.
[0017]
A return spring 243 is connected to the lower end of the operating plate 242. When the solenoid 24 is attracted, the operating plate 242 is pulled upward. On the other hand, when the attracting operation of the solenoid 24 is finished, the returning is performed. The actuating plate 242 moves downward by the biasing force of the spring 243. Further, the rotation imparting shaft 224 is connected to the upper side of the operation plate 242, and the lock lever 22 appears and disappears in the product passage A as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 by the vertical movement of the operation plate 242. Rotate like so. A stopper shaft 244 is fixed to the lower end of the operation plate 242. When the stopper shaft 244 is in the lower position (when the gate lever 23 is in a standby state), the lower end of the stopper arm 233 hits this as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and the downward rotation of the gate lever 23 is restricted. is doing. On the other hand, when the stopper shaft 244 moves upward, this restriction is released, and the gate lever 23 is allowed to rotate downward.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 3, a first shaft support guide member 25 is provided on the right side of the back surface of the substrate 21 with an operation plate 242 therebetween, and a second shaft support guide member is provided on the left side (near one side surface of the substrate 21). 26 and a third shaft support guide member 27 is provided near the other side surface of the substrate 21. The first and second shaft support guide members 25 and 26 have upper guide holes 251 and 261 through which the rotation imparting shaft 224 passes, and lower guide holes 252 and 262 through which the stopper shaft 244 penetrates at the lower side. have. Each guide hole 251, 252, 261, 262 is formed as a long hole extending vertically, and guides each shaft 224, 244 vertically. In addition, the shafts 221, 231 of the levers 22, 23 are pivotally supported on the shaft support guide members 25, 26, 27. Here, the shaft 221 of the lock lever 22 is pivotally supported by shaft holes (long holes) 253 and 271 extending vertically. Although the shaft hole of the first shaft support guide member 25 is not clearly shown in FIG. 3, a similar shaft hole (long hole) is also formed in the first shaft support guide member 25.
[0019]
Next, operation | movement of the goods carrying-out apparatus 2 which concerns on this embodiment is mainly demonstrated with reference to FIGS. A large-sized product S1 stored in the product column 1 will be described as a carry-out product. As described above, the shaft support guide members 25, 26, and 27 are provided to support the shafts 221 and 231 of the levers 22 and 23. For convenience of explanation, the third shaft support guide member 27 is illustrated in FIG. Shown and explained.
[0020]
First, at the time of sales standby, as shown in FIG. 5, the lock lever 22 is submerged from the product passage A, and the lowest product S <b> 11 is placed on the gate lever 23. Here, the load of the product S1 stored in the product column 1 including the lowest product S11 is applied to the gate lever 23, and a downward rotational force is applied to the gate lever 23. Since the stopper arm 233 of the lever 23 hits the stopper shaft 244, the gate lever 25 does not rotate downward, and the lowest product S11 is on standby for sale.
[0021]
When a merchandise sales signal is input in this state, the solenoid 24 is excited to pull the plunger 241 upward. As a result, the rotation imparting shaft 224 moves upward while tracing the guide groove 223 to push up the support plate 222, so that an upward force is applied to the lock lever 22, and the lever upper end 225 of the lock lever 22 is connected to the product path. Rotate to project into A. The lever upper end 225 protruding into the product passage A hits the side surface of the plastic bottle product of the lowest product S11. Further, this upward force on the lock lever 22 becomes a force for lifting the lock lever 22 upward, and thereby the shaft 221 of the lock lever 22 moves upward over the length of the shaft hole 271. Due to the upward movement of the lock lever 22, the lever upper end 225 approaches the second product S12 from the lowest position (in the gap B between the lowest product S11 and the second lowest product S12). Approach).
[0022]
On the other hand, since the stopper shaft 244 moves upward by the pulling-up operation of the plunger 241, the stopper shaft 244 is detached from the stopper arm 233 and the gate lever 23 is rotated downward by the product load as shown in FIG. . Thereby, the lowest product S11 is dropped and carried out.
[0023]
By dropping and transporting the lowest product S11, the second lowest product S12 stacked on the product S11 falls downward. At this time, the lever upper end 225 has already approached the gap B. Therefore, it quickly protrudes into the merchandise passage A, and as shown in FIG. 7, the drop of the second merchandise S12 from the lowest position is regulated.
[0024]
Thereafter, the gate lever 23 having finished carrying out the lowest product S11 and having no product load is rotated upward by the resilient force of the spring 232 and moved to the standby position as shown in FIG. Then, the excitation time of the solenoid 24 ends, and the operating plate 242 moves downward again by the biasing force of the return spring 243. Due to the downward movement of the operating plate 242, the stopper shaft 244 moves downward and moves to the standby position shown in FIG. Similarly, the rotation imparting shaft 224 moves downward again while tracing the guide groove 223 due to the downward movement of the operation plate 242, and accordingly, the lock lever 22 rotates so as to move backward from the product passage A, and returns to the original position. Return to. By repeating such a series of operations, the products S1 are sold one by one from the lowest product S11.
[0025]
As described above, according to the product carry-out device 2 according to the present embodiment, the shaft 221 of the lock lever 22 moves upward along the shaft hole 271 when the lock lever 22 holds the second lowest product S12. In addition, since the lever upper end 225 of the lock lever 22 is moved toward the second lowest product 12 from the lowest position, when the lowest product S11 is carried out, it is quickly placed between the products S11 and S12. It is possible to securely hold the second product S12 from the bottom.
[0026]
In addition, although the carrying-out operation of the small product S2 is not described in the above embodiment, when the small product S2 is carried out, the side end dimension (the vertical dimension of the side surface) of the product S2 is small. Of course, the holding operation of the lock lever 22 is more reliably performed because 225 easily enters the gaps between the boundaries of the products S2.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when the second lowest product is held by the lock lever, the lock lever shaft moves upward over the length of the long hole, and the lock lever lever To move the top end toward the second item from the bottom, when holding the second item from the bottom, the lever top is quickly placed between the bottom item and the second item from the bottom. It is possible to securely hold the second product S from the bottom.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vending machine. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a product carry-out apparatus when it is on sale. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view when the product carry-out apparatus is on sale. Front perspective view during operation [FIG. 5] Schematic side view of the product carrying-out apparatus during standby for sale [FIG. 6] Schematic side view showing an initial process of holding operation of the lock lever [FIG. 7] Ending process of holding operation of the lock lever Schematic diagram showing the side [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Product column, 2 ... Product delivery apparatus, 21 ... Board | substrate, 22 ... Lock lever, 23 ... Gate lever, 24 ... Solenoid, 25, 26, 27 ... Shaft support guide member, 221 ... Shaft, 225 ... Lever upper end part, 253, 271 ... shaft hole (long hole), S1, S2 ... product, S11 ... lowest product, S12 ... second product from the lowest, A ... product passage.

Claims (1)

A gate lever that supports the lowest product in the product passage, and is configured separately from the gate lever and rotates so that the upper end of the lever protrudes into the product passage. A lock lever that holds the second product, a drive device that applies an upward force to the lock lever and rotates the upper end of the lock lever so as to protrude into the product path, the gate lever, A vending machine having a lock lever and a substrate provided with the drive device, and alternately ejecting the gate lever and the lock lever into the merchandise path to carry out the product one by one from the lowest product In the device
The lock lever includes a shaft portion that pivotally supports the lock lever , and an upper end portion of the lever that is positioned above the shaft portion and is centered on the shaft portion when an upward force is applied from the drive device. A rotation imparting portion that imparts rotation so as to protrude toward the product passage,
The shaft portion of the lock lever is pivotally supported by an elongated hole extending vertically on the substrate so as to be movable up and down, and the elongated hole is raised by an upward force applied from the driving device to the rotation imparting portion. products carry-out device for an automatic vending machine which is characterized in that the configuration was.

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