JPH06271081A - Article carry-out device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save an article carry-out space, miniaturize the whole device, and reduce the cost by carrying out articles directly below an article storage box. CONSTITUTION:An article carry-out device is provided with an article storage box 1 stacking and storing articles 3... and an article carry-out mechanism 2 carrying out the articles 3... stored in the article storage box 1 in sequence starting from the lowest level. The article carry-out mechanism 2 is provided with the first holding plate 10 holding an article 3a at the lowest level and carrying out it directly below the article storage box 1, the second holding plate 11 entering between the article 3a at the lowest level and the second article 3b from the lowest level in conjunction with the carry-out action of the article 3a by the first holding plate 10, and a drive motor interlocking the first and second holding plates 10, 11 via a pinion 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article unloading device provided in an automatic vending machine or the like for sequentially unloading box-shaped or flat bag-shaped articles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an article unloading device that has been conventionally used in vending machines and the like, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-72481.
There is an article unloading device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication. As shown in FIG. 6, this article unloading device is a box-shaped product 5 as an article.
A product storage shelf 51 for stacking and storing 3 ... and a pusher 52 as a product unloading means for sequentially unloading products from the lowest position of the product storage shelf 51.

In the article unloading device as described above, the product 53
When carrying out the product, the lowest product 53 placed between the carry-out plate 54 and the product storage shelf 51 is carried out by the pusher 52, while the second lowest product 53 is carried out.
The pusher 52 is designed to hold it so that it does not fall into the position 4.

However, in the above-mentioned article unloading device,
Since the pusher 52 is pressed to carry out the product 53, for example, if the product has a bag shape, the product may be damaged by the pusher 52 when carried out, and the product has a box shape. However, if the box thickness is thin, it is difficult to hold the second lowest product 53 while pressing the lowest product 53. At the same time, there is a risk that the products will be unloaded, causing problems such as reduced efficiency in shipping products.

Therefore, as an article unloading device capable of efficiently unloading thin box-shaped products and bag-shaped products, there is, for example, the one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-168582. As shown in FIG. 7, this article unloading device is provided with a spiral 6 as a product unloading unit in a product storage section 61.
2 are provided, and a product 63 is provided in each gap of the spiral 62.
Are inserted, and the products 63 are sequentially carried out by the rotation of the spiral 62. Therefore, in this article unloading device, as long as it can be inserted into the gap of the spiral 62 regardless of the shape of the article, the articles can be reliably carried out one by one. It is possible to prevent malfunctions such as carrying out two
The product delivery efficiency can be improved.

[0006]

Generally, in an automatic vending machine or the like, it is necessary to store a large number of products. However, in the article unloading device using the spiral 62,
Since the products are inserted and stored one by one in the gaps of the spiral 62, when a large number of products are stored, the entire product storage unit 61 becomes large and the entire device becomes large. There is a problem that the space efficiency in the place is reduced and the manufacturing cost of the device is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to improve the reliability of carrying out products, the efficiency of storing products, and the space efficiency of device installation, and the manufacture of the device. An object of the present invention is to provide an article unloading device that can reduce costs.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article unloading device comprising: an article storage section for stacking and storing articles; and an article unloading section for sequentially unloading the articles stored in the article storage section from the lowest level. In the article unloading device provided with, the article unloading means, the first holding plate for holding the lowest article and unloading the article immediately below the article storage section, along with the article unloading operation of the first holding plate. And a second holding plate penetrating between the lowest article and the second lowest article, and a drive means for interlocking the first and second holding plates. It is characterized by.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article unloading device.
The article unloading device described above is characterized in that the tip of the second holding plate is formed so as to be tapered.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article unloading device.
In the article unloading device described above, a space portion larger than the plate thickness of the second holding plate is provided between the lowest article and the second lowest article stored in the article unloading section. It is characterized by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the article unloading device according to the first, second or third aspect, wherein the article storage portion is formed so that its depth is smaller than the depth of the articles to be stored. It is characterized by.

[0012]

According to the above-mentioned structure of the present invention, the article unloading means holds the lowest article and unloads it directly below the article storage section, and the article unloading of the first holding plate. A second holding plate that penetrates between the lowest article and the second lowest article according to the operation is provided, and further, drive means that interlocks these first and second holding plates is provided. By doing so, the first holding plate and the second holding plate are linked to sequentially carry out the article, and the first and second holding plates are not linked and are driven by separate driving means. Compared with the case, the number of parts constituting the device can be reduced, so that the device can be downsized and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the lowest order article is carried out directly below, the storage efficiency of the article can be improved, and further, the carrying-out place can be small, so that the installation place of the apparatus can be small. Therefore, the space efficiency of equipment installation can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the tip of the second holding plate is formed so as to be tapered,
Since the second holding plate easily penetrates into the gap between the lowest item and the second item from the lowest, it becomes possible to reliably separate the items, and a malfunction such as carrying out a plurality of items at once. Can be eliminated, and the reliability of carrying out articles can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a space portion larger than the plate thickness of the second holding plate is provided between the lowest article and the second lowest article stored in the article storage section. By being provided, the second holding plate can easily enter the gap between the lowest article and the second lowest article, and
Since it can be surely performed, it is possible to reduce damage to the article when the second holding plate enters, for example. Therefore, since the space is formed regardless of the thickness of the article, for example, a thin box-shaped article can be carried out, and the reliability of carrying out the article can be further improved.

According to the above-mentioned structure of the present invention, the article storage portion is formed so that the depth thereof is smaller than the depth of the articles to be stored, so that the articles are obliquely stacked and stored. Therefore, for example, if the operator side of the article storage section is formed of a transparent member, the visibility of the stored article in the article storage section can be improved by directing the inclined surface of the article toward the operator side.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following will describe one embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, the article unloading apparatus according to the present embodiment has an article storage box 1 serving as an article storage section for stacking and storing articles, and the articles stored in the article storage box 1 at the lowest level. The article unloading mechanism 2 serves as an article unloading unit that sequentially unloads the articles.

The article storage box 1 includes a front plate 4 and a back plate 5.
Is formed in a housing shape whose lower side is opened. In the present embodiment, thin flat bag-shaped products 3 ... Are stacked and stored as products.

The depth of the article storage box 1, that is, the distance 1 between the front plate 4 and the back plate 5 is formed to be slightly smaller than the depth L of the product 3 to be stored.
When the products are stacked and stored, the products 3 are stored while being inclined. For example, if the products 3 are stored so as to be inclined toward the front plate 4, the visibility of the products 3 from the outside can be improved.

At the lower end of the front plate 4, a fall prevention plate 6 for preventing the lowest product 3a from falling is provided. The fall prevention plate 6 is provided inward of the article storage box 1 and is used for the first holding plate 1 of the article unloading mechanism 2 described later.
Along with 0, the lowest stored commodity 3a is prevented from falling down. Further, the front plate 4 is made of a transparent plate material such as glass or an acrylic plate, and is housed so that the inclined surface is shown in the product storage box 1 so that the stored products 3 can be seen from the outside. Has become.

On the other hand, at the lower end of the back plate 5, there is provided a flapper 7 as a locking member for locking the second lowest product 3b. Further, since all the products 3 other than the lowest product 3a are stored in an inclined state, the space S is formed between the product 3b locked by the flapper 7 and the lowest product 3a. To be done.

Further, the flapper 7 is, as shown in FIG. 2, a first section 7a which is rotatable outside the back plate 5.
And a second section 7b which is rotatable at a cutout 5a below the back plate 5 are integrally supported by a support shaft 8. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the flapper 7 is rotatable on the outside of the back plate 5 in the directions of arrows A and B, while
The back plate 5 is biased by springs 9 and 9 so as to be flush with the back plate 5 so that the article storage box 1 does not rotate. The biasing springs 9 and 9 of the flapper 7 have such strength that the flapper 7 does not rotate in the arrow A direction due to the weight of the second lowest product 3b that is locked.

Further, the flapper 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow A by the movement of the second holding plate 11 of the article unloading mechanism 2 which will be described later, and unlocks the product 3b.
That is, the rotation of the flapper 7 causes the depth of the article storage box 1 at the position where the flapper 7 is disposed to be larger than the depth L of the product 3, so that the product 3b is attached to the first holding plate 1.
It comes to fall on 0.

The article unloading mechanism 2 includes the first holding plate 10 for holding the lowest product 3a in the article storage box 1, the second lowest product 3b and the second and subsequent products 3 ...
And a second holding plate 11 for holding. Also,
The first holding plate 10 and the second holding plate 11 are arranged in parallel with each other, and are interlocked with each other by a driving means described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first holding plate 10 is movable in the directions of arrows X and Y, and normally, together with the fall prevention plate 6 provided below the front plate 4 of the article storage box 1. The lowest product 3a stored in the product storage box 1 is held, and the product 3a is carried out directly below the product storage box 1 by moving in the arrow Y direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first holding plate 10 is provided with first racks 13 and 13 on both end sides of the facing surface of the second holding plate 11, and the pinions 12 and 12.
It is designed to mesh with each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pinions 12 and 12 are pivotally supported by an input shaft 12a, and are rotationally driven by a drive motor 18 as a driving means connected to the input shaft 12a. ing. Also,
The drive motor 18 performs stop, forward rotation, and reverse rotation based on the switch signal of the cam switch 17 pressed by the rotation of the cam 16 provided on the input shaft 12a. The pinion 12 is also adapted to transmit the driving force to the second holding plate 11.

In this embodiment, the drive motor 18 described above is used.
The cam 16 and cam switch 1 are used to control the drive of
7 is used, other than the above, for example, an actuator and a photo sensor may be used, and it is not particularly limited.

The second holding plate 11 is movable in the X and Y directions as in the case of the first holding plate 10.
It stands by outside the flapper 7 provided below the back plate 5 of the article storage box 1, that is, outside the article storage box 1, and by moving the first holding plate 10, the lowest product 3a is moved. When it is carried out, it enters the space S formed by the lowest product 3a and the second lowest product 3b in the article storage box 1.

Further, second racks 14 and 14 meshing with the pinions 12 and 12 are provided on both ends of the surface of the second holding plate 11 facing the first holding plate 10, whereby the second racks 14 and 14 mesh with each other. The second holding plate 11 and the first holding plate 10 are interlocked. For example, if the first holding plate 10 moves in the arrow Y direction, the second holding plate 11 moves in the arrow X direction,
When the first holding plate 10 moves in the arrow X direction, the second holding plate 11 moves in the arrow Y direction.

Further, a hook 15 is vertically provided on the tip side of the second holding plate 11, and this hook 15 is, as shown in FIG. 2, the first section 7a of the flapper 7 of the article storage box 1.
It comes into contact with. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the hook 15 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 15a in the directions of arrows C and D and is tilted in the direction of arrow C. Is urged in the vertical state to maintain the vertical state by the urging means, and after tilting in the arrow C direction, it is rotated in the arrow D direction by the urging force. It is designed not to tilt to the tip side of the. That is, the hook 15
When the second holding plate 11 moves from the outside of the flapper 7 in the arrow X direction, the second holding plate 11 contacts the first section 7a of the flapper 7 and tilts in the direction of arrow C, but the second holding plate 11 that has entered the article storage box 1 is held. When the plate 11 moves again in the direction of the arrow Y, the flapper 7 is rotated in the direction of the arrow A while being kept in the vertically biased state.

Further, the tip of the second holding plate 11 is formed in a taper shape, and is easily inserted into the space S formed between the lowest product 3a and the second lowest product 3b. It is like this.

The thickness and shape of the product to be stored can be changed by changing the relationship between the product storage box 1 and the product 3, for example, the position where the flapper 7 of the product storage box 1 is provided. Further, the distance between the first holding plate 10 and the second holding plate 11 of the article unloading mechanism 2 can correspond to the products 3 to be stored by changing the diameter of the pinion 12.

The article carrying-out device having the above-described configuration can be applied to, for example, a tabletop vending machine 20 as shown in FIG.

Here, the operation mechanism of the above-mentioned article carrying-out apparatus will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

First, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the lowest product 3a of the article storage box 1 is held by the fall prevention plate 6 of the front plate 4 and the first holding plate 10, and then, as shown in FIG. When any of the take-out buttons 21 ... Arranged on the front surface of the tabletop vending machine 20 shown in FIG. 4 is pressed, the first holding plate 10 moves in the direction of the arrow Y as shown in FIG. To do. Along with this, the lowermost product 3a is unloaded and is unloaded to the article outlet 22 provided below the vending machine 20 shown in FIG. At this time, the second holding plate 11 is the first holding plate 1
With the movement of 0 in the direction of arrow Y, the product moves to the direction of arrow X, the hook 15 provided on the second holding plate 11 comes into contact with the flapper 7 and tilts in the direction of arrow C. The product 3b enters the space S formed in the gap between the product 3a and the second lowest product 3b, and holds the product 3b in a tilted state so as not to drop.

Next, when the first holding plate 10 moves to the delivery completion position of the product 3a, the cam switch 17 is turned on by the rotation of the cam 16, and the drive motor 18 is reversely rotated by the signal of the cam switch 17. As shown in FIG. 4 (c), the first holding plate 10 moves in the direction of the arrow X toward the second holding plate 11
Moves in the direction of arrow Y. Then, the second holding plate 1
If 1 moves in the direction of arrow X, as shown in FIG.
The hook 15 of the second holding plate 11 comes into contact with the first piece 7a of the flapper 7 of the article storage box 1 to rotate the flapper 7 in the arrow A direction. At this time, the product 3b, which has been prevented from falling onto the first holding plate 10 by the second holding plate 11, changes from a tilted state to a flat state and drops onto the first holding plate 10,
It is in the carry-out standby state.

With the above structure, the first holding plate 10 and the second holding plate 11 are driven by the same drive motor 18 via the pinions 12 and 12, thereby constituting the device. Since it is possible to reduce the number of parts, the device can be downsized and the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced.

Further, since the lowest product 3a is carried out directly below, it is not necessary to separately provide a carrying-out place and the lower part of the device can be used, so that the installation place of the device can be small. , Space efficiency can be improved.

Further, the lowest product 3a and the second lowest product 2
Since the space S is formed between the second product 3b and the second product 3b, the second holding plate 11 can easily enter.
Further, since the space S is formed so as to be larger than the plate thickness of the second holding plate 11, the lowest product 3a.
Also, the contact area between the second lowest product 3b and the second holding plate 11 can be reduced, damage to the second holding plate 11 of the product 3 and the like can be reduced, and the reliability of the product delivery can be improved. Can be improved.

Further, by making the depth of the article storage box 1 smaller than the depth of the products 3 to be stored, the products 3 can be stored at an angle. Therefore, when this device is used in an automatic vending machine or the like, stacking is performed. The stored product can be easily recognized from the outside, the visibility of the product can be improved, and the display effect can be enhanced.

In the above-mentioned article carrying-out device, the flapper 7 is used to bring the product from the tilted state to the flat state, but it may be another one and is not particularly limited.

[0043]

The article unloading device according to the first aspect of the invention is
As described above, in the article unloading device including the article storage section for stacking and storing the articles and the article unloading section for sequentially unloading the articles stored in the article storage section, the article unloading section includes: , A first holding plate that holds the lowest-ranked item and carries it out directly under the above-mentioned article storage section, and the lowest-ranked item and the second-most-lowest item in accordance with the carrying-out operation of the first holding plate. And a second holding plate that penetrates between the first and second holding plates, and a driving means that interlocks the first and second holding plates.

Therefore, since the first holding plate and the second holding plate are linked by one driving means, the number of components of the entire apparatus can be reduced, the apparatus can be downsized, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Since it is possible to reduce the cost, and since the article can be carried out directly under the article carry-out section, the device installation place can be small, which also enables the size reduction of the device. Produce an effect.

The article unloading device according to the second aspect of the present invention is configured such that the tip of the second holding plate is tapered as described above.

Therefore, in addition to the effect of claim 1, insertion of the second holding plate between the lowest article and the second article from the lowest is further facilitated, and the reliability of article delivery is improved. There is an effect that can be made.

Further, as described above, the article unloading device according to the third aspect of the present invention holds the second holding between the lowest article and the second lowest article stored in the article unloading section. This is a configuration in which a space portion larger than the plate thickness of the plate is provided.

Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, it becomes easy to insert the second holding plate between the lowest item and the second item from the lowest, and the second item from the lowest item and the second item from the lowest item. The second article can be easily separated from each other, and the certainty of delivering the article can be further improved.

Further, as described above, the article unloading device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is configured such that the depth of the article storage portion is smaller than the depth of the articles to be stored.

Therefore, in addition to the effects of the first, second or third aspect, since the article can be stored in the article storage section at an angle, the visibility of the article from the outside can be improved. Play.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an article unloading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic rear view of the article unloading device of FIG.

3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an article unloading mechanism of the article unloading apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the operation of the article unloading device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a state immediately before the article is held by the first holding plate and is carried out. FIG. (B) is an explanatory view showing a state in which the lowermost article is carried out, and FIG. (C) is an explanatory view showing a state in which the holding of the second article from the lowermost portion is released, FIG.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the 2nd article from the bottom is mounted on a 1st holding plate.

5 is a front view showing a tabletop vending machine to which the article unloading device of FIG. 1 is applied.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional article unloading device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another example of a conventional article unloading device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 article storage box (article storage part) 2 article unloading mechanism (article unloading means) 3 product (article) 4 front plate 5 back plate 7 flapper 10 first holding plate 11 second holding plate 12 pinion 13 first rack 14 second Rack 18 Drive motor (drive means)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An article storage unit for storing articles in a stack,
In an article unloading device including article unloading means for sequentially unloading the articles stored in the article storage section from the lowest order, the article unloading section holds the lowest order article and directly below the article storage section. A first holding plate to be carried out and a second holding plate to be inserted between the lowest article and the second lowest article in association with the article carrying-out operation of the first holding plate are provided. An article unloading device, characterized in that a driving means for interlocking the first and second holding plates is provided. 2. The article carrying-out device according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the second holding plate is formed so as to be tapered. 3. A space larger than the plate thickness of the second holding plate is provided between the lowest article and the second lowest article stored in the article unloading section. The article carrying-out device according to claim 1. 4. The article unloading device according to claim 1, wherein the article storage section is formed so that the depth thereof is smaller than the depth of the articles to be stored.