JPH0785345A - Commodity storage device of automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a commodity storage device of an automatic vending machine which can prevent interference with one other commodity discharge device and the reduction of commodity storage quantity at the time of switching a commodity discharge path. CONSTITUTION:In the commodity storage device of the automatic vending machine, the depth size of the commodity discharge path 4c can be altered in accordance with the diameter of the commodity A by moving forwards and backwards the commodity discharge device 5 constituting one wall in the depth direction of the commodity discharge path 4c against a path wall 9 constituting the other wall surface. A guide rod 11 supporting the commodity discharge device 5, a guide hole 12 which is formed on the side wall 2 of the commodity discharge path 4c in the horizontal direction and with which the guide rod 11 is engaged and a shift member 14 which is engaged with the guide rod 11 and shifts the guide rod 11 along the guide hole 12 are provided. The shift number 14 is provided with a slot 19 which is formed in the vertical direction and which is engaged with the guide rod 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product storage device for a vending machine, in which a product delivery device is moved back and forth with respect to a passage wall so that the depth dimension of the product delivery passage can be changed according to the diameter of the product. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in vending machines for canned beverages, 25
The structure is such that a thin can typified by 0 mml can and a thick can typified by 350 mml can be stored in the same product storage column. A switching mechanism for switching to the setting is provided at the entrance portion and the exit portion of the product passage. At the exit part, that is, the part of the product delivery passage, it is common to move the passage wall disposed with the product delivery device and the product delivery passage sandwiched therebetween. A product storage device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-10398 is known.

This product storage device guides a passage plate (passage wall) which constitutes one wall surface of a product delivery passage, and guides the guide holes of both side plates of the product storage column to the product delivery device which constitutes the other wall surface. Then, it is designed to move back and forth.
A flange portion is formed by bending both end portions of the passage plate, and a pair of guide rods are horizontally provided at two upper and lower portions of the flange portion. The outer ends of the guide rods pass through and are supported by the upper and lower guide holes formed in both side plates of the product storage column, and the guide rods are guided by the guide holes to move to guide the passage. The plate is adapted to switch between a thin can setting and a thick can setting.

In this case, if the passage plate is configured to be simply switched from the thin can setting position to the thick can setting position with the product in the product delivery passage, the product can be stolen, which is not desirable for crime prevention. . Therefore, the upper and lower guide holes are formed in a deformed “S” shape on the upper side and a deformed inverted “U” shape on the lower side, and the passage plate is in a vertical posture at the thin can setting position and the thick can setting position. However, while moving, the lower part once overhangs to the product dispensing device side.
That is, the passage plate moves diagonally up and down while tilting between the thin can setting position and the thick can setting position. With this configuration, while there are products in the product storage device,
This product got in the way and I could not move the passage board,
The passage cannot be switched.

[0005]

By the way, when the product delivery passage is switched to the thin can setting or the thick can setting, the product storage device may be moved instead of the passage plate.
In this case, since the passage wall is fixed, a complicated movable mechanism is not required, and the width of the product delivery passage in the depth direction can be narrowed to reduce the thickness of the product storage column. Has an advantage that it has a complete box structure and can be increased in rigidity. However, with this structure, the product dispensing device is moved diagonally, which complicates the harness of the product dispensing device, and, for example, in the product dispensing device provided back to back, some of the components are horizontal. When they are arranged so as to overlap each other, the interference with the other product dispensing device becomes a problem, and it is necessary to dispose the product dispensing devices sufficiently apart from each other. Therefore, it is assumed that the depth dimension of the product storage column becomes large as a whole. In addition, since the product dispensing device moves diagonally, there is a problem that the product storage amount in the product passage decreases in the small can setting.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when switching the product delivery passage, it is possible to prevent interference with the other product delivery device and a reduction in the product storage amount. It is an object of the present invention to provide a product storage device for a machine.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, the present invention is to advance and retract a product dispensing device which constitutes one wall surface in the depth direction of a product dispensing passage with respect to a passage wall which constitutes the other wall surface. Is a product storage device of a vending machine configured so that the depth dimension of the product delivery passage can be changed according to the diameter of the product.The guide rod that supports the product delivery device and the side wall of the product delivery passage are horizontal. A guide hole that is formed in a vertical direction and that engages with the guide rod, and a moving member that engages with the guide rod and moves the guide rod along the guide hole. The moving member is formed in the vertical direction and engages with the guide rod. It is characterized by having a long hole that

In this case, it is preferable that the moving member is arranged outside the side wall of the product dispensing passage, and the lower movable portion of the moving member is extended to the passage wall side while avoiding the lower space of the product dispensing device. .

[0009]

Operation: A guide rod that supports the product dispensing device, a guide hole that is formed horizontally on the side wall of the product dispensing passage and that engages with the guide rod, and a guide rod that engages with the guide rod and moves the guide rod along the guide hole. By including the moving member, the moving member can move the product dispensing device forming one wall surface in the depth direction of the product dispensing passage in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the vertical position of the product dispensing device does not change before and after the movement, and it is possible to prevent the storage amount of the products from decreasing. Also, for example, for other product dispensing devices provided back to back,
Even if the components are arranged so as to overlap each other in the horizontal direction, it is possible to prevent the movement from interfering with each other. On the other hand, since the moving member has the elongated hole formed in the vertical direction and engaged with the guide rod, the moving member itself is allowed to move in the vertical direction when moving the product dispensing device in the horizontal direction.

In this case, if the moving member is arranged outside the side wall of the product delivery passage and the lower movable part of the moving member is extended to the passage wall side while avoiding the lower space of the product delivery device, It is possible to configure a space below the product dispensing device that does not traverse the product dispensing passage and in which the moving member does not appear or disappear without hindering the movement of the dispensing device. Therefore, for example, when this space is used as the harness withdrawal passage, unnecessary tension is not applied to the harness due to the switching movement of the product delivering device, and the harness can be provided without crossing the product delivering passage.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A commodity storage device for an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
This product storage device constitutes a product storage of an automatic vending machine for canned drinks and the like, and FIG. 1 is a cut side view showing the basic structure of the product storage device. As shown in the same figure, this product storage device 1 has two product storage columns 3 and 3 which can sell two kinds of products A, A side by side between the left and right side plates 2 in front and back. Each product storage column 3 is provided with a product passage 4 in which a large number of the same products A are stored in the vertical direction, and a product dispensing device 5 arranged below the product passage 4. .

Each product passage 4 has a horizontal passage 4a extending obliquely downward and rearward from the product inlet 6, a vertical passage 4b bent downward from the rear end of the horizontal passage 4a, and a payout continuous to the lower end of the vertical passage 4b. It is composed of a passage 4c. The lateral passage 4a is
It is composed of a top plate 7 extending obliquely downward from the product insertion port 6, and guides the product A, which is inserted from the product insertion port 6 in a laterally laid state, to the upper part of the vertical passage 4b while rolling. The vertical passage 4b is formed in a meandering shape by a large number of guide plates 8 that are vertically opposed to each other in an offset state, and the introduced products A are stacked and stocked in a meandering shape. The dispensing passage 4c includes a product dispensing device 5 and a passage plate 9 arranged so as to face the product dispensing device 5, and the products A are dispensed to the outside one by one from this portion.

1 in a state of being laid down sideways from the product inlet 6
The products A that have been individually thrown into the vertical passage 4 are passed through the horizontal passage 4a.
It is dropped into b and is filled in the product passage 4 sequentially from the portion of the dispensing passage 4c. When the product delivery device 5 is activated by the sales instruction, the products A are sequentially delivered to the outside one by one from the delivery passage 4c. In this case, the product delivery device 5 that constitutes one passage wall of the delivery passage 4c is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction, and the delivery passage 4c is set in a thin can or thick according to the can diameter of the product A. You can switch to can settings.

That is, the product storage device 5 stocks and sells cylindrical products A such as canned juice and canned coffee. The product dispensing device 5 is moved to set the dispensing passage 4c in a thin can or thick. Switch to the can setting, and in each product storage column 2, a small can represented by a 250 mml can and 3
It can accommodate two types of product A with different can diameters, such as a large can represented by a 50 mm can.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut side view of the dispensing passage 4c portion. As shown in the drawing, passage plates 9 and 9 that form passage walls are attached to the front and rear ends of the left and right side plates 2 and 2, respectively, and a pair of product dispensing devices 5 and 5 are arranged back to back inside. Passage plates 9 that are provided and arranged in parallel to each other
And the respective product dispensing device 5 provide two dispensing passages 4c, 4
c are formed respectively. Further, the product dispensing device 5 is provided with a moving means for moving the product dispensing device 5 in the front-rear direction so that the dispensing passage 4c can be switched to the thin can setting or the thick can setting.

Each product delivery device 5 includes a thin chassis 10
Upper and lower dam plates (not shown) that are rotatably configured, and solenoids (not shown) that rotate the dam plate and project into the dispensing passage 4c are incorporated on the back side of the The front surface of the chassis 10 constitutes one passage wall of the dispensing passage 4c, and the solenoids are used to rotate the dam plates at predetermined timings so that the products A can be dispensed downward one by one. In this case, several components, including the solenoid, are
It is provided so as to be close to one half of one side, and is arranged so as to overlap with the other product dispensing device 5 provided back to back in the front-rear direction.

The product dispensing device 5 includes a U-shaped groove 10a formed at the upper end of the chassis 10 and a hooking metal fitting 10b attached to the lower end of the chassis 10 to support a pair of upper and lower plates which are passed between the side plates 2 and 2. Rod (guide rod) 11, 11
Is installed in a vertical position. Both support rods 1
Reference numerals 1 and 11 denote upper and lower horizontally elongated holes (guide holes) 12 and 12 extending in the horizontal direction, which are formed to face the side plates 2 and 2, respectively.
Each of them is supported in a penetrating state, and is configured to be slidable in the horizontal direction while being guided by the laterally long holes 12 and 12 in a state where the product dispensing device 5 is attached. Each laterally long hole 12 also serves as a lateral groove of the other product dispensing device 5 arranged back to back, and is formed in one letter so as to straddle both product dispensing devices 5 and 5.

On the other hand, a cover plate 13 is provided further outside each side plate 2 with a narrow gap so as to cover the side plate 2. In the gap between the side plate 2 and the cover plate 13, a product dispensing device is provided. A moving plate (moving member) 14 for moving 5 is provided. That is, although only one moving plate 14 is shown in the figure, a pair of moving plates 14 hidden by the cover plate 13 are provided outside the both side plates 2 and 2 with the both side plates 2 and 2 separated. They are arranged so as to face each other. Below the pair of moving plates 14, an operating rod 15 that connects both moving plates 14 is provided at a position where the payout passage 4c and a harness passage 16 described later are escaped. By operating the operating rod 15, The moving plates 14 can be moved simultaneously.

Each moving plate 14 is integrally formed with an upper narrow portion 14a extending along the product dispensing device 5 and a lower wide portion (lower movable portion) 14b extending toward the dispensing passage 4c. A cutout portion 14c is formed in a lower portion of the wide portion 14b so as not to interfere with a harness passage 16 formed in an intermediate lower portion in the front-rear direction of the side plate 2 when the product dispensing device 5 is moved to the position of the thick can setting. Has been done.

Guide pins 17, 17 are attached to the upper end and the lower end of the moving plate 14, respectively, and the guide pins 17 engage with the upper guide hole 18a and the lower guide hole 18b, respectively. There is. Upper guide hole 18
a and the lower guide hole 18b are respectively formed in the cover plate 13, and the upper guide hole 18a has a deformed S shape.
The lower guide holes 18b are each formed in a deformed inverted U shape. The movable plate 14 is guided by the upper and lower guide holes 18a and 18b at the portions of the guide pins 17 and 17, and is diagonally reciprocated together with the product dispensing device 5.

Further, a pair of vertically elongated holes 19, 19 extending in the vertical direction are formed in the upper and lower portions of the moving plate 14, and the support rods for supporting the product dispensing device 5 are provided in the vertically elongated holes 19, respectively. 11 are engaged with each other. That is, the product dispensing device 5 is guided to both laterally elongated holes 12 and 12 of the side plate 2 without being restricted in the vertical direction by the vertically elongated holes 19 and 19 as the movable plate 14 reciprocates in an oblique direction. And move horizontally. As a result, the product dispensing device 5 is reciprocally moved in the horizontal direction between the thin can setting position and the thick can setting position along with the moving plate 14.

Here, the setting switching operation of the payout passage 4c will be described step by step with reference to FIGS.
First, the case where the dispensing passage 4c is switched from the thin can setting to the thick can setting will be described by exemplifying the movement of the product dispensing device 5 on the left side in the drawing. Both guide pins 1 of the moving plate 14 shown in FIG.
7, 17 are upper and lower guide holes 18a, 1 of the cover plate 13.
From the state of setting the small cans that are engaged with the lower ends of 8b, the operation rod 15 is moved so as to be lifted diagonally forward so as to be aligned with the extending direction of the lower guide hole 18b. As a result of this movement, the lower part of the moving plate 14 is guided to the lower guide hole 18b and moves to the passage plate 9 side while moving upward, while the upper part is guided to the upper guide hole 18b and moves to the other side while moving upward. Move to the product dispensing device 5 side.
Along with this, the product dispensing device 5 is guided through the support rods 11 to the upper and lower laterally elongated holes 12, 12, the lower part thereof moves in the direction of narrowing the dispensing passage 4c, and the upper part widens the dispensing passage 4c. Move in the direction (state of FIG. 4). That is, the product dispensing device 5 is once tilted to the dispensing passage 4c side. Thus, it is possible to prevent the setting from being mistakenly changed when the thin can remains in the dispensing passage 4c.

Subsequently, the operation rod 15 is attached to the lower guide hole 18
Move so as to lift diagonally ahead in accordance with b.
By this movement, both guide pins 17, 17 of the moving plate 14
Reach the upper ends of the upper and lower guide holes 18a and 18b, respectively. Along with this, the upper part of the product dispensing device 5 moves to almost the thick can setting position, and the lower part moves to just before the thick can setting position (see FIG. 5). Further, when the operation rod 15 is moved so as to be pushed obliquely downward in alignment with the lower guide hole 18b, the guide pin 17 of the moving plate 14 reaches the tip of the lower guide hole 18b, and the product dispensing device is set to the thick can setting position. Reach

On the other hand, when switching from the thick can setting to the thin can setting, the operation is performed in the reverse procedure, that is, the procedure shown in FIGS. 6, 5, 4, and 3. In these switching operations, the product dispensing device 1 is restricted by the vertically elongated hole 19 of the moving plate 14 so that it can move only in the horizontal direction, and is guided by the horizontally elongated hole 12 of the side plate 2 to move only in the horizontal direction.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the product dispensing device 5 is provided with the movable plate 14, the horizontally long hole 12, the vertically long hole 19 and the upper and lower guide holes 18a and 18b, so that the thin can setting position and the thick can setting position are set. Since it is reciprocally moved in the horizontal direction between the product and the product, it does not interfere with the other product dispensing device (constituent component) 5 provided back to back during this movement, and the product can be switched as the setting is switched. The capacity of A does not decrease. Further, the movable plate 14 allows the vertical movement of the movable plate 14 in the vertical direction when the product dispensing device 5 is moved in the horizontal direction, so that the thin can remains in the dispensing passage 4c as described above. It is possible to provide a crime prevention structure that can prevent the setting from being changed while the camera is on.

Further, the wide portion 14b at the bottom of the moving plate 14
Since it extends toward the passage plate 9, the lower part of the moving plate 14 does not interfere with the harness passage 16 even if the moving plate 14 moves due to the switching movement of the product dispensing device 5. Also,
Moving plate 14 and guide pin 17 projecting from moving plate 14
Are disposed outside the side plate 2, so that they can be provided without traversing the dispensing passage 4c. Therefore, the harness can be provided without applying unnecessary tension to the harness due to interference or the like and without traversing the payout passage 4c in accordance with the switching movement of the product payout device that moves in the horizontal direction.

In the present embodiment, the product dispensing device is configured to switch between the thin can setting and the thick can setting.
When selling other products having different can diameters, it may be possible to switch to multiple stages such as three stages or four stages.

[0028]

As described above, according to the product storage device of the present invention, the storage amount of the products does not decrease before and after the change of the product delivery passage due to the movement of the product delivery device, and the products are installed back to back. It does not interfere with other product dispensing devices.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the gap between the other product dispensing devices provided back to back, and to reduce the depth dimension of the entire product storage device. Moreover, since the moving member is allowed to move up and down, it is possible to provide a crime-preventing moving structure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cut side view of a product storage device of a vending machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut side view of a payout passage portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a switching operation (1) of the product dispensing device.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a switching operation (2) of the product dispensing device.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a switching operation (3) of the product dispensing device.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a switching operation (4) of the product dispensing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 product storage device 4 product passage 4c delivery passage 5 product delivery device 9 passage plate 11 support rod 12 laterally elongated hole 14 moving plate 14b wide portion 17 guide pin 18a upper guide hole 18b lower guide hole 19 vertical elongated hole A product

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Masaki Tsuzuki 1311 Kawasaki-cho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A merchandise delivery device that constitutes one wall surface in the depth direction of a merchandise delivery passage is moved forward and backward with respect to a passage wall that constitutes the other wall surface, so that the merchandise delivery passageway corresponding to the diameter of the product can be formed. A product storage device for a vending machine having a variable depth dimension, wherein a guide rod that supports the product delivery device and a guide that is horizontally formed on a side wall of the product delivery passage and that engages with the guide rod. And a moving member that engages with the guide rod and moves the guide rod along the guide hole. The moving member has a long hole that is formed in a vertical direction and that engages with the guide rod. A product storage device for a vending machine, which is characterized in that 2. The moving member is arranged outside a side wall of the product dispensing passage, and a lower movable portion of the moving member is extended to the passage wall side while avoiding a lower space of the product dispensing device. The product storage device of the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein