JPH10302140A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To separate the driving system of a commodity discharge mechanism provided on each column from the column to simplify the driving system and to improve the commodity storage efficiency of a rack with respect to a commodity storage rack consisting of many vertically and horizontally arranged columns. SOLUTION: In this vending machine, an X-Y carrying mechanism 8 on which a bucket unit 7 is mounted in the front is provided for a commodity storage rack 4 consisting of vertical stages of columns 6 in each of which commodities are stored in a longitudinal array, and the bucket unit 7 is caused to access a designated column by a sale command, and a commodity discharged from the column 6 is transferred to a bucket and is sent to a commodity taking- out hole 2a. A driving device common to individual columns is mounted on the bucket unit 7 as the power source of the commodity discharge mechanism provided for each column, and power is transmitted to the commodity discharge mechanism of the column 6 from the driving mechanism on the bucket side in the position, where the bucket unit 7 is caused to access the designated column 6, to discharge the commodity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine for selling beverage products in cans, beverage products in paper packs, cup products, plastic bottle products, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a vending machine described above, a product storage column, which stores products in a row in front and rear for each column, is provided in a cabinet of a main body case having an outer door with a product outlet on the front. 2. Description of the Related Art A vending machine equipped with a product storage rack constructed by arranging the products in a right and left row, paying out one product from a designated column based on a sales command, and dropping the product to a lower product outlet is known.

Further, in order to prevent a product delivered from a column of a product storage rack from being damaged by a landing impact when dropped into a box of a product outlet, an elevator is provided in front of the rack in combination with the product storage rack. There is also conventionally known a configuration in which a mechanism is provided, and goods discharged from a column are transferred to an elevator mechanism and sent out to a product outlet in a soft handling manner.

[0004] In this type of vending machine which sells beverage products such as paper packs and cans as hot products or cold products, the main body case is constituted by an insulated housing.
Furthermore, an inner door for heat insulation is arranged inside the outer door on the front side to form a heat insulating structure, and a cooler and a heater are provided in the refrigerator to keep the stored goods cool and warm.

[0005]

In the conventional structure of the vending machine described above, for each column of the product storage rack, a gate mechanism is provided at the front end of the column case as a product delivery mechanism, and the products arranged in the case are arranged from behind. A pusher mechanism for pushing out is incorporated, and an electromagnetic solenoid, a drive motor, or a drive spring for pulling the pusher is provided for each column as a power source for operating these mechanisms.

By the way, in a multi-selection vending machine in which one type of vending machine sells many types of products in parallel with the diversification of products, the number of selections (columns) becomes as large as 40 to 50, so that each column has In the conventional configuration in which an electromagnetic solenoid, a drive motor, and the like are incorporated one by one as a power source of a product dispensing mechanism, a large number of power devices are required, so that a product storage rack becomes extremely costly and the power of these power devices is increased. The occupied space also increases, and the space for storing the products in the column is limited by that much, and the product storage efficiency of the rack decreases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and to pay out goods from a designated column without providing a power source of a goods payout mechanism in a column of a goods storage rack. Above, the product can be sent out to the product outlet in a soft handling manner to reduce costs and improve product storage efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine configured so that a product and a sale operation of the product can be visually observed from the outside.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in order to attain the above object, according to the present invention, a product is provided for each column in a cabinet of a main body case having an outer door with a product outlet and a heat insulating inner door on a front surface. The upper and lower rows of multiple columns that store
Commodity storage racks arranged and arranged in left and right rows, a bucket unit for receiving commodities paid out of a column at a position in front of the product storage rack, and an XY transport mechanism mounted with the bucket unit and moved vertically and horizontally. The bucket unit is accessed in front of the selected column via the XY transport mechanism based on the sales instruction, and the goods discharged from the column are transferred to the bucket unit, and then the bucket unit is taken out. Based on a configuration in which the product is moved to the position of the outlet and the product is carried out to the product outlet, the product dispensing mechanism is provided separately from the power source for each of the columns, and a bucket is provided as a power source for the product dispensing mechanism. The unit is equipped with a common electric drive mechanism, and the bucket unit is mounted on the bucket unit at the position where the specified column is accessed. The drive mechanism is a transmission coupled to the column of the product dispensing mechanism, configured to paid out goods transmits power from the bucket unit side payout mechanism of the column in this state (claim 1).

According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to individually equip a column for constructing a multi-selection product storage rack with a power source such as a drive motor of a product delivery mechanism and a solenoid, and access to a designated column at the time of product sale. The power can be transmitted from the common electric drive mechanism mounted on the bucket unit to the product dispensing mechanism on the column side to pay out the product. Therefore, the cost can be significantly reduced as compared with the configuration in which the power source of the product dispensing mechanism is provided for each column, and a sufficiently large product storage space in the column can be secured, so that the product storage efficiency of the rack is improved. In addition, since the products transferred from the column to the bucket unit are conveyed down in a soft handling manner to the position of the product outlet opening to the outer door by the XY conveyance mechanism, even paper packs, plastic bottle products, etc. are damaged. The product can be safely sent to the product exit without the risk of harm.

Further, according to the present invention, based on the above configuration, the following describes the columns of the product storage rack, the structure of the bucket unit mounted on the XY transport mechanism, and the movement control of the XY transport mechanism. It can be implemented in such a specific form. (1) The column of the product storage rack is formed of a gutter-shaped case that can be pulled out forward, and a product dispensing mechanism mounted on the column case is arranged at the front of the column case to restrain and hold the stored products. A mechanism and a belt-driven pusher mechanism arranged in the case and for pushing stored goods forward, and a power transmission member of each mechanism is opposed to a power output member of a drive mechanism mounted on a bucket unit. In this case, the product is arranged in a concentrated manner at the front end of the column case (claim 2). Specifically, the product payout mechanism has the following structure.

(I) The gate mechanism comprises a swinging gate plate disposed at a front end of a column, a cylindrical cam connected to a rear portion of the gate plate, and a gate plate connected to the cylindrical cam to open and close the gate plate. A combination of a slider as a power transmission member for swinging operation and a return spring for pressing the slider to a standby position, and the slider is arranged with its end face facing the front surface of the side wall of the column case. When the bucket unit is accessed, the slider is pushed in by an operation from the bucket unit side to swing the gate plate to the open position to open the front end surface of the column. .

(Ii) The shape of the gate plate in the preceding paragraph (i) is inverted L-shaped with its tip bent downward, so that short products, easily deformed paper pack products, etc. are stably held at the sales standby position. (Claim 4). (iii) a pusher mechanism, an endless belt laid on the bottom side along the longitudinal direction of the case, a pusher connected to the belt and standing in the column case, and a column connected to the pulley on the front end side of the belt. A rack gear as a power transmission member arranged at the front end of the case, and by transmitting power to the rack gear from a bucket unit accessing a designated column, the belt is driven to advance the pusher, and the column case is moved. The products lined up inside are pushed forward (claim 5).

In order to be able to manually move the pusher to the retracted position when refilling the product in the column, the pusher is manually removably connected to the endless belt. (Claim 6) Alternatively, a clip member with a ratchet claw is attached to the rear surface of the pusher, and ratchet teeth that mesh with the ratchet claw are provided on the bottom side of the column case along the movement path of the pusher (Claim 7). And so on.

(2) On the other hand, according to the present invention, the bucket unit mounted on the XY transport mechanism has a specific structure as described below. (i) A gate mechanism is opened by pushing the slider according to claim 3 from the front at an access position to the designated column with an electric drive mechanism mounted on the bucket unit and driving and operating the column side product discharging mechanism. An electric pin pusher mechanism to be operated and a power transmission system including a coupling gear that meshes with the rack gear and transmits a motor output to the pusher mechanism according to claim 5 (claim 8).

(Ii) An operating mechanism is provided for projecting the connecting gear from the standby position to the power transmission position behind the bucket unit in conjunction with the forward movement of the pin pusher. (Iii) A product detection switch for detecting a product carried in from the column is provided inside the bucket unit, and the drive mechanism is separated from the product delivery mechanism on the column side to perform stop control based on a detection signal of the switch (claim 10). ).

(Iv) A transport conveyor is provided at the bottom side of the bucket unit, and the products received from the column are carried out to the product outlet by transporting the conveyor (claim 11). (3) Further, according to the present invention, regarding the control of the XY transport mechanism, a home position where the bucket unit stands by at the time of selling standby is set, and the bucket unit is moved from the home position to the designated column based on the sales command. XY before moving to the stop position
Control means for decelerating the drive motor of the transport mechanism is provided (claim 12), and the deceleration control means is laid specifically along the movement path in the X-axis and Y-axis directions of the XY transport mechanism. And a position detection plate that sets a stop position and a deceleration start position corresponding to the home position of the bucket unit and the position of each column, a position sensor that detects each position set on the position detection plate, and the position sensor And a control unit for controlling the operation of the XY transport mechanism based on the detection signal of (1).

With this configuration, when the bucket unit is moved from the home position to the designated column,
The deceleration control of the drive motor of the XY transport mechanism is performed just before the stop position, and it is possible to prevent the bucket unit from overrunning the stop position. Also, by providing such a deceleration control means, an inexpensive DC motor can be used to reduce the accuracy of the bucket unit without using an expensive stepping motor or AC servomotor as a drive motor for the XY transport mechanism. You can often access the designated columns.

(4) Further, as described above, the product storage rack is combined with the XY transport mechanism with the bucket unit, and the products stored in the rack are transported to the product outlet through the XY transport mechanism. According to the present invention, for a vending machine, (i) the outer door of the main body case and the door surface of the insulated inner door facing the product storage rack are each formed of a transparent door plate, and a corner of the outer door is provided. A sales operation panel on which a product selection key, a currency processing mechanism, a display for displaying sales information, and the like are centrally provided.
4).

With this configuration, the products stored in the product storage rack inside the warehouse can be directly checked with the same feeling as a showcase by seeing through the transparent outer door and the heat-insulating inner door, and at the time of sale, an XY transport mechanism (robot) Along with the movement of (1), it is possible to observe the operation from the front until the purchased product comes out of the rack to the product exit. In addition, a currency processing mechanism including a product selection key, a display for displaying sales information, and the like are centrally disposed on an operation panel formed in a corner of the outer door, so that the function of the see-through door is not hindered, and The product storage column can also be arranged on the rear side of the operation panel so as to fill the entire width of the main body case, so that the space inside the main body case can be effectively used to increase the number of stored products and the number of selections.

(Ii) A ten-key push button for designating a selected product in combination with the product selection key provided on the operation panel is employed (claim 15). As a result, a desired product number can be intensively input using the numeric keypad on the panel in accordance with the product number displayed for each of a large number of product storage columns arranged inside the warehouse, thereby improving operability and serviceability. In this regard, if a large number of product selection buttons respectively corresponding to the respective product storage columns inside the warehouse are dispersedly arranged on the transparent door plate of the outer door, the selection buttons become obstructive and the interior of the warehouse can be seen through. Function is impaired.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [Overall Structure of Vending Machine] First, the overall structure of the vending machine is shown in FIGS. In the figure, 1 is a main body case (insulated housing) of a vending machine, 2 is an outer door provided with a product outlet 2a at a lower part on the front surface, 3 is an inner door, 4 is a product 5 arranged in a row in front and rear for each column. A product storage rack constructed by arranging a plurality of columns 6 to be stored in upper and lower rows and right and left rows, 7 is a bucket unit for receiving the products paid out from the columns 6 of the product storage rack 4 at a front position thereof, and 8 is the bucket unit. With rectangular coordinates that move up, down, left and right
The XY transport mechanism 8 is moved from a home position (a standby position corresponding to the product outlet 2a) based on a sales instruction, and the bucket unit 7 is accessed at a position in front of the designated column 6. After the goods 5 paid out from the column are transferred to the bucket unit 7, X-
Move down the Y transport mechanism 8 to return to the home position,
At this position, the product 5 and the product outlet 2 from the bucket unit 7
The configuration is such that the product is carried out to a. In the figure, 9
Is a cooler (evaporator of a refrigerator) for keeping the product cool installed on the bottom side of the inside of the main body case 1, 10 is a condensing unit of the refrigerator, and 11 is a rack support frame for supporting the column 6 so that the column 6 can be pulled out forward. is there.

Here, the column 6 of the product storage rack 4 is
It becomes a pull-out column mounted on the rack support frame 11 so that it can be pulled out individually and replenished,
Each column 6 is provided with a product payout mechanism having no drive unit separated from a power source such as a drive motor and a solenoid. On the other hand, the bucket unit 7 is equipped with an electric drive mechanism as a power source for driving the commodity dispensing mechanism of the column from the bucket side. Power is transmitted from the drive mechanism mounted on the unit to the product dispensing mechanism of the column 6 to discharge the product 5. The detailed structure of the column 6 and the product dispensing mechanism, the bucket unit 7, the electric drive mechanism incorporated therein, and the XY transport mechanism 8 will be described in detail below.

In the vending machine, the product 5 stored in the product storage rack 4 in the warehouse and the product purchased by the customer at the time of sale are transferred from the column 6 to the bucket unit 7 and taken out to the product outlet 2a. The door surface areas of the outer door 2 of the main body case and the heat-insulating inner door 3 facing the product storage rack 4 are each made of a transparent door plate so that a series of sales operations before the sales operation can be visually observed from the outside. A sales operation panel 2b is formed on the right side of the outer door 2 so as to occupy one corner thereof, and a ten-key push button tongue 12 as an input unit for specifying a product to be purchased by a combination of numeric keys on the panel 2a, a currency processing mechanism ( A coin mechanism, a building validator, a change return lever) 13 and a liquid crystal display 14 for displaying sales information are provided. In addition, 15 is a change return port.

[Structure of Column and Product Delivery Mechanism]
Next, the detailed structure of the column 6 of the product storage rack 4 and the product payout mechanism incorporated in the column 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.
Will be described. First, in FIGS. 2A to 2C, column 6
Is made of a gutter-shaped case of a resin molded product having a U-shaped cross section, and the products 5 are arranged in a line in front and rear in the column case 6a and stored in an upright posture. Also, column case 6a
Has a product delivery mechanism (separated from the drive source)
A gate mechanism 16 is disposed at the front end of the column case 6a and restrains the product 5 at the storage position, and a pusher mechanism 17 for pushing the product 5 forward from behind.

Here, the gate mechanism 16 has one end pivotally supported by the front end of the side wall of the column case 6a and protrudes from the front end surface of the column 6, and a rear end of the gate plate 16a as shown in FIG. 16b (having a rib-shaped cam projection formed on the peripheral surface) connected to the cylindrical cam 1 and the cylindrical cam 1
A slider 16c incorporated as a power transmission member at the front end of the column case 6a so as to swing the gate plate 16a to an open / close position (a closed position is represented by a solid line and an open position is represented by a chain line) in communication with the gate plate 6b; And a return spring 16d which presses and biases the rearward toward the standby position.
The cylindrical cam 16b, the slider 16c, the return spring 16
d is built into the side wall of the column case 6a, and is covered with a cover (not shown) from the side. In this assembled state, the front end face of the slider 16c is exposed in front of the column case 6a.

With this configuration, the slider 1 can be used at the time of standby for sales.
The gate plate 16a is pushed by the return spring 16d and protrudes forward, and the gate plate 16a is held in the closed position so as to restrict and hold the product 5 stored in the column case across the front surface of the column 6 at that position. From this state, the slider 16
When c is pushed in by a pin pusher operation of a driving mechanism mounted on the bucket unit side, the cylindrical cam 16b is turned via a cam guide 16e provided on the top of the slider 16c, whereby the gate plate 16a is moved from the closed position shown by the real gland. The column case 6a swings to the open position indicated by the chain line to open the front end face of the column case 6a.

The above-mentioned gate plate 16a is changed from the "straight-sided" shape shown in FIG.
It can be implemented by changing to "character shape". That is, if the shape of the gate plate 16a is "straight", short products may slip under the gate plate 16a, the head of the product container may be suppressed, and the storage posture may be tilted backward. In the case of a paper pack product, the pusher 17b from behind
, The product container may be deformed into an inverted "C" shape, and the product dispensing operation may not be performed normally. In this regard, if the shape of the gate plate 16a is made “inverted L-shape” as shown in FIG.
With -1, the products arranged in the front row of the column 6 can be pressed down from the front in the vertical direction, thereby preventing the above-described trouble in the dispensing operation in which short products can pass under the gate plate 16a.

Returning to FIG. 2, the pusher mechanism 17 described above is arranged along the longitudinal direction on the bottom side of the column case 6a.
A belt (timing belt) 17a stretched between a pair of front and rear pulleys, a screen-shaped pusher 17b pressed against the rear of the products 5 arranged in the last row in the column and connected to the belt 17a, and a front end of the belt 17a A rack gear 17c as a power transmission member connected to the side pulley and having a peripheral surface protruding from the front surface of the column case 6a. Also,
The pusher 17b is configured to sandwich the belt 17a from above and below between a leg claw 17d projecting to the back side of the belt and a leg of a clip 17e pivotally connected behind the pusher 17b. The clip 17e is spring-biased so as to press the leg piece against the belt 17a.

In this configuration, when the gate plate 16a of the gate mechanism 16 is opened and power is transmitted from the bucket unit to the rack gear 17c to rotate the belt 17a forward, the pusher 17b interlocks with this. The merchandise 5 that moves forward and is lined up in the column is pushed forward from behind. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), the products 5 arranged in the front row are paid out toward the bucket unit 7 which is in front of the column 6 and stands by. When the pusher 17b is retracted to the rear end position of the column case 6a when refilling the column 6 with the product 5, the clip 17 described above is used.
e to the pusher 17b by tilting it manually to the dotted line position.
After loosening the connection between the belt and the belt 17a, the pusher 17b
To slide backward.

Next, another embodiment of the aforementioned pusher mechanism 17 is shown in FIGS. In this embodiment, after the pusher 17b has its leg directly connected to the belt 17a, a ratchet pawl 17f is formed at the tip of the leg of the clip 17e pivotally connected behind the pusher 17b, and the ratchet pawl 17f faces the ratchet pawl 17f. On the bottom side of the column case 6a, ratchet teeth 17g are formed along both left and right sides with the belt 17a interposed therebetween. This ratchet tooth 17g
Serves to lock and restrain the pusher 17b at the sales standby position, and is formed so that the teeth of the ratchet teeth 17g allow the pusher 17b to move forward and prevent retraction.

In order to retreat the pusher 17b to the rear end position of the column 6 when refilling the product 5 into the column 6, the clip 17e described above is loosened by manual operation to release the engagement with the ratchet teeth 17g. Then, while being connected to the belt mechanism 17a, the pusher 17b is
Slide b backward. In this case, the belt 17a of the pusher mechanism 17 is in a free state, and follows the backward movement of the pusher 17b.

[Structure of Bucket Unit] Next, the structure of the above-described bucket unit 7 is shown in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and FIGS. An example will be described. First, in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bucket unit 7 is formed as a box having an open upper surface, a front surface, and an upper half region on a rear surface, and a bucket flapper 7a urged in a closing direction by a torsion coil spring on the front surface.
It has. Here, in the space defined on both the left and right portions of the box, an electric drive mechanism for transmitting power by being connected to the above-described product dispensing mechanism of the column 6 is incorporated.
Further, in the product storage space in the center of the box, a posture control mechanism 18 for controlling the product 5 carried in from the column 6 to a standing posture,
And a conveyor (belt conveyor) 19 which is laid on the bottom side with a slight forward inclination and delivers the product toward the product outlet 2a (see FIG. 1). The bucket unit 7 is guided and supported by an X-axis transport unit of the XY transport mechanism 8 via a guide roller 7c (see FIGS. 8 and 10) disposed on a frame 7b on the bottom side.

Here, the attitude control mechanism 18 is configured as follows. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a pair of front and rear guide rollers 18a are provided between the left and right side walls so as to cross the internal space of the bucket unit 7, and are located in the front upper stage and the rear middle stage. 18b
The guide rollers 18a and 18b are wound around a timing belt 18c between the guide rollers 18a and 18b so that the guide rollers 18a and 18b are collectively driven in a fixed direction (left rotation) by a conveyor motor 19a. The connecting gear 2 described above is attached to the shaft end (right side) of the rear guide roller 19b.
A transmission gear 2 meshing with 1 is connected.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIGS.
The guide roller 18a installed at the upper front part is replaced with a fixed product regulating plate 18d and the guide roller 1 installed at the middle position at the rear is used as the article attitude control mechanism 18.
8b and the conveyor 19 between the timing belt 18
The guide roller 18a is driven to rotate in a fixed direction by the conveyor motor 19a with the rotation of "c". In this embodiment, a flapper open / close detection switch 7a-1 is provided so as to face the bucket flapper 7 arranged on the front surface of the bucket unit 7.

On the right side of the bucket unit 7, the slider 16c of the gate mechanism 16 incorporated in the front end of the column 6 of the article storage rack is pushed in from the front as an electric drive mechanism as described above and opened. An electric pin pusher mechanism 20 to be operated and a connecting gear 21 which is connected to a rack gear 17c of a pusher mechanism 17 mounted on the column side and drives the belt 17a to rotate around the belt 17a by a driving motor from the bucket unit side are provided with a product from the rear of the bucket unit 7. It is assembled so as to project toward the column 6 of the storage rack.

The pin pusher mechanism 20 includes a push pin 20a, a napier screw mechanism 20b for moving the push pin 20a forward and backward, and a pusher motor 2b.
0c. On the other hand, the above-described connecting gear 2
As shown in FIG. 8, the guide roller 1 is pivotally supported by a swinging plate 21a, and at this position, a guide roller 18b (guide roller 18
The function of b will be described later). Further, the swinging plate 21a is
And is supported coaxially and swingably, and a spring 21b
Thus, the connecting gear 21 is urged in a direction of pulling the connecting gear 21 into the bucket. In addition, the connecting gear 21 projects from the retracted position behind the bucket unit 7 in conjunction with the above-described forward movement of the pin pusher mechanism 20. For this purpose, a pin 21c is protruded from the upper end of the rocking plate 21a. The pin 21c is pushed by a dog 20d connected to the push pin 20a.

Further, the bucket unit 7 is provided with a product detection switch 23 for detecting the product 5 paid out from the column 6 and transferred to the bucket unit 7, and the detection lever 23a is moved to the rear upper surface inside the bucket. Sticking out. Next, the bucket unit 7 shown in FIGS.
12 and 13 show the operation of transferring products between each column 6 of the product storage rack, and FIG. 1 shows the operation of sending products from the bucket unit 7 to the product outlet 2a.
This will be described in Section 4.

That is, based on the product sales order, XY
The bucket unit 7 mounted on the transport mechanism 8 moves from the standby position (home position) to access the front position of the selected column 6, and starts the pusher motor 20c of the pin pusher mechanism 20 at this position. When the push pin 20a is pushed out, an operation shown in FIG.
As shown by (5), the push pin 20a hits the front end surface of the slider 16c of the gate mechanism 16 assembled on the column 6 side and pushes it. As a result, the gate plate 16a rotates to the open position to open the front surface of the column 6. At the same time, following the forward operation of the pin pusher mechanism 20, the connecting gear 21 protrudes behind the bucket unit 7 (as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the rocking plate 21a supporting the connecting gear 21 rocks clockwise. And the connecting gear 21 projects toward the product storage column behind the bucket unit 7), and the gear 21 is the rack gear 17 of the pusher mechanism 17 incorporated in the column 6.
and form a power transmission path between them. When the conveyor motor 19a incorporated in the bucket unit 7 is next started from this state, power is transmitted to the rack gear 17c on the column side via the belt 18c, the guide roller 18b, the transmission gear 22, and the coupling gear 21, and the gear is transmitted. The belt 17a is driven to rotate through the belt 17c. As a result, the pusher 17b moves forward and pushes the products 5 stored in the column 6 from behind as shown in FIG. 12 (b) to pay the products 5 arranged in the front row toward the bucket unit 7 waiting in front of them. put out.

As shown in the figure, when the commodity 5 paid out from the column 6 enters the bucket unit 7, the commodity detection switch 23 is operated, and the timing of the commodity detection switch 23 is slightly delayed based on the signal of the commodity detection switch 23. Stop control of the conveyor motor 19a and the pin pusher mechanism 20
The pusher motor 20c is started again, and the push pin 20a protruding from the rear is retracted to the standby position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12C, the gate plate 16a of the gate mechanism returns to the closed position on the column side, and at the same time, the connecting gear 21 also retracts and retracts into the bucket unit 7, and the column-side rack gear 17c Is disengaged.

On the other hand, the goods 5 carried into the bucket unit 7 from the column 6 in the forward leaning posture by the goods dispensing operation shown in FIG. 12B are moved to the posture control mechanism 18 mounted on the bucket unit 7 as described below. After being moved up from the forward tilted posture to the upright posture by the operation of (1), it is taken in so as to land on the transport conveyor 19 laid on the bottom side of the bucket.

Next, the attitude control operation of the product 5 in the product taking process will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 13,
I to V show the behavior of the taking operation until the product 5 transferred from the column 6 to the bucket unit 7 lands on the transport conveyor 19. That is, the commodity 5 paid out forward from the front end of the column 6 falls into the bucket unit 7 in a forwardly inclined posture as indicated by I → II → III and operates the commodity detection switch 23 (see FIGS. 7 and 9). In addition, the guide roller 18a (in the case of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8) in which the top of the product 5 is arranged in the upper front part of the bucket unit 7 or the product regulation plate 18d (in the case of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 to 11). ) And leans forward as shown in the figure. Then, as shown in FIG. 12C, after the drive mechanism mounted on the bucket unit 7 is separated from the product dispensing mechanism of the column 6, the XY transport mechanism 8 is slightly moved upward in the Y-axis direction. The bottom surface of the product 5 comes to rest on the guide roller 18b incorporated in the rear middle section of the bucket unit 7. In addition, the conveyor motor 19a is restarted in time with the rising movement. Thereby, in the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, the guide rollers 18a, 1
9b, the rear guide roller 18b rotates, and the product 5 is fed so as to protrude forward by the roller feeding operation, and the product 5 is tilted forward as in III → IV. When the user rises from the posture and changes to the standing posture, and the bottom surface of the product 5 comes off the rear guide roller 18b,
With the bottom face down, it falls downward as IV → V and lands on the transport conveyor 19 in an upright posture. In order to stop the product 5 when the product 5 lands on the conveyor belt 19, the conveyor motor 19a may be controlled to stop by giving a slight delay from the time of operation of the product detection switch 23, or may be controlled by the conveyor conveyor 19a. The conveyor motor 19a is controlled to be stopped by an operation signal of a flapper open / close detection switch 7a-1 (see FIG. 10) which responds when a product 5 placed on the bucket flapper 7a is pressed.

If there is a relative displacement between the bucket unit 7 and the column 6 in a state where the bucket unit 7 has accessed the conveyor 6, the power transmission gear 21 on the bucket side causes the power transmission gear 21 on the column side to move. There is a risk that the rack gear 17c will not mesh well. This shift in position is caused by an error in the stop position of the XY transport mechanism 8 (see FIG. 1) on which the bucket unit 7 is mounted, a product storage rack, a flexure of the rack frame due to the load of the product, and the like. Therefore, as a measure for compensating for the shift of the access position generated between the bucket unit and the column and enabling the power transmission from the bucket side to the pusher mechanism on the column side to be performed without hindrance, a tooth row is formed on the peripheral surface. Column side rack gear 1
A vertical timing belt (not shown) for transmitting power to the gear 7c is connected to the power transmission gear 21 and laid on the back side of the bucket unit 7, and power is transmitted from the bucket to the rack gear 17c via this belt. There is a way to communicate.

Next, the bucket unit 7 receiving the product 5 is transported to the position of the product outlet 2a of the outer door 2 by the downward movement of the XY transport mechanism 8, and the product outlet 2a is located at this position.
FIG. 14 illustrates the operation when sending out a product to a customer. That is, when the bucket unit 7 reaches the position of the product outlet 2a (home position) (this position is detected by a position sensor (not shown)), the conveyor motor 19a (see FIGS. 7 and 9) is started and transported. The conveyor 19 is driven in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the product 5 placed on the transport conveyor 19 is sent forward while being inclined backward by the transport operation of the conveyor 19, while the top is restrained by the guide roller 18a or the product regulating plate 18d. The flapper 7a disposed on the front surface of the bucket unit 7 and the flapper 3a of the product outlet provided in the inner door 3 are pushed open to fall into a standing position with the bottom of the container facing downward in the box of the product outlet 2a and carried out. Is done. In this state,
The customer who has purchased the product can open the flapper door 2c of the product outlet 2a to open and take out the product 5 from the box. In this case, the merchandise 5 is placed on the merchandise outlet 2 with the bottom face down.
Since it stands in the box a, there is no possibility that the drinking spout on the upper surface of the container is soiled (dust or the like is deposited on the bottom surface in the box of the product outlet), giving the customer a sense of reliability.

When the product 5 is unloaded from the bucket unit 7 to the product outlet 2a, the bucket flapper 7a of the opened bucket unit 7 returns to the closed position during the unloading process, and responds to the flapper opening / closing operation. The conveyor motor 19a of the conveyor 19 is stopped and controlled by a signal from the flapper open / close detection switch 7a-1 (see FIG. 10), whereby the vending machine returns to the sales standby state.

[Structure of XY Transport Mechanism and Its Operation Control System] Next, the X-Y transport mechanism with the above-described bucket unit 7 is mounted.
FIG. 15 shows the configuration of the Y transport mechanism 8. FIG. 16 shows the operation control system, and FIG. 17 shows the deceleration control operation. First, in FIG. 15, the XY transport mechanism 8 is an assembly of an X-axis transport section 8x and a Y-axis transport section 8y, and the bucket unit 7 is mounted on the X-axis transport section 8x and laid on the bottom side thereof. It is guided and supported movably in the X-axis direction along the guide rail. The X-axis transport unit 8x is connected to the Y-axis transport unit 8y and is guided and supported in the Y-axis direction. 8x-1 is the X-axis motor, 8x-2 is the X-axis motor 8
A timing belt stretched between x-1 and the bucket unit 7, 8y-1 is a Y-axis motor, and 8Y-2 is a timing belt in the Y-axis direction. With this configuration, the X-axis transport unit 8
The bucket unit 7 moves in the X and Y axis directions by driving the x and Y axis transport units 8y.

The XY transport mechanism 8 is provided with an XY position detecting means as described later for moving the bucket unit 7 to a designated column position and stopping when selling the product. The column in which the bucket unit 6 is selected by the command from the control unit and the position of the product outlet (home position) are transferred. That is, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG.
The stop position detection plates 23 and 24 and the deceleration position detection plate 2 are respectively provided on the shaft conveyance unit 8y along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.
5 and 26 are laid, and the bottom surface of the bucket unit 7 and the X-axis transport unit 8x are opposed to the detection plates 23 to 26.
Are provided with stop position detection sensors 27 and 28 and deceleration position detection sensors 29 and 30.

Here, the position detecting plates 23 to 26 are elongated plates rising in the shape of a rib, and along the longitudinal direction thereof, as shown in FIG. A slit-like groove is formed in a pattern at the stop position of the bucket unit 7 corresponding to the product outlet 2a and at a deceleration start position set slightly before each stop position.

The position detection sensors 27 to 30
Is a photointerrupter in which a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element which are opposed to both sides of the position detection plates 23 to 26 are interposed, and a light signal emitted from the light-emitting element is detected except for the slit groove of the position detection plate. At the position of the slit groove, the light signal is received by the light receiving element through the slit groove to output a signal. And the bucket unit 7
Of the position detection sensor 27 along the movement path in the X and Y axis directions
30 is output each time it passes through the slit groove of the position detection plates 23-26, and the signals are counted based on the home position, so that the stop position, deceleration position, and home position of the bucket unit 7 can be determined. I try to detect.

In the operation control system diagram of the XY transport mechanism shown in FIG. 16, reference numeral 31 denotes a control unit, and 32 and 33 denote X-axes.
It is a driver for the axis motor 8x-1 and the Y-axis motor 8y-1.
At the time of selling the product, the signals of the position detection sensors 27 to 30 are taken into the control unit 31 based on the product selection signal input from the product selection key 12 (see FIG.
The operation of the shaft motor 8x-1 and the Y-axis motor 8y-1 is controlled, and the bucket unit is moved from the home position to the position of the selected column.

In this case, while the XY transport mechanism 8 is moving, the control unit 31 sequentially receives signals from the above-described X-axis and Y-axis position detection sensors to check the movement passage position of the bucket unit. When the bucket unit approaches the designated column position, the X-axis motor 8x-1 and the Y-axis motor 8y-1 are decelerated slightly before the stop position, and the bucket unit 7 is overrun from the designated column access position. Stop without doing.

Here, the X-axis stop position detecting plate 2
3, the position detection pattern of the deceleration position detection plate 25 is shown in FIG.
An example is shown in (a). In the figure, HP is the home position, X1, X2, X3 are the stop positions respectively corresponding to the columns arranged side by side from the home position HP to the right, x1, x
2, x3 represents the deceleration position set before the stop positions X1, X2, X3. Between the stop position detection plate 23 and the deceleration position detection plate 25, the home position HP is set at the same position, An interval of ΔX corresponding to the deceleration section of the drive motor is set between the position and the deceleration position.

FIG. 17B shows an example in which the bucket unit 7 accesses the column at the stop position X3 from the home position HP, the signals of the X-axis stop position sensor 27, the deceleration position sensor 29, and the X-axis. This is a time chart showing the operation of the motor 8x-1. When the deceleration position sensor 29 detects the deceleration position x3 just before the bucket unit 7 mounted on the XY transport mechanism 8 reaches the specified stop position X3, Based on the signal, the motor is decelerated by a command from the control unit 31 in FIG. 15, and then the drive motor is stopped when the stop position sensor 27 detects the stop position X3. Then, the above-described commodity payout operation is performed at this stop position.

As described above, by decelerating the XY transport mechanism at a position before reaching the designated column, when the bucket unit is moved from the home position toward the selected column, the bucket unit loses inertia. The overrun does not occur from the predetermined stop position, and the vehicle can be stopped properly at the specified position. Moreover, by providing such a deceleration control means, an inexpensive DC motor can be used and the accuracy of the bucket unit can be improved without using expensive stepping motors or AC servomotors as drive motors for the XY transport mechanism. It is possible to access the column well.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The following effects are achieved. (1) For a product dispensing mechanism individually provided for each of a large number of columns constituting a product storage rack, a common drive device for operating the product dispensing mechanism is provided on a bucket unit mounted on an XY transport mechanism, Since the bucket unit is configured to transmit power from the bucket unit to the column-side product dispensing mechanism at a position where the selected column is accessed to pay out the product, a motor as a drive source of the product discharging mechanism is provided for each column. Compared to a system that incorporates a solenoid in the column case, the cost can be significantly reduced, and the column does not require a drive source installation space, so the product storage space can be expanded accordingly and product storage You can increase the number. In addition, the products transferred from the column to the bucket unit are sent out to the product outlet in a soft-handling manner by the XY transport mechanism, so that paper pack products, PET bottle products, etc., which are vulnerable to impact, can be safely carried out to the product outlet. it can.

(2) Further, by applying the configuration of the present invention to a vending machine in which the outer door and the inner door are constituted by transparent doors so that the inside of the refrigerator can be viewed from the outside, the front transparent door can be provided at the time of sale. It is possible to enhance the appeal of the vending machine, for example, by observing the operation from the perspective of the product purchased by the customer from the column of the product storage rack to the delivery of the product to the product outlet, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view of the inside of a refrigerator with a door removed, (b) is a longitudinal side view, (c) is a front view, (d) ) Is an external perspective view showing the door open state

2A and 2B are configuration diagrams of a column of a product storage rack in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A is a side view, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a column according to an embodiment different from that of FIG. 2;
(a) is a side view, (b) is a front view

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a main structure of a pusher mechanism in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a configuration perspective view of a gate mechanism in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a column front provided with a gate plate having a different shape from the gate plate of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an overhead perspective view schematically showing an internal mechanism of the bucket unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view showing a state where the bucket unit shown in FIG. 7 accesses a column to transmit power.

9 is a perspective perspective view schematically showing an internal mechanism of the bucket unit in which a part of the configuration in FIG. 7 is changed.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view showing a state where the bucket unit shown in FIG. 9 accesses a column to transmit power.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of FIG. 10;

12A and 12B are explanatory diagrams of a product delivery operation between the bucket unit and the column of the product storage rack shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, wherein FIG. 12A illustrates a driving mechanism mounted on the bucket unit and a product delivery mechanism of the column; Figure showing the state of transmission connection to
(b) is a diagram showing a state where the product is dispensed from the column to the bucket unit, and (c) is a diagram showing a state where the driving mechanism of the bucket unit is separated from the product dispensing mechanism of the column.

13 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of attitude control when taking in a bucket unit a product paid out from a column in the product delivery operation of FIG.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the operation when the goods transferred to the bucket unit are sent to the goods outlet;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an XY transport mechanism in FIG. 1;

16 is an operation control system diagram of the XY transfer mechanism shown in FIG.

17A and 17B are explanatory diagrams of deceleration and stop operations by the operation control system of FIG. 16, wherein FIG. 17A is a pattern diagram of a stop position detection plate and a deceleration position detection plate, and FIG. Time chart showing signal and operation of drive motor

[Description of Signs] 1 Body case 2 Outer door 2a Product outlet 2b Sales operation panel 3 Inner door 4 Product storage rack 5 Product 6 Column 6a Column case 7 Bucket unit 7a Bucket flapper 8 XY transport mechanism 8x X-axis transport unit 8y Y-axis transport unit 8x-1 X-axis motor 8y-1 Y-axis motor 12 Product selection key 13 Money processing mechanism 14 Liquid crystal display 16 Gate mechanism of product delivery mechanism 16a Gate plate 16b Cylindrical cam 16c Slider 16d Return spring 17 Product delivery mechanism Pusher mechanism 17a Belt 17b Pusher 18 Product attitude control mechanism 18a Guide roller 18b Guide roller 18c Timing belt 18d Product regulation plate 19 Conveyor 19a Conveyor motor 20 Pin pusher mechanism 21 Connecting gear 21a Rocking plates 23, 24 Stop position Detection plate 25 and 26 deceleration position detecting plate 27-30 position detection sensor 31 control unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Masaki Fujinami 1-1, Tanabe-Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masahiro Usui No. 1, Tanabe-Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa No. 1 Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Kakiuchi 1-1, Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of columns for storing products arranged in a front-rear row for each column are arranged in a vertical row and a left-right row in a cabinet of a main body case having an outer door with a product outlet on the front surface and an inner door. The product storage rack, which is constructed in the manner described above, is provided with a bucket unit for receiving the product dispensed from the column at a position in front of the product storage rack, and an XY transport mechanism that is mounted with the bucket unit and moves vertically and horizontally. The XY transport mechanism is moved based on the command to access the bucket unit in front of the selected column, and the goods discharged from the column are transferred to the bucket unit, and then the bucket unit is moved to the position of the product outlet. In a vending machine that moves to and discharges a product, a product discharging mechanism is provided separately from a power source for each of the columns, and is used as a power source for the product discharging mechanism. A common electric drive mechanism is mounted on the bucket unit, and the drive mechanism mounted on the bucket unit is operatively coupled to the product dispensing mechanism on the column at the position where the bucket unit is accessed to the designated column. A vending machine characterized in that power is transmitted to a column payout mechanism to pay out products. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the column of the product storage rack is formed of a gutter-shaped case that can be pulled out forward, and the product dispensing mechanism mounted on the column case has a front portion of the column case. And a belt-driven pusher mechanism that is placed in the case and restrains and holds the stored products, and a belt-driven pusher mechanism that is placed in the case and pushes the stored products forward.
A vending machine wherein the power transmission members of the respective mechanisms are centrally disposed at the front end of the column case so as to face the power output members of the drive mechanism mounted on the bucket unit. 3. A vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the gate mechanism comprises a swingable gate plate disposed at a front end of the column.
A combination of a cylindrical cam connected to a rear portion of the gate plate, a slider serving as a power transmission member connected to the cylindrical cam to swing the gate plate to an open / close position, and a return spring for pressing the slider to a standby position And an end face of the slider is arranged so as to face a front surface of a side wall of the column case. 4. A vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the gate plate has an inverted L-shape whose tip is bent downward. 5. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the pusher mechanism includes an endless belt laid on a bottom side of the case along a longitudinal direction of the case, and a pusher connected to the belt and standing in the column case. And a rack gear as a power transmission member connected to a front end side pulley of the belt and disposed at a front end of the column case. 6. The vending machine according to claim 5, wherein the pusher is detachably connected to the endless belt. 7. A vending machine according to claim 5, wherein a clip member having a ratchet pawl is mounted behind the pusher, and a ratchet pawl of said clip member is provided on the bottom side of the column case along a moving path of the pusher. A vending machine characterized by laying ratchet teeth that mesh to prevent the pusher from retreating. 8. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the electric drive mechanism mounted on the bucket unit pushes the slider according to claim 3 from the front at the access position to the designated column to activate the gate mechanism. A vending machine comprising: a power transmission system including an electric pin pusher mechanism that performs an opening operation, and a coupling gear that meshes with the rack gear and transmits a motor output to the pusher mechanism according to claim 5. 9. The vending machine according to claim 8, further comprising an operation mechanism for projecting the connecting gear from the standby position toward the rack gear on the column side in conjunction with the forward movement of the pin pusher. Machine. 10. A vending machine according to claim 8, further comprising a product detection switch for detecting a product transferred from the column in the bucket unit, and a driving mechanism for a driving mechanism based on a detection signal of the switch. A vending machine characterized by stopping control separately from the vending machine. 11. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a transport conveyor inside the bucket unit, for transporting the products taken into the bucket to a product outlet. 12. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein X
-Set a home position where the bucket unit stands by at the time of selling standby for the bucket unit mounted on the Y transport mechanism, and when moving the bucket unit from the home position to the designated column based on the sales command, A vending machine comprising control means for decelerating a drive motor of an XY transport mechanism before a stop position. 13. The vending machine according to claim 12,
As the deceleration control means of the drive motor, the X-Y transport mechanism X
A position detection plate laid along the movement path in the axis and Y-axis directions, and a stop position and a deceleration start position corresponding to the home position of the bucket unit, the position of each column, and the position detection plate are set. A position sensor for detecting each of the detected positions, and X-
A vending machine comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of a Y transport mechanism. 14. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the door surfaces of the main body case facing the outer storage door and the inner storage door facing the product storage rack are each formed of a transparent door plate, and a vending operation is performed at one corner of the outer door. A panel, and a product selection key,
A vending machine characterized by centralized deployment of a currency processing mechanism and a display for displaying sales information. 15. The vending machine according to claim 14,
A vending machine wherein the product selection key is a ten-key type push button for designating a selected product by a combination of numeric keys.