COMMODITY CARRYING OUT DEVICE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a commodity carrying out device that is capable of carrying out a commodity that is stored in a commodity storage column to a predetermined commodity carrying out position.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, as a commodity carrying out device of this kind, a device is known that includes a plurality of commodity storage columns that are aligned with respect to each other in a vertical direction and a width direction for storing commodities in a condition in which the commodities are arranged in the front-to-rear direction, a bucket for receiving a commodity that is stored in a selected commodity storage column, and a bucket moving mechanism for moving the bucket to the front side of an arbitrary commodity storage column and moving the bucket that receives a commodity to a predetermined commodity carrying out position.

In the conventional commodity carrying out device, a commodity stored in a commodity storage column is received in the bucket in a state in which the commodity has the same posture as when the commodity is stored in the commodity storage column and the bucket is then moved to the predetermined commodity carrying out position. Consequently, in a case in which a commodity that has a vertically long shape is received in a bucket in an upright state, when the bucket is moved in the width direction towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position a situation can arise in which the commodity becomes unstable inside the bucket, such as when the commodity topples over to the side that is opposite the predetermined commodity carrying out position. There is thus a risk that a carrying-out failure, such as the commodity dropping down from the bucket, will occur.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a commodity carrying out device that can reliably carry even a commodity that has a vertically long shape to a predetermined commodity carrying out position without a carrying-out failure occurring.

To achieve the aforementioned object, the present invention comprises: a plurality of commodity storage columns aligned in a vertical direction and a width direction with respect to each other for storing commodities arranged in a front-to-rear direction; a bucket for receiving a commodity to be carried out, and in which movement of the commodity in a direction other than a direction towards a surface side from which the commodity is taken in and put out is restricted; a bucket moving mechanism for moving the bucket to a front side of an arbitrary commodity storage column and moving the bucket that receives the commodity to a predetermined commodity carrying out position; and a bucket rotating mechanism for rotating the bucket so that a surface at which the commodity is taken in and put out of the bucket faces the commodity storage column side and the predetermined commodity carrying out position side.

As a result, movement towards both sides in the width direction and towards the rear side of a commodity that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position side is restricted by the fact that the surface from which the commodity is taken in and put out of the bucket that receives the commodity faces the predetermined carrying-out position side. Therefore, the commodity can be retained in a stable state in the bucket that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position side.

Further, to achieve the aforementioned object, the present invention comprises: a plurality of commodity storage columns aligned in a vertical direction and a width direction with respect to each other for storing commodities arranged in a front-to-rear direction; a bucket for receiving a commodity to be carried out; a bucket moving mechanism for moving the bucket to a front side of an arbitrary commodity storage column and moving the bucket that receives the commodity to a predetermined commodity carrying out position; and a commodity retention mechanism for retaining the commodity in an inclined posture when moving the bucket that receives the commodity to a predetermined commodity carrying out position.

Therefore, since the commodity is retained in the bucket in an inclined state, the commodity is retained in a stable state in the bucket that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position.

Accordingly, since a commodity can be retained in a stable state in a bucket that moves towards a predetermined commodity carrying out position, even when carrying out a commodity with a vertically long shape it is possible to reliably move the commodity to a predetermined commodity carrying out position without a carrying-out failure occurring.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an automatic vending machine that illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the automatic vending machine that shows a state in which an external door and an operation door are open;

FIG. 3 is a side surface cross-section of the automatic vending machine;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of essential parts of a commodity storage column;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a commodity storage column;

FIG. 6 is a side surface cross-section of essential parts of a commodity storage column;

FIG. 7 is an overall perspective view of a bucket unit;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the bucket unit;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the bucket unit;

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the bucket unit;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the bucket unit;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram that illustrates a control system;

FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 17 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 18 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 19 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 20 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 21 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 22 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 23 is an operation explanatory view relating to an operation to carry out a commodity;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart that illustrates operations of a controller when carrying out a commodity from a commodity storage column that is positioned at a wall surface side of a commodity storage chamber;

FIG. 25 is a front view of essential parts of an automatic vending machine that illustrates the positional relationship between a commodity that is received by a bucket unit and a wall surface of a commodity storage chamber;

FIG. 26 is a plan view of a bucket unit that illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 27 is an overall perspective view of a bucket unit that illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 to FIG. 22 illustrate the first embodiment of the present invention.

An automatic vending machine that includes this commodity carrying out device comprises an automatic vending machine main unit 10 that has an opening at the front, an external door 20 provided in an openable and closable condition at one end side in the width direction of the opening of the automatic vending machine main unit 10, and an operation door 30 provided in an openable and closable condition at the other end side in the width direction of the opening of the automatic vending machine main unit 10.

The automatic vending machine main unit 10 is provided with a commodity storage chamber 12 for storing commodities A for sale and an equipment storage chamber 13 for storing equipment relating to selling operations. This is achieved by partitioning the inside of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 in the width direction with a heat insulating partition wall 11. The interior surface of the commodity storage chamber 12 is covered with a heat insulating material. At the lower part of the equipment storage chamber 13 is provided a commodity outlet portion 14 to which a commodity A to be sold is carried. An opening 15 that connects the commodity outlet portion 14 and the commodity storage chamber 12 is provided in the partition wall 11.

The external door 20 is rotatably supported at one end side in the width direction of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 and is arranged to open and close the front of the commodity storage chamber 12. The external door 20 comprises a transparent plate 21 comprising glass or a synthetic resin or the like and a frame member 22 provided around the perimeter of the transparent plate 21. The interior of the commodity storage chamber 12 can be visually recognized from outside the external door 20.

The operation door 30 is rotatably supported at the other end side in the width direction of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 and is arranged to open and close the front of the equipment storage chamber 13. At the front of the operation door 30 are provided a coin insertion slot 31, a coin return lever 32, a money amount indicator 33, a banknote insertion slot 34, a commodity selection portion 35, a coin return port 36, and a commodity outlet port 37.

In the commodity storage chamber 12 are provided a plurality of commodity storage columns 50 that are disposed in alignment in the width direction with a plurality of vertically spaced shelves 40, respectively, a bucket unit 60 as a commodity carrying out device for carrying a commodity A stored in a commodity storage column 50 to the commodity outlet portion 14, and a unit moving device 70. The commodity storage chamber 12 is also configured so as to be cooled or heated by a cooler and an electric heater that are not shown. At the lower part of the commodity storage chamber 12 is provided an equipment chamber for housing unshown refrigerating devices such as a compressor and a radiator.

The space dimensions of each of the vertically aligned shelves 40 are slightly greater than the height dimensions of a commodity A to be stored. This prevents erroneous storage of a commodity A that has large height dimensions that are different to the height dimensions of a commodity A that is intended to be stored. Each shelf 40 is formed so that the dimensions thereof in the front-to-rear direction are smaller than the dimensions in the front-to-rear direction of the commodity storage column 50. Further, to secure an operating space for receiving a commodity A into the bucket unit 60 from the commodity storage column 50, the front end of each shelf 40 is positioned further to the rear side than the front end of the commodity storage column 50.

Each commodity storage column 50 is provided with a commodity passage 50a extending in the front-to-rear direction that is formed by a base plate 51 and a side plate 52. Vertically long commodities A such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, or PET bottles can be stored in the commodity passage 50a in a condition in which they are aligned in the front-to-rear direction. At the front end side of the base plate 51, a commodity locking portion 51a that is formed to extend vertically is provided for restricting movement of a commodity A in the frontward direction. Further, on the front end side of the base plate 51 is provided a notch portion 51b that enables movement of a fork member, described later, of the bucket unit 60 in the vertical direction.

An ejecting plate 53 which is movable in the front-to-rear direction and which is urged frontward by an unshown urging member such as a power spring is disposed in the commodity passage 50a. By storing a commodity A in the commodity passage 50a at the front side of the ejecting plate 53, the commodity A receives an urging force that urges the commodity A forward. The ejecting plate 53 is provided with a notch portion 53a to enable movement in the vertical direction of a fork member, described later, of the bucket unit 60 when the ejecting plate 53 is positioned at the front end side of the commodity passage 50a.

In each commodity storage column 50, a gate plate 54 that opens and closes the front end side of the commodity passage 50a is connected in a vertically rotatable condition to the front end side of the side plate 52. The gate plate 54 is arranged so as to block off the commodity passage 50a in a posture in which it extends diagonally upward from the side plate 52. The gate plate 54 is urged in a direction that blocks off the commodity passage 50a by an urging member such as a coiled spring. Further, the gate plate 54 is arranged to open the commodity passage 50a by rotating upward against the urging force of the urging member through contact of a gate release portion, described later, provided on the bucket unit 60 side against the bottom surface of the gate plate 54. A guide portion 52a for guiding the gate release portion in the front-to-rear direction is also provided on the commodity passage 50a side of the side plate 52 on which the gate plate 54 is supported.

The bucket unit 60 comprises a unit base 61 that is connected with a unit moving device 70, a bucket base 62 that is moveable in the front-to-rear direction with respect to the unit base 61, a rotating member 63 that is rotatably supported by the bucket base 62 with the vertical direction as the central axis, a bucket 64 that is supported by the rotating member 63 and is provided to support a side surface of a commodity A that is carried out, a fork member 65 that is rotatably supported in the vertical direction by the lower end of the bucket 64 and which supports the bottom surface of a commodity A that is carried out, a rotation restricting member 66 for restricting rotation of the fork member 65, a commodity detecting plate 67 for detecting the existence or non-existence of a commodity A within the bucket 64, and a restriction releasing member 68 for releasing the rotation restriction of the fork member 65 by the rotation restricting member 66.

The unit base 61 has an electric motor 61a as a motive power that moves the bucket base 62 in the front-to-rear direction and also rotates the bucket 64, a guide groove 61b for guiding the bucket base 62 in the front-to-rear direction, a protrusion 61c that imparts a force that rotates the rotating member 63 to the commodity outlet portion 14 side upon movement of the bucket base 62 to the front, a pair of width direction rails 61d for regulating movement of the fork member 65 in the width direction to guide the fork member 65 in the front-to-rear direction, and a commodity detecting sensor 61e such as a microswitch that is turned on/off by the commodity detecting plate 67.

The two ends on the left and right of the bottom surface side and the upper and lower sides of one end in the width direction of the bucket base 62 are formed so as to engage with the guide groove 61b that is provided in the unit base 61 so that the bucket base 62 is movable along the guide groove 61b. A groove 62a extending in the width direction is also provided on the bottom surface of the bucket base 62, and a link member 69 having one end connected to the electric motor 61a is arranged so that the other end side thereof engages with the groove 62a. More specifically, when the link member 69 is rotated by the electric motor 61a, the bucket base 62 is moved in the front-to-rear direction along the guide groove 61b by the movement of the other end side of the link member 69. An abutting portion 62b formed to have a curved surface shape is provided in the bucket base 62. The surface of the bucket 64 on the opposite side of the commodity receiving surface contacts against the abutting portion 62b. A gate release portion 62c that extends rearward from a position below the abutting portion 62b is also provided in the bucket base 62. By rearward movement of the bucket base 62, the gate release portion 62c presses the gate plate 54 upward to open the front end side of the commodity passage 50a.

The rotating member 63 is connected to the bucket 64 in a condition in which the bucket 64 is rotatable backwards and forwards. Further, an end in the width direction of the rotating member 63 is rotatably connected to the bucket base 62. The rotating member 63 is urged by an unshown urging member so that the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 faces rearward (towards the commodity storage column side). More specifically, the rotating member 63 moves in the front-to-rear direction together with the bucket base 62 in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 faces rearward. Furthermore, when the bucket base 62 moves to the front end side of the unit base 61, the rotating member 63 is pushed by the protrusion 61c arranged in the unit base 61 so as to extend rearward. As a result, the orientation of the rotating member 63 changes by 90° to the commodity outlet portion 14 side.

The bucket 64 is formed in a semi-cylindrical, curved surface shape in which a concave side serves as a commodity receiving surface. In the bucket 64, the lower end side is rotatably connected to the rotating member 63, and a surface on a side opposite the commodity receiving surface is supported by the abutting portion 62b of the bucket base 62 so that the commodity receiving surface faces diagonally upward. The angle of inclination of the bucket 64 is arranged so as to be changed in accordance with the shape of the abutting portion 62b of the bucket base 62 and the shape of the bucket 64 against which the abutting portion 62b abuts. According to the present embodiment, when the bucket 64 rotates to the commodity outlet portion 14 side, the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 at the start of rotation is set to be less than when receiving a commodity A. Thereafter, when the bucket 64 faces completely to the commodity outlet portion 14 side, the angle of inclination is set to be larger than when receiving a commodity A. An opening for attaching the commodity detecting plate 67 is provided at the center in the width direction of the bucket 64, in a condition in which the opening extends in the vertical direction.

The base end side of the fork member 65 is connected to the lower end side of the bucket 64 in a condition in which the fork member 65 is rotatable in the vertical direction. The fork member 65 is provided with a plurality of commodity supporting portions 65a that are arranged with a space between each commodity supporting portion 65a. On the under surface of the fork member 65 are provided a pair of grooves 65b for moving the fork member 65 along the pair of width direction rails 61d provided in the unit base 61 that restrict movement in the width direction of the fork member 65. The upper surface of the fork member 65 is inclined in a normal state from the base end side towards the front end side. On the bottom surface on the base end side of the fork member 65 is provided a contact surface 65c that contacts with the top surface of the unit base 61. The angle of the top surface of the fork member 65 can be changed depending on the shape of the top surface of the unit base 61. More specifically, the top surface of the unit base 61 against which the contact surface 65c contacts is formed to be low at the rear end side so that when the bucket base 62 is positioned at the rear end side, the angle of inclination of the top surface of the fork member 65 is small, and when the bucket base 62 is disposed at a position other than the rear end side, the angle of inclination of the top surface of the fork member 65 is greater than when the bucket base 62 is positioned at the rear end side.

The rotation restricting member 66 is arranged to be moveable in the vertical direction at a lower part of the surface on the opposite side to the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64, and is urged toward the bottom side by an unshown urging member. The rotation restricting member 66 contacts against the end on the base end side of the fork member 65 in a state in which the rotation restricting member 66 is positioned on the lower side to thereby restrict downward rotation of the fork member 65. The rotation restricting member 66 is arranged so as to release the restriction on downward rotation of the fork member 65 by moving upward. The rotation restricting member 66 is arranged so as to be pressed upward by the restriction releasing member 68.

The commodity detecting plate 67 extends in the vertical direction over the commodity receiving surface side of the bucket 64, and the top end side thereof is rotatably supported by the bucket 64. Similarly to the bucket 64, the commodity detecting plate 67 is formed in a curved surface shape so that a center portion in the width direction of the commodity receiving surface curves inward vertically so that a commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 is moved to the center portion side. The lower end side of the commodity detecting plate 67 is urged in a direction away from the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 by an unshown urging member so as to rotate when a commodity A is received. A commodity detecting sensor 61e provided in the unit base 61 is arranged so as to be turned on/off by the top end of the commodity detecting plate 67 in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 is facing the commodity outlet portion 14 side. According to the present embodiment, in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 is facing the commodity outlet portion 14 side, when the bucket 64 contains a commodity A, the commodity detecting sensor 61e turns off, and when the bucket 64 does not contain a commodity A, the commodity detecting sensor 61e turns on. An abutting portion 67a against which the rotation restricting member 66 that moves upward contacts is provided in a projecting condition on the surface of the side opposite the commodity receiving surface of the commodity detecting plate 67. When the rotation restricting member 66 contacts against the abutting portion 67a in a state in which a commodity A is in the bucket 64, the lower end side of the commodity detecting plate 67 moves towards the commodity A to push out the commodity A from the bucket 64.

The restriction releasing member 68 is provided in a condition in which it is linearly moveable in a diagonally upward direction on the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the unit base 61. The restriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to push the rotation restricting member 66 upward when the restriction releasing member 68 is operated in a state in which the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 is facing the commodity outlet portion 14 side. The restriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to be operated by contact with an operating portion 16 that is provided adjacent to the opening 15 that communicates with the commodity outlet portion 14 upon the operating portion 16 moving horizontally to the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the unit base 61. Further, the restriction releasing member 68 has an abutting portion 68a that extends to the bucket base 62 side. The restriction releasing member 68 is arranged so as to be lowered downward by contact of the bucket base 62 with the abutting portion 68a when the bucket base 62 moves rearward.

The unit moving device 70 is provided at the front side of the commodity storage chamber 12. The unit moving device 70 comprises a widthwise movement mechanism 71 for moving the bucket unit 60 in the width direction and a vertical movement mechanism 72 for moving the bucket unit 60 in the vertical direction. The widthwise movement mechanism 71 and the vertical movement mechanism 72 are respectively constituted by an unshown mechanism that converts rotational motion into linear motion, such as a belt and pulley, a chain and sprocket, or a feed screw mechanism. The widthwise movement mechanism 71 and the vertical movement mechanism 72 are respectively arranged to be driven by an electric motor so as to move the bucket unit 60 in the width direction and the vertical direction.

This automatic vending machine also includes a controller 80 that carries out temperature control of the commodity storage chamber 12 and control relating to a selling operation with respect to the commodity A. The controller 80 comprises a microcomputer. As shown in FIG. 12, the electric motor 61a and the unit moving device 70 are connected to the controller 80, and the controller 80 is configured so as to send output signals to the electric motor 61a and the unit moving device 70.

In the automatic vending machine configured as described above, when a user inserted a predetermined amount of money into the coin insertion slot 31 or the banknote insertion slot 34 and selects a predetermined commodity A at the commodity selection portion 35, first, the bucket unit 60 that is positioned at a predetermined standby position moves using the unit moving device 70 to the front end side of a commodity storage column 50 in which the selected commodity A is stored. Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the electric motor 61a is driven to lower the commodity supporting portion 65a of the fork member 65 downward while moving the bucket base 62 rearward with respect to the unit base 61 so that, as shown in FIG. 14, the commodity supporting portion 65a is inserted to an area below the commodity A positioned at the front end side of the commodity storage column 50. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the gate release portion 62c of the bucket base 62 contacts the bottom surface of the gate plate 54 of the commodity storage column 50, the gate plate 54 is rotated upward by the rearward movement of the bucket base 62, to thereby open the front end side of the commodity passage 50a of the commodity storage column 50. Further, positioning in the width direction of the bucket unit 60 with respect to the commodity storage column 50 is carried out by one end side in the width direction of the gate release portion 62c contacting with the gate plate 54 and the other end side in the width direction of the gate release portion 62c contacting with the guide portion 52a. Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the bucket unit 60 is moved upward by the unit moving device 70 so that the commodity A is lifted by the fork member 65 to receive the commodity A inside the bucket 64. At this time, since the top surface of the fork member 65 forms a downward slope from the front edge side to the base end side thereof, as shown in FIG. 17, the commodity A that is lifted upward tilts forward so that it moves forward and is received inside the bucket 64. As shown in FIG. 18, the bucket unit 60 that receives the commodity A moves the bucket base 62 forward with respect to the unit base 61 and, as shown in FIG. 19, raises the commodity supporting portion 65a of the fork member 65 upward to incline the commodity A to the bucket 64 side. Thereafter, when the bucket base 62 is moved further forward, as shown in FIG. 20, the bucket 64 rotates to the commodity outlet portion 14 side. At this time, when the bucket base 62 moves forward with respect to the unit base 61, the rotating member 63 contacts against the protrusion 61c of the unit base 61 and changes orientation by 90° to the commodity outlet portion 14 side, and as a result the bucket 64 rotates towards the commodity outlet portion 14. Further, since the bucket 64 rotates while the upper side thereof contacts against the abutting portion 62b, at the start of rotation the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 is less than the angle of inclination thereof when receiving the commodity A, and when the bucket 64 completely faces the commodity outlet portion 14 side, the angle of inclination thereof is greater than the angle of inclination when receiving the commodity A. Next, in a state in which the bucket 64 faces the commodity outlet portion 14 side, as shown in FIG. 21, the bucket unit 60 containing the commodity A is moved in the vertical direction and width direction by the unit moving device 70 to move to the commodity carrying out position. At this time, the commodity A in the bucket unit 60 is retained in a state in which the commodity A inclines in a width direction that is opposite to the width direction in which the bucket unit 60 moves. Subsequently, by movement in the width direction of the unit moving device 70, as shown in FIG. 22, the restriction releasing member 68 contacts against the operating portion 16 provided adjacent to the opening 15 of the commodity outlet portion 14 and moves diagonally upward to thereby move the rotation restricting member 66 upward. This movement releases the restriction on rotation of the fork member 65 so that the fork member 65 rotates downward and the received commodity A is carried out in a diagonally downward direction. Further, when the rotation restricting member 66 moves upward, as shown in FIG. 23, the rotation restricting member 66 contacts against the abutting portion 67a of the commodity detecting plate 67 to cause the commodity detecting plate 67 to rotate. As a result, the commodity A in the bucket 64 is pushed out in a diagonally upward direction so that the commodity A is reliably carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14. The bucket unit 60 from which the commodity A has been carried out is then moved to the predetermined standby position by the unit moving device 70 to complete the operation.

FIG. 24 shows a flowchart illustrating operations to be performed when a commodity A in a commodity storage column 50 located adjacent to the wall surface on the opposite side to the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the commodity storage chamber 12 is to be carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14. In this case, the controller 80 receives the commodity A in the bucket 64 from the commodity storage column 50 (step S1), moves the bucket unit 60 a predetermined distance in the width direction to the commodity outlet portion 14 side (step S2), and rotates the bucket 64 to the commodity outlet portion 14 side (step S3).

Therefore, even when the height dimensions of a commodity A stored in a commodity storage column 50 located adjacent to the wall surface on the opposite side to the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the commodity storage chamber 12 are large, as shown in FIG. 25, the commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 is carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14 without the top of the commodity A contacting against the wall surface of the commodity storage chamber 12.

Thus, according to the commodity carrying out device of the present embodiment, the bucket 64 is rotated so that the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 faces the commodity storage column 50 side and the predetermined commodity carrying out position side. As a result, because there is a restriction on movement to the rear side and to both sides in the width direction of the commodity A that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position side, it is possible to retain the commodity A in a stable state in the bucket 64 that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position side. Therefore, even when carrying out a commodity A that has a vertically long shape, the commodity A can be reliably carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14 without a carrying-out failure occurring.

Further, when moving the bucket unit 60 that receives the commodity A in the width direction towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position, the commodity A is retained in a state in which it is inclined the other way in the width direction with respect to the direction in the width direction that the bucket unit 60 moves. Since it is thus possible to hold the commodity A in a stable state in the bucket unit 60 that moves towards the predetermined commodity carrying out position, even when carrying out a commodity A that has a vertically long shape, the commodity A can be reliably carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14 without a carrying-out failure occurring.

Further, the carrying-out device of the present invention is arranged so as to rotate the bucket 64 that supports the side surface side of the commodity A with the commodity A in an inclined state and the fork member 65 supporting the bottom surface side of the commodity A with the commodity A in an inclined state so that the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 faces to the commodity outlet portion 14 side from the commodity storage column 50 side. As a result, it is possible to hold the commodity A that is stored at the front end side of the commodity storage column 50 using the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 in a state in which the commodity A inclines forward, and by the rotating the bucket 64 and the fork member 65, to move the bucket unit 60 in a state in which the commodity A is inclined in the other direction in the width direction with respect to the direction in the width direction in which the bucket unit 60 moves. Thus, carrying out of the commodity A from the front end side of the commodity storage column 50 to the commodity outlet portion 14 can be reliably performed.

Further, after the commodity A that was stored in the commodity storage column 50 is retained by the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 and the bucket unit 60 is moved a predetermined distance to the commodity outlet portion 14 side by the unit moving device 70, the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 that hold the commodity A are rotated to the commodity outlet portion 14 side. As a result, since the commodity A that is retained by the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 does not contact the wall surface when a commodity A of a commodity storage column 50 adjacent to a wall surface on an opposite side to the commodity outlet portion 14 side of the commodity storage chamber 12 is received in the bucket unit 60 and the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 are rotated, an increase in the width direction dimensions of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 can be prevented.

The carrying-out device of the present invention also comprises the rotation restricting member 66 for restricting rotation of the fork member 65, the restriction releasing member 68 for releasing the restriction on rotation of the fork member 65 by the rotation restricting member 66, and the operating portion 16 provided adjacent to the opening 15 of the commodity outlet portion 14 for operating the restriction releasing member 68 by movement of the bucket unit 60. It is therefore possible to rotate the fork member 65 by movement of the bucket unit 60 and to carry out the commodity A retained in the bucket 64 and the fork member 65 to the commodity outlet portion 14 without separately requiring a motive power for rotating the fork member 65, and thus production costs can be decreased.

Further, the commodity detecting plate 67 is also provided as a commodity push-out member that pushes out, in the commodity carrying out direction, the commodity A that is contained in the bucket 64 in response to movement of the rotation restricting member 66. As a result, since the commodity A can be pushed out in the commodity carrying out direction by the commodity detecting plate 67 when the restriction on rotation of the fork member 65 is released and the commodity A is carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14, the commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 can be reliably carried out to the commodity outlet portion 14.

The surface side of the commodity detecting plate 67 that contacts with a commodity is formed in a curved shape so that the center in the width direction of the commodity detecting plate 67 forms a concave portion. As a result, when carrying out the commodity A to the commodity outlet portion 14, the commodity A can be positioned in the center in the width direction of the commodity detecting plate 67 and pushed out by the commodity detecting plate 67. Therefore, the commodity A can be carried out more reliably to the commodity outlet portion 14.

The surface side of the bucket 64 that contacts with the commodity A is formed in a curved shape so that the center in the width direction of the bucket 64 forms a concave portion. Since the commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 can therefore be positioned in the center in the width direction of the bucket 64, the commodity A can be reliably retained in the bucket 64.

The angle of inclination of the bucket 64 after the commodity receiving surface of the bucket 64 is rotated to the commodity outlet portion 14 side is arranged to be greater than the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 when receiving the commodity A in the bucket 64 from the commodity storage column 50. Thus, when moving the bucket unit 60 from the front end side of the commodity storage column 50 to the predetermined commodity carrying out position, the received commodity A can be moved in a more stable posture and thus dropping of the commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 can be prevented.

Further, the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 after the bucket base 62 is moved forward with respect to the unit base 61 is arranged to be smaller than the angle of inclination of the bucket 64 when the commodity A is received in the bucket 64 from the commodity storage column 50. Since it is therefore possible to prevent the commodity A that is received in the bucket 64 from contacting the external door 20, an increase in the dimensions in the front-to-rear direction of the automatic vending machine main unit 10 can be prevented.

The restriction releasing member 68 is arranged to be moved downward by moving the bucket base 62 rearward with respect to the unit base 61. Consequently, since it is possible to reliably move the restriction releasing member 68 downward by an operation when receiving the commodity A of the commodity storage column 50 in the bucket 64, the operation to carry out the commodity A can be reliably performed.

FIG. 26 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the same reference symbols are assigned to components that are the same as in the previous embodiment.

In this automatic vending machine, the bucket 64 is composed from a pair of bucket members 64a disposed in the width direction. The pair of bucket members 64a are rotatably connected to each other in a condition in which the center in the width direction of the bucket 64 serves as the center of rotation.

In the automatic vending machine constituted as described above, when the commodity A is received in the bucket 64, each bucket member 64a of the bucket 64 rotates so that the commodity A is pinched from both sides in the width direction by the pair of bucket members 64a.

Thus, according to the commodity carrying out device of the present embodiment, the bucket 64 is composed from a pair of bucket members 64a disposed in the width direction in a condition in which they are rotatably connected to each other. The pair of bucket members 64a are arranged to pinch a received commodity A from both sides in the width direction. It is thus possible to prevent a received commodity A from dropping out of the bucket 64 and improve the precision with respect to carrying out a commodity A.

FIG. 27 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention. For the third embodiment, the same reference symbols are assigned to components that are the same as in the foregoing embodiment.

This automatic vending machine comprises a pair of drop prevention plates 64b for preventing a received commodity A from dropping. The pair of drop prevention plates 64b are arranged so as to respectively extend along the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of the bucket 64. Each drop prevention plate 64b is rotatably supported by the bucket 64 and is urged by an unshown urging member so as to extend in the horizontal direction to the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of the bucket 64.

In the automatic vending machine constituted as described above, when a commodity A disposed at the front end side of a commodity storage column 50 is to be received in the bucket 64, the drop prevention plates 64b contact the side plate 52 of the commodity storage column 50 and rotate downward. Further, when the bucket unit 64 that receives the commodity A is to be moved to the predetermined commodity carrying out position, the drop prevention plates 64b prevent the commodity A from dropping from the bucket 64.

Thus, according to the commodity carrying out device of the present embodiment, drop prevention plates for preventing a received commodity A from dropping are provided so as to extend to the commodity receiving surface side from both sides in the width direction of the bucket 64. It is therefore possible to prevent a received commodity A from dropping down from the bucket 64 and to improve the accuracy with respect to carrying out a commodity A.

According to the above described embodiment, a configuration was illustrated in which the commodity detecting sensor 61e that is turned on/off by the commodity detecting plate 67 is provided in the unit base 61. However, even when the commodity detecting sensor 61e is provided in the bucket 64, the commodity detecting sensor 61e can similarly detect when a commodity A is sold out or when a fault occurs during an operation to carry out a commodity A. When the commodity A of a predetermined commodity storage column 50 is sold out, the commodity A of a different commodity storage column 50 can be carried out, and in the case of a failure to receive a commodity A in the bucket 64, the carrying out operation is performed again so that the commodity A can be definitely sold.

The embodiments described in the present specification are exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should be understood that the scope of this invention is defined by the attached claims, and all modifications within the meaning of those claims are included in the present invention.

COMMODITY CARRYING OUT DEVICE

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