Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6499623
-
Patent Number
6,499,623
-
Date Filed
Thursday, March 29, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, December 31, 200221 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 221 192
- 221 7
- 221 9
- 221 13
- 221 130
- 221 129
- 221 191
- 221 194
- 221 281
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine is provided which comprises: a chute which is provided below the product housing and is inclined in an upward and forward direction; a pair of left and right drive mechanisms which are provided respectively at left and right both ends of the chute and comprise front and rear sprockets respectively rotatably provided around the front and rear ends of the chute, and each have a chain put and wound on the front and rear sprockets; a drive source, such as a motor, for rotatively driving at least one of the front and rear sprockets; and a product pushing rod which is mounted over a portion between the chains respectively in the pair of drive mechanisms and, in addition, pushes a product, dropped onto the chute, from behind while being moved above the chute along the chute upon the rotation of the chain. By virtue of the above construction, the product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine can quickly and surely carry out a product, which has been delivered and dropped from a product housing, to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine which, at the time of selling, carries a product, delivered downward from a product housing, in a diagonally upward and forward direction to carry out the product to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The applicant of the invention has already proposed this type of product carry-out apparatus, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 66749/1999. In this product carry-out apparatus, a belt conveyor is applied as an apparatus for conveying a delivered product toward a product take-out port. This belt conveyor is provided below a product housing for housing a large number of products which have been toppled sideways and vertically stacked on top of one another. The belt conveyor comprises: a frame which is extended in a forward and upward inclined state; a conveyor belt which is put and wound on two front and rear rotating shafts rotatably provided respectively on the front and rear ends of the frame and is inclined in a forward and upward direction; a drive mechanism for rotatively driving the conveyor belt through the rotating shafts; and the like. This conveyor belt has a large width according to the width of the product housing, and has, on its surface, a plurality of projections provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the conveyor belt, for supporting the product from behind at the time of carrying the delivered product.
In the above-described product carry-out apparatus provided with a belt conveyor, at the time of selling, a product delivered from the product housing is carried out to a product take-out port as follows. Specifically, the product delivered from the product housing is dropped on the conveyor belt, and is then slightly slid down backward along the conveyor belt. Thereafter, the product is abutted against and supported by one of the projections on the rear side. Upon the rotation of the conveyor belt, the product is carried in a diagonally upward and forward direction, in such a state that the backward movement of the product is stopped by the projection, and is carried out to a product take-out port.
In the above-described product carry-out apparatus, all the projections are protruded at a right angle to the surface of the conveyor belt, that is, in a posture such that the projections are inclined in an upward and backward direction from the surface of the conveyor belt. Therefore, when the product has slid down backward, the product is likely to climb over the projection. For some product, the projection is pushed by the abutted product and is consequently bent backward, and this makes it more easy for the product to climb over the projection. For this reason, in some cases, the delivered product slides down to a projection located behind a projection which should have originally supported the product. In this case, even though the product is delivered from the product housing in its position on the product take-out port side, after the delivery, a lot of time is necessary for carrying out the product, and, in addition, there is a fear of foaming to take place. When the inclination angle, at which the belt conveyor ascends forward, is large, the above problem becomes more significant. Further, in this case, the product cannot be sometimes properly carried in such a state that the product is stopped by the projection. This leads to a fear that a failure of the product to be carried out takes place. Thus, this product carry-out apparatus has room for improvement in the above point.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made with a view to solving the above problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine which can quickly and surely carry out a product, which has been delivered downward from a product housing, to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.
According to the first feature of the invention, a product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine, adapted for carrying a product, which has been delivered downward from a product housing at the time of selling, in a diagonally upward and forward direction and then carrying out the product to a product take-out port, comprises:
a chute which is provided below the product housing and is inclined in an upward and forward direction;
a pair of left and right drive mechanisms which are provided respectively at left and right both ends of the chute and comprise front and rear sprockets respectively rotatably provided around the front and rear ends of the chute, and each have a chain put and wound on the front and rear sprockets;
a drive source for rotatively driving, at the time of selling, at least one of the front and rear sprockets constituting the pair of drive mechanisms; and
a product pushing rod which is mounted over a portion between the chains respectively in the pair of drive mechanisms and, in addition, at the time of selling, pushes a product, dropped onto the chute, from behind while being moved above the chute along the chute upon the rotation of the chain.
According to this construction, at the time of selling, the product delivered downward from the product housing is dropped on the chute, then slightly slides down in a diagonally downward and backward direction along the chute, and is abutted against and supported by the product pushing rod on the rear side. Upon the drive of the pair of left and right drive mechanisms by means of the drive source, the chains put and wound on the front sprocket and the rear sprocket are rotated in a predetermined direction, and this permits the product pushing rod to be moved along the chute in a diagonally upward and forward direction. As a result, the product, which has been dropped on the chute and supported by the product pushing rod, is moved along the chute in a diagonally upward and forward direction while being pushed from behind by the product pushing rod, and is carried out to the product take-out port. The product pushing rod is mounted over a portion between the chains in the pair of left and right drive mechanisms. That is, both ends of the product pushing rod are mounted respectively on the left and right chains. Therefore, even when the delivered product slides down backward on the chute and is abutted against the product pushing rod, the product pushing rod does not substantially bend. This enables the product to be surely stopped and to be properly supported at the abutted position. As a result, the product can be quickly and surely carried out to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.
In this case, preferably, the chute comprises: a forward and upward inclined base; a cushioning member disposed on the upper side of the base; and a chute plate mounted on the base through the cushioning member.
According to this construction, the chute plate, on which the delivered product drops and hits, is mounted on the base through the cushioning member. Therefore, the impact, which the product receives from the chute plate at the time of dropping of the product on the chute plate, can be relaxed through the cushioning member. By virtue of this, the deformation of the product can be prevented, and, in addition, when the product is a carbonated beverage, foaming can be prevented.
In these cases, preferably, the product housing is partitioned into a plurality of product passages which are arranged in the longitudinal direction and each house therein products and each have at its lower end a plurality of delivery ports for delivering a product, and which further comprises rod stop means for stopping, after the completion of selling, the product pushing rod at a predetermined stop position which is above the chute and avoids the plurality of delivery ports.
According to this construction, after the completion of selling, the product pushing rod is stopped by the rod stop means at a predetermined stop position while avoiding a plurality of delivery ports above the chutes, and stands by at the stop position. Therefore, the product delivered from the delivery port at the time of next selling is surely dropped on the chute without hitting against the product pushing rod. This permits the product to be delivered through a product passage located in front of the product pushing rod, and the product, which slides down on the chute, can be surely stopped by the product pushing rod. Further, for example, when the product pushing rod stands by just under the delivery port, the product delivered from the delivery port once hits against the product pushing rod, and then drops on the chute. Therefore, the level of the impact, which the product receives, is large. By contrast, as described above, when the product pushing rod is allowed to stand by at the position other than the delivery port, the impact level can be reduced and, thus, troubles caused by the impact can be reduced.
In this case, preferably, the rod stop means has a stop control switch which, when the product pushing rod has reached a predetermined position, is switchable between ON and OFF to stop the drive source, thereby stopping the product pushing rod at the predetermined stop position.
According to this construction, ON/OFF switching in the stop control switch which, when the product pushing rod has reached a predetermined position, can be switched between ON and OFF to stop the drive source. Therefore, the product pushing rod can be easily and surely stopped at a predetermined stop position. In other words, the product pushing rod can be easily and surely allowed to stand by at a predetermined standby position for next selling.
In these cases, preferably, the product pushing rod comprises a plurality of product pushing rods provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the chains, and at least one of the plurality of product pushing rods is stopped at the predetermined stop position.
According to this construction, since the product pushing rod comprises a plurality of product pushing rods, as compared with the case where a product is conveyed and carried out by a single product pushing rod, the carry-out time necessary for the product to be carried out to a product take-out port after the delivery can be shortened. Further, the disposition of the plurality of product pushing rods at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the chain permits at least one of the product pushing rod to be surely allowed to stand by at a predetermined stop position without making the chain one turn.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be explained in more detail in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1
is a sectional side view showing the interior of a vending machine incorporating a product carry-out apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2
is an enlarged sectional side view of a product carry-out apparatus; and
FIG. 3
is a sectional side view of a product carry-out apparatus which has been held in the position of maintenance.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1
shows the interior of a vending machine incorporating a product carry-out apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in the drawing, this vending machine
1
is of the so-called “barrier-free type,” wherein a product take-out port
3
in a main door
2
is provided at a relatively higher position than conventional vending machines and a purchaser can take out a product without the necessity of significant stooping. The vending machine
1
comprises the main door
2
and a box-type vending machine body
4
the front of which is opened and closed by the main door
2
.
The main door
2
has, at its front, for example, a selection button for selecting a product and a money slot for putting a money into the vending machine (both not shown). Further, a control circuit (not shown), provided with a microcomputer, for performing various types of control within the vending machine body
4
including a product carry-out apparatus
12
described below is provided at the back of the main door
2
. The product take-out port
3
comprises an outer door
5
for opening and closing its front and a product receptacle
6
for receiving a product S which has been carried out to the product take-out port
3
. The outer door
5
is rotatable about the upper end. The outer door
5
is in a suspended state in a usual state to close the product take-out port
3
, and, when a purchaser lifts the lower end of the outer door
5
at the time of the takeout of the product S, opens the product take-out port
3
. On the other hand, the front wall of a product receptacle
6
is rotatable about the lower end. In a usual state, the front wall stands up on the backside of the outer door
5
and receives the carried-out product S. At the time of taking out the product S, when the purchaser pulls the upper end toward him or her, the front wall is slightly inclined toward the purchaser so that the purchaser can easily take out the product S.
The vending machine body
4
has, in its interior, for example, a product housing
11
for housing a product S, a product carry-out apparatus
12
for carrying out, at the time of selling, the product S delivered downward from the product housing
11
to the product take-out port
3
and a cooling/heating unit
13
for cooling or heating the product S within the product housing
11
. An openable insulating door
14
is provided at the front. The interior of the vending machine body
4
is partitioned in a lateral direction (front and back direction in
FIG. 1
) by a plurality of insulating walls (not shown), and the product housing
11
and the product carry-out apparatus
12
are disposed between the insulating walls which face each other. Further, for example, an evaporator
13
a
or a heater
13
b
for the cooling/heating unit
13
is disposed.
The product housing
11
is constituted by three vertically extended columns
15
connected to one another in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction in FIG.
1
). The four longitudinal and lateral sides of each column are formed of an oblong metal plate. Within each of the columns
15
, two vertically extended front and rear product passages
17
,
17
are provided by partitioning, for example, by a partition plate
16
in the longitudinal direction. Products S of an identical type, such as various canned beverage products and PET bottled products, are housed in each of the product passages
17
in such a state that they have been toppled sideways and vertically stacked on top of one another. Further, in each of the columns
15
, a product delivery apparatus (not shown), which delivers only the lowermost located product S downward at the time of selling, is provided at the lower end for each of the product passages
17
. The setting of a delivery port
17
a
located at the lower end of the product passage
17
and regulated by each product delivery apparatus can be manually changed according to the size of the product S. Further, the downward extending level of the columns
15
corresponds to the inclination of the conveyor
21
in the product carry-out apparatus
12
described below. Specifically, the closer to the rear end, the larger the downward extending level of the column
15
. Thus, the drop distance of the product S delivered from each column
15
to the product carry-out apparatus
12
is minimized. This can reduce an impact, which the product S receives at the time of dropping, and, in addition, enables a larger number of products S to be housed in the product housing
11
.
In the product housing
11
having the above construction, at the time of selling, only the lowermost located product S is delivered from the product passage
17
housing products selected by a purchaser, and is dropped on a chute
24
in the product carry-out apparatus
12
described below. The forefront column
15
is provided with an opening/closing plate
18
for opening and closing the delivery port
17
a
of the product passage
17
on the front side thereof. At the time of selling, the product S delivered from the delivery port
17
a
is guided by the opening/closing plate
18
, which has opened the delivery port
17
a
in a forward and downward inclined state, and is carried out to the product take-out port
3
without the operation of the product carry-out apparatus
12
. The product S delivered from the rear product passage
17
within the inmost column
15
is dropped on a forward and downward inclined plate
4
a,
which is located below the product passage
17
and mounted on the backside within the vending machine body
4
, then slides down forward, and is received on the chute
24
.
The product carry-out apparatus
12
is disposed below the product housing
11
, and, at the time of selling, receives the product S delivered and dropped from the product housing
11
, then carries the product S in a diagonally upward and forward direction, and carries out the product S to the product take-out port
3
. This product carry-out apparatus
12
comprises a conveyor
21
for carrying the product S at the time of selling, and a support
22
for holding the conveyor
21
at a predetermined position (a position for selling or a position for maintenance described below).
The conveyor
21
is rotatable, about a rotating shaft
23
located at the bottom of the rear end, between the forward and upward inclined position for selling (see
FIGS. 1 and 2
) and the wholly substantially horizontal position for maintenance (see FIG.
3
). In a usual state, the conveyor
21
is held by the support
22
at the position for selling, while, for example, at the time of maintenance of the interior of the vending machine body
4
, the conveyor
21
is held at the position for maintenance. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the conveyor
21
comprises: a chute
24
which is inclined in a forward and upward direction and receives, on its upper surface, the delivered product S; a pair of left and right drive mechanisms
25
(only one of the pair of drive mechanisms is shown) disposed respectively on left and right both ends of the chute
24
; a drive motor
26
(a drive source) for driving these drive mechanisms
25
; a plurality of product pushing rods
27
which are mounted between chains
36
, described below, in both the drive mechanisms
25
; a stop control switch
28
(rod stop means) for controlling the stop of the drive motor
26
through switching between ON/OFF by the product pushing rod
27
; and the like. The chute
24
and the like are housed within a housing case
29
having a predetermined shape.
The chute
24
has a base frame
31
which is inclined in a forward and upward direction and is substantially rectangular in its plane shape. A chute plate
33
, which is rectangular in its plane shape, is mounted through a plurality of conical coil springs
32
(cushioning members) on the base frame
31
. Therefore, at the time of selling, the product S delivered from the product housing
11
is dropped on the chute plate
33
. An impact, which the product S receives from the chute plate
33
upon dropping of the product S, can be relaxed by the coil spring
32
. This can prevent the deformation of the product S, and, in addition, can suppress foaming in the case where the product S is a carbonated beverage. Further, in the base frame
31
and the chute plate
33
, a large number of through holes (not shown) are provided so as to be vertically passed through the base frame
31
and the chute plate
33
. Chill air and warm air from the cooling/heating unit
13
are vertically circulated in the product carry-out apparatus
12
via through holes to cool or warm the product S within the product housing
11
.
Each of the drive mechanisms
25
comprises: two front sprockets
34
which are rotatably provided at the front end of the chute
24
while vertically leaving a space (hereinafter, the front sprocket provided on the upper side is often referred to as “upper sprocket
34
a,
” and the front sprocket provided on the lower side is often referred to as “lower sprocket
34
b
”); a rear sprocket
35
which is rotatably provided at the rear end of the chute
24
; and chains
36
which are put and wound on the front sprocket
34
and the rear sprocket
35
. In both the drive mechanisms
25
, the upper sprockets
34
a
are connected to each other through a laterally extended connecting shaft
37
a
and are synchronously rotated. Likewise, the lower sprockets
34
b
are connected to each other through a laterally extended connecting shaft
37
b
and are synchronously rotated, and the rear sprockets
35
are connected to each other through a laterally extended connecting shaft
37
c
and are synchronously rotated. A drive gear
38
constituted by a spur gear is fixed along the connecting shaft
37
b
which connects the lower sprockets
34
b
to each other. This drive gear
38
is rotatively driven in a predetermined direction by a drive motor
26
. This drive gear
38
may be constructed integrally with the lower sprocket
34
b.
The drive motor
26
is disposed below the chute
24
, and is connected to the drive gear
38
through a plurality of gears
39
a
(only one of the gears
39
a
is shown) and an intermediate gear
40
within a gear box
39
. By virtue of this construction, at the time of selling, upon the operation of the drive motor
26
, the drive gear
38
is rotatively driven anti-clockwise, and this permits the lower sprockets
34
b
respectively in both the drive mechanisms
25
to be rotated anti-clockwise. Thus, upon the rotation of both the lower sprockets
34
b,
the chains
36
respectively in both the drive mechanisms
25
are rotated anti-clockwise through the utilization of both the lower sprockets
34
b
as sprockets for motive power.
Four product pushing rods
27
are mounted, over a portion between the chains
36
respectively in both the drive mechanisms
25
, at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the chains
36
. Therefore, as described above, at the time of selling, upon the rotation of the chains
36
respectively in both the drive mechanisms
25
in an anti-clockwise direction, the product pushing rods
27
are moved in the circumference of the chute
24
in an anti-clockwise direction.
The stop control switch
28
is provided around the drive motor
26
, and is switched between ON and OFF by the product pushing rod
27
through a rotatable link
41
having a predetermined shape. Specifically, in a usual state, the link
41
is positioned in a state energized by a torsion coil spring
42
toward a predetermined position indicated by a solid line in FIG.
2
. This presses a switch button
28
a
in the stop control switch
28
and thus permits the stop control switch
28
to be brought to an ON or OFF state. On the other hand, when one of the product pushing rods
27
is passed below the link
41
, the link
41
is rotatively driven, while defying the torsion coil spring
42
, to a switching position indicted by a chain double-dashed line in FIG.
2
. This releases the pushing of the switch button
28
a
by the link
41
, and thus brings the stop control switch
28
to an OFF or ON state.
When predetermined stop conditions, described below, for stopping the drive motor
26
are established and, as described above, the stop control switch
28
is subjected to ON/OFF swtiching by the product pushing rod
27
through the link
41
, a control signal is sent from a control circuit (not shown) to the drive motor
26
, and, based on this, the drive motor
26
is stopped. Further, this stops the rotation of the chains
36
respectively in both the drive mechanisms
25
, and thus stops the product pushing rods
27
at respective predetermined positions (standby positions). More specifically, as shown in
FIG. 2
, four product pushing rods
27
are stopped respectively at a position above an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the chute plate
33
, a position between the upper sprocket
34
a
and the lower sprocket
34
b,
a position below the link
41
, and a position around the rear sprocket
35
. In particular, as shown in
FIG. 1
, the product pushing rod
27
, which stops at a position above the chute plate
33
, is stopped so as to locate just under a portion between front and rear two delivery ports
17
a,
17
a
in a central column
15
. This permits all products S delivered from the delivery port
17
a
to be surely dropped on the chute plate
33
without hitting against the product pushing rods
27
.
That is, for example, when the product pushing rod
27
is located just under any one of the delivery ports
17
a,
the product delivered from this delivery port
17
a
is once hit against the product pushing rod
27
, and is then dropped on the chute plate
33
. In this case, the level of impact, which the product S receives, is high. By contrast, as described above, when the product pushing rod
27
above the chute plate
33
is located just under the portion between the delivery ports
17
a,
17
a
in the central column
15
, the level of impact, which the product S receives, can be reduced. As a result, the deformation and foaming of the product S can be prevented on a higher level. The product S delivered from the delivery port
17
a
located in front of the product pushing rod
27
is dropped on the chute plate
33
, then slightly slides down backward, and is abutted against and surely supported by the product pushing rod
27
.
The housing case
29
for housing the chute
24
and the like comprises a bottom wall
43
, a pair of left and right side walls
44
(only one of the side walls is shown), a front wall
45
, and a rear wall
46
, and the upper part and the upper half part of the front of the housing case
29
is opened. A carry-out chute
45
a,
which is inclined in a rear and upward direction and is extended to a portion near the front end of the chute
24
, is provided at the upper part of the front wall
45
. This carry-out chute
45
a
receives the product S carried to the front end of the chute
24
, then allows the product S to slide down forward, and is carried out to the product take-out port
3
.
A mounting plate
47
, which has a rear end rotatably connected to the rotating shaft
23
and is extended in a longitudinal direction, is provided below a bottom wall
43
of the housing case
29
. This mounting plate
47
has a downward bent front end, and is screwed only from the front by a mounting screw
49
to a mounting member
48
within the vending machine body
4
. That is, the conveyor
21
can be mounted within the vending machine body
4
by mounting the mounting plate
47
to the mounting member
48
by the mounting screw
49
, and can be removed from within the vending machine body
4
by removing the mounting screw
49
.
As described above, the conveyor
21
having the above construction is held by the support
22
at the position for selling or the position for maintenance. This support
22
is constructed by bending both the left and right ends and the upper end of the metal plate, and is rotatable about the rotating shaft
51
inserted into the lower end between a standing position, that is, a standing posture (see FIGS.
1
and
2
), and a toppled position, that is, a posture substantially horizontally toppled toward the rear side (see FIG.
3
). Further, a torsion coil spring
52
, which energizes the support
22
against the standing position, is mounted on the rotating shaft
51
.
An opening
14
a,
which permits the passage of the product S, is provided in an insulating door
14
at its portion which faces the front of the conveyor
21
located at the selling position. An insulating inner door
53
, which is rotatable about the upper end, is provided on the opening
14
a.
In a usual state, this inner door
53
is in a suspended state to close the opening
14
a.
On the other hand, at the time of selling, the inner door
53
is pushed and opened by the weight of the product S which has been received by the carry-out chute
45
a
and slides down forward along the carry-out chute
45
a,
thereby opening the opening
14
a.
An inner door opening/closing discrimination switch
54
for determining whether the inner door
53
is opened or closed, is provided at the upper end of the inner door
53
. This switch
54
determines whether the closed inner door
53
has been opened, or the once opened inner door
53
has been closed.
Next, the operation of the product carry-out apparatus
12
at the time of selling will be explained. As described above, in a usual state, the conveyor
21
in the product carry-out apparatus
12
is held at the position for selling, and the product pushing rods
27
are located respectively at standby positions shown in FIG.
2
. As soon as a purchaser puts a money into the slot and depresses a selection button for a desired product, the product delivery apparatus in the product passage
17
housing this product is operated to deliver only the lowermost located product S.
When the product S has been delivered from the forefront product passage
17
, the product S is dropped on the carry-out chute
45
a
while being guided by the opening/closing plate
18
, and then slides down forward along the carry-out chute
45
a.
The product S pushes and opens by its own weight the inner door
53
and is carried out to the product take-out port
3
. Therefore, in this case, the product S is carried out to the product take-out port
3
without the operation of the conveyor
21
to complete the selling of the product.
Further, except for the forefront product passage
17
, when the product S has been delivered from the product passage
17
located at a position in front of the product pushing rod
27
on the chute plate
33
(this product pushing rod is hereinafter referred to as “product pushing rod 27A”), the product S is dropped on the chute plate
33
, then slightly slides down backward, and, on the rear side, is abutted against and supported by the product pushing rod
27
A. Thereafter, upon the operation of the drive motor
26
to rotate the chains
36
respectively in both the drive mechanisms
25
in an anti-clockwise direction, all the product pushing rods
27
are moved, and the product pushing rod
27
A is moved forward along the chute plate
33
. This permits the product S supported by the product pushing rod
27
A to be pushed from behind by the product pushing rod
27
A, whereby the product S is carried in a diagonally upward and forward direction along the chute plate
33
and is received by the carry-out chute
45
a.
Thereafter, as with the case described above, the product S pushes and opens the inner door
53
, and is carried out to the product take-out port
3
to complete the selling of the product.
In this case, the inner door opening/closing discrimination switch
54
confirms the opening of the inner door
53
, and, when the stop control switch
28
has repeated ON/OFF switching by a predetermined number of times (for example, twice), a control signal is sent from the control circuit to the drive motor
26
to stop the drive motor
26
based on this. This permits the product pushing rods
27
to be stopped respectively at standby positions for next selling.
When the product S has been delivered from the product passage
17
located behind the product pushing rod
27
A, the product S is dropped on the chute plate
33
, then slides down backward toward the rear end of the chute plate
33
, and, on the rear side, is abutted against and supported by the inclined plate
4
a
within the vending machine body
4
. When the product S has been delivered from the inmost product passage
17
, the product S is once dropped on the inclined plate
4
a,
then slides down forward, and is received by the chute plate
33
.
Thereafter, upon the operation of the drive motor
26
, all the product pushing rods
27
are moved, and the product pushing rod
27
located around the rear sprocket
35
pushes from behind the product S to move the product S in a diagonally upward and forward direction along the chute plate
33
. This permits the product S to be carried in a diagonally upward and forward direction along the chute plate
33
, and, as with the case described above, the product S is received by the carry-out chute
45
a,
then pushes and opens the inner door
53
, and is carried out to the product take-out port
3
to complete the selling of the product. Also in this case, as with the case described above, when the inner door
53
has been opened and the stop control switch
28
has been subjected to ON/OFF switching by a predetermined number of times, the drive motor
26
is stopped, whereby the product pushing rods
27
stop respectively at standby positions for next selling.
Next, the handling of the product carry-out apparatus
12
at the time of maintenance within the vending machine body
4
will be explained. At the time of maintenance, the main door
2
and the insulating door
14
are first opened. Subsequently, as shown in
FIG. 3
, the support
22
at the standing position is rotated to the toppled position. In this case, while supporting by the hand the front end of the conveyor
21
located at the position for selling, the upper end of the support
22
at the standing position is slightly pushed backward while defying the torsion coil spring
52
. When the support
22
has been slightly inclined backward, the force level of the hand, which supports the conveyor
21
, is lowered to rotate the conveyor
21
to the position for maintenance. Upon the rotation of the conveyor
21
, the support
22
, which has been slightly inclined backward, is rotated toward the toppling position by the weight of the conveyor
21
.
Thus, the rotation of the conveyor
21
at the position for selling to the position for maintenance can ensure a large space between the product housing
11
and the conveyor
21
. By virtue of this construction, for example, in changing the setting of the delivery port
17
a
in the product passage
17
, in particular, even when the contemplated delivery port
17
a
is located on the inner part within the vending machine body
4
, the arm can be stretched to the inner part to easily change the setting.
Further, the maintenance of the product housing
11
and the conveyor
21
can be performed by a method wherein the conveyor
21
is held at the position for maintenance, or by a method wherein the mounting screw
49
is removed from the mounting plate
47
, and the conveyor
21
per se is completely removed from the vending machine body
4
by pulling out the conveyor
21
forward while using the support
22
at the toppling position as a guide. When the maintenance is performed in such a state that the conveyor
21
has been removed from the vending machine body
4
, after the completion of the maintenance, the conveyor
21
is mounted within the vending machine body
4
according to the procedure which is opposite to the procedure described above.
Thereafter, the front end of the conveyor
21
located at the position for maintenance is lifted, and the conveyor
21
is rotated to a position slightly beyond the position for selling. As a result, the support
22
located at the toppling position is automatically returned by the torsion coil spring
52
to the standing position. Upon the removal of the hand which has lifted the conveyor
21
, the conveyor
21
is held at the position for selling in such a state that the conveyor
21
is supported from below by the support
22
.
As is apparent from the foregoing detailed description, according to the product carry-out apparatus
12
of this preferred embodiment, the product pushing rods
27
are mounted over a portion between the chains
36
respectively in both the drive mechanisms
25
. Therefore, when a delivered product S has slid down on the chute plate
33
in a diagonally downward and backward direction and has been abutted against the product pushing rod
27
, the product pushing rod
27
is not substantially bent. This can surely stop the product S, and can be properly supported at the abutted position. Consequently, the product S can be quickly and surely carried out to the product take-out port
3
provided at a relatively high position.
Further, since four product pushing rods
27
are mounted on the chains
36
respectively in both the drive mechanisms
25
, as compared with the case where only a single product pushing rod is mounted on the chain
36
, the carry-out time necessary for the product S to be carried out to the product take-out port
3
after the delivery can be shortened. Further, since the product pushing rods
27
are disposed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the chains
36
, the product pushing rods
27
can be surely allowed to stand by respectively at predetermined positions without making the chain
36
one turn.
It should be noted that the detailed construction of the product carry-out apparatus
12
and the like described in the preferred embodiments are illustrative only, and can be properly modified within the scope of the invention.
Thus, the product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine according to the invention is advantageous, for example, in that a product, which has been delivered from a product housing and has been dropped, can be quickly and surely carried out to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine, adapted for carrying a product, which has been delivered downward from a product housing at the time of selling, in a diagonally upward and forward direction and then carrying out the product to a product take-out port, said product carry-out apparatus comprising:a chute which is provided below the product housing and is inclined in an upward and forward direction; a pair of left and right drive mechanisms which are provided respectively at left and right both ends of the chute and comprise front and rear sprockets respectively rotatably provided around the front and rear ends of the chute, and each have a chain put and wound on the front and rear sprockets; a drive source for rotatively driving, at the time of selling, at least one of the front and rear sprockets constituting the pair of drive mechanisms; and a product pushing rod which is mounted over a portion between the chains respectively in the pair of drive mechanisms and, in addition, at the time of selling, pushes a product, dropped onto the chute, from behind while being moved above the chute along the chute upon the rotation of the chain.
- 2. The product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the chute comprises: a forward and upward inclined base; a cushioning member disposed on the upper side of the base; and a chute plate mounted on the base through the cushioning member.
- 3. The product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 1 or 2,wherein the product housing is partitioned into a plurality of product passages which are arranged in the longitudinal direction and each house therein products and each have at its lower end a plurality of delivery ports for delivering a product, and which further comprises rod stop means for stopping, after the completion of selling, the product pushing rod at a predetermined stop position which is above the chute and avoids the plurality of delivery ports.
- 4. The product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the rod stop means has a stop control switch which, when the product pushing rod has reached a predetermined position, is switchable between ON and OFF to stop the drive source, thereby stopping the product pushing rod at the predetermined stop position.
- 5. The product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 3, whereinthe product pushing rod comprises a plurality of product pushing rods provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the chains, and at least one of the plurality of product pushing rods is stopped at the predetermined stop position.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2000-096877 |
Mar 2000 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4483459 |
Taylor et al. |
Nov 1984 |
A |
5318200 |
Allen et al. |
Jun 1994 |
A |
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
11-66749 |
Sep 1999 |
JP |