Product dispensing device for an automatic vending machine and automatic vending machine provided with such device

Abstract

The invention relates to a product dispensing device (P) designed to equip a vending machine comprising a plurality of compartments (14) in which products are arranged in a row along a main direction (X) on a guide (19), with means for moving the products (P) along the main direction (X); the device comprises: a pusher element (21) configured to push one or more products (P) located on the guide (19) toward a dispensing section (19A), pressing the first product (P) against a stop surface (35); dispensing means for a product (P), arranged and operating at a terminal (30) of the guide (19), and provided with a vertically movable element (307) configured to push the product (P) from below, allowing it to pass the stop surface (35).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for dispensing products in a vending machine and a vending machine equipped with such a device.

[0002] As is known, a vending machine is a device that dispenses products and / or services upon request by a user, following payment. Vending machines can dispense, for example, snacks, beverages, newspapers, cigarettes, tobacco, smoking accessories, tickets, prepaid cards, vouchers, parapharmaceutical products, etc.

[0003] In a widely used machine configuration, the products dispensed by the vending machine are arranged in special compartments that contain aligned rows of products. Typically, each compartment is delimited by side walls and is equipped with a motorized system that moves the products toward a dispensing outlet corresponding to each row of products. Additionally, a pusher may be provided and activated to exert pressure on the last product in the row. The arrangements that the compartments can assume inside the vending machine may vary considerably depending on the type of product to be dispensed, its shape, and its size.

[0004] For better identification of the relevant technical field, Figs. 1 and 2 relate to Italian Patent No. 102021000011759, which addresses issues in vending machines concerning the loading procedure and the detection of products in the compartments. The subject will be described in greater detail with an initial reference to these figures.

[0005] Fig. 1 schematically shows a known type of vending machine (1), comprising a box-shaped containment body (11) having a parallelepiped configuration.

[0006] In the example, the vending machine (1) is equipped with a front door (2) featuring selection and payment means, a rear access door (3), and a plurality of drawers (10) for holding the products to be dispensed. In this example, the drawers (10) are designed to slide in the front-to-back direction, and the products are dispensed through the front portion of the compartments to be collected via a front hatch (4). As better shown in Fig. 2, each drawer (10) comprises a rear or back wall (12) and a plurality of side walls (13), which are connected to the rear wall (12) and define the compartments (14) intended for the orderly containment of the products to be dispensed.

[0007] In particular, in the illustrated example, the two outermost side walls (13A) are fixed to the rear wall (12) and are provided with rails (15) shaped to slide along corresponding lateral guides (16) that are fixed to the inner face of the side walls (17) of the containment body (11) of the vending machine (1).

[0008] At the front of each compartment (14), two flaps (18) are provided. Their proximal ends are fixed to the side walls (13) that delimit the compartment (14), and their distal ends extend away from these side walls, converging toward each other to define a constraint relative to the product's width. The two flaps (18) provided for each compartment (14) can be made of elastically flexible material and define the front of the same compartment (14), allowing the passage of the contained product when they are temporarily deformed by the thrust of a corresponding pusher element acting on the product(s). In practice, the flaps (18) serve as a front stop for the products, a stop that is temporarily overcome during product dispensing when the applied force exceeds a predefined threshold.

[0009] Italian Utility Model No. 283183 describes a dispenser essentially consisting of a motor that drives a roller or conveyor belt equipped with a pair of pushing elements designed to act on a wall or edge of a product (such as a pack of cigarettes) placed on the upper surface of the dispenser's belt to push it out of the vending machine. The drive roller has a ring-shaped structure, and the pushing elements are arranged diametrically opposite along its circumference. In practice, when the roller is activated, the upper pushing element aligned with the product to be dispensed pushes it, traveling half the roller's circumference to position the other pusher above, ready to act on the next product, which will then be on the upper surface of the dispenser.

[0010] Another known type of dispensing device includes a robotic manipulator that picks the first item from the selected row and moves it to the outlet of the vending machine. Potential drawbacks of this solution include its relative structural complexity and the fact that a malfunction in the robot causes dispensing to stop, resulting in complete machine downtime.

[0011] One of the objectives of this patent application is to create a product dispensing device with a structure that differs from prior art and overcomes its shortcomings; additional objectives include innovatively detecting the actual dispensing of products and enabling the vending machine to be equipped with a relatively high number of different products relative to the machine's size.

[0012] This result was achieved through the innovation of creating a dispensing device and a vending machine exhibiting the characteristics described in the independent claims. Other features are the subject of dependent claims.

[0013] Advantages of the present invention include: the dispensing device allows for secure and accurate product dispensing; the means used to move the product pushers are very robust and do not require an electric motor or corresponding power supply; a vending machine equipped with the described dispensing device can correctly detect whether a product was actually dispensed; thanks to the potential design of one or more drawers, the vending machine can be equipped with a surprisingly high number of different products relative to its size; the products are kept in the correct position both under the action of the pusher and during dispensing; it is possible to determine the number of products in each compartment and use that information remotely to monitor consumption and / or plan correct product replenishment; the dispensing device can also be installed in existing vending machines; the construction of the dispensing device and vending machine is easily feasible by operators who already build traditional machines, without requiring significant investment.

[0014] These and further advantages and features of the present innovation will be better understood by any skilled person in the field from the following description and with the aid of the accompanying drawings, provided as a practical example of the invention but not to be considered limiting, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic overall view, taken from patent IT 102021000011759, showing a known-type vending machine, represented in a perspective view with the front and rear doors open and drawers pulled out; Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view, also taken from patent 102021000011759, of a known-type drawer equipped with multiple compartments for containing products to be dispensed; Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 relate to one possible embodiment of the present invention, in which a dispensing device is shown respectively in a top plan view (Fig. 3), side view (Fig. 4), rear view (Fig. 5), front view (Fig. 6), and perspective view (Fig. 7); in Figs. 4 and 7, some details are shown schematically and in dashed lines; Fig. 8 shows a possible realization of the device of Figs. 3-7 in an exploded perspective view with a detail also shown enlarged; Fig. 9 is another exploded perspective view of the device of Fig. 8; Figs. 10 and 11 show a possible example of a vending machine according to the invention, represented in a full perspective view (Fig. 10) and in a perspective view with the front door removed (Fig. 11); Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a detail relating to the product pickup area of the vending machine of Figs. 10-11; Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a possible drawer for containing products, allowing for a specific arrangement that advantageously increases the number of product types that can be dispensed; Fig. 14 is a schematic illustration showing how products are positioned inside the compartments of the drawer shown in Fig. 13.

[0015] Figs. 10-11 show a possible example of a vending machine (1A) implementation according to the invention, comprising a box-shaped body (11) with a parallelepiped configuration.

[0016] In the example, the vending machine (1A) is equipped with a front door (2) containing selection and payment means (not described in detail), a rear access door, and a plurality of drawers (10) for holding the products to be dispensed. In the example, the drawers (10) are designed to slide in the front-to-back direction, and the products are dispensed through the front of the compartments to be collected via a hatch or an open compartment (4) located on the front. The inventive principle of this invention can also be applied to other configurations, for instance, to drawers positioned orthogonally to those shown in Fig. 1, equipped with corresponding means for transporting the dispensed product to the output compartment (4). Each drawer (10, 10A) includes a rear wall (12) and a plurality of side walls (13) connected to the rear wall (12), which define the compartments (14) for orderly product containment.

[0017] In particular, in the example shown in Fig. 13, the two outermost side walls (13A) are fixed to the rear wall (12) and equipped with rails (15A) shaped to slide within corresponding side guides (16) fixed to the inner face of the side walls (17) of the vending machine's (1) containment body (11). The fastening method of drawer (10A) to the vending machine's (1A) structure is of known type and is therefore not described in detail.

[0018] This description also concerns a specific configuration of drawer (10A) for product (P) containment. Advantageously, drawer (10A) of Fig. 13 is shaped and dimensioned to allow the arrangement of products aligned in a sequence where they occupy minimal vertical space, indicated as (L10) and practically corresponding to the smallest product dimension (L3). In the schematic of Fig. 14, the product (P) has a parallelepiped shape resembling a cigarette pack or similar box, with two bases (K3), two larger side faces (K1), and two smaller side faces (K2). The product (P) has a largest dimension or first dimension (L1) corresponding to the length, a second dimension (L2) corresponding to the width, and a smallest dimension or third dimension (L3) corresponding to the depth. In each compartment (14) of drawer (10A), products (P) are aligned along direction (X) (shown by a dash-dot line). As shown in Fig. 14, products are aligned along their largest dimension (L1), resulting in a height that corresponds to their smallest dimension (L3). Then, equipping a vending machine (1A) with one or more such drawers (10A) allows for a significantly higher number of different products to be offered simultaneously. Compared to the "traditional" arrangement (as in Figs. 4 and 7), where products are aligned along the shortest side (L3), the innovative layout reduces the drawer's height by more than one-third, potentially tripling the number of product types. In the traditional setup, a product (P) placed in a middle position is contained between the large side faces (K1) of adj acent products, while in the innovative design of Fig. 13, a product (P) placed in a middle position is contained between the bases (K3) of adjacent products. It can be said that the space occupied vertically by one traditional drawer (10) can instead hold multiple innovative drawers (10A) as those of Fig. 13.

[0019] In the same vending machine (1A) it is possible to provide both drawers (10) with a "traditional" arrangement of the products, such as that shown in Figs. 4 and 7, and drawers (10A) with the reduced height arrangement shown in Fig. 13. In practice, it is possible to organize the inside of the vending machine (1A) using different types of drawers depending on the needs. Advantageously, therefore, the present description concerns a vending machine (1A) equipped with one or more drawers (10) in which the products (P) are arranged side by side forming rows with the larger faces in contact as well as one or more drawers (10A) in which the products (P) are arranged side by side forming rows with the bases in contact.

[0020] Advantageously, according to an object of the invention, each compartment (14) housing products (P) is equipped with a dispensing device made according to the present invention, allowing controlled release of individual products from the front of the drawer (10; 10A).

[0021] At the bottom of each compartment (14), a box-shaped guide (19) runs longitudinally along said product alignment direction (X).

[0022] The guide (19) features an internal profile with a first pair of rails (190) forming a slot for a plate (18) made of printed circuit board material (e.g., vetronite) and a second pair of rails (191) housing a pusher element (21) provided with corresponding wings (210) that constrain the pusher to the guide (19) while allowing it to slide along direction (X).

[0023] The plate (18) can be provided, as in the example, with a metric scale or other suitable reference and thanks to electronic components soldered on a printed circuit it defines a reading organ of the movement of a metallic and / or ferromagnetic material element (212) provided in the lower part of the body of the pusher (21). In practice, the sliding of the pusher (21) along the guide (19) determines an interaction of the metallic and / or ferromagnetic material element (212) which provides a central unit (not visible in the drawings) with a signal relating to the position of the pusher (21) along the guide (19).

[0024] The body of the pusher (21) is hollow and contains a coil spring (23) that is stored inside the pusher when wound. The distal end (23A) of the spring is fixed to a terminal (30) located at the front end (19A) of the guide (19). As the spring (23) coils, it moves the pusher (21) along the guide (19) toward its front end, i.e., toward the terminal (30). The pusher (21) has a vertical face (211) facing the terminal (30), which serves as the pushing surface acting on the products (P).

[0025] By reading the position of the pusher (21) (executed through the interaction between the metallic and / or ferromagnetic element 212 and the circuit on the plate 18) it is possible to determine how many products (P) are present on the guide (19) of each compartment (14), since the product count is derived from the pusher's position and the size of a single product (P) along the alignment direction (X).

[0026] The terminal (30) consists of an upper half-shell (30A) and a lower half-shell (30B) that are joined together when the device is assembled and that are fixed to the guide (19) using screws (199) that pass through holes (31) provide on the terminal and matching holes on the front end (19A) of the guide (19). The two half-shells have matching profiles, frames, and cavities to ensure proper interlocking when assembled.

[0027] The terminal (30) has a stop surface (35) against which products (P) are pushed by the pusher (21). In practice, the row of products is compressed between the pusher's vertical face (211) and the stop surface (35) of the terminal (30).

[0028] Figs. 4 and 7 show the first product (P) in contact with the pusher (21) and the last three products (P) placed at the end of the guide (19). Both the first product (P) and the other three have been represented schematically with a dotted line. Obviously, between the first product (P) and the other three will be placed all the other products (P) that form the row and that have not been represented to simplify the drawings. An electric motor (300) is housed between the two half-shells (30A, 30B), provided with a reducer (302) that has a square or semi-round section shaft (301) at its output, which is inserted into a corresponding cavity (303) presented by a round plate (304). In practice, the shaft (301) is integral with the plate (304) and when the motor (300) is activated, the shaft (301) rotates the plate (304). The internal shape of the two half-shells (30A, 30B) allows the motor (300) and reducer (302) to be fixed stably to the body of the terminal (30), leaving the plate (304) supported so that it can rotate around its own axis defined by said cavity (303). In other words, during the formation of the half-shells (30A, 30B), for example by moulding, seats and frames are created to stably house the internal components of the terminal (30), even simply by interlocking the half-shells (30A, 30B).

[0029] The round plate (304) is provided with a pin (305) that protrudes from its surface and is arranged in an eccentric position. In practice, when the plate (304) is driven into rotation by the shaft (301), the pin (305) follows a circular path around the axis of the plate (304).

[0030] The lower half-shell (30B) contains two vertical C-shaped rails (306) with opposing openings, forming a guide for a movable element (307). This element is a rectangular plate with a top horizontal surface (308) and two vertical side uprights (309) that slide inside the rails. At the bottom, there is a horizontal slot (310) into which the eccentric pin (305) is inserted.

[0031] Near the stop surface (35), the upper half-shell (30A) has a perforated portion (311) shaped and sized to allow the top surface (308) of the mobile element (307) to pass through.

[0032] Advantageously, all components housed in the terminal (30) are securely fixed thanks to the structure of the half-shells (30A, 30B), which allow for simple assembly and attachment to the guide (19) with screws (199).

[0033] The vending machine (1A) can thus dispense the products (P) thar are on the guide (19) and are pushed by the pusher (21) against the stop surface (35). The presence and quantity of products can be detected by sensors, similar to those described in patent IT-102021000011759, including a digital position transducer that sends a signal indicating the pusher's position. This could be a linear encoder selected from the group comprising: magnetic, optical, laser, capacitive, or inductive encoders. In the drawings that represent a possible but not exclusive example of its implementation, the following are visible: a sensor (313) for detecting the products (P) present on the device, an electronic board (312) for the sensor, a button (314) and a single-colour or RGB LED (315). The lower half-shell (30B) and the upper half-shell (30A) can be provided with a seat (316) for fixing the board (312).

[0034] In the operation of the distributor (1A), when a product (P) must be dispensed, a central command and control unit (not shown in the drawings) sends an activation signal to the motor (300) which rotates the plate (304) via the shaft (301) connected to it. The rotation of the plate (304) determines the simultaneous movement of the pin (305) which interferes with the slot (310) in which it is inserted, causing the mobile element (307) to lift. In practice, the rotation of the plate (304) causes the vertical translation of the mobile element (307) which pushes the product (P) upwards which is at that moment abutting against the abutment surface (35); the upward movement has a value which determines the overcoming of the thick surface (35) by the product (P) which is then released.

[0035] On the board (312) there is a sensor (313) designed to detect the presence of the first product (P) placed on the terminal and a "fork" sensor (318) which detects the presence of a rib (319) provided on the moving element (307). In practice, the sensor (313) detects the presence or absence of products while the sensor (318) determines the limit switch of the moving element (307).

[0036] In correspondence with the front area (19A) of the guide (19) a containment structure (B) can be provided, schematically represented in a discontinuous section. The structure (B) can be fixed to the guide (19) or to another part of the drawer (10; 10A) so as to cover at least on the top a product (P) placed in contact with the product (P) that at that moment is abutting against the surface (35), or the one intended to be lifted. In this way the dragging upwards of the "second" product (P) is prevented when the "first" is lifted by the mobile element (307).

[0037] The structure (B) can extend along the longitudinal development of the same guide (19) so as to cover one or more products (P) but never interfering with the one placed abutting against the surface (35). In other words, with reference to the example in Figs.4 and 7, the structure (B) is distant from the said striking surface (35) by a value substantially greater than the thickness (L3) of the product (P).

[0038] Once released, the product (P) falls into a hopper (40) that moves vertically along two vertical rails (51) mounted on the internal sides of the vending machine (1A). In practice, according to signals from the central unit, the mobile hopper (40) moves vertically to the height of the drawer (10; 10A) from which the product was dispensed. After catching the product, the hopper then moves to the access opening (4) for external retrieval.

[0039] The hopper (40) consists of a hollow box-shaped body with an internal cavity (49) open at the top and connected to two lateral slides (47) and an inclined plane (50) placed at the rear, i.e. on the side closest to the drawers (10, 10A). The end portions (46) to the right and left of the two lateral slides (47) are connected to the vertical tracks (51) so as to allow the vertical sliding (Y) of the hopper (40) by means of relative motor means not illustrated in the drawings which allow the hopper (40) to move between the height of the drawer (10, 10A) from which the product (P) is dispensed and the collection compartment (4) through which it is extracted from the distributor (1A).

[0040] Advantageously, the hopper (40) is equipped with a system for detecting the presence of the product (P) based on the reading of a load cell.

[0041] In practice, a product reception surface (48) is fixed on the bottom (42) of the hopper (40) on which the products (P) released by the dispensing device arrive.

[0042] A load cell (41) is arranged and acting between the surface (48) and the bottom (42) of the hopper (40). The load cell (41) can be fixed, for example, by means of two screws that pass through the surface (42) and the load cell (41). Spacers (43) can be provided between the surface (48) and the load cell (41), as well as between the load cell (41) and the surface (48) of the hopper (40). The reference (45) indicates the electronic board of the load cell (41).

[0043] This electronic board (45) as well as that (312) that detects the presence of the products are connected to the central unit of the automatic distributor (1A); all the electronic cards of the distributor (1) can be connected to a resident and / or remote central unit and to a data transmission network.

[0044] In general terms, as is evident from the description of the examples illustrated above, the present invention consists of a product dispensing device (P) to equip an automatic dispenser comprising means for selecting one or more products to be dispensed and a plurality of compartments (14) intended to contain the products, in which the products are arranged in a row along a main direction (X) along a guide (19), with means being provided for moving the products (P) along said main direction (X) towards an outlet section (19A) which is crossed by the product for dispensing; the dispensing device is characterised in that it comprises: - a pusher element (21) shaped in such a way as to exert a thrust on one or more products (P) placed on the guide (19) towards said outlet section (19A) in said main direction (X) so as to push the first product (P) of the row, or the one intended to be dispensed first, against a striking surface (35); - means (300, 304, 307) for dispensing a product (P) arranged and acting at a terminal (30) of said guide (19) where said striking surface (35) is located and provided with a vertically movable element (307), or perpendicularly movable to said main direction (X), arranged and configured to push the product (P) from below so as to make it pass said striking surface (35).

[0045] From the preceding description it is also clear that a dispensing device in accordance with the present invention may have one or more of the following characteristics, even combined with each other: the device comprises means for detecting the position of the pusher comprising at least one digital position transducer capable of providing a signal relating to the position of the pusher (21), wherein said digital transducer is a linear encoder device chosen from the group comprising: magnetic encoder, optical encoder, laser encoder, capacitive encoder, inductive encoder; said means (300, 304, 307) for dispensing a product (P) comprise a motor (300) kinematically connected to a plate (304) provided with a pin (305) which is arranged eccentrically on said plate (304) and which is inserted into a slot presented by said mobile element (307) to determine a vertical movement of the latter in correspondence with the rotation of said plate (304); said mobile element (307) is formed by a substantially rectangular plate delimited above by a horizontal surface (308) and laterally by two vertical uprights (309) that slide inside corresponding vertical tracks (306) presented by said terminal (30), in the lower area of the mobile element (307) there being a horizontal slot (310) in which the pin (305) of the plate (304) is inserted and by the fact that said terminal (30) is provided, near the striking surface (35), with a perforated portion (311) shaped and sized so that it can be crossed by the horizontal surface (308) of the mobile element (307) to push the product (P) vertically; the device is equipped with a board (312) on which there is a sensor (313) designed to detect the presence of the first product (P) placed on the terminal (30) and a "fork" sensor (318) that detects the presence of a rib (319) provided on the moving element (307); all the components supported by the terminal (30) are contained between two half-shells (30A, 30B) that make up the terminal itself (30) and allow its assembly by simply placing the two half-shells (30A, 30B) side by side and fixing them to the guide (19); the device comprises a hopper (40) that can move vertically and is equipped with a system for detecting the presence of the product (P) based on the reading of a load cell; the hopper (40) has a bottom (42) on which a plane (48) for receiving the products (P) is fixed; a load cell (41) is arranged and acts between the plane (48) and the bottom (42) of the hopper (40); the device comprises a drawer (10A) shaped and sized to allow the housing of products aligned according to a succession in which the products have a minimum vertical bulk (L10) corresponding to the smaller dimension (L3) of the product (P), the products (P) being aligned along the development of their own larger dimension (L1) so as to determine a height bulk corresponding to a smaller dimension (L3); the guide (19) has an internal profile provided with a first pair of tracks (190) that define a seat for a lamina (18) which is a printed circuit and a second pair of tracks (191) in which said pusher (21) is housed, which is provided with corresponding fins (210) that determine the constraint of the same pusher (21) with respect to the guide (19) with freedom of sliding along the direction (X), and by the fact that said pusher (21) is provided with an element in metallic and / or ferromagnetic material (212) provided in the lower part of the body of the pusher (21) and interacting with the printed circuit (18); said pusher (21) comprises a coil spring.

[0046] The invention also relates to a vending machine (1A) equipped with a dispensing device as described and illustrated.

[0047] In practice, the specific embodiments may vary equivalently in shape, size, arrangement of components, or materials, without departing from the core inventive concept, and thus remain within the scope of the protection granted by this patent.

Claims

1. Product dispensing device (P) for equipping a vending machine comprising means for selecting one or more products to be dispensed and a plurality of compartments (14) intended for holding the products, wherein the products are arranged in a row along a main direction (X) on a guide (19), with means provided for moving the products (P) along said main direction (X) toward a dispensing section (19A) through which the product passes for dispensing, dispensing device characterized in that it comprises: - a pusher element (21) shaped to exert a pushing force on one or more products (P) located on the guide (19) toward the dispensing section (19A) along the main direction (X), so as to push the first product (P) in the row, i.e., the one to be dispensed first, against a stop surface (35); - means (300, 304, 307) for dispensing a product (P), arranged and operating at a terminal (30) of said guide (19), where the stop surface (35) is located, and provided with a vertically movable element (307), i.e., movable perpendicularly to said main direction (X), arranged and configured to push the product (P) from below so that it passes over said stop surface (35).

2. Dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises position detection means for the pusher, including at least one digital position transducer capable of providing a signal relating to the position of the pusher (21), wherein said digital transducer is a linear encoder selected from the group consisting of: magnetic encoder, optical encoder, laser encoder, capacitive encoder, inductive encoder.

3. Dispensing device according to claim 1 and / or 2, characterized in that said means (300, 304, 307) for dispensing a product (P) comprise a motor (300) kinematically connected to a disk (304) provided with a pin (305) arranged eccentrically on said disk (304), and inserted into a slot formed in said movable element (307), to produce vertical movement of the latter corresponding to the rotation of said disk (304).

4. Dispensing device according to claim 3, characterized in that said movable element (307) is made of a substantially rectangular plate bounded at the top by a horizontal surface (308) and laterally by two vertical uprights (309) which slide within corresponding vertical rails (306) of said terminal (30), wherein the bottom area of the movable element (307) includes a horizontal slot (310) in which the pin (305) of the disk (304) is inserted, and in that said terminal (30) includes, near the stop surface (35), a perforated portion (311) shaped and sized to allow the horizontal surface (308) of the movable element (307) to pass through and push the product (P) upward.

5. Dispensing device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes a board (312) provided with a sensor (313) to detect the presence of the first product (P) on the terminal (30), and a fork-type sensor (318) that detects the presence of a rib (319) provided on the movable element (307).

6. Dispensing device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that all the components supported by the terminal (30) are housed between two half-shells (30A, 30B) that form the terminal (30) and allow assembly simply by bringing the two half-shells together and fixing them to the guide (19).

7. Dispensing device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes a vertically movable hopper (40) equipped with a system for detecting the presence of the product (P) based on the reading of a load cell.

8. Dispensing device according to claim 7, characterized in that said hopper (40) has a bottom (42) with a platform (48) fixed to it for receiving the products (P), and that a load cell (41) is placed and operates between the platform (48) and the bottom (42) of the hopper (40).

9. Dispensing device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a drawer (10A) shaped and sized to allow the arrangement of products aligned in a sequence where the products have a minimum vertical bulk (L10) corresponding to the smallest dimension (L3) of the product (P), and that the products (P) are aligned along their largest dimension (L1), so that the height corresponds to the smallest dimension (L3).

10. Dispensing device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide (19) has an internal profile with a first pair of rails (190) defining a slot for a strip (18) that is a printed circuit board, and a second pair of rails (191) that houses the pusher (21), which is provided with wings (210) that constrain the pusher (21) to the guide (19), allowing it to slide along the direction (X), and in that the pusher (21) has a metallic and / or ferromagnetic element (212) on its underside that interacts with the printed circuit (18).

11. Dispensing device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pusher (21) comprises a coil spring.

12. Vending machine (1A), characterized by being equipped with a dispensing device according to one of the preceding claims.

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