Selection switch device for automatic vending machine

Abstract

To provide a selection switch device for an automatic vending machine that improves the visibility of a display pattern when a translucent member is irradiated with direct sunlight.SOLUTION: A selection switch device 20 comprises light-emitting elements, a display sheet 33 which displays information associated with a corresponding article while a display pattern receives light emitted from the light-emitting elements, and a selection button 23 provided on the front side of the display sheet 33, which has the display pattern formed by providing a light-permeable white layer 33c, having a color of high light permeability, on the back surface side or front surface side of a transparent base material 3a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a selection switch device for a vending machine. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a selection switch device for a vending machine that displays information about a product in characters and colors via a selection button has been known for vending machines installed outdoors (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The selection switch device for a vending machine described in Patent Document 1 comprises a selection button (translucent member) that turns on a switch element when pressed, a display sheet provided on the back side of the selection button, a 7-segment LED display provided on the back side of the display sheet for displaying the selling price, and a number of LEDs for displaying other information.

[0004] The display sheet is equipped with a segment display section that displays the sales price with a character pattern made of a light-transmitting printed layer, a sales status display section that displays the sales status of the product whether it is sold out or in preparation with a character pattern made of a light-transmitting printed layer, a cold display section that displays that the corresponding product is a cold product with a circular color pattern made of a light-transmitting blue printed layer, and a hot display section that displays that the corresponding product is a hot product with a circular color pattern made of a light-transmitting red printed layer. LEDs are arranged on the back side of each display section, and the character pattern and color pattern can be displayed by lighting the LEDs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2016 / 163309 [Patent Document 2] JP 2002-231093 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is common to form a translucent black printed layer on the front side of each display unit so that the inside cannot be seen through when it is exposed to direct sunlight or when the LED is turned on (see, for example, Patent Document 2). LEDs generally have directivity such that the light intensity in oblique directions is smaller than the light intensity on the optical axis.

[0007] When the selection button is exposed to direct sunlight and viewed from directly in front, the light intensity of the light emitted from the LED that passes through the character pattern or color pattern (transmitted light) is greater than the light intensity of the light reflected from the translucent black printed layer of the character pattern or color pattern, so the visibility of the character pattern or color pattern is not impaired.

[0008] However, when the selection button is viewed from an oblique direction, the directivity of the LED reduces the intensity of the transmitted light, while the intensity of the reflected light is relatively high, causing the character and color patterns to look darker. This results in a problem of poor visibility of the display patterns, especially the character patterns.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a selection switch device for a vending machine which improves the visibility of a display pattern when a light-transmitting member is exposed to direct sunlight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] [1] A light-emitting element; a display sheet that receives light emitted from the light emitting element and displays information about a corresponding product; a light-transmitting member provided on the front side of the display sheet, The display sheet is a selection switch device for a vending machine, in which the display pattern is formed by forming a first layer having a highly light-transmitting first color on the back side or front side of a transparent substrate. [2] The selection switch device for a vending machine described in [1], wherein the first color is a white color. [3] The display pattern is a character pattern, The display sheet has a color pattern around the character pattern, and the color pattern forms a second layer having a second color with high light transmittance on the back or front side of the transparent substrate.A selection switch device for a vending machine as described in [2]. [4] The vending machine selection switch device according to [3], wherein the second color corresponds to a cold product or a hot product. [5] A selection switch device for a vending machine as described in [3] or [4], wherein the display sheet has a third layer having a third color with low light transmittance formed on the back or front side of the transparent substrate so as to frame the character pattern. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the invention as defined in claim 1, it is possible to improve the visibility of the display pattern when the light-transmitting member is exposed to direct sunlight. According to the invention of claim 2, when the light-transmitting member is exposed to direct sunlight, when the light-transmitting member is viewed from an oblique direction, even if the light intensity of the light (transmitted light) passing through the display sheet becomes smaller due to the directionality of the light-emitting element, the color of the light (reflected light) of direct sunlight reflected by the display sheet and the color of the transmitted light are the same whitish color, so that a decrease in visibility of the display pattern can be suppressed. According to the invention of claim 3, information about a product can be displayed by using a character pattern and a color pattern. According to the invention as defined in claim 4, it is possible to recognize whether the corresponding product is a cold product or a hot product by the characters and color. According to the invention as defined in claim 5, it is possible to suppress halation caused by a combination of the color of the character pattern and the color of the color pattern. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the selection switch device, and FIG. 2(b) is a front view showing an example of a display unit of the selection switch device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the selection switch device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the selection switch device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5(a) is an exploded perspective view of a selection switch device, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic example of a layer structure of a display sheet. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining how the display sheet according to the present embodiment appears. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, components having substantially the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0014] [Embodiment Mode] 1 is a front view showing an example of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine 1 is a vending machine that sells various types of beverages. The vending machine 1 includes a vending machine main body 2 formed of a rectangular parallelepiped housing that is long in the vertical direction.

[0015] The vending machine main body 2 comprises a box body 2a that opens to the front, and a door body 2b that opens and closes the front opening of the box body 2a. The upper front part of the door body 2b comprises a front panel 3. The front panel 3 is formed from a resin material such as a transparent acrylic plate. The front side refers to the front side of the vending machine. The back side refers to the side opposite the front side.

[0016] At the lower front part of the door body 2b, there are provided a banknote inlet / outlet 4 for inserting and ejecting banknotes, a coin inlet 5 for inserting coins, and a return lever 6 for returning banknotes or coins. At the lower front part of the door body 2b, there are provided an amount display 7 for indicating when there is no change and for indicating the amount of inserted banknotes or inserted coins, a change return opening 8 for returning change, a product removal opening 9 for removing products, and a door lock 10 for locking the door body 2b open or closed. Reference numeral 11 denotes an advertising space.

[0017] A rear panel 13 made of a metal plate is disposed on the rear side of the front panel 3. The space formed between the front panel 3 and the rear panel 13 is used as a product sample display room. In this product sample display room, three product sample display stands 14 supporting product samples 15 are installed in a row in an upper, middle and lower tier.

[0018] A plurality of (ten in this embodiment) product samples 15, which are display items, are displayed in a row on each product sample display stand 14. Selection switch devices 20 having a plurality of (ten in this embodiment) selection buttons 23 are arranged corresponding to the product samples 15. Each selection switch device 20 is attached to the front side of the front panel 3. The selection switch device 20 is an example of a selection switch device for a vending machine.

[0019] (External structure of the selection switch device) 2 to 4 show the selection switch device 20, with Fig. 2(a) being a front view, Fig. 2(b) being a front view showing an example of a display unit of the selection switch device 20, Fig. 3 being a bottom view, and Fig. 4 being a rear view. Note that each selection button 23 has the same configuration and function, and therefore, hereinafter, only one selection button 23 will be described.

[0020] 2(a), 3, and 4, the selection switch device 20 is composed of a rectangular base 21 that is long in the left-right direction and has a thickness smaller than its width, a rectangular case 22 that is attached to the base 21 and has a thickness smaller than its width, and a selection button 23 provided on the front side of the base 21. The selection button 23 is an example of a light-transmitting member.

[0021] The base 21 is detachably attached to the rear panel 13 of the vending machine main body 2. On the rear side of the base 21, a plurality of cylindrical mounting bosses 21a and connector mounting bosses 21b are alternately provided in a row, eccentrically positioned to one side in the width direction of the selection switch device 20. The mounting bosses 21a are inserted into fixing holes (not shown) provided in the rear panel 13 and fixed by screws (not shown) or the like. A connector 29 (described later) is fitted into the connector mounting boss 21b.

[0022] The base 21 and the case 22 are assembled to each other so as to compress a water-stopping portion 24e of a water-stopping member 24 described later to make the selection switch device 20 watertight. The base 21 and the case 22 are formed by mixing a colorant, pigment, or the like having a property of not transmitting light into a resin material such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin.

[0023] Selection button 23 is disposed so that operation surface 23a formed in a lens shape protrudes slightly from elliptical opening 22a formed on the front side of case 22. Note that operation surface 23a of selection button 23 does not have to be formed in a lens shape.

[0024] (Internal structure of the selection switch device) Fig. 5(a) is an exploded perspective view of the selection switch device 20, and Fig. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a layer structure of a display sheet. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2(a) showing the internal structure of the selection switch device 20. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 2(a) showing the internal structure of the selection switch device 20.

[0025] The selection switch device 20 comprises a substrate 27 mounted on the front side of the base 21, a waterproofing member 24 that makes the selection switch device 20 waterproof, a plurality of tactile switches 28 (two for each selection button 23 in this embodiment) that are operated by a selection operation on the selection button 23, and a display unit 30 provided on the front side of the base 21 and capable of electrically changing the display content.

[0026] On the substrate 27, a circuit pattern is formed that electrically connects with mounted components such as tactile switches 28, LEDs that are the light sources of the display unit 30, and chip resistors (not shown).

[0027] 4, a connector 29 is mounted on the back side of the board 27, which is fitted into the connector mounting boss 21b of the base 21. This connector 29 is a vertical mounting type connector in which a mating connector is coupled from a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 27a of the board 27, and electrically connects the board 27 and the vending machine main body 2.

[0028] (Select button configuration) 6 and 7, the selection button 23 has a peripheral portion that forms a joint portion 23b that is joined to the water-stopping member 24. The selection button 23 is formed of a translucent resin material such as polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. The selection button 23 may be colored, for example, smoke gray, which has translucency.

[0029] The water stop member 24 has a water stop function and a restoration function for the selection button 23. The water stop member 24 includes an opening 24a formed corresponding to the display content of the display unit 30, a joint 24b formed continuously in a ring shape on the edge of the opening 24a and joined to the joint 23b of the selection button 23, a plurality of columnar switch operating portions 24c (two for each selection button 23 in this embodiment) protruding from the joint 24b toward the substrate 27, a ring-shaped skirt portion 24d protruding diagonally outward from the switch operating portion 24c, a water stop portion 24e formed continuously on the outer edge of the skirt portion 24d, and an intermediate portion 24g continuing to the other selection buttons 23, and elastically supports the selection button 23.

[0030] The opening 24a of the water-stopping member 24 is formed so that the display contents of the display unit 30 can be seen from the selection button 23 without going through the water-stopping member 24. The opening 24a may be formed so as to correspond to a part of the display contents of the display unit 30. The water-stopping member 24 may have a shape that does not have the opening 24a.

[0031] The water-stopping portion 24e of the water-stopping member 24 has a protrusion 241 protruding from the rear side, and this protrusion 214 is compressed between the groove portion 21c of the base 21 and the peripheral portion 22c of the case 22, thereby sealing off water between the base 21 and the case 22 and preventing rainwater, etc. from entering between the base 21 and the case 22.

[0032] Further, the waterproof portion 24e is formed so as to surround the joint portion 24b, the switch operating portion 24c and the skirt portion 24d, thereby waterproofing the selection switch device 20 as a whole.

[0033] The water-stopping member 24 is formed of an elastically deformable material such as silicone rubber. The selection button 23 and the water-stopping member 24 are molded, for example, by two-color molding, with the joint 24b of the water-stopping member 24 and the joint 23b of the selection button 23 joined together. Two-color molding is a molding method for integrally molding resin molded products made of partially different materials by injecting different materials stepwise in the same injection mold. In this embodiment, the joint surfaces of the joint 24b of the water-stopping member 24 and the joint 23b of the selection button 23 are each configured as a flat surface, but may each be configured as an uneven surface. This makes the joint between the water-stopping member 24 and the selection button 23 strong. The selection button 23 and the water-stopping member 24 may be joined together by other methods such as insert molding and ultrasonic bonding, without being limited to two-color molding.

[0034] When a selection operation is performed on the selection button 23, the water-stopping member 24 presses down the switch operating portion 24c in accordance with an elastic change in the skirt portion 24d, turning on the tactile switch 28. On the other hand, when the selection operation on the selection button 23 is released, the water-stopping member 24 presses up the switch operating portion 24c by the elastic restoring force of the skirt portion 24d, turning off the tactile switch 28.

[0035] (Display Configuration) FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing an example of the display unit 30 of the selection switch device 20. The display unit 30 includes a plurality of (e.g., three) seven-segment display units 30a that display the sales price of the corresponding product with a multi-digit (e.g., three-digit) number arranged horizontally, a circle display unit 30b that displays a circle representing the unit of the sales price, a cold / warm color display unit 30c that displays whether the corresponding product is a cold product (chilled product) or a hot product (heated product) with a circular color pattern, a cold display unit 30d that displays that the corresponding product is a cold product (chilled product) with a character pattern and a surrounding color pattern, a hot display unit 30e that displays that the corresponding product is a hot product (heated product) with a character pattern and a surrounding color pattern, and a sales status display unit 30f that displays the sales status of the corresponding product with a character pattern (e.g., in preparation, recommended, limited time sale, etc.). The surrounding color pattern does not need to be adjacent to the character pattern, and may be formed with a space provided therebetween. The color pattern and the character pattern are examples of display patterns.

[0036] The 7-segment display unit 30a is composed of seven segments, each of which has a white LED 31a as a light-emitting element. In addition, a white LED 31a is arranged as a light-emitting element on the back side of the circular display unit 30b. The 7-segment display unit 30a and the circular display unit 30b are controlled by a control unit of the vending machine 1 to selectively light up the 7-segment white LED 31a according to the selling price, and to light up the white LED 31a of the circular display unit 30b. This displays the selling price.

[0037] A blue LED 31b and an orange LED 31c are arranged as light-emitting elements on the rear side of the circular color pattern of the cold / warm color display unit 30c. The cold / warm color display unit 30c is controlled by the control unit to light the blue LED 31b to display a blue color pattern when the corresponding product is a cold product (cooled product), and to light the orange LED 31c to display an orange color pattern when the corresponding product is a hot product (heated product). The blue of the color pattern is an example of a cool color. Other colors such as blue-green and blue-purple may also be used as cool colors. The orange of the color pattern is an example of a warm color. Other colors such as red may also be used as warm colors.

[0038] The cold display section 30d includes a white character section 300 that displays the character "COLD" by printing it in a whitish color (for example, white), a black border section 301 that borders the character "COLD" in a blackish color (for example, black), and a surrounding color section 302a that displays the periphery of the character "COLD" in a color corresponding to a cold product (for example, blue). The character "COLD" and the character "HOT" described later are examples of character patterns. The whitish color of the white character section 300 is an example of a first color having high light transmittance. Note that the first color may be a whitish color other than white, or may be a color other than a whitish color, as long as it has high light transmittance (for example, a light transmittance of 20% or more, more preferably 30% or more). The blue color of the surrounding color section 302a and the orange color of the surrounding color section 302b described later are examples of the second color. The blue color of the surrounding color section 302a is an example of a color corresponding to a cold product. The color corresponding to a cold product may be a cool color other than blue, such as blue-green or blue-purple. The orange color of the surrounding color portion 302b is an example of a color corresponding to a hot product. The color corresponding to a hot product may be a warm color other than orange, such as red. The black-based color (e.g., black) of the black border portion 301 is an example of a third color having low light transmittance. As long as the color has low light transmittance (e.g., light transmittance of 10% or less, more preferably 5% or less), it may be a black-based color other than black, or a color other than a black-based color.

[0039] The temperature display unit 30e includes a white character section 300 in which the word "HOT" is printed in a whitish color (e.g., white), a black border section 301 in which the word "HOT" is bordered in a blackish color (e.g., black), and a surrounding color section 302b in which the word "HOT" is surrounded by a color corresponding to a hot product (e.g., orange).

[0040] The characters representing cold and hot products are not limited to "COLD" and "HOT" as described above, but may be other characters, such as abbreviated characters like "C" and "H", Chinese characters (e.g., cold, hot, etc.), hiragana, katakana, etc. Also, the peripheral color portion 302a and the peripheral color portion 302b are provided in the upper and lower peripheral regions of the white character portion 300, but they may be provided in either the upper peripheral region or the lower peripheral region, or in the upper, lower, left, or right peripheral region, or may be provided so as to overlap the background of the white character portion 300 and the black border portion 301. For example, the blue color of the peripheral color portion 302a or the orange color of the peripheral color portion 302b may be seen in the center of the character "O".

[0041] The sales status display unit 30f has a character pattern printed thereon, and has a white LED 31a disposed on the back side as a light-emitting element. When the corresponding product is in preparation, the control unit controls the white LED 31a of the sales status display unit 30f of the corresponding display unit 30 to light up.

[0042] The display unit 30 includes the above-mentioned white LEDs 31a, blue LEDs 31b, and orange LEDs 31c (hereinafter collectively referred to as "LEDs 31") mounted on the substrate 27, a reflecting case 32 that reflects light emitted by the LEDs 31, and a display sheet 33 that transmits the light reflected by the reflecting case 32. The white LEDs 31a, blue LEDs 31b, and orange LEDs 31c are examples of light-emitting elements.

[0043] As described above, the display unit 30 includes a plurality of light-emitting elements, such as a white LED 31a, a blue LED 31b, and an orange LED 31c, which emit light of a color corresponding to the information to be displayed. Note that the light-emitting elements may be LEDs of other colors, such as red LEDs and green LEDs. In addition to LEDs, the light source may be, for example, an organic EL element or a semiconductor laser.

[0044] The reflecting case 32 includes a segment display area 32a for displaying an arbitrary amount of money and a sales information display area 32b for displaying arbitrary information, and a hole 32c for transmitting light emitted from the blue LED 31b or the orange LED 31c is formed in the cold / warm color display section 30c of the display unit 30. As the sales information display area 32b, three holes for transmitting light emitted from the white LED 31a are formed in the cold display section 30d, the warm display section 30e, and the sales status display section 30f of the display unit 30. In the segment display area 32a, three sets of seven openings arranged in a figure of eight are formed in a row on the left and right in FIG. 5(a).

[0045] The sales information display area 32b is an area for displaying the color patterns and character patterns displayed by the cold display section 30d, the hot display section 30e, and the sales status display section 30f.

[0046] (Display sheet printing process) Next, an example of a printing process for the display sheet 33 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. First, as shown in Figs. 5(a) and (b), the display sheet 33 is formed by printing a light-shielding black layer (including a light-shielding black edging layer 33b') 33b in a light-opaque area on the back side of a transparent base material 33a.

[0047] Next, a light-transmitting white layer 33c is printed on the rear side of the transparent base material 33a in an area corresponding to the circular display unit 30b and the white character unit 300. The seven-segment display unit 30a corresponds to the segment display area 32a of the reflector case 32. The light-transmitting white layer 33c is an example of a first layer.

[0048] Next, a light-transmitting black layer 33d is printed on the rear side of the transparent base material 33a in areas corresponding to the 7-segment display section 30a, the cool / warm color display section 30c, the peripheral color sections 302a and 302b, and the sales status display section 30f.

[0049] Next, a light-transmitting blue layer 33e is printed in an area corresponding to the peripheral color portion 302a of the cold display portion 30d on the rear side of the transparent substrate 33a. The light-transmitting blue layer 33e and a light-transmitting orange layer 33f described later are examples of a second layer.

[0050] Next, a light-transmitting orange layer 33f is printed on the peripheral color portion 302b of the temperature display portion 30e on the back side of the transparent base material 33a, and on the corresponding area of ​​the sales status display portion 30f. The cold display portion 30d, the temperature display portion 30e, and the sales status display portion 30f correspond to the sales information display area 32b of the reflecting case 32. In this manner, the display sheet 33 is formed.

[0051] In the light-shielding black layer 33b of the display sheet 33, the edges of the white character portion 300 of the hot display portion 30e and the white character portion 300 of the cold display portion 30d of the display unit 30 become a light-shielding black edging layer 33b' that outlines the characters "COLD" and "HOT." The light-shielding black edging layer 33b' is an example of the third layer.

[0052] The light-transmitting black layer 33d and the sales status display section 30f may display various character patterns such as a sold-out display pattern that displays "sold out" in addition to the display pattern that displays "preparing". The light-transmitting black layer 33d and the light-transmitting blue layer 33e, and the light-transmitting black layer 33d and the light-transmitting orange layer 33f may be formed on the front side of the transparent base material 33a, or may be formed with the transparent base material 33a sandwiched therebetween, or may be formed with the transparent base material 33a, the light-shielding black layer 33b, and the light-shielding black border layer 33b' sandwiched therebetween, as long as the vertical positional relationship is maintained. The light-transmitting white layer 33c may also be formed on the front side of the transparent base material 33a. The relative positions of the light-shielding black layer 33b and the light-shielding black border layer 33b' to the other layers 33c to 33f do not matter. Furthermore, each of the layers 33b, 33b', and 33c to 33f may be formed on both the rear side and the front side of the transparent base material 33a.

[0053] (Appearance of the display unit and display sheet) Next, the appearance of the display section 30 and the display sheet 33 will be described with reference to Fig. 2(b) and Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the appearance of the display sheet 33 according to this embodiment in comparison with a comparative example. The embodiment in Fig. 8 shows a schematic layer structure of the temperature display section 30e of the display sheet 33. The comparative example is configured to display a character pattern without using a light-transmitting white layer 33c.

[0054] (1) At night In this embodiment, when the corresponding product is a cold product, as shown in FIG. 2(b), by lighting the white LED 31a on the back side of the cold display section 30d of the display section 30, the white text section 300 of "COLD" appears to shine brightly in white, and the surroundings of "COLD" appear blue due to the light emitted from the white LED 31a on the back side of the surrounding color section 302a. Also, by lighting the blue LED 31b on the back side of the cold / warm color display section 30c, the color pattern appears to shine blue. As a result, it is clear at a glance that the corresponding product is a cold product based on the text and color.

[0055] In this embodiment, when the corresponding product is a hot product, as shown in FIG. 2(b), by lighting the white LED 31a on the back side of the temperature display section 30e of the display section 30, the white text section 300 of "HOT" appears to shine brightly in white, and the surroundings of "HOT" appear orange due to the light emitted from the white LED 31a on the back side of the surrounding color section 302b. Also, by lighting the orange LED 31c on the back side of the cool / warm color display section 30c, the color pattern appears to shine orange. As a result, it is clear at a glance that the corresponding product is a hot product based on the text and color.

[0056] (2) During the day In the comparative example shown in Figure 8, when the selection button 23 is exposed to direct sunlight, when the selection button 23 is viewed from directly in front, the light intensity of the light (transmitted light) B1 emitted from the white LED 31a and transmitted through the character pattern is greater than the light intensity of the light (reflected light) A1 reflected by the light-transmitting black layer 33d of the character pattern, so the visibility of the character pattern is not impaired.

[0057] However, in the comparative example, when the selection button 23 is viewed from an oblique direction, the light intensity of the transmitted light B1b is reduced due to the directivity of the white LED 31a, and the light intensity of the reflected light A1 is relatively increased, so that the character pattern looks dark. This reduces the visibility of the character pattern.

[0058] On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, when the selection button 23 is exposed to direct sunlight, when the selection button 23 is viewed from directly on, the light intensity of the transmitted light B2b, which is the light emitted from the white LED 31a and transmitted through the character pattern, is greater than the light intensity of the reflected light A2 reflected by the light-transmitting white layer 33c of the character pattern. However, since both the reflected light A2 and the transmitted light B2b are white light, the visibility of the character pattern is higher than in the comparative example.

[0059] In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, when the selection button 23 is viewed from an oblique direction, the light intensity of the transmitted light B2c becomes small due to the directionality of the white LED 31a, and the light intensity of the reflected light A2 becomes relatively large. However, since both the transmitted light B2c and the reflected light A2 are white light, the visibility of the character pattern is higher than in the comparative example.

[0060] In addition, a light-shielding black edging layer 33b' is formed between the light-transmitting white layer 33c, which displays the whitish character pattern, and the light-transmitting black layer 33d and the light-transmitting orange layer 33f, which display the orange color pattern, so that halation caused by the combination of the whitish color of the character pattern and the orange color of the color pattern can be suppressed.

[0061] (Operation of the selection switch device) Next, an example of the operation of the selection switch device 20 will be described. When an operator performs a selection operation by pressing the operation surface 23a of the selection button 23, the switch operating portion 24c of the water-stopping member 24 is pushed down with the elastic change of the skirt portion 24d, turning on the tactile switch 28. The tactile switch 28 outputs an ON signal to the control portion of the vending machine 1. Based on the ON signal from the tactile switch 28, the control portion causes the product corresponding to the selection button 23 to be output to the product outlet 9.

[0062] When the operator releases the selection operation on the operation surface 23a of the selection button 23, the elastic restoring force of the skirt portion 24d pushes up the selection button 23 and the switch operating portion 24c, turning off the tact switch 28.

[0063] (Effects of this embodiment) (a) When the selection button 23 is exposed to direct sunlight, when the selection button 23 is viewed from an oblique direction, the light intensity of the light passing through the display sheet 33 (transmitted light) becomes smaller due to the directionality of the white LEDs 31a. However, since the light of direct sunlight reflected by the display sheet 33 (reflected light) and the transmitted light are the same white color, the visibility of the character pattern can be improved. (b) Since a color pattern is provided around the character pattern, it is possible to recognize from the characters and color whether the product corresponding to selection button 23 is a cold product or a hot product. For example, even if selection button 23 is exposed to direct sunlight making the characters difficult to read, it is possible to intuitively recognize from the color of the surrounding color pattern whether the product corresponding to selection button 23 is a cold product or a hot product. (c) Since the character pattern is bordered in black, halation caused by the combination of the color of the character pattern and the color of the color pattern can be suppressed. (d) Since the character pattern and color pattern are illuminated by the white LEDs 31a, power consumption can be reduced compared to LEDs of other colors.

[0064] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0065] In addition, some of the components of the above embodiment may be omitted or changed. In the above embodiment, the black border 301 is provided to suppress halation, but if there is no high need to suppress halation, the black border 301 may not be provided. In this case, the light-shielding black border layer 33b' is not formed. In addition, the white character portion 300 and the peripheral color portions 302a and 302b may be in contact with each other or may be spaced apart from each other.

[0066] In addition, in the above embodiment, both the cold display section 30d and the hot display section 30e are provided, but only one of them may be provided depending on the product being sold. [Industrial Applicability]

[0067] The present invention can be applied to various types of vending machines for packaged products such as cigarettes, and beverage products filled in cans or PET bottles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1...vending machine, 2...vending machine body, 2a...box body, 2b...door body, 3...front panel, 4...banknote inlet / outlet, 5...coin inlet, 6...return lever, 7...amount display, 8...change return port, 9...product outlet, 10...door lock, 11...advertising space, 13...rear panel, 14...product sample display stand, 15...product sample, 20...selection switch device, 21...base, 21a...mounting boss, 21b...connector mounting boss, 21c...groove, 22...case, 22a...opening, 22b...leg, 22c...periphery, 23...selection button, 23a...operation surface, 23b...joint, 23c...groove, 24...water-stopping member, 24a...opening, 24b...joint, 24c...switch operating portion, 24d...skirt portion, 24e...water-stopping portion, 24 f...fixing portion, 24g...middle portion, 241...projection portion, 27...substrate, 27a...mounting surface, 28...tact switch, 29...connector, 30...display portion, 30a...7-segment display portion, 30b...circular display portion, 30c...cold / warm color display portion, 30d...cold display portion, 30e...warm display portion, 30f...sales status display portion, 31a...white LED, 31b...blue LED, 31c...orange LED, 32...reflecting case, 32a...segment display area, 32b...sales information display area, 32c...hole, 33...display sheet, 33a...transparent base material, 33b...light-shielding black layer, 33b'...light-shielding black border layer, 33d...light-transmitting black layer, 33e...light-transmitting blue layer, 33f...light-transmitting orange layer, 34...liquid crystal substrate, 34a...liquid crystal screen

Claims

1. A light-emitting element; a display sheet that receives light emitted from the light emitting element and displays information about a corresponding product; a light-transmitting member provided on the front side of the display sheet, The display sheet has a display pattern formed by forming a first layer having a first color and high light transmittance on the back side or front side of a transparent substrate. Selection switch device for vending machines.

2. The first color is a white color.

2. The selection switch device for a vending machine according to claim 1.

3. the display pattern is a character pattern, The display sheet has a color pattern provided around the character pattern, and the color pattern is formed by forming a second layer having a second color and high light transmittance on the back side or front side of the transparent base material.

3. The selection switch device for a vending machine according to claim 2.

4. the second color corresponds to a cold product or a hot product; 4. The selection switch device for a vending machine according to claim 3.

5. The display sheet has a third layer having a third color with low light transmittance formed on the back side or front side of the transparent substrate so as to frame the character pattern.

5. The selection switch device for a vending machine according to claim 3 or 4.

Images