Vending machine

Abstract

To provide a vending machine that comprises a plurality of article rack mechanisms and that can easily move and stop a shelf plate that has stopped at a position other than a vending standby position, to and at the vending standby position among the plurality of article rack mechanisms.SOLUTION: A vending machine comprises a plurality of article rack mechanisms 9 and a control unit 50 for controlling the article rack mechanisms 9, the article rack mechanism 9 comprises a plurality of article shelves 16 which are fitted mutually at intervals in a circumferential direction of an endless chain 33 for conveyance, a drive motor 34 for driving the endless chain 33 for conveyance, and a detection unit 35 for detecting an article shelf 16 reaching a vending standby position, and if the article shelf 16 stops at a position other than the vending standby position, the control unit 50 drives the drive motor 34 of the article track mechanism 9 of the article shelf 16 that has stopped at the position other than the vending standby position among the plurality of article rack mechanisms 9 once a vending recovery command is input so as to move down and stop the article shelf 16 at the vending standby position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine having a product rack mechanism that uses an endless loop such as an endless chain to sequentially lower multiple product shelves on which products are placed, allowing the products to drop and be removed from the product shelf nearest the bottom. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of this type of vending machine is the vending machine described in Patent Document 1. The vending machine described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with multiple chain elevator type rack mechanisms (product rack mechanisms), each of which has an endless chain stretched between a pair of upper and lower sprockets, multiple shelves (product shelves) connected to the endless chain at a fixed pitch and on which products are placed, a drive motor that drives the endless chain to move the multiple shelves downward, and a shelf detection switch that detects when the downwardly moving shelf reaches a vending standby position above the bottom end of the endless chain.

[0003] When a product delivery command is input, this type of vending machine drives the endless chain with a drive motor, moves the shelf stopped at the vending standby position to the vicinity of the bottom end of the endless chain, and drops and delivers the product. When the shelf following the shelf from which the product has been dropped and delivered is detected by the shelf detection switch, it stops at the vending standby position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-50574 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Vending machines equipped with multiple product rack mechanisms may stop (abnormally stop) at a position other than the vending standby position for some reason, even though the following shelf is not detected by the shelf detection switch. In this case, an operator must eliminate the cause of the abnormal stop and then use the drive motor to drive the endless chain to move the abnormally stopped following shelf to the vending standby position and stop it. However, moving the abnormally stopped following shelf from among the multiple product rack mechanisms to the vending standby position and stopping it is not an easy task for an operator, and an improvement in this regard was desired.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and its object is to provide a vending machine equipped with multiple product rack mechanisms that can easily move a shelf from among the multiple product rack mechanisms that has stopped at a position other than the sales standby position to the sales standby position and stop it there. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a system for transporting goods comprising: a storage cabinet provided inside a main body; a plurality of product rack mechanisms arranged horizontally inside the storage cabinet; and a control unit for controlling each of the plurality of product rack mechanisms, each of which comprises an endless ring-shaped body suspended between a pair of upper and lower rotating bodies; a plurality of product shelves on which products are placed, the plurality of product shelves being attached to the endless ring-shaped body at intervals in the circumferential direction of the endless ring-shaped body; a drive unit for driving the endless ring-shaped body to move the plurality of product shelves downward; and a detection unit for detecting when the product shelf has reached a sales standby position above the lower end of the endless ring-shaped body, and the control unit drives the drive unit of the corresponding product rack mechanism when a product carry-out command is input. The vending machine moves a product shelf stopped at a sales standby position downward, and drops and carries out products placed on the product shelf near the bottom end of the endless ring body, and when the detection unit detects that the subsequent product shelf following the product shelf has reached the sales standby position, stops the subsequent product shelf at the sales standby position.If the subsequent product shelf of at least one product rack mechanism stops at a position other than the sales standby position as detected by the detection unit, and a sales return command is input, the drive unit of the product rack mechanism of the subsequent product shelf stopped at a position other than the sales standby position from among the multiple product rack mechanisms is driven to move the subsequent product shelf downward, and stops the subsequent product shelf at the sales standby position as detected by the detection unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a vending machine equipped with multiple product rack mechanisms can be provided, which can easily move a shelf from among the multiple product rack mechanisms that has stopped at a position other than the sales standby position to the sales standby position and stop it there. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front side; [Figure 2] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3]1 is a perspective view of a product rack unit of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front side. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a product rack mechanism of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the operation of a product shelf detection switch incorporated in a product rack mechanism of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows a state in which the product shelf is in the middle of descending, and (b) shows a state in which the product shelf is positioned in a sales standby position. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the vending machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are front views showing adjacent product storage racks of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the product shelf arrangement in single-column sales mode with a partition installed, and (b) shows the product shelf arrangement in pair-column sales mode with the partition removed. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the product shelf arrangement in the pair column sales mode of a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1A shows the product shelf in a normal state, and FIG. 1B shows the product shelf in an abnormal state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vending machine in which a plurality of product racks each having a product shelf are arranged horizontally (in the front-to-rear direction in this embodiment).

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vending machine 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention with an outer door 2 open, with the left side of the drawing showing the front of the vending machine 100 and the right side showing the right side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the vending machine 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with the right side of the drawing showing the front of the vending machine 100 and the left side showing the rear (back) side. The vending machine 100 sells products P such as beverages in cartons or cans, or food products in boxes or bags. The vending machine 100 comprises a main body 1 with an open front and an outer door 2 that opens and closes the front of the main body 1.

[0012] The main body 1 is divided into a storage cabinet 1a for storing products P and a machine room 1b located below the storage cabinet 1a and housing various devices. The storage cabinet 1a has an opening at its front, and the remaining walls are surrounded by a thermally insulated wall 1c (see FIG. 2), creating an insulated structure. An insulated inner door 3 is attached to the opening at the front of the storage cabinet 1a so that it can be opened and closed. A product discharge opening 3a is opened at the bottom of the inner door 3, and an inner flap 3a1 (see FIG. 2) with an insulating layer inside is attached to the product discharge opening 3a so that it can be opened and closed. The storage cabinet 1a houses multiple product rack units 7 in a left-right direction (four in this embodiment), and each product rack unit 7 can be moved in and out in a front-to-back direction. Each product rack unit 7 has multiple product storage racks 8 arranged in a front-to-back direction, and products P are stored in the multiple product storage racks 8.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the machine room 1b has an opening at its front. A compressor 4, an external heat exchanger 5, an expansion mechanism (not shown), and an external blower fan 6, which constitute a cooling device for cooling the interior of the storage cabinet 1a, are arranged inside the machine room 1b. Specifically, the compressor 4 is arranged near the rear side of the machine room 1b, and the external heat exchanger 5 and the external blower fan 6 are arranged between the compressor 4 and the front side of the machine room 1b. The external blower fan 6 is configured to blow air inside the machine room 1b from the front side to the rear side. The compressor 4 compresses the refrigerant, and the compressed refrigerant condenses in the external heat exchanger 5 through heat exchange with outside air introduced by the external blower fan 6. The condensed refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion mechanism.

[0014] The outer door 2, which opens and closes the front of the main body 1, is equipped with a product sample chamber 2a for placing product samples S on the front, an input device 2b equipped with product selection buttons and the like for users to select products, a money processing section (not shown) for processing money (coins or bills) inserted by users and / or electronic money used, a product receiving section 2c, a product outlet 2d opening into the product receiving section 2c, and an outside air inlet 2e for introducing outside air into the machine chamber 1b. One widthwise end of the outer door 2 is supported on the main body 1 so as to be able to open and close freely. An outer flap 2d1 is attached to the product outlet 2d so as to be able to open and close. The product receiving section 2c receives products P transported from a product transport device 10 (described later) and delivered through a product outlet 3a. The products P delivered to the product receiving section 2c are then taken out by the purchaser through the product outlet 2d.

[0015] Within the storage cabinet 1a, multiple product rack units 7 are arranged in the left-right direction (four in this embodiment; see FIG. 1). Each product rack unit 7 has multiple product storage racks 8 (five in this embodiment) arranged in the front-to-back direction. The product storage racks 8 are configured to store products P in a vertically aligned manner and to sequentially remove products P downward, starting with the lowest product P. Examples of product rack mechanisms for removing products from the product storage racks 8 include spiral and chain elevator systems. A product conveying device 10 is provided below the multiple product storage racks 8. The product conveying device 10 receives products P removed downward from the product storage racks 8 and removes the received products P toward the product removal opening 3a of the inner door 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the product removal opening 3a connects the storage cabinet 1a to the product receiving section 2c provided in the outer door 2. Therefore, the products P removed downward from the product storage racks 8 are transported by the product conveying device 10 toward the product removal opening 2d. The product conveying device 10 has a conveying guide plate 21 that receives the products P conveyed out of the product storage rack 8 and guides them towards the product outlet 2d, and a pushing member 37 that pushes the products P dispensed onto the upper surface of the conveying guide plate 21 towards the product outlet 2d. The conveying guide plate 21 also has a number of ventilation holes (not shown) formed therein.

[0016] Located below the storage cabinet 1a, below the product conveying device 10, are an internal heat exchanger 11 and an internal ventilation fan 12, which constitute a cooling device. The internal heat exchanger 11 functions as an evaporator, evaporating a refrigerant whose pressure has been reduced by an expansion mechanism (not shown) located in the machine room 1b. The internal ventilation fan 12 circulates the air inside the storage cabinet 1a.

[0017] In addition, a rear duct 13 is provided on the rear side of the storage cabinet 1a. The rear duct 13 has openings at the top and bottom, with the top opening communicating with the top side of the product storage rack 8 and the bottom opening communicating with the space in which the internal heat exchanger 11 and the internal ventilation fan 12 are arranged.

[0018] The compressor 4, external heat exchanger 5, and expansion mechanism located in the machine room 1b, and the internal heat exchanger 11 located in the storage cabinet 1a are connected by refrigerant piping (not shown) that circulates the refrigerant, forming a refrigeration circuit. The refrigerant compressed to high temperature and pressure by the compressor 4 is condensed by exchanging heat with outside air in the external heat exchanger 5, which functions as a condenser. The condensed refrigerant is reduced in pressure by an expansion mechanism (not shown) to become low temperature, low pressure refrigerant, and is sent to the internal heat exchanger 11, which functions as an evaporator. As the low temperature, low pressure refrigerant passes through the internal heat exchanger 11, it exchanges heat with the internal air inside the storage cabinet 1a and evaporates. As the refrigerant evaporates in the internal heat exchanger 11, the internal air passing around the internal heat exchanger 11 loses heat and is cooled.

[0019] The internal air cooled by the internal heat exchanger 11 passes through ventilation holes formed in the conveying guide plate 21 of the product conveying device 10 and flows upward inside the product storage rack 8. The internal air flowing inside the product storage rack 8 cools the products P stored in the product storage rack 8, and then flows from the upper side to the rear duct 13, and the internal air flowing downward through the rear duct 13 flows at the lower side into the space where the internal heat exchanger 11 is located, and is cooled again by the internal heat exchanger 11.

[0020] In this embodiment, the external heat exchanger 5 functions as a condenser and the internal heat exchanger 11 functions as an evaporator to cool the air inside the storage cabinet 1a, but it is also possible to heat the air inside the storage cabinet 1a by making the internal heat exchanger 11 function as a condenser and the external heat exchanger 5 function as an evaporator using a four-way valve (not shown).

[0021] Next, the product rack unit 7 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the front of the product rack unit 7 as viewed from the right side. The arrows shown in Fig. 3 indicate directions, with the surface visible on the left side of the paper being the front surface (front), the surface opposite the front surface being the back surface (rear), the surface visible on the right side of the paper being the right surface (rightward), the surface opposite the right surface being the left surface (leftward), the surface visible on the top side of the paper being the top surface (upper), and the surface opposite the top surface being the bottom surface (lower).

[0022] The product rack unit 7 has a rack case 14 and multiple partition plates 15 that divide the interior of the rack case 14 in the front-to-rear direction, and the partition plates 15 are removably attached to the rack case 14. The partition plates 15 allow multiple product storage racks 8 (five in this embodiment) to be arranged in the front-to-rear direction inside the product rack unit 7. The rack case 14 has openings on its right and bottom surfaces. The opening on the right surface of the rack case 14 is opened and closed by an opening / closing door 17. Each product storage rack 8 is equipped with a product rack mechanism 9. The product rack mechanism 9 has multiple product shelves 16 on which products P are placed, and the multiple product shelves 16 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. The product rack unit 7 can be moved in and out of the storage cabinet 1a in the front-to-rear direction via a rail mechanism (not shown). In this embodiment, the rack case 14 is described as having an opening on the right side, but for example, if there is a building wall or the like on the right side of the vending machine 100 shown in Figure 1, the product rack unit 7 on the far right of the four product rack units 7 may have an opening on the left side of the rack case 14 so that products can be replenished.

[0023] Next, the chain elevator-type product rack mechanism 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In this figure, the right side represents the right side of the vending machine 100, and the left side represents the left side. FIG. 4 shows the interior of a product storage rack 8 arranged in a product rack unit 7, viewed from the front. The product rack mechanism 9 is arranged in a rack case 14 separated by a partition plate 15, and the product storage rack 8 is equipped with the product rack mechanism 9. The right side of the rack case 14 of the product rack unit 7 has an opening, which is covered by an openable / closable door 17. The product rack mechanism 9 includes an upper and lower pair of drive sprockets 31 and driven sprockets 32, an endless conveying chain 33 stretched between the drive sprocket 31 and the driven sprocket 32, and a drive motor 34 connected to the drive sprocket 31. The drive sprocket 31 is arranged on the upper side of the product storage rack 8, the driven sprocket 32 ​​is arranged on the lower side of the product storage rack 8, and the endless conveying chain 33 is arranged vertically. In this embodiment, the vertical direction is the vertical direction. When the drive sprocket 31 is driven by the drive motor 34, the conveying endless chain 33 is driven and rotates. One side of the conveying endless chain 33, which is arranged vertically, is located on the right side (front side), and the other side is located on the left side (rear side). When the conveying endless chain 33 is driven by the drive motor 34, the conveying endless chain 33 located on the front side moves downward (descends), and the conveying endless chain 33 located on the rear side moves upward (rises). Note that the drive sprocket 31 and the driven sprocket 32 ​​are rotating bodies in this invention, the conveying endless chain 33 is an endless annular body in this invention, and the drive motor 34 is a drive unit in this invention. The product rack mechanism 9 is controlled by a control unit described later. More specifically, the control unit 50 controls the driving of the drive motor 34.

[0024] The product rack mechanism 9 has multiple product shelves 16 that are removably attached to the endless conveying chain 33 at a predetermined interval L in the circumferential direction of the endless conveying chain 33, and guide rails 18 that guide the movement of the product shelves 16. Products P are placed on each product shelf 16. When the product rack mechanism 9 is placed in the product storage rack 8, the multiple product shelves 16 are arranged at a predetermined interval L in the vertical direction. As the endless conveying chain 33 rotates, the product shelf 16 attached to the front endless conveying chain 33 moves downward. The guide rails 18 extend vertically and guide the product shelf 16 attached to the front endless conveying chain 33 as it moves downward. Each product shelf 16 can swing relative to the endless conveying chain 33 so that it can be perpendicular to the direction of movement of the endless conveying chain 33 or parallel to the direction of movement of the endless conveying chain 33. The product shelf 16 attached to the front endless conveying chain 33 and on which the product P is placed is in a state perpendicular to the direction of movement of the endless conveying chain 33, i.e., in a horizontal state. When the product shelf 16 attached to the front endless conveying chain 33 is lowered to near the bottom end of the endless conveying chain 33 by the drive of the endless conveying chain 33, the tip of the product shelf 16 turns downward. When the tip of the product shelf 16 turns downward, the product P falls from the product shelf 16. In other words, when the product shelf 16 moves to near the bottom end, the product shelf 16 turns from a horizontal state to a vertical direction, and the product P placed on the product shelf 16 falls and is carried out from the product shelf 16.

[0025] The product shelf 16 attached to the conveying endless chain 33 on the front side is lowered to the bottom end to drop and carry out the product P, and then moves to a position at the rear together with the conveying endless chain 33. The product shelf 16 that has moved to a position at the rear together with the conveying endless chain 33 then moves upward due to its own weight, with the tip of the product shelf 16 facing downward and parallel to the moving direction of the conveying endless chain 33.

[0026] The product rack mechanism 9 is provided with a product shelf detection switch 35. The product shelf detection switch 35 is located at the lower end of the endless conveying chain 33, which is arranged vertically, and is attached to the guide rail 18. The product shelf detection switch 35 detects that the product shelf 16 attached to the front endless conveying chain 33 and moving downward has reached a sales standby position F0, which is located at the lower end of the endless conveying chain 33. The sales standby position F0 is above the lower end of the endless conveying chain 33 and is the lowest position at which the product shelf 16 attached to the front endless conveying chain 33 can maintain a horizontal position. In other words, the sales standby position F0 is the lowest position at which the product shelf 16 attached to the front endless conveying chain 33 can wait for sales in a horizontal position. However, the sales standby position F0 does not have to be the lowest position at which the product shelf 16 can maintain a horizontal position; it may be higher than the lowest position at which the product shelf 16 can maintain a horizontal position. When the product shelf detection switch 35 detects the product shelf 16 moving downward, the control unit 50 stops the driving of the drive motor 34.

[0027] In Figure 4, the product shelf 16 that has descended to near the bottom end of the endless conveying chain 33 and is dropping and carrying out the products P is referred to as product shelf 16A, and the product shelf 16 that follows product shelf 16A in the direction of movement and is located immediately before product shelf 16A is referred to as product shelf 16B. Hereinafter, the product shelf 16 that follows product shelf 16B in the direction of movement and is located immediately before product shelf 16B is referred to as product shelf 16C, and the product shelf 16 that follows product shelf 16C in the direction of movement and is located immediately before product shelf 16C is referred to as product shelf 16D. The position at which product shelf 16B stops upon detection by the product shelf detection switch 35 is the sales standby position F0. The position at which product shelf 16C stops as a result of product shelf 16B reaching and stopping at sales standby position F0 is referred to as standard stopping position F1, and the position at which product shelf 16D stops is referred to as standard stopping position F2. The distance between the sales standby position F0 and the standard stop position F1 is a distance L, and the distance between the standard stop position F1 and the standard stop position F2 is the same distance L as the predetermined distance L, and similarly, the distance between the standard stop positions of each product shelf 16 below is also the distance L. Hereinafter, product shelf 16B will be described as the product shelf 16 located at the sales standby position F0.

[0028] Next, the operation of the product rack mechanism 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. When a user operates the input device 2b to purchase a product from the vending machine 100, a product discharge command is sent from the input device 2b to the control unit 50. When the product discharge command is input to the control unit 50, the control unit 50 drives the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9 corresponding to the product P purchased by the user, thereby driving the conveying endless chain 33. As the conveying endless chain 33 is driven, the product shelf 16A moves to near the bottom end and drops and discharges the product P. After the product shelf 16A drops and discharges the product P, the product shelf 16B, which is the product shelf following the product shelf 16A in the direction of movement and is located immediately before the product shelf 16A, reaches the sales standby position F0. When the product shelf 16B reaches the sales standby position F0, the product shelf detection switch 35 detects that the product shelf 16B has reached the sales standby position F0. When the product shelf detection switch 35 detects that the product shelf 16B has reached the vending standby position F0, the control unit 50 receives a detection signal. Upon receiving this signal, the control unit 50 issues a drive stop command to the drive motor 34, causing the drive motor 34 to stop. As the drive motor 34 stops, the product shelf 16B stops at the vending standby position F0, the product shelf 16C stops at the standard stop position F1, which is a predetermined distance L above the vending standby position F0, and the product shelf 16D stops at the standard stop position F2, which is also a predetermined distance L above the standard stop position F1. The other product shelves 16 positioned behind the product shelf 16D in the movement direction also stop at their predetermined standard stop positions F. The product shelf 16B stops at the vending standby position F0, and each product shelf 16 following the product shelf 16B stops at its respective standard stop position F, causing the product rack mechanism 9 to enter a vending standby state. The product rack mechanism 9 maintains the vending standby state until the next product removal command is input to the control unit 50. The product P dropped and carried out from the product shelf 16A is carried to the product receiving section 2c by the product carrying device 10 (see FIG. 2), and is then taken out by the user from the product take-out opening 2d.

[0029] Next, using FIG. 5, we will explain the structure by which the product shelf detection switch 35 detects that the product shelf 16 has reached the vending standby position F0. FIG. 5(a) shows the product shelf 16B described in FIG. 4 in a state in which it is descending just before reaching the vending standby position F0, and FIG. 5(b) shows the product shelf 16B having reached the vending standby position F0. The product shelf detection switch 35 and a detection lever 36 that presses the product shelf detection switch 35 are disposed at the lower end of the endless conveying chain 33, on the opposite side (back side) of the guide rail 18 from the side (front side) on which the product shelf 16B is disposed. As shown in FIG. 5(a), when the product shelf 16B has not yet reached the vending standby position F0, the detection lever 36 is biased by a bias spring or the like so as to protrude toward the front side of the guide rail 18, pressing the product shelf detection switch 35. In this state, the product shelf detection switch 35 detects that the product shelf 16B has not yet reached the vending standby position F0. When the product shelf 16B descends and reaches the vending standby position F0, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the product shelf 16 pushes the detection lever 36, which had been protruding from the front side of the guide rail 18, causing the detection lever 36 to move away from the product shelf detection switch 35. In this state, the product shelf detection switch 35 detects that the product shelf 16B has reached the vending standby position F0. The product shelf detection switch 35 is the detection unit of the present invention. In this embodiment, the product shelf detection switch 35 directly detects that the product shelf 16B has reached the vending standby position F0 and stops the product shelf 16B at the vending standby position F0, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the product shelf detection switch 35 may be positioned so that it detects that the product shelf 16C has reached the standard stop position F1, thereby indirectly detecting that the product shelf 16B has reached the vending standby position F0. Furthermore, an encoder may be provided on the drive motor 34, the drive sprocket 31, the driven sprocket 32, etc., so that it is possible to indirectly detect that the product shelf 16B has reached the sales standby position F0.

[0030] Next, a control block diagram of the vending machine 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the vending machine 100 has four product rack units 7, but the control block diagram of FIG. 6 will describe the five drive motors 34a-34e and five product shelf detection switches 35a-35e of the five product rack mechanisms 9a-9e associated with one product rack unit 7. Except in special cases, the product rack mechanisms 9a-9e will be described as the product rack mechanism 9, and the drive motors 34a-34e and the five product shelf detection switches 35a-35e will be described as the drive motor 34 and the product shelf detection switch 35. In the following description, the components of the product rack mechanism 9 (product shelves 16, endless conveying chain 33, drive motor 34, detection lever 36, etc.) may be described as components of the "product rack mechanism 9" or the "product storage rack 8."

[0031] The vending machine 100 includes a control unit 50 that controls five product rack mechanisms 9a-9e for each product rack unit 7. More specifically, the control unit 50 controls the drive of five drive motors 34a-34e. The control unit 50 is comprised of a CPU, memory, I / O, and other components (not shown). For each product rack unit 7, the control unit 50 is connected to the five drive motors 34a-34e, five product shelf detection switches 35a-35e, and an input device 2b. It is also connected to a cash handling unit (not shown). The input device 2b includes a vending return switch 51, which is used by an operator to place the product rack mechanism 9 in vending standby mode. In other words, this switch is used when adjusting the stop position of the product shelf 16B to the vending standby position F0. The control unit 50 includes a single-column vending mode 60, a pair-column vending mode 61, a vending standby return mode 62, a timer 53, a memory unit 54, and an abnormality detection means 55.

[0032] The single column sales mode 60, which will be described in detail later, is a sales mode in which only the product rack mechanism 9 of a single product storage rack 8 is operated. The pair column sales mode 61, which will be described in detail later, is a sales mode in which the drive motors 34 of the product rack mechanisms 9 of two adjacent product storage racks 8 (two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9) are driven in a coordinated manner to drive the endless conveying chains 33 in a coordinated manner, thereby operating the product rack mechanisms 9 of the two adjacent product storage racks 8. In FIG. 6, product rack mechanisms 9a and 9b are the product rack mechanisms 9 used in the pair column sales mode 61 as the two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9.

[0033] The vending standby return mode 62, which will be described in detail later, is an operating mode in which a product shelf 16B that has stopped at a position other than the vending standby position F0 due to a forced stop of the drive motor 34 is returned to the vending standby position F0. The abnormality detection means 55 has a comparison means 57. In FIG. 6, the product rack mechanisms 9a and 9b of adjacent product storage racks 8 are the product rack mechanisms 9 used in the pair column vending mode 61 as the adjacent product rack mechanisms 9. In this embodiment, the drive motor 34 is controlled by PWM control, and the rotation speed of the drive motor 34 can be changed by changing the power supply rate to the drive motor 34.

[0034] When a signal (product delivery command) from the input device 2b is input to the control unit 50, the control unit 50 issues a drive command to the drive motor 34, and when a signal from the product shelf detection switch 35 is received, issues a drive stop command to the drive motor 34. The input device 2b is an input means for the customer to select the product P to purchase. The timer 53 measures the elapsed time Tr from when the drive motor 34 starts to drive. The memory unit 54 stores the standard time Ts (predetermined time) from when the drive motor 34 starts to drive until the product shelf detection switch 35 stops the drive motor 34 at the sales standby position F0. In other words, the memory unit 54 stores the predetermined time Ts for the product shelf 16 stopped at the standard stopping position F1 to move the distance L from the standard stopping position F1 to the sales standby position F0. This predetermined time Ts can be determined in advance by experiment or calculation.

[0035] The abnormality detection means 55 detects whether the drive motor 34 is overloaded. That is, in this embodiment, the abnormality detection means 55 is overload detection means. The comparison means 57 compares the elapsed time Tr from the start of drive of the drive motor 34 with a predetermined time Ts. Whether the drive motor 34 is overloaded is determined based on the comparison result by the comparison means 57 between the elapsed time Tr and the predetermined time Ts.

[0036] Next, a case where the control unit 50 forcibly stops the drive motor 34a of the product rack mechanism 9a in FIG. 6 will be described. When the product shelf detection switch 35a detects that the product shelf 16B has reached the sales standby position F0, the control unit 50 stops the driving drive motor 34a. As a result, the product shelf 16B stops at the sales standby position F0 (standard stop). On the other hand, the control unit 50 also stops the drive motor 34a in cases other than the standard stop. For example, a product P placed on one of the product shelves 16 during a downward movement may become trapped between the product shelf 16 and the surrounding partition boards 15 or guide rails 18. In this case, the product shelf 16B does not reach the sales standby position F0 due to the trapping, and the product shelf detection switch 35a does not detect that the product shelf 16B has reached the sales standby position F0. As a result, the drive motor 34a remains energized, resulting in an overload state. In this case, the control unit 50 cuts off power to the overloaded drive motor 34a and stops it (forced stop).

[0037] The drive motor 34a is forcibly stopped as follows. When the drive motor 34a starts to drive in response to a drive command from the control unit 50, the timer 53 measures the elapsed time Tr from the start of drive of the drive motor 34a. The comparison unit 57 compares whether the elapsed time Tr exceeds a predetermined time Ts stored in the memory unit 54. If the elapsed time Tr exceeds the predetermined time Ts but the product shelf detection switch 35a does not detect the product shelf 16B, the abnormality detection unit 55 detects that the drive motor 34a is in an overload state. When the abnormality detection unit 55 detects that the drive motor 34a is in an overload state, the control unit 50 stops the drive motor 34a. As a result, the product shelf 16B stops (abnormally stopped) before reaching the sales standby position F0 but at a position different from the sales standby position F0. The memory unit 54 stores the forcibly stopped drive motor 34a, i.e., the product storage rack 8a equipped with the product shelf 16B that has abnormally stopped.

[0038] Next, the sales standby return mode 62 will be described. The sales standby return mode 62 is executed by operating the sales return switch 51 provided on the input device 2b. When a product P placed on one of the product shelves 16 is caught between the product shelf 16 and the surrounding partition boards 15 or guide rails 18 during a downward movement and the drive motor 34a is forced to stop, an operator first removes the caught product P, or the like, to eliminate the cause of the abnormal stop of the product shelf 16. The product shelf 16B in the product storage rack 8a of the forcibly stopped drive motor 34a has stopped (abnormally stopped) at a position before reaching the sales standby position F0 due to the forced stop of the drive motor 34a. Therefore, it is necessary to allow the product shelf 16B to reach the sales standby position F0. Therefore, the operator turns on the sales return switch 51. When the sales return switch 51 is turned on, the sales standby return mode 62 is executed. When the sales standby return mode 62 is executed, a sales return command is input to the control unit 50. When a sales return command is input to the control unit 50, the control unit 50 drives the drive motor 34a of the product rack mechanism 9a, which is stored in the memory unit 54. The drive motor 34a causes the product shelf 16B in the product rack mechanism 9a to lower. When the product shelf detection switch 35a detects that the product shelf 16B has reached the sales standby position F0 due to the lowering of the product shelf 16B, the product shelf 16B stops at the sales standby position F0. As the product shelf 16B stops at the sales standby position F0, the product rack mechanism 9a of the product shelf 16B, which had stopped abnormally, returns to the sales standby state.

[0039] In this embodiment, when the vending machine 100 has multiple product rack mechanisms 9, if the drive motor 34 of one of the product rack mechanisms 9 is forcibly stopped and the product shelf 16 stops (abnormally stops) before reaching the predetermined vending standby position F0, and the cause of the abnormal stop is eliminated, the vending standby return switch 51 is turned ON, and the vending standby return mode 62 is executed. The vending standby return mode 62 drives the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9 stored in the memory unit 54, i.e., the drive motor 34 that was forcibly stopped, and the abnormally stopped product shelf 16 moves to the vending standby position F0 and stops there. Therefore, the drive motor 34 of another product rack mechanism 9 that is stopped at the vending standby position F0 is not driven by mistake, and the product shelf 16 whose cause of the abnormal stop has been eliminated can be easily stopped at the vending standby position F0 and the product rack mechanism 9 returned to the vending standby state.

[0040] The vending machine of this embodiment comprises a storage cabinet provided inside the main body, a plurality of product rack mechanisms arranged horizontally inside the storage cabinet, and a control unit that controls each of the plurality of product rack mechanisms, each of which comprises an endless ring-shaped body hung between a pair of upper and lower rotating bodies, a plurality of product shelves on which products are placed, the plurality of product shelves being attached to the endless ring-shaped body at intervals in the circumferential direction of the endless ring-shaped body, a drive unit that drives the endless ring-shaped body to move the plurality of product shelves downward, and a detection unit that detects when the product shelf has reached a vending standby position F0 above the lower end of the endless ring-shaped body, and the control unit drives the drive unit of the corresponding product rack mechanism when a product discharge command is input. The product shelf stopped at the sales standby position F0 is moved downward, and products placed on the product shelf are dropped and carried out near the lower end of the endless ring-shaped body, and when the detection unit detects that the subsequent product shelf following the product shelf has reached the sales standby position F0, the subsequent product shelf is stopped at the sales standby position F0, and when a sales return command is input in the case where the subsequent product shelf of at least one product rack mechanism has stopped at a position other than the sales standby position F0 as opposed to being detected by the detection unit, the drive unit of the product rack mechanism of the subsequent product shelf that has stopped at a position other than the sales standby position F0 from among the multiple product rack mechanisms is driven to move the subsequent product shelf downward, and the subsequent product shelf is stopped at the sales standby position as detected by the detection unit.

[0041] According to this embodiment, a vending machine equipped with multiple chain elevator type product rack mechanisms can be provided, which can easily move a shelf from the multiple chain elevator type product rack mechanisms that has stopped at a position other than the sales standby position to the sales standby position and stop it there.

[0042] Next, the single column sales mode 60 and paired column sales mode 61 will be explained. The vending machine 100 of this embodiment has the single column sales mode 60 and paired column sales mode 61. Figure 7(a) shows the product storage rack 8 in the single column sales mode 60, and Figure 7(b) shows the product storage rack 8 in the paired column sales mode 61. In Figures 7(a) and (b), of two adjacent product storage racks 8, the left one is product storage rack 8a and the right one is product storage rack 8b, and product storage racks 8a and 8b each have product rack mechanisms 9a and 9b. The product shelf of the product rack mechanism 9a of the product storage rack 8a is referred to as 16a, and the product shelf of the product rack mechanism 9b of the product storage rack 8b is referred to as 16b. Although not shown in Figures 7(a) and (b), the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9a of the product storage rack 8a is referred to as 34a, the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9b of the product storage rack 8b is referred to as 34b, the product shelf detection switch 35 of the product rack mechanism 9a of the product storage rack 8a is referred to as 35a, and the product shelf detection switch 35 of the product rack mechanism 9b of the product storage rack 8b is referred to as 35b.

[0043] The single column sales mode 60 is a sales mode in which a product P is placed on a product shelf 16 of a single product rack mechanism 9, and the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9 is driven to drive the conveying endless chain 33 and move the product shelf 16 downward, causing the product P placed on the product shelf 16 to drop and be carried out near the lower end of the conveying endless chain 33, and the product shelf 16 following the product shelf 16 is stopped at the sales standby position F0.

[0044] The paired column sales mode 61 is a sales mode in which an operator removes the partition plate 15 arranged between adjacent product storage racks 8a, 8b, and places a product P straddling the product shelves 16a, 16b of two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9a, 9b. More specifically, in the paired column sales mode 61, a product P is placed straddling the product shelves 16a, 16b of one of the two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9a, 9b and the other product rack mechanism 9b. Then, by driving the drive motors 34a, 34b of the two product rack mechanisms 9a, 9b in a coordinated manner, the conveying endless chain 33 is driven in a coordinated manner to move the product shelves 16a, 16b downward, and the products P placed across the product shelves 16a, 16b are dropped and carried out near the lower end of the conveying endless chain 33. In addition, the product shelves 16a, 16b following the product shelves 16a, 16b are stopped at the sales standby position F0. The single column sales mode 60 and paired column sales mode 61 are set by the operator via the input device 2b when replacing products.

[0045] 7(a), a partition 15 is placed between two adjacent product storage racks 8a and 8b, and product shelves 16a and 16b operate independently. Also, in the single column sales mode 60, one product P is placed on one product shelf 16a, and one product P is placed on one product shelf 16b.

[0046] The paired-column sales mode 61 shown in FIG. 7(b) is a sales mode that is executed when a product P is too large to fit on a single product shelf 16a, 16b. In the paired-column sales mode 61, the partition plate 15 disposed between two adjacent product storage racks 8a, 8b is removed. The large product P is then placed across the product shelf 16a of the two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9a and the product shelf 16b of the two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9b. That is, in the paired-column sales mode 61, one product P is supported by both the product shelf 16a and the product shelf 16b. When a customer operates the input device 2b to purchase the large product P being sold in the paired-column sales mode 61, the control unit 50 controls the coordinated driving of the drive motors 34a and 34b so that the product shelf 16a and the product shelf 16b are lowered to the same height. In the pair column sales mode 61, the drive motors 34a and 34b start to be driven in a coordinated manner in the same manner as described above, except that the drive motors 34a and 34b are driven in a coordinated manner. When the product shelves 16a and 16b reach the sales standby position F0, the drive of the drive motors 34a and 34b stops.

[0047] Next, referring to Figure 8, we will explain how to restore operation when the drive motor 34a of one of two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9a, 9, is stopped normally and the drive motor 34b of the other product rack mechanism 9b is forcibly stopped for some reason in the pair column sales mode 61. In Figures 8(a) and 8(b), the two adjacent product storage racks 8 are not shown, and the left side of the two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9 is referred to as product rack mechanism 9a and the right side as product rack mechanism 9b, with the product shelf 16 of product rack mechanism 9a being referred to as product shelf 16a and the product shelf 16 of product rack mechanism 9b being referred to as product shelf 16b. Also, although not shown in Figures 8(a) and (b), the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9a will be described as drive motor 34a, the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9b will be described as drive motor 34b, the product shelf detection switch 35 of the product rack mechanism 9a will be described as product shelf detection switch 35a, and the product shelf detection switch 35 of the product rack mechanism 9b will be described as product shelf detection switch 35b.

[0048] FIG. 8(a) shows a state in which the product shelves 16a and 16b of two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9a and 9b are stopped (standard stop) at the sales standby position F0 in the paired-column sales mode 61. FIG. 8(b) shows a state in which the product shelf 16a of one of the two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9a and 9b is stopped (standard stop) at the sales standby position F0 in the paired-column sales mode 61, while the drive motor 34b of the other product rack mechanism 9b is forcibly stopped for some reason, resulting in the product shelf 16b not being stopped at the sales standby position F0 (abnormal stop). Because the drive motor 34b of the product rack mechanism 9b is forcibly stopped, the memory unit 54 stores the product rack mechanism 9b of the forcibly stopped drive motor 34b. In this state, the operator first removes the trapped product P, for example, to eliminate the cause of the forcibly stopped drive motor 34b. The product shelf 16b of the product rack mechanism 9b is stopped (abnormally stopped) at a position different from the sales standby position F0 due to the forced stop of the drive motor 34b. Therefore, the product shelf 16b needs to reach the sales standby position F0.

[0049] In this case, when the operator operates the vending return switch 51 to turn it ON, vending standby return mode 62 is executed. When vending standby return mode 62 is executed, a vending return command is input to the control unit 50. When the vending return command is input to the control unit 50, the control unit 50 drives the drive motor 34b of the product rack mechanism 9, which is stored in the memory unit 54. Driving the drive motor 34b lowers the product shelf 16b of the product rack mechanism 9b. When the product shelf detection switch 35b detects that the product shelf 16b, which had stopped abnormally, has reached the vending standby position F0 due to the lowering of the product shelf 16b, the product shelf 16b stops at the vending standby position F0. When the product shelf 16b stops at the vending standby position F0, the product rack mechanism 9b of the product shelf 16b returns to a vending standby state.

[0050] In this embodiment, in the pair column vending mode 61, when the product shelf 16a of one product rack mechanism 9a of two adjacent product rack mechanisms 9 is stopped at the vending standby position F0, and the drive motor 34b of the other product rack mechanism 9b is forcibly stopped, and the product shelf 16b is not stopped at the vending standby position F0, the vending standby return mode 62 is executed when the vending return switch 51 is turned ON after the cause of the forced stop is eliminated. When the vending standby return mode 62 is executed, a vending return command is input to the control unit 50. When the vending return command is input to the control unit 50, the forcibly stopped drive motor 34b is driven, and the product shelf 16b that has stopped at a position other than the vending standby position F0 (abnormal stop) moves to the vending standby position F0. Therefore, the drive motor 34a of the product rack mechanism 9a that has stopped at the vending standby position F0 without being forcibly stopped is not erroneously restarted, and the product shelf 16b whose cause of the abnormal stop has been eliminated can be easily moved to the vending standby position F0, and the product rack mechanism 9b can be returned to the vending standby state.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the product shelf detection switch 35 is located at the lower end of the endless conveying chain 33 that is arranged in the vertical direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The product shelf detection switch 35 may be located in another position as long as it can detect that the product shelf 16 has reached the sales standby position F0.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the drive motor 34 is controlled by PWM control, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the drive motor 34 may be controlled by ON-OFF control, voltage control, or current control.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the abnormality detection means 55 measures the elapsed time since the drive motor 34 started to drive, and if the product shelf detection switch 35 does not detect that the product shelf 16 has reached the sales standby position F0 even after the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, the abnormality detection means 55 detects that the drive motor 34 is overloaded. However, this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a torque sensor may be provided in the drive motor 34, drive sprocket 31, etc., and the drive motor 34 may be determined to be overloaded if the torque measured by the torque sensor is greater than a predetermined torque. Alternatively, the current value applied to the drive motor 34 may be measured, and if the measured current value is greater than a predetermined value, the drive motor 34 may be determined to be overloaded.

[0054] In the above-described embodiment, if the abnormality detection means 55 detects that the drive motor 34 is overloaded while the drive motor 34 is being driven, the control unit 50 forcibly stops the drive of the drive motor 34, causing the product shelf 16 to abnormally stop. The memory unit 54 then stores the product rack mechanism 9 equipped with the forcibly stopped drive motor 34, i.e., the product shelf 16 that has abnormally stopped. However, this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, even if the abnormality detection means 55 does not detect that the drive motor 34 is overloaded while the drive motor 34 is being driven, the memory unit 54 may store the product rack mechanism 9 equipped with the product shelf 16 that has abnormally stopped. For example, if the product shelf 16 stops (abnormally stops) before reaching the sales standby position F0 due to a broken electrical wiring, a power outage, or the like, an operator removes the cause of the abnormal stop of the product shelf 16 by, for example, repairing the broken electrical wiring. After the cause of the abnormal stop of the product shelf 16 is removed, the product shelf 16 remains stopped (abnormally stopped) at a position before reaching the sales standby position F0. Therefore, if the abnormal stoppage continues for a certain period of time, the storage unit 54 may store the product rack mechanism 9 equipped with the product shelf 16 that has abnormally stopped. As a result, even if the product shelf 16 stops (abnormal stoppage) before reaching the sales standby position F0 due to a broken electrical wiring, a power outage, or other reasons, the sales standby return mode 62 can be executed to easily move the product shelf 16, whose cause of the abnormal stoppage has been removed, to the sales standby position F0, and return the product rack mechanism 9 to the sales standby state.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the control unit 50 includes the memory unit 54, and when a sales return command is input to the control unit 50 in the sales standby return mode 62, the control unit 50 drives the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9 having the forcibly stopped drive motor 34 stored in the memory unit 54. However, this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, in the sales standby return mode 62, if there is a product shelf detection switch 35 that has not detected that the product shelf 16 has reached the sales standby position F0, after the cause of the abnormal stop of the product shelf 16 is eliminated based on the product shelf detection switch 35, the drive motor 34 of the product rack mechanism 9 having the product shelf detection switch 35 may be driven to move the product shelf 16 to the sales standby position F0.

[0056] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 50 has a single column sales mode 60, a paired column sales mode 61, a sales standby return mode 62, a timer 53, a memory unit 54, an abnormality detection means 55, and an arithmetic means 56, but the single column sales mode 60, the paired column sales mode 61, the sales standby return mode 62, the timer 53, the memory unit 54, the abnormality detection means 55, and the arithmetic means 56 may not necessarily be provided in the control unit 50 but may be provided in other elements.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the vending return switch 51 is located on the input device 2b arranged on the front surface of the outer door 2, but the vending return switch 51 does not have to be located on the input device 2b arranged on the front surface of the outer door 2, and may instead be located inside the vending machine 100, such as on the inside surface of the outer door 2.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the sales standby return mode 62 is executed by operating the sales return switch 51, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The sales standby return mode 62 may also be executed by operating another operation button.

[0059] Although not shown in the above embodiment, a notification means may be provided. When the abnormality detection means 55 detects that the drive motor 34a is in an overload state, the notification means notifies the user that the drive motor 34a is in an overload state. The notification may be provided by providing a dedicated indicator lamp and displaying the information on the indicator lamp, by displaying the information on a display unit (not shown) provided on the input device 2b, or by sending the information to the server if the vending machine 100 is connected to a server via an internet line.

[0060] In the vending machine of the above embodiment, a chain elevator type product rack mechanism has been described as the product rack mechanism, but the product rack mechanism is not necessarily limited to a chain elevator type product rack mechanism. The product rack mechanism may be, for example, a spiral type product rack mechanism. A spiral type product rack mechanism will be described below. Note that the configuration other than the spiral type product rack mechanism is the same as that of the vending machine described above, so a description of the configuration other than the spiral type product rack mechanism will be omitted.

[0061] Although not shown in the figures, the spiral-type product rack mechanism includes a product support spiral that extends in a vertical spiral shape, supports multiple products at a predetermined vertical interval, and is rotatable about a vertical axis; a rotation prevention unit that prevents the multiple products supported by the product support spiral from rotating along with the product support spiral; a drive unit that rotates the product support spiral to move the multiple products from above to below; and a position detection switch that serves as a detector for detecting when the product support spiral has reached a predetermined rotation position and stopping the drive motor. The rotation prevention unit is, for example, a partition plate. The predetermined rotation position at which the product support spiral stops rotating as detected by the position detection switch is the sales standby position of the product support spiral. The rotation angle from when the product support spiral starts to rotate until it stops at the predetermined rotation position (sale standby position) as detected by the position detection switch corresponds to the predetermined spacing when multiple products are placed at a predetermined vertical interval. In other words, when the product support spiral starts to rotate and stops at a predetermined rotation position upon detection by the position detection switch, the products placed at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction of the product support spiral are set to move downward a distance equal to the predetermined interval.

[0062] When a product removal command is input, the control unit drives the drive motor of the corresponding product rack mechanism, causing the product supported on the product support spiral to move downward by rotating the product support spiral, causing the product supported at the bottom of the product support spiral to drop and be removed from the bottom end of the product support spiral, and when the position detection switch detects that the product support spiral has reached a predetermined rotation position, stops the rotation of the product support spiral.

[0063] On the other hand, there are cases where the product support spiral of at least one product rack mechanism stops at a rotational position different from the predetermined rotational position, rather than as detected by the position detection switch. Examples of cases where this occurs, rather than as detected by the position detection switch, include when a product supported by a descending product support spiral becomes caught between the product support spiral and a surrounding partition, or when there is a broken electrical wiring or a power outage, as in the case of the vending machine equipped with the chain elevator-type product rack mechanism described above.

[0064] When the product support spiral of at least one product rack mechanism stops at a rotational position other than the predetermined rotational position as opposed to detection by a position detection switch, the control unit, upon input of a vending return command, drives the drive motor of the product rack mechanism from among the multiple product rack mechanisms that has the product support spiral that stopped at a rotational position other than the predetermined rotational position as opposed to detection by a position detection switch, causing the product support spiral to rotate, and then stops the product support spiral at the predetermined rotational position as detected by the position detection switch.This makes it possible to provide a vending machine that, even in a vending machine equipped with multiple spiral-type product rack mechanisms, can easily move a product support spiral from among the multiple product rack mechanisms that has stopped at a position other than the vending standby position to the vending standby position and stop it there.

[0065] Like the chain elevator type product rack mechanism, the spiral type product rack mechanism can be operated in a single column vending mode and a pair column vending mode. Therefore, in either mode, the spiral type product rack mechanism operates in the same way as the chain elevator type product rack mechanism to execute a vending standby return mode, driving the drive motor that rotates the product support spiral and returning the product support spiral that has stopped abnormally to the vending standby state.

[0066] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0067] For example, the device may include a storage cabinet provided inside the main body, a plurality of product rack mechanisms arranged horizontally inside the storage cabinet, and a control unit that controls each of the plurality of product rack mechanisms, each of which is a product moving body that supports a plurality of products at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction and moves the plurality of products from above downward by operating the product moving body, a drive unit that operates the product moving body, and a detection unit that detects that the product moving body has reached a predetermined operating position and stops the drive unit, and when a product carrying-out command is input, the control unit drives the drive unit of the corresponding product rack mechanism to move the product. The vending machine may be any vending machine that moves goods supported at the lowest position of the body downward, drops and carries out the goods at the lower end of the goods moving body, stops the drive unit when the detection unit detects that the goods moving body has reached a predetermined operating position, and when the goods moving body of at least one goods rack mechanism stops at a position other than the predetermined operating position as not detected by the detection unit, and a vending return command is input, drives the drive unit of the goods rack mechanism of the goods moving body that has stopped at a position other than the predetermined operating position from among the multiple goods rack mechanisms to operate the goods moving body, and stops the goods moving body at the predetermined operating position as detected by the detection unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1 Main unit 1a Storage 1b Machine room 1c Insulated wall 2 outer door 2a Product Sample Room 2b Input device 2c Product receiving section 2d Product outlet 2d1 outer flap 2e Outside air intake 3 Inner door 3a Product unloading port 3a1 Inner flap S Product Sample P product 4 Compressor 5 External heat exchanger 6. External ventilation fan 7 Merchandise Rack Units 8 Product storage rack 9 Product rack mechanism 10 Product conveying device 11. Heat exchanger inside the cabinet 12. Inside ventilation fan 13 Rear duct 14 Rack Case 15 Divider 16 Product shelf 17 Opening and closing doors 18 Guide rail 21 Transport guide plate 31 Drive sprocket 32 driven sprocket 33 Endless conveyor chain 34 Drive motor 35 Product shelf detection switch 36 Detection lever 37 Extrusion members 50 control section 51 Sales return switch 53 Timer 54 Memory section 55 Abnormality detection means 56 Calculation means 57 Means of comparison 60 Single column sales mode 61 Pair column sales mode 62 Sales standby return mode 100 vending machines

Claims

1. A storage cabinet provided inside the main body; a plurality of product rack mechanisms arranged horizontally within the storage facility; a control unit that controls each of the plurality of product rack mechanisms; Equipped with Each of the plurality of product rack mechanisms comprises an endless annular body stretched between a pair of upper and lower rotating bodies, a plurality of product shelves on which products are placed, the product shelves being attached to the endless annular body at intervals in the circumferential direction of the endless annular body, a drive unit that drives the endless annular body to move the plurality of product shelves downward, and a detection unit that detects when the product shelves have reached a sales standby position above the lower end of the endless annular body, When a product discharge command is input, the control unit drives the drive unit of the corresponding product rack mechanism to move the product shelf stopped at the sales standby position downward, causing the products placed on the product shelf to drop and be discharged near the bottom end of the endless annular body, and when the detection unit detects that the subsequent product shelf following the product shelf has reached the sales standby position, stops the subsequent product shelf at the sales standby position, When a subsequent product shelf of at least one of the product rack mechanisms stops at a position other than the sales standby position as opposed to being detected by the detection unit, if a sales return command is input, the drive unit of the product rack mechanism of the subsequent product shelf that stopped at a position other than the sales standby position from among the multiple product rack mechanisms is driven to move the subsequent product shelf downward, and the subsequent product shelf is stopped at the sales standby position as detected by the detection unit.

2. an abnormality detection means for detecting an overload of the driving unit; The vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that if the abnormality detection means detects that the drive unit is overloaded before the subsequent product shelf reaches the sales standby position, the control unit forcibly stops the drive unit, and if the forced stop causes the subsequent product shelf to stop at a position other than the sales standby position, when a sales return command is input, the control unit drives the drive unit that was forcibly stopped from among the multiple product rack mechanisms to move the subsequent product shelf downward, and stops the subsequent product shelf at the sales standby position based on detection by the detection unit.

3. a timer that measures the elapsed time since the driving unit started driving, The vending machine according to claim 2, characterized in that if the detection unit does not detect that the product shelf has reached the sales standby position even after the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, the abnormality detection means detects that the drive unit is overloaded.

4. a storage unit that stores, from among the plurality of product rack mechanisms, the product rack mechanism of the subsequent product shelf that has stopped at a position different from the sales standby position without being detected by the detection unit, The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when a sales return command is input, the control unit drives the drive unit of the product rack mechanism stored in the memory unit to move the subsequent product shelf downward, and stops the subsequent product shelf at a sales standby position upon detection by the detection unit.

5. a pair column sales mode in which products are placed across the product shelves of one of two adjacent product rack mechanisms and the product shelves of the other of the two product rack mechanisms, the drive units of the two product rack mechanisms are driven in conjunction with each other to move the product shelves downward, and the products placed across the product shelves are dropped and carried out near the lower end of the endless annular body, and when the detection unit detects that the product shelves following the product shelves have reached a sales standby position, the drive unit is stopped to stop the product shelves at the sales standby position; The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the pair column sales mode, when one of the subsequent product shelves of the mutually subsequent product shelves stops at a sales standby position due to detection by the detection unit, and the other of the subsequent product shelves stops at a position other than the sales standby position due to detection by the detection unit, when a sales return command is input, the drive unit of the product rack mechanism of the other subsequent product shelf that stopped at the position other than the sales standby position is driven to move the other subsequent product shelf downward, and the other subsequent product shelf is stopped at the sales standby position due to detection by the detection unit.

6. It has a vending return switch that is operated by the operator, 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein when the vending return switch is turned on, the vending return command is input to the control unit.

7. A storage cabinet provided inside the main body; a plurality of product rack mechanisms arranged horizontally within the storage facility; a control unit that controls each of the plurality of product rack mechanisms; Equipped with Each of the multiple product rack mechanisms includes a product support spiral that extends in a vertical spiral shape and supports multiple products at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and is rotatable around a vertical axis; a rotation prevention unit that prevents the multiple products supported by the product support spiral from rotating together with the product support spiral; a drive unit that rotates the product support spiral to move the multiple products from above downward; and a detection unit that detects when the product support spiral has reached a predetermined rotation position and stops the drive unit. Equipped with a rotation angle from when the product support spiral starts to rotate until when the product support spiral stops at the predetermined rotation position due to detection by the detection unit is a rotation angle corresponding to the predetermined interval; When a product discharge command is input, the control unit drives the drive unit of the corresponding product rack mechanism to move the product supported on the product support spiral downward by rotating the product support spiral, causing the product supported at the bottom of the product support spiral to drop and be discharged from the bottom end of the product support spiral, and stops the rotation of the product support spiral when the detection unit detects that the product support spiral has reached the predetermined rotation position. When the product support spiral of at least one of the product rack mechanisms stops at a rotational position other than the predetermined rotational position and not detected by the detection unit, and a vending return command is input, the drive unit of the product rack mechanism from among the multiple product rack mechanisms that has the product support spiral that stopped at a rotational position other than the predetermined rotational position and not detected by the detection unit is driven to rotate the product support spiral, and the product support spiral is stopped at the predetermined rotational position upon detection by the detection unit.

8. A storage cabinet provided inside the main body; a plurality of product rack mechanisms arranged horizontally within the storage facility; a control unit that controls each of the plurality of product rack mechanisms; Equipped with Each of the plurality of product rack mechanisms is a product moving body that supports a plurality of products at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and includes a product moving body that moves the plurality of products from above downward by operation, a driving unit that operates the product moving body, and a detection unit that detects that the product moving body has reached a predetermined operating position and stops the driving unit, When a product discharge command is input, the control unit drives the drive unit of the corresponding product rack mechanism to move the product supported at the lowest position of the product moving body downward, causing the product to drop and be discharged at the lower end side of the product moving body, and stops the drive unit when the detection unit detects that the product moving body has reached a predetermined operating position. When the product moving body of at least one of the product rack mechanisms stops at a position other than the predetermined operating position as detected by the detection unit, and a vending return command is input, the drive unit of the product rack mechanism of the product moving body that stopped at a position other than the predetermined operating position is driven from among the multiple product rack mechanisms to operate the product moving body, and the product moving body is stopped at the predetermined operating position as detected by the detection unit.

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