Article supply device

Abstract

To provide an article supply apparatus which can detect the presence / absence of an article.SOLUTION: An article supply apparatus 1 which can supply an article P includes: a body part 2; a storage part 20 which stores the article P; a supply part 35 which supplies the article P stored in the storage part 20; a vertical movement pin 61 (detection part) which detects the presence / absence of the article P stored in the storage part 20; a transmission part 40 which transmits a signal indicating that there is no article P stored in the storage part 20; and a sold-out display part 91 which displays information that there is no article P stored in the storage part 20. The transmission part 40 and the sold-out display part 91 are configured to be integrally operable with the operation of detection of the detection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses, for example, a toy capable of supplying articles, which is configured to take out one of a number of spherical articles stored in a supply box by rotating an operation unit on the front side of the main body and taking it out from an outlet at the lower part of the main body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The toy, which can also be said to be an article supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, is a device that provides shaped articles and does not have a structure for detecting the presence or absence of articles stored in the supply box.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an article supply device capable of detecting the presence or absence of articles.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an article supply device capable of supplying articles, comprising: a main body part; a storage part for storing articles; a supply part for supplying the articles stored in the storage part; a detection part for detecting the presence or absence of the articles stored in the storage part; a transmission part for transmitting a signal indicating that there are no articles stored in the storage part; and an out-of-stock display part for displaying that there are no articles stored in the storage part, wherein the transmission part and the out-of-stock display part are configured to operate integrally by the detection operation of the detection part.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, an article supply device capable of detecting the presence or absence of an article can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an article supply device which is one aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Regarding the description of the directions in the following description, when the article supply device is viewed from the front side, the front side is regarded as the front, and the front-rear direction (front side or rear side), left-right direction (right side or left side), and up-down direction (upper side or lower side) are described. In addition, each direction is described by an arrow in the drawing.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the storage unit 20 is removed from the main body unit 2 in one aspect of the article supply device 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the article supply device 1 with the storage unit 20 attached to the main body unit 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article supply device 1 has a main body unit 2 having a box-shaped configuration including a front wall 2f, left and right side walls 2s, a rear wall 2r, an upper wall 2u, and a bottom wall (not shown), and various operation parts are provided on the front wall 2f. On the front wall 2f, for example, a coin insertion part 5 into which the price of the article P can be inserted, an operation part 4 that enables the supply of the article P by a rotational operation, a return port 6 for returning cash as necessary, a cash return button 7, etc. are provided. Further, on the upper side of the front wall 2f, a mounting part 3 that is largely open on the front side and the upper front side is provided. The mounting part 3 is configured to be detachable from the storage unit 20 that houses the article P and can discharge the article P from the front supply port 29.

[0011] Here, the article P referred to herein is a thin article, for example, a relatively thin flat plate such as a sheet-like printed matter, a card, a thin case, etc., in a sheet form, and is targeted at those that can be stacked and aligned in the storage unit 20.

[0012] Hereinafter, each part will be described. The operation part 4 is configured to be rotatable, for example, in the clockwise direction (the direction of the arrow shown in the figure) when viewed from the front side, on the condition of paying the price. For example, after the user inserts a coin from the coin insertion part 5, the operation part 4 is rotated. Thereby, the article P is discharged from the supply port 29 provided on the front side of the storage unit 20.

[0013] The coin insertion part 5 for cash has a configuration in which a slit-shaped opening into which a coin can be inserted is provided in a circular depression. Further, the return port 6 is configured such that the inserted coin is returned in response to the operation of the cash return button 7, and the coin returned from the device can be taken out.

[0014] As described above, the mounting portion 3 has a substantially rectangular opening structure appropriately surrounded by the left and right side walls 2s, the rear wall 2r, the upper wall 2u, and the bottom wall 2d that is appropriately opened. For example, when attaching and detaching the accommodating portion 20, it is configured to be slid in the front-rear direction of the main body portion 2. On the bottom wall 2d side of the mounting portion 3, a gear mechanism (gears 4b, 4c, 4d) engageable with the gear member of the accommodating portion 20 is provided. Also, on the bottom wall 2d side, a first member 41 of a transmission portion 40 capable of sending out a signal indicating the presence or absence of the article P, as will be described later, is provided. Note that on the bottom wall portion of the accommodating portion 20, a second member 42 of the transmission portion 40 corresponding to the first member 41 is provided as will be described later.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the article supply device 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the accommodating portion 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the operating portion 4 has an operating shaft 4a extending rearward. The operating shaft 4a extends to the rear wall 2r, and a first gear 4b is provided at its rear end. The first gear 4b is rotatably supported on the inner surface of the rear wall 2r and constitutes a gear mechanism that meshes with the other second gear 4c and third gear 4d. On the other hand, in the accommodating portion 20, a gear portion 20t is provided along the rear wall portion 20r of the accommodating portion 20. In the mounted state of the accommodating portion 20, the lowermost gear of the gear portion 20t meshes with and is connected to the third gear 4d. Thereby, by operating the operating portion 4, as will be described later, the article P can be supplied.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4, the accommodating portion 20 has a box shape with an open upper side formed by a front wall portion 20f on the front side surface, a rear wall portion 20r on the rear side surface, side wall portions 20s on the left and right side surfaces, and a bottom wall portion 20d on the bottom side. And its internal accommodation space SP is configured as a box-shaped rectangular space. Note that the article placement portion 20b constituting the bottom of the accommodation space SP is flatly configured at a high position with a gap from the bottom wall portion 20d so that the articles P can be stacked and accommodated. Also, the accommodating portion 20 has a configuration in which a discharge roller 21 of a supply portion 35 for discharging the article P from the supply port 29 is provided between the article placement portion 20b and the bottom wall portion 20d (see FIG. 3).

[0017] In addition, in the storage space SP, a pair of left and right guides 20e are provided at a position closer to the front of the space, and a rear guide 20h is provided at a position closer to the rear of the space so as to rise from the article placement portion 20b. Further, on the front side of the left and right guides 20e, a pressing portion 20i for pressing the article P downward from above in a state where the articles P are stored and stacked is provided. The pressing portion 20i is a weight in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the left-right direction, and is held so as to be vertically movable by a rail-shaped holding portion 20j having a groove erected on the front side of the left and right guides 20e.

[0018] Note that the left and right guides 20e are provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction on the article placement portion 20b, and the rear guide 20h is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction on the article placement portion 20b. Therefore, by moving the left and right guides 20e and the rear guide 20h, articles P of different sizes can be stored in a stacked state.

[0019] On the front side of the pressing portion 20i, a front end guide portion 20k related to article feeding is provided along the pressing portion 20i. This front end guide portion 20k is disposed immediately behind a shutter 20m that is swingable to open and close the supply port 29. The front end guide portion 20k guides the articles P to be discharged one by one when the articles P are discharged, can be adjusted in height from the article placement portion 20b, and is adjusted according to the thickness of the articles P.

[0020] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the supply portion 35 and the vertical movement pin 61 (detection portion) of the storage portion 20. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the supply portion 35 and the vertical movement pin 61. The discharge roller 21 is provided as a rotating portion along the horizontal direction below the article placement portion 20b and facing the pressing portion 20i. As shown in FIG. 5, this discharge roller 21 includes, in a side view, an arcuate outer surface 21a and a non-arcuate outer surface 21b having a smaller diameter than this arcuate outer surface 21a. Therefore, when rotated about the rotation axis 21c, the arcuate outer surface 21a contacts the lower surface of the article P pressed downward by the pressing portion 20i. By the rotation in this contacting state of the arcuate outer surface 21a, the article P is sent forward. That is, the arcuate outer surface 21a slightly protrudes upward from the placement portion opening 20bh provided in the article placement portion 20b and contacts the lower surface of the article P, and slides the article P forward and discharges it from the supply port 29. In this way, the discharge (supply) of the article P by the supply unit 35 is sequentially supplied from the lowermost article P stacked and arranged in the storage unit 20.

[0021] Incidentally, the discharge roller 21 is connected to, for example, a connecting shaft 20n (see FIG. 3) extending from one shaft portion of a gear portion 20t provided along the rear wall portion 20r to the discharge roller 21 side (front), and a gear (not shown) such as a spur gear provided on the front end side of the connecting shaft 20n. Therefore, the discharge roller 21 is rotationally driven by the operation unit 4 made operable by coin insertion in a state where the storage unit 20 is attached to the main body unit 2.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, as a detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the article P, a vertically movable pin 61 that can contact the article P is provided below the article placement portion 20b on the rear side of the discharge roller 21. This vertically movable pin 61 is held by a pin holding portion 62 so as to be vertically movable, and is biased upward by a compression coil spring 63 inside the pin. Therefore, when there is the article P, it is pushed below the article placement portion 20b. However, when the article P disappears, it protrudes onto the article placement portion 20b from the placement portion opening 20bh. Incidentally, the pressing portion 20i is provided with a notch opening 20ih corresponding to the placement portion opening 20bh, and is configured to allow the protruding operation of the vertically movable pin 61.

[0023] The vertical movement pin 61 is connected to a link mechanism 80 (to be described later) having a shaft portion 81 as a rotation axis. On the shaft portion 81 of this link mechanism 80, there are provided a sold-out display portion 91 for indicating that there is no article P and a second member 42 of a delivery portion 40 for detecting that there is no article. The second member 42 is provided via a swing member 42a extending in the radial direction of the shaft diameter from the shaft portion 81. The first member 41 paired with the second member 42 is fixed and installed (see FIGS. 1 and 3) at the lower front of the mounting portion 3 of the main body portion 2 as described above. Further, the second member 42 is constituted by, for example, a magnet, while the first member 41 is constituted as a magnetic sensor. Since the second member 42 is provided on the swing member 42a, it can approach and separate from the fixed first member 41 by the rotation of the shaft portion 81. Therefore, the second member 42 of the magnet can be detected by the first member 41 of the magnetic sensor, and a detection signal can be transmitted to, for example, a control unit 100 (see FIG. 10).

[0024] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a main part for explaining the link mechanism of the storage portion. The left and right end portions of the shaft portion 81 are rotatably supported by bearing portions 85 and 86. On one end side (the left side in the figure) thereof, there is provided a hook-shaped locking portion 82 extending in the radial direction of the rotation radius of the shaft portion 81 and having a tip side engageable with a locking projection 64 (referred to as "another member" in the present invention) of the vertical movement pin 61. A pair of these locking portions 82 are provided at positions sandwiching a pin holding portion 62 for holding the vertical movement pin 61 movably in the vertical direction from both the left and right sides. Further, in the locking portion 82, the engagement with the locking projection 64 (the state shown in FIG. 7) is such that an engagement surface 82a along the vertical direction (the moving direction of the vertical movement pin) is in contact.

[0025] On the other end side (right side in the figure) of the shaft portion 81, a sold-out display portion 91 that extends in the same direction as the swing member 42a and indicates the out-of-stock of the article P is provided. This sold-out display portion 91 includes a mounting base portion 91a, a base side plate portion 91b that extends in the radial direction of the shaft portion rotation from the mounting base portion 91a, a display plate portion 91c that curves downward and bends from the base side plate portion 91b, and a pair of side plate portions 91d that reinforce and connect both sides of the base side plate portion 91b and the display plate portion 91c. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape (the cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction) of the central portion of the sold-out display portion 91 is configured in a substantially U shape. Further, on the bottom wall portion 20d, a substantially U-shaped opening 20dh is formed so as to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the sold-out display portion 91, and it is configured to allow the downward movement of the sold-out display portion 91.

[0026] Also, on the vertical movement pin 61, locking protrusions 64 protruding from both the left and right sides of the pin holding portion 62 are provided. And when the article P is present, the locking protrusions 64 are located on the lower side of the pin holding portion 62 and abut against the engaging surface 82a of the locking portion 82, preventing the rotation of the shaft portion 81.

[0027] Also, the sold-out display portion 91 is provided such that a force that tries to rotate forward and downward due to its own weight always acts. For example, the sold-out display portion 91 is held so as to protrude forward and obliquely upward from the shaft portion 81. Thereby, the sold-out display portion 91 is maintained in a state where a rotational force that tries to rotate forward and downward is applied.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part for showing the operations of the sold-out display portion 91 of the article P and the delivery portion 40. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the article supply device 1 in the operating state of the sold-out display portion 91 of the article P. Here, when the article P is sold out and the vertical movement pin 61 moves upward by the compression coil spring 63 (see the imaginary line in FIG. 7), the contact between the locking projection 64 and the engagement surface 82a is released. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the out-of-stock display unit 91 rotates forward and downward by its own weight together with the shaft portion 81. As a result, the display plate portion 91c of the out-of-stock display unit 91 penetrates the opening 20dh. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 9, the display of "out of stock" appears on the front surface of the front wall 2f. At this time, the display plate portion 91c is positioned so as to cover the front side of the coin insertion portion 5. By covering the coin insertion portion 5 with the out-of-stock display unit 91 in this way, the state where coins cannot be inserted is achieved.

[0029] Further, the second member 42 of the delivery unit 40 provided on the shaft portion 81 rotates by the same angle as the out-of-stock display unit 91 due to the rotation of the shaft portion 81. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the second member 42 approaches the first member 41. That is, the magnet approaches the magnetic sensor. In this way, when the article P runs out, the second member 42 (magnet) approaches the first member 41 (magnetic sensor), magnetic force detection is performed, and a detection signal can be transmitted to the control unit 100.

[0030] Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a metal portion 43 is provided below the rotation of the second member 42. That is, since the second member 42 is constituted by a magnet, when the second member 42 rotates, it is adsorbed and held by the metal portion 43 constituted by a ferromagnetic material.

[0031] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation by the transmission of a signal from the delivery unit 40. As described above, based on the signal sent from the first member 41 of the delivery unit 40 to the control unit 100, as a specific operation, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, a light emission operation for causing the light emitting unit 92 to emit light, a lock operation for preventing the rotation of the gear of the operation unit 4, etc. can be performed.

[0032] The light-emitting unit 92 is provided on the front wall 2f (see FIG. 9) of the main body 2, and can, for example, notify that the article P has disappeared by blinking or lighting up. Regarding the locking operation, for example, the locking pin 38p of the locking drive unit 38a can advance and retreat to lock the first gear 4b with respect to the locking pin 4p of the first gear 4b attached to the operation shaft 4a of the operation unit 4. Then, when the article P disappears, the locking pin 38p locks the locking pin 4p to put it in a locked state so that the operation unit 4 cannot rotate.

[0033] In addition, the control of the control unit 100 by the signal of the delivery unit 40 is not limited to the above-described light emission and locking operations. For example, information that the article P has disappeared can be transmitted from the control unit 100 using a communication line, and can be used, for example, as information on the work of replenishing the article P, and can also be used as other management information.

[0034] As described above, in the article supply device 1 of the present aspect, the signal transmission operation of the delivery unit 40 and the operation of the out-of-stock display unit 91 are configured to operate integrally triggered by the detection operation of the vertical movement pin 61, so that the operations of two members having different functions can be performed simultaneously. As a result, when the article P disappears, for example, it can be visually displayed directly on the out-of-stock display unit 91, and can be sent out as information obtained by converting the position displacement operation into an electric signal.

[0035] In addition, since the integrated operation of the delivery unit 40 and the out-of-stock display unit 91 is a rotational operation, by making the rotation angle less than 90 degrees, for example, gravity can be used as a driving force source for the position displacement from the initial position (standby position) to the operating position (lower position).

[0036] In the article supply device 1 of the present aspect, the delivery unit 40 and the out-of-stock display unit 91 are configured to be integrally attached to the same shaft portion 81 and project in the same direction with respect to the shaft portion 81, so that the structure around the axis of the shaft portion 81 can be simplified.

[0037] In the article supply device 1 of this aspect, the locking portion 82 extending in the direction orthogonal (crossing direction) to the axis of the shaft portion 81 is locked at the downward movement position (when the article P is present) of the locking projection 64 protruding from the vertical movement pin 61, and the locking is released by the upward movement position (when the article P is not present). Therefore, the shaft portion 81 can be rotated in conjunction with the vertical movement of the vertical movement pin 61.

[0038] Therefore, the delivery portion 40 provided to rotate by the rotation of the shaft portion 81 can transmit a signal indicating the absence of the article P by utilizing the rotational movement. Further, the out-of-stock display portion 91 configured to rotate integrally with the delivery portion 40 can rotate to an operating position where it can be visually recognized from a standby position where it cannot be visually recognized from the outside of the main body portion 2, and can display the out-of-stock state of the article P. Furthermore, since the delivery portion 40 is housed inside so as not to be visually recognized from the outside of the housing portion 20 and the main body portion 2, it is protected by the main body portion 2 and the housing portion 20.

[0039] The out-of-stock display portion 91 of the article supply device 1 of this aspect is configured to be able to descend by its own weight in a state where the locking of the shaft portion 81 is released, so there is no need to provide a special power source to move the out-of-stock display portion 91.

[0040] Also, in the article supply device 1 of this aspect, the magnet provided on the delivery portion 40 is configured to be able to be attracted to the metal portion provided on the main body portion 2 when the locking of the shaft portion 81 is released and it rotates. Therefore, the rotational state of the shaft portion 81 can be held by the attracting force between the magnet and the metal portion.

[0041] In the article supply device 1 of this aspect, the vertical movement pin 61 is pressed downward against the urging force of the compression coil spring 63 by the weight of the article P and is positioned below the article placement portion 20b. Therefore, when the article P runs out, the pressing is released and it moves upward, and the state where the article P is absent can be easily detected. Further, since the article placement portion 20b houses the articles P in a stacked and aligned state, the weight of the article P can be surely applied to the vertical movement pin 61, facilitating article detection.

[0042] In the article supply device 1 of this aspect, since the supply unit 35, the vertical movement pin 61, the delivery unit 40, and the out-of-stock display unit 91 are provided in the storage unit 20, the configuration of the main body unit 2 can be simplified. Furthermore, since the storage unit 20 is configured to be detachable from the main body unit 2, the assembly and maintenance of the supply unit 35, the vertical movement pin 61, the delivery unit 40, and the out-of-stock display unit 91 can be facilitated.

[0043] In the article supply device 1 of this aspect, the opening 20dh for causing the out-of-stock display unit 91 to protrude and retract on the outer surface of the main body unit 2 is configured in the cross-sectional shape with respect to the moving direction of the out-of-stock display unit 91 formed of a plate-like member. Therefore, the size of the opening 20dh can be configured in the minimum necessary slit shape. As a result, the opening 20dh does not become a large opening 20dh, so that the dustproof property inside the storage unit 20 and inside the main body unit 2 can be enhanced, and furthermore, the entry of fingers can be prevented and safety can be ensured.

[0044] As described above, one aspect of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of its technical idea. For example, the structure of the article supply device 1 and the structure of the storage unit 20 in the above-described aspect are not limited to those shown in the drawings. Further, in the above-described aspect, the metal part 43 that adsorbs (magnetically adheres) to the second member 42 of the delivery unit 40 is provided on the bottom wall part 20d of the storage unit 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the metal part 43 may be provided on the main body unit 2, or a configuration in which the metal contained in the first member 41 is used as the metal part 43 may be employed.

[0045] The following matters are disclosed in this specification.

[0046] (1) An article supply device capable of supplying articles, a main body unit, a storage unit for storing the above articles, a supply unit for supplying the above articles stored in the above storage unit, a detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of the above articles stored in the above storage unit, A transmitting unit that sends a signal indicating that the above-described article is not stored in the above-described storage unit, An out-of-stock display unit that displays that the above-described article is not stored in the above-described storage unit, Comprising, The above-described transmitting unit and the above-described out-of-stock display unit are configured to be operable integrally by the above-described detection operation of the above-described detection unit, Article supply device.

[0047] (2) The article supply device according to (1), wherein The above-described transmitting unit and the above-described out-of-stock display unit are configured to be rotatable, Article supply device.

[0048] (3) The article supply device according to (2), wherein The rotation angle of the above-described transmitting unit and the above-described out-of-stock display unit is configured to be less than 90 degrees, Article supply device.

[0049] (4) The article supply device according to (2) or (3), wherein The above-described transmitting unit and the above-described out-of-stock display unit are configured to be rotatable at the same angle, Article supply device.

[0050] (5) The article supply device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein The above-described transmitting unit and the above-described out-of-stock display unit are supported by a shaft portion, The above-described shaft portion supports the above-described transmitting unit and the above-described out-of-stock display unit in the same direction of the shaft portion of the shaft portion, Article supply device.

[0051] (6) The article supply device according to (5), wherein The above-described shaft portion is provided with a locking portion that extends in a direction intersecting the axis of the shaft portion and can be locked to another member, When there is no said article accommodated in the said accommodating part, the said engaging part releases the engaged state with the said other member. Article supply device.

[0052] (7) The article supply device according to (6), In a state where the said shaft part is engaged with the said other member by the said engaging part, the said sending part is configured not to send a signal indicating that there is no article, and in a state where the engagement of the said shaft part is released, the said sending part sends a signal indicating that there is no article. Article supply device.

[0053] (8) The article supply device according to (6) or (7), The said out-of-stock display part is configured to be invisible from the outside of the said main body part in a state where the said shaft part is engaged, and is configured to be visible from the outside of the said main body part in a state where the engagement of the said shaft part is released. Article supply device.

[0054] (9) The article supply device according to any one of (6) to (8), The said out-of-stock display part is configured to be able to descend downward by its own weight in a state where the engagement of the said shaft part is released. Article supply device.

[0055] (10) The article supply device according to any one of (6) to (9), The said sending part includes a magnet and is configured to be adsorbable to a metal part provided on the said main body part in a state where the engagement of the said shaft part is released. Article supply device.

[0056] (11) The article supply device according to any one of (6) to (10), The said sending part is configured to be invisible from the outside of the said main body part in both the engaged state and the released state of the said shaft part. Article supply device.

[0057] (12) An article supply device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the detection unit is configured to be able to appear and disappear in the storage unit, and in a state where the article is stored in the storage unit, the detection unit is maintained in a submerged state by the weight of the article in the storage unit, Article supply device.

[0058] (13) An article supply device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the supply unit, the detection unit, the delivery unit, and the out-of-stock display unit are provided in the storage unit, Article supply device.

[0059] (14) An article supply device according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the storage unit is configured to be detachable from the main body unit, Article supply device.

[0060] (15) An article supply device according to any one of (1) to (14), wherein the storage unit is configured to be able to store the articles in an aligned state, Article supply device.

[0061] (16) An article supply device according to any one of (1) to (15), wherein the storage unit has an opening formed at the bottom thereof through which the out-of-stock display unit can appear and disappear, Article supply device.

[0062] (17) An article supply device according to (16), wherein the opening has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the out-of-stock display unit, Article supply device.

Explanation of Signs

[0063] 1 Article supply device 2 Main body 4 Operation unit 5 Coin insertion unit 20 Storage unit 35 Supply unit 40 Delivery unit 43 Metal part 61 Vertical movement pin (detection unit) 64 Locking projection (other member) 81 Shaft part 82 Locking part 91 Sold-out display unit P Article

Claims

1. An article supply device capable of supplying articles, comprising: a main body portion; a storage portion for storing the articles; a supply portion for supplying the articles stored in the storage portion; a detection portion for detecting the presence or absence of the articles stored in the storage portion; a transmission portion for transmitting a signal indicating that there are no articles stored in the storage portion; a sold-out display portion for displaying that there are no articles stored in the storage portion; The transmission portion and the sold-out display portion are supported by a shaft portion and are configured to operate integrally by the detection operation of the detection portion. The shaft portion supports the transmission portion and the sold-out display portion so as to project in the same direction in a direction intersecting the axis of the shaft portion with respect to the shaft portion. Article supply device.

2. The article supply device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission portion and the sold-out display portion are configured to be rotatable. Article supply device.

3. The article supply device according to claim 2, wherein the angle of the rotational operation of the transmission portion and the sold-out display portion is configured to be less than 90 degrees. Article supply device.

4. The article supply device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission portion and the sold-out display portion are configured to be rotatable at the same angle. Article supply device.

5. The article supply device according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion is provided with a locking portion that extends in a direction intersecting the axis of the shaft portion and can be locked to the detection portion. The locking portion releases the locked state with the detection portion when there are no articles stored in the storage portion. Article supply device.

6. The article supply device according to claim 5, wherein the transmission portion is configured not to transmit a signal indicating that there are no articles when the shaft portion is locked to the detection portion by the locking portion, and to transmit a signal indicating that there are no articles when the locking of the shaft portion is released. Article supply device.

7. The article supply device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the sold-out display portion is configured to be invisible from the outside of the main body portion when the shaft portion is locked, and to be visible from the outside of the main body portion when the locking of the shaft portion is released. Article supply device.

8. The article supply device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the sold-out display portion is configured to be able to descend downward by its own weight when the locking of the shaft portion is released. Article supply device.

9. ​ The article supply device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the sending unit includes a magnet and is configured to be adsorbable to a metal part provided in the main body part in a state where the locking of the shaft part is released. Article supply device.

10. The article supply device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the sending unit is configured to be invisible from the outside of the main body part in both the locked state and the unlocked state of the shaft part. Article supply device.

11. The article supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the detection unit is configured to be able to protrude and retract in the storage part and is maintained in a retracted state by the self-weight of the article in the storage part when the article is stored in the storage part. Article supply device.

12. The article supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the supply unit, the detection unit, the sending unit, and the out-of-stock display unit are provided in the storage part. Article supply device.

13. The article supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the storage part is configured to be detachable from the main body part. Article supply device.

14. The article supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the storage part is configured to be able to store the articles in an aligned state. Article supply device.

15. The article supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an opening through which the out-of-stock display unit can protrude and retract is formed at the bottom of the storage part. Article supply device.

16. The article supply device according to claim 15, wherein the opening has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the out-of-stock display unit. Article supply device.

Images