Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Incorporated

Shozo Iwamoto

Tetsuya Miyao

Kosaku Ito

Masayuki Ohno

Yoshihiro Kawaguchi

Satoru Umino

Shinsuke Tajiri

Koji Kawakami

Yutaka Nishioka

Kozo Matsushima

Nobuo Nakayama

Michinobu In

Yukio Makita

Masaki Inoue

Yoshihiro Sashikawa

Hiroyuki Kakiuchi

Haruo Kawasaki

Merchandise temperature sensors 16 for detecting merchandise temperatures simultaneously with in-housing temperature sensors 17 for detecting the in-housing air temperature of a merchandise housing are provided in the merchandise housing of a vending machine. Further, the cooling mechanism is controlled by means of the merchandise temperature sensor 16 during the peak shift or peak cut, whereas the cooling mechanism is controlled by means of in-housing temperature sensor 17 during normal operation. Thus the merchandise temperature is directly detected during the peak shift or peak cut where the temperature sharply varies so as to increase merchandise temperature control accuracy. Even when the installation of the merchandise temperature sensors is limited to some columns in view of cost reduction, the cooling mechanism is made controllable by collectively detecting the merchandise temperature in the whole column by means of the in-housing temperature sensors 17 during the normal operation.

Method of controlling cooling in a vending machine and device therefor

A door locking apparatus of the invention is suitable for locking and unlocking a door of a dispenser and a case thereof. The apparatus includes a door lock mechanism situated between the door and the case for latching the door at a locked position, a solenoid mounted inside the door for releasing the door lock mechanism, a receiver mounted inside the door and connected to the solenoid, and a transmitter for sending an ID signal from an outside of the door to the receiver. When the receiver receives the ID signal from the transmitter, the solenoid actuates to release the door lock mechanism. Since the door lock mechanism is not seen from the outside of the door, the lock is protected from bad mischief and burglary.

Door locking apparatus for dispenser

A product-delivery device for an automatic vending machine is designed to deliver products stacked and accommodated in a product-accommodating box sequentially from a lowest position according to a sales command. The produce-delivery device is formed of at least one horizontal conveyer installed on a lower side of the product-accommodating box, and a product delivery opening formed at a lower front port of the box. The products are piled on the conveyer. The opening has a size to allow one of the products to pass therethrough. Thus, the products disposed on the conveyer are delivered forward one by one from the box by means of the conveyer according to the sales command. In the product-delivery device, the thickness of a cabinet can be reduced, and the product accommodation efficiency is improved.

Product-delivery device for automatic vending machines

A control system for a vending machine having a plurality of article storage bins mounted on a circulatory moving member includes discriminating devices associated respectively with the article storage bins for identifying the kinds of the articles stored respectively in the article storage bins and whether there are articles stored in the article storage bins, and a delivery control unit for controlling the delivery of a selected article based on information from the discriminating devices. Articles of many different kinds can be efficiently vended through a single article conveyor mechanism on a first-in first-out basis.

Control system for a vending machine using article freshness data

Growing community of inventors

Mie, Japan

Shozo Iwamoto