DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates in general to the sector of product dispensing machines and in particular dispensing machines including, in a supporting frame, one or more shelves or support surfaces and, for each shelf, a plurality of adjacent cells which are adapted to accommodate respective rows of products. The dispensing machine also includes a member or other movement device adapted to move the row of products along the respective cell, so as to cause the product which is located first in the row to fall from the shelf. The product is made to fall onto a collection plane or surface suitable for collecting the product to be dispensed.

In dispensing machines, the products, when they are ready to be dispensed, are visible to a user, on one side of the dispensing machine, arranged on a respective shelf and divided into rows. This arrangement is comparable to an X-Y matrix configuration such that, depending on the arrangement on the shelves and in the rows, a row position and a column position can be associated with each of the products.

The present disclosure is based on a recognition by the inventor of the present patent application that the dispensing machines have a limited functionality due to the fact that only one product at a time may be dispensed (from the respective position) and that a single dispensing operation performed each time may result in long dispensing times, in particular when it is required to dispense a plurality of products.

Based on this recognition and in order to overcome the aforementioned drawback, a dispensing machine according to claim 1 and a method for dispensing a product by means of a dispending machine according to claim 12 are provided. Secondary features of the present disclosure are defined in the respective dependent claims. The dispending machine according to the present disclosure is structured and organized to collect in an ordered manner, as far as possible without the products being arranged or piled up on top of each other, more than one product at a time so as to reduce the dispensing time.

The dispensing machine according to the present disclosure is based on the consideration that a row position and a column position in the aforementioned matrix may be associated with a first product and a row position and a column position in the matrix may be associated with a second product.

The collection surface, which may be initially free of products, may be raised initially vertically along a column direction until it reaches a first product to be dispensed. Then, after the first product to be dispensed has been made to fall onto the collection surface, the collection surface may be moved in a row direction, to the right or left, depending on the column position of the second product to be dispensed, so as to position/move the first product into a zone of the matrix which does not interfere or overlap with the column position of the second product to be dispensed. In this way, the collection surface may be positioned at the height of the second product and the latter may be made to fall onto the collection surface without interfering with the first product which is already present on the collection surface. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to determine the position of the first product on the collection surface, one or more position detectors are provided, said detectors being arranged along the collection surface and being able to detect the position of the first product on the collection surface.

It is understood that, if the first product and the second product are in column positions sufficiently far from each other, the collection surface is not moved in the row direction, and the second product is made to fall onto the collection surface when the collection surface is located at the height of the shelf of the second product.

It is also pointed out that, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a displacement of the collection surface may occur according to a given pitch, namely the displacement may not be continuous, but envisages a stepwise displacement so that the first product is moved into predefined zones or sectors of the matrix. A number of zones or sectors may be less than the number of columns of the matrix so that each zone or sector includes or groups together several columns of the matrix.

Further advantages, characteristic features and modes of use forming the subject of the present disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of a number of embodiments of the present disclosure, provided by way of a non-limiting example.

It is evident, however, that each embodiment forming the subject of the present disclosure may have one or more of the advantages listed above; in any case it is not required that each embodiment should have simultaneously all the advantages listed.

Reference will be made to the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows an axonometric view, from the front, of a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figures 2 and 3 show schematically respective front views of a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in corresponding operating conditions;

Figures 4 and 5 show corresponding axonometric front views of a collection surface of a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention during a sequence of operating phases;

Figure 6 shows a view, from above, of a collection surface of a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the present description below the reference number 10 denotes a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The product dispensing machine 10 includes, in a supporting frame 12, one or more shelves or support surfaces 15a, 15b, 15c and, for each shelf, a plurality of adjacent cells 16a, 16b, 16c adapted to receive respective rows of products 20a, 20b, 20c. The dispensing machine 10 includes a collection plane or surface 17 suitable for collecting a product to be dispensed. The collection plane or surface 17 is located in a front zone of the supporting frame 12. A pusher member or other movement device, arranged behind a row of products, is designed to push/displace a product which is located first in the respective row, onto the collection plane or surface 17. The products 20a, 20b, 20c to be dispensed are arranged on the respective shelves 15a, 15b, 15c and in the respective cells 16a, 16b, 16c in such a way that, when viewed from a front area of the frame 12, it is possible to define a matrix arrangement with rows X1 , X2, X3 and columns Y1 , Y2, Y3 such that, for each product to be dispensed, a row position X1 , X2, X3 and a column position Y1 , Y2, Y3 is associated therewith (see Figure 2).

According to a first characteristic feature of the present disclosure, the dispensing machine 10 includes a first movement device 25 for moving the collection surface 17 in a row direction X1 , X2, X3. In particular, in the embodiment, the collection surface 17 includes a belt 30 mounted on the first movement device 25, or conveyor member, which displaces the belt 30. The collection surface 17 and the first movement device 25 form part of a collection device 32 (Figure 6).

More particularly, the collection device 32 is a so-called conveyor belt which is able to displace laterally in a row direction a product as soon as it is dispensed.

The dispensing machine 10 also includes a second movement device 38 for moving the collection surface 17 and the entire collection device 32 heightwise in a column direction Y1 , Y2 so as to reach said one or more surfaces 15A, 15B, 15C. The second movement device 38, which is shown in schematic form in the figures, may include a vertically movable frame 39 moved by a suitable actuating member, of the known type, on which the collection device 32 is mounted. The frame may be that described in Italian patent No. 1362118 in the name of the same proprietor Daint, cited herein in its entirety by way of a reference.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the dispensing machine comprises a control unit 40 or electronic management unit, schematically shown in the drawings, which is operationally connected to the first movement device 25 and to the second movement device 38.

The control unit 40 is designed to impart movement commands to the respective first movement device 25 and second movement device 38. The movement commands are controlled and managed in sequence by the control unit 40 depending on the row positions X1 , X2, X3 and column positions Y1 , Y2, Y3 of the products 20a, 20b, 20c.

In particular, the control unit 40 is designed to send, for example, a first movement command to the second movement device 38 depending on the row position (X1 , X2) or height of a first product 20a to be dispensed, so as to displace heightwise said collection device 32 towards said first product 20a.

The control unit 40 is designed to send, for example, a second command to the first movement device 25 depending on the column position Y1 , Y2, Y3 of a second product 20b to be dispensed, so as to displace the collection device together with the first product 20a away from, or laterally with respect to, said column position Y1 , Y2, Y3 of the second product 20b.

In practice, the control unit 40 is configured to move the belt 30 in order to displace the first product 20a. The displacement depends on the column position Y1 , Y2, Y3 of the second product 20b. The belt 30 is displaced until the first product is located in a zone which does not overlap with the column position Y1 , Y2, Y3 of the second product 20b.

In order to determine the position of the products on the belt 30, the dispensing machine includes a plurality of position detectors 45 associated with the collection surface 17 and arranged along a row direction X.

The position detectors 45 are designed to detect the column position Y1 , Y2 of the first product and/or of the second product when the first product and/or the second product are on the collection surface 17. The position detectors 45 may be photocells or similar optical detectors of the known type which are arranged in sequence along the row direction, namely along a direction perpendicular to said column direction.

More particularly, the position detectors 65 are transmission position detectors designed to transmit an optical signal and are arranged at intervals in sequence along a bar 32a of the collection device 50. Reception position detectors 45 are arranged at intervals in sequence along the bar 32b which is located opposite the bar 32a.

In other words, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as that shown in the figures, the collection device 32 includes at least one wall 32a arranged parallel to said row direction, wherein the position detectors 45 are positioned along said wall 32a. In this way, as soon as the first product 20a is made to fall onto the belt 30, the respective position along the X direction may be better determined.

It is to be understood that the column position of the product 20a could be deduced by the control unit 40 also in the absence of the position detectors 45, on the basis of the position X1 , Y1 of the product when positioned on the respective shelf and in the respective row of the dispensing machine. It is also to be understood that this method of deducing the position is less precise than a direct detection method performed by means of a position detector, since it does not take into account possible movements of the product once the product has fallen onto the belt.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 40 is configured to execute said first command and said second command during simultaneous dispensing of said first product and said second product, so that the first and second product may be dispensed together by the dispensing machine. In practice, according to the present disclosure, a user may select by means of suitable keypad not shown in the drawings, two or more products to be dispensed, and the control unit 40 is designed to move the first movement device 25 and the second movement device 38 in a coordinated manner so as to be able to collect all the products on the belt, by causing the belt to move in the row direction in a suitable manner in order to prevent piling up of the products.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a displacement of the belt in the horizontal or row direction is a displacement performed in accordance with a given pitch, namely by a given value. More particularly, the control unit may be configured to displace the collection surface 17 stepwise into a predefined number of zones or sectors located adjacent in sequence along said row direction. Even more particularly, the control unit 40 is configured so that these zones are related to the column positions Y1 , Y2, Y3 of the various products 20a, 20b, 20c, so as to displace the belt 30 into the various sectors and move away a product which is located on the belt from the column position of a following product which must be dispensed.

In order to simplify the calculation operations by the control unit 40, the number of zones or sectors is a number less than a number of columns Y of the aforementioned matrix, for example three zones or sectors are provided. With reference to the accompanying figures, a method for performing dispensing by means of an automatic dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below.

A plurality of articles are arranged on one or more shelves or support surfaces 15a, 15b, 15c and, for each shelf 15a, 15, 15c, in a plurality of adjacent rows 16a, 16b, 16c, wherein an arrangement of the products 20a, 20b, 20c on said one or more shelves 15a, 15b, 15c and in said cells 16a, 16b, 16c is a matrix arrangement with rows X1 , X2, X3 and columns Y1 , Y2, Y3, wherein said rows X1 , X2, X3 correspond to said one or more shelves 15a, 15b, 15c and said columns Y1 , Y2, Y3 correspond to said cells 16a, 16b, 16c.

Consequently, a first row position X1 and a first column position Y1 are associated with at least a first product 20a to be dispensed, and a second row position X2 and a second column position Y1 are associated with at least one second product 20b to be dispensed.

When a user chooses the two products 20a, 20b to be dispensed, the control unit 40 connected to the keypad moves, for example, during a first phase the collection surface 17 in a column direction Y (heightwise) so as to reach the first row position X1 and collect a first product 20a.

During a second phase, separate from the first phase, the control unit 40 moves the collection surface 17 in a row direction X so as to displace in a lateral direction the first product 20a to be dispensed and move said first product 20a away from the second column position Y2 of the second product 20b and leave space for the said second product on said collection surface. Further phases may be envisaged for collecting further products.

It is to be understood that the order of the first phase and the second phase is not binding for the purposes of the present disclosure and this order depends on the initial position of the collection belt.

For example, should the collection belt be situated already opposite the shelf 20a of the first product 20a, the latter is initially made to fall onto the collection surface 17. Then, depending on the second column position Y2, the collection surface is displaced to the right or the left in order to free a zone of the belt 30. Then the collection surface is displaced heightwise in order to reach the shelf of the second product. Alternatively, the heightwise displacement may be performed first, followed by the lateral displacement. There may be no heightwise displacement if the two products are situated on the same level.

As already mentioned above, the lateral displacement of the belt may be performed according to a predefined pitch. The position of the product on the collection surface may be detected by means one or more position detectors 45 associated with the collection surface 17, wherein the one or more position detectors 45 detect a row position of the respective product on the collection surface 17.

In this way, after the first phase and after the second phase, the first product and the second product are located simultaneously on the collection surface and may be dispensed together in the row direction towards a dispensing opening.

The subject-matter of the present disclosure has been described hitherto with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. It is to be understood that other embodiments relating to the same inventive idea may exist, all of these falling within the scope of protection of the claims which are illustrated hereinbelow.