JP2000173391A - Push button switch device for dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a degree of freedom in graphic design of a front panel by eliminating a case for a push button switch projected from a surface of the front panel. SOLUTION: This push button switch device for dispenser is provided with a main body arranged inside of a front panel 20 and fitting frames 14 corresponding to each push button switch and capable of being inserted to the main body from a surface side of the front panel 20. The main body has a body case 1 including plural push button switches 5 formed on a printed board 4 and a water resistant cover 8 for covering the push button switches 5, and has push button tops 13 fitted from over the water resistant cover 8 so as to correspond to each push button switch. Each push button top 13 is exposed in an opening 21 formed in the front panel 20, and each fitting frame 14 is engaged with the front panel 20 and the body case 1 by fitting it in the periphery of each push button top 13 so as to fix the main body to the front panel 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a push button switch device used for selecting a product in a vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vending machine, one push button switch is usually provided for one product, but in a vending machine handling a large number of products, the number of push button switches is increased.
Since the wiring with the control unit of the vending machine is also complicated, a control method based on serial transmission is adopted, a plurality of push button switches are formed on a common printed circuit board to form a series of units,
This unit is connected to the control unit of the vending machine with a small amount of wiring. FIG. 4 shows an example. 41 is a vending machine main body, 42 is a lighting section, 4
3 is a coin slot, 44 is a bill slot, 45 is a return lever, 46 is a return slot, 47 is a merchandise exit, and the illumination section 42 is a front panel 48 made of a transparent resin plate, for example, an acrylic plate.
The product sample 49 is housed inside, and a push button switch 410 for selecting a product is provided on the front side. The push button switch 410 accommodates a printed circuit board, a plurality of switches, light emitting diodes, terminals, and the like in an elongated case, and has push buttons on its surface, and is fixed to the front side of the front panel 48. This configuration has the advantage of requiring less holes in the front panel and of being easy to clean because there is less protrusion on the back of the panel, but multiple cases project laterally on the front side of the panel, that is, on the customer side. Since it is mounted as an object, there is a problem that the degree of freedom in graphic design of the front panel of the vending machine is significantly impaired.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the above-mentioned case of a push button switch protruding above the front panel surface of a vending machine and to increase the degree of freedom in graphic design of the front panel. It is to provide a device.

[0004]

According to the present invention, there is provided, according to the present invention, a product selected by operating one of a plurality of push-button switches attached to a front panel. A push button switch device for a vending machine, comprising: a main body disposed inside a front panel; and a detachable mounting frame corresponding to each push button switch and capable of being inserted from the outside of the front panel toward the main body, wherein the main body is printed. A main body case including a plurality of push-button switches formed on the board, a waterproof cover covering the printed board and the push-button switches, and a detachable fitted from the top of the waterproof cover to correspond to each push-button switch. A push button top, each push button top is exposed in an opening formed in the front panel, and each mounting frame is fitted by being fitted around each push button top. Panel and engage the main body casing is adapted to secure the body to the front panel.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present invention, a printed circuit board having a plurality of push button switches formed at an appropriate distance is covered with a waterproof cover and accommodated in a main body case. A push button top is detachably fitted in correspondence with the push button switch, an opening for exposing the plurality of push button tops is formed in the front panel of the vending machine, and the upper edge exposed on the front panel and the inner side from the upper edge. A mounting frame having legs protruding toward the front panel is detachably fitted around the top of each push button from the front side of the front panel, the upper edge of which is engaged with the front panel, and the legs are engaged with the main body case. It is advantageous to be able to fix the body case inside the front panel of the vending machine.

[0006] A waterproof packing is preferably inserted between the upper edge of the mounting frame and the front panel to prevent moisture permeating the front panel of the vending machine from entering the panel.

The mounting frame and the push button top are preferably designed so that one or both of the mounting frame and the push button top can be replaced as necessary from the viewpoint of graphic design.

[0008]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention,
b is a cross-sectional view, c is a perspective view of the push button housing, and d is a perspective view of a mounting frame. Numeral 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped main body case having a lower surface opened and an upper surface provided with openings 2 corresponding to the number of pushbutton switches. A board mounting base 3 is provided in the main body case 1, and a printed board 4 is mounted thereon.
Are mounted, and on the printed circuit board 4, a push button switch 5 and a light emitting diode 6 corresponding to a product of a vending machine are provided. A waterproof cover, for example, a silicon cover 7 is disposed above the substrate 4, and the silicon cover 7 is formed to be long so as to extend over the printed circuit board 4 and the plurality of push button switches 5, and these portions are watertight from the surroundings. The silicon cover 7 has an upwardly projecting portion 8 at a position corresponding to each push button switch 5, and a downwardly projecting portion 9 for operating the push button switch 5 is formed at the center of each projecting portion. Inside the push button housing 1 as shown in FIG.
0 is inserted. The push button housing 10 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped frame, and has a function of maintaining the shape of the projection 8 of the silicon cover, which is usually formed of a flexible material. The other through-holes 12 allow light from the light emitting diodes on the printed circuit board to pass therethrough.
A push button top 13 for directly operating with a finger when selecting a product of a vending machine is fitted on the protruding portion 8 of the silicon cover 7. And the push button switch 5 operates. It is preferable that the push button top 13 is formed of a translucent material so that the light emission of the light emitting diode 6 can be visually observed. The main body is formed by the above components.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a mounting frame, a perspective view of which is shown in FIG. 1d, which is configured to be fitted around the push button top 13, has an upper edge portion 15, and a leg portion 16 extending downward. The two legs extend to the main body case 1 and have an engagement piece 17 at the tip, so that they can engage with the notches 18 of the main body case 1. A waterproof packing, for example, a silicon packing 19 is fitted inside the upper edge 15.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a front panel of the vending machine. The front panel has an opening 21 at a position corresponding to each push button switch, into which the push button top 13 and the leg 16 of the mounting frame 14 can be inserted, and when the mounting frame 14 is fitted. The front panel 20 is the mounting frame 1
4 and the main body case 1.

Next, a method of attaching the push button switch device of the present invention to a vending machine will be described with reference to FIG. The main body case 1 is applied from the back side of the front panel 20 of the vending machine, and is positioned so that each push button top 13 is exposed at each opening 21 of the panel 20. Next, a plurality of mounting frames 14 are sequentially fitted around each push button top 13, and the leg 1 of the mounting frame 14 is
6 is engaged with the notch 18 of the main body case 1, the main body case 1 is fixed to the back side of the front panel 20 of the vending machine by a plurality of mounting frames 14, and the push button top 13 and the mounting frame Only the upper edge 15 of the panel 14 is exposed on the surface of the panel.

When the main body case 1 is to be removed, the engaging pieces 17 of the legs 16 of the mounting frame 14 are
Just remove it from 8.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example of a vending machine to which the push button switch device of the present invention is attached. 31 is a vending machine main body, 32 is an illuminating unit, 33 is a coin slot, 34 is a bill slot, 35 is a return lever, 36 is a return slot, and 37 is a product exit, which is not particularly different from the conventional one. . The illuminating part 32 is a front panel 38 made of a transparent resin plate, for example, an acrylic plate.
, A product sample 39 is stored inside, and a push button switch 310 for selecting a product is provided on the front side. The push button switch 310 has the structure of the present invention, and
Only the push button top 311 and the mounting frame 312 around the push button top 311 are exposed on the front side, that is, the customer service side of FIG. Since the push button top can be easily removed by removing the mounting frame, when changing the graphic design of the front panel, replace the mounting frame with a different shape, replace the push button top with a different shape, It is possible to change the design with a very high degree of freedom by exchanging both the mounting frame and the push button top with different ones.

[0015]

According to the present invention, it is possible to remove the elongated bar-shaped projections exposed on the front side of the front panel, and each push-button switch has a form in which only the operation portion is individually exposed on the surface. The restrictions on setting the graphic design of the vending machine, especially the illuminating unit, are extremely reduced, and the design is more flexible than before. This makes it possible to reduce costs. In addition, since the heart of the push button switch is located inside the panel, that is, in the vending machine main body, the push button switch is well protected from the outside world, and even if the push button top and the mounting frame exposed to the outside are damaged, they can be damaged in a short time. It can be replaced and maintenance is very simple.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view, b is a transverse sectional view, c is a perspective view of a push button housing, and d is a perspective view of a mounting frame in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining a method of mounting the push button switch device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example of a vending machine having the push button switch device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a vending machine having a conventional push button switch device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Opening 3 Board mounting stand 4 Printed circuit board 5 Push button switch 6 Light emitting diode 7 Silicon cover 8 Projection part 9 Projection part 10 Push button housing 11 Penetration part 12 Penetration part 13 Push button top 14 Mounting frame 15 Upper edge part 16 Leg part 17 Engagement piece 18 Notch 19 Silicone packing 20 Front panel 21 Opening 31 Vending machine main body 32 Lighting unit 33 Coin slot 34 Bill insertion slot 35 Return lever 36 Return slot 37 Commodity exit 38 Front panel 39 Product sample 310 Push button switch 311 Push button top 312 Mounting frame

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E044 AA01 CA02 FB14 FB20 5G006 AZ01 BB07 CB05 CD01 JA01 JB03 JC01 JD03 LA01 LB03 LC02 LE02

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A push button switch device of a vending machine which sells a product selected by operating one push button switch selected from a plurality of push button switches attached to the front panel, the switch being disposed inside the front panel. Body and
It has a detachable mounting frame that can be inserted into the main unit from the front side of the front panel corresponding to each push button switch, and the main unit has a plurality of push button switches formed on the printed circuit board and a waterproof covering the printed circuit board and the push button switches A body case including a cover, and a detachable push button top fitted from the top of the waterproof cover so as to correspond to each push button switch, and each push button top is exposed to an opening formed in the front panel. A push button switch device for a vending machine, wherein each mounting frame is fitted around each push button top to engage with a front panel and a main body case to fix the main body to the front panel. 2. The mounting frame has a peripheral portion exposed on the front panel, and legs protruding inward from the peripheral portion, and the peripheral portion has a front panel when the mounting frame is fitted around the push button top. 2. A push button switch device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the push button switch device engages with the main body case. 3. The push button switch device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a packing is inserted between a peripheral portion of the mounting frame and the front panel. 4. The push button switch device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the mounting frame is replaceable. 5. The push button switch device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the push button top is replaceable. 6. The push button switch device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the waterproof cover of the main body case is formed continuously so as to correspond to the plurality of push button switches. 7. The push button switch device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein each push button switch has a push button housing, and each push button housing is inserted inside a waterproof cover of a main body case. 8. The push button switch device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting diode is arranged on the printed board. 9. The push button switch device for a vending machine according to claim 8, wherein the push button top is formed to be transparent and can transmit light of the light emitting diode.