EP0598142B1 - Row length limiting device for supermarket trolleys - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for delimiting shopping trolleys pushed into one another in rows between lateral guide elements, for use with coin deposit systems, a lateral guide element on the one hand and each shopping trolley on the other hand having cooperating control or locking elements which only make it possible to couple a shopping trolley to the shopping trolley row when the shopping trolley is in use has exceeded a defined coupling position in the effective range of the control and locking elements.

Such a device is known for example from EP 0433751 A1, so that the explanation of the basic problem and the problems associated with it can be dispensed with here.

The previously known devices, as well as EP-0433751 A1, only show systems in which the cooperating control and locking elements are mechanically designed, in particular in the form of pivoting levers, locking bolts and the like, which are located in the insertion and removal area of the shopping trolleys, in particular on the lateral guide elements are arranged, and which are controlled by them themselves in a locking and a release position when removing and feeding a shopping cart. Such systems have already been introduced on the market and they fulfill the technical purpose of preventing the formation of excessively long shopping trolleys, but they require a relatively high mechanical outlay, in which disturbances naturally play a role that is not entirely negligible, and which inevitably results from the use of force ( Vandalism) can be overridden.

It is therefore an object of the invention to develop a generic device in such a way that it ensures greater functional and operational safety with a simple outlay and, moreover, its operation cannot be influenced by unauthorized persons.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the control elements are formed by at least one magnet and the locking elements can be brought into interaction with its magnetic field, the locking elements being arranged on the shopping cart and the magnet on at least one of the guide elements and positioning the magnet and locking elements relative to one another in this way are that when moving a shopping cart in the effective range of the magnetic field, the locking elements are movable between a locking position and a release position, and the release position can only be reached when the shopping cart reaches the coupling position K between the guide elements.

The main difference to the previously known solution is that it is a non-contact and contact-free interaction between control elements and locking elements, the mechanical action in the previously known solutions, which must naturally be accessible from the outside, is replaced by the magnetic interaction between control elements and blocking elements using a magnetic field.

Although fundamentally different variants of the arrangement and mutual influencing of control elements and blocking elements by means of the magnetic interaction principle are conceivable, a preferred embodiment of the invention consists in attaching the magnet to the lateral guide elements and the blocking elements within the coin deposit systems guided there, in such a way that when Passing the coin deposit systems past the magnet whose magnetic field controls the locking elements depending on the position of the shopping cart in its locking position or its release position. The arrangement of the locking elements themselves is advantageously chosen so that they directly or indirectly control the function of the coin deposit system in the sense that an activation of the coin deposit system, i.e. in particular the return of a deposit coin when a shopping cart is reconnected to a shopping range, can only take place if the Shopping carts can be pushed far enough into the (not yet filled) shopping cart row that under the effect of the magnetic field the blocking elements of the coin deposit system Allow the deposit coin to be released, for example by inserting a key provided by the adjacent shopping cart into the key slot of the coin deposit system and releasing the deposit coin there. In principle, however, the locking elements can be integrated into the housing of the coin deposit system in any shape and position, and the locking or release function can be carried out by intervening in movable, conventional functional parts, in adaptation to the individual type of coin deposit system used.

In the simplest case, the constructive design of the locking elements themselves and the conception of their two required positions, locking and release position, consists in the creation of a movement sequence of a functional part, the two end positions of which then define the locking position and the release position. This can involve swiveling movements, for example a predetermined angular range, but also shifting or combined swiveling-sliding movements, provided that the component used in the two end positions (under the influence of the magnetic field) that can be clearly reached perform the corresponding locking and release function can. Various constructive solutions can be used for this, for example balls, shafts, lifting cylinders, swivel arms and the like, without this being exhaustive.

A permanent magnet or an electromagnet can be used as the magnet, the latter possibly having the advantage that the entire system can be deactivated by switching off the power supply.

Figur 1 und 2:

Eine schematische Darstellung einer Einkaufswagenreihe in Aufsicht und Vorderansicht mit der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung,

Figur 2 und 3:

eine Prinzipdarstellung der Ausgestaltung eines Steuerelementes im Zusammenwirken mit einem Magneten,

Figur 5A und B:

zwei Schnittdarstellungen durch eine zweite Variante eines Sperrelementes, und

Figur 6:

der Einsatz des Sperrelementes nach Figur 5A und B in einem Münzpfandsystem.

Further refinements can be found in the subclaims. Exemplary embodiments of the device according to the invention are explained with reference to drawings, in which:

Figure 1 and 2:

A schematic representation of a shopping cart row in top view and front view the device according to the invention,

Figure 2 and 3:

2 shows a basic illustration of the design of a control element in cooperation with a magnet,

Figure 5A and B:

two sectional views through a second variant of a locking element, and

Figure 6:

the use of the locking element according to Figure 5A and B in a coin deposit system.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a top view and a front view of a row of shopping carts consisting of several shopping carts 10, which are coupled to one another between lateral guide elements 11A, 11B, for which purpose the keys 20A of coin deposit systems 20 arranged laterally next to the handle are inserted into the adjacent coin deposit system 20 must be removed in order to remove the deposit coin or, conversely, a coin must be inserted as a deposit in order to remove the associated key and to release the shopping cart from the row for removal. It is desirable that this function is only guaranteed if the last shopping cart 10 has reached a coupling position K within the area between the lateral guide elements 11A, 11B, that is, if only in this position can a recoupling be carried out with the return of the deposit coin. In order to achieve this, the invention provides that a magnet 30 is arranged at the same height as the coin deposit systems 20 and on the side guide element 11A immediately adjacent to it, the magnetic field M of which is strong enough to such components in the coin deposit systems 20 that are responsive to magnetic interaction to act that these function as blocking elements, ie that depending on the position of the respective coin deposit system 20 relative to the magnet 30 or to its magnetic field M, these blocking elements selectively control these functions. Here, the locking elements and their interaction be designed with the magnetic field M so that its release position (ie deposit coin return when recoupling) is only reached when the shopping cart 10 is located behind the coupling position K, that is in the desired position between the two lateral guide elements 11A, 11B. When a shopping cart 10 (double arrow P in FIG. 1) passes through the magnetic field M, depending on the direction of the passage, a switching process is triggered within the coin deposit system that is moving past, the result of which is that the coin deposit system is only in the release position when the associated shopping cart is in proper condition is inside the shopping cart row and behind the coupling position K, but that in all other positions outside this area the coin deposit system is deactivated by the magnetically operating locking elements.

The action of the magnetic field in detail is illustrated in the drawings by the arcuate lines, but this has nothing to do with the field lines actually present and their course, these of course depend on the shape and strength of the magnet used and the blocking element used.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show how this principle is to be implemented, FIG. 3 representing the release position and FIG. 4 the blocking position:
For the sake of simplicity, only the components essential to the invention have been illustrated here using a rough example: inside the coin deposit system 20 there is a shaft 21 through which, for example, the coin itself or the key 20A can be inserted and / or removed and the coin deposit system can thus be actuated . By definition, as described above, this function should now either be prevented (shopping cart outside the coupling position) or allowed (shopping cart behind the coupling line K). For this purpose, a blocking element in the form of a toggle switch 40 with a The axis of rotation is mounted so that it can be pivoted through an angular range of approximately 90 ° perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, such that one end 42 in the release position (FIG. 3) does not impair the shaft 21, but in the locked position (FIG. 4) protrudes into the shaft 21 and the passage a key or a coin is blocked by this slot. In order to achieve this, the other end 41 of the toggle switch 40 is, for example, itself provided with a magnet which interacts appropriately with the magnetic field M of the stationary magnet 30, the two magnets in the illustrated embodiment attracting one another in order to achieve the desired function . It is also easy to imagine that under this condition, when the coin deposit system 20 is moved in the plane of the drawing from the release position of FIG. 3 to the locked position of FIG. 4, the rocker arm 40, attracted by the magnet 30, this 90 ° pivoting movement from the release of the shaft 21 performs its blocking, that is to say precisely when the shopping cart belonging to this coin deposit system passes the magnet 30 in the area of the coupling position K.

FIG. 5 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a locking element, the illustration of the magnet being omitted here:
A first, magnetic locking element 50A of elongated, rounded at its end faces is arranged in a V-shaped guide channel 51 such that it under the action of the magnetic field M its two "switching positions" by sliding back and forth in this guide channel 51 in the direction of shown arrows can be realized, the position shown hatched in Figure 5, the locking position S and the dashed position should represent the release position F. In contrast to the principle example of FIGS. 3 and 4, the magnetically sensitive first blocking element 50A does not directly act on a functional component of the coin deposit system 20, but in turn a second (usually non-magnetic) blocking element 50B, which in the exemplary embodiment is implemented as a ball, whereby this Loading so that in the release position F of the first magnetic locking element 50A, the second locking element 50B can also be in a release position F '(i.e. does not engage in the shaft 21), whereas when the first magnetic locking element 50A is switched under the effect of the Magnetic field M in its locking position S also by corresponding mechanical action, the second locking element 50B, the ball, is pressed out into a locking position S ', where it can then influence the functional components of the coin deposit system in the desired sense to lock the same.

FIG. 6 finally shows a concrete application of such an embodiment according to FIG. 5:
A longitudinal section through a conventional coin deposit system 20 (coin lock) is shown, in which the key 20A of the adjacent coin lock must be inserted into the key slot 21, where the key 20A then actuates locking devices 22 in its end position, which in particular actuates the coin for withdrawal in the withdrawal area E. release. These locking devices 22 are of conventional design with the aid of locking bolts, springs and the like and do not need to be explained in more detail here. It is crucial that the two locking elements 50A, 50B are arranged in the entrance area of the guide shaft 21, specifically in their locking position in FIG. 6. It can be seen immediately that the second locking element 50B protruding into the key slot 21 reduces the cross section of the key slot 21 to such an extent that the key 20A can no longer be fully inserted into the key slot 21, but in the locking position S shown on the second locking element 50B nudges. Thus, the key 20A can no longer actuate the locking device 22 for releasing the coin and it follows that outside the desired coupling position within the lateral guide elements 11A, 11B, removal of the deposit coin from the coin lock is reliably prevented. Only when the coin lock 20 is reinserted into an admissible coupling position under the action of the magnetic field M. the magnetic locking element 50A returns to its release position F (FIG. 5) and the second locking element 50B can then be pressed back under the action of the front shoulder of the key 20A into the space provided for it in the housing of the coin lock. The key can then be advanced to its front, dashed position, activate the locking device 22 for the coin and this can then be removed from the coin lock.

Claims (10)

1. Arrangement for limiting shopping trolleys (10), which have been slid into one another in rows between lateral guide means (11A, 11B), for utilisation with coin retrieval systems (20), a lateral guide means (11A, 11B), on the one hand, and each shopping trolley (10), on the other hand, having co-operating controlling and/or locking members (30, 40, 50), which permit a shopping trolley (10) to be coupled to the row of shopping trolleys only when the shopping trolley (10) has exceeded a predetermined coupling position (K) in the range of operation of the controlling and locking members (30, 40, 50), characterised in that the controlling members are formed by at least one magnet (30), and the locking members (40, 50) can be made to interact with the magnetic field (M) of said magnet, the locking members (40, 50) being each disposed on the shopping trolley (10) and the magnet (30) being disposed on at least one of the guide means (11A, 11B), and the magnet (30) and the locking members (40, 50) being positioned relative to one another in such a manner that, when a shopping trolley (10) is displaced in the range of operation of the magnetic field (M), the locking members (40, 50) are displaceable between a locking position (S) and a releasing position (F), and the releasing position is only attainable when the shopping trolley (10) attains the coupling position (K) between the guide means (11A, 11B).
2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the magnet (30) is a permanent magnet.
3. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the magnet (30) is an electromagnet.
4. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the magnet (30) is disposed so as to be stationary in the inlet region of the guide means (11A, 11B) and so as to be horizontally and/or vertically adaptable to the position of the coin retrieval systems (20) of the shopping trolleys (10), and in that the locking members (30, 40, 50) intervene indirectly or directly in the function of the coin retrieval systems (20).
5. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that a locking member is provided as toggle switch (40), which is formed at least partially from ferromagnetic material, more especially a permanent magnet, and in that the toggle switch (40) is retained in the housing of the coin retrieval system (20) so as to be freely displaceable between the releasing position and the locking position by the effect of the magnetic field (M).
6. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that a first magnetic locking member (50A) is displaceably provided in a guide duct (51), which is exposed to the magnetic field (M), the guide duct (51) defining the releasing position (F) and the locking position (S).
7. Arrangement according to claim 6, characterised in that the first magnetic locking member (50A) acts on a separate second locking member (50B) during its movement in the guide duct (51).
8. Arrangement according to claim 1, 5, 6 or 7, characterised in that, in its locked position, the locking member (40, 50A, 50B) blocks those parts (21) of the coin retrieval system (20) which control and/or release the return of the coin.
9. Arrangement according to claim 8, characterised in that, in its locking position (S, S'), the first or second locking member (50A, 50B) reduces the cross-section of the key chute (21) of the coin retrieval system (20) at least to such an extent that the key (20A) is no longer insertable up to the locking means (22) for the release of the coin to be retrieved.
10. Arrangement according to claim 8, characterised in that, in its locking position, the first or second locking member (50A, 50B) directly blocks the coin chute so that the inserted coin cannot be removed.

Images