JP5251728B2 - Product storage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a product storage device, and more particularly to a product storage device that delivers a product through a bucket to a product rack in which a plurality of product storage columns are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction.

  Some vending machines include a product storage column for storing products and a bucket for transporting products. The product storage column stores a plurality of products in an aligned state, and when the bend mech is driven, the products are discharged one by one from the front end. In a general vending machine, a plurality of product storage columns are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the product rack, and further, this product rack is provided in a plurality of stages along the vertical direction between a pair of left and right rack support side plates. . The bucket delivers goods to and from the product storage column, and is arranged to be movable in the front area of the product rack. If it demonstrates in detail, the bucket will be arrange | positioned by the bucket drive means so that the front area of a goods rack can be moved up and down, right and left. The bucket driving means includes an X-axis transport mechanism that can move the bucket along the left-right direction, and a Y-axis transport mechanism that moves the bucket including the X-axis transport mechanism along the vertical direction. Has been. The Y-axis transport mechanism is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction between a pair of left and right transport support side plates provided on the pair of left and right rack support side plates.

  In addition, in the vending machine, there is known a vending machine including a movable heat insulating partition plate that divides a front area of a product rack vertically. The movable heat insulating partition plate, together with the fixed heat insulating partition plate fixedly disposed between the product racks, maintains the upper region and the lower region, which are partitioned by itself, in different temperature zones. The movable heat insulating partition plate has a configuration that can be expanded and contracted along the front-rear direction, and is placed in a predetermined position in the front area of the product rack while being reduced when moving along the vertical direction. In some cases, it becomes an extended state (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-194922 A

  By the way, when selling the products stored in all the product storage columns in the above vending machine in a single temperature zone, it is necessary to store the movable heat insulating partition plate. In this case, although the details are not disclosed in the vending machine, the movable heat insulating partition plate is moved upward and then extended, and the clamp provided on the rack support side plate is swung to The movable heat insulating partition plate moved to the upper limit position by the clamp is supported and fixed and stored in the upper area of the uppermost product rack.

  However, when the movable heat insulating partition plate is stored in this way, the movable heat insulating partition plate is moved upward and the clamp is swung while supporting the movable heat insulating partition plate moved to the upper limit position. Therefore, the operator was forced to work with both hands, and the handling operability was not excellent.

  An object of this invention is to provide the goods storage apparatus which can aim at the improvement of the handling operativity at the time of accommodating a movable heat insulation partition plate in view of the said situation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a product storage device according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a plurality of product storage columns arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and a vertical direction between a pair of left and right rack support side plates. A product rack provided in a plurality of stages along the front and a front area of the product rack is movably disposed, and when the product rack is disposed so as to face an arbitrary product storage column, the product is transferred to and from the product storage column. And a bucket drive means for driving the bucket when a product storage column to be delivered is designated, so that the bucket faces the corresponding product storage column, and the desired product rack A fixed heat insulating partition plate that is fixedly disposed between the upper region and the lower region, which is partitioned by itself, in different temperature zones; and the commodity rack in the front region of the fixed heat insulating partition plate. When the bucket drive means for driving the bucket upward is abutted from below, the movable heat insulating partition plate moves upward together with the bucket drive means. In the commodity storage device, the transport support side plate and the rack support side plate that support the mechanism for moving the bucket in the vertical direction of the bucket driving means are separately provided and formed on itself. Engaging protrusions projecting from both left and right end portions of the movable heat insulating partition plate are inserted into engagement grooves extending along the vertical direction, and the movable heat insulating partition plate is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction. A pair of left and right partition support side plates and a locking groove formed on each upper end portion of the partition support side plate are arranged in a manner to be continuous with the upper end of the engagement groove, before moving upward When the engagement projection of the movable heat insulating partition plate has entered the engaging groove, characterized by comprising a locking member for locking the movable heat insulating partition plate.

  According to the present invention, the locking member disposed in such a manner that the locking groove formed in each of the pair of left and right partition support side plates that support the movable heat insulating partition plate is continuous with the upper end of the engagement groove is When the engagement protrusion of the movable heat insulating partition plate that has moved toward the door enters the locking groove, the movable heat insulating partition plate is locked, so that the operator can work with only one hand, The effect that the handling operativity at the time of accommodating a movable heat insulation partition plate can be aimed at is produced.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a vending machine to which a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part provided in the commodity storage. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the product rack is removed from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the movable heat insulating partition plate and its supporting structure shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the main part of the movable heat insulating partition plate shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the main parts of the bucket driving means and the movable heat insulating partition plate shown in FIG. 3, and shows only one partition support side plate. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the main parts of the bucket driving means and the movable heat insulating partition plate shown in FIG. 3, and shows only one partition support side plate. FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view showing the upper end portion of the partition support side plate shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and shows only one partition support side plate.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a product storage device according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a vending machine to which a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vending machine illustrated here sells products such as canned beverages, beverages in plastic bottles, beverages in paper packs, and the like, and includes a main body cabinet 1.

  The main body cabinet 1 has a rectangular shape with an open front surface. The interior is divided into two parts, and the upper side is a commodity storage 2 and the lower side is a machine room 3. The commodity storage 2 is a chamber that holds the interior thereof in a preset temperature state, and the wall members that constitute the commodity storage 2 are each formed of a heat insulating material. Although not clearly shown in the figure, a cooling means for cooling the internal atmosphere, such as an evaporator constituting a refrigeration cycle, is provided at the lower part of the product storage box 2 and the upper part of the product storage box 2. Is provided with heating means for heating the internal atmosphere, such as an electric heater.

  The machine room 3 is provided with a refrigerator (compressor and condenser) that constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with the evaporator, various control devices, and the like.

  An inner door 4 and an outer door 5 are provided on the front surface of the main body cabinet 1. The inner door 4 is formed by fitting a transparent plate such as heat insulating glass and has a size sufficient to cover the front surface of the commodity storage 2. The inner door 4 is a heat insulating member that constitutes the front surface of the product storage case 2 when the inner door 4 is closed to close the front surface of the product storage case 2.

  A rectangular product outlet 6 is formed in the lower right side area of the central portion of the transparent plate of the inner door 4, and a carry-out flapper 7 for opening and closing the product outlet 6 is provided. The carry-out flapper 7 is pivotally supported so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction with the lower end being a free end, and normally closes the product carry-out port 6 by its own weight.

  The outer door 5 is for opening and closing the front opening of the main body cabinet 1, and is configured using a heat insulating material as necessary, and has a window in which a transparent plate such as heat insulating glass is fitted. Yes. Therefore, the vending machine is of a so-called view type in which the inside can be visually recognized through the window of the outer door 5. Although not shown in the figure on the front of the outer door 5, a configuration necessary for automatically selling products such as a product selection button for selecting a product to be sold and a deposit port for inserting money. Is arranged. In the present specification, the left direction indicates the left direction when the vending machine is viewed from the front, and the right direction indicates the right direction when the vending machine is viewed from the front. .

  Such a commodity storage 2 is provided with a commodity rack 20, a bucket driving means 30, and a movable heat insulating partition plate 40 as the commodity storage device 10. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a main part provided in the commodity storage 2. This will be described using FIG. 2 as appropriate.

  The product rack 20 is configured by arranging a plurality of product storage columns 21 side by side in the left-right direction, and aligns a plurality of products in the product storage passage 22 defined in each product storage column 21 in the front-rear direction. It is possible to store it in the state that has been done. Such merchandise racks 20 are provided in a plurality of stages along the vertical direction in such a manner that the merchandise racks 20 are spanned between the rack support side plates 23 attached in the merchandise container 2 as a pair of left and right sides.

  The rack support side plate 23 that supports the product rack 20 is a long plate-like body configured by appropriately processing sheet metal or the like, for example, and is provided in such a manner that one surface (inner surface) faces each other. Specifically, it is provided by being attached to a top plate, a bottom plate or the like constituting the commodity storage 2 via an attachment member such as a screw.

  Each product storage column 21 of the product rack 20 supported by the rack support side plate 23 includes a transport mechanism in which an endless belt is wound around rollers arranged in parallel in the front and rear directions, although not clearly shown in the drawing. Products are placed and stored on the top surface. A bend mech for controlling the delivery of the product is provided at the front end of each product storage column 21. The bendmech does not have a drive unit separated from a power source such as a drive motor or a solenoid, and a mounting table on which the bucket 30B, which will be described later, is placed so as to face the designated product storage column 21. The power from the electric drive mechanism built in 312 is transmitted and driven.

  The bucket drive means 30 is configured as an assembly of an X-axis transport mechanism 31 and a Y-axis transport mechanism 32. The X-axis transport mechanism 31 includes a rail member 311 that extends along the left-right direction in the front region of the product rack 20 inside the main body cabinet 1, and the direction in which the rail member 311 extends (by driving the X-axis motor). The bucket 30B mounted along the (left-right direction) is moved. An electric drive mechanism (not shown) is built in the mounting table 312 on which the bucket 30B of the X-axis transport mechanism 31 is mounted. Such an electric drive mechanism provides a driving force by transmitting a driving force to the bend mech at the front end of the product storage column 21 when the bucket 30B is disposed opposite to the designated product storage column 21.

  The Y-axis transport mechanism 32 is provided on a pair of left and right transport support side plates 321. Although not clearly shown in the figure, a pulley is disposed in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the conveyance support side plate 321 in a manner that the pulley is rotatable. A belt, which is a long cord-like body, hangs around the pulley, a waiter is connected to one end of the belt, and a holding side plate 322 for holding the rail member 311 is connected to the other end. Has been. Then, the Y-axis transport mechanism 32 rotates the pulley by the drive of the Y-axis motor, thereby moving the rail member 311 held by the holding side plate 322 and the X-axis transport mechanism 31 mounting the bucket 30B along the vertical direction. It is to be moved. Here, an inclined projection plate 323 is disposed on the holding side plate 322. The inclined projection plate 323 protrudes upward from the upper edge portion of the holding side plate 322 and is inclined in such a manner that a part of the upper edge portion gradually increases as it goes rearward.

  Next, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the product rack 20 is removed from the state shown in FIG. The movable heat insulating partition plate 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 as appropriate.

  The movable heat insulating partition plate 40 partitions the front region of the product rack 20 up and down, and partitions the interior of the product storage box 2 together with the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41 fixedly disposed between the desired product racks 20. Is. Here, the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41 is a flat heat insulating material. In the illustrated example, both sides of the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41 are rack-supported between the product rack 20 at the second level from the top and the product rack 20 at the third level from the top. The rear end of the side plate 23 is supported and fixedly supported by the back surface of the commodity storage 2.

  The movable heat insulating partition plate 40 has a size sufficient to divide the front area of the product rack 20 up and down when it is in a horizontal posture as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Yes. As shown in FIG. 4, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is disposed between the pair of left and right partition support side plates 42 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

  More detailed description is as follows. First, the partition support side plate 42 is a long plate-like body configured by appropriately processing sheet metal or the like, for example, and is provided in such a manner that one surface (inner surface) faces each other. Specifically, a mounting member such as a screw, for example, is attached to a frame member or the like that constitutes the commodity storage 2 with the inner surface facing the front area of the commodity rack 20 separately from the rack supporting side plate 23 and the transport supporting side plate 321. It is provided via. Engagement grooves 421 extending in the vertical direction are formed on the inner surfaces of the partition support side plates 42, and the lower ends of the engagement grooves 421 are blocked by a fixing metal 423 attached by a screw member 422. It is.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, an engagement protrusion 401 is provided on the front side of both sides of the movable heat insulating partition plate 40. The engagement protrusion 401 is configured by fastening, for example, a stepped screw, and the portion most distant from the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is the enlarged diameter portion 402.

  When the enlarged diameter portion 402 of the engagement protrusion 401 enters the engagement groove 421 of the partition support side plate 42 from above, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 extends along the extending direction of the engagement groove 421, that is, the vertical direction. It is arranged to be movable. Since the lower end of the engagement groove 421 is closed by the fixed metal 423 as described above, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 has the enlarged diameter portion 402 of the engagement protrusion 401 in contact with the fixed metal 423. This restricts further downward movement. Further, the fixed metal 423 not only simply closes the lower end of the engagement groove 421, but also the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 whose downward movement is restricted by the engagement protrusion 401 coming into contact with the fixed metal 423, As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting position is adjusted so that the commodity storage passage 22 can be partitioned vertically together with the fixed heat insulation partition plate 41 in accordance with the arrangement height of the fixed heat insulation partition plate 41. It is. In this way, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 in a state in which the enlarged diameter portion 402 of the engaging protrusion 401 is in contact with the fixed metal 423 has a resin rear guide piece 403 disposed over the entire area of the rear edge. Is placed on a support piece (not shown) disposed over the entire area of the front end edge of the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41 to achieve a horizontal posture. Here, a front guide piece 404 made of resin is also provided over the entire area at the front edge of the movable heat insulating partition plate 40. The front guide piece 404 and the rear guide piece 403 are provided in order to improve the airtightness when the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 divides the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41 and the commodity storage 2 vertically.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a locking member 43 is attached to a long flat plate 424 that forms the engagement groove 421 at the upper end of each partition support side plate 42 with a screw or the like. More specifically, it is attached above the uppermost product rack 20. The locking member 43 is formed with a U-shaped locking groove 431 that opens upward. The locking groove 431 is formed in a manner continuous with the upper end of the opened engagement groove 421.

  In the vending machine configured as described above, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is moved downward, and the commodity container 2 is partitioned up and down together with the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41. When the cooling means and the heating means are driven in such a state, the product stored in the upper region partitioned by the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 and the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41 in the product storage 2 is held in a heated state. On the other hand, the product stored in the lower area partitioned by the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 and the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41 is held in a cooled state.

  Then, when the selection information of the product through the product selection button and the payment information of the money inserted through the deposit port satisfy the predetermined sales conditions, the bucket drive means 30 is driven to store the selected product. A bucket 30 </ b> B is disposed to face 21.

  When the product selected here is a product held in a cooled state (cold product), the bucket 30B is arranged oppositely in a state where the heat insulation partition by the movable heat insulation partition plate 40 is maintained, and the bucket 30B is mounted. The electric drive mechanism built in the placing table 312 to be placed drives the bend mech of the corresponding product storage column 21. As a result, only one cold product is transferred to the bucket 30B. The bucket 30B on which the cold product is transferred is moved to the product carry-out port 6 by driving of the bucket drive means 30, and the user pays out the cold product that has been discharged from the product carry-out port 6 and moved to the product take-out port to the outside. It becomes possible to take out.

  When the selected product is a product (hot product) held in a heated state, it is necessary to move the bucket 30 </ b> B upward from the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41. The inclined projection plate 323 disposed on the holding side plate 322 constituting the Y-axis transport mechanism 32 comes into contact with the lower side. As shown in FIG. 7, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 in contact with the inclined protrusion plate 323 is placed on the inclined edge portion of the inclined protrusion plate 323, that is, around the axis of the engaging protrusion 401. The rear end swings in an upward direction and is placed on the inclined edge, and moves upward along with the upward movement of the bucket 30B (holding side plate 322) while maintaining the inclined posture. Thereafter, the bucket 30B is disposed oppositely, and the electric drive mechanism built in the mounting table 312 on which the bucket 30B is mounted drives the bend mech of the corresponding product storage column 21. As a result, only one hot product is transferred to the bucket 30B. The bucket 30 </ b> B on which the hot product is transferred moves to the product carry-out port 6 by driving of the bucket driving means 30. As a result, it becomes possible for the user to take out the hot product that has been paid out from the product outlet 6 and moved to the product outlet.

  Thereafter, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 moves downward together with the holding side plate 322 that moves downward so that the bucket 30B moves to the standby position, and the diameter-enlarged portion 402 of the engaging protrusion 401 becomes the fixed metal 423. , The downward movement is restricted, the inclined projection plate 323 is released from the mounted state, and returns to the original horizontal posture, and the commodity container 2 is partitioned vertically with the fixed heat insulating partition plate 41.

  As described above, in the vending machine described above, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is provided on the pair of left and right dedicated partition support side plates 42 disposed in the product storage 2 separately from the rack support side plate 23 and the transport support side plate 321. Therefore, when performing maintenance or repair of the support structure portion of the movable heat insulating partition plate 40, screws and the like that fix the pair of left and right partition support side plates 42 to the main body cabinet 1 (product storage 2). The clamping force can be released and removed. That is, the partition support side plate 42 can be removed while the product rack 20 and the bucket driving means 30 are installed in the product storage 2. For this reason, it is not necessary to take out the products stored in the product storage column 21 constituting the product rack 20 as in the prior art.

  By the way, in the vending machine, when the products stored in all the product storage columns 21 are sold as cold products in a single temperature zone, for example, in a state where the products are cooled, it is necessary to store the movable heat insulating partition plate 40. There is.

  When the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is stored in this way, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is placed on the inclined projection plate 323 of the holding side plate 322 by the bucket driving means 30 (Y-axis transport mechanism 32) and directed upward. Move upward or manually by the operator. When the movable support side plate moved upward is gripped by the operator, its own engagement protrusion 401 (the enlarged diameter portion 402) is detached from the upper end of the engagement groove 421, and slightly toward the rear. 8, the enlarged diameter portion 402 of the engagement protrusion 401 is advanced from above into the engagement groove 431 of the engagement member 43 and is engaged with the engagement member 43 as shown in FIG. . At this time, the rear end portion of the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is placed on a mounting member (not shown) provided in advance on the rack support side plate 23, and the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is located above the commodity storage 2. In the upper area of the uppermost product rack 20.

  By storing the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 and then driving the cooling means, the products stored in all the product storage columns 21 can be held in a single temperature zone, and the product is selected by operating the product selection button. (Cold products) can be sold.

  As described above, according to the commodity storage device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 supports the transport support side plate 321 and the rack support side plate that support the Y-axis transport mechanism 32 of the bucket drive unit 30. 23 is disposed between the pair of dedicated left and right partition support side plates 42 that are separately provided from the main body 23 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The bucket drive means 30 and the product stored in the product rack 20 can be operated simply by taking out the partition support side plate 42, and in some cases, the work can be performed even when attached to the product storage 2. Can do. Thereby, the work is not complicated, and the time required for the work can be shortened. In particular, it is possible to reduce the time required for work at the installation site of the vending machine, which is useful.

  Further, according to the product storage device 10, the locking member 43 is arranged in such a manner that the locking groove 431 formed in itself at each upper end portion of the partition support side plate 42 is continuous with the upper end of the engagement groove 421. Thus, when the engaging protrusion 401 of the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 moved upward moves into the locking groove 431, the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is locked, so that the operator can use only one hand. It becomes possible to perform work, and it is possible to improve handling operability when the movable heat insulating partition plate 40 is housed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the machine installation work time and the incidental work time when changing the internal operation temperature.

  In the above-described embodiment, the product storage device 10 applied to the vending machine is illustrated, but the product through the bucket 30B with respect to the product rack 20 in which a plurality of product storage columns 21 are arranged in the left-right direction. It is not always necessary to be a vending machine as long as it is a delivery machine.

  As described above, the product storage device according to the present invention is useful for vending machines that sell products such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 2 Goods storage 3 Machine room 4 Inner door 5 Outer door 10 Goods storage apparatus 20 Goods rack 21 Goods storage column 22 Goods storage passage 23 Rack support side plate 30 Bucket drive means 30B Bucket 31 X-axis conveyance mechanism 311 Rail member 32 Y-axis transport mechanism 321 Transport support side plate 322 Holding side plate 323 Inclined protrusion plate 40 Movable heat insulation partition plate 401 Engagement projection 402 Enlarged portion 403 Rear guide piece 404 Front guide piece 41 Fixed heat insulation partition plate 42 Partition support side plate 421 Engagement groove 423 Fixed metal 424 Long flat plate 43 Locking member 431 Locking groove

Claims (1)

A product rack in which a plurality of product storage columns are juxtaposed along the left-right direction, and a plurality of stages are provided along the vertical direction between a pair of left and right rack support side plates;
A bucket in which a front region of the product rack is movably disposed, and when the product rack is disposed to face an arbitrary product storage column, the bucket can exchange products with the product storage column;
Bucket driving means for driving the bucket when a product storage column to be delivered is designated, and for placing the bucket opposite to the corresponding product storage column;
A fixed heat insulating partition plate that is fixedly disposed between the desired product racks and maintains an upper region and a lower region that are partitioned by itself in different temperature zones;
When the front area of the commodity rack is arranged in a vertical direction in the front area of the fixed heat insulating partition plate, and the bucket drive means for driving the bucket upward is abutted from below, the bucket drive A product storage device comprising a movable heat insulating partition plate that moves upward together with the means,
The transport support side plate and the rack support side plate that support the mechanism for moving the bucket along the vertical direction of the bucket driving means are disposed separately from each other and extend along the vertical direction formed in the bucket drive means. A pair of left and right partition support side plates that support the movable heat insulating partition plate so as to be movable in the vertical direction by causing the engagement protrusions protruding from the left and right ends of the movable heat insulating partition plate to enter the engagement groove;
The engaging protrusions of the movable heat insulating partition plate, which are arranged in such a manner that a locking groove formed on each upper end portion of the partition support side plate is continuous with the upper end of the engagement groove and moved upward. A product storage device comprising: a locking member that locks the movable heat insulating partition plate when the portion enters the locking groove.

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