JP5900055B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine that sells products such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vending machines that sell products such as canned beverages and plastic bottled beverages are provided with a main body cabinet that is a main body of the vending machine. The main body cabinet is formed as a rectangular heat-insulating housing whose front surface is open. The main body cabinet is provided with an outer door and an inner door on the front surface, and a product storage is provided inside. The outer door is for opening and closing the front opening of the main body cabinet. The inner door is for opening and closing the front surface of the commodity storage. The product storage has a heat insulating structure, and a product storage device and a rear duct are provided therein.

  The product storage device stores the products that have been input along the vertical direction, and pays out the lowest product when a sales instruction is given. The product paid out from the product storage device can be taken out through the product outlet provided in the outer door.

  The rear duct is provided on the rear surface of the product storage, and an upper opening is provided at a location corresponding to the upper area of the product storage device, and a lower opening is provided at a location corresponding to the lower portion of the product storage device. Further, an intermediate opening is provided at an intermediate portion between the upper opening and the lower opening. An upper internal fan is provided in front of the upper opening, a lower internal fan is provided in front of the lower opening, and an intermediate internal fan is provided in front of the intermediate opening. The back duct is provided with an evaporator. The evaporator constitutes a refrigeration cycle with a compressor, a condenser, and the like provided outside the commodity storage, and is a cooling means for cooling the surrounding air of itself.

  In such a vending machine, when cooling the whole product stored in the product storage device, the upper internal fan is driven. As a result, the air introduced into the rear duct through the lower inlet of the rear duct is cooled by the evaporator and blown out from the upper opening. The blown air passes through the product storage device downward to cool the product stored in the product storage device, and then is introduced into the back duct through the inlet and circulates again. And in order to cool the goods accommodated below from the intermediate part of the goods storage device, the fan in an intermediate warehouse is driven. Thereby, the air introduced into the back duct through the inlet is cooled by the evaporator and blown out from the intermediate opening. The blown air passes through the middle part of the product storage device downward to cool the product stored in the lower part of the product storage device, and then is introduced into the back duct through the inlet and circulates again. . Further, when the product stored in the lower part of the product storage device is cooled, the lower internal fan is driven. Thereby, the air introduced into the rear duct through the inlet is cooled by the evaporator and blown out from the lower opening. The air blown out passes through the lower part of the product storage device downward to cool the product stored in the lower part of the product storage device, and then is introduced into the rear duct through the inlet and circulates again ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-339531 A

  By the way, in the vending machine as described above, for example, in order to reduce power consumption in a time zone where the power demand is high in summer or the like, the cooler that stops the operation of the device that cools the product in such a time zone. Those who drive are known. In particular, in recent years, there has been a demand for longer cooling operation time due to tight supply and demand of electric power.

  Although not explicitly disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when performing the cold insulation operation with the vending machine, the upper internal blower fan is driven and stored in the product storage device before performing the cold insulation operation. A cooling operation for sufficiently cooling the product will be performed. By performing this cooling operation, it is considered that the entire product of the product storage device is sufficiently cooled, and in particular, the upper product of the product storage device is cooled more than the lower product. When the cold storage operation is performed after the cooling operation, the lower product of the product storage device is held in the desired cooling temperature zone by the cold air cooled by the upper product, but the temperature of the upper product gradually increases. It will follow. When the time required for the cold insulation operation becomes longer, what is held in the cooling temperature zone in the product storage device is a slight product in the lower part, and the temperature of the product gradually increases as it goes upward.

  Then, after the cold insulation operation is completed, the cooling recovery operation is performed in which the device that has been stopped during the cold insulation operation is driven and the upper internal fan is driven to cool the product in the product storage device. The product in the product storage device is gradually cooled from the upper side by the air blown out from the upper opening, and the lower side product in the product storage device is gradually cooled without being cooled. Especially when only the upper internal fan is driven in the case where a plurality of internal fans are provided in the rear duct, a part of the air blown out from the upper opening hits the product storage device itself or the stored product. A so-called shortcut flow that flows downward and sucked from the intermediate opening and the lower opening to the inside of the rear duct through the internal blower fan (intermediate internal blower fan and lower internal blower fan) that is stopped driving occurs. The air flow control for the lower product of the product storage device has been difficult.

  For this reason, the downstream product of the product storage device exceeds the cooling temperature zone, and it takes time to cool the lower product to the desired cooling temperature. As a result, there is a possibility that the product sales opportunity may be deviated. It was. The possibility of deviating from the sales opportunity of such a product becomes more prominent as the time required for the cold insulation operation becomes longer.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that does not have a possibility of deviating from a sales opportunity of a product while increasing the cooling operation time of the product.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention is a rectangular vending machine in which an opening formed on the front surface is opened and closed by a door body and a product storage is defined inside. A machine main body, and a product storage device that is provided in the product storage and stores the input product along the vertical direction, and when a sales instruction is given, a product storage device that pays out the lowest product, Temperature adjusting means provided in the product storage for adjusting the internal air of the product storage to a desired temperature state by cooling or heating the air passing through the periphery of the product storage, and the back surface of the product storage A first rear duct extending from the bottom of the product storage to the middle height position of the product storage device, having a first upper end opening formed at the upper end and a first lower end opening formed at the lower end; Said first of the first rear duct It is arrange | positioned in the lower end opening vicinity, and drives the inside air of the said product storage case from the said 1st upper end opening into a 1st back duct, and the air which passed this 1st back duct is said 1st lower end opening In the vending machine comprising a lower internal fan that circulates air from below to above the product storage device so as to be blown out from the temperature adjusting means and passed through the periphery of the product storage device, A second rear duct that extends from the bottom to the ceiling of the commodity storage on the back, has a second upper end opening formed at the upper end and a second lower end opening formed at the lower end, and the second rear duct Is disposed near the second upper end opening, and when driven, causes the internal air of the commodity storage box that has passed around the temperature adjusting means to enter the second rear duct from the second lower end opening, and The air passing through the rear duct characterized by comprising an upper chamber in the blower fan for circulating air downward from above the so as to blown out from the second upper opening the goods storing device.

The vending machine according to claim 2 of the present invention is the vending machine according to claim 1 described above, wherein the second rear duct is provided with a plurality of the second upper end opening and the second lower end opening, and is adjacent to each other. A partition plate is disposed between the second upper end opening to partition the air path of air entering from one second lower end opening and the air path of air entering from the other second lower end opening. Features.

  A vending machine according to claim 3 of the present invention is the vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower region temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the lower region of the product storage device, and the product storage device. When the upper region temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the upper region and the upper region temperature detected through the upper region temperature detecting means are lower than the first upper reference temperature set in advance, the upper internal fan is On the other hand, when the upper area temperature exceeds the preset second upper reference temperature, the upper area air blower fan is driven and the lower area temperature detected through the lower area temperature detecting means when the driving is stopped. Is lower than a preset first lower reference temperature and the upper internal fan is stopped, the lower internal fan is stopped, while the upper internal fan is If the lower area temperature exceeds a preset second lower reference temperature, the lower internal fan is driven, and the upper or lower internal fan is operated while being frozen. And a control means for operating the machine.

  The vending machine according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vending machine according to the third aspect, wherein the control means intermittently changes the rotation speed when the lower internal fan is driven. Features.

  According to the vending machine of the present invention, the lower internal blower fan disposed in the vicinity of the first lower end opening of the first rear duct is driven, whereby the internal air of the product storage box is moved from the first upper end opening to the first rear face. Since the air that has entered the duct and passed through the first rear duct is blown out from the first lower end opening and passes around the temperature adjusting means, the air is circulated from the bottom to the top of the product storage device. Even in the cooling operation immediately after the cold insulation operation in which the driving of the device is stopped, the lower product of the product storage device including the next sale product can be cooled well. For this reason, it is possible to prevent these lower-side products from deviating from a suitable cooling temperature zone, and avoid a deviation in sales opportunities. Further, when the upper internal blower fan disposed near the second upper end opening of the second rear duct is driven, the internal air of the product storage box that has passed around the temperature adjusting means is passed from the second lower end opening to the second rear surface. Since the air is circulated from the upper side to the lower side of the product storage device so as to enter the duct and the air passing through the second rear duct is blown out from the second upper end opening, the product stored in the product storage device The whole can be cooled. Therefore, even if it shifts to cold storage operation after that, the lower product of the product storage device including the next sale product can be cooled by the cold air that is cooled by the upper product of the product storage device and flows downward. . In particular, in a product storage device that pays out the lowest product, the top product in the most cooled state can be left as the cooling source in the product container until the end. Other products can be cooled effectively. As a result, the time required for the cold operation can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to prolong the cool operation time of the product, and there is an effect that there is no possibility of deviating from the sales opportunity of the product.

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a rear duct constituting the vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional side view showing the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view showing the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view showing the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the cooling operation drive processing performed by the control means shown in FIG. 3 during the cooling operation. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the lower internal fan driving process in the cooling operation driving process shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the upper internal fan driving process in the cooling operation driving process shown in FIG.

  Exemplary embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a sectional side view showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine illustrated here sells products such as canned drinks and plastic bottled drinks in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 1 that is a main body of the vending machine.

  The main body cabinet 1 is configured by appropriately combining a plurality of metal plates, and is configured in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open front surface. The main body cabinet 1 is provided with a commodity storage 2 having a heat insulating structure with a front surface opened therein. In the present embodiment, the product storage 2 is configured in a space surrounded by the heat insulation board by arranging a heat insulation board previously formed into a plate shape on the inner surface of the main body cabinet 1. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, the heat insulating board is obtained by attaching a resin film or kraft paper as a face material to both front and back surfaces of a plate-like member formed of a heat insulating material such as urethane foam.

  The product storage rack 2 is provided with a product storage rack 3 which is a product storage device. The product storage rack 3 is configured by a meandering product storage region 3c extending in the vertical direction by disposing a passage forming member 3b between a pair of rack side plates 3a. While a product is stored in the storage area 3c, when a product sales instruction is given, the product is paid out from the lowest position. In the present embodiment, the product storage rack 3 having a plurality of product storage areas 3c is arranged in the front-rear direction.

  In addition, the merchandise container 2 is provided with a merchandise shooter 4, a first back duct 10, and a second back duct 20. The product shooter 4 is provided in the lower area of the product storage rack 3. The product shooter 4 is a flat plate-like member having a large number of air holes, and is inclined and arranged in a manner that gradually decreases from the rear to the front of the product storage case 2.

  The first back duct 10 is an air guide path provided on the back surface of the commodity storage 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the first back duct 10 and the second back duct 20 constituting the vending machine shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the first back duct 10 extends along the vertical direction and is provided so as to extend from the bottom of the product storage 2 to the intermediate height position of the product storage rack 3. It has been.

  In the first rear duct 10, a portion on the lower side than the product shooter 4, that is, a portion corresponding to the intermediate height position of the product storage rack 3, while the first lower end opening 11 is provided at the lower end portion, That is, the first upper end opening 12 is provided at the upper end portion.

  Moreover, in this 1st back surface duct 10, the downward internal ventilation fan F1 is provided in the front side of the 1st lower end opening 11 via the evaporator 5a. The lower internal blower fan F1 is a circulation unit that circulates the internal air (internal atmosphere) of the product storage case 2 by being driven according to a drive command from the control unit 30 described later.

  In the lower area of the product shooter 4, a heater (not shown) is provided together with the evaporator 5a. The evaporator 5a is arrange | positioned by the back side of the ventilation fan F1 in the downward store | warehouse | chamber, and the compressor 5b, the condenser 5c, and expansion mechanism (not shown) which are arrange | positioned at the machine room 6 of the lower part of the goods storage 2 are carried out. In addition, the cooling unit 5 constitutes a cooling unit. The heater is provided in the wind tunnel on the front side of the lower internal fan F1 and is a heating means that generates heat when energized.

  The second back duct 20 is an air guide path provided separately from the first back duct 10 on the back surface of the commodity storage 2. The second rear duct 20 extends along the vertical direction, and is provided so as to extend from the bottom of the commodity storage 2 to the ceiling. More specifically, the second back duct 20 extends in the vertical direction on both sides of the first back duct 10 and extends in the vertical direction on the upper area of the first back duct 10. It is.

  In the second rear duct 20, the second lower end opening 21 is provided at the lower side portion, that is, the lower end portion of the lower internal blower fan F <b> 1, and more than the product stored in the product storage rack 3. A plurality of (two in the illustrated example) second upper end openings 22 are provided in the upper portion, that is, the upper end portion.

  In the second rear duct 20, an upper internal fan F <b> 2 is provided on the front side of each second upper end opening 22. The upper internal blower fan F2 is a circulation unit that circulates the internal air (internal atmosphere) of the product storage case 2 by being driven in accordance with a drive command from the control unit 30 described later.

  Further, a partition plate 23 is provided in the second rear duct 20. The partition plate 23 is located between the second upper end openings 22 adjacent to each other, and the air path from one second upper end opening 22 to one second lower end opening 21 and the other second upper end opening 22 to the other lower end opening. It partitions the entire length or part of the air path up to 21 and suppresses airflow interference between adjacent upper internal fan F2s.

  On the other hand, the vending machine is provided with an inner door 7 and an outer door (door body) 8. The inner door 7 is for covering the front opening of the commodity storage 2 and has a heat insulating structure disposed at one side edge of the main body cabinet 1 so as to be opened and closed. The inner door 7 is provided with a product outlet 7a. The product outlet 7a is opened and closed by a product outlet door 7b.

  The outer door 8 is for covering the front opening of the main body cabinet 1 and is disposed at one side edge of the main body cabinet 1 so as to be openable and closable at a position on the front side of the inner door 7. The front of the outer door 8 is provided with a display window 8a and a product outlet 8b that are necessary for selling products. Although not shown in the figure, a product selection button, a bill insertion slot, a coin insertion slot A return lever, a monetary indicator, a coin return slot, etc. are provided. Here, the product outlet 8b is opened and closed by a product outlet door 8c.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the vending machine according to the present embodiment includes an upper region temperature sensor S1, a lower region temperature sensor S2, and a control means 30.

  The upper area temperature sensor S1 is a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the upper area of the product storage box 2, more specifically, the temperature in the vicinity of the upper internal fan F2 (upper area temperature). When the upper region temperature sensor S1 detects the upper region temperature, it sends a message to that effect to the control means 30.

  The lower area temperature sensor S2 is a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature in the lower area of the product storage box 2, more specifically, the temperature in the vicinity of the lower internal fan F1 (lower area temperature). When the lower region temperature sensor S2 detects the lower region temperature, the lower region temperature sensor S2 sends the fact as a detection signal to the control means 30.

  The control means 30 controls the drive of the compressor 5b, the lower internal blower fan F1, and the upper internal blower fan F2 according to programs and data stored in advance in the memory 31, and includes an operation setting unit 301, An input processing unit 302, a determination unit 303, a compressor driving processing unit 304, and a fan driving processing unit 305 are provided. The control means 30 may be configured integrally with a control unit that controls money processing and sales operation of the vending machine, or may be configured in a form independent of the control unit. It does not matter.

  The memory 31 stores various types of information, and information related to the present invention includes lower internal blower fan drive condition information and upper internal blower fan drive condition information. The lower internal blower fan drive condition information includes a first lower reference temperature and a second lower reference temperature, which are threshold values for stopping and starting driving the lower internal blower fan F1. The first lower reference temperature is a lower limit value of a desired temperature range, and the second lower reference temperature is an upper limit value of the temperature range. The upper internal blower fan drive condition information includes a first upper reference temperature and a second upper reference temperature, which are thresholds for stopping and starting driving the upper internal blower fan F2. The first upper reference temperature is a lower limit value of a desired temperature range, and the second upper reference temperature is an upper limit value of the temperature range. In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the first upper reference temperature is lower than the first lower reference temperature and the second upper reference temperature is lower than the second lower reference temperature.

  The operation setting unit 301 sets and stores operation information input through an input unit (not shown). More specifically, when the preset cooling operation start time has elapsed, the cooling operation is performed, and when the preset cold insulation operation start time has elapsed while the cooling operation is being performed, Try to keep cool. That is, the vending machine repeats the cooling operation and the cold insulation operation according to a preset time schedule. In addition, when goods replenishment etc. are performed, pull-down operation is performed for a predetermined time, and it transfers to cooling operation after that.

  The input processing unit 302 performs input processing on detection signals given from the upper region temperature sensor S1 and the lower region temperature sensor S2. When performing the cooling operation, the determination unit 303 compares the temperature (upper region temperature or lower region temperature) input through the input processing unit 302 with the reference temperature (threshold value) read from the memory 31 to store the product. The internal temperature state of the storage 2 is determined.

  The compressor drive processing unit 304 performs a drive process of the compressor 5b by giving a drive command or a drive stop command to the compressor 5b. The compressor drive processing unit 304 drives the compressor 5b when the lower internal fan F1 and the upper internal fan F2 are driven.

  The fan drive processing unit 305 gives a drive command or a drive stop command to the lower internal blower fan F1 to perform a drive process of the lower internal blower fan F1, and sends a drive command or a drive stop command to the upper internal blower fan F2. The upper internal blower fan F2 is driven.

  In the vending machine having the above configuration, when the control unit 30 drives the lower internal fan F1 during the cooling operation, the product stored in the product storage rack 3 is cooled as follows. The It is assumed that the compressor 5b is driven by the compressor drive processing unit 304 of the control means 30.

  When the lower internal blower fan F1 is driven in this way, as shown in FIG. 4, the internal air of the product storage case 2 enters the inside of the first rear duct 10 from the first upper end opening 12, and the first rear surface. After passing through the duct 10, the air is blown out from the first lower end opening 11 and passes through the product storage rack 3 from below to circulate. That is, the internal air cooled by the evaporator 5 a passes through the product storage rack 3 and cools the product stored in the product storage rack 3. In this case, among the entire products stored in the product storage rack 3, the lower side product including the next sales product that may be paid out at the next sales opportunity can be cooled to a desired temperature.

  Next, when the control means 30 drives the upper internal blower fan F2 during the cooling operation, the products stored in the product storage rack 3 are cooled as follows. It is assumed that the compressor 5b is driven by the compressor drive processing unit 304 of the control means 30.

  When the upper internal blower fan F2 is driven in this way, as shown in FIG. 5, the internal air of the product storage case 2 enters the second rear duct 20 through the second lower end opening 21, and the second rear surface. After passing through the duct 20, the product is circulated through the product blown out from the second upper end opening 22 and stored in the product storage rack 3. That is, of the internal air cooled by the evaporator 5a, the internal air staying in the lower region of the product shooter 4 passes through the second back duct 20 and is then blown out from the second upper end opening 22 to be stored in the product storage rack 3. The product stored in the product storage rack 3 after passing through is cooled. In this case, the entire product stored in the product storage rack 3 is cooled to a desired temperature state, and the upper product is cooled more than the lower product.

  On the other hand, when the control means 30 drives the lower internal fan F1 and the upper internal fan F2 during the cooling operation, the products stored in the product storage rack 3 are cooled as follows. It is assumed that the compressor 5b is driven by the compressor drive processing unit 304 of the control means 30.

  When the lower internal blower fan F1 and the upper internal blower fan F2 are driven in this way, as shown in FIG. 6, the internal air of the product storage case 2 passes through the first rear duct 10 from the first upper end opening 12. After passing through the first back duct 10, the air is blown out from the first lower end opening 11, cooled by the evaporator 5 a, and passes through the commodity storage rack 3 from the bottom to the top. Further, of the internal air cooled by the evaporator 5 a, the internal air staying in the lower region of the product shooter 4 enters the second back duct 20 through the second lower end opening 21 and passes through the second back duct 20. After that, the product blows out from the second upper end opening 22 and passes through the products stored in the product storage rack 3 and enters the first rear duct 10 through the first upper end opening 12 and circulates. In this case, the entire product stored in the product storage rack 3 is cooled to a desired temperature state.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the cooling operation drive processing performed by the control means 30 during the cooling operation. The case where the vending machine performs the cooling operation will be described while explaining the processing contents of the cooling operation driving process. As a premise, it is assumed that a preset cooling operation start time has elapsed and the compressor 5b is driven.

  In the cooling operation drive process, the control means 30 inputs the lower region temperature by inputting the detection signal given from the lower region temperature sensor S2 through the input processing unit 302 (step S101: Yes), and lower air blow in the lower chamber A fan drive process is performed (step S200).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the lower internal fan driving process in the cooling operation driving process shown in FIG.

  In the lower internal blower fan driving process, the control means 30 reads and detects the first lower reference temperature from the memory 31 through the determination unit 303 when the lower internal blower fan F1 is driven (step S201: Yes). It is determined whether or not the lower temperature is lower than the first lower reference temperature (step S202).

  When the lower region temperature is lower than the first lower reference temperature (step S202: Yes), the control means 30 gives a drive stop command to the lower internal blower fan F1 through the fan drive processing unit 305 to provide the lower internal blower fan. The driving of F1 is stopped (step S203), and then the procedure is returned to end the cooling fan driving process by ending the current lower internal fan driving process. According to this, it is possible to prevent the lower side product (next sales product) of the product storage rack 3 from being excessively cooled, and to be provided at the next sales opportunity at a preferable temperature. In addition, about the transfer from step S202 mentioned above to step S203, you may make it the conditions on the drive stop of the upper internal ventilation fan F2.

  When the lower region temperature is equal to or higher than the first lower reference temperature (step S202: No), the control unit 30 maintains the drive of the lower internal fan F1 (step S204), and then returns the procedure to this time. The cooling operation driving process is completed by ending the lower internal blower fan driving process. According to this, the temperature of the lower side product (next sale product) of the product storage rack 3 changes in a decreasing direction.

  On the other hand, when the lower internal blower fan F1 is not driven (step S201: No), the second lower reference temperature is read from the memory 31 through the determination unit 303, and the detected lower area temperature becomes the second lower reference temperature. It is determined whether or not it exceeds (step S205).

  When the lower region temperature is higher than the second lower reference temperature (step S205: Yes), the control unit 30 gives a drive command to the lower internal fan F1 through the fan drive processing unit 305 to provide the lower internal fan F1. Is driven (step S206), and then the procedure is returned to finish the cooling fan driving process by ending the lower internal fan driving process. According to this, the temperature of the product on the lower side of the product storage rack 3 changes in a decreasing direction.

  When the lower internal blower fan F1 is not driven and the lower area temperature is equal to or lower than the second lower reference temperature (step S201: No, step S205: No), the control unit 30 drives the internal blower fan. The stop is maintained (step S207), and then the procedure is returned to finish the cooling fan driving process by ending the lower internal fan driving process. In the above-mentioned lower internal fan drive process, the lower internal fan F1 may be driven on condition that the upper internal fan F2 is driven.

  In the cooling operation driving process, when the control unit 30 inputs the upper region temperature by inputting the detection signal given from the upper region temperature sensor S1 through the input processing unit 302 (step S101: No, step S102: Yes). ), An upper internal fan driving process is performed (step S300).

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the upper internal fan driving process in the cooling operation driving process shown in FIG.

  In the upper internal blower fan drive process, the control unit 30 reads and detects the first upper reference temperature from the memory 31 through the determination unit 303 when the upper internal blower fan F2 is driven (step S301: Yes). It is determined whether or not the upper region temperature is lower than the first upper reference temperature (step S302).

  When the upper region temperature is lower than the first upper reference temperature (step S302: Yes), the control unit 30 gives a drive stop command to the upper internal blower fan F2 through the fan drive processing unit 305, and the upper internal blower fan. The driving of F2 is stopped (step S303), the procedure is then returned, and the cooling fan driving process is terminated by terminating the current upper internal fan driving process. According to this, it is possible to prevent the product on the upper side of the product storage rack 3 from being cooled more than necessary, and it is possible to suppress an increase in power consumption due to excessive cooling operation.

  When the upper region temperature is equal to or higher than the first upper reference temperature (step S302: No), the control unit 30 maintains the drive of the upper internal fan F2 (step S304), and then returns the procedure to this time. The cooling operation driving process is ended by ending the upper internal blower fan driving process. According to this, the temperature of the product stored in the product storage rack 3 changes in a decreasing direction.

  On the other hand, when the upper internal blower fan F2 is not driven (step S301: No), the upper area temperature detected by reading the second upper reference temperature from the memory 31 through the determination unit 303 exceeds the second upper reference temperature. It is determined whether or not (step S305).

  When the upper region temperature is higher than the second upper reference temperature (step S305: Yes), the control unit 30 gives a drive command to the upper internal fan F2 through the fan drive processing unit 305 to supply the upper internal fan F2. Is driven (step S306), and then the procedure is returned to end the upper internal blower fan driving process, thereby ending the cooling operation driving process. According to this, the temperature of the product in the product storage rack 3 changes in a decreasing direction.

  When the upper internal fan F2 is not driven and the upper region temperature is equal to or lower than the second upper reference temperature (step S301: No, step S305: No), the control unit 30 drives the internal fan. The stop is maintained (step S307), and then the procedure is returned to end the current upper internal blower fan drive process, thereby ending the cooling operation drive process.

  When a preset cold insulation operation start time is reached while performing such a cooling operation, the vending machine shifts from the cooling operation to the cold insulation operation.

  When performing the cold insulation operation, the control unit 30 causes the lower internal blower fan F1 and the upper internal blower fan F2 to pass through the fan drive processing unit 305 while stopping the drive of the compressor 5b through the compressor drive processing unit 304. Stop driving.

  Thereby, the internal air of the product storage 2 is not circulated in the storage and is not cooled by the evaporator 5a. In this cold-retaining operation, the lower-side product of the product storage rack 3 is kept in a cooled state as the cold air cooled by the upper-side product flows downward.

  As described above, in the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the cooling operation is performed, the control unit 30 drives or stops the lower internal fan F1 so that the lower region temperature is set. Since the temperature can be set to the first lower temperature or higher and the second lower temperature or lower, the product on the lower side of the product storage rack 3 including the next sale product can be satisfactorily cooled even in the cooling operation immediately after the cold insulation operation. For this reason, it is possible to prevent these lower-side products from deviating from a suitable cooling temperature zone, and avoid a deviation in sales opportunities. Further, the control means 30 drives the upper internal blower fan F2 in accordance with the upper region temperature, thereby causing the internal air cooled by the evaporator 5a to enter the second rear duct 20 from the second lower end opening 21. 2 The product can be circulated inside the product storage 2 so as to be blown out from the upper end opening 22, whereby the entire product stored in the product storage rack 3 can be cooled. Therefore, even if it shifts to the cold storage operation after that, the lower product of the product storage rack 3 including the next sale product is cooled by the cold air that is cooled by the upper product of the product storage rack 3 and flows downward. Can do. In particular, in the vending machine according to the present embodiment in which the lowest product is paid out, the highest product in the most cooled state can be left as a cooling heat source in the product storage 22 until the end. The top product can be effectively used to cool other products. As a result, the time required for the cold operation can be increased.

  Therefore, according to the vending machine according to the present embodiment, it is possible to extend the time for which the product is kept cold, and there is no possibility of deviating from the sales opportunity of the product.

  Particularly, in the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, the first upper reference temperature is lower than the first lower reference temperature, and the second upper reference temperature is lower than the second lower reference temperature. Therefore, it is possible to cool the product on the upper side of the product storage rack 3, and to further increase the cool operation time of the product by using the product on the upper side as a cooling heat source, thereby reducing power consumption. Can be achieved.

  Further, according to the vending machine, the lower internal fan F1 and the upper internal fan F2 are rotated only in one direction, so that both forward and reverse rotations can be used as compared with the case where the fans are driven forward and backward. It is possible to prevent a reduction in the air volume due to the absence of the fan blades, and it is possible to cool the product stored in the product storage rack 3 by good air volume control.

  Further, according to the vending machine, the air passage from one second upper end opening 22 to one second lower end opening 21 between the second upper end openings 22 adjacent to each other, and the other second upper end opening 22. Since the air path from the upper end opening 22 to the other second lower end opening 21 is partitioned, the air volume of the air passing through each air path can be made uniform.

  Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first lower reference temperature and the second lower reference temperature are used as the threshold values for stopping and starting the driving of the lower internal blower fan F1, and the upper internal blower fan F2 is stopped and started. Although the first upper reference temperature and the second upper reference temperature are used as the threshold values, in the present invention, there is only one threshold value for stopping and starting driving of the lower internal fan F1 and the upper internal fan F2. Alternatively, the lower internal fan F1 and the upper internal fan F2 may be driven without using such a threshold.

  In the above-described embodiment, the evaporator 5a that cools the commodity is described as an example of the temperature adjusting unit. However, when the heater is an example of the temperature adjusting unit, the control unit 30 includes the upper internal blower fan F2. It is only necessary to stop the driving and drive only the lower internal fan F1. Thereby, the lower side product including the next sale product in the product storage rack 3 can be heated to a desired temperature.

  In the above-described embodiment, the control means 30 is driven at a predetermined rotational speed when driving the lower internal blower fan F1, but in the present invention, when driving the lower internal blower fan. Alternatively, the rotation speed may be changed intermittently. Thereby, reduction of power consumption can be achieved.

  As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention is useful for selling products such as canned drinks and plastic bottled drinks.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 2 Product storage 3 Product storage rack 5a Evaporator 7 Inner door 8 Outer door 8a Product outlet 10 1st back surface duct 11 1st lower end opening 12 2nd upper end opening 20 2nd back surface duct 21 2nd lower end opening 22 Second upper end opening 23 Partition plate 30 Control means 301 Operation setting unit 302 Input processing unit 303 Judgment unit 304 Compressor drive processing unit 305 Fan drive processing unit 31 Memory F1 Lower internal blower fan F2 Upper internal blower fan S1 Upper region temperature Sensor S2 Lower temperature sensor

Claims (4)

A rectangular vending machine body in which an opening formed on the front surface is opened and closed by a door body, and a product storage is defined inside,
A product storage device that is provided in the product storage and stores the input product along the vertical direction, and when a sales instruction is given, a product storage device that pays out the lowest product,
A temperature adjusting means that is provided in the product storage and adjusts the internal air of the product storage to a desired temperature state by cooling or heating the air that passes around the product storage;
Extending from the bottom of the product storage to the middle height position of the product storage device on the back of the product storage, a first upper end opening is formed at the upper end and a first lower end opening is formed at the lower end. A first rear duct,
The first rear duct is disposed in the vicinity of the first lower end opening and is driven to cause the internal air of the product storage case to enter the first rear duct from the first upper end opening, and the first rear duct is A lower internal fan that circulates air from the lower side to the upper side of the product storage device so that the air that has passed is blown out from the first lower end opening and passed around the temperature adjusting means. In the vending machine,
A second rear duct extending from the bottom of the commodity storage to the ceiling on the back of the commodity storage, a second upper end opening is formed at the upper end, and a second lower end opening is formed at the lower end;
Arranged in the vicinity of the second upper end opening of the second rear duct, and when driven, the air inside the product storage box that has passed around the temperature adjusting means enters the second rear duct from the second lower end opening. And an upper internal fan that circulates air from above to below the product storage device so that the air that has passed through the second rear duct is blown out from the second upper end opening. Vending machine featuring. The second rear duct is provided with a plurality of the second upper end openings and the second lower end openings, and the air path of the air entering from one second lower end opening between the adjacent second upper end openings. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a partition plate that partitions the air path from the other second lower end opening is disposed. Lower region temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the lower region of the commodity storage device;
Upper region temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the upper region of the product storage device;
When the upper region temperature detected through the upper region temperature detecting means is lower than the first upper reference temperature set in advance, the upper internal fan is stopped while the upper region temperature is set in advance. When the second upper reference temperature is exceeded, the upper internal fan is driven, and the lower temperature detected through the lower temperature detecting means is lower than a preset first lower reference temperature, and When the upper internal blower fan is in a stopped state, the lower internal blower fan is stopped, while when the upper internal blower fan is in a driven state, or the lower area temperature is preset. Control means for driving the lower internal fan when the second lower reference temperature is exceeded and operating the refrigerator while the upper or lower internal fan operates. The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.   The vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the control means intermittently changes the rotational speed when the lower internal fan is driven.

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