CN107705426B - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an automatic vending machine, which can simultaneously use a commodity falling passage as a circulation path of cold air cooled by a cooling/heating unit or hot air heated by the cooling/heating unit, and can respectively cool or heat the whole commodities stored in a commodity storage rack and the commodities stored in the region near the rear end of a commodity storage shelf of the commodity storage passage. The automatic vending machine uses a commodity falling passage extending along the vertical direction between the rear end of commodity storage shelves arranged in multiple layers along the vertical direction and the back wall of the main cabinet as a circulation path of cold air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit, and is provided with a pipeline which connects the lower part of the commodity falling passage with a lower part fan conveying the cold air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit, so that the cold air or hot air conveyed by the lower part fan in the warehouse moves straight upwards from the lower part of the commodity falling passage, and the cold air or hot air reaches the commodity storage shelves on the upper layer side.

Description

Automatic vending machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine including a commodity storage rack in a commodity storage box constructed as a main cabinet of a heat insulating housing, the commodity storage rack being provided with a plurality of commodity storage shelves arranged in an up-down direction, the commodity storage shelves being inclined such that a rear side of a commodity output port is lower than a front side of a commodity input port in a form of dividing a commodity storage passage in which a plurality of commodities are stored in a row in a horizontal posture in a front-rear direction, and the commodities stored in the commodity storage passage being output one by a commodity output device arranged in the vicinity of the commodity output port of the commodity storage shelf.

Background

In such an automatic vending machine, a commodity storage rack is provided in a commodity storage box constructed as a main body cabinet of a heat insulating housing, and a plurality of commodity storage shelves are arranged in the vertical direction, and the commodity storage shelves are divided to form commodity storage paths for storing a plurality of commodities in a horizontal posture and arranged in a line in the front-rear direction. The commodity storage shelves arranged in a plurality of layers in the commodity storage rack are arranged obliquely with a predetermined inclination so that a rear side of the commodity outlet is lower than a front side of the commodity inlet. A commodity output device for outputting commodities received in the commodity receiving passage in a horizontal posture one by one is provided near the commodity output port of the commodity receiving shelf. A commodity falling path extending in the vertical direction is formed between the rear end of the commodity storage shelf and the back wall of the main body cabinet. The commodity falling path is provided with a posture control plate which rotates between a protruding position protruding toward the commodity falling path and a retreating position pushed open by a falling commodity and retreated from the commodity falling path, the posture control plate is biased to protrude toward the commodity falling path by a coil spring, and when the commodity falling on the commodity falling path is pushed open and retreated from the commodity falling path, the posture control plate corrects the posture of the commodity into a horizontal posture and absorbs the falling energy of the commodity to reduce the falling speed of the commodity.

The lower part of a commodity storage rack arranged in a commodity storage warehouse is provided with: a commodity output chute which is inclined in a manner that the front part is lower and the rear part is higher, and a plurality of vent holes are arranged on the whole surface of the plate surface of the commodity output chute in a penetrating manner; and a cooling/heating unit with a fan that cools or heats the commodity accommodated in the commodity-accommodating passage to a temperature suitable for sale. In addition, side ducts are provided along the left and right side walls of the main body cabinet or along heat-insulating partition walls that divide the interior of the commodity storage compartment into a plurality of commodity storage compartments in the left-right direction. Thereby, the structure is as follows: the cooled air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit with a fan circulates so as to be blown out from the ventilation hole of the commodity output chute into the commodity storage compartment by driving of the fan, and to be returned to the fan via the side duct after rising in the commodity storage compartment, and the commodities stored in the commodity storage rack are cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale while rising in the commodity storage compartment. When a commodity selection button provided on an outer door openably and closably attached to an opening on the front surface of the main body cabinet is pressed, a commodity output device provided on the corresponding commodity storage shelf is operated, and one commodity stored in the commodity storage passage is discharged. The commodity discharged from the commodity discharge device is corrected in posture by the posture control plate while falling down on the commodity falling path, and at the same time, the falling speed is reduced, and the commodity is dropped onto the commodity discharge chute, and then the commodity is rolled or slid on the commodity discharge chute and is discharged to the commodity discharge port (for example, patent document 1).

In the invention disclosed in patent document 1, side ducts are usually provided instead of the rear duct provided along the back wall of the main body cabinet, and the side ducts are provided along the left and right side walls of the main body cabinet or along heat-insulating partition walls that divide the interior of the product storage compartment into a plurality of product storage compartments in the left and right direction. Therefore, in the invention disclosed in patent document 1, by eliminating the back duct disposed along the back wall of the main body cabinet, the length of the commodity storage shelf (commodity storage passage) can be increased, that is, the length of the commodity storage shelf (commodity storage passage) can be increased in accordance with the amount of the back duct, and therefore, there is an advantage that the number of commodities that can be stored in the commodity storage passage can be increased. However, there are problems as follows: the lateral width dimension of the vending machine must be increased in order to provide the side ducts.

As a means for reducing the back surface duct, a product dropping path formed to extend in the vertical direction between the rear end of the product storage shelf and the back wall of the main body cabinet is also known as a circulation path for cool air cooled by the cooling/heating unit with a fan or hot air heated by the cooling/heating unit with a fan (for example, paragraphs 0002 and 0003 of the background art of patent document 2). According to the technique disclosed in patent document 2, the cooled air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit with a fan is blown out from below the commodity falling path by driving the fan, and the cooled air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit with a fan is circulated so as to rise in the commodity falling path, be branched to the commodity storage paths defined by the commodity storage shelves of the respective floors, and then be returned to the fan, whereby the commodities stored in the commodity storage paths can be cooled or heated.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2012-137949

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2005-44293 (paragraphs 0002 and 0003 of the background Art)

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, patent document 2 discloses the following problems: in the case where the commodity falling path is used as a circulation path for the cold air or the hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit, most of the cold air or the hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit and conveyed by the fan is diverted to the commodity storage shelf on the lower side and does not sufficiently reach the commodity storage shelf on the upper side, and a temperature difference is generated between commodities stored in the commodity storage paths defined by the commodity storage shelves on the lower side and the upper side, and further, when the entire commodities stored in the commodity storage racks, that is, all of the commodities stored in the commodity storage paths defined by the commodity storage shelves on the respective layers are cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale, the capacity of the heat energy is increased. Therefore, in the invention described in patent document 2, the configuration is such that: and a partition plate which forms an outward duct and a return duct for cold air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit in the commodity falling path, and cools or heats only commodities accommodated in a region of the commodity accommodating passage near a rear end of the commodity accommodating shelf by circulating the cold air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit through the outward duct and the return duct formed in the commodity falling path.

According to the invention disclosed in patent document 2, in contrast to the case where all of the commodities stored in the commodity storage rack, that is, the commodities stored in the commodity storage passage defined by the commodity storage shelves of each layer are cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale, only the commodities stored in the region of the commodity storage passage near the rear end of the commodity storage shelf are cooled or heated, and therefore, the invention is excellent in that the increase in the capacity of heat energy can be avoided. However, there are problems as follows: the present invention is limited to a type in which only commodities stored in a region of the commodity storage passage near the rear end of the commodity storage shelf are cooled or heated, and the number of components increases because a partition member is required to form the forward duct and the return duct in the commodity falling passage.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to solve the above-described problems and provide an automatic vending machine capable of cooling or heating the entire commodities stored in the commodity storage shelves and cooling or heating the commodities stored in the region of the commodity storage shelf rear ends of the commodity storage paths, while using the commodity falling path as a circulation path for cold air cooled or hot air heated by the cooling/heating unit.

Means for solving the problems

The inventors have solved the above problems, and in particular, have the following problems: in the case where the commodity falling path is used as a circulation path for the cooled air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit with the fan, most of the cooled air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling/heating unit and conveyed by the fan is diverted to the commodity storage shelf on the lower side and does not sufficiently reach the commodity storage shelf on the upper side, and a temperature difference is generated between commodities stored in the commodity storage path defined by the commodity storage shelves on the lower side and the commodity storage shelf on the upper side, and thus, various studies have been made, and as a result, it has been found that: in the case where only the cold air or the hot air is sent upward from below the commodity-dropping path, the cold air or the hot air circulating upward from below the commodity-dropping path becomes turbulent, and thus most of the cold air or the hot air is diverted to the commodity-accommodating shelf on the lower side and does not sufficiently reach the commodity-accommodating shelf on the upper side. Therefore, focusing on the flow of cold air or hot air circulating upward from below the commodity falling path, the cold air or hot air sufficiently reaches the commodity-accommodating shelf on the upper layer side by imparting a straight-ahead nature to the flow, so that the following invention has been completed which can prevent a temperature difference from occurring between commodities accommodated in the commodity-accommodating path partitioned by the commodity-accommodating shelves on the lower layer side and the upper layer side.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is an automatic vending machine comprising, in order from top to bottom in a commodity storage box constructed as a main body of a heat insulating case: a commodity storage rack in which a plurality of commodity storage shelves are arranged in the vertical direction, the commodity storage shelves defining a commodity storage passage for storing a plurality of commodities arranged in a row in the front-rear direction in a horizontal posture; a commodity output chute inclined in a low front and high rear direction; a cooling and heating member for cooling or heating the commodities accommodated in the commodity accommodating passage to a temperature suitable for sale, wherein the commodity accommodating shelf is inclined such that a rear side which becomes a commodity discharge port is lower than a front side which becomes a commodity input port, a commodity discharging device for discharging and discharging the commodities accommodated in the commodity accommodating passage in a horizontal posture one by one is provided in the vicinity of the commodity discharge port, a commodity falling passage extending in a vertical direction is formed between a rear end of the commodity accommodating shelf and a back wall of a main body cabinet, and the commodities discharged from the commodity discharging device are discharged to a commodity discharge chute via the commodity falling passage, the automatic vending machine is characterized by comprising a straight-moving stabilizing member for connecting a lower fan in the vending machine and a lower portion of the commodity falling passage, the lower fan in the storage conveys the cold air or the heated hot air cooled by the cooling and heating component, and the straight-moving stabilizing component guides the cold air or the hot air conveyed by the lower fan in the storage to the lower part of the commodity falling passage and enables the cold air or the hot air to move straight from the lower part of the commodity falling passage to the upper part.

The invention according to claim 2 provides the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein an upper inside fan is additionally provided, the upper inside fan being positioned above a rear end of the uppermost commodity-accommodating shelf and being configured to convey cool air or hot air circulating in the commodity-dropping passage toward a front side of the commodity-accommodating shelf, the lower inside fan and the upper inside fan being driven when cooling or heating the entirety of commodities accommodated in the commodity-accommodating shelf, and the lower inside fan being driven but stopped when cooling or heating commodities accommodated in an area of the commodity-accommodating passage near the rear end of the commodity-accommodating shelf.

The invention according to claim 3 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a wind direction changing member for changing a direction of cold air or hot air circulating from the rear to the front is additionally provided at a position substantially midway in a front-rear direction of the uppermost commodity-accommodating shelf.

The invention according to claim 4 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the straight-traveling stabilizing member is configured by a duct including an inlet-side opening facing the fan at the lower portion in the interior and an outlet-side opening facing a lower portion of the commodity dropping passage, and the duct increases the wind speed of the outlet-side opening so that a pressure difference is formed between the inlet-side opening and the outlet-side opening so that the pressure of the outlet-side opening is higher than the pressure of the inlet-side opening.

The invention according to claim 5 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the straight-line stabilizer is formed of at least one of a flat plate-like flow-regulating member, a honeycomb structure, and a structure forming a spiral flow.

The invention according to claim 6 provides the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the commodity-accommodating shelf is formed with a plurality of vent holes, and a perforation ratio in an intermediate region in a front-rear direction of the commodity-accommodating shelf is highest.

The invention according to claim 7 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vent hole of the commodity discharge chute is formed at a position other than a rear side of the commodity discharge chute close to the commodity falling passage.

The invention according to claim 8 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine has a posture control plate at a rear end portion of the commodity storage shelf, the posture control plate being rotatable between a protruding position protruding toward the commodity dropping passage and a retracted position pushed open by a dropped commodity and retracted from the commodity dropping passage, and a plurality of vent holes are bored in a plate surface of the posture control plate.

The invention according to claim 9 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the straight-line stabilizing member is a duct: the duct has an inlet-side opening facing the lower fan in the interior and an outlet-side opening extending to a region above a rear end of the uppermost commodity-accommodating shelf in the commodity falling path, and is disposed along the back wall of the main body cabinet on the back side of the commodity falling path.

The invention according to claim 10 provides the vending machine according to claim 9, wherein the vent hole of the commodity discharge chute is formed by piercing a plurality of vent holes through an entire surface of a chute surface of the commodity discharge chute, through which the commodity falls.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, the following effects can be provided: the commodity storage warehouse of the main cabinet body constructed as the heat insulation shell is sequentially provided with the following components from top to bottom: a commodity storage rack in which a plurality of commodity storage shelves are arranged in the vertical direction, the commodity storage shelves defining a commodity storage passage for storing a plurality of commodities arranged in a row in the front-rear direction in a horizontal posture; a commodity output chute inclined in a low front and high rear direction; a cooling and heating member for cooling or heating the commodities accommodated in the commodity accommodating passage to a temperature suitable for sale, wherein the commodity accommodating shelf is inclined such that a rear side of the commodity outlet is lower than a front side of the commodity inlet, a commodity discharging device for discharging the commodities accommodated in the commodity accommodating passage in a horizontal posture one by one is provided in the vicinity of the commodity outlet, a commodity falling passage extending in a vertical direction is formed between a rear end of the commodity accommodating shelf and a back wall of the main body cabinet, the commodities discharged from the commodity discharging device are sent to a commodity discharge chute via the commodity falling passage, and a straight-moving stabilizing member for connecting a lower fan in the vending machine, which cools or heats the cold air or the hot air cooled by the cooling and heating member, is provided in the vending machine And a straight-traveling stabilizing member for guiding the cold air or hot air, which is conveyed by the fan at the lower portion of the interior, to the lower portion of the commodity-dropping passage and for causing the cold air or hot air to travel straight upward from the lower portion of the commodity-dropping passage, whereby the cold air or hot air circulating upward from the lower portion of the commodity-dropping passage can sufficiently reach the commodity-receiving shelf at the upper portion due to its straight-traveling property, and thus the commodities accommodated in a predetermined region in the commodity-receiving passage defined by the commodity-receiving shelves from the lower portion side to the upper portion can be cooled or heated without fail, and the temperature difference between the commodities accommodated in the commodity-receiving passage defined by the commodity-receiving shelves from the lower portion side to the upper portion side can be suppressed to a minimum.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a vending machine according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the commodity storage rack of fig. 1 as viewed from obliquely right above.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the commodity-accommodating shelf of fig. 1 together with a partition member.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the upper fan and mounting member within the library of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the wind direction conversion member of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the cooling/heating unit and the commodity output chute of fig. 1 as viewed from obliquely right above.

Fig. 7 shows the duct of fig. 1, fig. 7 (a) is a perspective view of the duct, and fig. 7 (b) is a perspective view of the duct to which a coil spring for holding the commodity discharge chute is attached.

Fig. 8 shows a state of connection between a duct and an air tunnel of a cooling/heating unit according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, fig. 8 (a) is a perspective view of a state in which the air tunnel is connected to the duct, and fig. 8 (b) is a perspective view of a state in which the duct and the air tunnel are disassembled.

Fig. 9 is an explanatory view showing the flow of air (cold air or hot air) circulating in the commodity storage compartment when the commodities stored in the commodity storage rack according to embodiment 1 of the present invention before the sale order are intensively cooled or heated.

Fig. 10 is an explanatory view showing the flow of air (cold air or hot air) circulating in the commodity storage compartment when cooling or heating the whole commodities stored in the commodity storage rack according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a schematic side view of the vending machine according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the cooling/heating unit and the commodity discharge chute of fig. 11 in embodiment 2 of the present invention, as viewed from obliquely right above.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory view showing the flow of air (cold air or hot air) circulating in the commodity storage compartment when the commodities stored in the commodity storage rack according to embodiment 2 of the present invention before the sale order are intensively cooled or heated.

Fig. 14 is an explanatory view showing the flow of air (cold air or hot air) circulating in the commodity storage compartment when cooling or heating the whole commodities stored in the commodity storage rack according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals

1. A main body cabinet body; 4. a commodity storage rack; 5. 5A, a commodity output chute; 6. a cooling/heating unit (cooling heating member); 7. 7a, a pipe (straight-running stabilizing member); 10. a commodity storage shelf; 42. a partition member; 43. a commodity storage passage; 44. a commodity input port; 45. a commodity outlet; 46. a commodity falling path; BM, commodity output device; f1, a fan at the lower part in the warehouse; f2, upper fan in warehouse.

Detailed Description

(embodiment mode 1)

Hereinafter, a vending machine according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an automatic vending machine for vending canned beverages and plastic bottled beverages as an example of the automatic vending machine to which the present invention is directed, and fig. 2 is a perspective view of the commodity storage rack 4 of fig. 1 from the upper right oblique side. The left and right sides refer to the left and right sides when viewed from the front surface of the vending machine.

As shown in fig. 1, the vending machine includes: a main body cabinet 1 formed as a heat insulating case with an open front surface; and an outer door 2 supported openably and closably on the front surface of the main body case 1 so as to close the front surface opening of the main body case 1, and the outer door 2 is provided with a commodity outlet 2 a. The main body cabinet 1 is a heat-insulating casing constructed by arranging heat-insulating panels made of urethane foam on the inner side of an outer box made of steel plate, i.e., an upper wall 1a, left and right side walls 1b, a back wall 1c, and a bottom wall 1d, and a space surrounded by the heat-insulating panels arranged on the upper wall 1a, left and right side walls 1b, back wall 1c, and bottom wall 1d is a commodity storage box, and the lower part of the commodity storage box is an equipment room 8. The front surface of the commodity storage in the main body cabinet 1 is closed by an openable and closable heat-insulating inner door 3, and the heat-insulating inner door 3 is provided with a commodity outlet 3a, and the commodity outlet 3a has a shutter 3b which can be pushed open by a commodity sent out from the commodity storage. A plurality of commodity storage shelves 4 are stored in the left-right direction in a commodity storage surrounded by the heat insulating panels of the main body cabinet 1, and the commodity storage shelves 4 have commodity storage shelf plates 10 arranged in multiple stages in the up-down direction. The commodity storage rack 4 includes a pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41 made of thin steel plate having a rectangular flat plate shape, and the commodity storage shelf 10 is mounted on the pair of left and right rack side plates 41.

The commodity-accommodating shelf 10 is mounted on the pair of left and right shelf side plates 41, 41 in such a manner as to be inclined with a predetermined inclination so as to be high on the front side of the commodity-inlet 44 and low on the rear side of the commodity-outlet 45. An internal space surrounded by the commodity storage shelf 10, the left and right shelf side plates 41, or, as necessary, the partition member 42 (see fig. 2 and 3) mounted on the commodity storage shelf 10 is divided into commodity storage paths 43 (commodity lane) for storing a plurality of commodities in a horizontal posture in a row in the front-rear direction, and the commodity storage paths 43 (commodity lane) are formed in a plurality of upper and lower stages (10 commodity lanes in the present embodiment). A commodity discharge device BM that discharges and discharges commodities S stored in the commodity storage passages 43 one by one is disposed on the lower surface of the commodity storage shelf 10 on the upper side, which is the upper portion of each commodity storage passage 43, in the vicinity of the commodity discharge port 45 of the commodity storage shelf 10. As is well known (for example, patent document 1), the product output apparatus BM is configured such that the following components are mounted on a thin box-shaped substrate: a pedal member BM1 provided so as to be freely retractable with respect to the commodity storage path 43 and movable between a protruding position protruding toward the commodity storage path 43 in a state of holding a commodity of the first selling order (a rearmost commodity, also referred to as a "sales commodity") and a retracted position retracted from the commodity storage path 43 in a state of releasing the holding of the sales commodity; a stopper member provided so as to be freely retractable with respect to the commodity storage passage 43 and movable between a retracted position retracted from the commodity storage passage 43 and a protruding position protruding toward the commodity storage passage 43 in a state of holding a commodity in a second order of sale (a commodity next to a rearmost commodity, also referred to as a next commodity of sale) in which the commodity is subsequently sold; a link mechanism that moves the pedal member BM1 and the stopper member to a protruding position and a retracted position; a drive means (solenoid, motor) or the like for driving the link mechanism, the pedal member projects toward the commodity storage passage 43 to hold a commodity for sale during the time of a commodity waiting, the stopper member is in a state of retreating from the commodity storage passage, the drive means is driven based on a commodity command, the stopper member is projected toward the commodity storage passage 43 via the link mechanism to hold a next commodity for sale, and the pedal member is retreated from the commodity storage passage 43 to deliver the commodity for sale. Further, in order to mount the commodity discharging device BM that discharges the commodities accommodated in the commodity accommodating passage 43 on the uppermost layer one by one, the mechanical locking member 100 constituted by the dummy commodity accommodating shelf plate 10 is erected on the pair of left and right shelf side plates 41, 41 above the commodity accommodating passage 43 on the uppermost layer.

Further, an in-cabinet upper fan F2 is disposed at a rear end upper position of the mechanical locking capsule 100. The upper region of the rear end of the mechanical locking capsule 100 is a portion that becomes a blind spot by the mechanical locking capsule 100 being disposed obliquely with a predetermined inclination so that the rear side is lower than the front side, and the in-compartment upper fan F2 is disposed by the blind spot. The inner upper fan F2 is used to convey air inside the commodity storage container forward. Further, an air direction changing member WC is provided at a position on the front side of the upper fan F2 in the storage and substantially at an intermediate position in the depth direction of the commodity storage. The airflow direction changing member WC is fixed to a bracket-side hook fitting 40 (see fig. 2) described later, and turns downward the direction of the forward air sent from the indoor upper fan F2.

The rear ends (commodity discharge ports 45) of the commodity storage shelf plates 10 arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction in each commodity storage rack 4 are positioned on the same vertical line, and a commodity falling passage 46 through which the commodities S fall is formed between the commodity discharge ports 45 and the rear surface of the commodity storage box (the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1). A position control plate 47 is provided at the rear end of each commodity-accommodating shelf plate 10, and the position control plate 47 is rotated between a protruding position protruding toward the commodity-dropping passage 46 and a retracted position retracted from the commodity-dropping passage 46 by being pushed open by the falling commodity S. The attitude control plate 47 is biased by a coil spring, not shown, to project toward the commodity falling path 46, and the attitude control plate 47 has the following functions: when pushed open by the commodity S falling on the commodity falling path 46 and retreated from the commodity falling path 46, the posture of the commodity S is corrected to the horizontal posture, and the falling energy of the commodity S is absorbed to reduce the falling speed of the commodity S. A plurality of vent holes 47a (see fig. 2) are formed in the plate surface of the attitude control plate 47. When the attitude control plate 47 is located at a protruding position protruding toward the commodity falling path 46 (in a state protruding toward the commodity falling path 46), a predetermined gap L is provided between the distal end of the attitude control plate 47 and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1.

The lower portion of the commodity storage rack 4 is provided with: a commodity discharge chute 5 which is disposed in a posture inclined in a front-lower and rear-higher manner so as to connect a lower region of the commodity falling path 46 to a commodity discharge port 3a provided in the heat insulating inner door 3, and has a plurality of vent holes 5a (see fig. 6) perforated in a plate surface thereof; and a cooling/heating unit 6 that cools or heats the commodities S stored in the commodity-receiving shelves 4 to store the commodities S in a cold state or a hot state, wherein the commodity-receiving shelves 4, the commodity-discharging chute 5, and the cooling/heating unit 6 are provided in this order from top to bottom in the commodity storage. The cooling/heating unit 6 constitutes a cooling heating member that cools or heats the commodities S accommodated in the commodity-accommodating passage to a temperature suitable for sale.

The cooling/heating unit 6 is disposed in a space behind the commodity discharge chute 5 disposed in a posture inclined in a low front and high rear direction. In the cooling/heating unit 6, the evaporator 6a, the heater 6b, and the in-compartment lower fan F1 are juxtaposed in the front-rear direction in the order of the evaporator 6a, the in-compartment lower fan F1, and the heater 6b from the front side. The evaporator 6a, the lower inside fan F1, and the heater 6b are disposed in an air tunnel that surrounds and protects the respective fans, and an air tunnel 60 for spacing is provided in communication with the air tunnel of the heater 6 b. The wind tunnel of each of the evaporator 6a, the lower inside fan F1, and the heater 6b is continuous with the wind tunnel 60 as a whole in a tunnel shape, and hereinafter, the wind tunnel 60 is referred to as a wind tunnel representing each of the evaporator 6a, the lower inside fan F1, and the heater 6b, that is, the wind tunnel 60 of the cooling/heating unit 6. A duct 7 is provided in connection with the air tunnel 60 of the cooling/heating unit 6. The duct 7 is disposed along the rear surface of the commodity storage box (the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1) so as to extend to a region below the commodity falling passage 46, and includes an inlet-side opening 74 (see fig. 7) facing the outlet of the air tunnel 60 and an outlet-side opening 78 (see fig. 7) communicating with a region below the commodity falling passage 46. The duct 7 constitutes a straight-ahead stabilizing member.

A refrigerator condensing unit 9 forming a refrigeration cycle with the evaporator 6a of the cooling/heating unit 6 is disposed in the equipment room 8 at the lower portion of the main body cabinet 1. The refrigerator condensation unit 9 includes a compressor 9a, a condenser 9b, an outdoor fan 9c, an expansion valve (not shown), and the like, and the condenser 9b disposed outside the commodity storage and the evaporator 6a disposed inside the commodity storage are connected by a refrigerant pipe via the expansion valve.

Although not shown, a commodity display chamber in which a plurality of commodity samples corresponding to a commodity passage are displayed, a commodity selection button for designating a commodity S to be purchased, a coin slot into which coins of a price are inserted, and a bill slot into which bills of a price are inserted are disposed on the front surface of the outer door 2; the coin return opening for taking out the change coins or the coins returned in accordance with the return instruction, the return lever for instructing the return of the change or the coins to be thrown in, and the like are provided with components necessary for automatic selling of the commodity S by the money being thrown in, and the handle of the door locking mechanism for tightly locking the outer door 2 to the main body cabinet 1 is provided.

The commodity-accommodating shelf 4 includes a pair of left and right shelf side plates 41, 41 on which the commodity-accommodating shelf 10 is erected. As shown in fig. 2, the left and right frame side plates 41, 41 are made of thin steel plates having a rectangular flat plate shape. The commodity storage shelf plates 10 are vertically stacked on the pair of left and right shelf side plates 41, 41. Two front and rear frame side hook fittings 40 similar to the serpentine commodity storage rack are provided on the upper ends of the pair of left and right frame side plates 41, and the commodity storage rack 4 is stored in the commodity storage rack by locking and fixing the frame side hook fittings 40, 40 to main body side hook fittings (not shown) laid on the top of the commodity storage rack.

Further, a thin steel plate mounting member 410 is mounted at a rear end of the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, and an in-compartment upper fan F2 is fixed to the mounting member 410. Further, an airflow direction changing member WC is attached to the rear of the rear side frame side hook fitting 40 of the front and rear frame side hook fittings 40 provided at the upper ends of the pair of left and right frame side plates 41, 41.

As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of partition members 42 can be attached to the commodity-accommodating shelf 10 as needed. These partition members 42 define commodity storage paths 43 (commodity lanes) for storing a plurality of commodities arranged in a row in the front-rear direction in a horizontal posture, in which the commodities are stored in the commodity storage paths 43 (commodity lanes). Further, the width in the left-right direction of the commodity storage path 43 (commodity lane) is set to a width slightly smaller than the length of the diagonal line of the commodity in order to facilitate the input of the commodity at the time of commodity replenishment (loading), and to prevent the posture (axis) of the commodity rolling or sliding on the commodity storage shelf 10 from changing from the posture at right angles to the front-rear direction to the posture in line with the front-rear direction, and to form a slight gap between the commodity stored in the commodity storage path 43 (commodity lane) and the partition member 42 (or the rack side plate 41).

As shown in fig. 3, the commodity-accommodating shelf plate 10 is reinforced by forming flanges 11 and 11 bent downward from the left and right side edges of the rectangular plate surface. A hollow portion 12 formed by being rounded into a hollow cylindrical shape (a curled shape) is formed at the front end of the commodity-accommodating shelf plate 10. A pin insertion portion 11a is formed by a notch at the front portion of the flanges 11, and arc-shaped pin engagement portions 11b, 11c are also formed by notches at the substantially middle portion and the rear end of the flange 11. The commodity-accommodating shelf panel 10 is configured to be attached to the left and right rack side plates 41, 41 by arranging the commodity-accommodating shelf panel 10 so that the pin insertion portions 11a and the pin engagement portions 11b, 11c provided in the flanges 11, 11 face the pin members P0 to P2 (see fig. 2) erected on the left and right rack side plates 41, 41.

In the present embodiment, the commodity-accommodating shelf plate 10 is formed with 3 slit-shaped engaging grooves 14 along the front-rear direction at the center in the width direction of the plate surface determined to have a width corresponding to a long commodity. The engaging groove 14 is used to lock and fix the partition member 42, and is formed to have a width larger than the plate thickness of the partition member 42. A plurality of vent holes 10a are perforated in the plate surface of the commodity-accommodating shelf plate 10. The ventilation holes 10a are bored so that the perforation ratio is different in the front-rear direction of the commodity-accommodating shelf 10. In the present embodiment, the configuration is such that: the commodity-accommodating shelf 10 has the highest perforation rate in the intermediate region MT in the front-rear direction, and has the lowest perforation rate in the front region FT and the rear region RT across the intermediate region MT.

The partition member 42 is made of thin steel plate and is attached to the commodity-accommodating shelf plate 10 so as to extend in the front-rear direction, thereby defining the commodity-accommodating passage 43. As shown in fig. 3, the partition member 42 has 3 claws 421 protruding downward at the lower portion thereof, and these claws 421 are configured to be engageable with 3 engagement grooves 14 formed in the plate surface of the commodity-accommodating shelf 10. The placement of the partition member 42 is performed by: after the 3 claws 421 of the partition member 42 are opposed to the corresponding 3 engagement grooves 14 in a state where the 3 claws 421 of the partition member 42 are detached from the engagement grooves 14, when the partition member 42 is lowered, the 3 claws 421 fall into the corresponding 3 engagement grooves 14 and engage with each other, and the partition member 42 is placed. When the partition member 42 is placed on the commodity-accommodating shelf 10 in this manner, commodity-accommodating passages (commodity lanes) for two rows of short commodities (half the width of long commodities) are formed on both sides of the partition member 42, and when the partition member 42 is removed, commodity-accommodating passages (commodity lanes) for long commodities are formed. That is, the commodity housing rack 4 is used for selling both of the kinds of commodities (long commodities and short commodities) having different lengths. In this case, the configuration is: the commodity discharging devices BM are disposed in the vicinity of the commodity discharging ports 45 corresponding to the short commodity storage paths, and control the two commodity discharging devices BM when the partition member 42 is mounted, and control the two commodity discharging devices BM synchronously when the partition member 42 is not mounted.

As shown in fig. 4, the inner upper fan F2 is a box-shaped fan, and is mounted on the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41 via a thin steel plate mounting member 410. The mounting member 410 is provided with an opening 412 at a substantially central position of the base 411 corresponding to the width between the pair of right and left shelf side plates 41, 41. Flanges are formed by bending the upper and lower ends of the base 411, and L-shaped engaging pieces 413 and 414 spanning the upper and lower flanges and a hook-shaped engaging piece 415 (2 on the right end side and 1 on the left end side) arranged between the engaging pieces 413 and 414 are formed to protrude outward on the left and right ends. Through holes OP1, OP2 (portions of the lead wires indicated by broken lines in the right side shelf-side panel 41 in fig. 2) corresponding to the L-shaped engaging pieces 413, 414 are formed in the pair of left and right shelf- side panels 41, 41 in correspondence with the L-shaped engaging pieces 413, 414, and through holes OP3 (portions of the lead wires indicated by broken lines in the right side shelf-side panel 41 in fig. 2) corresponding to the hook-shaped locking pieces 415 are formed in the pair of left and right shelf- side panels 41, 41 in correspondence with the hook-shaped locking pieces 415. The inner upper fan F2 is attached to the pair of right and left rack side plates 41, 41 as follows: after the in-house upper fan F2 is aligned with the opening 412 of the base 411 in the mounting member 410 and screwed, the L-shaped engaging pieces 413 and 414 and the hook-shaped engaging piece 415 of the mounting member 410 are inserted into the through holes OP1 to OP3 of the pair of left and right shelf side plates 41 and 41, respectively, and then the hook of the hook-shaped engaging piece 415 protruding outward from the pair of left and right shelf side plates 41 and 41 is engaged with the shelf side plate 41, whereby the in-house upper fan F2 is attached to the pair of left and right shelf side plates 41 and 41.

As shown in fig. 5, the wind direction changing member WC is formed in an L shape by bending a rectangular flat plate having a rectangular shape and a length substantially equal to the length between the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41 in the longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, one leg WC1 in an L shape is disposed along the upper wall 1a (see fig. 1) of the main body cabinet 1 so that the other leg WC2 extends downward, and the other leg WC2 is fixed to the rear side of the rear frame-side hook fitting 40 out of the front and rear frame-side hook fittings 40. Thus, the airflow direction conversion member WC is disposed at a substantially intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the upper ends of the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41 such that the other leg WC2 faces the vertical direction.

Fig. 6 shows the air tunnel 60 of the commodity discharge chute 5 and the cooling/heating unit 6 disposed in the lower portion of the commodity-accommodating shelf 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a state in which the commodity output chute 5 is disposed above the air tunnel 60 of the cooling/heating unit 6. As shown in fig. 6, the commodity discharge chute 5 is provided with a plurality of vent holes 5a on its chute surface. The vent hole 5a is perforated on the middle and front sides of the commodity discharge chute 5 except for the rear side. A mounting piece 51 bent in a shape of japanese "く" is formed at the front end of the commodity discharging chute 5. The mounting piece 51 has a downwardly extending vertical portion 511 along the front wall of the main body casing 1, and a screw through hole 511a is formed in the plate surface thereof, and the vertical portion 511 is fixed to the front wall of the main body casing 1 by a screw. Further, a locking piece 512 extending downward is formed at the rear end of the commodity discharging chute 5, the locking piece 512 is disposed in a state of being locked to the duct 7, and the rear-side rear surface of the commodity discharging chute 5 is held by a coil spring SP attached to the duct 7.

As shown in fig. 7, the duct 7 is made of thin steel plate having a concave cross section, and is composed of a front wall 71 having a rectangular flat plate shape, left and right side walls 72, and back walls 73, 73. An inlet-side opening 74 communicating with the outlet of the air tunnel 60 is formed in a substantially central lower portion of the front wall 71, and a pair of upper and lower screw holes 75 are formed in upper portions of the front wall 71 at left and right ends. Further, slit-shaped locking grooves 76, 77 for locking the air tunnels 60 are formed at both left and right ends of the inlet-side opening 74, respectively. As shown in fig. 7 (b), a spring fixing piece 50 in the shape of japanese "く" is fixed by screws to a pair of upper and lower screw holes 75, 75 formed near both left and right ends on the upper side of front wall 71. The structure is as follows: a coil spring SP is locked to the spring fixing piece 50, and the coil spring SP holds the rear-side back surface of the commodity discharging chute 5 and reduces the impact of the commodity falling to the rear end side of the commodity discharging chute 5.

The duct 7 is disposed with its lower end placed on the bottom wall 1d of the main body cabinet 1 and with the back walls 73, 73 in contact with the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1, and a space surrounded by the front wall 71, the left and right side walls 72, and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1 (shown by broken lines in fig. 7 a) serves as a passage through which air flows, and its upper end serves as an outlet-side opening 78 facing the lower side of the commodity drop passage 46 (see fig. 1). Here, the width of the left and right side walls 72, 72 is set to a dimension L substantially equal to a predetermined gap L (see fig. 1) formed between the distal end of the attitude control plate 47 and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1. Thus, the vertical space above the outlet-side opening 78 serves as a passage without any obstacle such as the position control plate 47, and the air flowing upward from the outlet-side opening 78 is not obstructed, and the air flowing upward from the outlet-side opening 78 can reach the upper side of the commodity-dropping passage 46 (the upper end of the commodity storage box). In addition, the area of the inlet side opening 74 and the area of the outlet side opening 78 of the duct 7 are formed such that the area of the outlet side opening 78 is smaller than the area of the inlet side opening 74. Thus, when air flows in from the inlet-side opening 74 and flows out from the outlet-side opening 78, a pressure difference occurs such that the pressure at the outlet-side opening 78 is higher than the pressure in the vicinity of the inlet-side opening 74, the speed of the air flowing out from the outlet-side opening 78 is higher than the speed of the air flowing into the inlet-side opening 74, and the air flowing out from the outlet-side opening 78 has straightness. The back walls 73, 73 of the duct 7 function to improve adhesion to the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1 and to prevent damage to the sealing material forming the back wall 1c of the heat insulating panel.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a connection state between the duct 7 and the air tunnel 60 of the cooling/heating unit 6, fig. 8 (a) shows a state after the air tunnel 60 is connected to the duct 7, and fig. 8 (b) shows a state after the duct 7 and the air tunnel 60 are disassembled.

As shown in fig. 8, the air tunnel 60 has a size surrounding the inlet-side opening 74 of the duct 7, and locking pieces 611 and 612 protruding rearward are provided at the rear edges of the left and right side walls 61. The locking piece 611 is formed as a trapezoidal projection that is inserted into the slit-shaped locking groove 76 formed in the front wall 71 of the duct 7, and a bulging portion 611a is provided on the plate surface thereof. The locking piece 612 is formed as a hook-shaped projection that is inserted into a slit-shaped locking groove 77 formed in the front wall 71 of the duct 7. The plate thickness of the locking pieces 611 and 612 is smaller than the groove width of the slit-shaped locking grooves 76 and 77 formed in the front wall 71 of the duct 7, and the height of the bulging portion 611a provided in the locking piece 611 is set so that the sum of the plate thickness of the locking piece 611 and the bulging amount of the bulging portion 611a is slightly larger than the groove width of the locking groove 76.

The wind tunnel 60 is integrated with the duct 7 by: the locking pieces 611 and 612 provided on the left and right side walls 61 are inserted into the slit-shaped locking grooves 76 and 77 formed in the front wall 71 of the duct 7, and then slid downward, and the hooks of the locking pieces 612 are engaged with the back surface of the front wall 71 of the duct 7, whereby the air tunnel 60 is integrated with the duct 7 (see fig. 8 (a)). When the locking piece 611 of the air tunnel 60 is inserted into the locking groove 76 of the duct 7, the bulging portion 611a of the locking piece 611 becomes resistance when passing through the locking groove 76, and a click feeling is obtained when passing through the locking groove 76.

In the vending machine having the above-described configuration, the outer door 2 and the heat-insulating inner door 3 shown in fig. 1 are opened to load the commodity S from the commodity inlet 44 into the commodity storage passage 43 (commodity passage) defined by the commodity storage shelf 10. The commodity loaded into the commodity storage path 43 (commodity lane) first is held by the pedal member BM1 protruding into the commodity storage path 43 of the commodity carrying device BM to become a commodity in a first order of sale (also referred to as a commodity for sale), the loaded commodity is stacked in front of the commodity for sale held by the pedal member BM1 to become a next commodity for sale, and the commodities continuously loaded are sequentially stacked in front of the next commodity for sale. In this way, the commodities S stored in the commodity storage shelves 4 are cooled or heated by the cooling/heating unit 6 and stored in a cold state or a hot state suitable for sale, and are brought into a saleable state (a sales standby state).

Here, the flow of air (cold air or hot air) circulating in the commodity storage rack 4 when the commodities are cooled or heated by the cooling/heating unit 6 will be described with reference to fig. 9 and 10. Fig. 9 shows a state of the circulating airflow when the commodities (for example, commodities from the commodity to the 4 th commodity) stored in the commodity storage passage 43 (commodity lane) at the front of the sales order are cooled or heated intensively, and fig. 10 shows a state of the circulating airflow when the whole commodities stored in the commodity storage passage 43 (commodity lane) are cooled or heated. The case of intensively cooling or heating the product before sale as shown in fig. 9 is also referred to as zone cooling or zone heating, and the case of cooling or heating the entire product as shown in fig. 10 is also referred to as overall cooling or overall heating.

Although not shown, the vending machine includes a main control unit that controls the entire vending machine, the main control unit including a ROM storing various execution programs, a RAM storing various data, a CPU executing various execution programs in accordance with various input signals, and the like, and the in-cabinet lower fan F1 and the in-cabinet upper fan F2 are driven and controlled in accordance with a program for performing area cooling or area heating, and overall cooling or overall heating.

As shown in fig. 9, when zone cooling or zone heating is performed, in-compartment lower fan F1 of cooling/heating unit 6 is driven, but in-compartment upper fan F2 is stopped. In this case, the inner-compartment lower fan F1 is driven and controlled to rotate at a medium speed slower than the speed at the time of high-speed rotation. When the interior lower fan F1 is driven, the cold air cooled by the cooler 6a or the hot air heated by the heater 6b (hereinafter, the cold air cooled by the cooler 6a or the hot air heated by the heater 6b is referred to as interior air) enters the duct 7 from the air tunnel 60 of the cooling/heating unit 6 through the inlet-side opening 74 of the duct 7, and is then blown out from the outlet-side opening 78 of the duct 7 to the commodity-dropping passage 46. Here, the duct 7 is configured to: since the outlet-side opening 78 is formed so as to have a smaller area than the inlet-side opening 74 and a pressure difference is generated such that the pressure of the outlet-side opening 78 is higher than the pressure in the vicinity of the inlet-side opening 74, the speed of the in-cabin air blown out from the outlet-side opening 78 is faster than the speed of the in-cabin air entering the duct 7 from the inlet-side opening 74, and the in-cabin air blown out from the outlet-side opening 78 has straightness. Further, since the outlet-side opening 78 of the duct 7 is disposed so as to face the passage of the gap L formed between the tip of the attitude control plate 47 and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1 in the commodity dropping passage 46, the in-warehouse air having straightness blown out from the outlet-side opening 78 to the commodity dropping passage 46 becomes the circulation airflow B and is branched among the commodity-accommodating shelves 10 in the plurality of layers, and becomes the circulation airflow a which reaches above the commodity dropping passage 46 (the upper end of the commodity-accommodating warehouse) through the gap L formed between the tip of the attitude control plate 47 and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1. Further, it was confirmed through experiments (simulation) by the inventors and the like that: the circulating airflow a is a straight airflow due to the duct 7 and reaches above the commodity falling path 46 (the upper end of the commodity storage box), and as a result, the circulating airflow B is substantially equally divided into the plurality of commodity storage shelves.

Further, although the interior air in the commodity storage is sucked by the interior lower fan F1 through the vent hole 5a of the commodity discharging chute 5 by driving the interior lower fan F1, the interior air blown out from the outlet side opening 78 of the duct 7 is directly returned to the interior lower fan F1 without a shortcut because the vent hole 5a is not formed in the rear stage side of the commodity discharging chute 5.

Then, the circulating airflow B branched between the commodity storage shelves 10 washes down (japanese: wash flow) the commodities stored in the commodity storage passage 43 (commodity passage) to cool or heat the commodities. The circulating air flow B branched between the commodity-accommodating shelves 10, which has been subjected to the downward washing of the commodities, becomes a circulating air flow C, D circulating to the lower portion side of the inside of the container through the ventilation holes 10a perforated in the commodity-accommodating shelves 10 by the suction of the inside-lower fan F1, and returns to the inside-lower fan F1 through the ventilation holes 5a of the commodity output chute 5.

Here, when the commodity S is placed on the commodity-accommodating shelf board 10, the vent hole 10a of the projected portion of the commodity S viewed from the upstream side in the flow direction of the circulating airflow C, D is blocked by the commodity S, but the vent hole 10a corresponding to the gap outside the projected portion of the commodity S, that is, the gap between the commodity and the partition member 42 (or the shelf side plate 41) due to the width of the commodity-accommodating passage 43 (commodity passage) being set slightly longer than the length of the commodity S, is opened. Therefore, when the commodity S is placed on the commodity-accommodating shelf 10, the circulating airflow C, D is also formed (when the commodity S is compared with a sliding window of a japanese building, the circulating airflow C, D corresponds to a harmful wind). In this case, a commodity discharge device BM that discharges commodities S stored in the commodity storage passage 43 one by one is disposed at a portion of the rear surface of the commodity storage shelf 10 that is located in the passage of the circulating airflow C, and the vent hole 10a of the commodity storage shelf 10 is also closed by the commodity discharge device BM. As a result, the volume of the circulating airflow C is reduced, and the vent hole 10a perforated at a high perforation rate in the commodity-accommodating shelf 10 serves as a passage for the circulating airflow D, and the volume of the circulating airflow D is increased, and the circulating airflow D becomes a main airflow of the airflow returned to the indoor lower fan F1. In this way, when the area cooling or the area heating is performed, the inside-lower fan F1 is driven and controlled at an intermediate speed, and the inside air is converted into the circulating airflows a to D through the duct 7, whereby the commodities S stored in the commodity storage rack 4 that are located at the front of the sales order can be intensively cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for the sales.

As shown in fig. 10, when the cooling-as-a-whole or the heating-as-a-whole is performed, the in-compartment lower fan F1 and the in-compartment upper fan F2 of the cooling/heating unit 6 are driven. In this case, the in-house lower fan F1 and the in-house upper fan F2 are driven and controlled to rotate at high speed. The interior lower fan F1 is driven to rotate at high speed, and the interior air blown out through the duct 7 into the commodity falling path 46 becomes a circulating airflow a having a stronger straight traveling property due to the function of the duct 7, and reaches above the commodity falling path 46 (the upper end of the commodity storage box). In this case, the straightness of the inside air blown out to the commodity falling path 46 through the duct 7 is enhanced by the high-speed rotational driving of the inside lower fan F1 and the inside upper fan F2 in combination with the suction force by the high-speed rotational driving of the inside upper fan F2, and therefore, the circulation air flow B as shown in fig. 9 is not generated.

The circulating airflow a (in-compartment air) sucked by the driving of the in-compartment upper fan F2 is blown out by the in-compartment upper fan F2 toward the front of the commodity storage compartment to become the circulating airflow F. The direction of the inside air (circulation flow F) blown out toward the front of the commodity storage by the inside upper fan F2 is turned downward by the airflow direction changing member WC, and the inside air (circulation flow F) becomes a circulation flow D returning to the inside lower fan F1, and on the other hand, is divided into a circulation flow E toward the front of the commodity storage and a circulation flow G toward the rear of the commodity storage. The recycle stream E, G is generated by: the volume of the inside air (circulation airflow F) blown out toward the front of the commodity storage by the inside upper fan F2 is larger than the volume of the circulation airflow D, and the circulation airflow D is blown out toward the commodities and spreads in the front-rear direction of the commodity storage, thereby generating a circulation airflow E, G. The circulating air flow E cools or heats the commodities accommodated in the commodity-accommodating passage 43 (commodity passage) by washing down the commodities, and then descends along the inner wall surface of the inner door 3, and then returns to the inner-lower fan F1 through the vent hole 5a of the commodity-discharging chute 5. Further, a circulating air flow H is generated from the circulating air flow E via the vent hole 10a perforated in the middle area MT of the commodity-accommodating shelf 10, and the circulating air flow H descends along the wall surface of the rack side plate 41 or the partition member 42, and then returns to the in-compartment lower fan F1 via the vent hole 5a of the commodity output chute 5. The circulation air flow G toward the rear of the commodity storage box joins the circulation air flow a after washing down commodities stored in the commodity storage passage 43 (commodity passage). The circulation air flow G is generated only on the upper layer side of the commodity-accommodating shelf 10 on which the in-box upper fan F2 is disposed (i.e., sucked by the in-box upper fan F2), and becomes the circulation air flow C on the lower layer side of the commodity-accommodating shelf 10.

In this way, when the entire cooling or the entire heating is performed, the inside lower fan F1 and the inside upper fan F2 are driven and controlled to rotate at a high speed, and the inside air becomes the circulating airflows a to H via the duct 7, whereby the commodities stored in all the areas of the commodity storage rack 4 can be cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale.

As described above, according to the vending machine of embodiment 1, the following effects can be provided: the main cabinet 1 constructed as a heat insulating case is provided with, from top to bottom: a commodity storage rack 4 in which a plurality of commodity storage shelves 10 are arranged in a vertical direction, the commodity storage shelves 10 defining a commodity storage passage 43, the commodity storage passage 43 storing a plurality of commodities S arranged in a row in a horizontal posture in a front-rear direction; a commodity output chute 5 which is inclined in a low front and high rear direction; a cooling and heating means (cooling/heating means 6) for cooling or heating the commodities S stored in the commodity storage path 43 to a temperature suitable for sale, wherein the commodity storage shelf 10 is inclined so that a rear side of the commodity outlet 45 is lower than a front side of the commodity inlet 44, a commodity discharging device BM for discharging the commodities S stored in the commodity storage path 43 in a horizontal posture one by one is provided in the vicinity of the commodity outlet 45, a commodity falling path 46 extending in a vertical direction is formed between a rear end of the commodity storage shelf 10 and a back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1, commodities discharged from the commodity discharging device BM are sent to the commodity discharge chute 5 through the commodity falling path 46, and a straight-moving stabilizing means (duct 7) is provided in the automatic vending machine, the straight-traveling stabilizing member (duct 7) connects the lower inside fan F1 to the lower side of the commodity-falling path 46, the lower inside fan F1 transports the cold air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling heating member (cooling/heating unit 6), and the straight-traveling stabilizing member (duct 7) guides the cold air or hot air transported by the lower inside fan F1 to the lower side of the commodity-falling path 46 and makes the cold air or hot air travel straight upward from the lower side of the commodity-falling path 46, whereby the cold air or hot air circulating upward from the lower side of the commodity-falling path 46 can sufficiently reach the commodity-receiving shelf 10 on the upper layer side due to its straightness, and the commodities S stored in a predetermined area in the commodity-receiving path 43 partitioned and formed by the commodity-receiving shelves 10 from the lower layer side to the upper layer side can be cooled or heated without fail, the temperature difference between the commodities S stored in the commodity-storing passage 43 defined by the commodity-storing shelves 10 from the lower layer side to the upper layer side can be suppressed to a minimum.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the duct 7 is used as the straight-line stabilizer has been described, but the straight-line stabilizer may be configured by at least one of a flat plate-shaped flow control member, a honeycomb structure, a structure forming a spiral flow, or a combination thereof, and is not limited to the embodiment.

(embodiment mode 2)

Hereinafter, a vending machine according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 11 is a schematic side view of an automatic vending machine for vending canned beverages or plastic bottled beverages as an example of an automatic vending machine according to embodiment 2 to which the present invention is directed, fig. 12 is a perspective view of the cooling/heating unit and the commodity output chute of fig. 11 viewed from obliquely right above, fig. 13 is an explanatory view showing a flow of air (cold air or hot air) circulating in the commodity storage box when the commodities stored in the commodity storage rack of fig. 11 before being sold are intensively cooled or heated, and fig. 14 is an explanatory view showing a flow of air (cold air or hot air) circulating in the commodity storage box when the whole commodities stored in the commodity storage rack of fig. 11 are cooled or heated. Embodiment 2 is different from embodiment 1 in the height of the duct and the area of the vent hole of the commodity output chute, and the other configuration is the same as embodiment 1. Therefore, members that are the same as or have the same functions as those in fig. 11 to 14 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 11, the duct 7a shown in embodiment 2 extends to an area above the rear end of the uppermost commodity-accommodating shelf plate 10 of the commodity falling passage 46, as compared with the duct 7 shown in embodiment 1 (see fig. 1), and the upper end portion of the duct 7a is opened similarly to the duct 7 and has the same entire width as the commodity storage box. The duct 7a is disposed along the rear surface of the commodity storage box (the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1), an inlet-side opening 74 of the duct 7a facing the outlet of the air tunnel 60 communicates with a lower region of the commodity dropping passage 46, and an outlet-side opening 78a is provided at an upper end portion of the duct 7 a. The duct 7a constitutes a straight-running stabilizing member in embodiment 2.

Here, the flow of air (cold air or hot air) circulating in the commodity storage rack 4 when the commodities are cooled or heated by the cooling/heating unit 6 will be described with reference to fig. 13 and 14. Fig. 13 shows a state of the circulating airflow when the commodities (for example, commodities from the commodity to the 2 nd commodity) stored in the commodity storage passage 43 (commodity lane) at the front of the sales order are cooled or heated intensively, and fig. 14 shows a state of the circulating airflow when the whole commodities stored in the commodity storage passage 43 (commodity lane) are cooled or heated. The case of intensively cooling or heating the product before sale as shown in fig. 13 is also referred to as zone cooling or zone heating, and the case of cooling or heating the entire product as shown in fig. 14 is also referred to as overall cooling or overall heating.

Although not shown, the vending machine includes a main control unit that controls the entire vending machine, the main control unit including a ROM storing various execution programs, a RAM storing various data, a CPU executing various execution programs in accordance with various input signals, and the like, and the in-cabinet lower fan F1 and the in-cabinet upper fan F2 are driven and controlled in accordance with a program for performing area cooling or area heating, and overall cooling or overall heating.

As shown in fig. 13, when zone cooling or zone heating is performed, in-compartment lower fan F1 of cooling/heating unit 6 is driven, but in-compartment upper fan F2 is stopped. In this case, the inner-compartment lower fan F1 is driven and controlled to rotate at a medium speed slower than the speed at the time of high-speed rotation. When the in-compartment lower fan F1 is driven, the cold air cooled by the cooler 6a or the hot air heated by the heater 6b (hereinafter, the cold air cooled by the cooler 6a or the hot air heated by the heater 6b is referred to as in-compartment air) enters the duct 7a from the air tunnel 60 of the cooling/heating unit 6 via the inlet-side opening 74 of the duct 7a, and is then blown out to the interior upper side from the outlet-side opening 78a of the duct 7 a. Then, the air blown out to the inside upper side from the outlet-side opening 78a becomes resistant to the inside upper fan F2 and the mounting member 410 (see fig. 4) whose driving has been stopped, and the wind direction is diverted to the commodity-dropping passage 46 to become the circulating airflow B1. The circulating airflow B1 is a circulating airflow B11 branched by the attitude control plate 47 toward the front commodity S stored in the commodity storage rack 4 and a downward circulating airflow B12 passing through a plurality of vent holes 47a (see fig. 2) provided in the plate surface of the attitude control plate 47, and is branched to the plurality of commodity storage shelves.

Further, although the interior air in the commodity storage is sucked by the interior lower fan F1 through the air vent hole 5A of the commodity discharge chute 5A by driving the interior lower fan F1, the duct 7a of embodiment 2 extends to the rear end of the uppermost commodity-storing shelf, and the interior air a1 is blown out from the outlet-side opening 78a at the upper end of the duct 7a, so that the interior air a1 directly returns to the interior lower fan F1 without a shortcut. Further, as shown in fig. 12, since the commodity discharge chute 5A is perforated with the plurality of vent holes 5A over the entire chute surface on which commodities fall, the downward wind speed of the circulating airflow B1 increases, and the amount of wind of the circulating airflow B11 branched between the commodity-accommodating shelves 10 and the circulating airflow B12 passing through the plurality of vent holes provided on the plate surface of the attitude control plate 47 increases, thereby promoting the area cooling or the area heating.

The circulating airflow B11 diverted between the commodity-accommodating shelves 10 washes down the commodities S accommodated in the commodity-accommodating passage 43 (commodity passage) and positioned in the front of the sales order to cool or heat the commodities S positioned in the front of the sales order. The circulating air flow B11, which has washed down the commodities S and has branched between the commodity-accommodating shelves 10, is drawn by the lower inside fan F1 into circulating air flows C1 and D1 that are directed toward the lower inside of the compartment through the vent holes 10a bored in the commodity-accommodating shelves 10, and returns to the lower inside fan F1 through the vent holes 5A of the commodity output chute 5A.

Here, when the commodities S are placed on the commodity-accommodating shelf board 10, the vent hole 10a at the projected portion of the commodities S as viewed from the upstream side in the flow direction of the circulating airflows C1, D1 is blocked by the commodities S, but the vent hole 10a corresponding to the gap outside the projected portion of the commodities S, that is, the gap between the commodities and the partition member 42 (or the rack side plate 41) generated by setting the width of the commodity-accommodating passage 43 (commodity passage) slightly longer than the length of the commodities S, is opened. Therefore, when the commodity S is placed on the commodity-accommodating shelf 10, the circulating airflows C1 and D1 are also formed (when the commodity S is compared with a sliding window of a japanese building, the circulating airflows C1 and D1 correspond to harmful wind). In this case, the commodity discharge device BM that discharges the commodities S stored in the commodity storage passage 43 one by one is disposed at a portion of the rear surface of the commodity storage shelf 10 that is positioned in the passage of the circulating airflows C1, D1, and the vent hole 10a of the commodity storage shelf 10 is also closed by the commodity discharge device BM. Accordingly, the volume of the circulating airflow C1 is reduced, and the ventilation holes 10a perforated at a high perforation rate in the commodity-accommodating shelf 10 serve as passages for the circulating airflow D1, and the volume of the circulating airflow D1 is increased, so that the circulating airflow D1 serves as the main airflow of the airflow returning to the indoor lower fan F1. In this way, when the district cooling or the district heating is performed, the inside-lower fan F1 is driven and controlled to have an intermediate speed, and the inside air becomes the circulating airflows a1 to D1 via the duct 7a, whereby the commodities S stored in the commodity storage rack 4 that are in front of the sale position can be intensively cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale.

As shown in fig. 14, when the cooling-as-a-whole or the heating-as-a-whole is performed, the in-compartment lower fan F1 and the in-compartment upper fan F2 of the cooling/heating unit 6 are driven. In this case, the in-house lower fan F1 and the in-house upper fan F2 are driven and controlled to rotate at high speed. The inside-lower fan F1 is driven to rotate at high speed, and the inside air blown out through the duct 7a into the commodity-dropping passage 46 becomes a circulating airflow a1 having a stronger straightness due to the function of the duct 7a, and reaches above the commodity-dropping passage 46 (the upper end of the commodity storage box). In this case, the straightness of the inside air blown out to the commodity drop passage 46 through the upper opening 78a of the duct 7a and the suction force by the high-speed rotational drive of the inside upper fan F2 are combined by the high-speed rotational drive of the inside lower fan F1 and the inside upper fan F2, and therefore the straightness of the circulating air flow a1 is enhanced, and the circulating air flow B1 as shown in fig. 13 is not generated.

The circulating air flow a1 (in-compartment air) sucked by the driving of the in-compartment upper fan F2 is blown out toward the front of the commodity storage compartment by the in-compartment upper fan F2 to become a circulating air flow F3. The direction of the inside air (circulation airflow F3) blown out toward the front of the commodity storage by the inside upper fan F2 is turned downward by the airflow direction changing member WC, and the inside air (circulation airflow F3) becomes the circulation airflow D1 returning to the inside lower fan F1, and on the other hand, is divided into the circulation airflow E1 toward the front of the commodity storage and the circulation airflow G1 toward the rear of the commodity storage. The circulating gas flows E1, G1 are generated by: the volume of the inside air (circulation airflow F3) blown out toward the front of the commodity storage by the inside upper fan F2 is larger than the volume of the circulation airflow D1, and the circulation airflow D1 is blown out toward the commodities and spreads in the front-rear direction of the commodity storage, thereby generating circulation airflows E1 and G1. The circulating air flow E1 descends along the inner wall surface of the inner door 3 after cooling or heating the commodities stored in the commodity storage passage 43 (commodity passage) by washing down the commodities, and then returns to the inner lower fan F1 through the vent hole 5A of the commodity discharge chute 5A. Further, a circulating air flow H1 is generated from the circulating air flow E1 through a vent hole 10a (see fig. 3) perforated in the middle area MT of the commodity-accommodating shelf 10, and the circulating air flow H1 descends along the wall surface of the rack side plate 41 or the partition member 42, and then returns to the in-compartment lower fan F1 through a vent hole 5A of the commodity output chute 5A. The circulation air flow G1 directed to the rear of the commodity storage box joins the circulation air flow a1 after washing down the commodities accommodated in the commodity accommodating passage 43 (commodity passage). The circulating air flow G1 is generated only on the upper layer side of the commodity-accommodating shelf 10 on which the in-compartment upper fan F2 is disposed (i.e., sucked by the in-compartment upper fan F2), and becomes the circulating air flow C1 on the lower layer side of the commodity-accommodating shelf 10.

In this way, when the entire cooling or the entire heating is performed, the inside lower fan F1 and the inside upper fan F2 are driven and controlled to rotate at a high speed, and the inside air becomes the circulating airflows a1 to H1 via the duct 7a, whereby the commodities stored in all the areas of the commodity storage rack 4 can be cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale.

Claims (9)

1. An automatic vending machine, which is provided with a commodity storage chamber constructed as a main cabinet body of a heat insulation shell, from top to bottom: a commodity storage rack in which a plurality of commodity storage shelves are arranged in the vertical direction, the commodity storage shelves defining a commodity storage passage for storing a plurality of commodities arranged in a row in the front-rear direction in a horizontal posture; a commodity output chute inclined in a low front and high rear direction; a cooling and heating member that cools or heats commodities accommodated in the commodity accommodating passage to a temperature suitable for sale, wherein the commodity accommodating shelf is inclined such that a rear side, which becomes a commodity discharge port, is lower than a front side, which becomes a commodity input port, a commodity discharging device that discharges and discharges commodities accommodated in the commodity accommodating passage in a horizontal posture one by one is provided in the vicinity of the commodity discharge port, a commodity falling passage extending in a vertical direction is formed between a rear end of the commodity accommodating shelf and a back wall of a main body cabinet, and commodities discharged from the commodity discharging device are discharged onto a commodity discharge chute via the commodity falling passage,

the vending machine includes a straight-traveling stabilizing member that connects a lower fan in the interior that conveys cold air or heated hot air cooled by the cooling heating member to a lower portion of the commodity falling path and that guides the cold air or hot air conveyed by the lower fan in the interior to a lower portion of the commodity falling path and that causes the cold air or hot air to travel straight upward from the lower portion of the commodity falling path,

wherein the vending machine is additionally provided with an inner upper fan which is positioned above the rear end of the uppermost commodity storage shelf and is used for conveying cold air or hot air circulating in the commodity falling passage to the front of the commodity storage,

the lower fan and the upper fan are driven when the whole of the commodities stored in the commodity storage rack are cooled or heated, and the lower fan is driven but the upper fan is stopped when the commodities stored in the region of the commodity storage passage near the rear end of the commodity storage shelf are cooled or heated.

2. The vending machine of claim 1,

the vending machine is additionally provided with a wind direction conversion member for converting the direction of cold air or hot air circulating from the rear to the front to the lower side at a position approximately in the middle of the front-rear direction of the uppermost commodity storage shelf.

3. The vending machine of claim 1,

the straight-line stabilizing member is composed of a duct having an inlet side facing the lower fan in the interior and an outlet side facing below the commodity falling passage, and the duct increases the wind speed on the outlet side so that a pressure difference is formed between the inlet side and the outlet side so that the pressure on the outlet side is higher than the pressure on the inlet side.

4. The vending machine of claim 1,

the straight-line stabilizer is composed of at least one of a flat plate-like flow-regulating member, a honeycomb structure, and a structure forming a spiral flow.

5. The vending machine of claim 1,

the commodity storage shelf is provided with a plurality of vent holes, and the perforation ratio in the middle area in the front-back direction of the commodity storage shelf is the highest.

6. The vending machine of claim 1,

the vent hole of the commodity discharge chute is formed through the commodity discharge chute at a position other than the rear side close to the commodity falling passage.

7. The vending machine of claim 1,

the vending machine has a posture control plate at the rear end of the commodity storage shelf, the posture control plate rotates between a protruding position protruding to the commodity falling passage and a retreating position pushed by the falling commodity and retreated from the commodity falling passage, and a plurality of vent holes are arranged on the plate surface of the posture control plate in a penetrating way.

8. The vending machine of claim 1,

the straight-going stabilizing component is a pipeline as follows: the duct has an inlet-side opening facing the lower fan in the interior and an outlet-side opening extending to a region above a rear end of the uppermost commodity-accommodating shelf in the commodity falling path, and is disposed along the back wall of the main body cabinet on the back side of the commodity falling path.

9. The vending machine of claim 8,

the vent hole of the commodity output chute is formed by penetrating a plurality of vent holes on the whole surface of the chute surface of the commodity output chute, wherein the commodity falls down.

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