CN114944034A - Commodity storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

A commodity storage device is provided, which improves convenience by only assembling and disassembling a commodity guide. The commodity column (50) includes a screw (55) that is formed in a commodity-accommodating passage (45) extending in the front-rear direction and that is spirally wound in the extending direction of the commodity-accommodating passage (45), when the screw (55) rotates around the central axis, the commodity kept between the pitches of the screw (55) is gradually carried out towards the front and the forefront commodity is sent out, the commodity guide (60) is inserted into the screw (55), extends along the front-back direction and is used for carrying the commodity on the upper surface, the front end portion (615) of the commodity guide (60) is attached to a front frame portion (311) which is the front end portion of a base (30) constituting the bottom surface of a commodity storage passage (45), and the rear end portion (60a) is disposed in a state of being placed on a part of a screw (55) so as to be capable of sliding in contact with the part of the screw (55).

Description

Commodity storage device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a product storage device, and more particularly, to a product storage device applied to an automatic vending machine that sells products.

Background

Conventionally, in a vending machine that sells products, it is known that the products stored in a product rack of a product storage are delivered to a carrier, and then the products are carried by the carrier and delivered to a predetermined product delivery area. The commodity taking out area is a space communicating with the outside of the commodity storage through the commodity taking out port, and when a user inserts a hand into the commodity taking out port, a purchased commodity can be taken out.

In general, in such an automatic vending machine, a part of a front door constituting a front surface is formed of a transparent panel such as glass, and it is possible to observe and select products stored in a product rack of a product storage from the outside and to observe a state in which purchased products delivered from the product rack are conveyed to a product delivery area by a conveyance tray. In this way, according to the vending machine capable of observing the inside of the product storage, there is an advantage that the purchase desire of the user can be enhanced.

In such a product rack in the vending machine, a plurality of product columns are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Each commodity column constituting the commodity shelf has a commodity storage passage extending in the front-rear direction, and is configured to include a screw and a commodity guide.

The spiral is configured to be spirally wound in the extending direction of the commodity accommodating passage, i.e., the front-rear direction. When a driving force is transmitted from a motor as a driving source via a transmission mechanism, the screw rotates about the central shaft.

The product guide is, for example, a long member made of a metal plate or the like and having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. The commodity guide extends in the front-rear direction so as to penetrate through the inside of the screw, and has a front end portion attached to a front end portion of the base constituting the bottom surface of the commodity storage passage and a rear end portion attached to a mounting member penetrating through a hollow portion constituted in the transmission mechanism. The article guide is a member on which an article is placed on the upper surface.

In the commodity column having such a configuration, commodities are normally held between the respective pitches of the screw, and when the screw rotates, the commodities held between the respective pitches are gradually carried out forward and the forefront commodity is carried out (see, for example, patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6443459

Disclosure of Invention

In the above-described commodity column, depending on the type of commodity to be stored, it may be desirable to place the commodity held between the respective pitches on the base without placing the commodity on the upper surface of the commodity guide, and in this case, it is preferable to detach the commodity guide.

However, in the commodity column proposed in patent document 1, since the front end portion of the commodity guide is attached to the front end portion of the base and the rear end portion is attached to the attachment, it is not possible to remove only the commodity guide, and it is not excellent in terms of convenience.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a commodity storage device capable of improving convenience by attaching and detaching only a commodity guide.

In order to achieve the above object, a commodity storage device according to the present invention includes a screw spirally wound in a commodity storage passage extending in a front-rear direction in an extending direction of the commodity storage passage, when the spiral rotates around the central axis, the commodity storage device gradually carries out the commodities held between the pitches of the spiral towards the front and sends out the frontmost commodity, characterized in that the utility model comprises a commodity guide piece which extends along the front and back direction in a mode of being inserted into the spiral piece, and a commodity is placed on the upper surface, a front end portion of the commodity guide is attached to a front end portion of a base constituting a bottom surface of the commodity storage passage, and a rear end portion of the commodity guide is placed in a state of being capable of sliding contact with a part of the screw.

In the above-described commodity storage device, at least a lower surface of the rear end portion of the commodity guide is made of a low-friction material.

In the commodity storage device according to the present invention, the low friction material is a resin material.

In the above-described commodity storage device, a lower surface of the rear end portion of the commodity guide is inclined upward gradually toward the rear.

According to the present invention, since the front end portion of the commodity guide extending in the front-rear direction so as to be inserted into the screw and having the commodity placed on the upper surface thereof is attached to the front end portion of the base constituting the bottom surface of the commodity accommodating passage, and the rear end portion is disposed in a state of being slidably contacted with a part of the screw and placed on a part of the screw, the commodity guide can be detached by detaching the front end portion from the front end portion of the base. In addition, the commodity guide can be provided by inserting the commodity guide through the inside of the screw in a state in which the screw is attached, and thus the commodity guide can be attached and detached without detaching the screw. Therefore, only by attaching and detaching the commodity guide, the effect of improving convenience can be achieved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing an external configuration of a vending machine to which a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing an internal structure of a vending machine to which a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one of the commodity rack shown in fig. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the commodity rack shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of the commodity rack shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the driving unit shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the drive unit, the transmission member, and the screw, which are components of the commodity column.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the article guide shown in fig. 3 and 5.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the article guide shown in fig. 3 and 5.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where the article guide shown in fig. 8 and 9 is mounted.

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the merchandise column shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the merchandise column according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the article guide shown in fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the article guide shown in fig. 12.

Description of the symbols

1 … vending machine,

10 … main body cabinet,

11 … commodity storage,

13 … commodity shelf,

20 … front surface door,

30 … base,

31 … base frame,

311 … front frame part,

312 … a rear frame portion,

313. 314 … a side frame part,

32 … base plate,

40 … partition board,

45 … commodity storage passage,

50 … commodity column (commodity storage device),

51 … drive unit,

53 … a transmission member,

55 … spiral piece,

60 … commodity guide,

60a … rear end portion,

61 … guide body portion,

611 … at its base,

612 … left side part,

613 … right side part,

614 … rear surface portion,

615 … front end part,

62 … guide the cover.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the commodity storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 and 2 each show a vending machine to which a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, fig. 1 is a front view showing an external configuration of the vending machine, and fig. 2 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing an internal configuration of the vending machine. The vending machine 1 illustrated here is installed in a store or the like, for example, and includes a main body cabinet 10 as an apparatus main body.

The main body cabinet 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped housing having an opening (hereinafter, also referred to as a front opening) 10a on a front surface, and has a commodity storage 11 inside. The commodity storage 11 is a chamber having a heat insulating structure surrounded by a heat insulating material, and the commodity rack 13 is provided with a plurality of layers in the vertical direction. The commodity racks 13 are respectively erected between unillustrated rack support side plates erected on both sides of the commodity storage 11, and store commodities.

The product storage 11 is provided with an evaporator 14 a. The evaporator 14a, and the compressor 14b, the condenser 14c, and the expansion mechanism 14d of the equipment room 12 disposed in the lower region of the commodity storage container 11 constitute a refrigerant circuit 14 for circulating the refrigerant, and the refrigerant passing through a refrigerant passage, not shown, of the evaporator itself and the internal air passing through the commodity storage container 11 around the evaporator itself are heat-exchanged to cool the air.

By driving the in-compartment air blowing fan 15, the air cooled around the evaporator 14 is sucked into the air passage 16b from the air inlet 16a of the rear duct 16 provided on the rear surface of the commodity storage compartment 11, and is blown out from the air outlet 16c after passing through the air passage 16b, thereby cooling the commodities accommodated in the commodity rack 13.

In a front area of the commodity-placing shelf 13 of the commodity storage 11, conveying rails 17a are disposed in a pair on both sides thereof in the left-right direction, and a conveying bracket is disposed so as to be movable in the vertical direction between the conveying rails 17a by a conveying mechanism, not shown. That is, a conveyance path 17 through which the conveyance carriage 17b passes is formed between the conveyance rails 17 a. The conveyance path 17 extends to the front area of the equipment room 12, and the lowermost position in the front area of the equipment room 12 is a commodity retrieval area 18.

The front opening 10a of the main body case 10 is opened and closed by a front door 20. The front door 20 is a door body having a size sufficient to close the front opening 10a, and is provided swingably at a left side edge portion on the front side of the main body cabinet 10.

The front door 20 has a heat insulating structure, and includes a window portion 21, a glass plate 21a having heat insulating properties enabling the inside to be viewed from the outside is attached to the window portion 21, and a rectangular commodity outlet 22 is formed in a lower portion of the window portion 21.

The article takeout port 22 is an opening through which a user takes out an article conveyed to the article takeout area 18 by the conveyance bracket 17b, and is opened and closed by an article takeout door 23.

The front door 20 is provided with a commodity selection unit 24, a coin insertion port 25, a bill insertion port 26, a card reader 27, a coin return port 28, and the like, on the right side of the window 21.

The product selection unit 24 has a numeric keypad, a display, and the like, and is a means for allowing the user to select a product. The coin inlet 25 is an opening through which coins are inserted. The bill insertion slot 26 is an opening for inserting a bill.

When a recording medium storing information on the amount of money called electronic money is held in a predetermined communication-enabled area, data relating to the money is transmitted and received between the card reader 27 and the recording medium. The coin return opening 28 is an opening for returning the inserted coins, or for returning change or the like.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one of the commodity rack 13 shown in fig. 1 and 2. Note that the plurality of commodity racks 13 shown in fig. 1 and 2 have the same configuration, and hereinafter, one commodity rack 13 will be described, and the description of the other commodity racks 13 will be omitted.

The commodity shelf 13 illustrated here includes a base 30, a partition 40, and a plurality of commodity columns (commodity storage devices) 50.

The base 30 is made of a metal plate or the like, and includes a base frame 31 and a base plate 32. As shown in fig. 4, the base frame 31 has a rectangular shape in which a front frame portion 311, a rear frame portion 312, and a pair of left and right side frame portions 313 and 314 are combined into a four-sided frame, and has a rectangular opening, not shown.

The front frame portion 311 is an elongated member whose left-right direction is the longitudinal direction, and constitutes the front end portion of the base 30. The rear frame portion 312 is an elongated member whose left-right direction is the longitudinal direction, and is also a flat plate-like member protruding upward. The left side frame portion (hereinafter, also referred to as a left side frame portion) 313 extends in the front-rear direction so as to connect the left end portion of the front frame portion 311 and the left end portion of the rear frame portion 312, and is attached with a left wall portion 313a extending in the front-rear direction. The right side frame portion (hereinafter, also referred to as a right side frame portion) 314 extends in the front-rear direction so as to connect the right end portion of the front frame portion 311 and the right end portion of the rear frame portion 312, and is attached with a right wall portion 314a extending in the front-rear direction.

The base plate 32 is mounted on the base housing 31 so as to close the rectangular opening. As shown in fig. 4, in the base plate 32, a plurality of concave portions 321 extending in the front-rear direction are arranged in the left-right direction, and a flat portion 322 is formed between the concave portions 321 adjacent to each other.

The partition plate 40 is provided in plural, and each is an elongated plate-like member made of a metal plate or the like. In these partition plates 40, the lower end locking pieces 41 formed at the lower end portions are inserted into the lower locking holes 322a (see fig. 5) formed in the flat surface portions 322 of the base plate 32, the rear end locking pieces 42 formed at the rear end portions are inserted into the rear locking holes 312a (see fig. 5) formed in the rear frame portion 312 of the base frame body 31, and the attachment pieces 43 formed at the lower end portions are attached to the base plate 32 via the attachment pins 44, whereby the partition plates 40 are fixedly supported on the base 30 so that the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the front-rear direction, as shown in fig. 4.

As described above, by fixing and supporting the plurality of partition plates 40 on the base 30, the commodity-accommodating passages 45 extending in the front-rear direction are defined between the partition plates 40 adjacent to each other, between the left wall portion 313a and the leftmost partition plate 40 adjacent thereto, and between the right wall portion 314a and the rightmost partition plate 40 adjacent thereto. The base plate 32 forms the bottom surface of each commodity storage passage 45, and particularly, the plurality of concave portions 321 of the base plate 32 form the bottom of each commodity storage passage 45. In the rear frame portion 312, a circular coupling hole 312b is formed in a portion that becomes a rear surface of each commodity accommodating passage 45.

Each of the plurality of commodity columns 50 is provided corresponding to the commodity storage passage 45, and as shown in fig. 5, includes a drive unit 51 (see fig. 4), a transmission member 53, a screw 55, and a commodity guide 60.

In addition, although the rotation directions and the like of the screws 55 of the plurality of commodity columns 50 arranged in line on the commodity shelf 13 may be different, the basic configuration is the same, and therefore, the commodity column 50 shown in fig. 5 will be described below, and the description of the other commodity columns 50 will be omitted.

As shown in fig. 4, the drive unit 51 is attached to the rear frame portion 312. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the driving unit 51 shown in fig. 4. As shown in fig. 6, the drive unit 51 is configured such that a motor 512, an output gear 513, and a carry-out detection switch 514 are housed in a pair of front and rear drive cases 511a and 511 b.

The motor 512 is a drive source driven by a drive command received from a control unit, not shown. The output gear 513 has a substantially annular shape, and has a first output tooth portion 513a formed on an outer peripheral edge portion and a second output tooth portion 513b formed on an inner peripheral edge portion. The output gear 513 is housed inside the drive housings 511a and 511b such that the second output tooth portion 513b is exposed from the inner surface of the through hole 511c formed in the drive housings 511a and 511 b. Here, the through hole 511c extends in the front-rear direction at substantially the center portion of the drive cases 511a and 511 b.

The output gear 513 is interlocked with the motor 512 via an interlocking gear unit 515. The interlocking gear unit 515 includes: a first interlocking gear 515a engaged with the output shaft 512a of the motor 512; and a second linking gear 515b that meshes with the first linking gear 515 a. Since the first output tooth 513a is meshed with the second linkage gear 515b, the output gear 513 can rotate about its central axis. The output gear 513 is housed in the drive cases 511a and 511b so that the central axis thereof coincides with the central axis of the through hole 511c of the drive cases 511a and 511 b.

The carry-out detection switch 514 is housed in the drive cases 511a and 511b so as to be positioned on the right side of the output gear 513. The carry-out detection switch 514 is provided with a carry-out contact not shown. The carry-out contactor is urged by an urging mechanism, not shown, to determine a standby posture thereof. The carry-out detection switch 514 sends a low-level signal to the electrically connected control unit when the carry-out contact is in the standby posture without being pressed, and sends a high-level signal to the control unit when the carry-out contact is pressed by a protrusion, not shown, formed on the output gear 513 and displaced against the urging force of the urging mechanism. That is, the carry-out detection switch 514 is disposed at a position where the carry-out contact can come into contact with the projection of the output gear 513.

The drive unit 51 having such a configuration is attached by inserting the plurality of engagement pieces 52 formed in the drive cases 511a and 511b into the engagement holes 312c formed in the rear frame portion 312, respectively, to engage with the rear frame portion 312. In this case, the drive unit 51 is attached to the rear frame portion 312 such that the through holes 511c of the drive cases 511a and 511b are aligned with the coupling holes 312b of the rear frame portion 312, and the second output tooth portions 513b of the output gear 513 are exposed from the front through the coupling holes 312 b.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the drive unit 51, the transmission member 53, and the screw 55, which are components of the commodity column 50. This fig. 7 will be appropriately used to explain the transmission member 53 and the screw 55.

The transmission member 53 is formed by integrally forming a transmission base 531, a first transmission shaft 532, and a second transmission shaft 533. The transmission base 531 is in the form of a bottomed cylinder, and a through hole (not shown) is formed in the center of the bottom portion 531 a.

The first transmission shaft portion 532 is a cylindrical portion formed so as to protrude rearward from the rear surface of the bottom portion 531a of the transmission base portion 531. The first transmission shaft portion 532 has an outer diameter that can be inserted into the through hole 511c of the drive housings 511a and 511b, and the inside thereof communicates with the through hole portion. In addition, engagement pieces 532a are formed at portions of the rear end portion of the first transmission shaft portion 532 which face each other. An engaging projection 532b is formed at each end of the engaging piece 532a, and engages with a part of the second output tooth portion 513b of the output gear 513. Thereby, the transmission member 53 can rotate around its central axis integrally with the output gear 513. Here, the central axis of the transmission member 53 coincides with the central axis of the through hole 511c of the drive housings 511a and 511b and the central axis of the output gear 513.

The second transmission shaft portion 533 is formed so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the bottom portion 531a of the transmission base 531, and the inside thereof communicates with the through hole portion. In other words, the interior of the second transmission shaft portion 533 constitutes a hollow portion together with the through hole portion of the transmission base portion 531 and the interior of the first transmission shaft portion 532. In addition, the central axis of the second transmission shaft portion 533 coincides with the central axis of the first transmission shaft portion 532, and coincides with the central axis of the transmission member 53.

The screw 55 is formed by, for example, spirally winding a metal rod-like body in the front-rear direction. Such a screw 55 has a rear end portion coupled to the transmission base 531 of the transmission member 53 such that a central axis thereof coincides with a central axis of the transmission member 53 (a central axis of the output gear 513), and the screw 55 is rotatable integrally with the transmission member 53.

The screw 55 rotates around the central axis, and thereby the commodity held between the pitches is gradually carried out forward, and the commodity held between the foremost pitches is carried out.

Further, although the carry-out detection switch 514 detects the rotation of the output gear 513 by bringing the carry-out contact into contact with the projection provided on the output gear 513, the output gear 513 and the transmission member 53 rotate integrally, and further the screw 55 and the transmission member 53 rotate integrally, so that the carry-out detection switch 514 finally detects the rotation of the screw 55.

Fig. 8 and 9 show the article guide 60 shown in fig. 3 and 5, respectively, with fig. 8 being a perspective view and fig. 9 being an exploded perspective view. As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the commodity guide 60 includes a guide body portion 61 and a guide cover portion 62.

The guide body 61 is a long member having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction, which is formed by bending a metal plate or the like, for example. The guide body 61 is integrally formed from a base 611, a left side 612, a right side 613, a rear surface 614, and a front end 615.

The base 611 is a horizontally extending portion extending in the front-rear direction. The left side portion 612 extends downward from the left edge portion of the base portion 611, and the extending end portion 612a thereof is bent rightward to form a part of the lower surface of the guide body portion 61. The right side portion 613 is a portion extending downward from the right edge portion of the base portion 611, and the extending end portion 613a thereof is bent leftward to constitute a part of the lower surface of the guide main body portion 61.

The left side portion 612 and the right side portion 613 are in a left-right pair relationship, and have a uniform length extending downward from the base portion 611. Further, the lengths extending downward at the rear end portions of the left side portion 612 and the right side portion 613 respectively become smaller toward the rear. That is, the extending ends 612a and 613a of the rear ends of the left side portion 612 and the right side portion 613 gradually incline upward toward the rear.

The rear surface portion 614 is a portion extending downward from the rear end portion of the base 611, and is formed with a support hole 614 a. The leading end portion 615 is a portion provided continuously with the leading end portion of the base portion 611. The tip portion 615 includes a tip inclined portion 6151, a front surface structure portion 6152, and a tip locking portion 6153.

The inclined front end portion 6151 is a portion inclined downward gradually from the front end portion of the base 611 toward the front. The front surface structure portion 6152 is a portion extending downward from an extending end portion of the inclined front end portion 6151 and then extending rearward. The front end locking portion 6153 is a portion extending downward from the extending end portion of the front surface structure portion 6152, and is formed with a mounting through hole 6153 a.

The lower surface of the guide body portion 61 having such a structure is formed by a part of the left side portion 612 and a part of the right side portion 613, but a lower surface opening 61a is formed between the extending end portion 612a of the left side portion 612 and the extending end portion 613a of the right side portion 613.

The guide cover 62 is a long sheet-like member formed of a resin material such as polyethylene, for example, and having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. The guide cover portion 62 is bonded and joined to the extended end portion 612a of the left side portion 612 and the extended end portion 613a of the right side portion 613 constituting the lower surface of the guide body portion 61 by an adhesive or the like so as to close the lower surface opening 61a of the guide body portion 61. The rear end 621 of the guide cover portion 62 is bent upward to form a support through hole 621a, and the support pin 63 inserted through the support through hole 621a from behind is inserted into the support hole 614a to be supported by the guide main body portion 61 while covering the rear surface portion 614.

Thus, the lower surface and the rear surface of the commodity guide 60 are constituted by the guide cover 62, and the lower surface of the rear end portion 60a gradually inclines upward as it goes rearward.

As shown in fig. 10, the product guide 60 is installed inside the screw 55 by inserting the guide attachment pin 65 inserted through the attachment through hole 6153a from the front into the attachment hole 311a formed in the front frame portion 311 in a state inserted into the screw 55 from the front.

As shown in fig. 11, the front end portion 615 of the product guide 60 is attached to the front end portion (front frame portion 311) of the base 30 constituting the bottom surface of the product storage passage 45, while the rear end portion 60a is disposed in a state of being slidably mounted on a part of the screw 55, and the product held between the pitches of the screw 55 can be mounted on the upper surface of the base portion 611.

In the product column 50 configured as described above, under the condition that the user selects a product in the product column 50 by the product selection unit 24 and inserts a desired money or performs a predetermined money process (subtraction process), the control unit drives the motor 512 and rotates the screw 55 by the rotation of the output gear 513 and the transmission member 53, thereby conveying the product held between the pitches of the screw 55 forward and feeding the product held between the pitches of the forefront forward. The article fed out from the article column 50 is received by the conveyance tray 17b, and is conveyed to the article takeout area 18 by the conveyance tray 17b, and can be taken out through the article takeout opening 22.

As described above, according to the commodity column 50 of the embodiment of the present invention, the front end portion 615 of the commodity guide 60, which extends in the front-rear direction so as to pass through the inside of the screw 55 and on which a commodity is placed on the upper surface, is attached to the front frame portion 311, while the rear end portion 60a is placed on a part of the screw 55 so as to be able to slide in contact with the part of the screw 55, and therefore, the commodity guide 60 can be detached by detaching the front end portion 615 from the front frame portion 311. Further, the commodity guide 60 can be provided by inserting the commodity guide 60 into the screw 55 in a state where the screw 55 is attached, and thus the commodity guide 60 can be attached and detached without detaching the screw 55. Therefore, convenience can be improved by attaching and detaching only the commodity guide 60.

Further, according to the commodity column 50, since the lower surface of the commodity guide 60 is formed by the guide cover 62 made of a resin material, the frictional force at the time of sliding contact with the screw 55 is reduced, whereby the sliding resistance can be reduced, and the screw 55 can be satisfactorily fed out. In particular, since the lower surface of the rear end portion 60a of the commodity guide 60 gradually inclines upward as it goes rearward, the sliding resistance with the rear portion of the screw 55 close to the motor 512 can be further reduced, and the load on the motor 512 can be further reduced.

Further, according to the commodity column 50, a part of the screw 55 can be pressed from above by the weight of the commodity placed on the upper surface, and the screw 55 can be prevented from loosening during rotation, and the posture of the commodity being carried forward can be stabilized.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the product column 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in the product column 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 1 to 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The product column 50' illustrated here includes a drive unit 51, a transmission member 53, a screw 55, and a product guide 70.

As shown in fig. 12 and 13, the article guide 70 includes a guide upper surface portion 71 and a guide lower surface portion 72. The guide upper surface portion 71 is a long sheet-like member formed of a resin material such as polyethylene, for example, and having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. The guide upper surface portion 71 is formed by integrally molding an upper surface base portion 711 and an upper surface tip portion 712.

The upper surface base 711 is a horizontally extending portion extending in the front-rear direction. The upper surface front end portion 712 is a portion provided continuously with the front end portion of the upper surface base portion 711. The upper surface front end portion 712 is formed along the metal plate member 74, and includes a front inclined portion 7121, a front surface structure portion 7122, and a front end locking portion 7123.

The inclined front portion 7121 is a portion that gradually inclines downward from the front end portion of the upper base 711 toward the front. The front surface structure portion 7122 extends downward from an extending end portion of the inclined front end portion 7121 and then extends rearward. The distal end locking portion 7123 is a portion extending downward from the extending end portion of the front surface structure portion 7122, and has an attachment through hole 7123 a.

The guide lower surface portion 72 is a long sheet-like member formed of a resin material such as polyethylene, for example, and having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. The guide lower surface portion 72 is coupled to the lower surface of the upper surface base 711 of the guide upper surface portion 71 via a substantially rectangular parallelepiped cushion member 73 made of a resin material such as foamed polyethylene, for example, and constitutes the lower surface of the commodity guide 70. The rear end portion 72a of the guide lower surface portion 72 is inclined upward gradually toward the rear.

Thus, the upper and lower surfaces of the commodity guide 70 are made of a resin material, and the rear end portion 72a of the guide lower surface portion 72 forming the lower surface of the rear end portion gradually inclines upward as it goes rearward.

Then, the commodity guide 70 is inserted into the screw 55 from the front, and the guide attachment pin 75 inserted into the attachment through hole 7123a from the front is inserted into the attachment hole 311a formed in the front frame portion 311 and attached, thereby being disposed inside the screw 55.

As shown in fig. 12, the front end portion 712 of the upper surface of the product guide 70 is attached to the front end portion (front frame portion 311) of the base 30 constituting the bottom surface of the product storage passage 45, and the rear end portion is disposed in a state of being slidably mounted on a part of the screw 55 so as to be able to be in contact with the part of the screw 55, so that the product held between the pitches of the screw 55 can be mounted on the upper surface of the upper surface base portion 711.

In the product column 50 'configured as described above, under the condition that the user selects a product in the product column 50' by the product selection unit 24 and deposits a desired money or performs a predetermined money process (subtraction process), the motor 512 is driven by the control unit, and the screw 55 is rotated by the rotation of the output gear 513 and the transmission member 53, whereby the product held at each pitch of the screw 55 is conveyed forward and the product held at the foremost pitch is fed forward. The product delivered from the product column 50' is received by the conveyance tray 17b, and is conveyed to the product removal area 18 by the conveyance tray 17b, and can be removed through the product removal port 22.

As described above, according to the commodity column 50', the upper surface front end portion 712 of the commodity guide 70, which extends in the front-rear direction so as to be inserted into the screw 55 and on which the commodity is placed, is attached to the front frame portion 311, while the rear end portion is placed on a part of the screw 55 so as to be able to slide in contact with the part of the screw 55, and therefore, the commodity guide 70 can be detached by detaching the upper surface front end portion 712 from the front frame portion 311. In addition, the commodity guide 70 can be provided by inserting the commodity guide 70 into the screw 55 in a state where the screw 55 is attached, and thus the commodity guide 70 can be attached and detached without detaching the screw 55. Therefore, convenience can be improved by attaching and detaching only the commodity guide 70.

In addition, according to the commodity column 50', since the upper surface and the lower surface of the commodity guide 70 are formed of a resin material, the frictional force at the time of sliding contact with the screw 55 is reduced, so that the sliding resistance can be reduced, and the screw 55 can be satisfactorily fed out. In particular, since the lower surface of the rear end portion of the commodity guide 70 (the rear end portion 72a of the guide lower surface portion 72) is gradually inclined upward toward the rear, the sliding resistance with the rear portion of the screw 55 close to the motor 512 can be further reduced, and the load on the motor 512 can be further reduced.

Further, according to the commodity column 50', a part of the screw 55 can be pressed from above by the weight of the commodity placed on the upper surface, and the screw 55 can be prevented from loosening during rotation, and the posture of the commodity being carried forward can be stabilized.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the modifications thereof have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made.

In the above embodiment, the lower surfaces of the rear end portions 60a and the like of the article guides 60 and 70 are gradually inclined upward as they go rearward, but in the present invention, the lower surfaces of the rear end portions of the article guides may not be gradually inclined upward as they go rearward.

In the above embodiment, the lower surface of the rear end portion 60a of the commodity guide 60 is made of a resin material, but in the present invention, at least the lower surface of the rear end portion may be made of a lubricant-coated steel plate, a lubricant coating, or a low friction material, for example, instead of the resin material.

In the above embodiment, the lower surface including the rear end portion 60a and the like of the commodity guide 60, 70 is made of a low friction material such as a resin material, but in the present invention, the screw may be made of a lubricant-coated steel plate, and the surface may be provided with a lubricant coating.

Claims (4)

1. A commodity storage device is provided, which comprises a storage unit,

comprises a spiral member which is formed by spirally winding a commodity storage passage extending in the front-rear direction along the extending direction of the commodity storage passage,

the commodity storage device is configured to carry out commodities held at pitches of the spiral toward the front gradually and to carry out a forwardmost commodity when the spiral rotates around the central axis,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the commodity storage device includes a commodity guide extending in a front-rear direction so as to be inserted into the screw, and on an upper surface of which a commodity is placed,

the front end of the commodity guide is attached to the front end of the base constituting the bottom surface of the commodity storage passage, and the rear end is placed on a part of the screw so as to be in sliding contact with the part of the screw.

2. The article receiving device of claim 1,

a lower surface of at least the rear end portion of the article guide is composed of a low friction material.

3. The article receiving device of claim 2,

the low friction material is a resin material.

4. The merchandise storage device of any one of claims 1 to 3,

a lower surface of the rear end portion of the article guide is inclined upward gradually toward the rear.

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