JP2001236558A - Direct stack type commodity storage rack for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably regulating the width of a passage inside a column corresponding to the commodity size regardlessly of the commodity container condition (paper pack, can or bottle) and to simplify the setting operation. SOLUTION: The direct stack type commodity storage rack for automatic vending machine for dropping/carrying 8 stacked and stored on a column 3c of a box-shaped rack case 3b in order from the lowest commodity by a bend mechanism 5 is provided with a movable side plate for variably setting passage width D inside the column corresponding to the commodity size. The movable side plate is bisected into a short lower side plate 9 located in an area facing the bend mechanism and an upper side plate 10 located in an upper area, the lower side plate is supported by a setting plate 11 formed with a multistage control groove, the upper side plate is supported through a parallel link 12, a stopper 14 and a setting part 14 by the rack case, the passage width is prevented from being changed by sagging the side plate with side pressure F applied in the state of storing commodities and at the time of vending operation and vending trouble caused by the fluctuation of the passage width is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of stacking paper pack products, cans and bottle products vertically for each column defined in a rack case, and dropping and discharging the products in order from the lowest order. And related product storage racks for vending machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a product storage rack mounted on a vending machine for paper-packed products such as brick packs, or cans and bottle products, a direct-loading type product storage rack described above is well known. Here, a vending machine equipped with a direct-loading type product storage rack and a basic configuration of the direct-loading type product storage rack are shown in FIG.
0, shown in FIG. First, in FIG. 10, 1 is a cabinet of a vending machine, 2 is a front door thereof, 2a is a product take-out port, and a direct-stacking type product storage rack 3 is arranged in the cabinet of the cabinet 1 on the left and right and pulled out forward. It is mounted so as to be able to send out the product paid out from the product storage rack 3 by the selling operation to the product outlet 2a via the shooter 4. As shown in FIG. 11, the direct-stacking type product storage rack 3 defines a product storage column 3c on the left and right sides of a partition 3b inside a box-shaped rack case 3a having open front and bottom surfaces. The bend mechanism 5 is incorporated in the portion 3b, and the upper flapper 5 of the bend mechanism 5 is provided.
a, and the lower flapper 5b protrudes toward the exit passage of the product storage column 3c. Reference numeral 3d denotes a lower rail disposed forward and backward along the lower edge of the rack case 3a, and a lower loading rail 3d on the front side supports a rack door (not shown) for loading a product in a closed position. I have.

[0003] The selling operation of such a configuration is well known, and the goods are stacked and stored in a line up and down in each of the goods storing columns 3c of the rack case 3, and the bend mechanism 5 in which the goods are held in a horizontal posture in a standby state for selling. On the lower flapper 5b. When the bend mechanism 5 is actuated by a sales command from this state, the upper flapper 5a protrudes into the passage from the retreat position to lock and hold the second-lowest product in that position at that position, and the lower flapper 5b is in the hanging posture. Open and drop the bottom lined items down and carry them out. When the bend mechanism 5 returns to the initial position after the dispensing of the product, the second and subsequent products descend along the passage in the column, rest on the lower flapper 5b, and return to the sales standby state.

When a product to be sold is changed to a small-sized product using a direct-loading type product storage column, a long (side product) called a side filler is used as a passage width regulating member in the column prepared as an accessory. A side plate (usually a single plate made of thin steel plate) with a length corresponding to the overall height of the column 3c is attached to the inside of the side wall of the rack case 3a to reduce the passage width in the column according to the size of a small product. In this case, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 11 (1999) discloses a configuration in which the side plate is incorporated as a movable side plate in a rack case in advance, and the movable side plate is moved and adjusted to a set position corresponding to a product size. No. 185139 has been proposed by the same applicant as the present invention.

[0005]

However, the movable side plate having the conventional structure proposed above has the following problems in practical use. As shown in FIG. 12 (a), as a product stacked and stored in the product storage rack 3, the paper box product 7 in the form of a column box has almost no problem because the stacking posture in the column is relatively stable. , Round container can,
When the bottle product 8 is sold, the following troubles may be caused.

That is, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the width of the column passage in the rack is set so as to have a margin that does not hinder the sales operation with respect to the product size, and is stored in the column. The canned and bottled products 8 are stacked in a staggered manner. For this reason, a side pressure F as indicated by an arrow is applied to the partition 3b of the product storage rack 3 and the plate surface of the movable side plate 6 for regulating the passage width incorporated in the rack case due to the weight of the product 8.

In addition, the long movable side plate 6 is provided with a lateral pressure F of the product.
FIG. 12
As shown by (c), the width of the column passage extends beyond the set value, and the can and bottle products 8 overlap almost in two rows. As a result, the can products 8 are bridged in the middle of the passage in the column. May cause troubles that cannot be carried out.

Further, during the selling operation, the upper flapper of the bend mechanism 5 presses the product against the movable side plate 6 so as to sandwich the product lined up from the lowest position between the movable side plate 6, and confronts the bend mechanism 5. A large lateral pressure is applied to the movable side plate. For this reason, when the width of the passage between the movable side plate 6 and the bend mechanism 5 is widened due to the lateral pressure, the products arranged second from the lowest at the time of the selling operation are properly locked on the upper flapper 5a of the bend mechanism 5. There is a possibility that a sales trouble may occur such that the sheet is not held and passes through the gap between the movable side plate 6 and is carried downward.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to stably restrict the width of a passage in a column in accordance with the size of a product regardless of the shape of the product container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a direct-stacking type product storage rack of a vending machine which can be held and can be easily operated to set a passage width.

[0010]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, goods are stacked and stored in a goods storage column defined inside a box-shaped rack case having open front and bottom surfaces. It is a direct-stacking type product storage rack for vending machines that drops out in order from the bottom of the product by the operation of the bend mechanism built in the lower end of the rack case, and the width of the passage in the column according to the product size in the rack case. A movable side plate which is variably set, the movable side plate is divided into a short lower side plate arranged in a region facing the bend mechanism and an upper side plate arranged in an upper region thereof, and the lower side plate and the upper side plate are divided into two parts. The side plates are individually supported on the rack case via the setting position adjusting mechanism (claim 1).

By dividing the movable side plate vertically into two parts as described above, the length of each divided side plate is shortened and its weight is reduced, so that the movable side plate can be easily handled and set. In particular, the short lower side plate located in the area facing the bend mechanism is unlikely to be warped even by a large lateral pressure applied during the selling operation, thereby preventing the width of the passage between the bend mechanism and the product from becoming stable. Can be secured.

Further, according to the present invention, the lower side plate,
The setting position adjustment mechanism for the upper side plate is configured as follows. (1) a set position adjusting mechanism of the lower side plate, a support protrusion protruding from both side edges of the lower side plate, and a pair of setting plates formed at a lower end portion of the rack case by forming a multi-step adjusting groove into which the support protrusion is fitted. (Claim 2).

With this configuration, the lower side plate is bridged between a pair of setting plates arranged in front and rear of the rack case, and the support projection of the side plate is selected and set by fitting to the multi-stage adjustment groove formed in the setting plate. Thus, the width of the outlet passage between the bend mechanism and the bend mechanism can be easily and appropriately adjusted and set. (2) On the other hand, the set position adjusting mechanism of the upper side plate is provided with a parallel link connecting between the upper side plate and the side wall of the rack case, and a parallel link disposed on the back side of the upper side plate and facing the side wall of the rack case. And a plurality of sets of upper and lower stopper members which come and go, and a setting member which is connected to each set of stopper members and adjusts the protruding height in accordance with the product size (claim 3). Each set of stoppers has a structure in which two link plates are hinged in a "-" shape,
One end is connected to the upper side plate, and the other end is connected to a setting member laid so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the back surface of the upper side plate (claim 4). The setting member of the stopper includes a connecting plate that straddles between the stoppers of each set, and a lock piece that locks the connecting plate in a multi-stage adjusting groove of the setting plate provided on the upper side plate. 5).

In the above arrangement, the stoppers arranged on the upper and lower portions of the long upper side plate and arranged on the back side serve as a spacer for holding the movable side plate at a set position by abutting its tip against the side wall of the rack case. At the same time, it also serves as a support for receiving the side pressure applied to the movable side plate from the column passage side and transmitting it to the rack case when the product is stored in the column.
This prevents the long upper side plate made of thin steel plate having relatively low rigidity from bending outward due to the side pressure applied from the product stored in the column, and the product bridge in the column due to the deformation of the side plate Generation can be prevented.

In order to change the width of the column passage in accordance with the size of the product, first, the locking piece of the connecting plate is removed from the adjusting groove of the setting plate to release the constraint of the connecting plate, and then the connecting plate is moved up or down. Slide in the direction of. As a result, following the movement of the connecting plate, the stoppers of each set work together to change the opening angle of the link plate, and the protruding height of the stopper protruding from the back side of the upper side plate in the shape of a letter "K" changes. When the lock piece is locked in the adjusting groove of the setting plate in this state, the stopper is fixed at that position. Thereby, the setting of the column passage width can be easily changed by one-touch operation.

(3) Further, in order to simplify the setting operation of the upper and lower side plates and to prevent setting errors, the multi-stage adjustment groove formed in the setting plate for the lower side plate and the setting plate for the lower side plate are formed. The setting marks corresponding to the respective setting positions of the upper and lower movable side plates are indicated by numbers (numerals) or the like in the multi-stage adjustment grooves (claim 6).

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. In the drawings of the embodiment, the same members corresponding to FIGS. 11 and 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. First, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the overall structure of a product storage rack. In each of the drawings, a movable side plate 6 as a passage width regulating member incorporated in a column 3c of a rack case 3 is a short lower side plate 9 disposed in a region facing a bend mechanism 5 attached to a lower end of a partition 3b.
And a long upper side plate 10 arranged in an upper region thereof, and the lower side plate 9 is engaged with a setting plate 11 for setting position adjustment attached to a lower end of the rack case 3a, and is provided with a desired passage. Width is supported. On the other hand, the upper side plate 1
Reference numeral 0 denotes a parallel link 12 bridged between the upper and lower ends and the rack case 3a, and a stopper which is distributed at upper and lower positions on the rear side of the upper side plate 10 and protrudes toward the side wall of the rack case 3a in a "-" shape. 13 and a setting member 14 for variably setting the protrusion height of the stopper 13 is supported by the rack case 3a via a setting position adjusting mechanism.

With such a configuration, a column passage width D corresponding to the diameter size of the product (can product) 8 is provided between the upper side plate 10 and the partition 3b of the rack case 3a and between the lower side plate 9 and the bend mechanism 5. Is regulated. When the lower side plate 9 and the upper side plate 10 are moved and adjusted from this set position to the left and right, the column passage width D increases and decreases correspondingly. In the setting state, the upper side plate 10 is supported in a state where the tip of the stopper 13 of the upper side plate 10 contacts the inner surface of the side wall of the rack case 3a to support the upper side plate 10 from behind. 10 prevents the column passage width D from widening due to warpage deformation due to the lateral pressure F.

On the other hand, the lower side plate 9 is a sheet metal product made of a steel plate whose structure is strengthened so as to withstand a large lateral pressure, and a support protrusion 9a protruding laterally from a side edge of the side plate is provided in the rack case 3a.
Is fitted in the multi-stage setting groove of the setting plate 11 fixed to the support plate so as not to move from this set position, and in this state, the width of the passage between the bend mechanism 5 is set. Even if it is applied, the lower side plate 9 does not move from the set position.

Next, the lower side plate 9 and the upper side plate 10
The detailed structure of the set position adjusting mechanism for maintaining the set position at the set position will be described. [Set position adjusting mechanism of lower side plate] In FIGS. 3 and 4,
A setting plate 11 is fixed to the lower rail 3d laid on the front and rear sides of the rack case 3a in a detachable and replaceable manner by screwing. 11a are formed in upper and lower two stages. On the other hand, the lower side plate 9 has a structure including a total of four support protrusions 9a that protrude laterally from the left and right side edges and fit into the multi-stage adjustment groove 11a, and an operation handle 9b on the front edge side. The setting plate 11 has a multi-stage adjustment groove 1.
A setting mark (number) 11b corresponding to each row of 1a is printed and displayed on a sticker or the like.

With such a configuration, the lower side plate 9 is fixedly supported in an upright posture by fitting two support projections 9a projecting upward and downward from the left and right side edges thereof into the multi-stage adjustment grooves 11a of the setting plate 11. Here, when changing the width of the passage between the lower side plate 9 and the bend mechanism 5 (see FIG. 1), the handle 9b of the lower side plate 9 is gripped by hand as shown in FIG. 11 to move along the multi-stage adjusting groove 11a, select a groove of a new setting stage, and insert and set it here.

Next, an applied embodiment of the adjusting mechanism shown in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). That is, in the configuration of FIG. 5, after the link connecting plate 9c is attached to the back side of the lower side plate 9,
The link connecting plate 9a and the side wall of the rack case 3a are connected and supported via a pantograph-type parallel link mechanism including four link rods 9a. With this configuration, the lower side plate 9 is set in the setting plate 1 in the same procedure as described in FIG.
When the movement is adjusted back and forth along the first adjustment groove 11a, the link rod 9a of the parallel link mechanism follows the movement and is adjusted as shown in FIG.
(b), the lower side plate 9 is supported in a vertical position at a new set position. Thereby, the bend mechanism 5
(See FIG. 1) can be set and maintained in a stable manner over the entire area of the product carry-out passage width.

[Setting Position Adjusting Mechanism of Upper Side Plate] Next, the detailed structure of the setting position adjusting mechanism for the upper side plate 10 is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper side plate 10 has a pair of upper and lower parallel links 12 provided between the rear surface thereof and the side wall of the rack case 3a facing the upper side plate 10 so as to be movable in the direction of the arrow. L-shaped claws 10a are provided at a plurality of upper and lower positions on the rear edge side of the upper side plate 10, and when the upper side plate 10 is incorporated into the rack case 3a, the claw 10a is opened at the rear wall of the rack case 3a. Hook it in the hole 3e. In this state, the movable side plate 10 is horizontally slid while holding the upright posture by applying a force from the column passage side to the handle hole 10b perforated in the plate surface of the upper side plate 10 as shown in the drawing. be able to.

As shown in FIG. 7, the upper side plate 10 includes two sets of stoppers 13 at two upper and lower positions, and a connecting plate 15 for connecting the upper and lower sets of stoppers 13 as an adjusting member 14 for the stopper 13. And a lock piece 16 for fixing the connecting plate 15 to a desired setting position with respect to the upper side plate 10. Here, the stopper 13 is composed of two link plates 13a and 13b pin-connected to each other, and connects the upper end pin of the link plate 13a to the upper side plate 10,
The lower end pin of the link plate 13b is connected to the connection plate 15. Further, the connecting plate 15 is formed with a notch so that the lower stopper 13 is inserted into the lower half thereof, and a lock piece is provided at the center of the plate surface in opposition to the operation window hole 10c opened at the center of the movable side plate 10. (Wrench-bendable resin molded product) 16
Is installed. As shown in FIG. 8 (a), the upper edge of the lock piece 16 is fixed to the connecting plate 15, and the engaging claws 16a formed on the left and right side edges of the lock piece 16 are fixed to the window holes 10c of the upper side plate 10. The coupling piece 15 is pushed into the multi-stage setting groove of the lock piece fixing metal 10d cut and raised on the side edge to lock and fix the connecting piece 15 at that position (see FIG. 8B). In addition, 16b
Is a handle hole opened at the center of the plate surface of the lock piece 16.

Next, the adjusting operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described in (c). A point A in the drawing indicates a connection fulcrum between the link plate 13a of the stopper 13 and the upper side plate 10, B indicates a connection fulcrum between the link plates 13a and 13b, and C indicates a connection fulcrum between the link plate 13b and the connection plate 15. ing. Here, when the connecting plate 15 is slid vertically along the plate surface of the upper side plate 10, the opening angle of the stopper 13 between the link plates 13a and 13b changes, and the stopper 1
The reference numeral 3 changes into a "" shape and projects from the back surface of the upper side plate 10. The protruding height H changes depending on the vertical movement position of the connecting plate 15, and the column passage width of the upper side plate 10 is regulated according to the protruding height H.

Returning to FIG. 8, in order to perform the above-described setting change operation, the locking piece locked state shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7 (c), the lock piece 16 is warped rearward (the fingertip is pushed into the handle hole 16b of the lock piece 16 through the operation window hole 10c of the upper side plate 10 shown in FIG. 7), and the lock piece 16 is locked. The claw 16a is pulled out from the multi-stage adjustment groove of the lock piece fixing metal 10d cut and raised on the side edge of the operation window hole 10c of the upper side plate 10. Thus, the connection plate 15 is released from the restraint, and the adjustment operation described with reference to FIG. 8 becomes possible. Then, when the locking claw 16a of the lock piece is hooked on the multi-step adjusting groove again at the new set position, the connecting plate 15, and thus the stopper 13, is fixed at this set position.

The setting mark 11b of the setting plate 11 (see FIG. 4) for the lower side plate 9 described above is provided in the multistage adjusting groove of the lock piece fixing metal 10d formed on the upper side plate 10.
Are displayed with the same number (number) or the like. Next, an operation procedure for changing the width of a column passage of a direct-stacking type product storage rack by a vending machine installed at a location will be described with reference to FIG.
First, with the product storage column 3c empty, the upper side plate 10 is moved toward the partition 3b at the center of the rack case, and then the lower side plate 9 is set to a new number according to the setting mark number displayed on the setting plate 11. Move to the set position and set.
Thereafter, the upper side plate 10 is set to the same number position as the lower side plate 9 by the above-described operation procedure, and the upper side plate 10 is pushed in until the stopper 13 of the upper side plate 10 abuts against the inner surface of the side wall of the rack case 3a. As a result, the upper and lower side plates 9 and 10 are set at the same setting position without setting errors. In this state, by loading the goods 8 from the front of the rack, a stacked storage state as shown in the figure is obtained.

[0028]

As described above, according to the structure of the present invention, in the direct-stacking type product storage rack, the movable lower side plate incorporated in the column of the rack case has the short lower side plate disposed in the area facing the bend mechanism. The upper side plate and the lower side plate are divided into two parts, the upper side plate and the upper side plate arranged in the upper side area, and the lower side plate and the upper side plate are individually supported on the rack case via a setting position adjusting mechanism. As the length becomes shorter and its weight becomes lighter,
Handling and setting operations of the movable side plate can be performed easily. The upper side plate and the lower side plate are separately manufactured so as to withstand the side pressure applied when the cans and bottles are stored, and the lower side plate is separately manufactured so as to sufficiently withstand the side pressure applied during the sales operation, thereby ensuring high reliability without any sales trouble.

Further, by adopting the constitutions of claims 2 to 6 of the present invention, the passage in the column can be adjusted according to the product size of various products such as paper pack products, cans and bottle products regardless of the shape of the product container. The width can be stably regulated and maintained over its entire length, and the setting operation of the passage width can be performed easily.
Operability of the setting change work is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a product storage state of a direct-stack type product storage rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration of the direct-stacking type product storage rack shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration perspective view of a mounting portion of a lower side plate in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a detailed structure of a main part in FIG. 3;

5A and 5B are configuration diagrams of an application example of FIG. 4, wherein FIG. 5A is a configuration perspective view as viewed from the back side of a lower side plate, and FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a parallel link support structure of an upper side plate in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a set position adjusting mechanism for the upper side plate in FIG. 1;

8 is a structural diagram around a lock piece in FIG. 7,
(a) is a side view, (b) and (c) are partial perspective views showing the locked and released state of the lock pieces, respectively.

FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory view of the adjusting mechanism shown in FIG. 7;
(a) is a side view of the stopper, and (b) and (c) are diagrams schematically showing different adjustment states.

FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of a vending machine equipped with a direct-stacking type product storage rack with a door opened.

11 is a perspective view illustrating a basic configuration of a direct-loading type product storage rack in FIG.

12A and 12B are diagrams showing a state in which cans and bottle products are stored in a conventional product storage rack having a conventional structure, (a) is a front view of the entire rack, (b) is a partially enlarged view of (a), (b) is a diagram showing the situation where a product bridge has occurred in the column due to the warpage of the movable side plate

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 3 direct-loading type product storage rack 3 a rack case 3 c product storage column 5 bend mechanism 6 movable side plate 7 paper pack product 8 can, bottle product 9 lower side plate 9 a support protrusion 10 upper side plate 11 setting plate 11 a multi-stage adjustment groove 12 parallel link 13 stopper 13 a 13 a , 13b Link plate 14 Setting member 15 Connecting plate 16 Lock piece 16a Locking claw

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hideaki Okumura 1-1-1, Tanabeshinda, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term (reference) 3E044 AA01 FB05 FB07 FB17 3E046 BA03 BB02 BB03 BB04 CA11 CC01 CD01 DA01 EA09 FA03

Claims (6)

[Claims] A product is stacked and stored in a product storage column defined inside a box-shaped rack case having open front and bottom surfaces, and the products are lined up at the bottom by the operation of a bend mechanism incorporated in the lower end of the rack case. This is a vending machine direct-stacking type product storage rack that drops out in order from the beginning, and is equipped with a movable side plate that variably sets the passage width in the column according to the product size in the rack case, and the movable side plate is connected to the bend mechanism. A short lower side plate arranged in the facing region and an upper side plate arranged in the upper side region are divided into two, and the lower side plate and the upper side plate are individually supported on the rack case via a setting position adjusting mechanism. A direct-stacking type product storage rack for vending machines characterized by the following characteristics. 2. The direct-stacking type product storage rack according to claim 1, wherein the lower side plate setting position adjusting mechanism includes a support projection protruding from both side edges of the lower side plate, and a multi-stage adjustment groove in which the support projection fits. And a pair of setting plates attached to the lower end of the rack case. 3. The direct-stacking type product storage rack according to claim 1, wherein the set position adjusting mechanism of the upper side plate is provided on a parallel link connecting between the upper side plate and a side wall of the rack case, and on a rear side of the upper side plate. And a plurality of sets of upper and lower stopper members protruding and retracting toward the side wall of the rack case facing thereto, and a setting member connected to each set of stopper members and adjusting the protrusion height according to the product size. A direct-stacking type product storage rack for vending machines characterized by the following characteristics. 4. The direct-stacking type product storage rack according to claim 3, wherein each set of stoppers has two link plates hingedly connected, one end of which is connected to the upper side plate, and the other end of which is a back surface of the upper side plate. A direct-stacking type product storage rack for a vending machine, characterized in that the rack is connected to a setting member laid in such a manner that it can be moved up and down along with the setting member. 5. The direct-stacking type product storage rack according to claim 3, wherein the stopper setting member has a connecting plate extending between each pair of stoppers, and a setting plate having the connecting plate provided on the upper side plate. A direct-stacking type product storage rack for a vending machine, comprising a lock piece that locks in an adjustment groove. 6. A multi-stage adjusting groove formed in the setting plate for the lower side plate according to claim 2, and a multi-stage adjusting groove formed in the setting plate for the lower side plate according to claim 5, wherein each of the upper and lower movable side plates is provided. A direct-stackable product storage rack for a vending machine, wherein a setting mark corresponding to a set position is displayed.