JP2003173466A - Partitioning structure for commodity storage - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine capable of simplifying structure of a partitioning plate and surely partitioning the inside of a commodity storage. <P>SOLUTION: When a partition plate 12 is inserted into the commodity storage 11, opening/closing plates 17 arranged on both widthwise end sides of the commodity storage 11 interlock with the insertion of the partition plate 12 to close the widthwise both end sides of the commodity storage 11. In this way, when the partition plate 12 is inserted, the inside of the commodity storage 11 can be partitioned without requiring any other manual operation. Consequently, the inside of the commodity storage 11 can be always surely partitioned. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to, for example, cans, bottles,
Beverages enclosed in PET bottles, paper packs, etc., or dairy products and confectionery contained in predetermined containers such as cups,
The present invention relates to a partition structure for a product storage used in an automatic vending machine that can sell products having various shapes and sizes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an automatic vending machine of this type, as described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-194918, an automatic vending machine main body having a product outlet at a lower front portion thereof The product storage that is formed in, the multiple product columns arranged in the width direction and the vertical direction inside the product storage, and arranged in front of each product column so as to be movable in the width direction and the vertical direction of the vending machine body. There is a known product bucket and a moving mechanism that moves the product bucket in the width direction and the vertical direction of the main body of the vending machine.

In this vending machine, when a product is selected, the product bucket is moved to the product column corresponding to the selected product by the moving mechanism, and the product in the product column is carried into the product bucket to receive the product. The product bucket is moved to the product take-out port by the moving mechanism, and the product in the product bucket is taken out to the product take-out port.

Further, in the above-mentioned vending machine, a predetermined position in the vertical direction in the product storage is partitioned by a heat insulating partition plate,
By heating the upper part of the partition plate and cooling the lower part of the partition plate, the heated product (hot product) and the cooled product (cold product) are sold.

In this case, the partition plates are formed at both ends in the width direction of the partition plate body which is formed smaller than the width in the product storage.
A heat insulating open / close plate is provided slidably in the width direction, and a link and a lever for opening / closing the open / close plate are provided on the lower surface of the partition plate body. That is, in the vending machine, after the partition plate is installed in the product storage, the opening / closing plate is slid by the operation of the lever to press the inner surface of the product storage so as to partition the inside of the product storage. It has become.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned vending machine, since each opening / closing plate and its operating mechanism (link and lever) are provided in the partition plate body, the structure of the partition plate itself becomes complicated. However, there is a problem that the weight becomes heavy and it is difficult to attach and detach the partition plate. Also,
Since each opening / closing plate and its operating mechanism are located on the lower surface of the partition plate body, these components increase the thickness of the partition plate as a whole, and the thickness of the heat insulating material that directly affects the heat insulating property of the partition plate. There was also the problem of being limited. Further, since each opening / closing plate is opened / closed by the manual operation of the lever, there is a possibility that the partition in the product storage may be incomplete due to forgetting to close each opening / closing plate after mounting the partition plate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to simplify the structure of a partition plate and to reliably partition the inside of a product storage. To provide a vending machine.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention according to claim 1 stores a product in such a manner that a predetermined vertical position in the product storage is partitioned by a removable heat insulating partition plate. In the partition structure of the storage, at least one end side in the width direction of the mounting position of the partition plate in the product storage, an opening / closing plate rotatably supported at the upper end is provided, and when the partition plate is mounted in the product storage, The opening / closing plate is configured to close a predetermined portion in the width direction inside the product storage in conjunction with the mounting of the partition plate.

As a result, when the partition plate is mounted in the product storage, the opening / closing plate provided in the product storage closes a predetermined portion in the width direction of the product storage in association with the mounting of the partition plate. When installing, the product storage is partitioned without requiring any other operation. In this case, since the opening / closing plate is provided on the product storage side, the partition plate can be simplified and reduced in weight. Further, since the mechanism for operating the opening / closing plate is not arranged on the partition plate side, the thickness of the partition plate is not limited.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the partition structure of the product storage according to the first aspect, the partition plate is inserted into the product storage so as to be mounted in the product storage. The opening / closing plate is provided with a guide portion for rotating the opening / closing plate in the closing direction by contact with a partition plate inserted in the product storage.

As a result, in addition to the function of the first aspect, when the partition plate inserted into the product storage comes into contact with the guide portion of the open / close plate, the open / close plate rotates in the closing direction, so that the open / close plate is partitioned. No complicated mechanism is required for interlocking with the mounting of the board.

Further, in addition to the operation of claim 1 or 2, in claim 3, the opening and closing plate is rotated in the closing direction while the guide portion is in contact with a partition plate inserted into the product storage. It is formed obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the partition plate.

Thus, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the opening and closing plate rotates in the closing direction while the partition plate comes into contact with the guide portion formed obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the partition plate. The linear motion of the partition plate in the insertion direction is transmitted as the rotary motion of the opening / closing plate.

[0014]

1 to 8 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine, FIG. 2 is a front sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view thereof. 4 is a side sectional view of a product column and a product bucket, FIG. 5 is a front view of a product column, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part showing a partition plate and an opening / closing plate, and FIG. 7 is a side cross sectional view showing an operation of the opening / closing plate. FIG. 8 is a front sectional view of a main part of the product storage.

The vending machine according to the present embodiment has a vending machine body 10 whose front part is transparent, and a plurality of product columns 20 arranged in the width direction and the vertical direction of the vending machine body 10. And a product carry-out mechanism 30 provided in each product column 20, a product bucket 40 capable of receiving the product A carried out from each product column 20, and the product bucket 40 moved in the arrangement direction of each product column 20. It is composed of a bucket moving mechanism 50.

The vending machine body 10 has an opening except for the lower part of the front surface, and this opening is covered with a transparent glass plate 10a. A product outlet 10b is provided at the lower front portion of the vending machine body 10, and a bill slot 10c, a coin slot 10d, an amount display unit 10e, a coin return port 10f, and a product selection operation unit 10g are provided on one side of the front face. Is provided. In addition, a product storage 11 surrounded by a heat insulating wall is provided in the vending machine body 10, and the interior of the product storage 11 is vertically divided by heat insulating partition plates 12 and 13.
In this case, the partition plates 12 and 13 are detachably mounted at arbitrary positions in the vertical direction in the product storage 11, and one partition plate 12 is disposed between the product columns 20. The other partition plate 13 is arranged in front of the product column 20, and when the product bucket 40 abuts from below, the partition plate 13 moves upward together with the product bucket 40.

Further, a heating unit 14 is provided on the upper surface side in the product storage 11, and above the partition plates 12 and 13 in the product storage 11 is a hot storage room 1 for storing hot products.
1a is formed. The heating unit 14 is composed of a heater and a blower (not shown) and heats the air in the heating chamber 11a. Further, a cooling unit 15 is provided on the bottom surface side in the product storage 11, and the partition plates 12, 13 are provided.
A cold storage room 11b for storing cold products is formed below. The cooling unit 15 is composed of a cooler and a blower (not shown), and cools the air in the refrigerating chamber 11b.

Further, ventilation paths 16 extending in the vertical direction are provided at both ends in the width direction inside the product storage 11. Each ventilation passage 16 has a pair of side plates 16a and a product storage 1
The product column 2 is formed between the both sides of the product column 1 respectively.
A rail 16b for mounting the partition plate 12 on the lower surface of 0
Is provided. That is, the partition plate 12 is formed to have a width approximately equal to the distance between the side plates 16a, and the rail 12a provided on the upper surface of the partition plate 12 is fitted to the rail 16b on the product column 20 side, so that the partition plate 12 is manufactured. It is mounted in the storage box 11 so as to be freely inserted and removed in the front-rear direction. In this case, the packing 12b provided on the side surface of the partition plate 12 comes into pressure contact with the side plate 16a. Vents 16c are provided at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction on each side plate 16a, and a plurality of small holes 16d are provided between the vents 16c.

A plurality of heat-insulating opening / closing plates 17 for opening / closing the vent holes 16c and the ventilation passages 16 are attached to a plurality of vertical positions of each side plate 16a. Each opening / closing plate 17 has an upper end rotatably supported by a side plate 16a via a support shaft 17a. The opening / closing plate 17 is arranged so as to cover the ventilation port 16c from the ventilation passage 16 side and is rotated toward the ventilation passage 16 side. , The lower end side of which is in contact with the inner surface of the product storage 11 and the ventilation passage 1
6 is to be closed. In addition, the opening / closing plate 17 is linked to the insertion of the partition plate 12 and the ventilation path 1
A guide plate 18 that rotates to the 6 side is attached. The guide plate 18 has its lower end side fixed to the opening / closing plate 17, and its upper end side through the ventilation port 16c.
And extends inwardly and is bent upward in a substantially L-shape. Further, the partition plate 12 is provided on the upper end of the guide plate 18.
Is provided with a contact portion 18a, and the contact portion 18a is formed into a substantially circular cross section by so-called curling. In this case, the contact portion 18a is formed so as to incline forward and downward with respect to the insertion direction of the partition plate 12.
Is arranged so that the lower surface of the rear end of the partition plate 12 abuts on the contact portion 18a substantially at the center in the front-rear direction.

Each product column 20 has a column main body 21 extending in the front-rear direction, and is provided in the vending machine main body 10 so that it can be pulled out forward. In addition, product column 20
Although the detailed description of the pull-out structure is omitted, it can be configured by using, for example, a well-known slide rail. The product column 20 includes a partition plate 22 that partitions the inside of the column body 21 in the width direction, and the partition plate 22 is detachably attached to a substrate 23 provided in the center of the column body 21 in the width direction. In this case, the partition plate 22 can be attached to any position in the width direction of the product column 20. Also,
Each product column 20 is supported by a shelf 24 extending in the width direction for each vertical direction, and each shelf 24 is predetermined in the vertical direction by a plurality of columns 25 standing upright on both sides in the width direction inside the vending machine body 10. It is fixed in position.

Two product unloading mechanisms 30 are provided for each product column 20, and each product unloading mechanism 30 is arranged in the column body 21 in the width direction. Each product unloading mechanism 30 has a pair of pulleys 31 rotatably attached to the front end side and the rear end side of the column body 21, an endless belt 32 wound around each pulley 31, and a front end side. A gear 33 is attached to the rotary shaft of the pulley 31, and the product A is placed on the upper surface of the belt 32. That is, in each product column 20, the product A is stored in two rows with the partition plate 22 interposed therebetween. Further, a product locking plate 32a is erected at a predetermined position on the belt 32, and the product locking plate 32a is positioned on the belt 32 on the rear end side of the apparatus main body as shown in FIG. Are placed in a line.

The product bucket 40 is provided with a pair of pulleys 42 rotatably attached to the front end side and the rear end side of the bucket body 41, and an endless belt 43 wound around each pulley 42. By rotating one pulley 42 with a motor (not shown), the belt 43 is rotated in a predetermined direction. Further, the product bucket 40 includes a gear 44 that drives the product unloading mechanism 30 of each product column 20, and the gear 44 is rotated by a motor (not shown).

The bucket moving mechanism 50 is used for the product bucket 4.
A first drive unit 51 for moving 0 in the width direction and a pair of second drive units 5 for moving the first drive unit 51 in the vertical direction.
2 and each second drive unit 52 is a vending machine body 1
They are arranged on both sides in the width direction of 0. The first drive unit 51 includes a pair of upper and lower guide rails 51a and 51b that movably support the product buckets 40, and the product buckets 40 are guided by the motors (not shown).
It is designed to be moved along a and 51b. The second drive unit 52 is composed of a guide rail 52a that movably supports the first drive unit 51 and a motor (not shown) that moves the first drive unit 51.
In this bucket moving mechanism 50, the product bucket 40 is driven by each drive unit 51, by detecting the position in the width direction and the vertical direction of each product column 20 by a position detection device including an optical sensor or a pulse detection device of a motor. 52 is used to move the product to any product column 20 or product outlet 10b.

In the vending machine configured as described above, when money is inserted and a product is selected, the product bucket 40 is moved by the bucket moving mechanism 50 to the product column 20 corresponding to the selected product. At that time, the belt 62 on the product bucket 40 side is positioned at the same height as the belt 32 on the product column 20 side, and the product bucket 4
The gear 44 on the 0 side meshes with the gear 33 on the product column 20 side. Next, by rotating the belt 43 on the product bucket 40 side and rotating the gear 44 on the product bucket 40 side, the belt 32 of the product unloading mechanism 30 is rotated, and the product A on the belt 32 is transferred to the product bucket. 40 is carried to the side of the product bucket 40, transferred to the belt 43 on the side of the product bucket 40, and received in the product bucket 40. Then, the product bucket 40 that has received the product A is moved to the product outlet 10b by the bucket moving mechanism 50, the belt 43 of the product bucket 40 is rotated, and the product A in the product bucket 40 is carried out to the product outlet 10b. It

In the vending machine, the partition plate 12,
By changing the position of 13 in the vertical direction, it is possible to change the size of the hot storage compartment 11a and the cold storage compartment 11b in the product storage compartment 11. In this case, one of the partition plates 12 is once pulled out from the inside of the product storage box 11 and inserted at another arbitrary position. At that time, the opening / closing plate 17 at the insertion position of the partition plate 12 operates as follows. To do.

That is, when the partition plate 12 is inserted into the product storage 11, the lower surface side of the insertion end of the partition plate 12 contacts the contact portion 18a of the guide plate 18 as shown in FIG. Since it is inclined forward and downward with respect to the insertion direction of the plate 12, when the insertion end of the partition plate 12 moves backward, the contact portion 18a of the guide plate 18 contacts the partition plate 12 and is gradually pushed down. As a result, the opening / closing plate 17 interlocks with the insertion of the partition plate 12 via the guide plate 18, and the ventilation passage 16
Rotate to the side. Then, the opening / closing plate 17 rotates until its lower end abuts against the inner surface of the product storage box 11, the ventilation passage 16 is closed by the opening / closing plate 17 as shown in FIG. 8, and the vent 16c of the side plate 16a is formed. Is released. As a result, the heating compartment 11a and the refrigerating compartment 11b are reliably partitioned by the partition plate 12 and the left and right opening / closing plates 17, and the ventilation passage 16
The air flowing through does not flow from the refrigerating compartment 11a side to the refrigerating compartment 11b side or from the refrigerating compartment 11b side to the refrigerating compartment 11a side. If the partition plates 12 and 13 are removed and used, the whole of the product storage 11 can be used as the hot storage compartment 11a or the cold storage compartment 11b.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the partition plate 12 is inserted into the product storage 11, the product storage 11
Since the opening / closing plates 17 provided on both width direction end sides are configured to close the width direction both end sides of the product storage box 11 in conjunction with the insertion of the partition plate 12, when the partition plate 12 is inserted, other artificial The inside of the product storage 11 can be partitioned without requiring any special operation, and the inside of the product storage 11 can always be reliably partitioned. In this case, since each opening / closing plate 17 is provided on the side of the product storage 11 side, the partition plate 12 can be simplified and reduced in weight, and the work of attaching / detaching the partition plate 12 can be performed extremely easily. Further, since the opening / closing plate and the operation mechanism therefor are not arranged on the lower surface of the partition plate 12, the thickness of the partition plate 12 is not limited.
The partition plate 12 can be formed to have a thickness that provides a sufficient heat insulating effect.

Further, when the partition plate 12 inserted into the product storage 11 comes into contact with the guide portion 18 of the opening / closing plate 17, the opening / closing plate 17 is rotated in the closing direction. A complicated mechanism for interlocking with the mounting of the plate 12 is not required, and the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the partition plate 12 is attached to the contact portion 18a of the guide portion 18 formed obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the partition plate 12.
Since the opening / closing plate 17 is configured to rotate in the closing direction while being in contact with each other, the linear motion of the partition plate 12 in the insertion direction can be transmitted as the rotating motion of the opening / closing plate 17, so that the opening / closing plate 17 is always secured. Can be operated.

Further, when the whole of the product storage 11 is cooled, the partition plate 12 is unnecessary, so that the product storage space of the product column 20 where the partition plate 12 was located above can be expanded. It becomes possible to store larger products. In this case, since the thickness of the partition plate 12 can be reduced as described above, for example, the partition plate 12 is provided between the product column 20 at the lowermost stage and the cooling unit 15.
It is also advantageous for storing the partition plate 12 that is not used, such as by inserting the partition.

In the above-described embodiment, the case of the product storage of the vending machine is shown, but the present invention is another cooling / heating device having a heat insulating partition structure, for example, a heating chamber above and below the product storage. It can also be applied to a showcase or the like that forms a refrigerating room.

In the above embodiment, the opening / closing plates 17 are provided on both ends in the width direction of the product storage box 11. However, only one end in the width direction of the product storage box is closed by the opening / closing plates. It may be one that

[0033]

As described above, according to the partition structure of the first aspect, when the partition plate is mounted in the product storage, the inside of the product storage can be moved without any other manual operation. Since it can be partitioned, it is possible to always reliably partition the inside of the product storage. In this case, since the partition plate can be simplified and lightened, the partition plate can be attached and detached very easily. Further, since the thickness of the partition plate is not limited, the thickness dimension of the partition plate can be increased, and the heat insulating effect can be significantly improved. Further, when cooling the entire inside of the product storage, the partition plate is not required, so that the product storage space can be expanded by that amount, and a larger product can be stored. In this case, since the thickness of the partition plate can be reduced, it is advantageous for storing the partition plate which is not used.

According to the partition structure of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, since a complicated mechanism for interlocking the opening / closing plate with the mounting of the partition plate is not required, the structure is further simplified. Cost reduction can be achieved.

According to the partition structure of claim 3, in addition to the effect of claim 1 or 2, since the rectilinear motion of the partition plate in the insertion direction can be transmitted as the rotary motion of the open / close plate, the open / close plate Can always be operated reliably.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Front sectional view of a vending machine

[Fig. 3] Side sectional view of a vending machine

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a product column and a product bucket.

[Figure 5] Front view of the product column

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part showing a partition plate and an opening / closing plate.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the operation of the opening / closing plate.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view of a main part of a product storage unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Merchandise storage, 12 ... Partition plate, 17 ... Open / close plate, 18
… Guide plate.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A partition structure of a product storage compartment, wherein a predetermined vertical position in the product storage compartment is partitioned by a detachable heat insulating partition plate, wherein a partition plate mounting position in the product storage compartment in a width direction. An opening / closing plate whose upper end is rotatably supported is provided on at least one end side, and when a partition plate is installed in the product storage, the opening / closing plate interlocks with the installation of the partition plate and the width direction predetermined part in the product storage. A structure for partitioning a product storage, which is characterized in that it is configured to close. 2. The construction is such that the partition plate is mounted in the product storage by inserting it into the product storage, and the opening / closing plate is contacted by the partition plate inserted in the product storage. The partition structure for a product storage according to claim 1, further comprising a guide portion for rotating the opening / closing plate in a closing direction. 3. The guide portion is formed obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the partition plate so as to rotate the opening / closing plate in the closing direction while contacting the partition plate inserted into the product storage. The partition structure of the product storage according to claim 1 or 2.