JP2003256925A - Serpentine type commodity storing rack for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a serpentine type commodity storing rack so that the dropping attitude of a charged commodity can be prevented from being disturbed due to interference between a square hole of a movable side plate arranged in a commodity passage and the commodity and the commodity can be stored in a stable attitude. <P>SOLUTION: The movable side plate 8 and a parallel link mechanism for holding the side plate 8 in a vertical attitude are arranged in the commodity passage of the serpentine type commodity storing rack, the parallel link mechanism consists of a combination of a pair of upper and lower links 9 and a link connection board 10, the link connection board 10 is arranged along a channel part 8a of the side plate 8 from the commodity passage side, and bearing parts 10a formed on the upper and lower ends of the connection board 10 are inserted into square holes 8a-1 opened on the channel part 8a of the side plate 8 so as to be mutually coupled with the links 9 and bearing parts 10b of the side plate 8. In this case, a guard rail 8d connecting the upper and lower edges of the square hole 8a-1 of the side plate 8 and projected to the commodity passage side is formed as a protection means for preventing the square hole 8a-1 from being blocked up with a cap of a charged commodity (plastic bottle) to stabilize the dropping attitude of the charged commodity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a serpentine type product storage rack mounted on a vending machine, and more particularly to a movable side plate for adjusting a passage width provided in a product passage in combination with a parallel link mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The serpentine type product storage rack described above is well known as a product storage rack for vending machines that sell products such as cans, bottles, and PET bottles. This serpentine-type product storage rack defines a meandering product passage by vertically arranging arc-shaped rack segments vertically facing each other between rack side plates that are erected to face each other on the left and right. The products stacked and stored in a horizontal position in the product passage are cut out in order from the lowest order by the operation of a bend mechanism arranged on the exit side of the product passage, and the structure is shown in FIG. 4 shows.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a vending machine equipped with a serpentine type product storage rack. 1 is a main body case of the vending machine, 2 is a front outer door of the vending machine, 3 is a heat insulation inner door, 4 is a product outlet, 5 is a serpentine type product storage rack (in the illustrated example, two racks 5I, 5
II is combined in the front and rear, and two rows of product passages are defined in the front and rear of each rack), 6 is a product carry-out shooter for discharging the product discharged from the product storage rack 5 to the product take-out port 4, 7 Is a refrigerator for keeping cold inside the main compartment.

Here, in the serpentine type product storage rack 5, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), arc-shaped rack segments 52 are provided between a pair of left and right rack side plates 51 in a staggered manner. A meandering product passage 53 is defined between the rack segment rows, and a bend mechanism 54 and an outlet passage adjuster 55 are arranged on the lower end side of the product passage 53 with an outlet passage interposed therebetween. The top tray 56 is arranged.

With such a structure, when a product (can, bottle, plastic bottle product) is loaded from the front into the top tray 56 in an inverted posture at the time of replenishing the product, the product passes through the serpentine product passage 53 along the rack segment 52. It falls while rolling and is stacked and stored in a line on the bend mechanism 54. Then, when the bend mechanism 54 operates based on the sales instruction,
It is well known that the products lined up at the lowest position are sequentially dropped and carried out, and are sent to the product take-out port 4 through the carry-out shooter 6 shown in FIG.

Further, the above-mentioned serpentine type product storage rack 5 is equipped with a movable side plate 8 as means for adjusting the lateral width of the product passage 53 for each column according to the length size of the product. The structure and operation of this movable side plate have been previously proposed by the same applicant as the present invention.
It is described in detail in Japanese Patent No. 248, etc., and its conventional structure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

That is, the movable side plate 8 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the meandering product passage 53 shown in FIG. 4 (b), and is incorporated in the product passage of the rack in combination with the parallel link mechanism described later. In addition, a channel portion 8a having a horizontal width of about 20 mm is formed in the center of the movable side plate 5, and bearing portions 8b (left and right sides) that are connected to the parallel link mechanism toward the rear side of the movable side plate are formed at two upper and lower portions thereof. A structure in which a pair of partition walls are formed by cutting and raising shaft holes), and a product guide extending forward along the upper surface of the top tray 56 shown in FIG. 4 is coupled to the upper end of the movable side plate 8. Therefore, it is suspended and supported so as to be movable left and right by passing through through pins (not shown) provided between the rack side plates 51.

On the other hand, the parallel link mechanism for holding the movable side plate 8 in the vertical posture at the passage width adjusting position is fitted to the pair of upper and lower links 9 and the channel portion 8a of the movable side plate 8 from the front side (product passage side). It is composed of a combination with a link connecting plate 10 having a U-shaped cross section that is inserted and hinged to the link 9.
And a bearing portion 9a formed at the tip end thereof are guided and supported by a slot 8b-1 formed in the bearing portion 8b of the movable side plate 8 via a split pin 11. Here, the bearing portion 8b of the movable side plate 8 is formed by cutting back from the channel portion 8a, and the bearing portion 10a of the link connecting plate 10 is inserted into the square hole 8a-1 opened in the cut and raised portion of the bearing portion 8b. It is inserted from the front side, and a split pin 11 is provided between the link 9 and the bearing portion 8b on the back side of the movable side plate 8 to interconnect them.

With such a structure, when the movable side plate 8 is moved and adjusted to the left or right in accordance with the length size of the stored product, the parallel link mechanism is swung accordingly and the link connecting plate 10 connected to the link 9 is moved. It is vertically displaced along the channel portion 8a of the side plate 8.

[0010]

By the way, with the above-described conventional assembly structure, the following product transport trouble may occur when the product is replenished, and the situation of occurrence of the trouble will be described with reference to FIG. That is, as described above, when the link connecting plate 10 of the parallel link mechanism is displaced vertically due to the movement adjustment of the movable side plate 8, depending on the adjustment position, the square hole 8a opened in the channel portion 8a of the movable side plate 8. A gap is formed between -1 and the upper and lower ends of the link connecting plate 10. And, in this state, a plastic bottle product 1 is added to the column.
When 2 is charged, the cap 12a of the PET bottle product 12 fits into the square hole 8a-1 as shown by the chain line in the figure while the product rolls and falls in the product passage, and the edge of the square hole and the link The falling posture of the product hits the edge of the connecting plate 10 and inclines as shown by the solid line in the drawing, which may cause the product to stand up in the passage and cause the product jam. If such a product jam occurs in the product passage of the rack, the repair work will require time-consuming work such as removing the standing product and the stored product overlying it, and then reloading the product. Requires.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and prevents the input product from interfering with the square hole opened in the movable side plate and disturbing the falling posture thereof, so that the product can be stored in a stable posture. An object of the present invention is to provide a serpentine-type product storage rack for a vending machine with an improved movable side plate structure.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a movable side plate which is arranged in a product passage of a rack and whose lateral width is adjusted according to the length size of the product, and A parallel link mechanism is provided between the movable side plate and one rack side plate, wherein the parallel link mechanism is a combination of a pair of upper and lower links and a link connecting plate, and the link connecting plate is a product passage. Side-to-side channel part of the movable side plate, and the upper and lower end bearings are passed through the square holes opened in the channel part of the movable side plate to interconnect the link and the bearing part of the movable side plate. The protective means for preventing the cap of the stored product from entering from the side of the product passage is provided in the square hole opened in the channel portion of the movable side plate (claim 1). In the embodiment, the protection means are constituted by guardrail formed protruding forward been chosen between the upper and lower edges of the square hole of the movable side plate (claim 2).

According to the above construction, since the square hole opened in the channel portion of the movable side plate is protected by the guard rail, the product put in the rack, for example, the PET bottle product, rolls and falls along the product passage when the product falls. There is no risk that the cap of the item (1) fits into the square hole and disturbs the falling posture thereof, whereby the loaded products can be stacked and stored in the rack while keeping a stable horizontal posture. The guard rail can be formed at the same time by sheet metal working when the bearing portion of the movable side plate connected to the parallel link mechanism is cut and raised.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
Description will be made based on (a), (b) and the embodiment shown in FIG.
In the drawings of the embodiments, members corresponding to those in FIGS. 5 and 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The illustrated embodiment is basically the same as the assembly structure of FIG. 5, but a square hole 8a-1 cut out in the channel portion 8a of the movable side plate 8 for connection with a parallel link mechanism is fitted with a product. As a protection means for preventing the jamming, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), a belt-shaped guard rail 8d is continuously formed between the upper edge and the lower edge of the square hole 8a-1. The guard rail 8d is provided on the left and right bearing portions 8b when the bearing portion 8b is pressed on the movable side plate 8.
After leaving a cut between them, it is formed by sheet metal processing so as to push it toward the front surface (product passage side). The protruding height of the guard rail 8d is determined so as not to protrude forward from the concave groove of the channel portion 8a and not hinder the sliding movement of the link connecting plate 10 fitted in the channel portion 8a.

With the above construction, as shown in FIG. 2, the movable side plate 8 is adjusted to leave a gap between the square hole 8a-1 and the tip of the link connecting plate 10, and the product is placed on the column of the rack ( When a PET bottle product) 12 is put in, a product passage 53
Goods passing through the square holes 8a-1 of the movable side plate 8 in the process of rolling and falling are guided by the guard rail 8d, pass through the outside of the rail, and roll down. Accordingly, when the cap 12a of the product (plastic bottle) 12 rolls and falls in the passage, the product 12 does not fit into the square hole 8a-1 of the movable side plate 8 and disturbs the falling posture of the product, and the product is stably placed horizontally. It will be stacked and stored in the product passage while maintaining its posture.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, the movable side plate and the parallel link mechanism laid between the movable side plate and one of the rack side plates are provided in the product passage of the serpentine type product storage rack. The parallel link mechanism is a combination of a pair of upper and lower links and a link connecting plate,
In addition, the link connecting plate is put along the channel part of the movable side plate from the side of the product passage, and the bearing parts at the upper and lower ends thereof are passed through the square holes opened in the channel part of the movable side plate so that the link connecting plate and the bearing part of the movable side plate are mutually connected. In the connected one, as a protection means for preventing the cap of the stored product from entering the square hole opened in the channel portion of the movable side plate from the product passage side, the upper edge and the lower edge of the square hole of the movable side plate are connected. Since the guard rails are formed so as to be connected to each other and project toward the product passage, the cap of the product fits into the square hole while the product supplied to the rack, for example, a PET bottle product, rolls and falls in the product passage. There is no risk of disturbing the falling posture, and replenishment products can be stacked and stored in the rack in a stable posture.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is an external perspective view showing an assembly structure of a movable side plate and a parallel link mechanism, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view from the front showing a main part structure of the movable side plate. Figure

FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram showing a falling posture of a put-in product according to the configuration of FIG.

[Figure 3] External view of a vending machine equipped with a serpentine-type product storage rack

4 is a configuration diagram of the serpentine type product storage rack in FIG. 3, (a) is an external perspective view of the rack, and (b) is a side view showing its internal structure.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional assembly structure of a movable side plate and a parallel link mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram showing a situation in which the attitude disorder of the put-in product is generated by the configuration of FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

5 Serpentine-type product storage rack 51 Rack side plate 53 product passage 8 movable side plate 8a channel part 8a-1 Square hole 8b bearing 8d guardrail 9 links 10 link connecting plate 10a bearing part

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Ken Tsuruha             1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Within Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yuki Ohno             1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Within Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Naoki Kuwahara             1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Within Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Zhao Akira             1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Within Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Seiichi Tanaka             1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Within Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Jun Saiki             1-1 Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Within Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3E046 BB03 CA01 CD01 DA01

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A meandering merchandise passage is defined by vertically arranging arc-shaped rack segments vertically facing each other between rack side plates that are erected so as to be opposed to each other on the left and right sides. A serpentine-type product storage rack of a vending machine, in which the products stacked and stored in a horizontal position inside are sequentially dispensed based on a sales command,
The movable side plate that is arranged in the product passage and adjusts the lateral width of the passage according to the length size of the product, and the parallel link mechanism that spans between the movable side plate and one rack side plate are provided. The link mechanism consists of a combination of a pair of upper and lower links and a link connecting plate, and the link connecting plate is attached to the channel part of the movable side plate from the product passage side, and the bearing parts at the upper and lower ends thereof are connected to the channel part of the movable side plate. Prevents the cap of the stored product from entering the square hole opened in the channel part of the movable side plate through the square hole opened in the product, from the product passage side. Serpentine-type product storage rack for vending machines, which is equipped with protective measures. 2. The product storage rack according to claim 1,
A serpentine-type product storage rack for a vending machine, wherein the protection means is a guard rail formed by connecting the upper edge and the lower edge of the square hole of the movable side plate and projecting forward.