JP2006171848A - Article guide device for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate a maintenance and check work without requiring any large working space. <P>SOLUTION: In the article guide device for an automatic vending machine, a front support pin member 20F is arranged on a side board 12 configuring a merchandise housing column 11, and a input tray 15 is arranged on the side board 12 in such configurations that the front support pin member 20F is made to support the lower face of a front side edge part, so that articles charged from the front side of the automatic vending machine to the input tray 15 can be guided to an article housing column 11 at the deep side of the automatic vending machine. In this case, the front support pin member 20F is attachably and detachably arranged on the side board 12 and the input tray 15 so as to be retractable from the lower face of the input tray 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a product guide device for a vending machine.

  Normally, vending machines selling canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles are configured with multiple product storage columns not only in the left-right direction of the main cabinet but also in the depth direction in order to increase the type and number of products stored Like to do. The commodity storage column is configured to meander between the guide members in a vertical direction by appropriately arranging, for example, curved guide members called segments between a pair of side plates.

  In this type of vending machine, an input tray is provided above the side plate in order to facilitate the operation of inputting the product. The input tray has a support pin member disposed on the side plate of the product storage column and is supported by the side plate via the support pin member, and gradually rises from the upper end opening of the product storage column toward the front side of the main body cabinet. It is arranged in an inclined manner. In this vending machine, if a product is put into the input tray from the front side of the main body cabinet, the product can be stored also in a product storage column located on the back side of the main body cabinet (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

JP-A-11-175840

  By the way, in some maintenance and inspection work to be performed on the vending machine, there is a case where the commodity storage column must be removed from the main body cabinet. In many cases, a heavy product storage column is held in a suspended state on a rail provided in the main body cabinet, but when a plurality of product storage columns along the depth direction are configured as one unit. In terms of workability and work space when removing the product storage column from the main body cabinet, it is not necessarily preferable. That is, when a plurality of product storage columns along the depth direction are configured as a single unit, the part located on the farthest side must be pulled out linearly until it is exposed to the outside of the main body cabinet. The work becomes complicated, and a large work space for drawing out the entire work is required.

  For this reason, also in patent document 1, the some product accommodation column along the depth direction is divided | segmented back and forth, and it is comprised so that each can be handled as an individual unit. That is, since the front unit and the rear unit can be removed individually, it is more advantageous than the previous one in terms of workability and work space. Even in such a divided unit, the input tray is provided so as to extend from the front side of the main body cabinet to the product storage column on the back side, so that the effect that the product can be easily input is not impaired.

  However, in order to remove the commodity storage column as an individual unit, it is necessary to remove the input tray in advance. As described above, the input tray has a length from the front side of the main body cabinet to the product storage column on the back side. For this reason, although it is possible to improve the workability when removing the commodity storage column, it is not preferable in terms of workability and work space when removing the long input tray.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a product guidance device for a vending machine that can easily perform maintenance and inspection work without requiring a large work space.

  In order to achieve the above object, a merchandise guidance apparatus for a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention has a support pin member disposed on a side plate constituting a merchandise container, and at least the front side of the support pin member. A loading tray is arranged on the side plate in a manner to support the lower surface of the end portion, and the product thrown into the loading tray from the front side of the vending machine is guided to the merchandise container located on the back side of the vending machine. In the merchandise guidance device of the vending machine, the support pin member is disposed on the side plate in such a manner that it can be retracted from the lower surface of the input tray.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a product guide device for a vending machine according to the first aspect, wherein a support pin member is detachably disposed on the side plate and the input tray.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the product guide device for the vending machine according to the second aspect, wherein the support pin member is configured by providing the both end portions of the shaft portion with a larger diameter portion than the shaft portion. And a shaft support portion that allows the shaft portion of the support pin member to be inserted and prevents the large diameter portion from being inserted, and an insertion portion that is continuous with the shaft support portion and allows the large diameter portion of the support pin member to be inserted. The guide plate is formed in the side plate, and the support pin member is inserted into the guide groove insertion portion, and then the shaft portion of the support pin member is positioned on the shaft support portion of the guide groove. The pin member is disposed on the side plate.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the product guide device for the vending machine according to the third aspect, wherein the guide groove has an upper guide portion for guiding the support pin member upward, and It has an insertion part in an upper end part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the present invention, if at least the support pin member that supports the lower surface of the front side end of the input tray is retracted, the front side end swings downward around the back end of the input tray. The long input tray can be changed to an upright posture in the front area of the main body cabinet. As a result, a large work space is not required when removing the input tray, and the length to be pulled out is small, so that workability can be improved.

  Exemplary embodiments of a vending machine product guide device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 and 2 show a vending machine to which a product guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vending machine illustrated here sells products such as canned beverages and plastic bottled beverages in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 1 having a heat insulating structure. The main body cabinet 1 has a rectangular shape with an open front, and includes a plurality of product storage chambers 2 inside thereof. The product storage chamber 2 is defined by partitioning the interior of the main body cabinet 1 with a heat insulating partition plate 3, and is arranged in parallel along the left-right direction of the main body cabinet 1.

  The main body cabinet 1 has an inner door 4 and an outer door 5 held on one side edge. The inner door 4 is for opening and closing the front opening of the commodity storage chamber 2 and is configured to have a heat insulating function. The outer door 5 is for opening and closing the front opening of the main body cabinet 1. Although not shown in the figure, on the front surface of the outer door 5, a display window for displaying a sample of the product, a selection button for selecting the product, a coin slot for inserting money, various information to the user Components necessary for selling products are provided, such as an integrated display for displaying the product, a product outlet for taking out the delivered product, and the like.

  On the other hand, the vending machine is provided with a rack unit 10 in each commodity storage chamber 2. The rack unit 10 includes a plurality of product storage columns (product storage units) 11 arranged in parallel along the depth direction of the main body cabinet 1. In the present embodiment, a rack unit 10 in which five commodity storage columns 11 are arranged side by side is illustrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each product storage column 11 sequentially stores and stores products in a laid-down state, and by arranging a plurality of guide members 13 between the side plates 12 facing each other. It is formed so as to extend in a meandering manner along the vertical direction. The side plates 12 each have a flat plate shape, and are arranged one by one on the left and right sides of the product storage chamber 2. A pair of side plates disposed on the front side (hereinafter, referred to as “front side plate 12a” as appropriate) has a front-rear width for constituting the front unit 10F including the two commodity storage columns 11, and is disposed on the back side. The side plate (hereinafter referred to as “back side plate 12b” as appropriate) has a front-rear width for constituting the rear unit 10R including the three commodity storage columns 11. The front and rear side plates 12 are in contact with each other, but can be separated. An interval larger than the maximum length of the goods to be accommodated is secured between the side plates 12 facing each other. The guide member 13 disposed between the side plates 12 is a so-called segment formed by bending a thin steel plate into an arc shape having a uniform cross section. It is attached by a fixing pin 13a installed between them.

  In the rack unit 10, a bend mechanism 14 is provided at the lower end of each product storage column 11, while an input tray 15 is provided above the product storage column 11. The bend mechanism 14 is configured to pay out the products stored in the product storage column 11 one by one to the lower product shooter 16 by appropriately operating when a sales command is given. The input tray 15 guides the product input to the front side of the main body cabinet 1 to the corresponding product storage column 11, and is an aspect in which the upper end portion of the product storage chamber 2 gradually decreases from the front side to the back side. It is inclined and arranged.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the mounting mode of the input tray 15. As is apparent from the figure, the input tray 15 is formed between the side plates 12 by supporting the lower surface of the rear side end portion and the lower surface of the front side end portion with the support pin members 20 installed between the side plates 12. It is arranged. As shown in FIG. 5, the support pin member 20 includes a shaft portion 20a having a thin cylindrical shape, and a large-diameter disk-shaped large-diameter portion 20b provided at both ends of the shaft portion 20a. Is. Among these, a support pin member (hereinafter referred to as “rear support pin member 20 </ b> R” as appropriate) that supports the rear end of the input tray 15 is constructed in such a manner that both ends thereof are fixed to the side plate 12. On the other hand, a support pin member (hereinafter referred to as “front support pin member 20 </ b> F” as appropriate) that supports the front end of the input tray 15 is mounted in a guide groove 30 formed in the side plate 12.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the guide groove 30 for mounting the front support pin member 20F includes a shaft support portion 30a and an insertion portion 30b. The shaft support portion 30a is a groove-shaped notch formed to have a width that allows the shaft portion 20a of the front support pin member 20F described above to be inserted while the large diameter portion 20b cannot be inserted, and the front support pin member 20F. The shaft portion 20a is formed in an inverted U shape so that it can be supported at two positions, a front position and a rear position. The insertion portion 30b is a hole portion formed in a size that allows the large-diameter portion 20b of the front support pin member 20F to be inserted. The insertion portion 30b communicates with the upper end portion of the shaft support portion 30a through the upper guide portion 30c. The upper guide portion 30c is a groove-shaped notch having the same width as the shaft support portion 30a, and extends upward from the upper end portion of the shaft support portion 30a, and then bends and extends forward.

  With respect to the guide groove 30 of the side plate 12 configured as described above, both end portions of the front support pin member 20F can be inserted into the side plate 12 if the large diameter portion 20b is matched with the insertion portion 30b. Thereafter, if the shaft portion 20a of the front support pin member 20F is appropriately moved along the shaft support portion 30a, the front support pin member 20F can be selectively positioned at the front position or the rear position with respect to the side plate 12. Can be occupied.

  On the other hand, in the state of being occupied at either the front position or the rear position, if the front support pin member 20F is moved upward and positioned at the insertion portion 30b via the upper guide portion 30c, the axial direction is maintained. The large-diameter portion 20b can be inserted through the insertion portion 30b, and the front support pin member 20F can be removed from the side plate 12.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the input tray 15 supported by the side plate 12 by the front support pin member 20F and the rear support pin member 20R has a pin holding portion 15a on the lower surface of the front side end portion. A pin slide support portion 15b is provided on the lower surface of the side end portion.

  The pin holding portion 15a extends obliquely downward from the lower surface of the input tray 15 toward the front, and then extends obliquely rearward in a manner gradually approaching the lower surface of the input tray 15. The extending end portion of the pin holding portion 15 a is slightly bent in a direction away from the lower surface of the input tray 15. The pin holding portion 15a is made of a relatively elastic material such as a metal thin plate, and can be expanded with respect to the lower surface of the input tray 15 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure. It is.

  The pin slide support portion 15 b extends downward from the lower surface of the input tray 15, and then extends rearward in a manner that is substantially parallel to the lower surface of the input tray 15. The extending end portion of the pin slide support portion 15 b is slightly bent in a direction away from the lower surface of the input tray 15. The pin slide support portion 15b is also made of a relatively elastic material such as a thin metal plate. A gap that is slightly narrower than the shaft portion 20a of the rear support pin member 20R in a normal state is secured between a portion of the pin slide support portion 15b extending rearward and the lower surface of the input tray 15.

  In order to support the loading tray 15 on the side plate 12, the pin holding portion 15a is positioned in front of the front support pin member 20F, and the pin slide support portion 15b is positioned in front of the rear support pin member 20R. In this state, the lower surface of the input tray 15 is brought into contact with the respective support pin members 20, and the input tray 15 may be slid to the rear side in that state. That is, the front support pin member 20F is sandwiched between the lower surface of the input tray 15 and the pin holding portion 15a, and the rear support pin member 20R is interposed between the lower surface of the input tray 15 and the pin slide support portion 15b. Thus, the movement of the input tray 15 relative to the side plate 12 can be restricted via the support pin members 20. Therefore, if a product is thrown into the front side of the throwing tray 15 from this state, it is possible to sequentially guide it to the back according to the inclination, and store it in the corresponding product storage column 11.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the front support pin member 20 </ b> F is occupied at the front position of the guide groove 30, the input tray 15 is positioned on the near side with respect to the side plate 12. The upper end opening of the product storage column 11 defined by the rear edge of the product is expanded, and the product storage column 11 suitable for a product having a relatively large diameter can be configured. That is, since the upper end opening of the product storage column 11 is in an expanded state, it is possible to store even a relatively large diameter product without clogging it.

  On the other hand, in a state where the front support pin member 20F is positioned at the rear position of the guide groove 30, the input tray 15 is positioned on the back side with respect to the side plate 12, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure. Therefore, the upper end opening of the product storage column 11 defined by the rear end edge of the input tray 15 is narrowed, and the product storage column 11 suitable for products having a relatively small diameter can be configured. That is, since the upper end opening of the product storage column 11 is narrowed, it is possible to store the product even in a relatively small diameter product without incurring a situation where the posture is inadvertently disturbed. Become.

  During these periods, the rear support pin member 20R fixed to the side plate 12 can be moved as described above by appropriately changing the position with the pin slide support portion 15b.

  On the other hand, when the rack unit 10 is removed from the main body cabinet 1 during the maintenance and inspection work in the vending machine configured as described above, the work of removing the input tray 15 located below from the rack unit 10 in order is performed. That is, by moving the input tray 15 forward with respect to the support pin member 20, the connection state of the support pin member 20 and the input tray 15 is released, and the input tray 15 is moved to the front side of the main body cabinet 1 from this state. If it is moved to, it can be removed.

  Here, since the input tray 15 positioned below guides the product to the product storage column 11 located on the front side of the input tray 15 positioned above, the total length is shorter than that positioned above. Therefore, even when a large work space cannot be secured in the front area of the main body cabinet 1, it can be easily removed by moving it to the front side as it is.

  On the other hand, the upper input tray 15 is longer than the lower one, most of which has a total length larger than the depth of the front plate 12a. Therefore, when a large work space cannot be secured in the front area of the main body cabinet 1, it is difficult to move it to the near side as it is.

  However, according to the vending machine, after the input tray 15 located below is removed, the front support pin member 20F supporting the input tray 15 is removed from the side plate 12, so that the input tray 15 positioned above is removed. It is possible to secure a space in which the front side end can be swung downward in the lower area. In other words, from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 8, if the front end is swung downward with the back side as the center, and further changed to an upright posture, as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, Regardless of the total length of the tray 15, it is possible to remove it from the main body cabinet 1 in the working space corresponding to the height. In this case, the length for pulling out the input tray 15 is significantly shortened, so that workability is remarkably improved.

  After removing the input tray 15 as described above, the front unit 10F including the two product storage columns 11 is first removed from the main body cabinet 1 by pulling out the front side plate 12a to the front side in the same manner as before. Thereafter, the rear unit 10R including the three commodity storage columns 11 may be removed from the main body cabinet 1 by pulling the back side plate 12b forward.

  As described above, according to the vending machine, when the front support pin member 20F that supports the lower surface of the front end portion of the input tray 15 is removed from the side plate 12, the vicinity of the rear end portion of the input tray 15 is centered. As described above, the front end can be swung downward to change the input tray 15 into an upright posture in the front area of the main body cabinet 1. As a result, there is no need for a large work space when removing the input tray 15, and the pull-out length becomes small, so that the workability can be remarkably improved.

  In addition, the front support pin member 20F that supports the loading tray 15 has the large-diameter portion 20b aligned with the insertion portion 30b after being moved upward along the upper guide portion 30c, and the side plate that is not moved in the axial direction from this state. As long as 12 can not fall out. Therefore, there is no possibility that the front support pin member 20F will accidentally fall off from the side plate 12 when it is unnecessary.

  In the above-described embodiment, the product guide device of the vending machine that sells a product such as a canned beverage or a beverage containing a plastic bottle in a cooled or heated state is exemplified. Of course, it is also possible to apply to what sells.

  In the above-described embodiment, the vending machine including the rack unit 10 in which the five product storage columns 11 are arranged side by side is illustrated, but the number of the product storage columns 11 is not necessarily five.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the support pin member 20 is attached to and detached from the side plate 12, but the present invention does not necessarily require the support pin member 20 to be removed from the side plate 12 as long as it can be retracted. In the above-described embodiment when the support pin member 20 is attached to or detached from the side plate 12, the support pin member 20 is provided with the large-diameter portion 20b having a larger diameter than the shaft portion 20a at both ends of the shaft portion 20a. A shaft support portion 30a that can be inserted through the shaft portion 20a of the support pin member 20 and cannot be inserted through the large diameter portion 20b, and a large diameter portion of the support pin member 20 that is continuous with the shaft support portion 30a. A guide groove 30 is formed in the side plate 12 and the support pin member 20 is inserted into the insertion portion 30b of the guide groove 30 and then the support pin member. Since the support pin member 20 is disposed on the side plate 12 by positioning the shaft portion 20a of the 20 on the shaft support portion 30a of the guide groove 30, a special tool is required when the support pin member 20 is attached or detached. Without It does not become complicated removable support pin members 20.

1 is a perspective view of a vending machine to which a product guide device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a cross-sectional side view of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows notionally the rack unit applied to the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the attachment aspect of an input tray in the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a conceptual diagram of the guide groove formed in the side plate of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the support pin member applied to the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a side view of the input tray applied to the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the procedure which removes an insertion tray in the vending machine shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 2 Commodity storage room 3 Thermal insulation partition plate 4 Inner door 5 Outer door 10 Rack unit 10F Front unit 10R Rear unit 11 Commodity storage column 12 Side plate 12a Front side plate 12b Back side plate 13 Guide member 13a Fixing pin 14 Bend mechanism 15 Input tray 15a Pin holding portion 15b Pin slide support portion 16 Product shooter 20 Support pin member 20F Front support pin member 20R Rear support pin member 20a Shaft portion 20b Large diameter portion 30 Guide groove 30a Shaft support portion 30b Insertion portion 30c Upper guide portion

Claims (4)

A support pin member is disposed on the side plate constituting the product accommodating portion, and an input tray is disposed on the side plate in such a manner that at least the lower surface of the front end is supported by the support pin member, from the front side of the vending machine. In the product guidance device of the vending machine that guides the product placed in the input tray to the product storage unit located on the back side of the vending machine,
A product guide device for a vending machine, wherein a support pin member is disposed on a side plate so as to be retractable with respect to a lower surface of an input tray.   The product guide device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a support pin member is detachably disposed on the side plate and the input tray. While configuring the support pin member with a thicker diameter part than the shaft part at both ends of the shaft part,
A shaft support portion that allows the shaft portion of the support pin member to be inserted and the large-diameter portion not to be inserted, and an insertion portion that is continuous with the shaft support portion and allows the large-diameter portion of the support pin member to be inserted. To form a guide groove on the side plate,
The support pin member is disposed on the side plate by inserting the large diameter portion of the support pin member into the guide groove insertion portion and then positioning the shaft portion of the support pin member on the shaft support portion of the guide groove. The product guidance device for a vending machine according to claim 2.   The guide device for a vending machine according to claim 3, wherein the guide groove has an upper guide portion for guiding the support pin member upward, and an insertion portion at an upper end portion of the upper guide portion.

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