JP2010250432A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine capable of variably setting the number of stages of commodity support units for accommodating pouch commodities by suspension supporting. <P>SOLUTION: A frame body of a commodity accommodating rack 20 is formed of upper, lower, left and right frame members (upper support frame members 21, 21, lower support frame members 22, 22, and pairs of vertical frame members 23, 23, respectively disposed in front and in the vicinity of the center). A plurality of commodity support units 30, disposed on the left and right frame members 23, 23 in the vertical direction, are mounted to support hanging units (flanges) for the commodities (pouch commodities etc.), with inclination to make the rear side lower than the front side (commodity inlet side) so as to accommodate the commodity by suspension hanging, by making the commodity slip by own weight. Each commodity support unit 30 includes a commodity ejection mechanism at the rear-end portion, and is detachably mounted on the frame members forming the commodity accommodation rack 20, at a position corresponding to each commodity length to be accommodated by suspension. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a vending machine that sells a product having a hook part at a drinking part, and hangs and accommodates the product, and is inclined so that the rear side is lower than the front side (product replenishment side). In addition, the present invention relates to a vending machine that slides and stores the product by its own weight and includes a product take-out mechanism at the rear end.

Products handled by vending machines are diversified, and containers filled with beverages are hard in flexible pouch-shaped containers filled with jelly-like food and drink in addition to hard canned products and plastic bottled products There is a demand for a vending machine which can sell a product (hereinafter also referred to as a pouch product) in which a spout as a spout portion made of a synthetic resin is fixed as a drinking mouth and which has a cap attached to the spout. There is known a vending machine that uses a product as a sale target product (for example, Patent Document 1).
The vending machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes product storage racks arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages in the cabinet of the main body cabinet, and the left and right direction with a predetermined interval on the product placement surface of each product storage rack A plurality of partition walls are provided, and a product storage passage is provided between adjacent partition walls to store products side by side in the front-rear (depth) direction, and a pusher member that pushes the product forward is provided in each product storage passage, and a product selection button Is operated to drive the pusher member to extrude the product.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-228058

  In the vending machine disclosed in Patent Document 1, a product storage rack is arranged horizontally, and is configured to place and store products in a product storage passage of the product storage rack. If a pouch product with a soft container shape is stored in such a product storage rack, the storage posture of the pouch product may be disturbed, and if the pouch product is pressed from behind with a pusher member, the pouch product may be crushed and cannot be sold. is there. For this reason, in the product storage rack disclosed in Patent Document 1, paying attention to the fact that the product stands up if the flange provided on the spout of the pouch product is supported as a hook portion, a gap is formed so as to sandwich the spout of the pouch product. The product chain is disposed between the front and rear sprockets in close proximity to the product support member, and the product support member is disposed in the product support member so that the flange is hooked on the product support member. A plurality of product partition pins that press the spout (or cap) of the pouch product from behind are arranged, and the pouch product is pushed out by the product partition pin by driving the transport chain at the time of sale. According to the vending machine disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to sell a pouch product having a soft container form, but there is a problem that the configuration of the product storage rack is complicated and the cost is increased.

  Therefore, the inventors support the flange of the pouch product, and slidably accommodate the product by its own weight, and include a product support unit having a product carry-out mechanism, and construct the product storage rack with the product support unit. A slant-type product storage rack constructed by laying a plurality of stages in the vertical direction on a frame material was invented and applied (Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-258022). According to this invention, it is excellent in that the slant-type product storage rack that stores a pouch product with a soft container configuration can be configured simply. By the way, there are a plurality of types of pouch products having different lengths (height dimensions) like products such as canned products and plastic bottled products. In order to make it possible to sell a plurality of types of pouch products having different lengths in this way, in the invention of the application described above, the interval between the product support units arranged in the vertical direction is set to the longest pouch product having the longest length. It is set together. For this reason, since the number of vertical stages of the product support unit is limited, the number of pouch products accommodated in the slanted product storage rack is naturally determined. Therefore, if a slant-type product storage rack is prepared in which the interval between product support units is determined for each pouch product having a different length, the number of product support units is increased for short-sized pouch products with a short length. The number of storage can be increased, but in this case, a product storage rack must be prepared for each product type with different lengths, and the number of parts increases and the types of vending machines increase. On the other hand, the management is complicated in the manufacturer. On the other hand, if the product is replaced by the user, it cannot be replaced unless it is the same length or shorter than the previous pouch product. In order to replace the pouch product with a long length, the slant-type product storage rack must be replaced.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to automatically set the number of product support units for suspending and supporting a pouch product. To provide a vending machine.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is configured such that a frame of a product storage rack is constructed by upper, lower, left and right frame members, and a plurality of stages are erected on the left and right frame members in the vertical direction, A product support unit that supports and tilts the rear side to be lower with respect to the front side (product replenishment side), slides the product by its own weight, and suspends and stores the product support unit at the rear end. In the vending machine provided with the slanted product storage rack provided, the product support unit is detachable from a frame material constituting the product storage rack, and the length of the product to be suspended and stored in the product support unit It is constructed at a position corresponding to.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the frame material and the product support unit have an engaging portion that engages with each other, and the engaging portion of the frame material is suspended from the product support unit. It is formed in the position according to the length of the goods accommodated down, respectively, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the product storage rack is an excess product in an empty space formed on the upper side of the tilted uppermost product support unit and closer to the rear. The support unit is housed.

  According to the vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, the frame of the product storage rack is constructed with the upper, lower, left and right frame members, and a plurality of stages are erected on the left and right frame members in the vertical direction. A product support unit that supports and tilts the rear side to be lower with respect to the front side (product replenishment side), slides the product by its own weight, and suspends and stores the product support unit at the rear end. In the vending machine provided with the slant-type product storage rack provided, the product support unit is detachable from a frame material for constructing the product storage rack, and the length of the product to be suspended and stored in the product support unit Since it is constructed so that it is installed at a position corresponding to, the number of product support units can be changed according to the length of the product to be sold (pouch product). It is possible to provide a product storage rack having a product support unit optimum number of stages Heather request (the length of the sales to product). In addition, when replacing a product in an existing vending machine, if the length of the product to be replaced is different from the length of the previous product, especially when replacing with a product longer than the length of the previous product, the product support unit is installed. If the position is changed, the product can be replaced with the product.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the frame material and the product support unit have an engaging portion that engages with each other, and the engaging portion of the frame material Is formed at the position corresponding to the length of the product suspended and accommodated in the product support unit, so that the product support unit can be attached to and detached from the frame material with a simple configuration, and the product support is easy. The number of units can be changed.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the commodity storage rack is formed in an empty space formed on the upper side of the inclined uppermost commodity support unit and closer to the rear. By storing the surplus product support unit, it is possible to store the surplus product support unit in the product storage rack, thereby eliminating the trouble of storing the surplus product support unit.

It is a perspective view of the outside door open state which shows the whole structure of the vending machine which is embodiment of this invention. It is principal part side surface sectional drawing of FIG. The slant type | mold goods storage rack which concerns on this invention is shown, (a) And (b) is a perspective view for demonstrating attachment / detachment of a goods support unit, respectively, (c) is an enlarged view of the upper part of a goods storage rack. The product support unit constructed in the slant type product storage rack of FIG. 3 is shown, (a) is a perspective view seen from the front, (b) is a perspective view seen from the rear. The product carrying mechanism mounted in the product support unit is shown, (a) is a perspective view in which a part of the product carrying mechanism is disassembled, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the product carrying mechanism. A container form shows a soft pouch product, and (a) and (b) are front views of different types of pouch products. The state which loads a goods into a goods support unit is shown, (a) is a mimetic diagram of the state where goods are loaded into a goods support unit, and (b) is a front view showing the state where goods were loaded into a goods support unit. . It is a side view which shows the state which accommodated the goods in the goods support unit. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the pouch goods loaded in the goods support unit slide. It is a top view for demonstrating the carrying-out operation | movement of a goods carrying-out mechanism. The adapter member for giving compatibility with a serpentine type goods storage rack is shown, (a) And (b) is a partial exploded perspective view for explaining attachment of a different adapter member, respectively.

Hereinafter, a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the overall structure of the vending machine will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body cabinet having an open front surface. The main body cabinet 1 is configured as a heat insulating casing by disposing heat insulating boards made of urethane foam on the inner side of the outer box made of steel plate, that is, on the upper wall, the left and right side walls, the back wall, and the bottom wall 1a. The interior of the product storage box surrounded by the heat insulation board of the main body cabinet 1 is divided into a plurality of product storage chambers 12, 13, and 14 in the left-right direction by a heat insulating partition wall 11, in this embodiment. The left and right product storage chambers 12 and 14 are serpentine-type product storages configured by meandering product storage passages which are arranged in a front-rear direction and arranged in a vertical direction by connecting segments that are well known in the vertical direction. Each of the racks 121 and 141 is accommodated in two rows on the left and right. A slant-type product storage rack 20 (to be described later) provided by the present invention is stored in the center product storage chamber 13. A chute 2 is disposed below the commodity storage racks 121, 141, and 20 and is inclined downward and has numerous holes. Below the chute 2 is a cooling unit or cooling / heating unit that cools or heats the respective product storage chambers 12, 13, and 14 and stores the products stored in the product storage racks 121, 141, and 20 in a cold hot state. A unit is provided. The lower part of the bottom wall 1a of the main body cabinet 1 is formed as a machine room. The machine room has a compressor 3 (see FIG. 2) and a condenser 4 constituting a refrigeration cycle with the cooling unit of the cooling / heating unit. An expansion mechanism (not visible in the figure) and an outside fan 5 for blowing air to the condenser 4 are disposed. The product storage room in which only the cooling unit is disposed is a cold dedicated room, and the product storage room in which the cooling / heating unit is disposed is a hot / cold combined room. In the example shown in the figure, the product storage room 12 is dedicated to cold. The product storage chambers 13 and 14 are hot / cold combined chambers. In this case, the product storage chamber 12 which is a cold exclusive chamber is compressed and condensed by the compressor 3 and the condenser 4 in the machine room. The evaporator 6 and the internal fan 7 in which the refrigerant is circulated are installed as a cooling unit, and the evaporator 6 and the internal fan 7 are disposed in the lower part of the product storage chambers 13 and 14 serving as hot / cold combined rooms. In addition, a heater 8 for heating the product is installed as a heating unit. A circulation duct 9 is provided in communication with the cooling unit or the cooling / heating unit at the back of each of the product storage chambers 12, 13, and 14, and the upper end 9a of the circulation duct 9 is positioned at a substantially middle position of the product storage. Is open. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 122 and 142 denote fixing brackets for fixing the product storage racks 121 and 141.

  As is well known, a display chamber for a product sample placed on a display stand is formed on the front surface of the outer door 10 (see FIG. 1) that is attached to the front surface of the main body cabinet 1 so as to be freely opened and closed. The transparent plate covering the front of the display room is provided with a product selection button unit having a product selection button provided corresponding to each product sample, and in addition to the product outlet 10a, a coin slot and a banknote slot , Change return port, return lever, handle lock device with cylinder lock, etc. are assembled. The inner door 15 that closes the front surface of the product storage in the main body cabinet 1 is divided into upper and lower parts in this example, and the lower inner door 15 is opposed to the chute 2 of each product storage chamber 12, 13, 14. A product exit opening that is always closed by the exit door 15a is provided at a position where the exit is performed. The exit door 15a of the product exit is pivotally supported at its upper end to always close the product exit to prevent outflow of cold air or warm air, and is formed to be pushed open by the product delivered through the chute 2. Has been.

  Now, the configuration of the slanted product storage rack 20 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, a pair of vertical frame members 23 and 23 are fixed to the pair of left and right upper support frame members 21 and 21 and the lower support frame members 22 and 22 by screws at the front and near the center, respectively. The upper support frame members 21 and 21, the lower support frame members 22 and 22, and a pair of vertical frame members 23 and 23 provided near the front and the center (hereinafter also referred to as the rear side) constitute a product storage rack. Configure the frame material. A plurality of beam members 24A are fixed in the vertical direction between the front vertical frame members 23 and 23, and the beam members 24 are also fixed to the upper ends of the rear vertical frame members 23 and 23. The rear sides of the upper support frame members 21 and 21 and the lower support frame members 22 and 22 (the depth side as can be understood from FIG. Yes. The closed space extending in the vertical direction is formed as a product carry-out passage through which the product falls. A ventilation hole 25 a is formed on the upper side of the back plate 25. Below the back plate 25 and the side plate 26, a U-shaped delivery member 27 opened upward is attached so as to incline downward as it goes higher toward the rear side. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the delivery member 27 connects a vertical product delivery passage to the product outlet 10 a of the outer door 10 through the chute 2 and the product outlet of the inner door 15. A cushion 28 is attached to the front end portion of the delivery member 27, and the cushion 28 is configured as a shielding member that closes the gap between the delivery member 27 and the shooter 2. Each member of the product storage rack 20 is formed of a thick steel plate, and the product storage rack 20 has main body side hook metal fittings 50 and 55 laid on the ceiling of the product storage of the main body cabinet 1 (see FIG. 1). The upper support frame members 21 and 21 can be attached directly or via attachment members (adapter members) to FIG. This attachment will be described later with reference to FIG.

A product support unit 30 is mounted on the front and rear vertical frame members 23, 23 fixed to the upper support frame members 21, 21 and the lower support frame members 22, 22. Although mounting of the product support unit 30 will be described later, eight notches 231 are formed in the vertical frame member 23 on the rear side for mounting the product support unit 30 in the vertical direction. This notch 231 constitutes an engaging portion of the vertical frame member 23.
The configuration of the commodity support unit 30 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the product support unit 30 includes a pair of left and right holding members 31, 31, front and rear connecting members 32 and 33 that connect the holding members 31 and 31, and a product carrying unit installed on the rear connecting member 33. It comprises a mechanism 34 and mounting brackets 35, 35 fixed to a pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 so as to protrude outward.

  The pair of left and right sandwiching members 31, 31 is a long member formed in an L shape by a thin coated steel plate (hereinafter also simply referred to as a thin steel plate) having a lubricating coating applied to one surface thereof, They are arranged opposite each other with a predetermined gap t. The leg ends of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 forming the gap t are double-held by folding so that one surface (coating surface) is outside (reference numeral 36 is attached). The upper and lower surfaces of the leg end portion forming the gap t are coating surfaces (that is, surfaces having good lubricity). The pouch product is suspended and supported by the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31, 31, and the loading (replenishment) of the pouch product will be described later. The connecting members 32 and 33 are configured as a frame so as to surround the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 leaving a gap t. The pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 are firmly fixed to the connecting members 32 and 33 by screws, respectively, whereby the gap t between the leg ends of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 is kept constant. I'm leaning. A front-side connecting member 32 is integrally formed with a T-shaped attachment piece 321 in front view. The attachment piece 321 is engaged with the beam member 24 of the commodity storage rack 20 shown in FIG. 3, and the upper end thereof is bent in a bowl shape, and a screw hole 322 is formed near the center of the leg piece. Yes. The mounting bracket 35 is formed of a thick steel plate in a hat shape in cross section, and each flange portion is screwed to the clamping member 31. A stepped screw 351 is screwed to the head of the mounting bracket 35, and the stepped screw 351 is formed in a notch 231 formed in the vertical frame members 23 and 23 on the rear side in the product storage rack 20 shown in FIG. The stepped screw 351 constitutes an engaging portion of the product support unit 30. Reference numeral 37 denotes a pair of width restricting members planted at the leg end portions of the pair of left and right holding members 31, 31.

  The product carry-out mechanism 34 disposed behind the product support unit 30 has a carry-out mechanism incorporated in a box made up of a base 341 and a cover 342. The carry-out mechanism is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view as seen from obliquely above with the cover 342 of the product carry-out mechanism 34 removed. In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a solenoid as a drive source, and a stopper member 42 is connected to a plunger 41 of the solenoid 40. In the stopper member 42, stepped screws 421 and 421 are loosely fitted in elongated holes 43 and 43 parallel to the moving direction of the plunger 41. The stopper member 42 is slidably disposed in the moving direction of the plunger 41 and the return spring 44. Is installed. A first stopper 45 and a second stopper 46 extending downward are formed at the rear end of the stopper member 42. The second stopper 46 extends downward through an opening (not shown) provided in the connecting member 33 that connects the base 341 and the left and right holding members 31, 31. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the second stopper 46 is locked with a locking member 461 provided with a pressing piece 462 that is bent toward the rear side by bending at the tip.

  The first stopper 45 is located at the rear end of the pair of clamping members 31, 31, and the second stopper 46 is arranged at a position away from the first stopper 45 by a predetermined distance to the front side. In the sales standby state (the solenoid 40 is in a non-excited state), the first stopper 45 is positioned facing the gap t formed by the pair of clamping members 31, 31, and the second stopper 46 is moved from the gap t. When the solenoid 40 is energized, the first stopper 45 is retracted from the gap t and the second stopper 46 is moved so as to face the gap t. is there. Reference numeral 47 denotes a product detection switch (sold-out switch) composed of a micro switch, which is arranged so that the operation lever 471 (see FIG. 4B) of the micro switch faces a gap t formed by the pair of clamping members 31. It is installed. Reference numeral 48 denotes a socket to which a power line for supplying power to the solenoid 40 and the product detection switch 47 and a signal line for transmitting a detection signal from the product detection switch 47 are connected. A connector attached to the product support unit 30 It is to be attached to.

  The mounting of the product support unit 30 configured as described above to the product storage rack 20 will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 illustrates the case where the product support unit 30 is installed in four stages, and in FIG. 3A, the product support units 30 from the bottom to the third stage are mounted, and the product support unit at the uppermost stage is installed. A state before the mounting of the product 30 (or a removed state) is shown, and the case where the product support unit 30 is mounted in the empty area at the uppermost position will be described as a representative. First, the product support unit 30 is inserted between the front vertical frame members 23, 23 constituting the product storage rack 20. In this case, the product support unit 30 is inserted in a state of being laid down so that the left and right mounting brackets 35, 35 are aligned on the vertical line. This is because when the product support unit 30 is inserted between the vertical frame members 23 and 23 with the left and right mounting brackets 35 and 35 positioned on a horizontal line, the mounting brackets 35 and 35 become the left and right vertical frame members 23 and 23. This is to avoid this because it abuts. Then, the product support unit 30 is moved backward while returning the product support unit 30 to the original posture when the mounting brackets 35, 35 of the product support unit 30 pass between the front vertical frame members 23, 23. Next, stepped screws 351 and 351 screwed into the mounting brackets 35 and 35 of the product support unit 30 are respectively formed in the notches 231 (see FIG. 5) formed in the rear vertical frame members 23 and 23 constituting the product storage rack 20. Then, the uppermost notch 231) is engaged. In this state, a T-shaped attachment piece 321 formed on the connecting member 32 on the front side of the commodity support unit 30 is engaged with the beam member 24 and screwed. In this way, the product support unit 30 mounted on the product storage rack 20 is inclined such that the front side (product replenishment side) is high and the rear side (product unloading mechanism 34 side) is low.

  As described above, the product support unit 30 mounted on the product storage rack 20 is disposed in an inclined state so that the front side (product replenishment side) is high and the rear side (product takeout mechanism 34 side) is low. Therefore, an empty space is formed near the rear of the upper side of the uppermost product support unit 30 (upper part of the product storage rack 20), and an excess product support unit 30A is stored and stored in this empty space. . That is, since an empty space is formed near the upper rear of the product storage rack 20, this empty space is used as a storage location for the excess product support unit 30A. Here, the surplus product support unit 30A shows a state in which the four-stage product support unit 30 is installed in FIGS. (A) and (b), but with the uppermost product support unit 30 left, After removing the lower three-stage product support unit 30 in the reverse order of the mounting procedure and attaching the product support unit 30 to each of the empty cutouts 231 in the figure, the product storage unit 20 has five stages of product support. The unit 30 will be installed. In this way, when the product support unit 30 is detachable from the vertical frame member 23 constituting the product storage rack and the number of stages is changed from five to four, an unused product support unit 30 is born. The product support unit 30 becomes the surplus product support unit 30A.

  In order to store and store the above-described surplus product support unit 30A, a beam member 24A is provided near the upper ends of the vertical frame members 23 and 23 on the rear side constituting the product storage rack 20, as shown in FIG. Further, the left and right side plates 26, 26 are formed with notch grooves 261 (in the drawing, the left notch groove 261 is hidden behind the product support unit 30A and cannot be seen). The product support unit 30A engages the notched grooves 261 of the left and right side plates 26, 26 with the stepped screws 351, 351 screwed into the mounting brackets 35, 35 (see FIG. 4). The T-shaped attachment piece 321 formed on the connecting member 32 (see FIG. 4) on the front side of 30A is engaged with the beam member 24A and screwed to be stored. When the product support unit 30 is changed from four to five, the attachment position of the beam member 24 attached to the front vertical frame members 23 and 23 is changed and the product storage rack 20 is used as the remaining one beam member. What is necessary is just to utilize the beam member 24A for attaching the excess merchandise support unit 30A stored and stored in. For this reason, the beam member 24A is fixed to the rear vertical frame members 23 and 23 with screws in the same manner as the beam member 24 fixed to the front vertical frame members 23 and 23 with screws. In order to construct the unit 30, a notch similar to the notch 231 formed in the vertical frame members 23, 23 on the rear side is formed, and a stepped screw is screwed to the beam member 24 </ b> A to engage the both. May be.

  In addition, the length (height dimension) of the pouch product to be sold is determined according to the number of product support units 30 installed in the product storage rack 20 in the vertical direction (4 or 5 in this example). Depends on. A replenishment (loading) method for suspending and storing the pouch products in the product support unit 30 will be described later, but FIG. 2 illustrates a state where the pouch products are suspended and stored in the four-stage product support unit 30. In this case, the product support unit 30 has a length (height dimension) in which the suspended pouch product does not come into contact with the product delivery mechanism 34 (see FIG. 4) of the lower product support unit 30 adjacent to the top and bottom. Both long-sized pouch products (illustrated in the lower two-stage product support unit in FIG. 2) and relatively short short-sized pouch products (illustrated in the upper two-stage product support unit in FIG. 2) are suspended and accommodated. It is possible. Here, when only a long size pouch product is set as a sale target product, the number of stages of the product support unit 30 is four stages depending on the length of the long size pouch product. On the other hand, when a short size pouch product is a product to be sold, if the number of product support units 30 remains four, useless space between the lower product support unit 30 adjacent to the top and bottom and the lower end of the pouch product. Will occur. Therefore, in the present invention, the product support unit 30 is attached to and detached from the vertical frame member 23 constituting the product storage rack, and the number of stages is changed from four to five, and a short size is added to the five-stage product support unit 30. The pouch product is configured to be suspended and accommodated. Thereby, the quantity of the short size pouch goods which can be accommodated in the goods storage rack 20 can be increased significantly. Of course, in the opposite case, that is, the five-stage product support unit 30 suitable for short-sized pouch products can be changed to four-stage so that the products to be sold can be long-sized pouch products. Later, it is possible to replace the pouch product with a different size at the installation location.

  In addition, the product in which the product falls in the space closed by the back plate 25 and the left and right side plates 26 and 26 attached to the upper support frame members 21 and 21 and the lower support frame members 22 and 22 constituting the product storage rack 20 It is formed as a carry-out passage and constitutes a circulation passage for the internal air. Therefore, the blower A from the cooling unit comprising the evaporator 6 and the internal fan 7 shown in FIG. 2 or the heating unit comprising the evaporator 6, the internal fan 7 and the product heating heater 8 is the vertical frame material. After passing through the respective product support units 30 installed on the upper and lower stages 23 and 23 as indicated by the arrow B, the warehouse as indicated by the arrow C through the ventilation holes 25a (see FIG. 3) formed in the back plate 25. The product is guided to the upper end opening of the duct 9 disposed on the inner back and returned to the cooling unit or the heating unit, and the product (pouch product) suspended and supported by the upper and lower product support units 30 is uniformly cooled or heated. In this case, even if a gap is formed between the front end portion of the delivery member 27 and the shooter 2 due to an assembly error or the like, the air gap is blocked by the cushion (shielding member) 28, so Therefore, since the short-circuit passage is not formed, the cooling or heating performance can be maintained satisfactorily.

A pouch product loaded in the product support unit 30 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, the pouch product 100 is formed by fixing a spout 104 as a spout portion made of a hard synthetic resin to a flexible bag-like container 102 and attaching a cap 106 to the spout 104. The spout 104 is formed with a flange 105. In the example of FIG. 6A, the pouch product 100 having one flange 105 is shown, and in the example of FIG. 6B, the pouch product 200 having two flanges 105 is shown. Yes. A jelly-like food or drink is injected from the spout 104 into the flexible bag-like container 102, and it is difficult to stand up because the flexible bag-like container 102 is soft. Reference numeral 107 denotes a joining flange provided on the spout 104.
Next, the loading (replenishment) of the pouch product into the product support unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The figure shows the case where the pouch product 100 is loaded, and the gap t between the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31, 31 of the product support unit 30 is indicated by a white arrow from the product replenishment port in front of the product support unit 30. The pouch product 100 is loaded. That is, the spout 104 is inserted into the gap t while the flange 105 of the pouch product 100 is positioned on the upper side of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 of the product support unit 30 and the joining flange 107 is positioned on the lower side. The flange 105 is hooked on a pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31. Here, the gap t formed between the pair of left and right holding members 31, 31 is set to a predetermined dimension that is larger than the width of the spout 104 of the pouch product 100 and shorter than the length of the flange 105. The pouch product 100 suspended by hanging the flange 105 on the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 of the product support unit 30 is moved backward by sliding the flange 105 on the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 by its own weight. To do. The pouch product 100 moved to the rear of the product support unit 30 is locked by the first stopper 45 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the product carry-out mechanism 34, and the product with the highest sales order (hereinafter also referred to as a sales product). ) And is suspended and accommodated in a state stopped at the position. Next, the loaded pouch product 100 comes into contact with the sales product locked by the first stopper 45 and stops as the product with the second sales order (hereinafter also referred to as the next sales product). FIG. 8 shows a state in which the product support unit 30 is sequentially replenished with the pouch product 100 in this way, and the pouch product 100 is suspended and accommodated in the product support unit 30 in an attitude along a substantially vertical line by gravity. Is done.

  Here, the pouch product 100 is hung and accommodated by hooking the flange 105 on the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 of the product support unit 30, but the pouch product 100 has a flange as shown in FIG. In addition to 105, the lower portion of the cap 106 exists as a hook portion. For this reason, when the pouch product 100 is loaded into the product support unit 30, there is a possibility that the cap 106 (the lower end) is hooked on the pair of left and right holding members 31, 31 of the product support unit 30 and loaded (erroneously loaded). . If there is such an erroneous loading, the lower end of the cap 106 may be fitted between the gaps t between the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 to cause product clogging or drop off in the worst case. As a solution to this problem, the fact that the thickness dimension tb between the cap 106 and the flange 105 is formed smaller than the thickness dimension ta between the flange 105 and the joining flange 107 (ta> tb), It is conceivable to increase the thickness of the steel plates constituting the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 so that the lower end of the cap 106 cannot be hooked. However, if a thick steel plate is used as the material for the pair of left and right clamping members 31, the weight increases and the cost increases. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if a thin steel plate is used, erroneous loading can be prevented. Therefore, the leg end portions of the sandwiching members 31 and 31 arranged opposite to each other with a gap t are bent and double-held. Thus, the thickness regulating member 36 is provided. Thus, by double-holding the thin steel plate, it is possible to hook the lower portion of the flange 105 and it is difficult to hook the lower portion of the cap 106, so that erroneous loading such as erroneous loading of the hooked portion is prevented. .

In addition, even in the pouch product 200 having two flanges 105 shown in FIG. 6B, the upper flange 105 exists as a hook portion where the lower flange 105 must be hooked and loaded. There is a risk of erroneous loading such as hooking the upper flange 105 from the top. However, since the dimension td between the two flanges 105 is smaller than the dimension tc between the lower flange 105 and the joint flange 107 (tc> td), the pair of left and right clamping members 31, Incorrect loading can be prevented by bending and holding the leg end portion of 31.
Further, the pouch product 100 is configured such that the flange 105 is hooked on the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 of the product support unit 30 and is slid by its own weight. It is desirable that the frictional resistance with the leg end portions of the sandwiching members 31, 31 is small. In response to this requirement, the product storage rack of this embodiment in which the leg end portions of the pair of left and right holding members 31, 31 opposed to each other with a gap t are bent and held double is advantageous. That is, a generally used steel sheet is a coated steel sheet coated with a lubricious coating film on one surface to facilitate the cutting process. By double-holding (the portion marked with reference numeral 36 in FIG. 4 etc.) so that the surface coated with the membrane is on the outside, the leg end portions of the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 forming the gap t The upper and lower surfaces are surfaces with good lubricity (surfaces with low frictional resistance). For this reason, the frictional resistance between the flange 105 of the pouch product 100 and the leg end portions of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 can be reduced. Further, by increasing the inclination angle of the product support unit 30, slippage due to the weight of the pouch product 100 is improved. On the other hand, when the inclination angle of the product support unit 30 is increased, the pouch product 100 itself follows a substantially vertical line due to gravity. Since the posture is continuously maintained, as shown in FIG. 9, the flange 105 and the joint flange 107 of the pouch product 100 simultaneously come into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the leg end portions of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31. In this case, when the leg end portions of the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 are not double-held, either the flange 105 or the joint flange 107 of the pouch product 100 and the leg end portions of the sandwiching members 31 and 31 The frictional resistance increases. On the other hand, in the holding members 31 and 31 of this embodiment that are double-held so that one surface of the coated steel plate (the surface coated with the lubricating coating) is on the outside, the legs of the holding members 31 and 31 are the same. Even if the flange 105 and the joint flange 107 of the pouch product 100 are simultaneously brought into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the end portion, the frictional resistance between them can be reduced. Accordingly, the inclination angle of the product support unit 30 can be increased in order to improve slippage due to the weight of the pouch product 100, and the pouch product can be smoothly accommodated in the product support unit 30. In addition, it is desirable that it is a thin plate in order to double-hold as a coated steel plate constituting the sandwiching members 31, 31, and when a thin coated steel plate is used, it contributes to weight reduction.

  Further, in the pouch product as shown in FIG. 6, the width dimensions L 1 and L 2 of the flange 105 (for example, depending on the content of the food or drink filled in the flexible bag-like container 102, depending on the content of the food or drink , L1 <L2) are different. In particular, in the case of pouch products having the same food and drink filled in the flexible bag-like container 102 and different contents, there is a possibility that they are erroneously loaded because their outer shapes are similar. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of width regulating members 37 planted in the vicinity of the leg end portions of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 are provided. The width dimension L0 between the pair of width regulating members 37 is defined as L1 <L0 <L2 (provided that L1 <L2) with respect to the width dimensions L1 and L2 (see FIG. 6) of the flange 105 of the pouch product. It has been. Therefore, the pouch product having the flange 105 dimension L0 or less is allowed to be inserted and loaded between the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31, 31, and the pouch product having the flange 105 dimension L0 or more is the width regulating member. 37 prevents loading, thereby preventing erroneous loading of different types of pouch products. In FIG. 7, a description has been given of an example in which a dedicated member is implanted as the width regulating member 37, but a screw that fixes the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 and the connecting member 32 that couples the clamping members 31, 31 to each other. In this case, the number of parts can be reduced.

  Next, the cooling / heating operation of the product storage rooms 12, 13, and 14 in the vending machine according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the product storage chambers 13 and 14 (hot / cold chamber) are used as cold chambers, the heater 8 is turned off, and the refrigerant compressed and condensed by the compressor 3 and the condenser 4 is sent to the evaporator 6. Then, the cool air exchanged in the evaporator 6 is blown out from the lower side of the shooter 2 into the warehouse by the internal fan 7 to cool the products in the product storage racks 20, 141, and to the evaporator 6 through the circulation duct 9. Cool air circulation is performed so as to circulate through the paths of arrows A, B, and C indicated by the one-dot chain line to be returned. On the other hand, when the product storage chambers 13 and 14 are used as hot chambers, the refrigerant to the evaporator 6 is stopped and the heater 7 is turned on, and the product is heated by circulating warm air in the same manner as described above. The product storage rooms 13 and 14 are switched to hot / cold rooms at the turn of the season. On the other hand, the product storage room 12, which is a cold exclusive room, cools the product in the product storage rack 121 by blowing out the cold air exchanged by the evaporator 6 from the lower side of the shooter 2 with the internal fan 8 to cool the product in the product storage rack 121. Cold air circulation is circulated through the paths of arrows A, B, and C indicated by a one-dot chain line that is returned to the evaporator 6 through the duct 9. Note that the product storage room 13 in which the product storage rack 20 is stored is used as a hot / cold room, but this is provided in the event that a product to be sold as a hot product appears as a pouch product.

Next, the operation at the time of sale in the vending machine according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 shows the operation of the first stopper 45 and the second stopper 46 during the operation of the product carry-out mechanism 34. The sales operation will be described with reference to FIG. To do.
In the sales standby state, the solenoid 40 is in a non-excited state, and the first stopper 45 protrudes to the position of the gap t between the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 to lock the sales product. The second stopper 46 positioned between the next sale product is retracted from the position of the gap t between the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31. In this state, the operation lever 471 of the product detection switch (sold-out switch) 47 composed of a micro switch comes into contact with the sales product and outputs a product detection signal. Now, when a product selection button provided on the outer door 10 (see FIG. 1) is operated, an excitation signal having a predetermined time width is supplied from a control unit (not shown) to the corresponding product delivery mechanism 34 (solenoid 40). Thus, when the solenoid 40 is excited, the stopper member 42 moves in the left-right direction (right direction in FIG. 5) via the plunger 41 shown in FIG. As a result, the first stopper 45 and the second stopper 46 move to the left in FIG. 10, the first stopper 45 retracts from the gap t, and the second stopper 46 protrudes into the gap t. With the retraction of the first stopper 45 from the gap t, the merchandise sold is released from being locked by the first stopper 45. At the same time, in the process of moving the second stopper 46 so as to protrude into the gap t, the pressing piece 462 of the locking member 461 provided on the second stopper 46 presses the rear side of the sold product to make the sold product a product. After discharging from the support unit 30, the second stopper 46 projects into the gap t. When the sale product is unloaded, the product after the next sale product loses its support, so that it is slid toward the rear end of the product support unit 30 and locked by the second stopper 46 protruding into the gap t and temporarily held. Is done.

Next, when the excitation signal to the solenoid 40 is cut off, the plunger 41 is returned to the original position (state shown in FIG. 5) by the return spring 44, and the first stopper 45 protrudes to the position of the gap t. The stopper 46 is retracted from the gap t. When the second stopper 46 is retracted from the gap t, the product after the next sale product held by the second stopper 46 slides toward the rear end of the product support unit 30 and protrudes into the gap t. It is latched by the stopper 45 and enters a sales standby state. In addition, the product which is carried out by the product carry-out mechanism 34 and falls from the rear end portion of the product support unit 30 is sent to the chute 2 via the feed member 27 of the product storage rack 20 shown in FIG.
FIG. 1 shows a vending machine in which a product storage rack 20 according to the present invention is arranged side by side with serpentine product storage racks 121 and 141. This is because vending machines can sell a wide variety of products (products in which containers represented by canned beverages and the like are rigid and products in which containers represented by pouch products are relatively soft). However, in order to be able to sell a wide variety of products, it is desirable that the present invention can be applied to existing vending machines without significantly changing the configuration. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the product storage rack 20 that can store the pouch product is made compatible with the serpentine product storage rack (mounted with the serpentine product storage rack). The product storage rack 20 according to the present invention can be mounted. Hereinafter, the commodity storage rack 20 that is compatible with a known serpentine commodity storage rack will be described.

FIG. 11 shows a product storage rack 20 that is compatible with a known serpentine product storage rack. There are the following two types of methods for arranging a known serpentine type product storage rack in the product storage of a vending machine. First, the method will be described.
First, in the first method, as shown in FIG. 11A, a main body side hook fitting 50 extending in the front-rear direction is laid on the ceiling surface of the vending machine, and the main body side hook fitting 50 is provided with a product storage rack 121. 141, and the second method is that a main body side hook fitting 55 extending in the left-right direction is laid on the ceiling surface of the vending machine as shown in FIG. This is a fixing method in which the product storage racks 121 and 141 are fixed to the metal fitting 55. As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-122596, for example, the hooking method is engaged with the hook 501 of the main body side hook metal fitting 50 at the upper ends of a pair of left and right rack side plates constituting the product storage rack 121, 141. A rack side hook is provided, and the rack side hook is engaged with the hook 501 of the main body side hook metal fitting 50. In this hooking method, the product storage racks 121 and 141 are slid using the main body side hook metal fitting 50 as a guide. It can be stored in the warehouse or pulled out from the warehouse. On the other hand, as described in, for example, JP-A-9-288768, the fixing method is such that rack-side hook metal fittings are installed on a pair of left and right rack side plates constituting the product storage racks 121, 141, and the rack-side hook metal fittings are attached. The main body side hook metal fitting 55 is engaged with the hook 551 and screwed to both.

As described above, the known serpentine product storage racks 121 and 141 are disposed in the product storage box using the main body side hook fittings 50 and 55 shown in FIG. Accordingly, the inventors have determined that if the product storage rack 20 according to the present invention can be mounted on the main body side hook metal fittings 50 and 55, it is possible to provide compatibility with the serpentine product storage racks 121 and 141. An adapter member for mounting the rack 20 to the main body side hook metal fittings 50 and 55 has been developed.
FIG. 11 shows an adapter member for attaching the product storage rack 20 to the main body side hook metal fittings 50 and 55. Note that the commodity storage rack 20 shown in FIG. 11 is assembled as described with reference to FIG. 3, and redundant description is omitted here. FIG. 11A shows the adapter member 51 employed in the above-described hooking method, and the adapter member 51 includes a pair of left and right rack fixing brackets 52 and a rack side hook bracket 53. The pair of left and right rack fixing brackets 52 are made of thick steel plates having a Z-shaped cross section, and one end thereof is fixed to the pair of left and right upper support frame members 21 and 21 constituting the product storage rack 20 by screws. The other end is fixed to the rack side hook metal fitting 53. The rack side hook metal fitting 53 is formed in a box shape having a lower surface made of a thick steel plate, and rack side hooks 54 that engage with the hooks 501 of the main body side hook metal fitting 50 are formed on both left and right ends. Two sets of adapter members 51 are fixed to the upper support frame members 21 and 21 in advance in the commodity storage rack 20. When arranging the product storage rack 20 in the product storage, first, the rack-side hook 54 of the rack-side hook fitting 53 in the adapter member 51 on the rear side is opposed to the hook 501 of the body-side hook fitting 50 so that both Similarly, the hook 54 of the rack side hook metal fitting 53 of the adapter member 51 is engaged with the hook 501 of the main body side hook metal fitting 50 and is slid and assembled.

  FIG. 11B shows the adapter member 56 employed in the above-described fixing method, and the adapter member 56 includes a rack-side hook fitting 57. The rack-side hook metal fitting 57 is made of a flat plate of thick steel plate, and a lower end of the rack-side hook metal fitting 57 is fixed to the lower arm of the pair of left and right upper support frame members 21 and 21 constituting the product storage rack 20 and fixed to the upper end. A rack side hook 59 that engages with the hook 551 of the main body side hook metal fitting 55 is formed. Two sets of adapter members 56 are fixed to the upper support frame members 21 and 21 in advance in the commodity storage rack 20. When the product storage rack 20 is disposed in the product storage, the rack side hooks 59 of the respective adapter members 56 are opposed to the hooks 551 of the main body side hook metal fittings 55 to engage with each other. Next, the adapter member 56 and the main body side hook metal fitting 55 are assembled by screwing. As shown in FIG. 11, by providing the adapter members 51 and 56, the product storage rack 20 for storing the pouch product can be made compatible with the known serpentine product storage racks 121 and 141, It can be exchanged for a serpentine product storage rack of the vending machine.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the product storage rack 20 according to the present invention is structurally compatible with the serpentine product storage rack, and the serpentine product storage rack of the existing vending machine is provided. In addition to being interchangeable, it is also electrically compatible. That is, in the merchandise unloading mechanism of the serpentine type merchandise storage rack, the lower stopper and the upper stopper are moved to the merchandise unloading passage by driving the lower stopper for locking the merchandise for sale and the upper stopper for latching the next sale merchandise with a solenoid. It protrudes alternately. In view of this, also in the product storage rack 20 according to this embodiment, the solenoid 40 is used as a drive source of the product carry-out mechanism 34, and the first stopper that drives the stopper member 42 by this solenoid 40 to lock the product for sale. 45 and the second stopper 46 for locking the next sale product are configured to alternately appear and disappear in the gap t between the pair of left and right clamping members 31. Further, a product detection switch 47 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) for detecting a product loaded in the product storage rack 20 is provided, and the product detection switch 47 is configured to output a product sold-out detection signal. Yes. By using such a product carry-out mechanism 34 and product detection switch 47, the product carry-out mechanism 34 executes a product carry-out operation by a power supply or control signal supplied to the product carry-out mechanism of the serpentine type product storage rack, and the product detection switch 47 Sends a sold-out signal to the control unit of the vending machine. In other words, the product storage rack 20 according to the present invention is replaced with a serpentine product storage rack and wiring connection is made immediately without changing the control program of an existing vending machine equipped with a serpentine product storage rack. The vending machine can be operated.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the product storage rack 20 of a vending machine that sells products (pouch products 100 and 200) having hook portions (flange 105) at the mouth portion, The frame of the product storage rack 20 is constructed by the upper support frame members 21 and 21, the lower support frame members 22 and 22, and a pair of vertical frame members 23 and 23 provided near the front and center, respectively. A plurality of vertically extending members (a pair of vertical frame members 23 and 23 provided near the front and the center) and supporting a hook portion (flange 105) of the product (pouch product 100, 200); and Inclined so that the rear side is lower than the front side (product replenishment side), slides the product with its own weight, suspends and stores the product at the rear end In a vending machine having a slant-type product storage rack provided with a product support unit 30 having a mechanism 34, the product support unit 30 is detachable from a frame material for constructing the product storage rack 20, and the product support Of course, the product storage rack 20 for storing the pouch product in which the container form is soft can be made simple by erection at a position corresponding to the length of the product suspended and accommodated in the unit 30. It is possible to provide a product storage rack provided with a product support unit having an optimal number of stages according to the user's request (the length of the product to be sold). In addition, even after installing the vending machine, it is possible to replace the product with a different size at the installation location of the vending machine.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pouch products 100 and 200 having the hook portion at the mouth portion and the soft container form have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a product that is difficult to stand up even if the container is hard, or that is difficult to roll in a lying position, and that has a hook on the drinking mouth, or has a deformed shape and a drink The product storage rack according to the present invention can be applied to a product having a cap or the like attached to the mouth portion, and is not limited to the embodiment. Further, the number of product support units installed in the product storage rack 20 and the means for engaging the product support unit with the frame material for constructing the product storage rack are not limited to the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body cabinet, 2 ... Chute, 3 ... Compressor, 4 ... Condenser, 6 ... Evaporator, 9 ... Wind tunnel, 10 ... Outer door, 12, 13, 14 ... Merchandise storage, 15 ... Inner door, 20 Product storage rack 21 Upper frame material 22 Lower frame material 24 Vertical frame material 24, 24A Beam member 25 Back plate 25a Ventilation port 26 Side plate 28 Cushion 30 ... Product support unit, 30A ... Surplus product support unit, 31 ... Holding member, 32, 33 ... Connection member, 34 ... Product delivery mechanism, 36 ... Thickness regulating member (double hold), 37 ... Width regulating member, 40 ... Solenoid (drive source), 41 ... Plunger, 42 ... Stopper member, 44 ... Return spring, 45 ... First stopper, 46 ... Second stopper, 47 ... Product detection switch (sold out switch), 50, 55 ... Book Body side hook metal fittings 51, 56 ... Adapter members, 52 ... Rack fixing metal fittings, 53, 57 ... Rack side hook metal fittings, 54, 59 ... Rack side hooks, 100, 200 ... Pouch products, 102 ... Flexible containers, 104 ... Spout, 105 ... flange, 106 ... cap, 107 ... fixing ring, 231 ... notch, 261 ... notch groove.

Claims (3)

The frame of the product storage rack is constructed with the upper, lower, left and right frame materials, and is mounted on the left and right frame materials in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, supports the hooking portion of the product, and with respect to the front side (product replenishment side) In a vending machine provided with a slant-type product storage rack which is inclined so that the rear side is lowered and slides by its own weight to suspend and receive and a product support unit having a product takeout mechanism is provided at the rear end. The product support unit is detachable from a frame material for constructing a product storage rack, and is constructed in a position corresponding to the length of the product to be suspended and accommodated in the product support unit. Vending machine. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the frame material and the product support unit have an engaging portion that engages with each other, and the engaging portion of the frame material has a length of a product that is suspended and accommodated in the product support unit. A vending machine characterized in that it is formed in a corresponding position. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the product storage rack stores an excess product support unit in an empty space formed on the upper side of the inclined uppermost product support unit and closer to the rear. Vending machine featuring.

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