JP2018049554A - Commodity storage device of vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a commodity storage device of a vending machine which includes a commodity passage formed with a predetermined longitudinal width and extending in a vertical direction.SOLUTION: A commodity storage device of a vending machine is configured so that a plurality of commodity passages 9a and 9b meandering in a vertical direction D1 are partitioned by one chute unit 6b. The chute unit 6b has both surfaces 16a and 16b arranged to be exposed to adjacent commodity passages 9a and 9b, and includes a plurality of chute plates 7 connected so that projections 14 and recesses 15 which correspond to a meandering shape of the adjacent commodity passages 9a and 9b are alternately arranged in the vertical direction. The chute plates 7 include a projection 17 protruding to the commodity passages 9a and 9b from one surface 16a of the surfaces 16a and 16b where the projection 14 is located at an upper position than the recess 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a product storage device of a vending machine, and more particularly, to a product storage device of a vending machine in which a product passage extending in a vertical direction while meandering between a plurality of chute portions is formed.

Conventionally, in a vending machine, a plurality of chute portions extending in the vertical direction are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction with a space between each other, and meandering while maintaining a constant front-rear width between the plurality of chute portions. A product passage extending in the vertical direction is formed. In general, two chute portions are arranged back to back between the product passages, and the two chute portions respectively form adjacent product passages.
In recent years, in order to reduce the amount of material used for the chute portion, it is required to form the space between the merchandise passages with a single chute portion.

  Therefore, as a technique for forming a space between product passages with a single chute, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an attachment structure for a passage formation plate that can firmly attach a passage formation plate between side plates. Since this passage forming plate mounting structure forms the passage forming plate so as to meander repeatedly in the order of the downwardly extending straight portion, the first oblique portion, the downwardly extending portion, and the second oblique portion. The space between the merchandise passages can be formed by a single passage forming plate, thereby reducing the amount of material used for the chute portion.

Japanese Patent No. 4380528

  However, in the mounting structure of the passage forming plate of Patent Document 1, a part of the passage forming plate is deformed to a shape different from an appropriate shape so that one passage forming plate corresponds to two adjacent product passages. For this reason, it has been difficult to form the product passage so as to extend in the vertical direction with a constant longitudinal width.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a product storage device for a vending machine in which a product passage is formed to extend in the vertical direction with a constant longitudinal width. And

  A product storage device of a vending machine according to the present invention is a product storage device of a vending machine in which a plurality of product passages extending in a vertical direction while meandering are partitioned by a single chute portion, It has a plurality of chute plates that are arranged so that the surfaces on both sides are exposed in adjacent product passages and are connected so that convex and concave portions corresponding to the meandering shape of adjacent product passages are alternately arranged in the vertical direction. The plurality of chute plates have protrusions that protrude into the product passage from one surface where the convex portion is located on the upper side and the concave portion is located on the lower side.

  Here, the projecting portion has a projecting surface facing the product passage, and the projecting surface is formed so that the concave portion is located on the upper side and the convex portion is substantially along the extended line extending upward from the other surface located on the lower side. It is preferred that

Further, the protrusion can be formed integrally with the chute plate.
Further, the protrusion can be formed separately from the chute plate and attached to the chute plate.

  Moreover, it is preferable to arrange | position a projection part to the lower half part of a chute | shoot board.

The chute plates are preferably formed so as to be curved in an arc shape.
Moreover, it is preferable that a chute | shoot board is connected integrally.

  According to the present invention, the plurality of chute plates have the protrusions protruding from the one surface where the convex portion is located on the upper side and the concave portion is located on the lower side of the surfaces on both sides. It is possible to provide a product storage device for a vending machine that is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction with a front-rear width.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the vending machine provided with the goods storage apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure inside the goods storage apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the exterior of the goods storage apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of a chute | shoot part. It is a figure which shows the structure of a projection part. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a manner in which a fixing hole is inserted into an engaging protrusion in the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows a mode that the engagement protrusion part engaged with the fixing hole in Embodiment 2. FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a vending machine provided with a product storage device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This vending machine is a so-called serpentine type vending machine, and includes a door portion 1 that opens and closes a front portion, a plurality of product storage devices 2 arranged inside the door portion 1, and a product storage device 2 below. And an inclined portion 3 provided.

The door portion 1 is attached to the front portion of the vending machine so as to be openable and closable, and an outlet 1a for taking out the product M is formed in the vicinity of the lower portion.
The inclined portion 3 guides the product M carried out downward from the product storage device 2 to the outlet 1a of the door portion 1, and is arranged so as to be inclined downward from the rear portion toward the front portion. It is connected to the outlet 1a.

  The product storage device 2 is for storing products M such as cans, bottles, and PET bottles, and is arranged side by side in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction with respect to the vending machine. The product storage device 2 includes a guide plate 4 disposed at the upper portion, a product carry-out portion 5 disposed at the lower portion, and a chute portion 6 extending in the vertical direction so as to connect the guide plate 4 and the product carry-out portion 5. And have.

In FIG. 2, the structure of the goods storage apparatus 2 is shown in detail.
The product storage device 2 is arranged on the most front side among the plurality of product storage devices 2 arranged side by side in the vending machine. In FIG. 2, the product carry-out unit 5 is omitted.
The guide plate 4 guides the product M to a predetermined position, and is arranged so as to be inclined downward from the front part toward the rear part. Specifically, five guide plates 4 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction D <b> 1 so as to be spaced apart from each other, and six insertion ports 4 a are formed between the guide plates 4.

  The chute part 6 guides the product M downward, and the three chute parts 6a, 6b and 6c are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction D2 perpendicular to the up-down direction D1. The chute 6a is disposed on the front side of the product storage device 2, the chute 6c is disposed on the rear side of the product storage device 2, and the chute 6b is disposed between the chute 6a and the chute 6c. Yes. Each of the chute portions 6a, 6b, and 6c includes a plurality of chute plates 7 that are integrally connected in the vertical direction D1 and a plurality of flappers 8 that are attached to the chute plate 7.

  The plurality of chute plates 7 are formed so as to be integrally connected in the vertical direction D1 by deforming one plate-like member. The plurality of chute plates 7 are each formed to be curved in an arc shape. Here, the chute portions 6a, 6b, and 6c are arranged such that one or two chute plates 7 form a substantially equivalent curved surface, and the curved surfaces are arranged in the vertical direction D1. At this time, the chute portions 6a, 6b, and 6c adjacent in the front-rear direction D2 are arranged such that the arrangement pitch of the curved surfaces is shifted by approximately half a pitch in the vertical direction D1. Thereby, a product passage 9a extending in the vertical direction D1 while meandering between the chute portion 6a and the chute portion 6b is formed, and a product passage 9b extending in the vertical direction D1 while meandering between the chute portion 6b and the chute portion 6c. It is formed. For this reason, the merchandise passage 9a and the merchandise passage 9b are partitioned by one chute 6b. The chute portions 6a, 6b and 6c are arranged corresponding to the guide plate 4 so that the merchandise passages 9a and 9b communicate with the insertion port 4a, respectively.

The flapper 8 is disposed so as to protrude from the chute portions 6a, 6b and 6c into the product passages 9a and 9b. The flapper 8 is attached to the chute portions 6a, 6b and 6c so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction D1 and is urged upward.
As shown in FIG. 1, the product carry-out section 5 is arranged so as to separate two adjacent product passages 9a and 9b. The product carry-out unit 5 supports the product M located at the lowermost position in the product passages 9a and 9b from the lower side, and sequentially releases the product M by releasing the support.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the product storage device 2 includes a pair of side plates 12 arranged so as to sandwich the guide plate 4, the chute unit 6, and the product carry-out unit 5 from the left-right direction D <b> 3. Here, the left-right direction D3 is a direction orthogonal to the up-down direction D1 and orthogonal to the front-rear direction D2. The side plate 12 engages and supports the guide plate 4, the chute unit 6 and the product carry-out unit 5. A fixing hole 13 for engaging the chute 6 is formed in the side plate 12.

Next, the configuration of the chute unit 6 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 4, the chute portions 6a, 6b and 6c are provided on the product passages 9a and 9b and the convex portions 14 projecting from the product passages 9a and 9b and the product passages 9a and 9b in order to make the product passages 9a and 9b meander. On the other hand, the recessed portions 15 that are recessed are alternately arranged in the vertical direction D1.

  Here, the chute portions 6a and 6c are arranged so that only one surface of the chute plate 7 is exposed to the product passages 9a and 9b. The chute plate 7 is connected so that a concave portion 15 is formed in an intermediate portion, and an upper portion and a lower portion form a convex portion 14. Moreover, the flapper 8 is attached to the convex part 14 of the chute | shoot parts 6a and 6c.

On the other hand, the chute | shoot part 6b has the chute | shoot board 7 of the shape which divided | segmented the chute | shoot board 7 of the chute | shoot parts 6a and 6c into the upper and lower sides substantially half. The chute plate 7 is arranged so that the surfaces 16a and 16b on both sides are exposed to the adjacent product passages 9a and 9b, and the convex portions 14 and the concave portions 15 corresponding to the meandering shape of the adjacent product passages 9a and 9b are alternately arranged. The postures are sequentially changed so as to be arranged in the vertical direction D1, and are connected in the vertical direction D1.
Here, the chute plate 7 of the chute portion 6b has one surface 16a in which the convex portion 14 is located on the upper side and the concave portion 15 is located on the lower side, and the concave portion 15 is located on the upper side and the convex portion 14 is located on the lower side. The one located on the side is the other surface 16b. The chute plate 7 is disposed so as to be inclined so that one surface 16a faces downward and the other surface 16b faces upward. In this way, the chute plate 7 of the chute portion 6b has the surface 16a and the surface 16b alternately exposed in the vertical direction D1 with respect to the product passage 9a and the surface 16b and the surface 16a with respect to the product passage 9b in the vertical direction D1. It arrange | positions so that it may expose alternately.

  Moreover, the flapper 8 is attached to the convex part 14 of the chute | shoot part 6b. At this time, the lower portion of the chute plate 7 is disposed so as to protrude toward the tip end side of the flapper 8 with respect to the upper portion of the chute plate 7 continuous immediately below. For this reason, a step portion is formed between the lower portion of the chute plate 7 and the upper portion of the chute plate 7 connected immediately below. As a result, the chute plate 7 is inclined so that the surface 16a is directed further downward, so that the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b can be kept constant on the surface 16b, whereas the chute plate 7 on the surface 16a. It becomes difficult to keep the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b constant.

Accordingly, the chute plate 7 of the chute 6b is formed with a projection 17 that protrudes from the surface 16a so as to adjust the front-rear width of the product passages 9a and 9b. The protrusions 17 are formed so as to protrude alternately from the chute plate 7 to the product passage 9a side and the product passage 9b side in the vertical direction D1. Further, the protrusion 17 is disposed in the lower half of the chute plate 7. Further, the protrusion 17 has a protrusion surface 17a facing the product passages 9a and 9b. The projecting surface 17a is formed so as to be away from the surface 16a from the middle portion of the chute plate 7 toward the lower portion. Specifically, the projection surface 17a is formed so as to be substantially along an extension line extending upward from the surface 16b.
As a result, the chute plate 7 has a pseudo curved surface continuous from the surface 16b formed on the surface 16a, so that the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b are constant not only on the surface 16b side but also on the surface 16a side. Can keep.

  Here, the projection 17 is formed integrally with the chute plate 7 as shown in FIG. The protrusion 17 can be formed by, for example, press working or the like, and can be formed simultaneously with the formation of the chute 6b. Further, three protrusions 17 are formed so as to be arranged in the width direction of the chute plate 7. Note that the number of protrusions 17 is not limited to three.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
First, in the vending machine shown in FIG. 1, the door 1 is opened, and the products M are sequentially inserted from the insertion port 4a. The product M introduced from the introduction port 4a is guided to the product passages 9a and 9b by the guide plate 4, and falls down the product passages 9a and 9b while correcting the posture by the flapper 8.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the chute plate 7 of the chute portion 6b is different from the appropriate shape on the surface 16a because the chute portion 6b is formed between the merchandise passage 9a and the merchandise passage 9b. It was difficult to form the product passages 9a and 9b with a uniform front-rear width. Therefore, the product M can be stably dropped by forming the projection 17 projecting from the surface 16a on the chute plate 7 of the chute 6b and making the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b constant.
Here, since the protrusion part 17 is formed so that the protrusion part 17 may extend along the extended line extended upward from the surface 16b, the front-rear width of the product passages 9a and 9b can be made constant with high accuracy. Furthermore, since the projection 17 is formed in the lower half of the chute plate 7 where the deviation from the appropriate shape of the chute 6b is large, the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b are made constant with higher accuracy. be able to.

  Further, the merchandise M falling through the merchandise passages 9a and 9b tends to contact the surface 16a less frequently in the chute plate 7 of the chute portion 6b than the surface 16b. Therefore, the chute plate 7 of the chute portion 6b has an appropriate shape on the surface 16b side, thereby forming the protrusion 17 on the surface 16a side that is deformed to be different from the appropriate shape. Thus, by forming the surface 16b of the chute plate 7 having a high frequency of contact with the product M into an appropriate shape and forming the protrusions 17 on the chute plate 7, the distance between the chute portions 6a, 6b and 6c itself is increased. It becomes constant and the product M can be dropped stably. That is, since the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b are not pseudo-constant using other members such as the flapper 8, for example, the downward rotation of the flapper 8 due to the difference in the shape and weight of the product M, for example. It is possible to prevent the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b from becoming uneven due to the amount of movement.

In this way, the product M reaches the lower part of the product passages 9 a and 9 b and is supported from below by the product carry-out unit 5. Thereby, the product M is stored so as to be stacked along the product passages 9a and 9b.
At this time, the chute plate 7 of the chute 6b is formed with a protrusion 17 on the surface 16a so that the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b are kept constant, and the product M is stabilized along the product passages 9a and 9b. Can be stacked. Since the surface 16a of the chute plate 7 is surely in contact with the stacked products M in the same manner as the surface 16b, the product M is made more uniform by making the front and rear widths of the product passages 9a and 9b constant on the surface 16a. It can be stored stably. Further, the protrusion 17 is arranged so as to fill a step of a step formed between the lower portion of the chute plate 7 and the upper portion of the chute plate 7 that is directly below the chute plate 7. It is possible to suppress the contact of the product M with the contact, the deformation of the product M container, and the damage.

  According to the present embodiment, the chute plate 7 of the chute portion 6b has a product passageway 9a from one surface 16a where the convex portion 14 is located on the upper side and the concave portion 15 is located on the lower side of the surfaces 16a and 16b on both sides. And 9b, the product passages 9a and 9b can be formed to extend in the up-down direction D1 with a constant front-rear width.

Embodiment 2
In the first embodiment, the chute portion 6 has an engaging protrusion that engages with the fixing hole 13 of the side plate 12, and the fixing hole 13 of the side plate 12 has a step portion that engages with the engaging protrusion. After the joint protrusion is inserted into the fixing hole 13, the chute 6 is moved downward so that the upper edge of the engaging protrusion moves below the stepped portion of the fixing hole 13, and the chute 6 is vertically moved. It is preferable to restrict the movement to D1.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in the first embodiment, the three engaging protrusions 21a, 21b and 21c are arranged on both sides of the chute 6, and the fixing hole 13 of the side plate 12 is fixed. Instead, three fixing holes 22a, 22b and 22c can be arranged.

The engaging protrusion 21a has an arm portion 23 that extends sideward and a bent portion 24 that bends and extends downward from the arm portion, and an engaging groove 25 that is notched upward is formed inside thereof. Is formed.
The engaging protrusion 21b is formed so that the wave shape extends in an oblique direction.
The engaging protrusion 21c has a protruding portion 26 that protrudes forward in the vicinity of the upper portion, and an engaging groove 27 that is notched upward is formed on the lower side of the protruding portion 26.

The fixing hole 22a has a step portion 28 between the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion, and the space between the lower edge portion and the step portion 28 is substantially the same as the vertical width of the arm portion 23 of the engaging projection portion 21a. It is formed with.
The fixing hole 22b has a step portion 29 between the front edge portion and the rear edge portion, and the space between the front edge portion and the step portion 29 is formed in the engagement protrusion 21b and the front-rear direction D2 with substantially the same dimensions. ing.
The fixing hole 22c has a wide portion 30 formed wide in the vicinity of the upper portion, and the lower side of the wide portion 30 is between the front edge portion and the rear edge portion so that the height of the protrusion portion 26 of the engagement protrusion portion 21c is high. Are formed with substantially the same dimensions.

  After inserting the engaging projections 21a, 21b and 21c into the fixing holes 22a, 22b and 22c, the chute 6 is moved downward. At this time, the chute | shoot part 6 can be moved below using the elasticity of the chute | shoot board 7 formed in circular arc shape.

Thereby, as shown to Fig.7 (a) and (b), the engagement protrusion parts 21a, 21b, and 21c can be engaged with the fixing holes 22a, 22b, and 22c.
Specifically, the upper edge portion of the engaging protrusion 21a moves to the lower side of the step portion 28 of the fixing hole 22a, and the arm portion 23 of the engaging protrusion portion 21a moves to the lower edge of the step portion 28 of the fixing hole 22a. Engage between the parts. Thereby, the movement to the upward direction of the chute | shoot part 6 can be controlled. Further, the engaging protrusion 21b is elastically engaged between the front edge portion of the fixing hole 22b and the step portion 29. Thereby, the movement to the downward direction of the chute | shoot part 6 and the front-back direction D2 can be controlled. That is, the movement of the chute portion 6 in the vertical direction D1 can be restricted by the coupling between the engaging protrusion 21a and the fixing hole 22a and the coupling between the engaging protrusion 21b and the fixing hole 22b. Furthermore, the protrusion 26 of the engagement protrusion 21c engages between the front edge and the rear edge of the fixing hole 22c. Thereby, the movement to the front-back direction D2 of the chute | shoot part 6 can be controlled.

  According to the present embodiment, after the engaging protrusion 21a is inserted into the fixing hole 22a, the chute 6 is moved downward so that the upper edge of the engaging protrusion 21a is the step 28 of the fixing hole 22a. Since the movement to the lower side and the movement of the chute portion 6 in the vertical direction D1 are restricted, the chute portion 6 can be easily attached to the side plate 12.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the protrusion 17 is formed integrally with the plurality of chute plates 7, but is formed separately from the plurality of chute plates 7 and attached to the plurality of chute plates 7. You can also. For example, the protruding portion 17 and the chute plate 7 can be separately formed by pressing, and the formed protruding portion 17 can be attached to the chute plate 7. Thereby, even when the chute plate 7 and the protrusion 17 are difficult to press integrally, for example, even when the chute plate 7 has a complicated shape and a deeply drawn shape (a high shape), the chute plate 7 The protrusion 17 can be easily provided.
In the first and second embodiments, the chute portion 6 is formed by integrally connecting the plurality of chute plates 7 in the vertical direction D1, but the plurality of chute plates 7 formed separately from each other. It is also possible to form them by connecting them.

  In the first and second embodiments, the plurality of chute plates 7 are formed to be curved in an arc shape. However, if the merchandise passages 9a and 9b extending in the vertical direction D1 while meandering can be formed. Well, it is not limited to that shape. For example, the plurality of chute plates can be formed in a flat plate shape. By changing the orientation of the chute plate sequentially and connecting it in the vertical direction, a merchandise passage meandering linearly can be formed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door part, 1a take-out port, 2 goods storage apparatus, 3 inclination part, 4 guide plate, 4a inlet, 5 goods carry-out part, 6, 6a, 6b, 6c chute part, 7 chute board, 8 flapper, 9a, 9b Product passage, 12 side plate, 13, 22a, 22b, 22c fixing hole, 14 convex part, 15 concave part, 16a, 16b surface, 17 projecting part, 17a projecting surface, 21a, 21b, 21c engaging projecting part, 23 arm part, 24 bent portion, 25 engaging groove, 26 projecting portion, 27 engaging groove, 28, 29 stepped portion, 30 wide portion, D1 vertical direction, D2 front-rear direction, D3 left-right direction, M product.

Claims (7)

A product storage device for a vending machine in which a plurality of product passages extending in a vertical direction while meandering are partitioned by one chute,
The chute is arranged so that the surfaces on both sides are exposed in the adjacent product passage, and connected so that the convex and concave portions corresponding to the meandering shape of the adjacent product passage are alternately arranged in the vertical direction. A plurality of chute plates
The plurality of chute plates have a protruding portion projecting into the commodity passage from one surface where the convex portion is positioned on the upper side and the concave portion is positioned on the lower side among the surfaces of the both sides. apparatus.   The projection has a projection surface facing the product passage, and the projection surface is substantially along an extension line extending upward from the other surface where the concave portion is located on the upper side and the convex portion is located on the lower side. The product storage device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the product storage device is formed as described above.   The vending machine product storage device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed integrally with the chute plate.   The vending machine product storage device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed separately from the chute plate and is attached to the chute plate.   The said protrusion part is a goods storage apparatus of the vending machine as described in any one of Claims 1-4 arrange | positioned in the lower half part of the said chute | shoot board.   The vending machine product storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each of the chute plates is formed to be curved in an arc shape.   The said chute | shoot board is a goods storage apparatus of the vending machine as described in any one of Claims 1-6 connected integrally.

Images