JP2020035323A - Article vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article vending machine capable of obtaining an antitheft function with a simple structure and improving a storage property of articles.SOLUTION: An article vending machine 1 includes: an article storage part 6 which is provided inside a cabinet 4 and in which a plurality of shelves 13a to 13f for storing articles are arranged in a vertical direction; a carry-out mechanism 14 for taking out articles stored in the shelves 13a to 13f of the article storage part 6 forward based on a sales command from an operation unit; and a bucket 30 which is arranged to be movable in the vertical direction in front of the article storage part 6 inside the cabinet 4 and which receives articles taken out forward from the shelves 13a to 13f by the carry-out mechanism 14 to move to an article take-out port 11 provided in the cabinet 4. The article vending machine further includes a top plate 32 arranged above the bucket 30 and movably supported by the bucket 30 in the vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article discharging structure for automatically discharging articles stored in an article vending machine for automatically selling articles.

  2. Description of the Related Art There is used an article vending machine configured to store a plurality of types of articles on a shelf provided in a box-shaped cabinet and automatically carry out an article selected by a purchaser. For example, an article vending machine (vending machine) described in Patent Document 1 includes a bucket (catcher bucket) that moves vertically in front of a plurality of shelves arranged in a cabinet in a vertical direction. The selected article is pushed forward from the shelf by the unloading mechanism, and the article is unloaded to the bucket moved to the front of the shelf. Then, the bucket on which the articles are placed is moved to a position below the article outlet provided at the lower part of the article vending machine, so that the purchaser can take out the articles from the article outlet. .

  Further, Patent Literature 1 includes an antitheft plate so that articles stored on a shelf and not purchased are not taken out of the article exit. The anti-theft plate is provided in front of the lower part of the lowermost shelf, is closed and locked when the bucket is in the lower position, and cannot reach the shelf even if the door of the article exit is opened and hands or sticks are inserted. It has become.

JP 2008-176497 A

  However, in Patent Literature 1, it is necessary to provide an operation mechanism of the antitheft plate including an actuator for operating and locking the antitheft plate, and it is necessary to control the operation of this actuator in accordance with the movement of the bucket or the like. Further, there is a problem that the structure of the lower part of the article vending machine is complicated by the operation mechanism of the antitheft plate.

  On the other hand, in an article vending machine, when relatively large articles are stored in the vertical direction, a large receiving space in the vertical direction is required to receive the articles in the bucket. However, if the receiving space of the bucket is increased in the vertical direction, the upward movement of the bucket is restricted in order to secure the receiving space of the bucket in the upper part of the cabinet, and the uppermost shelf must be installed above the cabinet. However, there is a problem that the storage space for articles is limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can obtain a theft prevention function with a simple configuration, and can also enlarge and reduce a bucket receiving space in the vertical direction as necessary, It is an object of the present invention to provide an article vending machine capable of improving article storage.

  In order to solve the above problems, an article vending machine of the present invention is provided inside a box-shaped cabinet, and based on a sales command, an article storage unit in which a plurality of shelves for storing articles are arranged in a vertical direction. An unloading mechanism for unloading the articles stored in the article storage unit from the shelf forward, and a vertically movable unit disposed in front of the article storage unit inside the cabinet; And a bucket for receiving an article carried forward from the section and transporting the article to an outlet provided below the article storage section of the cabinet, the bucket being disposed above the bucket. A top plate supported on the bucket so as to be movable in a predetermined range in a vertical direction.

  Preferably, there is provided an urging portion for urging the top plate upward to a predetermined position with respect to the bucket.

  Preferably, in a standby state in which the bucket waits for the sales command, the top plate is positioned below a front end of the lowest shelf in the article storage unit.

  Preferably, after the bucket moves upward and the top plate reaches the uppermost position, the bucket can move further upward.

  Preferably, the rear part of the top plate is inclined upward toward the rear.

  Preferably, the top plate is movable above the predetermined position with respect to the bucket when receiving a force upward, and in a state where the bucket is in the standby state, a lowermost stage of the article storage unit is provided. A movement restricting unit that regulates the movement of the top plate above the bottom surface of the shelf;

  According to the present invention, since the top plate is provided above the bucket, at a position where the bucket is opposed to the outlet, even if a hand, a rod, or the like enters the bucket from the outlet, the top plate is blocked by the top plate, It becomes difficult to steal articles from the article storage section located above the bucket. Therefore, the antitheft function can be obtained with a simple structure.

  Further, since the top plate is movable in the vertical direction, the receiving space of the bucket can be enlarged and reduced in the vertical direction as needed. Therefore, the bucket can be moved further upward in the cabinet, and the uppermost shelf in the cabinet can be arranged upward, so that the article storage space can be expanded upward, and the article storability can be improved.

It is a perspective view showing the outline external shape of the goods vending machine of this embodiment. It is a longitudinal section showing the internal structure of the goods vending machine of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a bucket. It is a side view of a bucket in the state where a top board is located in a predetermined position. It is a side view of a bucket in the state where the top board was pushed up. It is a side view of a bucket in the state where the top board was pushed down. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure inside an article taking-out opening at the time of taking out an article. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a bucket explaining the state at the time of unloading goods from the lowest shelf to a bucket. It is a partial front view showing the shape of the rear part of the bottom plate of the bucket of other embodiments. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the bucket vicinity explaining the state at the time of unloading goods from the uppermost shelf. It is a longitudinal section for explaining circulation of cooling air inside a main part unit. FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view for explaining circulation of cooling air inside a lower front portion of the main unit.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic external shape of the article vending machine of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the commodity vending machine.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an article vending machine 1 includes a main unit 2 for storing articles and an operation unit 3.

  The main unit 2 has a box-shaped cabinet 4 that is formed in a box shape with an open front surface and that has a door 5 that covers the front opening. An article storage section 6 for storing articles is provided inside the cabinet 4.

  The operation unit 3 is disposed adjacent to the side of the main unit 2 and includes an article selection switch and a billing unit that accepts bills, coins and the like, pays out change, or settles a fee using electronic money or the like. ing. The operation unit 3 transmits a sales command to the main unit 2 when a charge is settled in the charging unit and an item is selected by a selection switch.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper part of the front surface of the door 5 of the main unit 2 is configured so that the inside can be visually recognized by a transparent plate 10 formed of transparent glass or resin. In the lower part of the door 5, a rectangular article outlet 11 (outlet) is provided. The article outlet 11 is provided with an outlet shutter 12 having a rectangular plate shape. The outlet shutter 12 is supported by the upper edge of the article outlet 11 so as to be able to swing back and forth. The outlet shutter 12 closes the article outlet 11 at a closed position extending in the vertical direction, and swings a lower portion rearward from the closed position, so that the article outlet 11 is opened.

  The article storage unit 6 inside the cabinet 4 is configured by arranging a plurality of (for example, six) shelves 13a to 13f with an opening in the front at intervals in the vertical direction. The lowermost shelf 13f in the article storage section 6 has a large storage space in the vertical direction, for example, stores relatively large articles such as a 500 ml PET bottle beverage, while the uppermost shelf 13a stores in the vertical direction. The space is small and stores relatively small items. Each of the shelves 13a to 13f is provided with a plurality of unloading mechanisms 14 arranged in the left-right direction. The unloading mechanism 14 is constituted by, for example, a mechanism for rotating a spiral metal rod or a belt conveyor. The shelves 13a to 13f store articles arranged in the front-rear direction for each of the carry-out mechanisms 14, and are carried out one by one by being pushed out of the shelves 13a to 13f by the operation of an arbitrary carry-out mechanism 14. .

  A space in which the bucket 30 moves (hereinafter, referred to as a bucket moving space 21) is provided between the front ends of the shelves 13a to 13f and the transparent plate 10, which is the front surface of the door 5.

  The bucket 30 has substantially the same length as the left and right directions of the shelves 13a to 13f, and is arranged so as to be able to move vertically in the bucket moving space 21. The bucket 30 is vertically moved by an actuator (not shown) provided inside the cabinet 4, and can be moved to a position where the rear end of the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30 is at substantially the same height as the bottom plates of the shelves 13a to 13f. When moved to the lowermost position, the top plate 32 of the bucket 30, which will be described later, can be moved so as to be located lower than the bottom surface of the lowermost shelf 13f. The position of the bucket 30 moved to the lowermost position is a standby / unloading position. In the standby / unloading position, the article outlet 11 is located in front of the bucket 30, and the bucket 30 is opened by opening the outlet shutter 12. It is possible to put your hands inside.

  Inside the main unit 2, a machine room 22 is provided below the article storage unit 6. The machine room 22 is provided with a condenser 23a, a fan 23b for the condenser, and a compressor 23c in a cooling device for circulating the refrigerant. The front part and the rear part of the machine room 22 communicate with the outside. A lower duct 24 is provided between the machine room 22 and the lowermost shelf 13f. The lower duct 24 is provided with an evaporator 23d in the cooling device and a fan 23e for the evaporator 23d. The fan 23e generates a flow of air that passes through the evaporator 23d from the front to the rear of the lower duct 24. A heat insulating material is provided inside the cabinet 4 excluding the machine room 22 in order to suppress heat exchange between the cabinet 4 and the outside. Further, it is desirable that the transparent plate 10 of the door 5 has a high heat insulating property.

  The rear part of the lower duct 24 communicates with a rear duct 25 extending vertically behind the article storage unit 6. Further, an upper duct 26 extending in the front-rear direction is provided above the article storage unit 6.

  An opening in the front of the upper duct 26 opens toward the upper part of the bucket moving space 21. Further, a wind guide plate 27 that is inclined downward, for example, at an angle of 45 degrees toward the front is provided at the upper edge of the front opening of the upper duct 26.

  On the other hand, a back panel 28 is provided at the front end of the lower duct 24. The back panel 28 extends in the up-down direction and partitions the lower duct 24 and the bucket moving space 21 in front of the lower duct 24. Further, the upper portion of the back panel 28 has an inclined portion 28a inclined rearward upward and an upward portion 28b extending rearward from the upper end of the inclined portion 28a by, for example, several cm. A plurality of ventilation holes 28c are provided in the inclined part 28a and the upward part 28b. The vent holes 28c are holes having a diameter of about several millimeters, which are provided in plural numbers in the front, rear, left and right directions, for example, at an interval of about 1 cm over substantially the entire area of the inclined part 28a and the upward part 28b.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the bucket 30. 4 to 6 are side views of the bucket 30. FIG. 4 shows a state where the top 32 is located at a predetermined position, FIG. 5 shows a state where the top 32 is pushed up, and FIG. 6 shows a state where the top 32 is pushed down.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the bucket 30 includes a pair of left and right side plates 33, a bottom plate 31 connecting the left and right side plates 33 and extending in the left and right direction, and a top plate 32 supported by the side plates 33 so as to be vertically movable. And

  The side plate 33 is a substantially rectangular plate member extending in the vertical direction. The rear side of the side plate 33 is supported by a guide rail (not shown) provided inside the front side of the left and right side surfaces of the cabinet 4, and is arranged to be vertically movable with respect to the cabinet 4.

  The bottom plate 31 is configured to extend rearward from the lower front end of the side plate 33 to the rear end near the lower end of the side plate 33. The front end of the bottom plate 31 is provided with a bottom plate front portion 31a which is bent upward and extends vertically at the front lower end of the side plate 33. The bottom plate 31 is inclined upward as it extends rearward. Further, the left and right end portions 31b of the bottom plate 31 are inclined upward toward the laterally outer side plate 33, respectively.

  Left and right front ends of the top plate 32 are supported by left and right side plates 33 via a slide rail 34 and a spring shaft 35 extending in the vertical direction. The top plate 32 is a rectangular plate member formed of, for example, a transparent or translucent resin and having a left-right length substantially equal to the left-right length of the shelves 13a to 13f. The top plate 32 extends horizontally from the front end to the rear. For example, a rear portion 32a of about 1/3 of the length in the front-rear direction is inclined upward by about 15 degrees toward the rear. The rear end of the top plate 32 extends rearward to a position close to the front ends of the shelves 13a to 13f. In addition, a plurality of ventilation holes 36 having a diameter of, for example, about several millimeters are provided in the front, rear, left, and right sides at an interval of about 1 cm over substantially the entire area of the inclined rear portion 32a of the top plate 32.

  A front plate 37 is supported at a front end of the top plate 32. The front plate 37 is a plate member formed of, for example, a transparent or translucent resin. The front plate 37 is substantially the same length as the top plate 32 in the left-right direction, and is swingable in the front-rear direction between the left and right slide rails 34 around the lower surface of the front end of the top plate 32 as the swing center. It is supported by. The front plate 37 is restricted from moving forward from a position extending in the vertical direction by stoppers 38 provided on the left and right side plates 33 respectively. The front plate 37 and the transparent plate 10 are separated from each other by several cm in the front-rear direction in a state where the forward movement is restricted by the stopper 38.

  The lower portions of the slide rails 34 are respectively supported on the left and right outer sides of the front ends of the left and right side plates 33. The spring shafts 35 are arranged adjacent to and behind the slide rails 34 in parallel with the slide rails 34, respectively. The lower portion of the spring shaft 35 is supported by the side plate 33 so as to be vertically movable by a shaft guide 39 provided on the side plate 33. On the other hand, the upper end of the slide rail 34 and the upper end of the spring shaft 35 are fixed to the top plate 32.

  The spring shaft 35 is inserted into a cylindrical guide spring 40 (biasing portion). The guide spring 40 is a coil-shaped spring, and is disposed between the shaft guide 39 and the top plate 32, and contracts downward by applying a load in the compression direction. The top plate 32 can move downward with respect to the side plate 33 by applying a load in a downward direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the top plate 32 attempts to move downward with respect to the side plate 33 due to the weight of the top plate 32, but the downward movement is regulated in balance with the upward biasing force of the guide spring 40, and The vertical position of the top plate 32 with respect to 33 is defined. The vertical position of the top plate 32 with respect to the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30 corresponds to the predetermined position of the present invention. The vertical lengths of the spring shaft 35 and the guide spring 40 are set such that the top plate 32 is located a predetermined distance (for example, 5 to 10 cm) above the upper end of the side plate 33 at this predetermined position.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the top plate 32 is pushed up from a predetermined position, the top plate 32 moves above the predetermined position with respect to the side plate 33. However, the slide rail 34 is provided with a stopper 41 (movement restricting portion) for restricting upward movement. When the top plate 32 is pushed up in this way, the top plate 32 is set to be movable about several cm above a predetermined position.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the top plate 32 is pushed down from the predetermined position, the top plate 32 compresses the guide spring 40, and the top plate 32 moves below the predetermined position with respect to the side plate 33. When the bucket 30 is moved upward by an actuator that moves the bucket 30 in the vertical direction, and the top plate 32 is pressed upward against the upper wall 4 a of the cabinet 4, the top plate 32 reaches the upper end of the side plate 33. The spring constant of the guide spring 40 is set so as to move downward.

  FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure inside the article outlet 11 when the article C is taken out.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the bucket 30 on which the articles C carried from the shelves 13 a to 13 f are placed at the lowest standby / unloading position, the purchaser pushes the outlet shutter 12 backward. , The article C placed on the bucket 30 can be taken out. At this time, the vertical position of the bucket 30 and the vertical length of the outlet shutter 12 are set so that the lower end of the outlet shutter 12 does not interfere with the article C. When the bucket 30 arrives at the standby / unloading position and the shutter 12 is not opened, the top plate 32 at a predetermined position with respect to the bucket 30 is lower than the front end 42 of the bottom plate of the lowermost shelf 13f. It is set to be located in.

  Then, the outlet shutter 12 is pushed backward and opened, and the top plate 32 is pushed upward by the protruding portion 12a provided on the rear surface of the outlet shutter 12, thereby swinging the outlet shutter 12 sufficiently upward. The article C on the bucket 30 can be easily taken out.

  In addition, the shelf number, price, etc. are described in the front end part 42 of shelf 13a-13f. In the standby state in which the purchase operation is not performed, the bucket 30 is located at the lowermost standby / unloading position as shown in FIG. Therefore, in a standby state of waiting for a sales command before performing a purchase operation, the top plate 32 is located below the front end portion 42 of the bottom plate of the shelf 13f, and the shelf number, price, and the like described on the front end portion 42. Can be visually recognized.

  On the other hand, when the top plate 32 is pushed up with the opening of the outlet shutter 12, the top plate 32 and the front end portion 42 of the bottom plate of the lowermost shelf 13f may be vertically overlapped. As described above, when the outlet shutter 12 is opened, the purchase of the article C has already been decided, so that the visibility of the shelf number, the price, and the like described on the front end portion 42 is reduced by the top plate 32 or the like. You may disappear.

  Further, it is preferable that the take-out shutter 12 be configured to be opened by a lock mechanism (not shown) except when the purchaser can take out the article C.

  FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the bucket 30 for explaining a state when the article C is carried out from the lowermost shelf 13f to the bucket 30.

  As described above, the top plate 32 is located a predetermined distance above the upper end of the side plate 33, so that the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30 and the top plate 32 are greatly separated in the vertical direction. Since the rear portion 32a is inclined upward toward the rear, even if a relatively large article such as a 500 ml plastic bottle beverage is stored in the lowermost shelf 13f, the article C is removed from the shelf 13f. , The article C is less likely to be caught on the top plate 32. Further, even if the vertical distance between the top plate 32 and the rear end of the bottom plate 31 is equal to or slightly smaller than the vertical length of the article C, the rear portion 32a of the top plate 32 is inclined. In particular, by sliding the upper part of the article C in contact with the rear portion 32a in the left-right direction, the article C can be easily received in the bucket 30.

  As shown in FIG. 9, for example, a groove 43 may be provided in the rear portion including the rear portion 32 a of the top plate 32 corresponding to the position in the left-right direction of each of the unloading mechanisms 14. The groove 43 guides the upper end of the cap or the like of the article C pushed out between the top plate 32 and the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30 in one of the left and right directions as shown by the arrow in FIG. The article C is provided in the bucket 30 so as to fall down in the left-right direction. Thus, even if the distance between the top plate 32 and the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30 in the vertical direction is short, a large product in the vertical direction can be tilted in the bucket 30 in the left-right direction. Can be improved.

  FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining a state of the bucket 30 when unloading an article from the uppermost shelf 13a.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the bucket 30 is to be moved upward to the position of the uppermost shelf 13a, the top plate 32 may interfere with the door 5 or the upper wall 4a of the cabinet 4. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the vertical interval between the bottom plate 31 and the top plate 32 of the bucket 30 can be shortened by the compression of the guide spring 40. That is, even if the bucket 30 is moved upward and the top plate 32 reaches the position where the top plate 32 interferes with the upper wall 4a of the cabinet 4 (the uppermost position of the top plate 32), the bucket is compressed by the guide spring 40. 30 can be moved further up to the position of the uppermost shelf 13a. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a large space for receiving the top plate 32 in the cabinet 4 when the bucket 30 is moved to the uppermost stage in order to carry the article C from the uppermost shelf 13a of the bucket 30 to the bucket 30. Absent.

  As described above, in the goods vending machine 1 of the present embodiment, the bucket 30 is usually waiting at the lowest standby / unloading position. Then, based on the sales command from the operation unit 3, the bucket 30 moves to the upper and lower positions of the shelves 13a to 13f for storing the selected article C. Then, the selected article C is pushed out from the shelves 13a to 13f by the unloading mechanism 14 to the front bucket 30. Then, the bucket 30 returns to the lowermost standby / unloading position, and the purchaser can push out the shutter 12 to take out the articles C placed on the bucket 30.

  In the present embodiment, since the top plate 32 is provided above the bucket 30, when the bucket 30 is located at the standby / removal position, even if the takeout shutter 12 is opened, the hand or the stick is inserted into the main body unit 2. Even if such a device is intruded, it cannot be reached by the bottom shelf 13f because it is blocked by the top plate 32. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the articles stored in the shelves 13a to 13f from being stolen.

  In addition, since the top plate 32 can move vertically with respect to the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30, the top plate 32 is normally positioned above the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30, and a large article C in the vertical direction is bucketed from behind. The main unit 2 does not need to be enlarged upward in order to receive the top plate 32 when the bucket 30 is moved to the position of the uppermost shelf 13a. In this manner, by allowing the top plate 32 to move vertically with respect to the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30, the minimum space necessary for receiving and transporting the article C is secured, and the receiving of the bucket 30 is performed as necessary. -The space required for movement can be enlarged or reduced. Therefore, while keeping the vertical dimension of the main unit 2 compact, the uppermost shelf 13a is positioned as high as possible in the cabinet 4 to secure a large vertical size of the article storage section 6 to improve article storage. Can be done.

  Although the top plate 32 can be moved above the predetermined position with respect to the bucket 30, the upward movement is restricted by the stopper 41, and when the bucket 30 is located at the standby / unloading position, the top plate 32 is moved. Is set so as not to move above the bottom plate of the lowermost shelf 13f. Thereby, even if the top plate 32 is pushed upward and moved at the standby / removal position, it is possible to prevent the articles stored in the shelves 13a to 13f from being stolen.

  Also, since the bucket 30 is provided with the guide spring 40 for urging the top plate 32 upward, the bottom plate 31 of the bucket 30 and the top plate 32 is kept constant. Thereby, the acceptability of the article C to the bucket 30 can be ensured. Further, even if the article C falls on the top plate 32 from the shelves 13a to 13f above the bucket 30, the impact is absorbed by the guide spring 40, so that the article C can be prevented from being broken or scattered. Further, even when there is an article C (commodity) in the middle of being carried out and conveyed in the bucket 30, it is possible to prevent the article C dropped from the shelves 13a to 13f from colliding with the article present in the bucket 30, and Of the product can be prevented from being damaged or deformed.

  In addition, by providing the front plate 37 in front of the bucket 30, the article C directly collides with the transparent plate 10 of the door 5 when the article C pushed out from the shelves 13a to 13f is carried into the bucket 30. Can be prevented, and the transparent plate 10 can be protected. Since the top plate 32 and the front plate 37 are transparent or translucent, they do not hinder the manner in which the article C is carried into the bucket 30 or prevent the purchaser from visually recognizing the article C during transportation by the bucket 30. The front plate 37 may be used for advertisement by displaying a logo of a product or the like. Further, the front plate 37 may be provided with a pattern such as unevenness or a sticker on the surface as long as it can be confirmed that at least the article has been carried into the bucket 30.

  FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining circulation of cooling air inside the main unit 2. FIG. 12 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view for explaining circulation of cooling air inside the lower front of the main unit 2.

  As shown by the arrow in FIG. 11, by operating each device of the cooling device and operating the fan 23 e in the lower duct 24, the cooling air that has been cooled by passing through the evaporator 23 d flows from the lower duct 24. The cooling air circulates in the order of the rear duct 25, the upper duct 26, the bucket moving space 21, and the lower duct 24. In addition, a part of the cooling air moves forward between the shelves 13a to 13f from a ventilation opening (not shown) provided on the article storage portion 6 side of the rear duct 25, and cools the goods stored in the shelves 13a to 13f.

  When the cooling air moves from the upper duct 26 to the bucket moving space 21, the cooling air is guided by the air guide plate 27 so as to move the rear part of the bucket moving space 21 downward. Therefore, an air curtain is formed on the front surfaces of the shelves 13a to 13f by the cooling air. Thereby, the contact of the cooling wind with the transparent plate 10 of the door 5 is suppressed, and the fogging of the transparent plate 10 of the door 5 can be suppressed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, the ventilation holes 28c of the back panel 28 are arranged so as to face the ventilation holes 36 of the top plate 32 when the bucket 30 is located at the standby / removal position. The cooling air that has reached the lower part of the bucket moving space 21 passes through the ventilation holes 36 of the top plate 32 of the bucket 30 located at the standby / extraction position and the ventilation holes 28c of the back panel 28, and flows into the lower duct 24. . Thereby, circulation of the cooling air is maintained.

  Here, the cooling air is suppressed from flowing into the bucket 30 by the top plate 32 and the back panel 28 when the bucket 30 is located at the standby / unloading position. Thereby, the leakage of the cooling air to the outside can be reduced, the cooling efficiency can be improved, and the occurrence of dew condensation in the bucket 30 can be suppressed.

  Further, the ventilation hole 36 is not provided at the front part of the top plate 32, and the ventilation hole 36 is provided at the rear part of the top plate 32, so that the circulating air moves from the lower rear part of the bucket moving space 21 to the lower duct 24. As a result, the air curtain is formed at the rear of the bucket moving space 21, and the fogging of the transparent plate 10 particularly at the lower portion of the door 5 can be suppressed.

  Further, even when the top plate 32 is pushed up with the opening of the takeout shutter 12 when the bucket 30 is located at the standby / unloading position, the rear portion 32a of the top plate 32 is moved by the stopper 41 to the front end of the lowermost shelf 13f. Since the movement above the part 42 is restricted, it is possible to prevent a large gap from being formed between the rear part 32a of the top plate and the front end part 42 of the bottom plate of the shelf 13f. This suppresses cooling air that is larger than the amount of cooling air passing through the ventilation holes 36 of the top plate 32 from passing through the gap between the rear portion 32a of the top plate 32 and the front end 42 of the bottom plate of the shelf 13f. You. Therefore, when the outlet shutter 12 is opened, it is possible to suppress the cool air from flowing out to the outside through the bucket 30 and the article outlet 11 at the standby / extracting position, and to prevent the outside air from flowing into the bucket moving space 21 or the article. It is possible to suppress the inflow into the storage section 6.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the article vending machine 1 of the above embodiment cools the articles stored in the article storage section 6 by a cooling device, but heats the articles stored in the article storage section 6 by a heating device such as a heater. May be. Alternatively, an article vending machine that includes both a cooling device and a heating device and is divided into a section to be heated inside the cabinet 4 and a section to be cooled may be used. For example, the present invention may be applied to an article vending machine that heats upper shelves (13a and 13b and the like) and cools lower shelves (13c to 13f and the like).

  For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-193724, an article vending machine in which upper and lower shelves are set to different temperatures includes a partition plate (auxiliary partition wall) having heat insulating properties at upper and lower positions in a section having different temperatures in the bucket moving space 21. ) Must be provided. Further, a rubber packing is pressed upward against the lower surface of the partition plate to seal the space between the upper space and the lower space of the partition plate. Therefore, when the vending machine having the partition plate in the bucket moving space 21 is provided with the top plate 32 above the bucket 30 as in the present embodiment, the bucket 30 is moved above the partition plate. At this time, the partition plate is pushed upward by the top plate 32, and the partition plate is moved upward together with the top plate 32. Here, as in the present embodiment, if the rear portion 32a of the top plate 32 is inclined upward, the rear end of the top plate 32 will push the rear portion of the partition plate. By pushing the bucket 30 obliquely upward, the movement of the bucket 30 can be facilitated.

  In addition, the present invention is applicable to an article vending machine that stores and sells various articles such as beverages, sweets, and lunch boxes. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely applied to an article vending machine having a configuration in which articles carried out from shelves provided in a plurality of rows arranged in the vertical direction are received by buckets moving in the vertical direction and are conveyed to an outlet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Article vending machine 2 Main unit 4 Cabinet 6 Article storage part 11 Article take-out opening (take-out)
13a to 13f Shelf 14 Unloading mechanism 30 Bucket 32 Top plate 32a Rear part 40 Guide spring (biasing part)
41 Stopper (movement restricting part)

Claims (7)

An article storage unit provided inside a box-shaped cabinet, in which a plurality of shelves for storing articles are arranged in the vertical direction,
An unloading mechanism that unloads articles stored in the article storage unit from the shelf forward based on a sales command,
It is arranged movably in the up-down direction in front of the article storage section inside the cabinet, receives an article carried out from the article storage section by the unloading mechanism forward, and below the article storage section of the cabinet. A bucket for transporting to a provided outlet, and an article vending machine,
An article vending machine comprising a top plate disposed above the bucket and supported on the bucket so as to be movable in a predetermined range in a vertical direction.   The article vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing unit configured to bias the top plate upward to the predetermined position with respect to the bucket.   2. The article sale according to claim 1, wherein the top plate is located below a front end of the lowest shelf in the article storage unit in a standby state in which the bucket waits for the sale instruction. 3. Machine.   3. The article sale according to claim 2, wherein the top plate is located below a front end of the lowest shelf in the article storage unit in a standby state in which the bucket waits for the sale command. 4. Machine.   The goods vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bucket is movable further upward after the bucket moves upward and the top plate reaches the uppermost position. .   The article vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a rear portion of the top plate is inclined upward rearward. The top plate is movable above the predetermined position with respect to the bucket when receiving a force upward,
The article according to claim 4, wherein the bucket includes a movement restricting section that restricts the movement of the top plate above a bottom surface of the lowermost shelf in the article storage section in the standby state. Vending machine.

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