JP2021165870A - Commodity storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a commodity storage device that prevents a harness connected to a drive part from being broken, or interfering with commodities.SOLUTION: A commodity storage device is provided with a commodity rack 10 slidably moving to and away from a back panel 8 provided to a main body cabinet, the commodity rack having spirals 32 which house commodities in arrays along a carrying direction, and discharge commodities which are downstream in the carrying direction, to the outside, one by one, when driving force of a drive part is transmitted through transmission means. The drive part is provided to the back panel 8, and the transmission means engages the drive part with a spiral 32 when the commodity rack 10 is arranged at a storage position closest to the back panel 8 to enable the driving force of the drive part to be transmitted to the spiral 32, and disengages the drive part from the spiral 32 when the commodity rack 10 slides away from the back panel 8 from the storage position to restrict the driving force of the drive part from being transmitted to the spiral 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a product storage device, and more particularly to a product storage device such as a vending machine that sells products.

Conventionally, it is known that vending machines that sell products are those in which the products stored in the product racks of the product storage are delivered to a tray, then transported by the tray and delivered to a predetermined product removal area. Has been done. The merchandise take-out area is a space communicated to the outside of the merchandise storage through the merchandise outlet, and the purchased merchandise can be taken out if the user inserts his / her hand from the merchandise outlet.

A product rack in such a vending machine is configured by arranging a plurality of product columns side by side on the left and right sides. Each merchandise column is configured with a spiral formed in the anteroposterior direction. This spiral rotates around a central axis when a driving force is transmitted from a motor which is a driving source via a transmission mechanism.

In such a product column, normally, the product is restrained between each pitch of the spiral, and when the spiral rotates, the product restrained between each pitch is gradually transported forward and is in the forefront. The product is paid out to the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 5895706

In the above product rack, motors are provided corresponding to the spiral of each product column, and motors are installed as many as the number of product columns arranged side by side. The product racks are provided in a plurality of stages along the vertical direction in the product storage, and each of them can slide in a manner of approaching and separating from the back panel of the product storage.

Therefore, the harness for power control connected to each motor has a sufficient length to satisfy the connection with the motor even when the product rack is arranged at the position farthest from the back panel, and the product rack has a sufficient length. When is placed in the storage position closest to the back panel, it is stored in a curved state or the like. That is, the harness repeats a curved state and a stretched state according to the slide of the product rack.

Therefore, in the product storage device such as the vending machine, there is a risk that the harness may be broken or the harness may be bitten by the product rack and damaged. Further, when the harness is stored in a curved state, there is a possibility that the harness may interfere with the product restrained by the spiral.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product storage device capable of preventing the harness connected to the drive unit from being damaged or interfering with the product.

In order to achieve the above object, the product storage device according to the present invention arranges and stores products along the transport direction, and downstream in the transport direction when the driving force of the drive unit is transmitted via the transmission means. A product storage device in which a product rack having a transport member for paying out the products on the side one by one to the outside is slidably provided in a manner of being close to and separated from the back panel provided on the main body of the device. The drive unit is provided on the back panel, and the transmission means causes the drive unit and the transport member to engage with each other when the product rack is arranged at a storage position closest to the back panel. When the product rack slides away from the storage position to the back panel while allowing the driving force of the drive unit to be transmitted to the transport member, the drive unit engages with the transport member. It is characterized in that the state is released and the driving force of the driving unit is restricted from being transmitted to the conveying member.

Further, according to the present invention, in the product storage device, the transmission means includes a first transmission unit provided in the drive unit and a second transmission unit provided in the transport member, and the product rack stores the product rack. When arranged at the position, the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit mesh with each other to engage the drive unit and the transport member, while the product rack moves from the storage position to the storage position. When sliding in a manner of separating from the back panel, the first transmitting portion and the second transmitting portion are separated from each other to release the engaged state.

Further, according to the present invention, in the product storage device, one of the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit has a convex portion whose outer diameter gradually decreases toward the other, and the convex portion of the product storage device. It is an umbrella-shaped gear having teeth formed on an inclined surface, and the other of the first transmission portion and the second transmission portion has a concave portion whose inner diameter gradually decreases as it is separated from one of the concave portions. The first transmission portion and the second transmission portion engage with each other when the teeth mesh with each other. It is characterized by letting it.

Further, according to the present invention, in the product storage device, the transport member is formed in a spiral shape along the front-rear direction, and rotates around a central axis when the driving force of the driving unit is transmitted through the transmitting means. As a result, it is characterized by being composed of a spiral in which the product restrained between each pitch is transported forward and the front product is discharged to the outside.

According to the present invention, when the drive unit is provided on the back panel and the transmission means is arranged at the storage position closest to the product rack, the drive unit and the transport member are engaged with each other. While the driving force of the driving unit can be transmitted to the transport member, when the product rack slides away from the storage position to the back panel, the engagement state between the drive unit and the transport member is released. Since the driving force of the driving unit is restricted from being transmitted to the transport member, the driving unit and the harness for power supply control connected to the driving unit do not need to be moved together with the product rack and can be fixedly arranged. .. That is, it is not necessary to bend or extend the harness according to the slide of the product rack. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the harness connected to the drive unit from being damaged or interfering with the product.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing an internal structure of a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the product rack shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the product rack shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the product rack shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the product racks shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 are slid forward from the storage position. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the product racks shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 are slid forward from the storage position. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the spiral, the spiral shaft portion, and the driving portion shown in FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the spiral, the spiral shaft portion, and the driving portion shown in FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a connected state of the spiral, the spiral shaft portion, and the drive portion when the product rack is arranged at the storage position. FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a connected state of the spiral, the spiral shaft portion, and the drive portion when the product rack is arranged at the storage position.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the product storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing an internal structure of a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The product storage device illustrated here is a vending machine that sells products, and includes a main body cabinet 1.

The main body cabinet 1 is a rectangular device main body having an opening (hereinafter, also referred to as a front opening) 1a on the front surface, and a product storage 2 having a heat insulating structure is provided inside the main body cabinet 1. The product storage 2 is provided with an evaporator 3 as a cooling means. The evaporator 3 constitutes a refrigerant circuit that circulates the refrigerant with the compressor 5 and the condenser 6 installed in the machine room 4, and passes the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage (not shown) and its surroundings. The air inside the passing goods storage 2 is exchanged for heat to cool the air. Here, the machine room 4 is a room defined on the lower side of the product storage 2 inside the main body cabinet 1.

The air cooled around the evaporator 3 is driven by the air blower fan 7 in the refrigerator, and the back panel 8 and the product storage 2 are provided from the suction port 8a of the back panel 8 installed on the back surface of the product storage 2. It is sucked into the duct 9 between the back plate 2a and the product, and after passing through the duct 9, is blown out from the air outlet 8b formed in the back panel 8 to cool the internal atmosphere of the product storage 2.

In such a product storage 2, a plurality of product racks 10 are provided along the vertical direction. These product racks 10 will be described later.

In the front region of these product racks 10, transport rails 11 are arranged on both sides in a pair of left and right directions, and a tray 12 is provided between the transport rails 11 along a vertical direction by a transport mechanism (not shown). It is provided so that it can be moved. That is, a transport passage 13 for passing the tray 12 is formed between the transport rails 11. The transport passage 13 extends to the front of the machine room 4, and the transport passage 13 and the machine room 4 are partitioned by a partition heat insulating material 4a.

The front area of such a transport passage 13 is opened and closed by the front door 14. The front door 14 has a size sufficient to close the front area of the product storage 2 and the front area of the compartmental heat insulating material 4a in the front opening 1a, and is left on the front side of the main body cabinet 1. It is provided on the edge so as to be swingable. The front door 14 has a heat insulating structure, is provided with a heat insulating glass plate 14a that enables the inside to be visually recognized from the outside, and has a rectangular product outlet 15 below the glass plate 14a. It is formed. The product outlet 15 is an opening for the user to take out the product conveyed through the tray 12, and is opened and closed by the product outlet door 16.

2 to 4 are perspective views showing the product racks 10, respectively. In addition, in FIGS. 2 to 4, only one product rack 10 is shown. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the product racks 10 are arranged side by side in a manner in which a plurality of (five in the illustrated example) product columns 30 are arranged side by side on the upper surface of the rack base 20 made of sheet metal.

The rack base 20 has a base base portion 21, a base side wall portion 22, and a base front wall portion 23. The base base 21 is a rectangular portion provided with a product column 30 on the upper surface. The base side wall portion 22 is provided on both left and right side portions of the base base portion 21, and is configured by bending the left and right side portion of the rack base 20 upward. The base front wall portion 23 is provided at the front end portion of the base base portion 21, and is configured by bending the front end portion of the rack base 20 downward. At the rear end of such a base base 21, a base rear wall portion 24 that extends upward and connects the base side wall portions 22 to each other is provided. A plurality of product columns 30 are arranged side by side by locking the plurality of partition plates 25 to the base base 21 and the base rear wall 24.

Such a product rack 10 is erected on a pair of left and right bracket members 40. The bracket member 40 is a long member whose front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction. These bracket members 40 are supported by locking the rear end portions to the rear side shelf columns 17 which are on the rear side of the product storage 2 and are erected on both side areas of the back panel 8, and are supported by the product storage 2. The front end portions are supported by the front side shelf columns 18 erected in both front side regions of the above, so that the inner surfaces of the two are opposed to each other.

A rotatable roller 41 is provided on the front inner surface of the bracket member 40, and the product rack 10 is mounted on the bracket member 40 in such a manner that the product rack 10 is mounted on the roller 41. Is provided so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction in a manner of approaching and separating from the back panel 8 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. More specifically, the merchandise rack 10 is replenished with the storage position closest to the back panel 8 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and the rearmost panel 8 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. It is provided so as to be slidable along the front-rear direction between the position and the position.

The product column 30 includes a column base 31 and a spiral 32. The column base 31 is a long plate-shaped member whose front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction, and constitutes the bottom portion of the product column 30. The column base 31 is attached to the base base 21.

The spiral 32 is a transport member formed in a spiral shape along the front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rear end portion of the spiral 32 is connected to the spiral shaft portion 33 by inserting a mounting hole 33a formed in the spiral shaft portion 33, and is connected to the spiral shaft portion 33 in the upper region of the column base 31. It extends along the front-back direction. The spiral shaft portion 33 is provided so as to penetrate the rear wall through hole 24a (see FIG. 6) of the base rear wall portion 24 in such a manner that its central axis coincides with the central axis of the spiral 32, and is provided with its own central shaft. It can rotate around. A convex portion 34 is formed at the rear end portion of the spiral shaft portion 33. The convex portion 34 is a tapered portion formed in such a manner that the outer diameter gradually decreases toward the rear, and the tooth 34b is formed on the inclined surface 34a thereof to form an umbrella-shaped gear (second transmission portion). Consists of.

In such a product column 30, the product is restrained between each pitch of the spiral 32, whereby the product is stored along the front-rear direction.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a drive unit 50 is provided on the back panel 8. The drive unit 50 is provided on the rear surface of the back panel 8 (the surface facing the back plate 2a) at a position on the rear side of each spiral 32 at a height level corresponding to each product rack 10. The drive unit 50 includes a motor 51 and a transmission gear unit 52.

The motor 51 is housed inside a housing composed of a drive case 50a and a drive cover 50b, and is electrically connected to a power source via a power supply control harness 53 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). ing. The motor 51 is a drive source that rotates the output shaft 51a when it is driven.

The transmission gear portion 52 projects forward from the front surface of the drive case 50a, and is provided on the front side of the back panel 8 through a support hole (not shown) formed in the back panel 8. The transmission gear portion 52 is linked to the output shaft 51a of the motor 51 via a plurality of linking gears 54 provided inside the housing composed of the drive case 50a and the drive cover 50b, and the motor 51 When driven, it rotates around its own central axis.

A concave portion 55 is formed at the front end portion of the transmission gear portion 52. The concave portion 55 is a tapered portion formed in such a manner that the inner diameter gradually decreases toward the rear, and the mortar-shaped gear (first transmission portion) is formed by forming teeth 55b on the inclined surface 55a. It is configured.

The inclination angle of the inclined surface 55a in the concave portion 55, that is, the angle with respect to the front-rear direction is substantially equal to the inclination angle of the inclined surface 34a in the convex portion 34.

When the product rack 10 is arranged in the storage position, the transmission gear portion 52 has the teeth 34b of the convex portion 34 of the spiral shaft portion 33 to which the teeth 55b of the concave portion 55 correspond to, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The drive unit 50 and the spiral 32 are engaged with each other.

When the motor 51 of any of the drive units 50 is driven in such an engaged state, the transmission gear unit 52 whose driving force is transmitted via the coupling gear 54 rotates around its own central axis, and as a result, the transmission gear. The spiral shaft portion 33 having the convex portion 34 that meshes with the teeth 55b of the concave portion 55 of the portion 52 rotates around the central axis, so that the spiral 32 rotates around the central axis.

On the other hand, when the product rack 10 slides forward from the storage position to the replenishment position, the spiral shaft portion 33 engages with the spiral 32 and the drive portion 50 by separating from the corresponding transmission gear portion 52. The state is released.

In the product storage device having the above configuration, when the product rack 10 is arranged at the storage position, the convex portion 34 of the spiral shaft portion 33 and the concave portion of the transmission gear portion 52 corresponding to the spiral shaft portion 33. The teeth 34b and 55b with the portion 55 mesh with each other to engage the spiral 32 and the drive portion 50. Then, when the motor 51 of any of the drive units 50 is driven, the driving force is transmitted to the spiral 32, and the spiral 32 rotates around the central axis to move the product restrained between the pitches forward. It is possible to pay out the foremost product to the outside while transporting it toward. The products discharged to the outside in this way are placed on the tray 12 and transported downward, and then can be taken out through the product outlet 15.

On the other hand, when the product rack 10 slides forward from the storage position, the corresponding spiral shaft portion 33 and the transmission gear portion 52 are separated from each other, the engagement state between the spiral 32 and the drive portion 50 is released, and the drive is released. It is regulated that the driving force of the motor 51 of the unit 50 is transmitted to the spiral 32.

That is, in the product storage device, the spiral shaft portion 33 and the transmission gear portion 52 engage the drive unit 50 and the spiral 32 when the product rack 10 is arranged at the storage position closest to the back panel 8. When the product rack 10 slides away from the storage position to the back panel 8, the drive unit 50 and the spiral 32 It constitutes a transmission means for disengaging the engaging state of the drive unit 50 and restricting the transmission of the driving force of the drive unit 50 to the spiral 32.

As described above, according to the product storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the product rack is arranged at the storage position, the drive unit provided on the back panel and the spiral are in an engaged state. While the driving force of the driving unit can be transmitted to the spiral, when the product rack slides away from the storage position to the back panel, the engagement state between the driving unit and the spiral is released to drive the driving unit. Since the force is restricted from being transmitted to the spiral, it is not necessary to move the drive unit and the harness for power control connected to the drive unit together with the product rack, and the drive unit and the harness for power supply control can be fixedly arranged. That is, it is not necessary to bend or extend the harness according to the slide of the product rack. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the harness connected to the drive unit from being damaged or interfering with the product.

According to the above-mentioned product storage device, the convex portion 34 of the spiral shaft portion 33 connected to the spiral 32 constitutes an umbrella-shaped gear, and the concave portion 55 of the transmission gear portion 52 constituting the drive portion 50 forms a bowl-shaped gear. With this configuration, when the product rack 10 slides rearward in a manner close to the back panel 8 and is arranged in the storage position, the central axis of the convex portion 34 (the central axis of the spiral shaft portion 33). ) And the central axis of the concave portion 55 (the central axis of the transmission gear portion 52) are slightly displaced from each other by the meshing of the teeth 34b and 55b formed on the inclined surfaces 34a and 55a. It is possible to absorb the deviation of the shaft and satisfactorily engage the spiral 32 and the drive unit 50.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, the spiral shaft portion 33 connected to the spiral 32 is formed with a convex portion 34 forming an umbrella-shaped gear, and the transmission gear portion 52 forming the drive portion 50 is formed with a bowl-shaped gear. The concave portion 55 is formed, but in the present invention, the first transmission portion forming the umbrella-shaped gear is formed in the drive portion, and the second transmission portion forming the bowl-shaped gear is formed in the transport member. You may.

In the above-described embodiment, the transport member constituting the product column 30 is composed of a spiral 32 formed in a spiral shape along the front-rear direction, but in the present invention, the transport member can be rotated in a paired front-rear manner. The transport member may be composed of a belt stretched endlessly between the pulleys provided in the above, or may be composed of other members.

In the above-described embodiment, the product column 30 has a storage direction in the front-rear direction, but in the present invention, the storage direction of the product column is not limited to the front-rear direction.

1 ... Main body cabinet, 2 ... Product storage, 8 ... Back panel, 8a ... Suction port, 8b ... Air outlet, 9 ... Duct, 10 ... Product rack, 20 ... Rack base, 21 ... Base base, 22 ... Base side wall , 23 ... Base front wall, 24 ... Base rear wall, 25 ... Partition plate, 30 ... Product column, 31 ... Column base, 32 ... Spiral, 33 ... Spiral shaft, 34 ... Convex, 34a ... Inclined surface , 34b ... teeth, 40 ... bracket member, 50 ... drive unit, 50a ... drive case, 50b ... drive cover, 51 ... motor, 52 ... transmission gear part, 53 ... harness, 54 ... linkage gear, 55 ... concave part, 55a ... inclined surface, 55b ... teeth.

Claims (4)

A product having a transport member that aligns and stores products along the transport direction and discharges products on the downstream side in the transport direction one by one to the outside when the driving force of the drive unit is transmitted via a transmission means. A product storage device in which a rack is slidably provided so as to be close to and separated from a back panel provided on the main body of the device.
The drive unit is provided on the back panel.
When the product rack is arranged at the storage position closest to the back panel, the transmission means engages the drive unit and the transport member, and applies the driving force of the drive unit to the transport member. When the product rack slides away from the storage position to the back panel, the engagement state between the drive unit and the transport member is released to drive the drive unit. A product storage device, which regulates the transmission of a product to the transport member. The transmission means
The first transmission unit provided in the drive unit and
A second transmission unit provided on the transport member is provided.
When the product rack is arranged at the storage position, the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit mesh with each other to engage the drive unit and the transport member, while the product rack is engaged with the product rack. 1. The engagement state is released by separating the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit when the product slides from the storage position to the back panel. Product storage device described in. One of the first transmission portion and the second transmission portion has a convex portion whose outer diameter gradually decreases toward the other, and an umbrella-shaped gear having teeth formed on an inclined surface of the convex portion. And
The other of the first transmission portion and the second transmission portion is a mortar-shaped gear having a concave portion whose inner diameter gradually decreases as it is separated from one, and teeth are formed on the inclined surface of the concave portion. ,
The product storage device according to claim 2, wherein the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit engage the drive unit and the transport member when the teeth mesh with each other. .. The transport member is formed in a spiral shape along the front-rear direction, and when the driving force of the driving unit is transmitted through the transmitting means, the product is restrained between the pitches by rotating around the central axis. The product storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the product storage device is configured by a spiral that delivers the front product to the outside while transporting the product forward.

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