JP2022080151A - Item storage unit and item rack - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent a misalignment of items and dispense items at the most downstream position well.SOLUTION: An item column 60 capable of storing items in a row along an extending direction of an item storage passage 624, conveying the items along the extending direction of the item storage passage 624, and dispensing the items at the most downstream position includes: a transport chain 623 that is stretched endlessly over a pair of pulleys 621 and 622 provided along a front-rear direction to be displaced in its own direction of extension by rotation of the pulley 621, and comprises upwardly extending portion 623a to constitute the item storage passage 624; a plurality of placing portions 63 provided along the extending direction of the transport chain 623 and allowing each item to be placed on each placing surface 632 at an upwardly extending portion 623a; and partitions 64 each provided between the plurality of placing portions 63 and capable of holding a partition plate member 642 provided on itself in an upright position in the upwardly extending portion 623a of the transport chain 623.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a product storage device and a product storage shelf.

Conventionally, as a product storage device for storing products in a line along the extending direction of a product storage passage, a product storage device composed of a transport belt stretched endlessly on a pair of front and rear pulleys is known. In this transport belt, the upper surface of the upper extending portion between the pulleys is formed as a mounting surface for arranging the products in a row, whereby the upper extending portion constitutes the product storage passage.

In such a product storage device, the product mounted on the mounting surface can be transported from the front to the rear or from the rear to the front by the rotation of the pulley, and the product at the most downstream position in the transport direction can be transported. Can be paid out (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-057343

By the way, in the above-mentioned product storage device, the product mounted on the upper surface of the transport belt is transported, so that the product is loaded on the mounting surface at intervals of one displacement amount (transport amount) of the transport belt. Moreover, it was easy for the product to be displaced due to external factors such as vibration. Therefore, even if the transport belt is displaced by a predetermined amount, there is a possibility that a problem may occur in paying out the product at the most downstream position.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product storage device and a product storage shelf capable of suppressing the occurrence of misalignment of products and satisfactorily paying out products at the most downstream position. ..

In order to achieve the above object, the product storage device according to the present invention stores the products in a line along the extending direction of the product storage passage, and stores the products along the extending direction of the product storage passage. It is a product storage device capable of transporting and paying out products at the most downstream position. The product is displaced in the extending direction, and the upper extending portion between the pulleys is provided on the cord-shaped body constituting the product storage passage and the cord-shaped body along the extending direction. The cord-shaped body is provided between a plurality of mounting portions that allow the product to be mounted on the upper surface of the cord-shaped body and the plurality of mounting portions, and is provided between the plurality of mounting portions. The upper extending portion of the above is characterized by being provided with a partition portion capable of holding the partition plate member provided on the self in an upright position.

Further, according to the present invention, according to the above-mentioned product storage device, the partition portion has the partition plate member in the upright posture and the sideways posture in which the partition plate member is placed on the upper surface of the mounting portion adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction. It is characterized by being prepared to swing between and.

Further, according to the above-mentioned product storage device, according to the above-mentioned product storage device, when the partition plate member of the partition portion adjacent to the downstream side of the transport direction of the mounting portion on which the product at the most downstream position is placed is in an upright posture. , While detecting that there is a product in the product storage passage, when the partition plate member of the partition portion is in a sideways posture, the product storage passage is provided with a sold-out detection unit that detects that there is no product. It is a feature.

Further, the product storage shelf according to the present invention is characterized in that the product storage devices are arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

Further, the present invention is provided with a common drive source for rotating the pulley in each of the product storage devices in the product storage shelf, and the product storage device normally transmits the drive force from the drive source to the pulley. It is characterized by having a transmission mechanism that displaces the cord by transmitting the driving force from the driving source to the pulley when a payout command is given.

According to the present invention, a cord-like body that is endlessly stretched on a pair of pulleys provided along the transport direction of a product and is displaced in its extending direction by the rotation of the pulleys is on the upper side between the pulleys. The extending portion constitutes a product storage passage, and a plurality of mounting portions provided on the cord-like body along the extending direction are used, and the product is placed on the upper surface of the cord-shaped body in the upper extending portion. The partition portion provided between the plurality of mounting portions in the cord-like body allows the partition plate member provided in the upper extension portion of the cord-like body to stand upright. Since it can be held, the product can be placed on the upper surface of the mounting portion between the partition plate members in the standing posture in the product storage passage. As a result, it is possible to regulate the movement of the product placed on the upper surface of the mounting portion due to an external factor such as vibration by the partition plate member in the standing posture. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of misalignment of the product and to satisfactorily pay out the product at the most downstream position.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an internal structure of a showcase-combined vending machine to which a product storage device and a product storage shelf according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of the showcase-combined vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which a product can be taken out through a front opening in the showcase-combined vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the product storage shelf shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the product storage shelf shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the appearance configuration of the product columns shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance configuration of the product columns shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the appearance configuration of the product columns shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the product column shown in FIGS. 6 to 7. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing a transmission mechanism constituting the product columns shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the transmission mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the transmission mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the transmission mechanism shown in FIG. 10 in a cross section. FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the transmission mechanism shown in FIG. 10 in a cross section. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting portion and the partition portion shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the partition portion shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the partition portion shown in FIG. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the posture of the partition plate member in the partition portion shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 19 is an enlarged explanatory view showing a main part of the product column shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the product storage shelf and the transport tray. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional side view showing a product sales operation in the showcase-combined vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional side view showing a product sales operation in the showcase-combined vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional side view showing a product sales operation in the showcase-combined vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional side view showing a product sales operation in the showcase-combined vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 25 is an enlarged explanatory view showing a main part of a modified example of the product storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26 is an enlarged explanatory view showing a main part of a modified example of the product storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

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

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an internal structure of a showcase-combined vending machine to which a product storage device and a product storage shelf according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied, and FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. It is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of a vending machine also used as a showcase.

The showcase-combined vending machine 10 illustrated here is installed in a store 1 such as a convenience store, and includes an apparatus main body 11 and a control unit 50.

The apparatus main body 11 is a rectangular heat insulating housing, and the front wall portion 12 forming the front surface faces the inside of the store 1, while the rear wall portion 13 forming the outer surface faces the outside of the store 1. It is installed through the wall 4. The apparatus main body 11 has a front opening 12a formed in the front wall portion 12 and a rear opening 13a formed in the rear wall portion 13, and has a front door 14, a rear door 15, a storage chamber 16, a ventilation passage 17, and a ventilation passage 17. A product take-out door 18 is provided.

The front door 14 is a heat insulating door having a size sufficient to cover the front opening 12a, and can swing along the front-rear direction with respect to one side edge constituting the opening edge of the front opening 12a. It is provided. The front door 14 swings to open and close the front opening 12a. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the front door 14 swings forward to open the front opening 12a. The front opening 12a is closed by swinging toward the rear.

Further, although not clearly shown in the drawing, the front door 14 is provided with a window portion by forming a rectangular opening and fitting a heat insulating glass plate material in a manner of closing the rectangular opening. There is. Therefore, the inside of the apparatus main body 11 can be visually recognized through the window portion.

The rear door 15 is a heat insulating door having a size sufficient to cover the rear opening 13a, and can swing along the front-rear direction on one side edge constituting the opening edge of the rear opening 13a. It is provided. The rear door 15 opens and closes the rear opening 13a by swinging. More specifically, the rear door 15 swings backward to open the rear opening 13a while swinging forward. By doing so, the rear opening 13a is closed. Such a rear door 15 is held in a state where the rear opening 13a is closed by a lock mechanism (not shown).

Further, the rear door 15 is provided with a display device 15a made of a liquid crystal display, and although not specified in the figure, for performing electronic money payment by a recording medium (IC card, mobile phone, etc.) equipped with electronic money. A communication unit is provided.

The display device 15a has a touch panel screen, has a function as a display means for displaying the product to be sold and the product price, and indicates that the product is selected when the portion displaying the product is pressed by the purchaser. It has an operation unit 15b that gives the signal of the above to the control unit 50.

The storage chamber 16 is a chamber formed inside the device main body 11 so as to face the front opening 12a. The back surface of the storage chamber 16 is configured by the rear wall portion 13 of the main body 11, that is, the rear wall portion 13 including the rear door 15 that closes the rear surface opening 13a.

In the storage chamber 16, a plurality of product mounting shelves 20 are installed in a plurality of stages along the vertical direction on shelf columns 19 which are erected in a pair of left and right directions. Although the configuration of these product mounting shelves 20 will be described later, they are erected on a pair of left and right bracket members 21 attached so as to extend forward with respect to the shelf columns 19.

The ventilation passage 17 includes a lower air passage 17a arranged on the lower side of the storage chamber 16 and an upper air passage 17b arranged on the upper side of the storage chamber 16.

The lower air passage 17a communicates with a suction port 23 that opens in the lower front part of the storage chamber 16, and an outlet 24 is formed so as to face upward between the lower air passage 17a and the rear wall portion 13. A lower blower fan 25 is installed in the lower air passage 17a.

The lower air blower fan 25 is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 50, and when driven, air is sucked into the lower air passage 17a through the suction port 23 and passes through the lower air passage 17a. The air is sent out from the outlet 24.

The upper air passage 17b communicates with the air outlet 26 that opens in the upper front part of the storage chamber 16, and the inlet 27 is formed so as to face the rear. An upper blower fan 28 and an evaporator 29 are installed in the upper air passage 17b.

The upper blower fan 28 is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 50, and when driven, air is introduced into the upper air passage 17b through the inlet 27, and the air that has passed through the upper air passage 17b is introduced. It is intended to be blown out from the air outlet 26 to the storage chamber 16.

The evaporator 29 is connected to the compressor 30, the condenser and the expansion mechanism (both not shown) by a refrigerant pipe, and constitutes a refrigerating cycle in which the refrigerant is circulated. The compressor 30 is driven by a command given from the control unit 50, and compresses the refrigerant when driven. The condenser condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 30 and dissipates heat. The expansion mechanism adiabatically expands the refrigerant condensed by the condenser to bring it into a low temperature and low pressure state.

The evaporator 29 exchanges heat between the air passing through the upper air passage 17b and the refrigerant made into a low temperature and low pressure state by the expansion mechanism, and more specifically, the upper air by evaporating the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant. It cools the air passing through the passage 17b. The refrigerant vaporized by the evaporator 29 is sucked by the compressor 30 and circulates in the refrigeration cycle.

The product outlet door 18 is a heat insulating door having a size sufficient to cover the product outlet 13b provided in the lower portion of the rear opening 13a of the rear wall portion 13 of the apparatus main body 11, and the product outlet 13b. It is provided on the upper edge of the opening so as to be swingable along the front-rear direction. The product take-out door 18 opens and closes the product outlet 13b by swinging. More specifically, the product take-out door 18 opens and closes the product outlet 13b by swinging backward, while facing forward. The product outlet 13b is closed by swinging.

The product take-out door 18 constitutes the back surface of the storage chamber 16 together with the rear wall portion 13 and the rear door 15 described above, and is arranged above the outlet 24 of the lower air passage 17a described above.

In the storage chamber 16, transport rails 32 are provided in a pair of left and right sides on both sides of the rear area of the product loading shelf 20, and the transport trays 33 are vertically aligned between the transport rails 32. It is provided so that it can be moved. That is, a movement path 34 for passing the transport tray 33 is formed between the transport rails 32. The lower end portion of the movement path 34 is the product take-out position 35. Here, the product take-out position 35 is a position where the user can take out the product conveyed by the transport tray 33 through the product take-out outlet 13b while being placed on the transport tray 33.

The control unit 50 is electrically connected to the transfer mechanism 41, the take-out door open / close detection unit 42, and the take-out door lock mechanism 43 in addition to the operation unit 15b, the lower blower fan 25, the upper blower fan 28, and the compressor 30 described above. The operation and the like of the showcase-combined vending machine 10 are collectively controlled according to the programs and data stored in the storage unit 51 which is also electrically connected. The control unit 50 may be realized by, for example, a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), that is, software, or hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). It may be realized by using software and hardware together.

The transport mechanism 41 includes a transport motor 41a and a tray detection unit 41b. The transfer motor 41a is a drive source that is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 50. The tray detection unit 41b is configured by an encoder or the like that detects the rotation of the transfer motor 41a, and detects the position of the transfer tray 33. As a result, the transport mechanism 41 moves the transport tray 33 up and down between the transport rails 32. Further, the transport mechanism 41 arranges the transport tray 33 at the product take-out position 35 in the standby state.

The take-out door open / close detection unit 42 is provided in the vicinity of the product take-out port 13b, and is composed of, for example, an optical sensor or the like. The take-out door open / close detection unit 42 detects the opening / closing of the product outlet 13b by the product take-out door 18, and more specifically, whether the product take-out door 13b is closed, that is, the product take-out door 18 is closed. It detects whether or not it is. The take-out door open / close detection unit 42 gives the control unit 50 a detection result of whether or not the product take-out door 18 is closed.

The take-out door lock mechanism 43 is provided in the vicinity of the product take-out port 13b. The take-out door lock mechanism 43 holds a state in which the product take-out door 18 that closes the product take-out door 13b is closed, and regulates the product take-out door 18 from swinging backward. The product take-out door 18 can be selectively switched between the released state and the released state in which the product take-out door 18 is allowed to swing rearward. The switching of the take-out door lock mechanism 43 is performed in response to a command given from the control unit 50.

4 and 5 are perspective views showing the external configuration of the product storage shelf 20 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each of the product storage shelves 20 is configured by arranging a plurality of product columns (product storage devices) 60 for storing products in the front-rear direction side by side.

6 to 8 are perspective views showing the appearance configurations of the product columns 60 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. Since each of the product columns 60 has the same configuration, the configuration of one product column 60 will be described below, and the description of the configuration of the other product columns 60 will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the product column 60 includes a column body 61. The column main body 61 is assembled from a plurality of steel plates, and has a rectangular shape in which the front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction while having openings in the front surface, the rear surface, and the upper surface. Inside the column main body 61, a payout mechanism 62, a mounting unit 63, a partition unit 64, a most downstream position detection unit 65, and a sold-out detection unit 66 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 9, the payout mechanism 62 has a transport chain (cord-like body) 623 endlessly between pulleys 621 and 622 rotatably provided around its own central axis in a paired front-rear manner. It is composed by being stretched.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the pulley 621 on the front side has a central shaft portion 621a having a cylindrical shape, and a hollow portion 621a1 thereof is penetrated by a rotation drive shaft 71. The rotary drive shaft 71 has a polygonal column shape such as a hexagonal column, and its right end is connected to a payout drive unit (see FIGS. 4 and 5) 70. The payout drive unit 70 has a built-in payout motor 72 which is a drive source. The payout motor 72 is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 50. Therefore, when the payout motor 72 is driven, the rotary drive shaft 71 can rotate clockwise when viewed from the right around its own central axis.

Such a payout mechanism 62 is provided with a transmission mechanism 80. The transmission mechanism 80 includes a clutch motor 81, a slider 82, and a dock clutch 83. The clutch motor 81 is housed in a mechanism main body portion 80a in which a through hole 80b formed in the clutch motor 81 is penetrated through a rotation drive shaft 71, and is driven in a forward rotation or a reverse rotation according to a command given from the control unit 50. Is.

The slider 82 is made of, for example, a resin material, and is provided so as to be slidable along the left-right direction in the mechanism main body 80a. Such a slider 82 has a motor engaging portion 821 and a slider holding portion 822.

A female screw (not shown) is formed inside the motor engaging portion 821, and the motor engaging portion 821 engages with the clutch motor 81 by being screwed with a male screw 81b linked to the output shaft 81a of the clutch motor 81. It is a part. As a result, when the male screw 81b rotates in one direction due to the forward rotation drive of the clutch motor 81, the slider 82 slides to the right in a manner close to the clutch motor 81, while the clutch motor 81 reverses. When the male screw 81b rotates in the other direction by being driven, it slides to the left in a manner of separating from the clutch motor 81.

The slider holding portion 822 is provided at the front end of a portion that protrudes forward from the mechanism main body portion 80a. The slider holding portion 822 has a cylindrical shape due to the holding hole 822a being formed inside.

The dock clutch 83 is made of, for example, a resin material, and has a clutch base 831 and a clutch engaging portion 832. The clutch base 831 is a cylindrical portion, and its outer diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the holding hole 822a of the slider holding portion 822.

The clutch engaging portion 832 is a cylindrical portion formed so as to project to the left from the left end surface of the clutch base 831. A hexagonal connecting hole 833 that matches the outer shape of the rotary drive shaft 71 is formed inside the clutch base 831 and the clutch engaging portion 832. The outer diameter of the clutch engaging portion 832 is smaller than the outer diameter of the clutch base 831 and slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the holding hole 822a of the slider holding portion 822. Further, the extending length of the clutch engaging portion 832 in the left-right direction is formed to be larger than the length of the slider holding portion 822 in the left-right direction.

The clutch base 831 is provided with a plurality of transmission protrusions 831a on the right surface. Each of these transmission protrusions 831a is formed so as to be arranged in a circumferential shape so as to project to the right from the right surface of the clutch base 831. These transmission protrusions 831a can enter the transmission recess 621a2 formed in the central shaft portion 621a of the pulley 621 on the front side.

In such a dock clutch 83, the clutch engaging portion 832 enters the holding hole 822a of the slider holding portion 822 from the right side and is rotatably held by the slider 82.

The transmission mechanism 80 having such a configuration can rotate the pulley 621 on the front side as follows. As a premise, it is assumed that the payout motor 72 is driven, whereby the rotary drive shaft 71 is rotating. Further, it is assumed that the slider 82 is slid to the left so as to be separated from the clutch motor 81.

The dock clutch 83 is rotated by the rotation of the rotary drive shaft 71, but the slider 82 is slid to the left. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the central shaft of the dock clutch 83 and the pulley 621 on the front side. It is separated from the portion 621a, so that the pulley 621 on the front side does not rotate.

Then, when the control unit 50 drives the clutch motor 81 in the forward rotation, the male screw 81b rotates in one direction, and as shown in FIG. 14, the slider 82 moves to the right in a manner close to the clutch motor 81. Slide. By sliding the slider 82 to the right in this way, the dock clutch 83 held by the slider 82 also slides to the right. As a result, in the dock clutch 83, each transmission convex portion 831a enters each transmission recess 621a2 of the central shaft portion 621a of the front pulley 621 and is connected to the central shaft portion 621a of the front pulley 621.

When the dock clutch 83 and the central shaft portion 621a are connected in this way, the pulley 621 on the front side is given the driving force of the payout motor 72 through the rotary drive shaft 71 and the dock clutch 83, and is viewed from the right. It will rotate clockwise.

When the control unit 50 reversely drives the clutch motor 81 while the pulley 621 on the front side is rotated in this way, the male screw 81b rotates in the other direction, and as shown in FIG. 13, the slider 82 It slides to the left so as to be separated from the clutch motor 81. By sliding the slider 82 to the left in this way, the dock clutch 83 held by the slider 82 also slides to the left. As a result, in the dock clutch 83, each transmission convex portion 831a is disengaged from each transmission recess 621a2, and the connection with the central shaft portion 621a of the pulley 621 on the front side is released. When the connection between the dock clutch 83 and the central shaft portion 621a is released in this way, the pulley 621 on the front side stops rotating.

As described above, the payout motor 72 constitutes a common drive source for the pulleys 621 on the front side of the plurality of product columns 60 constituting the product storage shelves 20.

The transport chain 623 is displaced along its own extending direction by rotating the pulleys 621 and 622. Specifically, when the payout motor 72 is driven and the pulley 621 on the front side rotates clockwise when viewed from the right, the upper extending portion 623a between the pulleys 621 and 622 moves downward while moving backward. The lateral extending portion 623b is displaced in such a manner that it moves forward. The upper extending portion 623a of the transport chain 623 forms a product storage passage 624 extending linearly in the front-rear direction. The rear pulley 622 is a driven pulley that rotates with the displacement of the transport chain 623 when the front pulley 621 rotates.

The mounting portion 63 is made of, for example, a resin material, and as shown in FIG. 15, the locking protrusion 6231 of the transport chain 623 relatively enters the locking recess 631 formed in the mounting portion 63. It is detachably provided on the transport chain 623. Such mounting portions 63 are provided at predetermined intervals along the extending direction of the transport chain 623. The mounting portion 63 has a flat mounting surface 632. The product is placed on the mounting surface (upper surface) 632 of the mounting portion 63 provided on the upper extending portion 623a of the transport chain 623.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the partition portion 64 includes a partition base member 641 and a partition plate member 642. The partition base member 641 is made of, for example, a resin material, and as shown in FIG. 15, the locking protrusion 6231 of the transport chain 623 relatively enters the locking recess 641a formed in the partition base member 641. It is detachably provided on the transport chain 623.

A connecting shaft-shaped portion 641b and a connecting groove portion 641c are formed in such a partition base member 641. The connecting shaft-shaped portions 641b are a pair of left and right portions, one of which is formed so as to project to the left from the left side surface of the partition base member 641, and the other is to the right of the right side surface of the partition base member 641. It is formed so as to project toward. The central axes of these connecting shaft-shaped portions 641b coincide with each other.

The connecting groove portion 641c is formed on the upper surface of the portion where the connecting shaft-shaped portion 641b is formed, and is a long groove whose left-right direction is the longitudinal direction.

The partition plate member 642 is formed of, for example, a resin material, and is configured by integrally forming a partition plate base portion 6421, a connecting hole forming portion 6422, and a connecting protrusion 6423.

The partition plate base portion 6421 is a flat plate-shaped portion, and a notch 6421a is formed in the left and right central portions of the tip portion (upper end portion in FIGS. 16 and 17).

The connecting hole forming portion 6422 is a pair of left and right, one of which is formed at the left end portion of the base end portion (lower end portion in FIGS. 16 and 17) of the partition plate base portion 6421, and the other is the base end of the partition plate base portion 6421. It is formed in the right end portion of the portion, and a connecting hole 6422a having a different shape is formed in each. These connecting holes 6422a are formed in a paired manner on the left and right, and are formed so that the front-rear width increases as they are separated from the base end portion of the partition plate base portion 6421.

A detection protrusion 6422b is formed on the right side connecting hole forming portion 6422. In FIGS. 16 and 17, the detection projection 6422b is formed so as to project downward toward the rear side portion of the right side connecting hole forming portion 6422.

The connecting protrusion 6423 is formed so as to project outward between the pair of left and right connecting hole forming portions 6422 at the base end portion of the partition plate base portion 6421. The connecting protrusion 6423 has a size that allows it to enter the connecting groove 641c, and is a long portion whose left-right direction is the longitudinal direction. Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, it is preferable that the connecting protrusion 6423 has a tapered shape in which the front-rear width gradually decreases as the distance from the base end of the partition plate base 6421 increases.

The partition plate member 642 is connected to the partition base member 641 to form the partition portion 64 by relatively entering the connecting shaft-shaped portion 641b into the respective connecting holes 6422a.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the partition portion 64 having such a configuration is provided between the mounting portions 63 with respect to the transport chain 623. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, in the partition portion 64, the connecting protrusion 6423 of the partition plate member 642 enters the connecting groove portion 641c of the partition base member 641 so that the partition plate member 642 is in an upright posture, while the connecting protrusion 641 is in an upright posture. When the portion 6423 is separated from the connecting groove portion 641c, the partition plate member 642 is in a sideways posture.

Here, since the connecting protrusion 6423 has a tapered shape as described above, it can be easily entered into the connecting groove 641c.

The partition portion 64 is provided with a partition plate member 642 so as to be swingable between an upright posture and a sideways posture. When the partition plate member 642 is in the sideways posture, it covers the mounting surface 632 of the mounting portion 63 adjacent to the upstream side in the displacement direction of the transport chain 623. More specifically, in the upper extending portion 623a of the transport chain 623, the partition plate member 642 swings forward to take a sideways posture, and the mounting surface 632 of the mounting portion 63 adjacent to the front side is placed. Covering.

The most downstream position detection unit 65 is composed of, for example, a micro switch, an optical sensor, or the like, and as shown in FIG. 19, at the most downstream detection position A, which is the rear end of the upper extending portion 623a of the transport chain 623. It detects the presence or absence of the partition portion 64. When the most downstream position detection unit 65 detects that the partition unit 64 is present at the most downstream detection position A, the most downstream position detection unit 65 gives that fact to the control unit 50 as a detection signal. When the partition portion 64 is arranged at the most downstream detection position A in this way, the mounting portion 63 adjacent to the front of the partition portion 64 is arranged at the most downstream position. Therefore, when a product is placed on the mounting portion 63, the product is the product at the most downstream position.

The sold-out detection unit 66 is configured by, for example, a micro switch or the like. As shown in FIG. 19, the sold-out detection unit 66 is provided so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction when the partition portion 64 in which the partition plate member 642 is in an upright posture is at the most downstream detection position A. When the cut detection lever 67 comes into contact with the detection protrusion 6422b and swings backward against the urging force of the lever spring 671, it is pressed by the sold-out detection lever 67 and turned on to detect that there is a product. It is something to do.

On the other hand, when the partition portion 64 in which the partition plate member 642 is in a sideways posture is at the most downstream detection position A, the detection protrusion 6422b is outside the swing region of the sold-out detection lever 67, so that the sold-out detection lever 67 is sold out. Will not come into contact with the detection protrusion 6422b and will be in the initial standby posture. Therefore, the sold-out detection unit 66 is not pressed by the sold-out detection lever 67, and detects that there is no product. Such a sold-out detection unit 66 gives a detection result (with or without a product) to the control unit 50 as a detection signal.

By the way, when the pulley 621 on the front side rotates clockwise when viewed from the right side, the transport chain 623 is displaced in such a manner that the extending portion 623a on the upper side moves toward the rear. When the transport chain 623 is displaced in this way, as shown in FIG. 19, the mounting portion 63 and the partition portion 64 provided on the transport chain 623 are also displaced in the same manner. As a result, when the product is mounted on the mounting surface 632 of the mounting portion 63 provided on the upper extending portion 623a, the product can be transported backward.

Then, the mounting portion 63 arranged at the most downstream position is displaced downward along the outer peripheral shape of the pulley 622 on the rear side, and the product mounted on the mounting surface 632 is transferred to the transport tray 33. It will be possible to pay out to.

As shown in FIG. 20, a comb-toothed guide portion 33a having irregularities formed along the left-right direction is formed at the front end portion of such a transport tray 33. The comb-shaped guide portion 33a is configured such that a portion 331 that becomes convex with the displacement of the transport chain 623 relatively passes between the partition plate members 642 and the notch 6421a of the partition plate member 642. There is. At this time, the left side portion and the right side portion of the notch 6421a in the partition plate member 642 pass through the concave portion 332 of the comb-shaped guide portion 33a.

In the showcase-combined vending machine 10 having the above configuration, for example, during the business hours of the store 1, each product column 60 is provided with a partition portion provided on the upper extending portion 623a of the transport chain 623. The partition plate member 642 of 64 is placed in a sideways posture (see FIGS. 4 and 5), a product is placed on the partition plate member 642 in a sideways posture, and the products are stored so as to be lined up in the front-rear direction. be able to.

Then, the control unit 50 drives the lower blower fan 25, the upper blower fan 28, and the compressor 30 in a state where the operation on the operation unit 15b is invalidated, and locks the take-out door lock mechanism 43. As a result, the air inside the storage chamber 16 is sucked into the lower air passage 17a through the suction port 23. The air that has passed through the lower air passage 17a is ejected from the outlet 24 and passes upward along the front surface of the rear wall portion 13 including the rear door 15 and the product take-out door 18. Then, the air that has passed upward along the front surface of the rear wall portion 13 passes through the air passage 17b above the inlet 27, is cooled by the evaporator 29 during the passage, and enters the storage chamber 16 from the outlet 26. It is blown out.

As a result, in the storage chamber 16, the air blown out from the outlet 26 is sucked into the suction port 23 to form an air curtain, and the storage chamber 16 is cooled to a desired temperature and stored in each product column 60. The product can be cooled to the desired temperature.

In such a case, as shown in FIG. 2, a user who is a customer of the store 1 swings the front door 14 forward to open the front opening 12a, and the product of the arbitrary product column 60. Can be taken out and can function as a showcase.

On the other hand, if it is outside the business hours of the store 1, for each product column 60, the partition plate member 642 of the partition portion 64 provided on the upper extending portion 623a of the transport chain 623 is placed in an upright posture, and the mounting portion 63 is placed. Products can be placed on the mounting surface 632 and the products can be stored so as to be lined up in the front-rear direction.

Then, by enabling the operation on the operation unit 15b by the control unit 50, the product in the product column 60 can be sold as follows.

When a product is selected by the operation unit 15b and a predetermined electronic money payment is completed via the communication unit, the control unit 50 gives a command to the transfer motor 41a to drive the transfer mechanism 41 as shown in FIG. 21. The transport tray 33 arranged at the product take-out position 35 is moved upward toward the rear region of the product storage shelf 20 having the product column 60 on which the selected product is placed.

When the tray detection unit 41b detects that the transport tray 33 has been transported to the rear region of the predetermined product loading shelf 20, the control unit 50 stops the drive of the transport motor 41a.

Then, the control unit 50 drives the clutch motor 81 of the corresponding product column 60 in the forward rotation while driving the payout motor 72. By driving the clutch motor 81 in the forward direction in this way, the slider 82 slides to the right in a manner close to the clutch motor 81, and the dock clutch 83 held by the slider 82 also slides to the right. As a result, in the dock clutch 83, each transmission convex portion 831a enters each transmission recess 621a2 of the central shaft portion 621a of the front pulley 621 and is connected to the central shaft portion 621a of the front pulley 621.

When the dock clutch 83 and the central shaft portion 621a are connected in this way, the pulley 621 on the front side is given the driving force of the payout motor 72 through the rotary drive shaft 71 and the dock clutch 83, and is viewed from the right. It will rotate clockwise.

By rotating the front pulley 621 clockwise when viewed from the right in this way, as shown in FIG. 22, the upper extending portion 623a displaces the transport chain 623 in a manner toward the rear. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19, the mounting portion 63 arranged at the most downstream position is displaced downward along the outer peripheral shape of the pulley 622 on the rear side, and is mounted on the mounting surface 632. The placed product (the product at the most downstream position) is paid out toward the rear, and is received by the transport tray 33.

With the displacement of the transport chain 623, the partition portion 64 adjacent to the rear side of the mounting portion 63 at the most downstream position is in an upright posture when displaced downward along the outer peripheral shape of the pulley 622 on the rear side. The partition plate member 642 that is in the position moves downward due to its own weight, so that the connecting protrusion 6423 is separated from the connecting groove portion 641c. After that, due to the displacement of the transport chain 623, the partition plate member 642 comes into contact with the bottom surface 611 of the column main body 61, so that the partition plate member 642 is displaced in a lateral position.

By the way, the control unit 50 is a clutch motor when the most downstream position detection unit 65 detects that the partition unit 64 adjacent to the front side of the mounting unit 63 at the most downstream position has reached the most downstream detection position A. The 81 is reversely driven to stop the rotation of the pulley 621 on the front side and stop the displacement of the transport chain 623.

Here, when the partition plate member 642 of the partition portion 64 arranged at the most downstream detection position A is in the sideways posture, the sold-out detection lever 67 does not abut on the detection protrusion 6422b and is in the initial standby posture. Therefore, the sold-out detection unit 66 detects that there is no product. As a result, the control unit 50 determines that the product column 60 is sold out, displays the product stored in the product column 60 as sold out on the display device 15a, and invalidates the selection of the product. To make it.

On the other hand, when the partition plate member 642 of the partition portion 64 arranged at the most downstream detection position A is in the upright posture, the sold-out detection lever 67 abuts on the detection projection 6422b to resist the urging force of the lever spring 671. Then, it swings backward, and the sold-out detection unit 66 detects that there is a product.

After the goods are received in the transport tray 33, the control unit 50 drives the transport motor 41a. As a result, the transport tray 33 is moved downward by the transport mechanism 41 toward the product take-out position 35.

When the tray detection unit 41b detects that the transfer tray 33 is arranged at the product take-out position 35 as shown in FIG. 23, the control unit 50 stops the drive of the transfer motor 41a. Then, the control unit 50 switches the take-out door lock mechanism 43 from the locked state to the unlocked state, and as shown in FIG. 24, the product take-out door 18 is swung rearward to take out the product. The product can be sold at the door and functions as a vending machine.

When the product take-out door 18 is detected by the take-out door open / close detection unit 42, the control unit 50 switches the take-out door lock mechanism 43 from the unlocked state to the locked state, and ends the sale of the product.

As described above, according to the product storage device (product column 60) according to the embodiment of the present invention, the pair of pulleys 621 and 622 provided along the front-rear direction are stretched endlessly and said. The transport chain 623 that can be displaced in its own extending direction by the rotation of the pulleys 621 and 622, and the upper extending portion 623a between the pulleys 621 and 622 constitutes the product storage passage 624, and the transport chain 623 extends in the extending direction. A plurality of mounting portions 63 provided along the line allow the goods to be mounted on the mounting surface 632 in the upper extending portion 623a, and are provided between the mounting portions 63 in the transport chain 623. Since the partition portion 64 can hold the partition plate member 642 in the upright position in the upper extending portion 623a, the mounting surface 632 between the partition plate members 642 in the upright position in the product storage passage 624 The product can be placed on the. As a result, it is possible to regulate the movement of the product placed on the mounting surface 632 due to an external factor such as vibration by the partition plate member 642 in the standing posture. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of misalignment of the product and to satisfactorily pay out the product at the most downstream position.

According to the product column 60, the partition portion 64 places the partition plate member 642 between the standing posture and the sideways posture mounted on the mounting surface 632 of the mounting portion 63 adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction. Since it is provided to be swingable, it is possible to place the partition plate member 642 in a sideways posture on the upper surface of a product whose front-rear dimension is larger than that of the mounting surface 632, if necessary. It is possible to expand the space for placing products.

According to the product column 60, the sold-out detection unit is arranged at the partition portion 64 adjacent to the downstream side in the transport direction of the mounting unit 63 on which the product at the most downstream position is placed, that is, the partition arranged at the most downstream detection position A. When the partition plate member 642 is in the upright position with respect to the portion 64, it is detected that the product is present in the mounting portion 63 and the product is present in the product storage passage 624, while the partition plate member 642 is in the sideways posture. Since it is detected that there is no product in the mounting portion 63 and there is no product in the product storage passage 624, the presence or absence of the product can be satisfactorily detected without being affected by the shape, weight, or the like of the product.

According to the product column 60, since the notch 6421a is formed in the partition plate member 642 and the comb-shaped guide portion 33a is formed in the front end portion of the transport tray 33, a part of the transport tray 33 is formed in the partition plate member 642. It can be arranged at a position to wrap the product, the separation distance between the mounting unit 63 for discharging the product and the transport tray 33 can be shortened, and the small product can be easily discharged.

As shown in FIG. 20, a comb-toothed guide portion 33a having irregularities formed along the left-right direction is formed at the front end portion of such a transport tray 33. The comb-shaped guide portion 33a is configured such that a portion 331 that becomes convex with the displacement of the transport chain 623 relatively passes between the partition plate members 642 and the notch 6421a of the partition plate member 642. There is. At this time, the left side portion and the right side portion of the notch 6421a in the partition plate member 642 pass through the concave portion 332 of the comb-shaped guide portion 33a.

According to the product mounting shelf 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention in which a plurality of product columns 60 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, the pulleys 621 on the front side of each of the plurality of product columns 60 are rotated. A common payout motor 72 is provided, and each product column 60 normally regulates the transmission of the driving force from the payout motor 72 to the pulley 621 on the front side, while the clutch motor 81 drives in the forward direction. If this is the case, the transmission mechanism 80 is provided to transmit the driving force from the payout motor 72 to the pulley 621 on the front side to displace the transport chain 623. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced by standardizing the payout motor 72. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Moreover, by standardizing the payout motor 72, the vertical dimension of each product column 60 can be reduced, and as a result, the vertical dimension of the product mounting shelf 20 can be reduced. By reducing the vertical dimensions of the product storage shelves 20 in this way, the number of installation stages of the product storage shelves 20 in the storage chamber 16 can be increased, and the number of products stored can be increased.

Further, since each product column 60 is provided with a transmission mechanism 80, products having large dimensions in the left-right direction can be placed so as to straddle between the product columns 60 adjacent to each other on the left and right. By simultaneously driving the clutch motor 81 of the transmission mechanism 80 of 60 in the forward direction, the rotation of the pulley 621 on the front side can be synchronized. This makes it possible to satisfactorily transport the product.

Moreover, since the transmission mechanism 80 of each product column 60 normally regulates the transmission of the driving force from the payout motor 72 to the pulley 621 on the front side, the transfer chain 623 can be manually displaced. Products can be easily arranged and replenished.

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.

Although not mentioned in the above-described embodiment, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 25, the partition plate member 642 has a partition plate member 64 with respect to the partition portion 64 which is displaced downward along the outer peripheral shape of the pulley 622 on the rear side. A guide member G may be provided that abuts and detaches the connecting protrusion 6423 of the partition plate member 642 from the connecting groove 641c.

Although not mentioned in the above-described embodiment, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 26, a long rib 632a extending in the front-rear direction on the mounting surface 632 of the mounting portion 63 is provided in the left-right direction. It may be formed so as to line up with. As a result, the partition plate base 6421 of the partition plate member 642 in a sideways posture can be extended horizontally, and the product can be satisfactorily placed on the upper surface of the partition plate member 642.

In the above-described embodiment, the transport chain 623 constitutes an endless cord-like body, but in the present invention, the upper extending portion where the mounting portion and the partition portion are installed is configured by the transport chain. , Other parts may be configured by a wire cable to form an endless cord.

In the above-described embodiment, the partition portions 64 are provided between the plurality of mounting portions 63 provided on the transport chain 623, but in the present invention, the plurality of mounting portions are provided between the partition portions. It may be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, the notch 6421a is formed in the partition plate base 6421 of the partition plate member 642, but in the present invention, the notch may not be formed in the partition plate member. Further, in the present invention, a plurality of hollow portions may be formed at the partition plate base of the partition plate member. According to this, it is possible to reduce the weight of the partition plate member and improve the visibility through the hollow portion.

In the above-described embodiment, each product column 60 is provided with a transmission mechanism 80, but in the present invention, the product storage device may have a drive source for rotating the pulley.

In the above-described embodiment, the product mounting shelf 20 and the product column 60 have been applied to the vending machine 10 also used as a showcase, but in the present invention, the product may be applied to the vending machine or the showcase. It may be applied to. Further, in the showcase-combined vending machine 10 of the embodiment, the rear wall portion 13 of the apparatus main body 11 is installed so as to face the outside of the store 1 and penetrates the wall 4 of the store 1. The rear wall portion of the showcase-combined vending machine may be composed of the wall of the store.

10 ... Showcase combined vending machine, 11 ... Equipment body, 16 ... Storage room, 19 ... Shelf support, 20 ... Product mounting shelf, 33 ... Transport tray, 50 ... Control unit, 60 ... Product column, 61 ... Column body , 62 ... Dispensing mechanism, 621, 622 ... Pulley, 623 ... Conveying chain, 623a ... Upper extending part, 623b ... Lower extending part, 624 ... Product storage passage, 63 ... Mounting part, 631 ... Locking recess , 632 ... mounting surface, 64 ... partition portion, 641 ... partition base member, 641a ... locking recess, 641b ... connecting shaft-shaped portion, 641c ... connecting groove portion, 642 ... partition plate member, 6421 ... partition plate base, 6421a. ... notch, 6422 ... connecting hole forming part, 6422a ... connecting hole, 6422b ... detection protrusion, 6423 ... connecting protrusion, 65 ... most downstream position detecting part, 66 ... sold out detection part, 67 ... sold out detection lever, 72 ... payout motor, 80 ... transmission mechanism.

Claims (5)

Product storage that can store products in a row along the extending direction of the product storage aisle, and can transport products along the extending direction of the product storage aisle and pay out the products at the most downstream position. It ’s a device,
It is stretched endlessly on a pair of pulleys provided along the transport direction of the product and is displaced in the extending direction of itself by the rotation of the pulleys, and the upper extending portion between the pulleys is The cord-like body constituting the product storage passage and
A plurality of mounting portions provided on the cord-shaped body along the extending direction thereof and allowing the product to be mounted on the upper surface of the cord-shaped body in the upper extending portion thereof.
A partition portion provided between the plurality of mounting portions and capable of holding the partition plate member provided on the cord-like body in an upright posture in the upper extending portion of the cord-like body is provided. A product storage device that features this. The partition portion is characterized in that the partition plate member is provided so as to be swingable between the upright posture and the sideways posture mounted on the upper surface of the mounting portion adjacent to the upstream side in the transport direction. The product storage device according to claim 1. When the partition plate member of the partition portion adjacent to the transport direction downstream side of the mounting portion on which the product at the most downstream position is placed is in the upright posture, it is detected that the product is present in the product storage passage. The product storage device according to claim 2, further comprising a sold-out detection unit that detects that there is no product in the product storage passage when the partition plate member of the partition portion is in a sideways posture. A product storage shelf according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the product storage devices are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Each of the product storage devices has a common drive source for rotating the pulley.
The product storage device normally restricts the transmission of the driving force from the driving source to the pulley, while the driving force from the driving source is transmitted to the pulley when a payout command is given. The product storage shelf according to claim 4, further comprising a transmission mechanism that transmits and displaces the cord-like body.

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