JP2023012595A - Commodity transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

To transport a commodity favorably.SOLUTION: Provided is a commodity transport device 30 including, in a commodity storage chamber 11 that houses a plurality of commodity storage shelves 12 in a vertical direction, a transport tray 31 which is movable in the vertical direction, the transport tray 31 moving downward after accepting a commodity delivered from any commodity storage shelf 12 and transporting the accepted commodity to a commodity take-out region 11A, the commodity transport device including commodity attitude correction means (34) for correcting the commodity accepted and transported by the transport tray 31 to the commodity take-out region 11A into a sideways-lying attitude such that part of the commodity does not protrude from the transport tray 31 to the commodity storage shelves 12, in which the commodity attitude correction means preferably corrects the commodity into the sideways-lying attitude by applying an external force to the commodity accepted and transported by the transport tray 31 to the commodity take-out region 11A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a product conveying device, and more particularly to a product conveying device applied to a vending machine that sells products.

2. Description of the Related Art Among vending machines for selling products, there is known a vending machine in which products stored in a product storage shelf in a product storage are delivered to a carrier tray and then transported to a product take-out area by the carrier tray.

In the product storage, the transport tray is provided so as to be vertically movable in front regions of the plurality of product storage shelves that are stored along the vertical direction, and the lateral extension length is equal to the longitudinal extension length. It is an elongated member that is sufficiently larger than its length. Such a transport tray can change its posture between a receiving posture in which it is possible to receive and transport products, and a delivery posture in which it is possible to deliver products.

In the above-mentioned vending machine, the carrier tray accepts the product drawn out from the arbitrary product storage shelf in the receiving posture, moves downward, and then changes the posture from the receiving posture to the dispensing posture, thereby are delivered to the product take-out area (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 5904040

By the way, in recent years, there has been a demand for diversification of the products sold by vending machines. It may be stored in a sales posture, that is, a sales posture including a standing posture.

Since the transport tray is an elongated member whose horizontal extension length is sufficiently larger than its longitudinal extension length, as described above, the transportation tray receives the merchandise from any merchandise storage shelf in the receiving attitude. In this case, part of the product may protrude rearward from the rear end of the transport tray.

If a part of the product protrudes rearward from the rear end of the transport tray, the product collides with another product storage shelf and falls, etc., when the transport tray moves downward in the receiving position. As a result, the goods could not be transported satisfactorily.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a product conveying apparatus capable of satisfactorily conveying products.

In order to achieve the above object, a product transport apparatus according to the present invention includes a transport tray movable in the vertical direction inside a product storage in which a plurality of product storage shelves are accommodated in the vertical direction. The transport tray is a product transport device that receives a product drawn out from an arbitrary product storage shelf, moves downward, and transports the received product to a product pick-up area. product attitude correcting means for correcting the product to be transported to a sideways posture so that a part of the product does not protrude from the transport tray toward the product storage shelf.

Further, in the above-described product conveying apparatus, the product posture correcting means applies an external force to the product received by the transport tray and transported to the product pick-up area so that the product is placed in the sideways posture. It is characterized by correcting.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-described product transport apparatus, the transport tray can move vertically in a front area of the product storage shelf in the product storage, and the product attitude correcting means moves the transport tray forward. a belt conveyor that is stretched in an endless manner so as to be displaceable along its extending direction, and that is installed in such a manner that an upper horizontally extending portion is exposed from a mounting surface of the conveying tray; and the conveying tray. a roller for displacing the belt conveyor along the extending direction when the belt conveyor moves along the vertical direction.

Further, in the commodity conveying apparatus of the present invention, the belt conveyors are provided on the conveying tray so as to form a left and right pair, and when the conveying tray moves downward, the upper horizontally extending portion is positioned on the other side of the conveying tray. It is characterized in that it is displaced in a manner close to the belt conveyor.

In the commodity conveying apparatus of the present invention, the roller is rotatably installed on a side wall that constitutes a moving area of the conveying tray, and when the conveying tray moves along the vertical direction, the roller rolls on the side wall. The belt conveyor is displaced by rolling along the belt conveyor.

In the product conveying apparatus according to the present invention, the conveying tray is arranged so as to be able to swing about a central axis of a tray shaft portion extending in the left-right direction, and the product attitude correcting means includes the conveying tray. moves downward after receiving a product drawn out from an arbitrary product storage shelf, the product is corrected to the lying position by swinging the conveying tray around the central axis of the tray shaft portion. characterized by

Further, in the above product conveying apparatus according to the present invention, the product attitude correcting means includes an elevation guide having a main guide path for vertically guiding an elevating body that supports the conveying tray via the tray shaft portion. A rail and an attitude control rail having an auxiliary guide path for vertically guiding the attitude regulating rollers arranged on the conveying tray, wherein the auxiliary guide path receives the product and moves downward. By alternately rolling the posture regulating roller of the conveying tray on the rear edge of itself and on the rolling surface in a manner continuous with the rear edge, the conveying tray is moved to the central axis of the tray shaft portion. It is characterized by swinging around.

According to the present invention, the product attitude correcting means corrects the product received by the transport tray and transported to the product pick-up area so that a part of the product does not protrude from the transport tray toward the product storage shelf. Therefore, there is no fear that the product collides with another product storage shelf and falls from the transport tray, and the product can be conveyed satisfactorily.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vending machine to which a product conveying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which the article conveying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which the product conveying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the article conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 5 is a perspective view showing the carrier tray shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the carrier tray shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main part of the product conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a main part of the product conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which the transport tray has received a product drawn out from an arbitrary product storage shelf. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which the bell conveyor shown in FIG. 4 etc. is displaced to correct the posture of the product. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which the article conveying device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which a product conveying device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a product conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 14 is a perspective view showing the carrier tray shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the carrier tray shown in FIG. 13. FIG. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which the carrier tray swings when the carrier tray shown in FIG. 13 and the like moves downward. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which the carrier tray is swung when the carrier tray shown in FIG. 13 and the like moves downward.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a product conveying apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
1 to 3 each show a vending machine to which a product conveying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied, FIG. 1 being a front view, and FIG. 2 schematically showing the internal structure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing the structure, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure.

The vending machine 1 exemplified here is installed inside a facility such as a store, for example, and includes a main body cabinet 10 and an outer door 20 .

The main body cabinet 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped housing having an opening (hereinafter also referred to as a front opening) 10a on the front. The outer door 20 has a flat plate shape and is swingably held on one side of the main body cabinet 10 in a manner to open and close the front opening 10a of the main body cabinet 10 . Although not shown in the figure, the main body cabinet 10 and the outer door 20 each have a heat insulating function. Commodity storage 11 serving as a heat insulating space is constructed.

A product storage box 11 of a main body cabinet 10 is provided with a plurality of product storage shelves 12 along the vertical direction. The product storage shelf 12 is constructed by arranging a plurality of storage columns 12a for storing a plurality of products side by side along the front-rear direction. (referred to as a "dispensing surface") is arranged in the commodity storage 11. As shown in FIG.

Each product storage shelf 12 can be arranged at an arbitrary height position in the product storage box 11, and can be set to have different heights. Further, in each product storage shelf 12, the width of the storage column 12a along the horizontal direction can be set arbitrarily. The storage columns 12a set in the product storage shelves 12 operate individually, and the stored products are successively delivered forward, thereby allowing the products positioned in the front row to drop downward through the dispensing surface. . In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a product storage shelf 12 called a so-called spiral rack is exemplified, which is constructed such that the products in a storage column 12a are successively delivered forward by the rotation of the spiral. ing.

The commodity storage shelf 12 is not limited to the one that feeds the commodity by the rotation of the spiral.

The commodity storage 11 is provided with an evaporator 13a. The evaporator 13a constitutes a refrigerant circuit that circulates refrigerant with a compressor 13b, a condenser 13c, and an expansion mechanism 13d, which are arranged in a machine room 14 defined in the lower area of the product storage 11. The refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage (not shown) exchanges heat with the air inside the commodity storage 11 passing around itself to cool the air.

The air cooled around the evaporator 13a is sucked into the ventilation passage 15b through the suction port 15a of the rear duct 15 installed on the rear surface of the product storage 11 by driving the internal ventilation fan F1. After passing through the path 15b, the product stored in each product storage shelf 12 is cooled by being blown out from each blowout port 15c.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the outer door 20 is provided with a window portion 21 and a commodity outlet 22 . The window part 21 is constructed by arranging a transparent and heat-insulating face material 21a such as double-glazed glass. Also, it is possible to visually recognize the products stored in the front row in the storage columns 12a of all the product storage shelves 12 from the outside.

The commodity outlet 22 is an opening for the user to receive purchased commodities, and is formed at a position below the window portion 21 in the outer door 20 . As is clear from FIG. 2, the upper edge 22a of the opening of the product outlet 22 is set so as to be located further below the product storage shelf 12 arranged at the bottom. The product outlet 22 is always closed by a take-out lid 23 provided on the outer door 20, and can be opened by pushing the take-out lid 23 inward. The take-out lid 23 is supported by the outer door 20 through the upper end thereof by means of an opening/closing shaft 23a extending in the left-right direction. Although not shown in the figure, a gasket is provided in the outer door 20 around the product outlet 22 to prevent the internal atmosphere of the product storage 11 and the outside air from circulating through the product outlet 22. It is arranged around the entire circumference of the portion facing the take-out lid 23 .

The outer door 20 is provided with a product selection section 24 , a coin slot 25 , a banknote slot 26 , a card reader 27 , a coin return slot 28 , and the like on the side of the window 21 .

The product selection unit 24 has a push-button numeric keypad, a display, and the like, and is used by the user to select products. The coin slot 25 is an opening into which coins are inserted. The banknote insertion slot 26 is an opening for inserting banknotes.

The card reader 27 transmits and receives money-related data to and from a recording medium called electronic money, which stores amount information and is held in a predetermined communicable area. . The coin return port 28 is an opening for returning inserted coins or change.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, at the front end of the product storage shed 11, a product take-out area 11A and a transport area 11B are secured. The product take-out area 11A is a space in which the product purchased by the user is finally conveyed, and is formed at a portion below the upper edge of the product take-out opening 22 when the outer door 20 is closed. .

The conveying area 11B is a space for conveying the products drawn out from the storage columns 12a of the product storage shelf 12 to the product pick-up area 11A, and is provided continuously above the product pick-up area 11A. The front and rear dimensions and the left and right dimensions of the conveying area 11B are both substantially the same as those of the product pickup area 11A.

A product conveying device 30 is arranged in the product take-out area 11A and the transfer area 11B secured at the front end of the product storage box 11. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the product conveying device 30 includes a conveying tray 31 and an elevating unit 40. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transport tray 31 is constructed by interposing a central plate 33 between a pair of side plates 32. It is set substantially the same as the full width of the storage shelf 12 . The transport tray 31 is an elongated member whose length in the left-right direction is sufficiently longer than that in the front-back direction, and whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction.

The central plate 33 of the transport tray 31 is integrally formed with a reference portion 331 and a guide portion 332 . The reference portion 331 is a plate-like portion arranged so that the tip edge extending along the horizontal direction is close to the outer door 20 , and the upper surface thereof forms a mounting surface for the transport tray 31 . The guide portion 332 is a portion that extends upward from the rear edge of the reference portion 331 so as to gradually approach the product storage shelf 12 .

A reference portion 331 of such a transport tray 31 is provided with two belt conveyors 34 , that is, a first belt conveyor 341 and a second belt conveyor 342 in a left-right paired manner.

The first belt conveyor 341 is endlessly stretched around a pair of left and right first pulleys 341a, each of which is rotatable around a central axis extending in the front-rear direction, and is displaceable along its extending direction. be. The first belt conveyor 341 is exposed from the upper surface of the reference portion 331, i.e., the mounting surface of the transport tray 31, through the left cutout 331a formed in the reference portion 331 so that the upper horizontally extending portion 341b forms a left-right pair. It is installed in such a way that

A first roller 351 is connected to the front end of the left first pulley 341 a that displaces the first belt conveyor 341 . The first roller 351 is connected to the left first pulley 341a in such a manner that its central axis coincides with the central axis of the left first pulley 341a and is rotatable integrally with the left first pulley 341a. A portion of the peripheral edge protrudes leftward from the side plate 32 (left side plate 32) of the transport tray 31. As shown in FIG. Such a first roller 351 displaces the first belt conveyor 341 by rotating the connected left first pulley 341a when rotating around its own central axis.

The second belt conveyor 342 is endlessly stretched around a pair of left and right second pulleys 342a, each of which is rotatable around a central axis extending in the front-rear direction, and is displaceable along its extending direction. be. The second belt conveyor 342 is exposed from the upper surface of the reference portion 331, i.e., the mounting surface of the transport tray 31, through the right notch 331b formed in the reference portion 331 so that the upper horizontal extending portion 342b forms a left and right pair. It is installed in such a way that

A second roller 352 is connected to the rear end of the right second pulley 342a that displaces the second belt conveyor 342 as described above. The second roller 352 is connected to the right second pulley 342a in such a manner that its central axis coincides with the central axis of the right second pulley 342a and is rotatable integrally with the right second pulley 342a. A portion of the peripheral edge protrudes to the right from the side plate 32 (right side plate 32) of the transport tray 31. As shown in FIG. Such a second roller 352 displaces the second belt conveyor 342 by rotating the connected right second pulley 342a when rotating around its central axis.

The elevating unit 40 is for vertically moving the transport tray 31 in the product take-out area 11A and the transport area 11B of the product storage 11 . In other words, the product pick-up area 11A and the transport area 11B constitute a moving area of the transport tray 31. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, such an elevating unit 40 is provided with an elevating body 41 and a posture regulating roller 42 on the side plate 32 of the transport tray 31, and a pair of elevating guide rails on the main body cabinet 10. 43 and attitude control rails 44 are provided. 7 and 8, the illustration of the right elevation guide rail 43 and the attitude control rail 44 is omitted.

The lifting body 41 is supported so as to be rotatable about a mounting shaft 36 extending in the left-right direction with respect to the side plate 32 of the transport tray 31. Each of the lifting bodies 41 has a pair of front and rear guide rollers 41a. It is arranged and configured to be The posture regulating roller 42 is disposed on the side plate 32 of the transport tray 31 behind the mounting portion of the lifting body 41 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction.

The lifting guide rails 43 are elongated members whose longitudinal direction is the vertical direction, and are arranged on both sides of the movement area (the product pickup area 11A and the transportation area 11B) of the transport tray 31 so as to extend along the vertical direction of the main body cabinet 10 . attached to the A main guide path 43a is formed in the elevation guide rails 43 along the vertical direction. The main guide path 43a functions to guide the guide roller 41a of the lifting body 41 linearly along the vertical direction.

The posture control rails 44 are long members whose longitudinal direction is the vertical direction, and are attached to the main body cabinet 10 on the rear side of the elevation guide rails 43 so as to be adjacent to the elevation guide rails 43 . Auxiliary guide paths 44a are formed in the attitude control rails 44 along the vertical direction. The auxiliary guide path 44a is arranged parallel to the main guide path 43a, and functions to guide the attitude regulation roller 42 of the side plate 32 of the transport tray 31 in a straight line along the vertical direction. is.

Such a lifting unit 40 has a sprocket 45 attached to the left lifting guide rail 43 . The sprocket 45 rotates forward/reversely by a rotary actuator 46 such as an electric motor, and is attached to the main body cabinet 10 in a state in which the axis is horizontal along the left-right direction in the upper region of the lifting guide rail 43 on the left side. ing.

A timing chain 451 is wound around the sprocket 45 . One end of the timing chain 451 is connected to the upper end of the lifting body 41 supported by the left side plate 32 of the carrier tray 31, and the other end is connected to the upper end of the balance weight 451a. there is

The balance weight 451a can move up and down along the guide path 471 of the left guide plate 47 attached to the main body cabinet 10 in a manner adjacent to the left elevation guide rail 43 on the front side of the elevation guide rail 43. . A right surface 47 a of the left guide plate 47 constitutes a side wall of the movement area of the transport tray 31 . A part of the peripheral surface of the first roller 351 is in contact with the right surface 47a of the left guide plate 47, and the first roller 351 can roll on the right surface 47a.

A driven sprocket 48 is attached to the right lifting guide rail 43 . The driven sprocket 48 is connected to the sprocket 45 via a transmission shaft 49 and rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the sprocket 45 (forward rotation or reverse rotation). A timing chain 481 is wound around the driven sprocket 48 . One end of the timing chain 481 is connected to the upper end of the lifting body 41 supported by the right side plate 32 of the carrier tray 31, and the other end is connected to the upper end of the balance weight 481a. there is

The balance weight 481a can move up and down along the guide path 471 of the right guide plate 47 attached to the main body cabinet 10 in a manner adjacent to the right elevating guide rail 43 on the front side of the elevating guide rail 43. . The right guide plate 47 and the left guide plate 47 are a pair of left and right guide plates. there is A part of the peripheral surface of the second roller 352 is in contact with the left surface 47b of the right guide plate 47, and the second roller 352 can roll on the left surface 47b.

In the product conveying apparatus 30 configured as described above, when the sprocket 45 is driven to rotate by the rotary actuator 46, the driven sprocket 48 also rotates in the same direction in synchronism with the sprocket 45 via the transmission shaft 49. FIG. Synchronized rotation of the sprocket 45 and the driven sprocket 48 changes the extension length of the timing chains 451 and 481 , and the transport tray 31 can be vertically moved via the elevators 41 . At this time, the balance weights 451 a and 481 a connected to the end portions of the timing chains 451 and 481 opposite to the lifting body 41 move up and down along the guide path 471 in the direction opposite to the transport tray 31 . Further, when the transport tray 31 moves in the vertical direction, the attitude regulation roller 42 rolls while being in contact with the rear end portion of the auxiliary guide path 44a, and the transport tray 31 is placed on the upper surface of the reference portion 331 (mounting position). plane) is horizontal, moving up and down.

When the transport tray 31 moves vertically, the first roller 351 rolls on the right surface 47a of the left guide plate 47 and the second roller 352 rolls on the left surface 47b of the right guide plate 47 . Therefore, when the conveying tray 31 moves downward, the first roller 351 rotates clockwise about the central axis when viewed from the front, as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. The conveyor 341 is displaced so that the upper horizontally extending portion 341b moves rightward, and the second roller 352 rotates counterclockwise about the central axis when viewed from the front, thereby moving the second belt The conveyor 342 is displaced so that the upper horizontally extending portion 342b moves leftward.

That is, the belt conveyors 34 provided on the transport tray 31 in a left-right paired manner are configured such that the upper horizontally extending portions 341b and 342b approach the other belt conveyor 34 when the transport tray 31 moves downward. Displace.

On the other hand, when the transport tray 31 moves upward, as indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. The belt conveyor 341 is displaced such that the upper horizontally extending portion 341b moves leftward, and the second roller 352 rotates clockwise around the central axis when viewed from the front, thereby moving the second belt The conveyor 342 is displaced so that the upper horizontally extending portion 342b moves rightward.

A characteristic operation of the product conveying apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below in relation to the product vending operation of the vending machine 1. FIG.

When the vending machine 1 is in the sales standby state, the transport tray 31 is arranged in the product take-out area 11A. From this sales standby state, the product selection section 24 of the outer door 20 or the like is operated to perform the product purchase operation, and when the storage column 12a is instructed, the sprocket 45 is rotated to move the transport tray 31 to the product pick-up area 11A. From there, it reaches the conveying area 11B, moves upward in the conveying area 11B, and is positioned and arranged with respect to the corresponding product storage shelf 12. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the storage column 12a operates and the product is delivered from the front row, the product is received on the upper surface of the central plate 33 via the guide portion 332 of the transport tray 31, and the product W is displayed as shown in FIG. is placed on the upper horizontally extending portion 341 b of the belt conveyor 34 .

When the storage column 12a operates and a predetermined period of time elapses, the sprocket 45 rotates so that the transport tray 31 moves downward in the transport area 11B toward the product pick-up area 11A. During this time, the first roller 351 rolls on the right surface 47a of the left guide plate 47 and rotates clockwise when viewed from the front. , and the second roller 352 rolls on the left surface 47b of the right guide surface and rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the front, thereby moving the second belt conveyor 342 to the upper horizontally extending portion 342b is displaced so as to approach the first belt conveyor 341 . As a result, an external force is applied to the product W part of which is placed on the upper horizontally extending portions 341b and 342b of the belt conveyor 34 (the first belt conveyor 341 or the second belt conveyor 342) due to the displacement of the belt conveyor 34. As shown in FIG. 10, the product is transported in a lying position and reaches the product pick-up area 11A. After that, the take-out lid 23 is pushed open to allow the product W to be received through the product take-out opening 22 .

As described above, according to the product transport apparatus 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the transport tray 31 that has received the product W drawn out from any product storage shelf 12 is directed toward the product pick-up area 11A. When the conveying area 11B is moved downward, the belt conveyor 34, which is stretched endlessly in such a manner that the upper horizontally extending portions 341b and 342b are exposed from the mounting surface of the conveying tray 31, is displaced. By applying an external force to the product W, the product W is corrected to a sideways position so that part of the product W does not protrude from the transport tray 31 toward the product storage shelf 12, so that the product W collides with other product storage shelves 12, etc. Therefore, the product W can be conveyed satisfactorily without the risk of falling from the conveying tray 31.

Further, according to the product conveying device 30, the first roller 351 and the second roller 352 move the right surface 47a and the left surface 47b of the left guide plate 47 constituting the side wall of the movement area of the conveying tray 31. Since the first belt conveyor 341 and the second belt conveyor 342 are displaced by rolling, a drive source for displacing these belt conveyors 34 is not required, and power consumption can be reduced.

According to the product conveying apparatus 30, the first and second belt conveyors 341 and 341 are stretched endlessly in such a manner that the upper horizontally extending portions 341b and 342b are exposed from the mounting surface of the conveying tray 31. A mode in which the upper horizontally extending portions 341b and 342b approach the other belt conveyor 34 when the conveying tray 31 receiving the product W moves downward in the conveying region 11B toward the product picking region 11A. , the product W corrected to the sideways posture can be brought closer to the central region of the reference portion 331 between the upper horizontal extension portions 341b and 342b, thereby facilitating the user to take out the product W. can be made easy.

<Embodiment 2>
11 and 12 each show a vending machine to which a product conveying device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure. 12 is a perspective view showing the internal structure. The same components as those of the vending machine 1 to which the product conveying device 30 of the first embodiment is applied are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

The vending machine 2 exemplified here is installed inside a facility such as a store, for example, and includes a main body cabinet 10 and an outer door 20 .

The main body cabinet 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped housing having an opening on the front surface. The outer door 20 has a flat plate shape and is swingably held on one side of the main body cabinet 10 in a manner to open and close the front opening 10a of the main body cabinet 10 . Although not shown in the figure, the main body cabinet 10 and the outer door 20 each have a heat insulating function. Commodity storage 11 serving as a heat insulating space is configured.

A product storage box 11 of a main body cabinet 10 is provided with a plurality of product storage shelves 12 along the vertical direction. The product storage shelf 12 is constructed by arranging a plurality of storage columns 12a for storing a plurality of products side by side along the front-rear direction. (referred to as a "dispensing surface") is arranged in the commodity storage 11. As shown in FIG.

Each product storage shelf 12 can be arranged at an arbitrary height position in the product storage box 11, and can be set to have different heights. Further, in each product storage shelf 12, the width of the storage column 12a along the horizontal direction can be set arbitrarily. The storage columns 12a set in the product storage shelves 12 operate individually, and the stored products are successively delivered forward so that the product positioned in the front row can be dropped downward through the delivery surface. . In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a product storage shelf 12 called a so-called spiral rack is exemplified, which is constructed such that products in a storage column 12a are successively delivered forward by the rotation of the spiral. ing.

The commodity storage 11 is provided with an evaporator 13a. The evaporator 13a constitutes a refrigerant circuit that circulates refrigerant with a compressor 13b, a condenser 13c, and an expansion mechanism 13d, which are arranged in a machine room 14 defined in the lower area of the product storage 11. The refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage (not shown) exchanges heat with the air inside the commodity storage 11 passing around itself to cool the air.

The air cooled around the evaporator 13a is sucked into the ventilation passage 15b through the suction port 15a of the rear duct 15 installed on the rear surface of the product storage 11 by driving the internal ventilation fan F1. After passing through the path 15b, the product stored in each product storage shelf 12 is cooled by being blown out from each blowout port 15c.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the outer door 20 is provided with a window portion 21 and a commodity outlet 22 . The window part 21 is constructed by arranging a transparent and heat-insulating face material 21a such as double-glazed glass. Also, it is possible to visually recognize the products stored in the front row in the storage columns 12a of all the product storage shelves 12 from the outside.

The commodity outlet 22 is an opening for the user to receive purchased commodities, and is formed at a position below the window portion 21 in the outer door 20 . The opening upper edge 22a of the product outlet 22 is set so as to be located further below the product storage shelf 12 disposed at the bottom. The product outlet 22 is always closed by a take-out lid 23 provided on the outer door 20, and can be opened by pushing the take-out lid 23 inward. The take-out lid 23 is supported by the outer door 20 through the upper end thereof by means of an opening/closing shaft 23a extending in the left-right direction. The outer door 20 is provided with a product selection section 24 , a coin slot 25 , a banknote slot 26 , a card reader 27 , a coin return slot 28 , and the like on the side of the window 21 .

At the front end of the product storage shed 11, a product take-out area 11A and a transport area 11B are secured. The product take-out area 11A is a space in which the product purchased by the user is finally conveyed, and is formed at a portion below the upper edge of the product take-out opening 22 when the outer door 20 is closed. .

The conveying area 11B is a space for conveying the products drawn out from the storage columns 12a of the product storage shelf 12 to the product pick-up area 11A, and is provided continuously above the product pick-up area 11A. The front and rear dimensions and the left and right dimensions of the conveying area 11B are both substantially the same as those of the product pickup area 11A.

A product transport device 50 is arranged in the product take-out area 11A and the transport area 11B secured at the front end of the product storage shed 11 . As shown in FIG. 13, the product conveying device 50 includes a conveying tray 51 and an elevating unit 60. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the transport tray 51 is constructed by interposing a central plate 53 between a pair of side plates 52. It is set substantially the same as the full width of the storage shelf 12 . The transport tray 51 is an elongated member whose length in the left-right direction is sufficiently longer than the length in the front-rear direction, and whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction.

The central plate 53 of the transport tray 51 is formed by integrally forming a first inclined portion 531 and a second inclined portion 532 . The first slanted portion 531 is a portion that is arranged so that the leading edge thereof is close to the outer door 20 and gradually slopes downward from the leading edge toward the rear. The second inclined portion 532 is a portion that gradually extends upward from the rear end edge of the first inclined portion 531 toward the rear, that is, as it approaches the product storage shelf 12 . The upper surfaces of the first inclined portion 531 and the second inclined portion 532 constitute the mounting surface of the transport tray 51 .

The elevating unit 60 is for vertically moving the transport tray 51 in the product take-out area 11A and the transport area 11B of the product storage 11 . That is, the product pick-up area 11A and the transport area 11B constitute a moving area of the transport tray 51. As shown in FIG.

Such an elevating unit 60 is provided with an elevating body 61 and an attitude regulation roller 62 on the side plate 52 of the transport tray 51, and a pair of elevating guide rails 63 and an attitude control rail 64 on the main body cabinet 10. It is configured.

The elevating body 61 is supported so as to be rotatable about a tray shaft portion 55 extending in the left-right direction with respect to the side plate 52 of the transport tray 51. Each of the elevating bodies 61 has a pair of front and rear guide rollers 61a. It is arranged and configured to be The posture regulating roller 62 is disposed on the side plate 52 of the transport tray 51 behind the mounting portion of the lifting body 61 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction.

The elevating guide rails 63 are elongated members whose longitudinal direction is the vertical direction. attached to the A main guide path 63a (see FIGS. 16 and 17) is formed in the elevation guide rails 63 along the vertical direction. The main guide path 63a functions to guide the guide roller 61a of the lifting body 61 linearly along the vertical direction.

The posture control rails 64 are long members whose longitudinal direction is the vertical direction, and are attached to the main body cabinet 10 on the rear side of the elevation guide rails 63 so as to be adjacent to the elevation guide rails 63 . Auxiliary guide paths 64a (see FIGS. 16 and 17) are formed in these attitude control rails 64 along the vertical direction. The auxiliary guide path 64a is arranged parallel to the main guide path 63a, and functions to guide the attitude regulation roller 62 of the side plate 52 of the transport tray 51 along the vertical direction. .

In the attitude control rail 64, as shown in FIG. 11 and the like, a plurality of notches 642 are formed in a portion forming a rear edge 641 of the auxiliary guide path 64a, and a plurality of recesses 65 are provided in each of the cutouts 642. ing. These recessed portions 65 are arranged slightly below the installation height of each product storage shelf 12 except for the product storage shelf 12 at the lowest stage, and have an upper rolling surface 651 and a lower rolling surface 652 toward the rear. are configured to gradually approach each other. The upper rolling surface 651 is a portion that continues to the rear edge 641 of the auxiliary guide path 64a above itself and that gradually slopes downward toward the rear. The lower rolling surface 652 is a portion that is continuous with the rear edge 641 of the auxiliary guide path 64a below itself and that gradually slopes upward toward the rear. The upper rolling surface 651 and the lower rolling surface 652 are continuous with each other and allow the attitude regulation roller 62 to roll.

Such a lifting unit 60 has a sprocket 66 attached to the left lifting guide rail 63 . The sprocket 66 rotates forward/reversely by a rotary actuator 67 such as an electric motor, and is attached to the main body cabinet 10 in a state in which the axis is horizontal along the left-right direction in the upper region of the left elevation guide rail 63 . ing.

A timing chain 661 is wound around the sprocket 66 . One end of the timing chain 661 is connected to the upper end of the lifting body 61 supported by the left side plate 52 of the transport tray 51, and the other end of the timing chain 661 is connected to the upper end of a balance weight (not shown). It is connected to the.

The balance weight can move up and down along the guide path 681 of the left guide plate 68 attached to the main body cabinet 10 in a manner adjacent to the left elevation guide rail 63 on the front side of the elevation guide rail 63 .

A driven sprocket 69 is attached to the right lifting guide rail 63 . The driven sprocket 69 is connected to the sprocket 66 via the transmission shaft 70 and rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the sprocket 66 (forward rotation or reverse rotation). A timing chain 691 is wound around the driven sprocket 69 . One end of the timing chain 691 is connected to the upper end of the lifting body 61 supported by the right side plate 52 of the carrier tray 51, and the other end is connected to the upper end of the balance weight 691a. there is

The balance weight 691a is vertically movable along the guide path 681 of the right guide plate 68 attached to the main body cabinet 10 in a manner adjacent to the right elevating guide rail 63 on the front side of the elevating guide rail 63. . The right guide plate 68 is a pair of right and left guide plates 68 and the left guide plate 68 .

In the product conveying apparatus 50 configured as described above, when the sprocket 66 is rotated by driving the rotary actuator 67, the driven sprocket 69 also rotates in the same direction in synchronization with the sprocket 66 via the transmission shaft 70. Synchronized rotation of the sprocket 66 and the driven sprocket 69 changes the extension length of the timing chains 661 and 691 , and the transport tray 51 can be vertically moved via the elevators 61 . At this time, the balance weight 691 a connected to the ends of the timing chains 661 and 691 opposite to the lifting body 61 moves up and down along the guide path 681 in the direction opposite to the transport tray 51 .

When the conveying tray 51 moves downward, the weight of the conveying tray 51, which will be described in detail later, has received the product drawn out from the product storage shelf 12, so that the position defining roller 62 is moved to the rear end of the auxiliary guide path 64a. It rolls in contact with the edge 641 or the rolling surface of the recess 65 (the upper rolling surface 651 or the lower rolling surface 652). In other words, when the conveying tray 51 moves downward, when the posture defining roller 62 rolls in contact with the upper rolling surface 651 of the concave portion 65, the conveying tray 51 moves toward the tray shaft portion as shown in FIG. 55 as the center, and after that, when the posture defining roller 62 rolls in contact with the lower rolling surface 652 of the concave portion 65, the conveying tray 51 is positioned on the tray axis. When the first inclined portion 531 swings slightly upward about the portion 55 and the posture regulating roller 62 rolls on the rear edge 641 of the auxiliary guide path 64a, as shown in FIG. The tray 51 assumes a posture in which the first inclined portion 531 swings upward around the tray shaft portion 55 .

On the other hand, when the conveying tray 51 moves upward, the conveying tray 51 does not receive any product, so that the posture regulating roller 62 moves toward the rear end edge 641 of the auxiliary guide path 64a and the rolling surface (upper rolling surface 651) of the concave portion 65. Alternatively, the transport tray 51 does not roll while in contact with the lower rolling surface 652 ), and as a result, the transport tray 51 does not swing around the tray shaft portion 55 .

A characteristic operation of the product conveying apparatus 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below in relation to the product vending operation of the vending machine 2. FIG.

When the vending machine 2 is in the sales waiting state, the transport tray 51 is arranged in the product pick-up area 11A. From this sales standby state, the product selection section 24 of the outer door 20 or the like is operated to perform the product purchase operation, and when the storage column 12a is instructed, the sprocket 66 is rotated to move the transport tray 51 to the product pick-up area 11A. From there, it reaches the conveying area 11B, moves upward in the conveying area 11B, and is positioned and arranged with respect to the corresponding product storage shelf 12. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the storage column 12a operates and the product is delivered from the front row, the product is received on the upper surface of the center plate 53 via the second inclined portion 532 of the transport tray 51. As shown in FIG.

When the storage column 12a operates and a predetermined time elapses, the sprocket 66 rotates, whereby the transport tray 51 moves downward in the transport area 11B toward the product pick-up area 11A. Due to the weight of the transport tray 51 that has received the product, the posture regulating roller 62 may be positioned such that the trailing edge 641 of the auxiliary guide path 64a, the upper rolling surface 651 of the recess 65, the lower rolling surface 652 of the recess 65, and the auxiliary guide path 64a. Since the trailing edge 641 of the tray rolls in order, it moves downward while swinging around the tray shaft portion 55 . Since the conveying tray 51 swings around the central axis of the tray shaft portion 55 as it moves downward, the product W received on the conveying tray 51 loses its posture as shown in FIG. The product is transported in a sideways posture as shown, and reaches the product pick-up area 11A. After that, the take-out lid 23 is pushed open to allow the product W to be received through the product take-out opening 22 .

As described above, according to the product transport apparatus 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the transport tray 51 that has received the product W drawn out from any product storage shelf 12 is directed toward the product pick-up area 11A. When moving downward in the conveying area 11B, by swinging the conveying tray 51 around the central axis of the tray shaft portion 55, a portion of the product W projects from the conveying tray 51 toward the product storage shelf 12. Since the product W is corrected to a sideways position so as not to fall, there is no fear that the product W will collide with other product storage racks 12 or the like and fall from the conveying tray 51, and the product W can be conveyed satisfactorily.

Although preferred Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made.

In Embodiments 1 and 2 described above, the transport tray 51 moves not only to the transport area 11B but also to the product pick-up area 11A, and the products received through the product take-out opening 22 are taken out. However, in the present invention, the conveying tray can be changed in attitude between the receiving attitude and the dispensing attitude, and the merchandise is conveyed in the receiving attitude and the merchandise is dispensed to the merchandise dispensing area in the dispensing attitude. good too.

In Embodiment 1 described above, the transport tray 31 is provided with the first belt conveyor 341 and the second belt conveyor 342, but in the present invention, the transport tray may be provided with one belt conveyor. However, three or more belt conveyors may be provided. Further, the present invention is not limited to the belt conveyor, and any shape or the like may be used as long as the product is received by the conveying tray and conveyed to the product pick-up area by applying an external force to correct the product to lie on its side. is not limited.

In the second embodiment described above, the auxiliary guide path 64a of the attitude control rail 64 is provided with a plurality of recesses 65. However, in the present invention, the transport tray receives a product drawn out from an arbitrary product storage shelf. The shape and the like are not limited as long as the product is corrected to a sideways posture by swinging the transport tray around the central axis of the tray shaft portion when the product is moved downward later.

In the second embodiment described above, the left and right attitude control rails 64 are provided with the recesses 65, but in the present invention, either one of the left and right attitude control rails may be provided with the recesses. Also, the recess may be arranged at an arbitrary height.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vending machine, 10... Main body cabinet, 11... Product storage, 11A... Product take-out area, 11B... Transfer area, 12... Product storage shelf, 12a... Storage column, 20... Outer door, 30... Product conveying device, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31... Conveyance tray, 32... Side plate, 33... Center plate, 331... Reference part, 332... Guide part, 34... Belt conveyor, 341... First belt conveyor, 341a... First pulley, 341b... Upper horizontal extension part, 342... Second belt conveyor 342a... Second pulley 342b... Upper horizontal extension part 351... First roller 352... Second roller 36... Mounting shaft part 40... Lifting unit 41... Lifting body 41a Guide roller 42 Attitude regulation roller 43 Elevating guide rail 43a Main guide path 44 Attitude control rail 44a Auxiliary guide path 47 Guide plate 47a Right surface 47b Left surface 471 Guide Road, W... Commodity.

Claims (7)

A transport tray movable in the vertical direction is provided inside a product storage that accommodates a plurality of product storage shelves along the vertical direction,
The transport tray is a product transport device that receives a product drawn out from an arbitrary product storage shelf, moves downward, and transports the received product to a product pick-up area,
Commodity posture correcting means for correcting the commodity to be received by the transport tray and transported to the commodity take-out area so that a part of the commodity does not protrude from the carrier tray toward the commodity storage shelf. A product conveying device characterized by: 2. The product posture correcting means corrects the product to the sideways posture by applying an external force to the product received by the transport tray and transported to the product pick-up area. A product conveying device as described. The transport tray is movable in the front area of the product storage shelf in the product storage along the vertical direction,
The product attitude correcting means includes:
a belt conveyor that is stretched endlessly on the conveying tray so as to be displaceable along the direction in which it extends, and that is installed in such a manner that the upper horizontally extending portion is exposed from the mounting surface of the conveying tray; ,
3. The product conveying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a roller that displaces the belt conveyor along the extending direction when the conveying tray moves along the vertical direction. The belt conveyors are provided on the conveying tray in a left-right paired manner, and when the conveying tray moves downward, the upper horizontally extending portion is displaced so as to approach the other belt conveyor. 4. A product conveying apparatus according to claim 3. The roller is rotatably installed on a side wall forming a moving area of the transport tray, and when the transport tray moves in the vertical direction, the roller moves along the side wall to move the belt conveyor. 5. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the article is displaced. The transport tray is arranged so as to be able to swing around a central axis of a tray shaft extending in the left-right direction,
The product attitude correcting means swings the transport tray about the central axis of the tray shaft portion when the transport tray moves downward after receiving the product drawn out from an arbitrary product storage shelf. 2. A product conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said product is corrected to said lying posture. The product attitude correcting means includes:
an elevating guide rail having a main guide path for vertically guiding an elevating body that supports the transport tray via the tray shaft;
an attitude control rail having an auxiliary guide path for guiding the attitude regulating roller arranged on the conveying tray along the vertical direction,
The auxiliary guide path alternately rolls the posture regulating roller of the conveying tray that receives the product and moves downward on the trailing edge of itself and on the rolling surface in a manner continuous with the trailing edge. 7. The product conveying apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the conveying tray is swung around the central axis of the tray shaft portion by the above-mentioned movement.

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