JP2505350B2 - Product storage device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product storage device used in an automatic vending machine for beverages in cans or bottles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vending machine of this type is a serpentine type one in which products are stacked and stored in a plurality of vertically extending product passages and are dropped and carried out one by one from the lower end of the product passages. Is the mainstream, but recently, as an indoor-type vending machine, the actual application is 3-105.
The one described in No. 616 is also proposed.

In this vending machine, as shown in FIG. 4, inside a vending machine body 1 whose top surface can be freely opened and closed, a product container 2 having an opening for product insertion on the top surface, and a product container 2
A pair of upper and lower sprockets 3 and 4 arranged on one side surface of the
An endless chain 5 attached to each sprocket 3, 4 and a plurality of push-up members 6 attached to the chain 5.
And a product storage device including a chain driving motor 8 connected to the rotating shaft of the lower sprocket 4 via a belt 7, and the product A stored in the product container 2 is lifted by the push-up members 6. The product is sequentially carried out to the product outlet 1a provided on the front surface of the vending machine body 1.

[0004]

However, since the motor 8 is arranged on the bottom side of the product container 2, a space for installing the motor 8 is required below the product container 2,
There is a problem that the product container 2 becomes large in the vertical direction. Further, when the motor 8 is arranged on the bottom side of the product container 2, when the maintenance of the motor 8 is performed from the front side of the product container 2, the chain 5 and the push-up member 6 hinder the work. There was also.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to store a product without increasing the size of the product container in the vertical direction and easily maintaining the motor. To provide a device.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a product container having an opening for product insertion on the upper surface thereof, and a vertical container for rotating vertically along the front surface of the product container. An endless chain wound around a pair of sprockets, a plurality of push-up members attached to the chains, and a motor for rotating the sprockets are provided, and the products stored in the product container are sequentially lifted by the push-up members. In the product storage device for carrying out to the outside of the product container, the motor is arranged at one side lower part of the front side of the product container, and the transmission member for transmitting the power of the motor is provided at one side of the movement path of the push-up member. It is located at one side and is connected to the drive side sprocket.

[0007]

According to the article storage device of the present invention, the power of the motor is transmitted to the sprocket on the drive side through the transmission member, and the motor is arranged on one side of the lower front side of the commodity container. Therefore, there is no need for a motor installation space below the product container. Further, as a result, there are no parts such as chains and push-up members in front of the motor, which hinder maintenance.

[0008]

1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. This product storage device is provided in a vending machine body similar to the conventional example, and has a product container 10 having an opening for product insertion on the upper surface, and a pair of upper and lower sprockets 20 and 21 attached to the front surface of the product container 10. And each sprocket 2
An endless chain 30 wound around 0, 21, a total of eight push-up members 40 attached to the chain 30, a motor 50 that rotationally drives one sprocket 20, and a tension that applies tension to the chain 30. And a device 60.

The product container 10 has an opening on the front surface and an upper surface, and the product A can be stored in bulk through an opening 10a on the upper surface which serves as a product insertion port. Inside the product container 10, a bottom plate 11 inclined forward and downward is attached in a raised bottom shape, and a notch 11a is formed at the front end of the bottom plate 11 to allow passage of a push-up member 40 described later. Guide rails 12 for guiding the push-up member 40 are provided on both side surfaces of the product container 10. The guide rail 12 is composed of two facing plates 12a and 12b which are tilted slightly forward and extend vertically on the front surface of the product container 10 so that the roller of the push-up member 40 is moved between the facing plates 12a and 12b. There is. A guide plate 13 extending forward and downward is attached to the upper end of the guide rail 12, and a notch 13a is formed in the guide plate 13 to allow the push-up member 40 to pass therethrough.

Each sprocket 20, 21 has its rotating shaft 2
It is attached to the center of 0a, 21a, and each rotary shaft 20a, 2
Both ends of 1a are holes 10b provided on both sides of the product container 10,
It is rotatably inserted in 10c.

The chain 30 has a well-known structure in which a large number of links are alternately connected by pins.
The link 31 corresponding to the mounting portion of 0 has a different shape from the others. In other words, the link 31 is the push-up member 40.
An L-shaped mounting piece 31a projecting to the side is integrally formed, and a screw insertion hole 31b is formed in the mounting piece 31a.

The push-up members 40 are attached to the outer periphery of the chain 30 at equal intervals, and as shown in FIG. 3, the substantially triangular shaped end pieces are bent at a right angle to form a side surface portion 40a, and each side surface portion 40a. It has a front rising tip piece 40b extending further than the above, and rollers 41 are attached to the respective side surface portions 40a vertically. Each roller 41 is rotatably supported around a pin 42 penetrating the left and right side surfaces 40a, and the upper pin 42 is connected to the chain 30.
And a connecting fitting 43 for communicating with. Both ends of the connecting fitting 43 are U-shaped extending toward the push-up member 40, and holes 43 a through which the pins 42 are inserted are formed at both ends thereof.
Further, each pin 42 penetrates through the push-up member 40, and then an E-ring 44 for retaining is fitted at the tip thereof. On the other hand, screw holes 43b are formed at two places on the left and right of the connecting fitting 43, and the screw 45 is passed through the hole 31b of the link 31 of the chain 30 and fastened to the screw hole 43b. It is movably attached.

The motor 50 is, as shown in FIG.
0 is installed on the lower part of the front side of the product container 10, and is also installed on one side of the product container 10, that is, in the vicinity of a side surface on the front side (not shown in FIG. 2), and its rotation axis 50a faces upward. Has been done. The rotating shaft 50a of the motor 50 has a transmission shaft 5 located on one side of the moving path of the push-up member 40.
1 is connected via a flexible joint 52, and a transmission shaft 51
A bevel gear 53 is attached to the other end of the. On the other hand, a bevel gear 53 is provided near the one end of the sprocket 20 on the drive side.
A bevel gear 54 connected to the respective gears 53, 5
4, the rotational force of the transmission shaft 51 causes the sprocket 20 to rotate.
To be transmitted to. Further, due to such a configuration, the width of the guide rail 12 on the motor installation side is formed to be wide, and contact between the push-up member 40 and the transmission shaft 51 is avoided.

The tension device 60 comprises a sprocket 61 for pressing the chain 30 and an arm 62 for supporting the sprocket 61. The arm 62 is biased in the chain pressing direction by a spring or the like (not shown). Also,
The support shaft 62a of the arm 62 is inserted into holes 10d provided on both side surfaces of the product container 10.

The commodity storage device configured as described above is
Although not shown, a plurality of vending machine main bodies are provided in the width direction so that different types of products can be stored. That is, when the product selection button (not shown) is pressed, the motor 50 of the corresponding product storage device is operated, and the chain 30 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. This allows
The push-up members 40 are guided by the guide rails 12 to move up in the product container 10, and the push-up members 40 push up the products A in the product containers 10 one by one. At that time, the motor 50 is rotated by one product in response to one sales request, and by this operation, the uppermost push-up member 40 passes through the notch 13a of the guide plate 13 and the product container. Move to the outside of 10. As a result, the product A waiting on the push-up member 40 is transferred onto the guide plate 13 as shown in FIG. 1, rolls on the guide plate 13 and is carried out to a product outlet (not shown). When the push-up member 40 moves to the outside of the product container 10, the push-up member 40 is released from the guide rail 12 and turned upside down, and pivots downward with its own weight about the pin 42 as shown in FIG. It descends as it hangs from the chain 30.

As described above, according to the product storage device of this embodiment, the motor 50 is arranged at one side of the lower part of the front side of the product container 10 and the transmission shaft 51 for transmitting the power of the motor 50 is pushed up. Since the member 40 is located on one side of the moving path and is connected to the sprocket 20 on the driving side,
The space for installing the motor 50 below the product container 2 is not required, and the product container 10 can be downsized. Further, as a result, there are no parts in the front of the motor 50, such as the chain 30 and the push-up member 40, which hinder maintenance, so that the maintenance work can be performed very easily.

[0017]

As described above, according to the product storage device of the present invention, since the installation space for the motor is not required below the product container, the product container can be downsized. Also, in front of the motor, there are chains, push-up members, etc.
Since there are no parts that hinder maintenance, maintenance work can be performed extremely easily.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an essential part of a product storage device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional perspective view of a product container.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting structure for a push-up member.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a vending machine including a conventional product storage device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Product container, 10a ... Opening part, 20, 21 ... Sprocket, 30 ... Chain, 40 ... Pushup member, 50 ... Motor, 51 ... Transmission shaft, A ... Product.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A product container having an opening for loading products on its upper surface, an endless chain wound around a pair of upper and lower sprockets so as to rotate vertically along the front surface of the product container, A product storage device that includes a plurality of push-up members attached to a chain, and a motor that drives a sprocket to rotate, and a product storage device that sequentially raises a product stored in a product container by each of the push-up members and carries the product out of the product container. And a transmission member for transmitting the power of the motor are located on one side of the moving path of the push-up member and connected to the sprocket on the drive side. The product storage device.