JP4487759B2 - Vending machine temperature control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a temperature control device for a vending machine.

  In an ordinary vending machine, a blowing means and a heating means are provided inside a container for storing the goods, and the air heated by the heating means is circulated and sent to the goods by a fan of the blowing means. The desired warming state is maintained.

  In this type of vending machine, the air heated by the heating means is arranged so that it returns to the blowing means after contacting the product, that is, the heating means is arranged in the downstream area of the blowing means, and the heat of the heating means is arranged. Is considered so as not to affect the motor of the blowing means. Further, by arranging a heat shielding plate between the heating means and the air blowing means, the radiant heat of the heating means is prevented from directly reaching the motor of the air blowing means (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-11-185134

  However, even in the vending machine with various heat countermeasures as described above, there is actually a situation in which the motor of the blower means is thermally damaged, and it is eager to provide an effective countermeasure. Has been.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a temperature control device for a vending machine that can effectively prevent thermal damage to a blowing means.

  As a result of intensive studies and considerations to find out the cause of thermal damage, the present inventors have made a swirl flow to reach the heating means, while the swirling of the air flow. Along with this, a negative pressure was generated in the center of the fan, and it was found that a reverse flow was generated from the heating means toward the blowing means due to the negative pressure. That is, the heating means is disposed in the downstream area of the air blowing means, and the heat shielding plate is disposed between them, but the air blowing means is damaged immediately after being heated by the heating means. As a result, the main cause was that the air flowed back through the central portion of the swirling flow toward the air blowing means and the air blowing means was directly exposed to high heat, and the present invention was completed.

That is, the temperature control device for a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a blowing unit that blows the product by turning the fan, and a heating unit that is disposed in a downstream area of the blowing unit. In the temperature control device of the vending machine that heats the air supplied from the means by the heating means , the motor is provided at the center of the fan to constitute the blowing means, By providing a blade member made of a plurality of metal plates from the central portion of the fan to the outside so as to be a resistance to the rotation with respect to the air blown from the fan, the swirl suppression means is provided in the air passage area by the fan. Further, each blade member is characterized in that the end portion located on the center side of the fan is thermally connected to the motor .

  A temperature control device for a vending machine according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that, in claim 1 described above, a heat shielding plate is disposed between the blowing means and the heating means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the temperature control device for a vending machine according to the first aspect, wherein a plurality of blade members are integrally provided with a metal heat shield plate at an end portion located on the center side of the fan. The blade member is molded and thermally connected to the motor through the heat shielding plate .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the air heated by the heating unit flows back to the blowing unit because the blowing suppression unit suppresses the rotation of the blown air from the fan. Therefore, the air blown by the air heated by the heating means is not directly exposed to high heat, and thermal damage to the air blowing means can be effectively prevented.

  Exemplary embodiments of a temperature control device for a vending machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a vending machine to which a temperature control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vending machine 1 illustrated here sells products such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 10. The main body cabinet 10 has a rectangular shape with an open front surface, and a product storage 11 having a heat insulating structure is defined therein. The main body cabinet 10 has an inner door 12 and an outer door 13 held at one side edge. The inner door 12 is for opening and closing the front opening of the commodity storage 11, and is configured to have a heat insulating function. The outer door 13 is for opening and closing the front opening of the main body cabinet 10. Although not shown in the figure, on the front surface of the outer door 13, a display window for displaying a sample of the product, a selection button for selecting the product, a money slot for inserting money, and various information for the user Components necessary for selling products are provided, such as an integrated display for displaying the product, a product outlet for taking out the delivered product, and the like.

  A merchandise shooter 14 is disposed in a lower portion of the merchandise container 11 described above, and a ventilation duct 15 is disposed in the back thereof. The merchandise shooter 14 is a plate-like member arranged in a manner that gradually lowers from the back side toward the near side in the lower part of the merchandise container 11, and constitutes the merchandise container area 11a in the upper part of the merchandise container 11 The temperature adjustment area 11 b is configured in the lower part of the commodity storage 11. Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, the product shooter 14 is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes for venting between the product accommodation area 11a and the temperature adjustment area 11b. The ventilation duct 15 is a passage extending in the vertical direction in such a manner that the product accommodating area 11a and the temperature adjusting area 11b communicate with each other at a position located behind the product shooter 14.

  A product storage column 20 is disposed in the product storage area 11 a located above the product shooter 14 in the product storage 11. The product storage column 20 is, for example, a serpentine type extending in a serpentine shape along the vertical direction, and sequentially stores and stores products in a laid-down state. On the other hand, a product shooter 14 is paid out.

  On the other hand, a temperature control device 30 is disposed in a temperature adjustment region 11 b located below the product shooter 14 in the product storage 11. The temperature control device 30 is for maintaining the product stored in the product storage column 20 in a desired temperature state, and includes a blower unit 130, a cooling unit 230, and a heating unit 330 as shown in FIG. It is.

  The blower unit 130 includes an axial fan 132 and a turning motor 133 that drives the axial fan 132 inside the fan shroud 131, and is configured to blow air toward the turning motor 133 when the axial fan 132 is turned. Is. The air blowing means 130 is disposed on one side wall of the fan box 31 in such a manner that the turning motor 133 is positioned outside and the turning axis of the axial fan 132 is horizontal. The fan box 31 has a mounting hole 31a in a part of one side wall and has a rectangular shape in which the entire surface of the other side wall is opened. The fan box 31 holds the blowing means 130 inside the mounting hole 31a and the entire surface of the other side wall. It communicates with the lower end of the ventilation duct 15 through the opening 31b.

  The cooling means 230 is for cooling the air passing therethrough. For example, the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle is disposed in the fan box 31 at the communication portion with the ventilation duct 15, that is, at the upstream side of the axial flow fan 132. It is constituted by.

  The heating means 330 is for heating the air passing therethrough, and is, for example, a heater disposed inside the wind tunnel 32. The wind tunnel 32 is a ventilation passage that communicates with the mounting hole 31 a of the fan box 31, and holds the heating means 330 at a downstream side of the air duct 32 that faces the axial fan 132 and the turning motor 133. .

  Further, the temperature control device 30 includes a turning suppression means 40 and a heat shielding plate 50. The turning suppression means 40 is configured by disposing a plurality of blade members 41 outward from the central portion in a ventilation passage area by the axial fan 132 in a downstream area of the blowing means 130. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, four metal blade members 41 are arranged at almost equal intervals in a manner that matches the rib 134 for supporting the turning motor 133 at the center of the fan shroud 131. The turning suppression means 40 is configured by arranging them radially. Each blade member 41 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the downstream end surface 131 a of the fan shroud 131, and a portion located on each central side is thermally connected to the turning motor 133.

  The heat shielding plate 50 has a metal disk shape having substantially the same outer diameter as the end surface 133a of the turning motor 133. In the present embodiment, the blade member 41 and the heat shielding plate 50 are integrally formed in such a manner that each of the four blade members 41 described above is connected to an end portion located on the central portion side of the axial fan 132. is there. The heat shielding plate 50 is disposed between the air blowing means 130 and the heating means 330 so as to cover the end face at a position separated from the turning motor 133.

  In the vending machine 1 configured as described above, when the air blowing means 130 of the temperature control device 30 is driven, as shown in FIG. 1, the axial flow fan 132 is swung to pass through the wind tunnel 32 and send it to the temperature adjustment region 11b. The supplied air reaches the product storage area 11 a through the vent of the product shooter 14. The air supplied to the product storage area 11 a contacts the product stored in the product storage column 20 and appropriately exchanges heat, and then is sucked through the ventilation duct 15 and blown through the fan box 31. 130 is returned. In other words, if the air blowing means 130 is turned, air can be circulated and fed to the product storage area 11a through the temperature adjustment area 11b.

  Therefore, for example, if the air blowing unit 130 is driven while the heating unit 330 is stopped while the cooling unit 230 is driven, the cooled air can be supplied to the product storage area 11a, and the product storage It becomes possible to maintain the goods accommodated in the column 20 in a desired cooling state (for example, about 5 ° C.).

  On the other hand, when the cooling unit 230 is stopped and the air blowing unit 130 is driven while the heating unit 330 is driven, the heated air can be supplied to the product storage area 11a. It becomes possible to maintain the goods accommodated in the desired heating state (for example, about 55 ° C.).

  In this case, according to the vending machine 1, the blade member 41 of the turning restraining means 40 disposed in the downstream area of the air blowing means 130 becomes a resistance against the air blowing from the axial fan 132 and is fed downstream. It is possible to effectively prevent the air from swirling. Therefore, no negative pressure is generated in the central portion of the axial fan 132, and the situation in which the air heated by the heating unit 330 directly flows back to the blowing unit 130 is significantly reduced. That is, most of the air heated by the heating means 330 is supplied to the product storage area 11a, warmed the product in the product storage column 20, and then returned to the blower means 130 through the ventilation duct 15. become. As a result, there is no possibility that the turning motor 133 of the blowing unit 130 is exposed to high heat, and it is possible to effectively prevent a situation in which the blowing unit 130 is thermally damaged.

  Moreover, according to the vending machine 1, the heat shielding plate 50 is disposed between the heating means 330 and the turning motor 133 of the air blowing means 130, so that the radiant heat from the heating means 330 is directly applied to the turning motor 133. No situation occurs. Further, since the plurality of blade members 41, which are metal plates, are thermally connected to the swing motor 133, the heat generated in the swing motor 133 when the blower unit 130 is driven also passes through these blade members 41. Will be emitted efficiently. As a result, there is no possibility that the air blowing means 130 is affected by heat, and the reliability of the air blowing means 130 can be remarkably improved.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of experiments actually conducted by the inventors. In this experiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, it is compared whether or not a reverse flow is generated in the central portion of the axial fan 132 under four different conditions. In Comparative Example 1 shown in FIG. 5A, nothing is arranged on the downstream side of the air blowing means 130. In Comparative Example 2 shown in FIG. 5B, only the heat shielding plate 50 is disposed on the downstream side of the air blowing means 130. In Example 1 shown in FIG. 5C, the blade member 41 and the heat shielding plate 50 are disposed on the downstream side of the air blowing means 130, as in the above-described embodiment. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5D, the heat shielding plate 50 is omitted from the first embodiment. Note that the reverse flow rate shown in FIG. 4 is the amount of air blown from the heating means 330 toward the blower means 130 and is measured at a portion 20 mm downstream of the central portion of the axial flow fan 132. is there.

  As is clear from FIG. 4, in Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, a large reverse flow is generated in the central portion of the axial fan 132, although it tends to decrease as the operating air volume by the air blowing means 130 increases. . Therefore, in these comparative examples 1 and 2, the air heated by the heating means 330 is backflowed and directly supplied to the air blowing means 130, and the possibility of exposing the air blowing means 130 to high heat is extremely high.

  On the other hand, according to the first embodiment, the reverse flow rate is clearly drastically reduced in all operating airflows. In the second embodiment in which the heat shielding plate 50 is omitted, the reverse flow rate is drastically reduced as in the first embodiment. Therefore, even when the heating means 330 is driven, there is no possibility that the air blowing means 130 is exposed to high heat due to the backflow, and thermal damage can be effectively prevented.

  As described above, according to the vending machine 1, a swirl flow is generated in the air flow from the axial fan 132 by the blade member 41 of the swirl suppression unit 40 disposed in the downstream area of the blower unit 130. Therefore, the backflow due to the negative pressure is eliminated at the center of the axial flow fan 132, and there is no possibility that the air heated by the heating means 330 reaches the blowing means 130 directly. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent thermal damage caused by the turning motor 133 of the blowing unit 130 being exposed to high heat.

  In addition, in embodiment mentioned above, although the temperature control apparatus 30 applied to the vending machine 1 for selling goods, such as a canned drink and a drink with a plastic bottle, is illustrated, the goods to sell are not necessarily in a can. It is not limited to beverages and beverages in plastic bottles. In this case, it is not always necessary to cool the product. That is, as long as the air blown by the rotation of the fan is heated by the heating means and the product is heated by feeding it to the product, it may be a vending machine that sells other products, or the cooling means. A vending machine without 230 may be used.

  Moreover, although the rotation suppression means 40 provided with the four blade members 41 is illustrated in embodiment mentioned above, the number of the blade members 41 does not necessarily need to be four, and even if it is 3 or less, it is 5 It may be above. In this case, it is not necessary to dispose the blade member 41 in a manner that matches the rib 134 for supporting the turning motor 133 at the center of the fan shroud 131. Further, the extending direction of the blade member 41 with respect to the downstream end surface 131 a of the fan shroud 131 is not necessarily perpendicular, and may be inclined with respect to the downstream end surface 131 a of the fan shroud 131. The inclination direction in this case is preferably the same direction in the plurality of blade members 41.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the heat shielding plate 50 is provided between the heating means 330 and the air blowing means 130, but the heat shielding plate 50 is omitted as shown in the second embodiment of FIG. Even in this case, the reverse flow rate can be greatly reduced, and thermal damage to the blowing means 130 can be effectively prevented. In the above-described embodiment when the heat shielding plate 50 is provided, the disk-like shape having substantially the same outer diameter as the end surface 133a of the swing motor 133 is illustrated, but the end surface 133a of the swing motor 133 is not necessarily included. They do not have to have the same outer diameter and do not have to be circular. Furthermore, although the heat shielding plate 50 is separated from the turning motor 133 of the blower means 130, the heat shielding plate 50 is brought into contact with the end surface 133a of the turning motor 133 as shown in the modification of FIG. The plurality of blade members 41 may be thermally connected to the turning motor 133 of the blowing unit 130 via the heat shielding plate 50.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is sectional drawing side view which shows notionally the vending machine to which the temperature control apparatus which is embodiment of this invention is applied. It is an expanded sectional side view which shows notionally the temperature control apparatus of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is an enlarged front view which shows notionally the temperature control apparatus of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the comparison result of the temperature control apparatus of this invention, and a prior art. It is a perspective view which shows notionally a structure of the temperature control apparatus used for the comparison of FIG. It is the principal part expanded sectional side view which showed notionally the temperature control apparatus which is a modification of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 10 Main body cabinet 11 Commodity storage 11a Commodity accommodation 11b Temperature adjustment area 12 Inner door 13 Outer door 14 Commodity shooter 15 Ventilation duct 20 Commodity accommodation column 30 Temperature control device 31 Fan box 31a Mounting hole 31b Whole opening 32 Wind tunnel 40 Rotation suppression means 41 Blade member 50 Heat shield plate 130 Blower means 131 Fan shroud 131a Downstream end face 132 Axial fan 133 Rotation motor 133a End face 134 Rib 230 Cooling means 330 Heating means

Claims (3)

A fan is provided for blowing air to the product by swirling the fan, and a heating unit disposed in a downstream area of the fan. The air supplied from the fan is heated by the heating unit to add the product. In the temperature control device of the vending machine designed to warm,
While the fan is provided with a motor in the center of the fan, a plurality of outwards from the center of the fan are provided in the ventilation passage area by the fan so as to provide resistance to rotation with respect to the ventilation from the fan. vending that of the blade member made of a metal plate to constitute the swirl suppressing means by arranging, further characterized that you have an end portion in the center side of the fan is thermally connected to the motor, respectively, in each blade member Machine temperature control device.   The temperature control device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a heat shielding plate is disposed between the blower means and the heating means. A metal heat shield plate is integrally formed at an end portion of the plurality of blade members positioned on the center side of the fan, and the blade members are thermally connected to the motor via the heat shield plate. A temperature control device for a vending machine as described in 1.

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