JP4534345B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a storage inside structure for providing high energy saving effect by lowering thermal penetration into the storage without any increase of a heat insulating material using amount or an outside dimension of a cabinet. SOLUTION: A commodity housing rack 4, a commodity convey-out chute 5, and a cooling/heating unit 6 are arranged vertically inside the storage of the cabinet 1 constructed as a thermally insulated case body, and air cooled/ heated by the cooling/heating unit is circulated inside the storage for cooling/ heating a commodity 9 stored in the rack for selling it as a cooled/heated commodity. A clearance between the commodity housing rack and the storage inside wall face of the cabinet is sealed by means of a clearance cover 10 so that cold/warm air blown out from the cooling/heating unit is prevented from passing through the clearance, and in this part, a retention air layer functioning as a heat insulating layer is formed to lower thermal penetration from the outside into the inside of the storage. A high heat insulating property is secured by forming a commodity discharging door 7 communicated with a commodity outlet 2a of a hollow door plate or sticking a heat insulating material to the door plate.

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine that sells products in cans, bottles, and plastic bottles as cold or hot products, and more particularly to a cabinet interior structure of a vending machine aimed at improving energy saving.
[0002]
[Prior art]
First, FIG. 5 shows a conventional configuration of a vending machine equipped with a serpentine product storage rack. In the figure, 1 is a cabinet as a heat insulating housing, 2 is a front outer door, 3 is a heat insulating inner door, a serpentine type product storage rack 4 is housed in the cabinet 1, and further below the rack A product carry-out shooter 5 and a cooling / heating unit 6 are installed. The shooter 5 has a large number of air guide holes on its plate surface. Further, the heat insulation inner door 3 is made of a resin plate having a thickness of several millimeters so as to block the product carry-out port leading from the product carry-out shooter 5 to the product take-out port 2 a provided in the outer door 2. A flapper-type product carry-out door 7 that is pivotally supported by and hung down is provided.
[0003]
Here, the cooling / heating unit 6 has a structure in which a cooler (evaporator of a refrigerator) 6a and an electric heater 6b are incorporated in a wind tunnel, and an internal fan 6c is combined on the front surface thereof. It is connected to the suction duct 8 provided on the inner back side and is installed at the bottom of the interior.
With this configuration, the products 9 are stored in the columns of the product storage rack 4 as shown in the figure, and when a bend mechanism (not shown) selected based on the sales command is activated, As is well known, after a lined product is paid out downward, it rolls along the slope of the product carry-out shooter 5, pushes the product carry-out door 7, and is carried out to the product take-out port 2a.
[0004]
The cooling / heating unit 6 is operated by selecting either the cooler 6a or the electric heater 6b in accordance with the cold / hot sales mode. As a result, the internal air cooled or heated by the cooler 6a or the electric heater 6b is blown forward by the internal fan 6c, and the cold airflow or the warm airflow changes its direction upward as indicated by the arrows in the figure. The interior space is ventilated and circulated and blown from the back side of the interior through the suction duct 8 to return to the cooling / heating unit 6 again. Then, the product 9 stored in the product storage rack 4 is kept cold or heated by heat exchange with the cold airflow or the warm airflow (hereinafter referred to as “circulation air flow”).
[0005]
Moreover, the cabinet 1 and the heat insulation inner door 3 of the heat insulation housing insulate the space between the inside and the outside of the warehouse to suppress the entry of outside air heat into the warehouse, and further, cool air inside the warehouse from the product outlet of the heat insulation inner door 3. The product discharge door 7 prevents warm air from leaking out of the cabinet.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the vending machines for cold products and hot products as described above, the ratio of the electric power consumed for cold storage and heating of the products stored in the warehouse is large, so energy saving is promoted to keep the running cost as low as possible. It has become an important issue.
[0007]
From this point of view, when the ventilation path of the circulating air flow passing through the interior of the conventional vending machine described above is examined, the circulating air flow blown forward from the cooling / heating unit 6 as shown in FIG. After passing through the air guide hole of the shooter 5, the direction is changed from the front to the top and the interior is ventilated to cool and heat the product stored in the product storage rack. In addition, a part of the circulating air flow blown forward from the cooling / heating unit 6 in the process of circulating ventilation hits the door surface of the product discharge door 7 provided in the lower part of the heat insulating inner door 3 and reverses the direction. The gap g remaining between the front surface of the storage rack 4 and the heat insulating inner door 3 is ventilated upward to exchange heat with the cabinet 1. Further, the circulating air flow blown from the back side of the shooter to the left and right sides without passing through the air guide hole of the product carry-out shooter 5 rises as it is along the side wall of the cabinet 1, and a gap between the side of the product storage rack 4 g is ventilated to exchange heat with the cabinet 1.
[0008]
In this case, the heat transfer between the cabinet 1, the insulated inner door 3 and the air inside the cabinet in contact with the inner wall of the cabinet is not only the temperature difference between the insulated wall and the cabinet air, the heat transfer area, but also the interior air. In particular, when the air in the warehouse is flowing as a circulating air flow, the amount of heat transfer is larger than that in the case where the air inside the cabinet in contact with the wall surface of the cabinet is stagnant. The amount of heat transferred through the heat insulating wall of the heat insulating inner door 3 increases. In addition, in the state where the product 9 is loaded in each column of the product storage rack 4, a sufficient clearance is not secured in the rack, so that the ventilation resistance as a ventilation path in the rack is large. Since there is no obstacle in the gap between the door 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the product storage rack 4, the ventilation resistance is smaller than the ventilation resistance inside the rack, so the circulation that flows through the gap between the cabinet and the rack peripheral surface Increased airflow. Moreover, since the circulating air flow flowing into the gap rises as it is and circulates and bypasses the upper area of the cabinet 1, the product 9 in the sales order stored in the lower part of the product storage rack 4 is efficiently used. Cannot keep cold or warm well.
[0009]
Also, the product discharge door 7 disposed at a location leading to the product outlet 2a from product unloading chute 5 in the refrigerator, the cooling / heating unit 6 or et balloon cool air, or warm air door out to strike immediately after air temperature The difference is the largest. Moreover, the conventional product carry-out door 7 is made of a thin resin-molded door plate with a thin thickness so as not to hinder the carry-out operation of the product 9, and its heat insulation is low. The amount of heat that enters and exits between the outside of the box and the inside of the box also increases.
[0010]
For this reason, with the conventional structure, the amount of heat entering and leaving between the inside and outside of the cabinet through the cabinet 1, the heat insulating wall of the heat insulating inner door 3 and the product carry-out door 7 increases, and the heat load of the cooling / heating unit 6 is increased accordingly. As a result, the running cost of the vending machine increases.
In addition, in order to improve the heat insulation performance of the cabinet 1 and the product carry-out door 7, it is conceivable to make the heat insulation wall and the door plate thicker. The amount increases and the cost increases, and the external dimensions of the cabinet also increase. Further, if the product carry-out door 7 is thickened, the weight of the door itself increases, and the light product 9 may cause a carry-out trouble that the product carry-out door cannot be pushed open by its own weight.
[0011]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its object is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to reduce heat input and output between the inside and outside of the cabinet without increasing the amount of heat insulating material used and the external dimensions of the cabinet. The purpose is to provide a vending machine with an improved cabinet structure so that a high energy-saving effect can be obtained.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a cooling / heating unit combined with a product storage rack, a product carry-out shooter, and an internal fan is arranged side by side in a cabinet of a cabinet serving as a heat insulating casing, It is a vending machine that sells products stored in the product storage rack as cold products or hot products, and is cooled by the heat-insulating inner door that insulates between the inside and outside of the cabinet and the cooling / heating unit, or The heated air is circulated and blown through the suction duct on the back side of the inside of the cabinet to keep the product cool or warm, and the product exit door that is normally closed at the product exit leading to the product outlet on the outside of the warehouse a than even with a, the compartment inside the cabinet, cold air blown into the internal space from the cooling / heating unit or warm air, is to suppress the flowing along the internal wall surface of the cabinet Vending machine having a wind shielding means, a wind shielding means, a gap covering the gap opening between its front and lateral sides along the outer periphery of the lower end of the commodity storage rack, a heat insulating door and cabinet storage room wall surface of in the occluded configuration (claim 1).
[0014]
According to the above configuration, the cold airflow or warm airflow blown forward from the cooling / heating unit is blocked by the gap cover and the windshield cover, and between the outer peripheral surface of the product storage rack and the inner wall surface of the cabinet, In addition, the air is not ventilated to the side of the product carry-out shooter, and the internal space of the product storage rack is intensively ventilated. Therefore, a stagnant air layer that is in contact with the wall surface and hardly flows is formed inside the cabinet. In addition, since the stagnant air layer exhibits high heat insulation performance as a heat insulation layer, heat loss through the heat insulation wall of the cabinet through heat can be kept low, thereby increasing the thickness of the heat insulation wall of the cabinet In addition, a high energy saving effect can be obtained by reducing the heat load of the cooling / heating unit installed inside the cabinet.
[0015]
In addition, according to the present invention, in order to enhance the heat insulation without impairing the door function of the above-described product carry-out door , the product storage rack, the product carry-out shooter, Cooling / heating units combined with fans are arranged one above the other, and vending machines that sell products stored in product storage racks as cold products or hot products, air cooled or heated by the cooling / heating unit Circulates air in the cabinet to keep the product cool or warm, and is equipped with a normally closed product carry-out door at the product take-out port leading to the product take-out port outside the store, In a vending machine configured with an adiabatic door, the product carry-out door is configured by superposing a lightweight heat insulating material such as a foamed polyethylene resin on the surface of the door plate .
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the examples of FIGS. In addition, in the figure of each Example, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member corresponding to FIG. 5, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.
[Example 1]
1 (a) and 1 (b) show an embodiment corresponding to claims 1 and 2 of the present invention. In this embodiment, between the outer peripheral wall surface (front surface, left and right side surfaces) and the inner wall surface of the cabinet 1 and the heat-insulating inner door 3 along the periphery of the lower end portion of the product storage rack 4 housed in the cabinet 1. In addition, a gap cover indicated by reference numeral 10 is inserted to close the gap opening end face between the product storage rack 4. The gap cover 10 is made of, for example, a foamed resin material such as polyethylene foam, and is adhered and fixed to the wall surface of the cabinet 1 and the heat-insulating inner door 3 with an adhesive.
[0017]
As a result, the circulating air flow (cold air current or warm air current) blown out from the cooling / heating unit 6 through the air guide hole of the product carry-out shooter 5 and blown into the interior space of the product storage rack 4 as shown by the arrows in the drawing. the outer peripheral wall and the cabinet 1, flows into the gap g left between the heat insulating door 3 is blocked by the gap cover 10, goods housed in the centrally air to the rack toward the inside of the commodity rack 4 9 Cool or heat the. In addition, in this state, the air layer that is stationary and hardly flows in the gap g between the product storage rack 4 and the cabinet 1 and the heat insulating inner door 3 stagnates, and this air layer becomes a heat insulating layer. To prevent heat from entering from inside to outside. The gap cover 10 is not limited to foamed resin, and the gap can be closed with a wind shield.
[0018]
[Example 2]
Next, an embodiment in which a commodity carry-out shooter having a configuration corresponding to claim 3 of the present invention is combined with the internal structure shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c).
In this embodiment, the product carry-out shooter 5 laid in the forward inclined posture on the lower surface side of the product storage rack 4 has the following configuration. That is, (c) As shown in the figure, the product carry-out shooter 5 has a large number of air guide holes 5a on its plate surface (shooter surface), and further on the left and right sides of the shooter downward along the longitudinal direction thereof. A wind-shielding cover 11 extending downwardly is provided. The windshield cover 11 can be bonded or screwed to the side edge of the shooter 5 as a plastic plate, or can be formed as a sheet metal integrally with the shooter 5.
[0019]
Since the product take-out shooter 5 having the above configuration is combined with the internal structure of FIG. 1, when the vending machine is in operation, as shown by the arrows in FIGS. The circulating air flow blown out to the back side space of the carry-out shooter 5 is blocked by the wind shield cover 11 and does not flow out to the side of the shooter 5, but passes through the air guide holes 5 a opened in the shooter plate surface. It blows out in front of the inside or upward, and ventilates from here to the inside of the product storage rack 4. As a result, a circulating air flow does not flow through the gap between the wind shielding cover 11 of the product carry-out shooter 5 and the lower side wall surface of the cabinet 1, and a stagnant air layer effective as a heat insulating layer is formed in this portion. Will be.
[0020]
Example 3
Next, FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a commodity carry-out door corresponding to claims 4 and 5 of the present invention. In this embodiment, a flapper-type product delivery door 7 provided at the product delivery outlet of the heat insulating inner door 3 in the middle of the product delivery passage leading from the product delivery shooter 5 in the warehouse to the product delivery outlet 2a of the front door 2 is next. It is composed of a heat insulating door that has the structure described above.
[0021]
In other words, the resin-molded product carry-out door 7 is a door having a hollow structure in which a cavity is formed between the front wall and the back wall and air is enclosed therein. Here, the air layer 7b enclosed in the hollow door plate 7a serves as a heat insulating layer to enhance the heat insulating property of the door plate.
As a result, the cool air or warm air blown forward from the cooling / heating unit 6 during the operation of the vending machine blows to the back wall of the product carry-out door 7, and for this reason, the product carry-out door 7 between the outside air side outside the warehouse. Even if a large temperature difference occurs between the inside and outside of the product, an unnecessary heat load is applied to the cooling / heating unit 6 by reducing the amount of heat entering and exiting between the inside and outside of the product by flowing through the door plate of the product carry-out door 7. Increase can be prevented.
[0022]
In addition, the product carry-out door 7 having the above structure has almost the same weight as the conventional door structure, so that the product carry-out function of the flapper type product carry-out door is not impaired. The hollow door plate can be evacuated instead of enclosing air.
Example 4
FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a commodity carry-out door corresponding to claim 6 of the present invention. In this embodiment, a lightweight heat insulating material 7d such as foamed polyethylene resin is adhered to the outer plate surface of the resin mold door plate 7c with an adhesive. Thereby, the heat insulation of the inside and outside can be improved, ensuring the door function of the flapper type goods delivery door 7 similarly to the said Example 3. FIG. In the illustrated embodiment, the heat insulating material 7d is adhered to the outside of the door plate 7c, but the same effect can be obtained even if it is adhered to the inside.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the cool air or warm air blown from the cooling / heating unit to the interior space of the cabinet is prevented from flowing along the inner wall surface of the cabinet. The gap opening between the outer periphery of the lower end of the product storage rack and the inner wall of the cabinet is closed with a gap cover, or the air guide hole is opened on the plate surface. By providing windproof covers that extend downward from the left and right side edges of the perforated product carry-out shooter, cool airflow or warm airflow blown forward from the cooling / heating unit is concentrated and ventilated inside the product storage rack. At the same time, a stagnant air layer that effectively functions as a heat insulating layer is formed in the gap between the product storage rack and the cabinet, thereby thickening the heat insulating wall of the cabinet. Without, cabinets improvement of energy saving effect while suppressing unwanted heat load kept low cooling / heating unit heat losses and out by heat transfer can be achieved.
[0024]
In addition, the product delivery door leading to the product outlet is a heat insulating door, the air that functions as a heat insulating layer is sealed in the door plate of the hollow structure, or a heat insulating material such as foamed resin is attached to the door plate to insulate the door. By improving the performance, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the energy saving effect by enhancing the heat insulating property of the door while ensuring the door function of the product carry-out door.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vending machine corresponding to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views in different directions. FIG. 2 corresponds to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the vending machine, (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the main parts in different directions, and (c) is a perspective view of the product carry-out shooter. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the interior of a vending machine equipped with a corresponding product insulation door. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the interior of a vending machine equipped with a product ejection door with a thermal insulator corresponding to Example 4 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a vending machine in the prior art, and (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views in different directions.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cabinet 2 Outer door 2a Product outlet 3 Heat insulation inner door 4 Product storage rack 6 Cooling / heating unit 6c Internal fan 7 Product carry-out door 7a Hollow door plate 7b Air layer 7c Door plate 7d Heat insulation material 9 Product 10 Gap cover 11 Shield Wind plate

Claims (2)

Cooling / heating units combined with product storage racks, product carry-out shooters, and internal fans are placed one above the other in a cabinet as a heat-insulating housing, and the products stored in the product storage rack are cold or hot products. A heat insulating inner door that insulates between the inside and outside of the cabinet, and a suction duct on the back side of the inside of the air cooled or heated by the cooling / heating unit. circulation blower to through so as to cold or warm, product, and the product collected product unloading opening leading to the exit of Kurasotogawa there than even with the article conveying door normally closed, the refrigerator inside the cabinet, cool air blown out into the internal space from the cooling / heating unit or warm air in a vending machine comprising air shielding means restrain the flowing along the internal wall of the cabinet, the air shield As a step, a vending machine, wherein the front and left and right side surfaces thereof, that has been closed by the gap cover the gap opening between the heat insulating door and cabinet storage room wall surface along the lower end periphery of the commodity storage rack. Cooling / heating units combined with product storage racks, product carry-out shooters, and internal fans are placed one above the other in a cabinet as a heat-insulating housing, and the products stored in the product storage rack are cold or hot products. Products that are cooled or heated by circulating the air cooled or heated by the cooling / heating unit and that keeps the product cool or heated, and that leads to the product outlet on the outside of the store In a vending machine equipped with a normally-closed product exit door at the exit, where the product exit door is a heat insulating door, the product exit door is made of a lightweight material such as polyethylene foam on the surface of the door plate. A vending machine characterized by overlapping heat insulation materials .

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