JP5011725B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine.

  In vending machines that sell products such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles, a product storage for storing products in the main body cabinet is configured. The product storage is a space surrounded by a heat insulating material, and a product room with a product rack is formed in the upper part partitioned by the product shooter, while a heat exchange chamber is configured in the lower part, and A rear duct is provided in the innermost part.

  The merchandise rack stores merchandise in a merchandise storage passage extending along the vertical direction. The merchandise rack has a bend mech at the lower end and a shutter member at the middle. The bendmek is used to prevent downward movement of the products in a normal state, and to pay out the products located at the lowest position of the product storage passage one by one when a sales instruction is given. The shutter member is a partition member constituted by a heat insulating member, and is arranged in a manner that partitions the product storage passage vertically.

  The heat exchange chamber is provided with a blower fan that blows air and heat exchange means. The heat exchange means is a cooling means for cooling air or a heating means for heating air.

  The rear duct is a ventilation passage provided in a manner in which the product room and the heat exchange chamber communicate with each other in the innermost part of the product storage.

  In the vending machine configured as described above, when the blower fan disposed in the heat exchange chamber is driven, the air in the heat exchange chamber is supplied from the shooter vent of the product shooter to the product room, while the air in the product room is It will be returned to the heat exchange chamber through the rear duct. Therefore, if the cooling means of the heat exchange chamber is driven, the product in the product room is cooled and maintained by the cold air circulated and supplied, and if the heating means of the heat exchange chamber is driven, the hot air circulated and supplied is supplied. As a result, the product in the product room is heated and maintained. Thus, if the user performs a sales operation such as inserting coins, a sales instruction is given to the product storage passage storing the corresponding product, and the product stored at the lowest level is cooled or heated. It will be paid out to the user.

  Moreover, according to the vending machine described above, since the shutter member is disposed in the middle part of the product rack, the product stored in the lower part of the product room can be cooled or heated intensively. Thus, it is advantageous in terms of energy saving, for example, power consumption can be reduced (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-293365 A

  By the way, in this kind of vending machine, usually, a plurality of product storage passages are arranged in the product room, and different products are stored in the respective product storage passages to meet various demands of users. As much as possible, we sell more kinds of products.

  However, when a plurality of product storage passages are provided in the product room, even if air is supplied almost evenly from the shooter vents of the product shooter, the temperature of the product delivered from each product storage passage varies. However, this is not always preferable in order to ensure a certain quality for the products sold.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of ensuring a certain quality for sales products and saving energy.

  As a result of earnest research on the above-described problems, the present inventors have found that the cause of the variation in the product temperature is that the ventilation resistance is different among the plurality of product storage passages. For example, in a vending machine equipped with a duct at the innermost part of the product storage, when a plurality of product storage passages are arranged in parallel along the depth direction of the product storage, the ventilation resistance of the product storage passage located on the front side Becomes larger than the ventilation resistance of the product storage passage located in the back. Therefore, even when air is supplied almost evenly from the shooter vents of the product shooter, it is determined that the temperature of the product being sold varies as a result of the difference in the flow rate of air passing through each product storage passage. The invention has been completed.

That is, the vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a plurality of product storage passages for storing products along the vertical direction inside the product storage, and heat exchange is performed from below the product storage. By supplying the air after passing through the means, the products stored in the respective product storage passages are maintained at a desired temperature state, and when a sales instruction is given, they are positioned below the corresponding product storage passages. In a vending machine that pays out products sequentially, the vending machine is arranged so as to be able to move forward and backward in the middle of the product storage passage, and the product storage passage is divided up and down by advancing and moving in a normal state. The retractable shutter member and the upper end portion of the product storage passage located below the shutter member are disposed so as to be able to advance and retract, and the respective advancement states are established in the normal state. While controlling the flow rate of air passing through the goods storage passage, juxtaposed along the longitudinal direction of a ventilation control member as a regression state, product storage a plurality of product storage passage when the goods pass In addition, a return duct for returning the air of the product storage to the heat exchange means is provided in a portion that is deeper than the plurality of product storage passages, and the ventilation control member has an opening that is located on the back side of the product storage The control vent is formed in such a manner that the area is smaller than that located on the front side.

The vending machine according to claim 2 of the present invention is the vending machine according to claim 1 described above, wherein when the pedal member is moved forward with respect to the product storage passage, the passage of the product is prevented while the pedal member is stored in the product. A product passage restricting means for allowing the passage of the product when retreated with respect to the passage is disposed at a lower end portion of the product storage passage located above the shutter member, and a pedal member of the product passage restricting means The shutter member is held.

The vending machine according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described claim 1 or 2 , the shutter member is formed of a flexible material.

  According to the present invention, by providing the ventilation control member, it is possible to adjust the flow rate of the air passing through each product storage passage. Therefore, even when a plurality of product storage passages are provided in the product room, it is possible to control the temperature of the products delivered from each product storage passage, and to ensure a certain quality for the sales products. become.

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

  1 and 2 show a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine illustrated here handles a beverage provided in a state such as a can, a bottle, a pack, a plastic bottle, or the like as a sales product G, and includes a main body cabinet 10. The main body cabinet 10 is configured by combining a plurality of steel plates, and has a rectangular shape with an open front surface.

  An outer door 20 and an inner door 30 are held at one side edge of the main body cabinet 10. The outer door 20 is used to open and close the front opening of the main body cabinet 10 and is a front portion of the vending machine. Although not explicitly shown in the figure, on the front surface of the outer door 20 are a product display room for displaying a sample of the sales product G, a selection button for selecting the sales product G, and a money slot for inserting money. Configurations necessary for selling the product G, such as a product outlet for taking out the delivered product G, are arranged. The inner door 30 is constituted by a heat insulating material, and is disposed between the outer door 20 and the main body cabinet 10 so as to open and close a front opening of a commodity storage 40 described later.

  In addition, a plurality of product storage boxes 40 for storing products G are provided inside the main body cabinet 10. Each product storage 40 has a box shape with an open front, and upper, lower, left, and right inner walls are each formed of a heat insulating material. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, three commodity storages 40 are arranged in parallel along the left-right direction inside the main body cabinet 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a product shooter 41 is disposed in each product storage case 40, and a heat exchange chamber 40 </ b> B is formed in a lower portion partitioned by the product shooter 41, while the upper part thereof. A product room 40A is formed in the section.

  The product shooter 41 is a plate-like member having a plurality of shooter ventilation holes 41a, and is fixed to the lower portion of the product storage 40 in a manner that gradually inclines downward from the back of the product storage 40 toward the near side. is there.

  A blower fan 60, a cooling means (heat exchange means) 61, and a heating means (heat exchange means) 62 are disposed in the heat exchange chamber 40 </ b> B of the product storage 40. The blower fan 60 blows air from the heat exchange chamber 40B toward the product shooter 41 and supplies the air to the product chamber 40A through the shooter vent 41a of the product shooter 41. The cooling means 61 is for cooling the air in the heat exchange chamber 40B. In the present embodiment, the cooling means 61 is configured by disposing an evaporator of the refrigeration cycle. The compressor 63, the condenser 64, and the expansion valve 65 of the refrigeration cycle are all disposed in a machine room that is outside the commodity storage 40. The heating means 62 is for heating the air in the heat exchange chamber 40B. In the present embodiment, the heating means 62 is configured by disposing an electric heater between the evaporator and the blower fan 60.

  On the other hand, the product room 40A of the product storage 40 is an area for storing the product G, and a plurality of product racks 50 in the form of columns are arranged in parallel along the depth direction. Each product rack 50 includes a product storage passage 53 extending in the vertical direction by disposing a guide plate 52 between a pair of rack side plates 51. The product G positioned at the bottom of the product storage passage 53 is paid out to the product shooter 41 when a sales instruction is given in accordance with a user's purchase operation, and is called, for example, a serpentine type. It is configured in a serpentine shape. As is apparent from the figure, in the present embodiment, a product rack 50f having two product storage passages 53 in the depth direction and a product rack 50r having four product storage passages 53 in the depth direction are provided in the product room. A vending machine arranged side by side at 40A is illustrated. The product racks 50f and 50r can be individually handled with respect to the product storage 40.

  The individual product racks 50 are provided with bend mecs 54 and 55 at the lower end portion and the intermediate portion of the respective product storage passages 53, and are higher than the bend mech (product passage restricting means) 55 provided at the intermediate portion. A ventilation control member 56 is provided at this position.

  The bend mech 54 and 55 stores the product G in the product storage passage 53 in a state where the pedals 54a and 55a are protruded, while swinging the pedals 54a and 55a downward, thereby shifting the product G positioned at the lowest position to 1 It works to pay down one by one. In the following, the bend mech disposed at the lower end of the product storage passage 53 is referred to as a lower bend mech 54, and the pedal disposed at the lower bend mech 54 is referred to as a lower pedal 54a, while being disposed at an intermediate portion of the product storage passage 53. The bend mech is referred to as an intermediate bend mech 55, and the pedal disposed on the intermediate bend mech 55 is referred to as an intermediate pedal 55a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the intermediate bend mech 55 is provided with a shutter member 57 on the intermediate pedal 55a. The shutter member 57 is a thin plate member formed of a heat insulating and flexible material such as nitrile rubber, fluorine rubber, silicon rubber, urethane rubber, and the like, and is attached to the lower surface of each intermediate pedal 55a. As is apparent from the figure, the shutter member 57 divides the product storage passage 53 up and down with its peripheral portion pressed against the rack side plate 51 and the guide plate 52 when the intermediate pedal 55a protrudes, When the intermediate pedal 55a swings downward, the product storage passage 53 is configured to communicate vertically.

  The air flow control member 56 is a curved plate-shaped member made of a heat insulating material, and is supported by the shaft member 56b so as to be swingable, so that the individual product storage passages are positioned below the shutter member 57. 53 can be opened and closed individually. Although not clearly shown in the drawing, each airflow control member 56 protrudes in a manner that divides the product storage passage 53 vertically in the normal state by the elastic force of the coil spring, while a product load is applied. The product G is configured to swing downward and allow the product G to pass by opening the product storage passage 53. The air flow control member 56 after the product G has passed returns to the state in which the product storage passage 53 protrudes and is arranged again to be divided up and down by the elastic restoring force of the coil spring.

  As clearly shown in FIG. 4, the guide plate 52 located between the shutter member 57 held by the intermediate pedal 55a of the intermediate bend mech 55 and the ventilation control member 56 is provided with a side ventilation hole 52a, and the ventilation control is performed. The member 56 is provided with a control vent hole 56a.

  The side vent holes 52 a are openings for allowing air to flow along the front-rear direction between the adjacent product storage passages 53. In the present embodiment, the side vent holes 52a are formed in the respective guide plates 52 in such a manner that the total opening areas are the same.

  The control air hole 56 a is an opening for controlling the flow rate of air passing from the lower side to the upper side of the air flow control member 56 in a state where the air flow control member 56 closes the commodity storage passage 53. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the control ventilation holes 56 a are formed in the ventilation control members 56 of the respective product storage passages 53 in such a manner that the total opening area gradually decreases toward the back of the product storage 40. is doing.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, the ventilation control member 56 disposed in the innermost product storage passage 53 is also provided with a control vent hole 56 a, but is disposed in the innermost product storage passage 53. The ventilation control member 56 may be configured in such a manner that the control ventilation hole 56a is not formed at all so that the total opening area of the ventilation control member 56 becomes “0”.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, each product storage 40 is provided with a back duct 70. The rear duct 70 is a ventilation passage that extends in the vertical direction along the rear surface of the product storage 40. For example, the rear duct 70 is configured by disposing a duct component plate 71 along the vertical direction at the back of the product storage 40. It is. The rear duct 70 is provided with a suction port 72 at the upper end and a blowout port 73 at the lower end. The suction port 72 opens at a corresponding height position between the shutter member 57 and the ventilation control member 56 in the product room 40 </ b> A of the product storage 40. The blower outlet 73 is opened in the front surface of the duct structure board 71 in the aspect facing the cooling means (evaporator) 61 in the heat exchange chamber 40B of the product storage 40.

  In the vending machine configured as described above, when in the sales standby state, the intermediate pedal 55a of the intermediate bend mech 55 and the lower pedal 54a of the lower bend mech 54 are both protruding into the product storage passage 53, and the respective products The product G is stored in the storage passage 53 along the vertical direction.

  When the blower fan 60 in the heat exchange chamber 40B is driven in this sales standby state, the air in the heat exchange chamber 40B is supplied to the product chamber 40A through the shooter vent 41a of the product shooter 41. The air supplied to the merchandise room 40A is guided upward along the individual merchandise storage passages 53, and after passing through the control vent holes 56a formed in the respective vent control members 56, the air is further closed by the shutter members 57 that are closed. The upward movement is restricted.

  The air whose upward movement is restricted reaches the depth of the product storage 40 sequentially through the side vent holes 52 a formed in the guide plate 52, and the heat exchange chamber 40 </ b> B through the suction port 72 and the air outlet 73 of the rear duct 70. Will be returned. That is, in the sales standby state, the heat exchange chamber 40B → the shooter ventilation hole 41a of the product shooter 41 → the product storage passage 53 → the control ventilation hole 56a of the ventilation control member 56 → the side ventilation hole 52a of the guide plate 52 → the rear duct 70. → Air is circulated and supplied to the product storage 40 in the circulation path of the heat exchange chamber 40B.

  Therefore, if the cooling means 61 is driven in the heat exchange chamber 40B, it can be provided as a cold product in which the product G in the product rack 50 is cooled by the cooled air, and if the heating means 62 is driven, the product is heated. The product G in the product rack 50 can be provided as a hot product in a state in which the product G in the product rack 50 is heated by the generated air.

  In addition, in the above-mentioned sales standby state, the shutter member 57 is in a state of dividing the product storage passage 53 in the vertical direction, so that only the product G stored below the shutter member 57 in each product storage passage 53 is concentrated. Thus, air after heat exchange is circulated and supplied, which is advantageous in terms of energy saving, such as reduction in power consumption.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the shutter member 57 is formed of a material having heat insulating properties and flexibility, and the shutter member 57 is moved forward, the peripheral portion thereof is brought into pressure contact with the rack side plate 51 and the guide plate 52. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the situation where air leaks upward. Accordingly, the suction force of the air returned from the product chamber 40A to the heat exchange chamber 40B via the rear duct 70 in response to the blowing output of air supplied from the heat exchange chamber 40B to the product chamber 40A via the product shooter 41. Even when the size of the product G decreases, the upward leakage of air through the shutter member 57 can be reliably prevented, and the product G stored above the shutter member 57 in the product storage passage 53 is heated or cooled. There is no fear of being done. As a result, for example, a hot product is not heated for a long time, which is extremely advantageous in terms of product storability.

  During this time, when a sales instruction is given according to the purchase operation of the user, the lower pedal 54a of the lower bend mech 54 disposed in the corresponding product storage passage 53 swings downward and is stored at the lowest position. Product G is paid out to product shooter 41. The product G paid out to the product shooter 41 is guided to the product outlet of the outer door 20 according to the inclination, and passes to the user through the product outlet.

  Here, in the vending machine provided with the rear duct 70 in the innermost part of the product storage 40 and having a plurality of product storage passages 53 arranged in parallel along the depth direction of the product storage 40, the product storage passage is simply used. If only 53 are arranged side by side, the airflow resistance of the product storage passage 53 located on the near side tends to be larger than the airflow resistance of the product storage passage 53 located on the back side, and is almost even from the shooter ventilation hole 41a of the product shooter 41. Even when air is supplied to the product, the flow rate of the air passing through each product storage passage 53 is different, and as a result, the sales product G may vary in temperature.

  However, according to the vending machine, the control ventilation holes 56a are formed in the ventilation control members 56 of the product storage passages 53 in such a manner that the total opening area gradually decreases toward the back of the product storage 40. Therefore, the ventilation resistance of each product storage passage 53 can be made substantially constant regardless of the position of the product storage 40 in the sales standby state. As a result, even when the product G is paid out from the product storage passage 53 arranged at a different position in the product storage 40, the respective temperatures can be maintained substantially evenly. It becomes possible to ensure a certain quality.

  In addition, after the commodity G is paid out, the intermediate pedal 55a and the shutter member 57 of the intermediate bend mech 55 swing downward at an appropriate timing, and the downward movement is restricted by the intermediate pedal 55a. Will be paid out. When the product G is paid out from the intermediate bend mech 55, the load of the product G is applied to the upper surface of the ventilation control member 56. Therefore, the ventilation control member 56 swings downward against the elastic force of the coil spring, and the product G Is allowed to move downward. In the following, the above-described operation is repeatedly performed to save energy, and it is possible to continuously sell the product G that ensures a certain quality.

  In the above-described embodiment, a vending machine that sells a beverage in a container as a product G is illustrated, but a plurality of product storage passages that store the product G along the vertical direction inside the product storage 40. 53, and the product G stored in the product storage passage 53 is maintained at a desired temperature state by supplying air after passing through the heat exchanging means to the product storage 40 from the lower part thereof. Can be applied to a vending machine that sells other products G as long as the products G are sequentially paid out from the products G located in the lower order of the corresponding product storage passages 53. Moreover, although the vending machine which provided the three goods storage 40 in parallel in the left-right direction inside the main body cabinet 10 is illustrated, the number of the goods storage 40 is not limited to this. Furthermore, a vending machine in which a product rack 50f having two product storage passages 53 in the depth direction and a product rack 50r having four product storage passages 53 in the depth direction are juxtaposed in the product room 40A. Although illustrated, the number and configuration of product racks arranged in parallel in the product room are not limited thereto.

  In the above-described embodiment, the flow rate of the air passing through the plurality of product storage passages 53 is mutually adjusted by changing the total opening area of the control ventilation holes 56 a formed in the ventilation control member 56. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to changing the total opening area of the control vent hole 56a. For example, the exclusive area of the air flow control member relative to the product storage passage may be changed by changing the size of the air flow control member, or the air flow control member having the same size may be used while being sold. It is also possible to change the sizes of the gaps by changing the postures in the standby state, and to adjust the flow rate of the air passing through the gaps.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ventilation control member 56 and the shutter member 57 are configured to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the individual product storage passages 53 by swinging in the vertical direction. The movement modes of the member 56 and the shutter member 57 are not necessarily limited to swinging. Further, when the shutter member 57 is swung, in the above-described embodiment, it is attached to the intermediate pedal 55a of the intermediate bend mech 55. Of course, if the merchandise is in a retreating state, the intermediate pedal and the shutter member may be disposed at positions separated from each other, and the intermediate pedal and the shutter member may be individually swung.

1 is a cross-sectional side view conceptually showing the internal structure of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is an enlarged view which shows the principal part of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional top view which shows the principal part of the vending machine shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

40 Commodity storage 41 Commodity shooter 50 Commodity rack 52a Side ventilation hole 53 Commodity storage passage 55 Intermediate bend mec 55a Intermediate pedal 56 Ventilation control member 56a Control ventilation hole 57 Shutter member 61, 62 Heat exchange means 70 Rear duct G Product

Claims (3)

Each product is provided with a plurality of product storage passages for storing products along the vertical direction inside the product storage, and each product is supplied to the product storage from the lower part by supplying air after passing through the heat exchange means. In the vending machine that keeps the products stored in the storage passage at a desired temperature state, and when a sales instruction is given, sequentially dispenses from the products located in the lower part of the corresponding product storage passage,
A shutter member that is disposed in an intermediate position of the product storage passage so as to be capable of advancing and retreating, dividing the product storage passage vertically by moving forward in a normal state, and a retreating state when the product passes,
Arranged at the upper end of the product storage passage below the shutter member so as to be able to advance and retreat, and in the normal state, the product is passed while controlling the flow rate of air passing through each product storage passage. A ventilation control member that is in a retreating state ,
A plurality of product storage passages are juxtaposed along the front-rear direction of the product storage, and a return duct for returning the air of the product storage to the heat exchanging means is provided at a position deeper than the plurality of product storage passages,
A vending machine characterized in that the ventilation control member is formed with a control ventilation hole in such a manner that an opening area of an article located on the back side of the product storage is smaller than that located on the near side.   Shutter for product passage restricting means for preventing the passage of the product when the pedal member is moved forward with respect to the product storage passage, while allowing the passage of the product when the pedal member is moved backward with respect to the product storage passage. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine is disposed at a lower end portion of a commodity storage passage located above the member, and the shutter member is held by a pedal member of the commodity passage restricting means.   The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shutter member is formed of a flexible material.

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