JP5195254B2 - Vending machine product storage rack - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine that sells a product having a hook part at a drinking part, and supports the product in a suspended manner, and is inclined so that the rear side is lower than the front side (product input side). The present invention also relates to a product storage rack of a vending machine that stores the product by sliding it by its own weight and has a product delivery mechanism at the rear end.

  The products handled by vending machines are diversified, and in addition to hard canned products and plastic bottled products, containers filled with beverages can be filled with jelly-like food and drink in flexible bag-like containers. A vending machine capable of selling a product (hereinafter also referred to as a pouch product) in which a spout serving as a spout portion made of a hard synthetic resin is fixed to a flexible bag-like container to form a drinking mouth and a cap is attached to the spout. Is required, and a vending machine capable of selling the pouch product is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The vending machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes product storage racks arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages in a cabinet of a main body cabinet, and left and right with a predetermined interval on the product placement surface of each product storage rack. A plurality of partition walls are provided in the direction, and products are arranged side by side in the front-rear (depth) direction between adjacent partition walls as a product storage passage, and a pusher member that pushes the product forward is provided in each product storage passage for product selection The pusher member is driven by the operation of the button to extrude the product.

  Here, an example of the pouch product is configured as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the pouch products 100 and 200 are formed by fixing a spout 104 as a spout portion made of a hard synthetic resin to a flexible bag-like container 102 and attaching a cap 106 to the spout 104. . The spout 104 is formed with a flange 105. In the example of FIG. 6A, the pouch product 100 having one flange 105 is shown, and in the example of FIG. 6B, the pouch product 200 having two flanges 105 is shown. Yes. A jelly-like food or drink is injected from the spout 104 into the flexible bag-like container 102, and it is difficult to stand up because the flexible bag-like container 102 is soft. Reference numeral 107 denotes a joining flange provided below the flange 105 at a predetermined interval.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-228058

  In the vending machine disclosed in Patent Document 1, a product storage rack is arranged horizontally, and is configured to place and store products in a product storage passage of the product storage rack. For this reason, when a pouch product with a weak container form is stored, the storage posture of the pouch product is disturbed, and when the pouch product is pressed from behind with a pusher member, the pouch product may be crushed and cannot be sold. Therefore, in the product storage rack disclosed in Patent Document 1, paying attention to the fact that the product stands when the flange 105 provided on the spout 104 of the pouch product is supported as a hook portion, a gap is provided so as to sandwich the spout 104. A product support member disposed in a row, and loaded and accommodated with a pouch product so that the flange 105 is hooked on the product support member, and is stretched between front and rear sprockets in the vicinity of the product support member A plurality of product partition pins for pressing the pouch product spout 104 (or cap 106) from the rear are arranged, and the pouch product is pushed out by the product partition pins by driving the transport chain at the time of sale. The vending machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is excellent in that a pouch product having a soft container form can be sold, but has a problem that the configuration of the product storage rack is complicated and the cost is increased.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the object thereof is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and a product having a flange and a joining flange serving as a hook portion provided at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction of the spout. It is an object of the present invention to provide a product storage rack for a vending machine that can smoothly store products while simplifying the configuration of the product storage rack that can store products and reducing costs.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a product having a flange and a joining flange which are hook portions provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction of the spout and has a soft container shape. A product storage rack of a vending machine to be sold, wherein the frame of the product storage rack is constructed with upper, lower, left and right frame materials, and is arranged in a plurality of stages on the left and right frame materials in a vertical direction and arranged with a predetermined gap. The flange of the product is hooked and supported by a pair of left and right clamping members, and the product is slanted so that the rear side is lowered with respect to the front side, and the product is slid by its own weight to be suspended and accommodated at the rear end. A product support unit having a product carry-out mechanism, and an optimum inclination angle of the pair of left and right clamping members, the lower edge of the front edge of the flange and the upper end of the rear edge of the joint flange in the product A support member simultaneously based on the abutting angle, said angle (X0) in which the lower surface of the segment at the same time contact with the clamping member to a front edge upper end of the joint flange and the rear edge lower portion of the flange in the product intersects the horizontal line right A critical angle of the pair of sandwiching members, the critical angle (X0) being suspended and supported by the pair of left and right sandwiching members, the width (A) in the front-rear direction of the joint flange of the product, The widths (A) and (BC) are set to 2 as the inner angle of a right triangle whose height is a value (BC) obtained by subtracting the plate thickness (C) of the clamping member from the interval (B) between the joint flanges. The arc tangent angle is defined as the length of the side .

According to the vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, a product having a flange and a joining flange which are hook portions provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction of the spout and having a soft container form. A product storage rack of a vending machine to be sold, wherein the frame of the product storage rack is constructed with upper, lower, left and right frame materials, and is arranged in a plurality of stages on the left and right frame materials in a vertical direction and arranged with a predetermined gap. The flange of the product is hooked and supported by a pair of left and right clamping members, and the product is slanted so that the rear side is lowered with respect to the front side, and the product is slid by its own weight to be suspended and accommodated at the rear end. A product support unit having a product carry-out mechanism, and the optimum inclination angle of the pair of left and right holding members is determined so that the lower part of the front edge of the flange and the upper end of the rear edge of the joining flange are held by the pair of right and left Based simultaneously contacting angle wood, the said lateral pair of angle (X0) in which the lower surface of the segments of the flange of the rear edge lower the joint flange of the front edge upper end and at the same time contact with the clamping member intersects the horizontal line at Products And the critical angle (X0) is suspended from and supported by the pair of left and right clamping members, and the width (A) in the front-rear direction of the product flange is joined to the product flange. The width (A) and (BC) are defined as two sides with the inner angle of a right triangle having a height (BC) obtained by subtracting the plate thickness (C) of the clamping member from the gap (B) between the flanges. The product has a flange and a connecting flange that are hooked at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction of the spout, and has a soft container shape. Support and contain The product storage rack can have a simple configuration, and the inclination angle of the pair of left and right holding members can be adjusted so that the lower edge of the front edge of the flange and the upper end of the rear edge of the joint flange simultaneously contact the pair of left and right holding members. frictional resistance can be increased to maximize the inclination angle of the left and right pair of clamping members by determining based on the inclination angle increases (the critical angle X0) Te, housed smoothly by improving the slip due to the weight of the product It becomes possible to do. The critical angle X0 is determined from the width (A) in the front-rear direction of the joint flange of the product, the interval (B) between the flange of the product and the joint flange, and the plate thickness (C) of the pair of left and right clamping members. It can be calculated as an inverse tangent angle.

  Hereinafter, a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention in an open state, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the main part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a product storage rack according to the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a product support unit installed on the product storage rack of FIG. 3, (a) is a perspective view seen from the front, (b) is a perspective view seen from the rear, and FIG. 5 is a product. The goods delivery mechanism mounted in the support unit is shown, (a) is a perspective view in which a part of the goods delivery mechanism is disassembled, (b) is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of the goods delivery mechanism, and FIG. Fig. 7 shows a soft pouch product, (a) and (b) are front views of different types of pouch products, Fig. 7 shows a state in which the product is loaded in the product support unit, and (a) shows a product in the product support unit. It is a schematic diagram of the state to carry out, (b) shows the state which loaded the goods into the goods support unit. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which the product is stored in the product support unit, FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the pouch product loaded in the product support unit slides, and FIG. 10 shows a pair of left and right clamping members FIG. 11 is a plan view for explaining the carry-out operation of the product carry-out mechanism, FIG. 12 shows an adapter member for providing compatibility with the serpentine-type product storage rack, (a) (B) is a partially exploded perspective view for demonstrating the assembly | attachment of a different adapter member, respectively.

  First, the overall structure of the vending machine will be described with reference to FIGS. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body cabinet having an open front surface. The main body cabinet 1 is configured as a heat insulating casing by disposing heat insulating boards made of urethane foam on the inner side of the outer box made of steel plate, that is, on the upper wall, the left and right side walls, the back wall, and the bottom wall 1a. The inside of the product storage box surrounded by the heat insulation board of the main body cabinet 1 is divided into a plurality of product storage rooms 12, 13, and 14 in the left-right direction by the heat insulation partition plate 11, in this embodiment. The left and right product storage chambers 12 and 14 are serpentine-type product storage racks 121 configured by meandering product passages that are arranged in a front-rear direction and arranged in parallel with segment rows in which curved segments are well connected in the vertical direction. , 141 are arranged in two rows on each of the left and right sides. A slant-type product storage rack 20 (to be described later) provided by the present invention is stored in the center product storage chamber 13. A chute 2 is disposed below the commodity storage racks 121, 141, and 20 and is inclined downward and has numerous holes. Below the chute 2 is a cooling unit or cooling / heating unit that cools or heats the respective product storage chambers 12, 13, and 14 and stores the products stored in the product storage racks 121, 141, and 20 in a cold hot state. A unit is provided. The lower part of the bottom wall 1a of the main body cabinet 1 is formed as a machine room. The machine room has a compressor 3 (see FIG. 2) and a condenser 4 constituting a refrigeration cycle with the cooling unit of the cooling / heating unit. An expansion mechanism (not visible in the figure) and an outside fan 5 for blowing air to the condenser 4 are disposed. The product storage room in which only the cooling unit is disposed is a cold dedicated room, and the product storage room in which the cooling / heating unit is disposed is a hot / cold combined room. The product storage chambers 13 and 14 are hot / cold combined chambers. In this case, the product storage chamber 12 which is a cold exclusive chamber is compressed and condensed by the compressor 3 and the condenser 4 in the machine room. The evaporator 6 and the internal fan 7 in which the refrigerant is circulated are installed as a cooling unit, and the evaporator 6 and the internal fan 7 are disposed in the lower part of the product storage chambers 13 and 14 serving as hot / cold combined rooms. In addition, a heater 8 for heating the product is installed as a heating unit. A circulation duct 9 is provided in communication with the cooling unit or the cooling / heating unit at the back of each of the product storage chambers 12, 13, and 14, and the upper end 9a of the circulation duct 9 is positioned at a substantially middle position of the product storage. Is open. Reference numerals 122 and 142 denote fixing brackets for fixing the product storage racks 121 and 141.

As is well known, a display chamber for a product sample placed on a display stand is formed on the front surface of the outer door 10 (see FIG. 1), which is mounted on the front surface of the main body cabinet 1 so as to be freely opened and closed. A product selection button unit having a product selection button provided corresponding to each product sample is disposed on the transparent plate covering the front of the room, and in addition to the product outlet 10a, a coin input port, a bill input port, A change return port, a return lever, a handle lock device with a cylinder lock, etc. are assembled. The inner door 15 that closes the front surface of the product storage in the main body cabinet 1 is divided into upper and lower parts in this example, and the lower inner door 15 is opposed to the chute 2 of each product storage chamber 12, 13, 14. A product exit opening that is always closed by the exit door 15a is provided at a position where the exit is performed. The exit door 15a of the product exit is pivotally supported at its upper end to always close the product exit to prevent outflow of cold air or warm air, and is formed to be pushed open by the product delivered through the chute 2. Has been.

Now, the configuration of the slanted product storage rack 20 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, a pair of vertical frame members 23 and 23 are secured to the pair of left and right upper support frame members 21 and 21 and the lower support frame members 22 and 22 in the front and near the center by screws. The upper support frame members 21 and 21, the lower support frame members 22 and 22, and a pair of vertical frame members 23 and 23 provided near the front and center respectively constitute a frame material for constructing a product storage rack. A plurality of beam members 24 are fixed in the vertical direction between the front vertical frame members 23 and 23, and the beam members 24 are also fixed to the upper ends of the vertical frame members 23 and 23 near the center. The rear side of the upper support frame members 21 and 21 and the lower support frame members 22 and 22 (which is a depth side as can be understood from FIG. 2 and the rear side is also referred to as a depth hereinafter) is closed by a back plate 25 and a side plate 26. Yes. The closed space extending in the vertical direction is formed as a merchandise passage through which merchandise falls. A U-shaped delivery member 27 opened upward is attached below the back plate 25 and both side plates 26 so as to incline downward as it goes higher toward the rear side. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the delivery member 27 connects the vertical product passage to the product outlet 10 a of the outer door 10 through the chute 2 and the product outlet of the inner door 15. Each member of the product storage rack 20 is formed of a thick steel plate, and this product storage rack 20 is supported by an upper frame on a frame (not shown) laid on the ceiling of the product storage of the main body cabinet 1 (see FIG. 1). The frame members 21 and 21 are attached directly or via attachment members (adapter members).

  An inclined product support unit 30 is mounted on the front and rear vertical frame members 23 and 23 fixed to the upper support frame members 21 and 21 and the lower support frame members 22 and 22. The configuration of the commodity support unit 30 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the product support unit 30 includes a pair of left and right holding members 31, a pair of front and rear connecting members 32, 33 for connecting the holding members 31, a product carrying mechanism 34 installed on the rear connecting member 33, and The mounting brackets 35 and 35 are fixed to the pair of left and right holding members 31 so as to protrude outward.

  The pair of left and right clamping members 31 are long members formed in an L shape by a thin coated steel plate (hereinafter also simply referred to as a thin steel plate) having a lubricating coating applied on one surface, Are arranged opposite each other with a gap t. The leg end portions of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 forming the gap t are double-held by bending so that one surface (coating surface) is outside, and the leg end portions forming the gap t are The upper and lower surfaces are coated surfaces (that is, surfaces having good lubricity). The pouch product is suspended and supported by the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31, and the loading of the pouch product will be described later. The connecting members 32 and 33 are configured as a frame so as to surround the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 leaving a gap t. The pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 are firmly fixed to the connecting members 32 and 33 by screws, respectively, so that the gap t is kept constant between the leg ends of the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31. I'm leaning. A front-side connecting member 32 is integrally formed with a T-shaped attachment piece 321 in front view. The attachment piece 321 is engaged with the beam member 24 of the commodity storage rack 20 shown in FIG. 3, and the upper end thereof is bent in a bowl shape, and a screw hole 322 is formed near the center of the leg piece. Yes. The mounting bracket 35 is formed of a thick steel plate in a hat shape in cross section, and each flange portion is screwed to the clamping member 31. A stepped screw 351 is screwed to the head of the mounting bracket 35, and this stepped screw 351 engages with the vertical frame members 23 and 23 in the vicinity of the center in the product storage rack 20 shown in FIG. is there. The merchandise carry-out mechanism 34 has a carry-out mechanism incorporated in a box made up of a base 341 and a cover 342. The carry-out mechanism is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view as seen from obliquely above with the cover 342 of the product carry-out mechanism 34 removed. In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a solenoid as a drive source, and a stopper member 42 is connected to a plunger 41 of the solenoid 40. In the stopper member 42, stepped screws 421 and 421 are loosely fitted in elongated holes 43 and 43 parallel to the moving direction of the plunger 41. The stopper member 42 is slidably disposed in the moving direction of the plunger 41 and the return spring 44. Is installed. A first stopper 45 and a second stopper 46 extending downward are formed at the rear end of the stopper member 42. The second stopper 46 extends downward through an opening (not shown) provided in the connecting member 33 that connects the cover member 41 and the left and right clamping members 31, 31. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the second stopper 46 is engaged with a locking member 461 having a pressing piece 462 which is bent toward the rear side by being bent at the tip.

  The first stopper 45 is located at the rear end of the pair of clamping members 31, 31, and the second stopper 46 is arranged at a position away from the first stopper 45 by a predetermined distance to the front side. In the sales standby state (the solenoid 40 is in a non-excited state), the first stopper 45 is positioned facing the gap t formed by the pair of clamping members 31, 31, and the second stopper 46 is moved from the gap t. When the solenoid 40 is energized, the first stopper 45 is retracted from the gap t and the second stopper 46 is moved so as to face the gap t. is there. Reference numeral 47 denotes a product detection switch (sold-out switch) composed of a microswitch, and the operation lever 471 (see FIG. 4) of the microswitch is disposed so as to face a gap t formed by the pair of clamping members 31. . Reference numeral 48 denotes a socket to which a power line for supplying power to the solenoid 40 and the product detection switch 47 and a signal line for transmitting a detection signal from the product detection switch 47 are connected. A connector attached to the product support unit 30 It is to be attached to.

  The product support unit 30 configured as described above is mounted on the product storage rack 20 as follows. Now, a case where the product support unit 30 is mounted in an empty area at the uppermost position of the four levels in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 3 will be described as an example. The front vertical frame member 23 constituting the product storage rack 20 is described. , 23, the product support unit 30 is inserted. In this case, the product support unit 30 is inserted in a state where the left and right mounting brackets 35, 35 are positioned on a line perpendicular to the horizontal line. This is because when the product support unit 30 is inserted between the vertical frame members 23 and 23 with the left and right mounting brackets 35 and 35 positioned on a horizontal line, the mounting brackets 35 and 35 become the left and right vertical frame members 23 and 23. This is to avoid this because it abuts. Then, the product support unit 30 is moved backward while returning the product support unit 30 to the original posture when the mounting brackets 35, 35 of the product support unit 30 pass between the front vertical frame members 23, 23. Next, the stepped screws 351 and 351 screwed into the mounting brackets 35 and 35 of the product support unit 30 are engaged with the respective notches 231 formed in the vertical frame members 23 and 23 near the center constituting the product storage rack 20. Let In this state, a T-shaped attachment piece 321 formed on the connecting member 32 on the front side of the commodity support unit 30 is engaged with the beam member 24 and screwed. In this way, the product support unit 30 mounted on the product storage rack 20 is inclined such that the front side (product input side) is high and the rear side (product unloading mechanism 34 side) is low.

  A pouch product loaded in the product support unit 30 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, the pouch product 100 is formed by fixing a spout 104 as a spout portion made of a hard synthetic resin to a flexible bag-like container 102 and attaching a cap 106 to the spout 104. The spout 104 is formed with a flange 105. In the example of FIG. 6A, the pouch product 100 having one flange 105 is shown, and in the example of FIG. 6B, the pouch product 200 having two flanges 105 is shown. Yes. A jelly-like food or drink is injected from the spout 104 into the flexible bag-like container 102, and it is difficult to stand up because the flexible bag-like container 102 is soft. Reference numeral 107 denotes a joining flange provided below the flange 105 at a predetermined interval.

  As described above, since the pouch product having a soft container form is difficult to stand up, in the present invention, it is supported by being suspended by the product support unit 30 described above, and then the product support unit. The loading (replenishment) of the pouch product to 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The figure shows a case where the pouch product 100 is loaded, and the pouch product 100 is loaded from the front of the product support unit 30 as indicated by a white arrow. That is, the spout 104 is inserted into the gap t formed between the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31, 31 of the commodity support unit 30, and the flange 105 formed on the spout 104 is hooked on the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31. . Here, the gap t formed between the pair of left and right holding members 31, 31 is set to a predetermined dimension that is larger than the width of the spout 104 of the pouch product 100 and shorter than the length of the flange 105. In the pouch product 100 suspended by hanging the flange 105 on the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 of the product support unit 30, the flange 105 slides on the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 and moves rearward by its own weight. . The pouch product 100 that has moved to the rear of the product support unit 30 is locked by a first stopper 45 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the product carry-out mechanism 34, and is suspended and supported in a state of being stopped at that position. Next, the loaded pouch product 100 comes into contact with the product locked by the first stopper 45 and stops. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the pouch product 100 is replenished and accommodated in the product support unit 30 in this manner, and the pouch product 100 is suspended and supported by the product support unit 30 in a posture along a substantially vertical line by gravity. .

Here, the pouch product 100 is accommodated by inserting the spout 104 into the gap t between the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 of the product support unit 30 and hooking the flange 105. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower portion of the cap 106 exists as a hooking portion in addition to the flange 105. For this reason, when the pouch product 100 is loaded into the product support unit 30, there is a possibility that the cap 106 (the lower end) is erroneously loaded so as to be hooked on the pair of left and right holding members 31, 31 of the product support unit 30. If there is such an erroneous loading, the lower end of the cap 106 may be fitted between the gaps t between the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 to cause product clogging or drop off in the worst case. As a solution to this problem, by utilizing the fact that the dimension tb between the cap 106 and the flange 105 is smaller than the dimension ta between the flange 105 and the joint flange 107 (ta> tb), It is conceivable that the steel plates constituting the sandwiching members 31, 31 are thick steel plates so that the lower end of the cap 106 cannot be hooked. However, if a thick steel plate is used for the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31, the weight increases and the cost increases. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, even if a thin steel plate (coated steel plate) is used, it is possible to prevent erroneous loading, so that the leg ends of the sandwiching members 31 and 31 that are arranged to face each other with a gap t therebetween. The part is bent and double-held. Here, the thickness x of the leg end portions (thickness regulating member 36) of the holding members 31, 31 that have been double-held is defined as ta> x ≧ tb. Thus, by double-holding the thin steel plate (coated steel plate), it is possible to hook the lower portion of the flange 105 having the thickness dimension ta, and it becomes difficult to hook the lower portion of the cap 106 having the thickness dimension tb. Incorrect loading such as erroneous loading of the hooked portion is prevented.
In addition, even in the pouch product 200 having two flanges 105 shown in FIG. 6B, the lower flange 105 must be hooked and loaded, but the upper flange 105 exists as a hook portion. Although there is a risk of erroneous loading such as hooking the upper flange 105 from the bottom, the dimension td between the two flanges 105 is smaller than the dimension tc between the lower flange 105 and the joint flange 107 (tc>). td), it is possible to prevent erroneous loading by bending the leg end portions of the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31, 31 and double-holding them.

  Further, the pouch product 100 is configured such that the flange 105 is placed on the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 of the product support unit 30 and slides by its own weight. It is desirable that the frictional resistance with the leg end portions of the pair of clamping members 31, 31 is small. In response to this requirement, the product storage rack according to the embodiment of the present invention in which the leg end portions of the pair of left and right holding members 31, 31 opposed to each other with a gap t are folded and held is advantageous. That is, a generally used steel sheet is a coated steel sheet coated with a lubricious coating film on one surface to facilitate the cutting process. By double-holding so that the surface coated with the film is on the outside, the upper and lower surfaces of the leg end portions of the sandwiching member 31 forming the gap t become surfaces with good lubricity (surfaces with low frictional resistance). . For this reason, the frictional resistance between the flange 105 of the pouch product 100 and the leg end portions of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 can be reduced. Further, by increasing the inclination angle of the product support unit 30, sliding due to the weight of the pouch product 100 is improved. On the other hand, when the inclination angle of the product support unit 30 is increased, the container 102 of the pouch product 100 itself is flexible. Since the center of gravity moves from the left and right and the posture along the substantially vertical line is maintained, the flange 105 and the joint flange of the pouch product 100 are formed on both the upper and lower surfaces of the leg ends of the pair of left and right holding members 31, 31 as shown in FIG. 107 come into contact with each other simultaneously. In this case, when the leg end portions of the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 are not double-held, the frictional resistance between the flange end of the pouch product 100 and the leg end portion of the sandwiching member is large. In the sandwiching members 31 and 31 of the embodiment of the present invention that is double-held so that one surface (coating surface) of the coated steel sheet is on the outside, the leg end portions of the sandwiching members 31 and 31 are as follows. Even if the flange 105 and the joint flange 107 of the pouch product 100 are simultaneously in contact with both the upper and lower surfaces, the frictional resistance between them can be reduced. Therefore, the inclination angle of the product support unit 30 can be increased in order to improve slippage due to the weight of the pouch product 100, and the pouch product can be smoothly accommodated in the product support unit 30.

  Further, in the pouch product as shown in FIG. 6, the width L1, L2 of the flange 105 (for example, depending on the content of the food or drink filled in the flexible bag-like container 102 or the contents L1 and L2 (for example, L1 <L2) is different. In particular, in the case of pouch products having the same food and drink filled in the flexible bag-like container 102 and different contents, there is a possibility that they are erroneously loaded because their outer shapes are similar. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of regulating members 37 are provided that are implanted in the vicinity of the leg ends of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31. The dimension L0 between the pair of regulating members 37 is defined as L1 <L0 <L2 (provided that L1 <L2) with respect to the widths L1 and L2 (see FIG. 6) of the flange 105 of the pouch product. . Accordingly, the pouch product having the flange 105 dimension L0 or less is allowed to be inserted and loaded between the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31, 31, and the pouch product having the flange 105 dimension L0 or more is regulated member 37. Prevents the loading of different types of pouch products. In FIG. 7, the restriction member 37 is provided with a dedicated member. However, a screw for fixing the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 and the connecting member 32 connecting the holding members 31 and 31 to each other. In this case, the number of parts can be reduced.

  Here, the product support unit 30 in the product storage rack of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention has a pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 arranged with a predetermined gap t. The flange 105 is hooked and supported, and the pouch product 100 (200) is slid by its own weight while being inclined so that the rear side (product unloading mechanism 34 side) is lower than the front side (product input side). Since it is comprised so that it may suspend and accommodate, the slip of a pouch goods changes with the inclination-angle of the goods support unit 30. FIG. That is, when the inclination angle of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 (product support unit 30) is small, the pouch product 100 does not slide well, and when the inclination angle is increased, the pouch product 100 slips better. Regardless of the angle, the pouch product 100 has a flexible container so that the center of gravity moves and maintains a posture along a substantially vertical line, so that when a certain tilt angle (hereinafter also referred to as a critical angle) is reached, As shown in FIG. 9, the flange 105 and the joint flange 107 of the pouch product 100 come into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the leg ends of the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 at the same time. When the inclination angle is further increased, the pow- Item 100 will be stopped. The pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 are made of ordinary coated steel plates (coating steel plates coated with a lubricious coating film on one surface and having a friction coefficient of 0.05 to 0.5). Is the upper surface (the surface that supports the flange 105 of the pouch product 100), so that the other surface (the surface that is not coated with the lubricating coating film) of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 is the pouch product 100. When the joining flange 107 comes into contact, the slip is extremely reduced. Therefore, when the inclination angle of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 (product support unit 30) is slightly smaller than the critical angle, the pouch product 100 can be slid and accommodated most smoothly. As a result of various studies, the inventors determined the inclination angles of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 (product support unit 30) as shown in FIG.

  That is, FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the spout 104 portion that is the spout part of the pouch product 200, and as shown in FIG. 9, the pouch product 200 is suspended and supported by the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31. It is the figure which looked at the pouch goods 200 from the side. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 10 shows a view seen from the back side of FIG.

In the figure, the flange 105 and the joint flange 107 of the pouch product 200 are simultaneously in contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the leg ends of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 (the inclination angle of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 is the critical angle). ), The contact point between the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 and the front edge of the joining flange 107 (front side in the direction of travel of the pouch product) is O, and the rear edge of the joining flange 107 (pouch product) Is a right triangle composed of a line segment OP, a line segment OQ, and a line segment QP, where Q is the rear side of the travel direction) and P is the contact point between the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 and the rear edge of the flange 105. Is obtained. The line segment OQ is the width in the front-rear direction of the joint flange 107 (flange 105), the line segment QP is the distance between the flange 105 and the joint flange 107, and the width of the joint flange 107 (flange 105) is A. The distance between the lower flange 105 and the joining flange 107 is B, the plate thickness of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 is C, and the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 are the rear edge end of the flange 105 and The angle at which the line segment OP intersects the horizontal line (line segment OQ) in the state of simultaneously contacting the front edge of the joint flange 107 is X (the thickness of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 is C = “0”) In this case , the angle X is one internal angle of a right triangle (indicated by a one-dot chain line ) having a width A as a base and a distance B as a height. Therefore, the angle X is a trigonometric function , that is, a tangent function (tan X Utilizing, can be determined as the inverse tangent angle values of tangent function by tan X = B / A is calculated. Here, since the angle X is the case where the plate thickness C of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 is "0", the thickness C of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 is taken into account. The critical angle (X0) of the members 31, 31 is one internal angle of a right triangle having a width A as a base and a value obtained by subtracting the thickness C from the interval B (BC), and the critical angle W0 is It can be obtained by a trigonometric function. In this case, since the width A, the interval B, and the plate thickness C are known in advance, the tangent function (tan X0 ) is used, and the tangent function value is calculated by tan X0 = (BC) / A. The angle X0 is obtained as a tangent angle. Here, the thickness C of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 slightly changes when tilted obliquely from the horizontal state, but the change is minute in the range from the horizontal (0 °) to the critical angle ( X0 ). C may be a fixed value. One example of a critical angle of the left and right pair of clamping members 31 and 31, the width A = 13 mm, distance B = 5 mm, when the thickness C = 1.6 mm, when determining the critical angle X0 by tangent function X0 = About 15 °.

  The optimum inclination angle obtained as described above is a critical angle. For the following reason, the flange 105 of the pouch product 200 is formed on both upper and lower surfaces of the leg end portions of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 depending on the critical angle. The joining flange 107 does not contact at the same time. That is, the pouch product that is hooked and supported by the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 maintains the posture along the substantially perpendicular line because the center of gravity moves and the container is flexible. As shown in FIG. 9, the flange 105 is supported by the rear edge of the flange 105, so that the posture is slightly forward tilted, that is, the flange 105 is slightly inclined along the inclination of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 from the horizontal. Therefore, the inclination angle of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 (product support unit 30) may be a critical angle. In addition, since the product storage rack of the vending machine according to the present invention does not require tolerances like a precision machine, the inclination angle of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 (product support unit 30) is the optimum inclination angle. However, the present invention is not limited only to the above.

Next, the cooling / heating operation of the product storage rooms 12, 13, 14 in the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the product storage chambers 13 and 14 (hot / cold chamber) are used as cold chambers, the heater 8 is turned off, and the refrigerant compressed and condensed by the compressor 3 and the condenser 4 is sent to the evaporator 6. Then, the cool air exchanged by the evaporator 6 is blown out from the lower side of the shooter 2 by the internal fan 7 to cool the products in the product storage racks 20, 141 to the evaporator 6 through the circulation duct 9. Cool air circulation to return. On the other hand, when the product storage chambers 13 and 14 are used as hot chambers, the refrigerant to the evaporator 6 is stopped and the heater 8 is turned on, and the product is heated by circulating warm air in the same manner as described above. The product storage rooms 13 and 14 are switched to hot / cold rooms at the turn of the season. In addition, the product storage room 12 which is a cold exclusive room always cools the product in the product storage rack 121 by blowing the cold air exchanged by the evaporator 6 from the lower side of the shooter 2 by the internal fan 7 into the storage. Cold air circulation is performed so as to return to the evaporator 6 through the circulation duct 9. Note that the product storage room 13 in which the product storage rack 20 is stored is used as a hot / cold room, but this is provided in the event that a product to be sold as a hot product appears as a pouch product.

Next, the operation at the time of sale in the vending machine in the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 shows the operation of the first stopper 45 and the second stopper 46 during the operation of the product carry-out mechanism 34. The sales operation will be described with reference to FIG. To do.
In the sales standby state, the solenoid 40 is in a non-excited state, and the first stopper 45 protrudes to the position of the gap t between the pair of left and right clamping members 31 so that the product with the highest sales order (hereinafter also referred to as sales product). and locking the sales product and sales ranking double dip product position of the gap t between the second stopper 46 is a pair of right and left clamping members 31 positioned between (hereinafter also referred to as next goods sold) Evacuated from. In this state, the operation lever 471 of the product detection switch (sold-out switch) 47 formed of a micro switch comes into contact with the sales product and outputs a product detection signal. Now, when a product selection button provided on the outer door 10 (see FIG. 1) is operated, an excitation signal having a predetermined time width is supplied from a control unit (not shown) to the corresponding product delivery mechanism 34 (solenoid 40). When the solenoid 40 is excited, the stopper member 42 moves in the left-right direction (right direction in FIG. 5) via the plunger 41 shown in FIG. As a result, the first stopper 45 and the second stopper 46 move leftward in FIG. 11, that is, the first stopper 45 is retracted from the gap t, and the second stopper 46 protrudes into the gap t. With the retraction of the first stopper 45 from the gap t, the product for sale is released from being locked by the first stopper 45. At the same time, in the process in which the second stopper 46 moves so as to protrude into the gap t, the pressing piece 462 of the locking member 461 provided on the second stopper 46 presses the sold product to place the sold product on the product support unit. After discharging from 30, the second stopper 46 projects into the gap t. When the sale product is unloaded, the product after the next sale product loses its support, so that it is slid toward the rear end of the product support member 30 and is locked by the second stopper 46 protruding into the gap t and temporarily held. Is done.

  When the excitation signal to the solenoid 40 is cut off, the plunger 41 is returned to the original position (the state shown in FIG. 5) by the return spring 44 so that the first stopper 45 protrudes to the position of the gap t, and the second stopper 46 retreats from the gap t. When the second stopper 46 is retracted from the gap t, the product after the next sale product held by the second stopper 46 slides toward the rear end of the product support unit 30 and protrudes into the gap t. It is latched by the stopper 45 and enters a sales standby state. In addition, the product which is carried out by the product carry-out mechanism 34 and falls from the rear end portion of the product support unit 30 is sent to the chute 2 via the feed member 27 of the product storage rack 20 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 1 shows a vending machine in which a product storage rack 20 according to the present invention is arranged side by side with serpentine product storage racks 121 and 141. This is because vending machines can sell a wide variety of products (products in which containers represented by canned beverages and the like are rigid and products in which containers represented by pouch products are relatively soft). However, in order to be able to sell a wide variety of products, the existing vending machine must be replaced with a new vending machine if the configuration is significantly changed with respect to the existing vending machine. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the product storage rack 20 that can store the pouch products is made compatible with the serpentine product storage rack (mounted with the serpentine product storage rack). The product storage rack 20 according to the present invention can be mounted. Hereinafter, the commodity storage rack 20 that is compatible with a known serpentine commodity storage rack will be described.

FIG. 12 shows a product storage rack 20 that is compatible with a known serpentine product storage rack. There are the following two types of methods for arranging a known serpentine type product storage rack in the product storage of a vending machine. First, the method will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 12A, in the first method, a main body side hook metal fitting 50 extending in the front-rear direction is laid on the ceiling surface of the vending machine, and a commodity storage rack 121 is provided on the main body side hook metal fitting 50. 141, and the second method is that a main body side hook fitting 55 extending in the left-right direction is laid on the ceiling surface of the vending machine as shown in FIG. This is a fixing method in which the product storage racks 121 and 141 are fixed to the metal fitting 55. For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-122596, the hooking method is engaged with the hooks 501 of the main body side hook metal fittings 50 at the upper ends of a pair of left and right rack side plates constituting the product storage racks 121 and 141. A rack side hook is provided, and the rack side hook is engaged with the hook 501 of the main body side hook metal fitting 50. In this hooking method, the product storage racks 121 and 141 are slid using the main body side hook metal fitting 50 as a guide. It can be stored in the warehouse or pulled out from the warehouse. On the other hand, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-288768, the fixing method is such that rack-side hook metal fittings are installed on a pair of left and right rack side plates constituting the product storage racks 121, 141, and the rack-side hook metal fittings are attached. The main body side hook metal fitting 55 is engaged with the hook 551 and screwed to both.

  As described above, the known serpentine type product storage racks 121 and 141 are disposed in the product storage using the main body side hook metal fittings 50 and 55 shown in FIG. Accordingly, the inventors have determined that if the product storage rack 20 according to the present invention can be mounted on the main body side hook metal fittings 50 and 55, it is possible to provide compatibility with the serpentine product storage racks 121 and 141. An adapter member for mounting the rack 20 to the main body side hook metal fittings 50 and 55 has been developed.

  FIG. 12 shows an adapter member for mounting the product storage rack 20 to the main body side hook metal fittings 50 and 55. Note that the commodity storage rack 20 shown in FIG. 12 is assembled as described with reference to FIG. 12A shows an adapter member 51 employed in the above-described hooking method, and the adapter member 51 includes a pair of left and right rack fixing brackets 52 and a rack side hook bracket 53. FIG. The pair of left and right rack fixing brackets 52 are made of thick steel plates having a Z-shaped cross section, and one end thereof is fixed to the pair of left and right upper support frame members 21 and 21 constituting the product storage rack 20 by screws. The other end is fixed to the rack side hook metal fitting 53. The rack side hook metal fitting 53 is formed in a box shape having a lower surface made of a thick steel plate, and rack side hooks 54 that engage with the hooks 501 of the main body side hook metal fitting 50 are formed on both left and right ends. Two sets of adapter members 51 are fixed to the upper support frame members 21 and 21 in advance in the commodity storage rack 20. When arranging the product storage rack 20 in the product storage, first, the rack-side hook 54 of the rack-side hook fitting 53 in the adapter member 51 on the rear side is opposed to the hook 501 of the body-side hook fitting 50 so that both Similarly, the hook 54 of the rack side hook metal fitting 53 of the adapter member 51 is engaged with the hook 501 of the main body side hook metal fitting 50 and is slid and assembled.

  FIG. 12B shows an adapter member 56 employed in the above-described fixing method, and the adapter member 56 includes a rack-side hook fitting 57. The rack-side hook metal fitting 57 is formed of a flat plate of thick steel plate, and a lower end thereof is fixed to a fixed arm 58 that is screwed into a lower surface of a pair of left and right upper support frame members 21 and 21 constituting the product storage rack 20, and an upper end thereof. A rack side hook 59 that engages with the hook 551 of the main body side hook metal fitting 55 is formed. Two sets of adapter members 56 are fixed to the upper support frame members 21 and 21 in advance in the commodity storage rack 20. When the product storage rack 20 is disposed in the product storage, the rack side hooks 59 of the respective adapter members 56 are opposed to the hooks 551 of the main body side hook metal fittings 55 to engage with each other. Next, the adapter member 56 and the main body side hook fitting 50 are assembled by screwing. As shown in FIG. 12, by providing the adapter members 51 and 56, the product storage rack 20 for storing the pouch product can be made compatible with the known serpentine product storage racks 121 and 141, It can be exchanged for a serpentine product storage rack of the vending machine.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the product storage rack 20 according to the present invention is structurally compatible with the serpentine product storage rack, and the serpentine product storage rack of the existing vending machine is provided. In addition to being interchangeable, it is also electrically compatible. This is because in the merchandise unloading mechanism of the serpentine merchandise storage rack, the lower stopper and the upper stopper are moved into the merchandise path by driving the lower stopper that latches the merchandise and the upper stopper that latches the next merchandise with a solenoid. In view of alternately projecting, the product storage rack 20 according to the present invention also uses the solenoid 40 as a drive source of the product carry-out mechanism 34, and the solenoid 40 drives the stopper member 42 to lock the sold product. The stopper 45 and the second stopper 46 that locks the next sale product are configured to alternately appear and disappear in the gap t between the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31. Further, a product detection switch 47 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) for detecting a product loaded in the product storage rack 20 is provided, and the product detection switch 47 is configured to output a product sold-out detection signal. Yes. By using such a product carry-out mechanism 34 and product detection switch 47, the product carry-out mechanism 34 executes a product carry-out operation by a power supply or control signal supplied to the product carry-out mechanism of the serpentine type product storage rack, and the product detection switch 47 Sends a sold-out signal to the control unit of the vending machine. In other words, the product storage rack 20 according to the present invention is replaced with a serpentine product storage rack and wiring connection is made immediately without changing the control program of an existing vending machine equipped with a serpentine product storage rack. The vending machine can be operated.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a product (pouch product 100) having a flange 105 and a joining flange 107 as hook portions provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction of the spout 104 and having a soft container form. , 200), the product storage rack 20 of the vending machine that stores the products by the upper, lower, left and right frame materials (upper support frame materials 21, 21, lower support frame members 22, 22, vertical frame materials 23, 23). A frame body of the rack 20 is constructed, and a pair of left and right product sandwiching members 31, 31 are arranged on the left and right frame members (vertical frame members 23, 23) in the vertical direction and arranged with a predetermined gap t. The product is tilted so that the flange 105 of the product is hooked and supported, and the rear side (product unloading mechanism 34 side) is lowered with respect to the front side (product input side). And a product support unit 30 having a product take-out mechanism 34 at the rear end, and the optimum inclination angle of the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 is set in front of the flange 105 in the product. By defining the lower edge and the upper edge of the rear edge of the joining flange 107 from the angle at which the pair of left and right holding members 31 and 31 are in contact with each other at the same time, the spout 104 becomes a hooking portion provided at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. The product storage rack 20 having the flange 105 and the joint flange 107 and storing the product having a soft container form can be configured simply, and the inclination angle of the pair of left and right sandwiching members 31 and 31 can be changed. The lower end of the front edge of the flange 105 and the upper end of the rear edge of the joint flange 107 in the product are in contact with the pair of left and right clamping members 31 and 31 simultaneously. By determining based on the inclination angle at which the frictional resistance increases, the inclination angle of the pair of left and right clamping members 31, 31 can be maximized, so that the product can be smoothly accommodated with good slippage due to its own weight. It has the effect that it can be done.

It is a perspective view of the outside door open state which shows the whole structure of the vending machine which is embodiment of this invention. It is principal part side surface sectional drawing of FIG. It is a perspective view of the goods storage rack which concerns on this invention. The product support unit erected on the product storage rack of FIG. 3 is shown, (a) is a perspective view seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the rear. The product carrying mechanism mounted in the product support unit is shown, (a) is a perspective view in which a part of the product carrying mechanism is disassembled, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the product carrying mechanism. The container form shows a soft pouch product, and (a) and (b) are front views of different types of pouch products. The state which loads a goods into a goods support unit is shown, (a) is a mimetic diagram of the state where goods are loaded into a goods support unit, and (b) is a front view showing the state where goods were loaded into a goods support unit. . It is a side view which shows the state which accommodated the goods in the goods support unit. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the pouch goods loaded in the goods support unit slide. It is explanatory drawing which shows the optimal inclination angle of a pair of right and left clamping members. It is a top view for demonstrating the carrying-out operation | movement of a goods carrying-out mechanism. The adapter member for giving compatibility with a serpentine type goods storage rack is shown, and (a) and (b) are partial exploded perspective views for explaining attachment of each different adapter member.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body cabinet, 2 ... Chute, 3 ... Compressor, 4 ... Condenser, 6 ... Evaporator, 9 ... Wind tunnel, 10 ... Outer door, 12, 13, 14 ... Merchandise storage, 15 ... Inner door, 20 Product storage rack, 21 Upper support frame material, 22 Lower support frame material, 23 Vertical frame material, 24 Beam, 30 Product support unit, 31 Holding member, 32, 33 Connecting member, 34 Product Unloading mechanism, 36 ... double hold (thickness restricting member), 37 ... width restricting member, 40 ... solenoid (drive source), 41 ... plunger, 42 ... stopper member, 44 ... return spring, 45 ... first stopper, 46 ... Second stopper, 47 ... Product detection switch (sold out switch), 50,55 ... Main body side hook metal fittings, 51,56 ... Adapter member, 52 ... Rack fixing metal fittings 52, 53,57 ... Rack side hook metal , 54, 59 ... rack-side hook 100, 200 ... pouch product, 102 ... flexible container, 104 ... spout, 105 ... flange, 106 ... Cap, 107 ... fixing ring.

Claims (1)

A product storage rack of a vending machine having a flange and a joining flange that are hooked portions provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction of the spout and selling products with a soft container shape, The frame of the product storage rack is constructed from the frame material, and the product flange is hooked and supported by a pair of left and right clamping members that are installed in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction on the left and right frame materials and arranged with a predetermined gap. And a product support unit having a product take-out mechanism at the rear end portion thereof, wherein the product is slid so as to be slid and accommodated by its own weight and inclined so that the rear side is lower than the front side. the optimum angle of inclination of the clamping member, said based on edge lower the abutting angle simultaneously the front edge upper end to said pair of right and left clamping members of the joint flange after the flange in goods, the goods The critical angle of the pair of left and right clamping members is defined as an angle (X0) at which the line segment of the lower surface of the clamping member that is simultaneously in contact with the lower rear edge of the flange and the upper edge of the front edge of the joining flange intersects the horizontal line. (X0) is sandwiched from the interval (B) between the flange of the product and the joint flange, with the width (A) in the front-rear direction of the joint flange of the product supported by being suspended by the pair of left and right clamping members. The value obtained by subtracting the thickness (C) of the member (BC) is defined as the arc tangent angle having the width (A) and (BC) as the length of two sides as the internal angle of the right triangle having the height. A product storage rack for vending machines.

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