JP5375332B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine which can suppress a variation in the temperature of an article in the highest stage in each article storage column. <P>SOLUTION: The vending machine includes: a body cabinet 10 where a plurality of article storage containers 11 having heat insulating structures are horizontally arranged side by side; and article storage racks 20 disposed in the article storage containers 11 where a plurality of article storage columns 23 where articles are stored in a vertical direction are arranged side by side in a cross direction. In the vending machine, a backside duct 40 having horizontally-arranged suction ports 41 which suck an internal atmosphere of the article storage containers 11 where the backside duct is disposed at the backside is formed so as to reduce the deviation of opening areas of respective suction ports 41 in a form of maintaining the capability to cool articles in the highest stages of the article storage columns 23 at the forefront of the article storage racks 20 at the left or right end out of article storage racks 20 horizontally arranged side by side in the article storage containers 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more specifically, a vending machine main body in which a plurality of commodity storages having a heat insulating structure are arranged side by side on the left and right sides, and a product storage unit. The present invention relates to an improvement of a vending machine provided with a product storage rack in which a plurality of product storage columns for storing products in the vertical direction are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction.

  For example, in a vending machine that sells products such as packed beverages, as shown in FIG. 5, a vending machine that includes a rectangular main body cabinet (vending machine main body) 100 whose front opening can be opened and closed by a door body 300. Are known. Inside the main body cabinet 100, a plurality of product storage boxes 110 having a heat insulating structure are arranged side by side. In each of the product storage boxes 110, the door body 300 opens and the front opening of the main body cabinet 100 is opened. A product storage rack 200 is provided that can be pulled out forward when is opened. The product storage rack 200 is formed by arranging a plurality of product storage columns for storing products along the vertical direction, and is connected to the main body cabinet 100 by a cable C. Or a control signal. On the other hand, on the back side of the product storage 110, the internal atmosphere of the product storage 110 is sucked from a suction port 410 opened at the upper end and blown out from a blower outlet 420 opened at the lower part, or a cooling means such as an evaporator, or A rear duct 400 is provided through which heating means such as a heater passes (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-011699 A

  By the way, among the product storage boxes 110, a plurality (for example, three or more) of product storage racks 200 are arranged side by side, and the products stored in the product storage columns in the respective product storage racks 200 are cooled. As shown in FIG. 6, the rear duct 400 provided on the rear side of the cooling-only commodity storage 110 to be maintained is formed with a concave portion 430 that opens to the front at an upper portion of a substantially central region, thereby a plurality of In general, the suction ports 410 are arranged side by side. Here, the recess 430 is for allowing a part of the cable C to enter when the product storage rack 200 is stored in the product storage 110. The width of the recess 430 allows the cable C to enter. It is adjusted to a size that is necessary and sufficient for

  However, since the left and right widths of the recesses 430 are adjusted to a necessary and sufficient size to allow the cable C to enter, as shown in FIG. A large deviation may occur, which may cause a large variation in the temperature of the uppermost product in each product storage column.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of suppressing the temperature variation of the uppermost product in each product storage column.

To achieve the above object, a vending machine according to the present onset Ming, a vending machine main body formed by juxtaposed multiple products accommodating chamber to the right and left having a heat insulating structure therein, the interior of the product accommodating box In a vending machine provided with a product storage rack in which a plurality of product storage columns for storing products along the vertical direction are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction, the vending machine is disposed on the back side The rear duct provided in such a manner that the suction port for sucking the internal atmosphere of the product storage box is arranged side by side through a recess for housing the cable is the left end of the product storage rack arranged side by side in the product storage Alternatively, in a mode in which the cooling capacity of the uppermost product of the product storage column in front of the rightmost product storage rack is maintained, the deviation of the opening area of each suction port is reduced by adjusting the left and right widths of the recesses. It is characterized by .

  According to the vending machine of the present invention, the back duct provided in such a manner that the suction ports for sucking in the internal atmosphere of the product storage container in which the vending machine is arranged are arranged in the left and right directions. Since the cooling capacity of the product at the top of the product storage column in front of the product storage rack at the left end or the right end of the product storage rack is maintained, the deviation of the opening area of each suction port is reduced. There is no product at the top of all the product storage columns in the product storage rack stored in the storage box that is locally cooled, and all the products at the top are in front of the right or left product storage rack. As a result, it is possible to suppress variations in the temperature of the top product in each product storage column of the product storage. There is an effect that.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional side view showing the internal structure of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the product storage rack shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a back duct disposed on the back side of the right product storage case shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a side view of a conventional vending machine, and the internal structure is schematically shown by broken lines. 6 is a perspective view showing a back duct disposed on the back side of the commodity storage shown in FIG.

  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 each show a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure, and FIG. 2 is a sectional side view showing the internal structure. . The vending machine exemplified here sells products such as packed drinks, canned drinks, and plastic bottled drinks in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 10 that is the main body of the vending machine. .

  The main body cabinet 10 is formed as a rectangular heat-insulating housing whose front surface is open. Inside the main body cabinet 10, a plurality of (for example, three) independent commodity storage boxes 11 are juxtaposed side by side. These goods storage 11 is for accommodating goods, such as a drink with a pack, a drink with a can, and a drink with a plastic bottle, in the state maintained at the desired temperature.

  Each merchandise storage 11 is provided with a merchandise storage rack 20 which will be described later, and an evaporator 13 as a cooling means and a heater 14 as a heating means are arranged in a lower portion partitioned by the carry-out shooter 12. The product stored in the product storage rack 20 can be maintained at a desired cooling temperature or heating temperature by driving the evaporator 13 and the heater 14. In this specification, “left side” indicates the left side when the vending machine is viewed from the front, and “right side” indicates the right side when the vending machine is viewed from the front. Will be described. The right product storage (hereinafter also referred to as “right storage” as necessary) 11 is for cooling only, and a plurality of product storage racks 20 are arranged in parallel.

  On the other hand, the vending machine is provided with a front door 30. The front door 30 has a heat insulating structure and is large enough to cover the front opening of the main body cabinet 10. The front door 30 is for opening and closing the front opening of the main body cabinet 10 and is disposed at one side edge of the main body cabinet 10 so as to be openable and closable. A product exit 31 is provided in front of the front door 30, and a display window, a product selection button, and a bill that are necessary for selling the product are not shown in front of the product exit 31. An outer door provided with an insertion slot, a coin slot, a return lever, a monetary indicator, and a coin return slot is installed.

  One or a plurality of product storage racks 20 are provided in each product storage 11. When a plurality of product storage racks 20 are provided, the product storage racks 20 are arranged side by side in the product storage 11. The product storage racks 20 are provided so as to be slidable along the front-rear direction via support members 15 arranged on the top plate of the product storage 11, and the front door 30 opens to open the main body cabinet 10. When the front opening of (product storage 11) is opened, it can be pulled out by sliding toward the front.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the product storage rack 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the product storage rack 20 includes a plurality of product storage columns 23 in the front-rear direction by partitioning the inside of a rectangular rack case 21 whose top surface, bottom surface, and right side surface are opened by a partition plate 22. Are connected to the main body cabinet 10 by a cable C, and power and control signals are given through the cable C.

  The product storage column 23 defines a product storage passage 24 extending in the vertical direction, and stores products in the product storage passage 24 in a stacked state in the vertical direction. A first flapper 251 and a second flapper 252 that constitute a product delivery mechanism 25 are provided at the lower part of the product storage column 23. The first flapper 251 supports the product stored in the product storage passage 24 by coming into contact with the lowest product when the first flapper 251 advances into the product storage passage 24, and retracts from the product storage passage 24. In the case of movement, the lowermost product is paid out downward. When the second flapper 252 advances into the product storage passage 24, the second flapper 252 comes into contact with the second-stage product from the bottom and supports the product above the product, and is retracted from the product storage passage 24. In the case of movement, the second-stage product from the bottom is allowed to pass downward. The first flapper 251 and the second flapper 252 are driven by a motor (not shown), and the first flapper 251 is retracted when the second flapper 252 moves forward and comes into contact with the second-stage product from the bottom. The second flapper 252 is adjusted so as to retreat when the first flapper 251 moves forward and is in contact with the lowermost product.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a back duct 40 is disposed on the back side of the commodity storage 11. The rear duct 40 has a suction port 41 that is an upper end opening, and a blowout port 42 (see FIG. 4) formed in the lower front surface.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a rear duct 40 in which a plurality of suction ports 41 are arranged side by side is arranged on the rear side of the right warehouse 11, which is a commodity storage 11 dedicated for cooling. The rear duct 40 in the right warehouse 11 is formed with a recess 43 that opens to the front at an upper portion of a substantially central region. The recess 43 is for allowing a part of the cable C to enter when the product storage rack 20 is stored in the product storage 11 and defines the size of the opening area of each suction port 41. Is.

  In the present embodiment, the lateral width of the recess 43 is sufficient to reduce the deviation between the opening area of the right suction port 41 and the opening area of the left suction port 41 while allowing the cable C to enter. It has a large size. More specifically, the left and right widths of the recesses 43 are determined on the right end side of the right warehouse 11 that is said to be most difficult to cool when performing a cold operation in which the products accommodated in all the product containers 11 are cooled. The cooling capacity of the uppermost product in the product storage column 23 in front of the product storage rack 20 is increased in such a manner that it is maintained to the same level as the conventional product, and the opening area of the right suction port 41 and the left suction port are increased. The deviation from the opening area of 41 is reduced. In other words, the rear duct 40 maintains the cooling capacity of the uppermost product of the product storage column 23 in front of the product storage rack 20 on the right end side, and reduces the deviation of the opening area of each suction port 41. It will be.

  In the vending machine having the above-described configuration, in the sales standby state in which the commodity storage racks 20 are accommodated in the respective commodity storages 11 and the front door 30 is closed and the front opening of the main body cabinet 10 is closed. By driving a refrigerator (not shown) disposed in the machine room 11 a and driving the internal fan F, the internal atmosphere of all the product storage boxes 11 is changed from the suction port 41 of the back duct 40 to the back duct 40. After being passed through the rear duct 40, the air is blown out from the outlet 42 and passes around the evaporator 13. It is cooled when passing around the evaporator 13, and circulates by blowing air from the lower side of the commodity storage 11 to the upper side.

  Then, in the right warehouse 11 in the above-mentioned sales standby state, each of the suctions is performed in such a manner that the rear duct 40 maintains the cooling capacity of the uppermost product of the product storage column 23 in front of the product storage rack 20 on the right end side. Since the deviation of the opening area of the mouth 41 is made small, there is no product that is locally cooled by the products at the uppermost stage of all the product storage columns 23 in the product storage rack 20 stored in the right box 11, All the products in the uppermost stage are in a temperature state close to the products in the uppermost stage of the product storage column 23 in front of the product storage rack 20 on the right end side.

  According to the vending machine of the present embodiment as described above, the rear duct 40 of the right warehouse 11 maintains the cooling capacity of the uppermost product of the product storage column 23 in front of the product storage rack 20 on the right end side. In this manner, the deviation of the opening areas of the respective suction ports 41 is reduced, so that all the products on the uppermost stage are the products on the uppermost stage of the product storage column 23 in front of the product storage rack 20 on the right end side. As a result, it is possible to suppress variations in the temperature of the uppermost product in each product storage column 23 of the right warehouse 11.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made. In the above-described embodiment, the case of the cold operation for cooling not only the right store 11 but also the products stored in all the product stores 11 has been described. For example, in the product store 11 adjacent to the left of the right store 11 In the case of hot cold operation in which only the stored product is heated and the product stored in the other product storage 11 including the right store 11 is cooled, the left end side of the right store 11 that is said to be most difficult to cool down. The left and right widths of the recess 43 are increased in such a manner that the cooling capacity of the uppermost product of the product storage column 23 in front of the product storage rack 20 is maintained to the same level as the conventional product, and the opening area of the right suction port 41 is increased. And the deviation from the opening area of the left suction port 41 may be reduced. As a result, all the products in the uppermost stage are in a temperature state close to the products in the uppermost stage of the product storage column 23 in front of the product storage rack 20 on the left end side, and as a result, each product storage column in the right warehouse 11. 23, the temperature variation of the uppermost product can be suppressed.

  Moreover, in embodiment mentioned above, although the deviation of the opening area of the two blower outlets 41 was made small by enlarging the left-right width of the recessed part 43, in this invention, only the left-right width of a recessed part is enlarged. However, the deviation of the opening area may be reduced by disposing a member that closes a part of the suction port in a state where the left and right widths of the recesses are maintained at the same level as in the past.

  As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention is useful for selling products such as canned drinks and plastic bottled drinks.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main body cabinet 11 Commodity storage box 12 Unloading shooter 13 Evaporator 14 Heater 20 Commodity storage rack 23 Commodity storage column 24 Commodity storage passage 30 Front door 31 Commodity exit 40 Rear duct 41 Suction opening 42 Outlet 43 Recess C Cable F Inside fan

Claims (1)

A vending machine main body in which a plurality of product containers having a heat insulating structure are arranged side by side;
A vending machine provided with a product storage rack that is arranged inside the product storage and in which a plurality of product storage columns for storing products in the vertical direction are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction;
The rear duct provided in such a manner that the suction port for sucking the internal atmosphere of the product storage container arranged on the back side is arranged side by side through the recess for storing the cable is arranged side by side in the product storage container. In the aspect in which the cooling capacity of the uppermost product of the product storage column in front of the product storage rack at the left end or the right end of the product storage racks is maintained, by adjusting the left and right widths of the recesses, the respective suction ports Vending machine characterized by having a small deviation in the opening area.

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