JP5685896B2 - Vending machine product storage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a product storage device of a vending machine, and more particularly to a product storage device applied to a vending machine that sells products such as canned beverages and beverages in plastic bottles.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a serpentine type product rack is known as a product storage device of a vending machine that sells products such as canned drinks and plastic bottled drinks. Such a commodity storage device is defined in such a manner that a passage component extends between a pair of base side plates erected on the left and right sides so as to extend in a meandering manner in the vertical direction. It has a commodity storage passage. In addition, the merchandise storage device is provided with a payout mechanism for cutting out and paying out the lowest product on the lower side of the merchandise storage passage, while an inlet guide is provided on the upper side of the merchandise storage passage. It has been. The insertion port guide is swingably disposed between the pair of base side plates via a pin member in such a manner that it moves forward and backward in the product passage area above the product storage passage.

  In such a product storage device, the input port guide contacts the product before being input through the input port and carried into the product storage passage so as to adjust the posture of the product (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

JP 2003-228752 A

  However, in the product storage device as described above, since the insertion port guide is disposed so as to be swingable between the pair of base side plates via the pin member, the pin member is held in the assembly operation of the product storage device. A jig was needed. In particular, the configuration of the product storage device may differ depending on the part to be applied, and the assembly work may be complicated by using a jig corresponding to each different configuration.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a product storage device for a vending machine capable of reducing the cost required for jigs and reducing the manufacturing cost while improving the efficiency of assembly work. Objective.

To achieve the above object, product storage device for the automatic vending machine according to the present onset Ming, defined in a manner extending along the vertical direction by arranging the passage forming elements between the right and left pair of base plates And a product storage passage for sequentially storing the introduced products in a lying position, and a swingable arrangement around the axis of the shaft member in a manner of moving back and forth in the product passage area above the product storage passage. In the product storage device of the vending machine, the guide member comprising: a guide member configured to contact the product before being introduced into the product storage passage and to adjust the posture of the product. Is characterized in that one end of the shaft member is supported by a top tray disposed above the passage area , and the other end is supported by one of the base side plates .

  According to the commodity storage device of the vending machine of the present invention, the guide member is formed by supporting at least one end of the shaft member on the top tray disposed above the passage area. Prior to the work, the guide member can be assembled to the top tray before assembly, and the efficiency of the assembly work can be improved. In addition, a jig or the like for holding the shaft member becomes unnecessary during the assembly operation of the product storage device. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by reducing the cost required for the jig while improving the efficiency of the assembly work.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an internal structure of a vending machine to which a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the slot guide and the top tray shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a case where the insertion port guide and the top tray shown in FIG. 2 are vertically cut along a plane including the axis of the pin member and viewed from the front.

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

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an internal structure of a vending machine to which a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vending machine illustrated here sells a product in a cooled or heated state, and includes a main body cabinet 1, an outer door 2, and an inner door 3.

  The main body cabinet 1 is configured in a rectangular shape with a front surface opened by appropriately combining a plurality of steel plates, and has a product housing 4 with a heat insulating structure inside. The outer door 2 is for covering the front opening of the main body cabinet 1 and is disposed at one side edge of the main body cabinet 1 so as to be opened and closed. Although not explicitly shown in the figure, on the front surface of the outer door 2, a display window, a product selection button, a bill insertion slot, a coin insertion slot, a return lever, an integrated indicator, a coin return slot, a merchandise outlet 2a, etc. What is needed when selling products is provided. The inner door 3 is a heat insulating door for covering the front opening of the commodity storage 4, and is disposed at one side edge of the main body cabinet 1 so as to be openable and closable at a position inward of the outer door 2. In the lower part of the inner door 3, there is provided a merchandise outlet 3 a for carrying merchandise out of the merchandise container 4.

  In addition, the vending machine has a product shooter 5 provided inside the product storage 4, and a temperature control unit 6 is provided in a region below the product shooter 5 (hereinafter also referred to as a “heat exchange region”). The product storage device 10 is provided in a region above the product shooter 5 (hereinafter also referred to as “product storage region”).

  The product shooter 5 is a plate-like member for guiding the product paid out from the product storage device 10 to the product exit 3a of the inner door 3, and is arranged in a manner that gradually inclines downward toward the front side. It is. Although not clearly shown in the figure, the product shooter 5 has a large number of ventilation holes (not shown) for communicating between the heat exchange region and the product storage region.

  The temperature adjustment unit 6 is for maintaining the internal atmosphere of the commodity storage 4 in a desired temperature state, and includes a refrigeration cycle evaporator 6a, an electric heater 6b, and a blower fan 6c. In this temperature control unit 6, for example, when the blower fan 6 c is driven in a state where the refrigeration cycle is operated, the air cooled in the evaporator 6 a is fed upward through the vent hole of the product shooter 5. Can be maintained at a low temperature. On the other hand, when the blower fan 6c is driven while the electric heater 6b is energized, the air heated by the electric heater 6b is fed upward through the vent hole of the product shooter 5, so that the product storage area is maintained at a high temperature. be able to. Note that the compressor, the condenser, and the expansion valve of the refrigeration cycle are all arranged in a machine room 7 that is outside the commodity storage 4 although not shown in the drawing.

  In the illustrated example, the product storage device 10 is arranged in three rows in the front-rear direction, and the passage component 12 is disposed between the pair of base side plates 11 so as to meander along the vertical direction. A configured product storage passage 13 is provided, and a plurality of products are stored inside the product storage passage 13 in a vertically lying position along the vertical direction. More specifically, the passage component 12 is appropriately disposed on the front side and the rear side of the commodity storage passage 13 so as to face each other, and is fixed to the base side plate 11.

  Such a passage component 12 is provided with a flapper not shown in the figure. The flapper is swingably disposed on the passage component 12 in such a manner that the flapper moves forward and backward with respect to the commodity storage passage 13. The flapper is biased by a coil spring (not shown) and normally moves forward into the product storage passage 13. Then, by coming into contact with the product passing through the product storage passage 13, the device itself moves backward along the meandering product storage passage 13 against the biasing force of the coil spring to correct the posture of the product. .

  In the product storage device 10, a payout mechanism 14 is provided below the product storage passage 13, while an inlet guide 20 is provided above the product storage passage 13.

  The payout mechanism 14 controls the behavior of the product with the passage width defining plate 15 so as to store the product in the product storage passage 13 in the standby state. On the other hand, if a payout command is given, the corresponding product 1 to the product shooter 5 one by one. Such a payout mechanism 14 includes a first pedal member 14a and a second pedal member 14b. The first pedal member 14a is swingably disposed so as to move forward and backward with respect to the product storage passage 13. In the standby state, the first pedal member 14a abuts on the lowest product by moving forward into the product storage passage 13. In the case where a payout command is given, the product moves backward from the product storage passage 13 and allows the product to move downward. The second pedal member 14b is swingably disposed so as to move forward and backward with respect to the product storage passage 13, and retreats from the product storage passage 13 in the standby state. The advancing movement with respect to the storage passage 13 is brought into contact with the second product from the lowest position to restrict the downward movement of the product. Such a payout mechanism 14 is conventionally known and will not be described in detail.

  The slot guide 20 is disposed so as to be swingable around the axis of the pin member (shaft member) 21 (see FIG. 2) in such a manner that it moves forward and backward in the product passage region 30 in the upper region of the product storage passage 13. is there. The insertion port guide 20 includes a base portion 20a having an insertion hole 20a1 through which the pin member 21 is inserted, an abutting portion 20b extending from the rear end portion of the base portion 20a, and a cover extending inclined from the front end portion of the base portion 20a. Part 20c. As shown in FIG. 2, the pin member 21 serving as the swinging shaft of the insertion port guide 20 has a through hole 41 a of the mounting metal 41 of the top tray 40 whose right end portion is disposed above the passage area 30. The left end portion is supported by the base side plate 11 by inserting the hole (not shown) of the left base side plate 11. Here, the end 41b of the attachment metal 41 is formed by a rising process (burring process).

  Such a slot guide 20 contacts the product before being loaded through the slot and carried into the merchandise storage passage 13 to adjust the posture of the merchandise.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the insertion port guide 20 includes two divided guides 201 and 202. Each of the division guides 201 and 202 is provided so as to be slidable along the axial direction of the pin member 21, and one of the division guides 202, that is, the left division guide 202 is a diagram that defines the passage width of the product storage passage 13. It is slid along the axial direction of the pin member 21 in association with a movable side plate (not shown).

  The top tray 40 is configured by bending a flat sheet metal, and a locking projection 42 protruding sideways from the left and right end portions is inserted into a hole (not shown) provided in the base side plate 11. Thus, it is disposed between the base side plates 11. The top tray 40 has a product guide part 43 and a passage structure part 44.

  The product guide 43 is a portion that gradually inclines downward from the front toward the rear, and when the product storage passage 13 exists behind the product guide portion 43, the product that has been placed on the upper surface through the inlet is the product storage passage. This constitutes a merchandise guide passage for guiding up to 13. Note that the product guide 43 of the top tray 40 has a flat guide structure portion 50 that is gradually inclined downward from the front to the rear in the front area of the top tray 40 when it is disposed between the base side plates 11. The upper surface of itself constitutes a product guide passage together with the upper surface of the guide component 50.

  The passage constituting portion 44 is a portion extending in a downwardly bent form from the rear end portion of the product guide portion 43, and constitutes the product storage passage 13 together with the passage component 12 located below the passage constituting portion 44. . The passage constituting portion 44 is provided with a flapper portion 45 as shown in FIG. The flapper portion 45 is swingably disposed in the passage configuration portion 44 in such a manner that the flapper portion 45 moves forward and backward with respect to the commodity storage passage 13. The flapper 45 is biased by a coil spring (not shown), and is normally in a posture of moving forward into the product storage passage 13. Then, by coming into contact with the product passing through the product storage passage 13, the device itself moves backward along the meandering product storage passage 13 against the biasing force of the coil spring to correct the posture of the product. .

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a case where the insertion port guide 20 and the top tray 40 shown in FIG. 2 are longitudinally cut along a plane including the axis of the pin member 21 and viewed from the front.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a regulation piece 46 that regulates the sliding movement of the right divided guide 201 toward the left is provided in the passage constituting portion 44 of the top tray 40 by cutting and raising. In the example shown in the figure, the restricting piece 46 is provided by cutting and raising in such a manner that it abuts on the left side of the left insertion hole forming portion 20a2 in the right split guide 201. Instead, the regulating piece may be provided by cutting and raising in such a manner as to abut on the left side of the right insertion hole forming portion 20a2 in the right divided guide 201.

  In the product storage device 10 having the above-described configuration, the right end portion of the pin member 21 that serves as the swing shaft of the insertion port guide 20 is supported by the mounting metal 41 of the top tray 40. Before the assembly work is performed, the insertion slot guide 20 can be assembled before the top tray 40 is assembled, and the efficiency of the assembly work can be improved. Moreover, a jig or the like for holding the pin member 21 is not required during the assembling operation of the product storage device 10.

  Therefore, according to the product storage device 10 of the present embodiment, the cost required for the jig can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced while improving the efficiency of the assembly work.

  Further, in the product storage device 10, a restriction piece 46 is provided by cutting and raising a predetermined portion of the passage constituting portion 44 of the top tray 40, and the right split guide 201 is along the axial direction of the pin member 21 by the restriction piece 46. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts without requiring through pins and reinforcing pins as in the prior art.

  Therefore, according to the product storage device 10 of the present embodiment, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, in the product storage device 10, the end 41 b of the attachment metal 41 of the top tray 40 is formed by rising, so that the product passing through the passage area 30 that is the upper area of the product storage passage 13 is attached to the attachment metal 41. It is possible to prevent the product from being damaged even if the product abuts against the end portion 41b.

  As described above, the product storage device of the vending machine according to the present invention is useful for a vending machine that sells products such as canned drinks and plastic bottled drinks.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 2 Outer door 3 Inner door 4 Goods storage 5 Goods shooter 10 Goods storage apparatus 11 Base side plate 12 Passage component 13 Goods storage passage 14 Discharge mechanism 14a First pedal member 14b Second pedal member 15 Passage width regulation plate 20 Slot guide 201 Division guide 202 Division guide 20a Base portion 20a1 Insertion hole 20a2 Insertion hole formation site 20b Abutting portion 20c Cover portion 21 Pin member 30 Passing zone 40 Top tray 41 Mounting metal 41b End portion 43 Product guide portion 44 Passage configuration portion 46 Regulation piece

Claims (1)

A product storage passage which is defined in a manner extending along the vertical direction by disposing a passage component between the pair of left and right base side plates, and sequentially stores the introduced products in a lying position;
It is arranged so as to be able to swing around the shaft center of the shaft member in such a manner that it moves forward and backward in the product passage area in the upper region of the product storage passage, is inserted through the insertion port, and is carried into the product storage passage. In a vending machine product storage device comprising a guide member that abuts a previous product and adjusts the posture of the product,
It said guide member, characterized in that the end portion of the hand of the shaft member comprises said supported on the top tray disposed above the passband, and is supported at the other end one of said base plate Vending machine product storage device.

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