JP5861512B2 - 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 product storage device includes a product storage passage, a payout mechanism, and a movable side plate. The merchandise storage passage is defined in such a manner as to extend in a meandering manner in the vertical direction by laying a passage component between a pair of base side plates that are erected opposite to the left and right. The payout mechanism is disposed on the lower side of the product storage passage, and cuts out and delivers the lowest product in the product storage passage. The movable side plate is disposed on any one of the base side plates so as to be movable in the left-right direction via a link member, and is used for adjusting the passage width of the product storage passage.

  This link member has a movable side plate on a pair of left and right bearings formed by cutting and raising a shaft portion (hereinafter also referred to as a base end portion side shaft portion) at one base side plate at its base end portion. The tip portion attached to the product is swingably disposed in such a manner as to move forward and backward with respect to the product storage passage. Such a link member is disposed on one base side plate as follows.

  With the link member lying down, the left base end shaft portion is inserted into the left shaft hole provided in the left bearing portion and moved to the left side. At this time, the left bearing portion is caused to enter a cut groove provided in the base portion of the left base shaft portion. Next, the link member is moved to the right side to be inserted into the right shaft hole provided in the right bearing portion, and then the link member is swung upward to follow the central axis direction of the base end shaft portion. In a state where the movement is restricted, the base side plate is swingably disposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 381056

  However, in the above-described product storage device, the link member is moved out of the swinging region that exhibits the link function of the movable side plate, i.e., is laid down, and the left base shaft portion is placed in the left shaft hole of one base side plate. Since the right base shaft is inserted into the right shaft hole and then swung upward, the base end must be attached to one base side plate while changing the posture of the link member. As a result, assembly work was complicated.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a product storage device for a vending machine capable of improving the efficiency of assembly work by simplifying the assembly work.

  In order to achieve the above object, a product storage device for a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention extends in the vertical direction by disposing a passage component between a pair of left and right base side plates. A product storage passage that sequentially stores the products that are defined and supplied in the mode, and a mode in which the base end shaft portion is supported by one of the base side plates and the distal end portion moves forward and backward with respect to the product storage passage And a link member that moves the movable side plate attached to the tip end portion in the left-right direction in a manner to move close to and away from the base side plate. In the apparatus, the one base side plate is arranged so that a minimum distance from an outer surface of the base side plate is smaller than an outer diameter of the base end shaft portion at a lower edge portion of an opening formed in the base side plate. To extend towards When the base end shaft portion penetrating through the opening enters from above, the base end shaft portion is allowed to pass by being deformed so as to enlarge the minimum interval, and after the base end shaft portion has passed. A holding part that holds the base end shaft part so as to be swingable around its central axis while restricting movement of the base end shaft part in the vertical and horizontal directions by returning to the original state by an elastic restoring force; and both sides of the holding part Is a pair of front and rear formed by bending outward in the region, and restricts movement of the proximal end shaft portion that is swingably held by the holding portion along the central axis direction And a piece.

  Further, the commodity storage device of the vending machine according to claim 2 of the present invention is defined in a mode that extends along the vertical direction by disposing a passage component between the pair of left and right base side plates, In addition, the product storage passage for sequentially storing the introduced products and the base end plate portion is supported on one of the base side plates, and the distal end portion thereof is swingably disposed so as to move forward and backward with respect to the product storage passage. In the commodity storage device of the vending machine comprising a link member configured to be moved and moved along the left-right direction in a manner to move the movable side plate attached to the tip end portion close to and away from the base side plate. The base side plate is formed so as to extend upward in such a manner that the distance from the outer surface of the base side plate is larger than the outer diameter of the base end shaft portion at the lower edge portion of the opening formed in the base side plate. Through the opening The base end shaft portion that has entered in this manner is restrained from moving in the left-right direction while being placed so as to be swingable around its central axis, and bent outward in both sides of the placement portion. A first restriction piece for restricting movement of the base end shaft portion that is swingably placed on the placement portion along the central axis direction; The both sides of the opening are formed to be bent outward in a region closer to the mounting part than the first restricting piece, and are placed on the mounting part so as to be swingable. And a second restricting piece for restricting the movement of the base end shaft portion upward.

  According to the present invention, the lower edge portion of the opening formed in the base side plate extends upward in such a manner that the minimum distance from the outer surface of the base side plate is smaller than the outer diameter of the proximal end shaft portion. When the base end shaft part penetrating through the opening enters from above, the formed holding part is deformed so as to increase the minimum interval, and the base end shaft part is allowed to pass and the base end shaft part passes. Later, the base shaft is returned to its original state by an elastic restoring force, and the base end shaft is held so as to be able to swing around its central axis while restricting movement in the vertical and horizontal directions. The pair of front and rear restricting pieces formed by bending toward the side restricts the movement of the base end shaft portion that is swingably held by the holding portion along the central axis direction. The base shaft part of the link member that penetrates the opening by simply deforming it is vertically and horizontally The base end of the link member can be held so as to be swingable in a state in which the movement in the direction is restricted, and further the movement of the base end shaft portion held in the holding portion by the restriction piece is restricted in the vertical direction. The part can be swingably supported in a state where movement in the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction is restricted. As a result, the link member can be swung by elastic deformation of the holding portion without the need to attach it to the base side plate after the link member is laid down as in the past, or from a swinging position that exhibits a link function. Therefore, the attachment work of the link member, and the assembly work of the product storage device can be facilitated. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the assembly work by simplifying 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 explanatory diagram simply showing a movable side plate and a link member that constitute the product storage device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part (support structure) of the left base side plate constituting the product storage device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the main part (support structure) of the left base side plate constituting the commodity storage device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the holding unit illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 6 shows a modified example of the product storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing a main part (support structure) of the base side plate. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a procedure for attaching the base shaft portion of the link member in the support structure shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a procedure for attaching the base shaft portion of the link member in the support structure shown in FIG.

  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. On the front surface of the outer door 2, a display window, a product selection button, a bill insertion slot, a coin slot, a return lever, an integrated display, a coin return slot, a merchandise outlet 2a, etc. are required when selling merchandise. Things are 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, a merchandise carry-out port 3 a for carrying merchandise out of the merchandise container 4 is provided.

  Further, the vending machine is provided with a product shooter 5 inside the product storage 4, and a temperature control unit is provided in a region below the product shooter 5 (hereinafter also referred to as "heat exchange region"). On the other hand, 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 delivered 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. ing. Although not clearly shown in the figure, the product shooter 5 is provided with 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 an evaporator 6a, an electric heater 6b, and a blower fan 6c of a refrigeration cycle. 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 disposed in the machine room 7 that is outside the commodity storage 4 although not explicitly 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 arranged between the pair of base side plates (rack side plates) 11 so that the product storage device 10 is arranged vertically. A product storage passage 13 configured in a meandering manner is provided, and a plurality of products are stored in a posture lying down in the vertical direction inside the product storage passage 13. More specifically, the passage component 12 is appropriately disposed so as to oppose the front side and the rear side of the product storage passage 13 and is fixed to the base side plate 11.

  Further, the 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 product 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 such a product storage device 10, a payout mechanism 14 is provided below the product storage passage 13, and a top tray 16 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 top tray 16 is formed by bending a flat sheet metal, and is disposed between the base side plates 11 so as to be gradually inclined downward from the front to the rear. The top surface of the top tray 16 constitutes a product guide passage 17 that guides the product put in through the insertion port to the product storage passage 13.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the product storage device 10 is provided with a movable side plate 20 and a link member 30. The movable side plate 20 is for adjusting the product passage width of the product storage passage 13 according to the length of the product, and is made of a thin steel plate that is sheet-metal processed to match the shape of the product storage passage 13.

  The link member 30 has a substantially long flat plate shape, and a proximal end shaft portion 31 is formed at the proximal end portion, while a distal end shaft portion 32 is formed at the distal end portion that is narrower than the proximal end portion. Is formed.

  The proximal end shaft portion 31 is formed in such a manner that the proximal end portion of the link member 30 projects from both sides, that is, forward and rearward. The distal end shaft portion 32 is formed in such a manner that the distal end portion of the link member 30 projects from both sides, that is, forward and rearward.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, such a link member 30 penetrates through an opening 11 a formed in the left base side plate 11 and is swingably supported by a support structure to be described later. Is swingably arranged in such a manner that it moves forward and backward with respect to the product storage passage 13. Then, the distal end shaft portion 32 of the distal end portion is inserted into the shaft hole 22 of the bearing piece 21 provided in the movable side plate 20, so that the link member 30 is left and right in a manner in which the movable side plate 20 approaches and separates from the base side plate 11. The passage width of the product storage passage 13 can be adjusted by moving in the direction.

  The link member 30 has a base end portion bent in such a manner that the base end portion protrudes outward (leftward) from the opening 11a formed in the left base side plate 11 when the link member 30 moves backward from the commodity storage passage 13. Is formed.

  Next, the support structure in the base side plate 11 will be described. Such a support structure includes a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) holding portions 40 and restriction pieces 50.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the holding portion 40 is formed by bending in a manner extending upward at the lower edge portion of the opening 11 a of the base side plate 11, and has a holding portion 41 and a guide portion 42. doing.

  The holding portion 41 is a curved portion formed in such a manner that the distance from the outer surface (left side surface) of the base side plate 11 is larger than the outer diameter of the proximal end shaft portion 31. The guide portion 42 is a linear portion that is formed continuously from the upper end portion of the holding portion 41 and extends upward from the upper end portion toward the left side.

  The distance between the boundary portion 43 between the holding portion 41 and the guide portion 42 and the outer surface (left side surface) of the base side plate 11 is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the proximal end shaft portion 31. That is, the holding portion 40 is formed so as to extend upward in such a manner that the minimum distance from the outer surface of the base side plate 11 is smaller than the outer diameter of the proximal end shaft portion 31.

  Such a holding portion 40 is deformed so as to enlarge the boundary portion 43 when the proximal end shaft portion 31 penetrating the opening 11a enters from above, and allows the passage of the proximal end shaft portion 31 to allow the passage of the proximal end shaft portion 31. After the end shaft portion 31 passes, it returns to its original state by an elastic restoring force, and swings around its central axis while restricting the base end shaft portion 31 from moving up and down and left and right in the holding portion 41. It is possible to hold.

  The restricting pieces 50 are a pair of front and rear provided in both side regions of the holding portion 40, that is, a front region of the front holding portion 40 and a rear region of the rear holding portion 40, and cut out the base side plate 11. It is comprised by bending the tongue piece-shaped part formed by facing outward (left side).

  These restricting pieces 50 restrict the movement of the base end shaft portion 31 that is swingably held by the holding portion 40 along the central axis direction, that is, along the front-rear direction.

  In the product storage device 10 having the above-described configuration, the base end shaft portion 31 of the link member 30 penetrating the opening 11a is restricted from moving in the vertical direction and the left-right direction simply by elastically deforming the holding portion 40. The base end portion of the link member 30 can be moved in the vertical direction by restricting the vertical movement of the base end shaft portion 31 held by the holding portion 40 by the restricting piece 50. It can be supported so as to be able to swing in a state where movement in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is restricted. As a result, the link member 30 can be swung by elastic deformation of the holding portion 40 without the need to attach to the base side plate after the link member has been laid down as in the prior art, or after being moved out of the swinging range where the link function is exhibited. Therefore, the attachment work of the link member 30 and the assembly work of the product storage device 10 can be facilitated.

  Therefore, according to the product storage device 10 of the present embodiment, the assembly work can be simplified and the efficiency of the assembly work can be improved.

  In addition, according to the product storage device 10, the holding portion 40 and the regulation piece 50 can be created only by bending or cutting a part of the base side plate 11, and no new parts or the like are required. There is no fear that the number of parts increases, and an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  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.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a modification of the product storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and showing the support structure of the base side plate as viewed from the left front side of the base side plate. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to what has the same structure as embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The support structure exemplified here includes a placement portion 60, a first restriction piece 70, and a second restriction piece 80.

  The mounting portion 60 includes a left extending portion 61 extending leftward from the lower edge portion of the opening 11a, and an upper extending portion 62 extending upward from an extending end portion of the left extending portion 61. The extension length of the left extension portion 61, that is, the distance between the upper extension portion 62 and the outer surface (left side surface) of the base side plate 11 is the outer diameter of the proximal end shaft portion 31. Larger than That is, the mounting portion 60 is formed to extend upward in such a manner that the distance from the outer surface of the base side plate 11 is larger than the outer diameter of the base end shaft portion 31 at the lower edge portion of the opening 11a. Yes. The placing portion 60 is placed so that the proximal end shaft portion 31 that has entered through the opening 11a can swing around its central axis while restricting movement in the left-right direction.

  The first restricting piece 70 is a pair of front and rear provided in both side areas of the mounting portion 60, that is, the front area and the rear area of the mounting section 60, and is formed by cutting out the base side plate 11. It is configured by bending the piece-like portion outward (leftward).

  These first restricting pieces 70 restrict the movement of the proximal end shaft portion 31 placed on the placement portion 60 so as to be swingable along the central axis direction, that is, along the front-rear direction. .

  The second restriction piece 80 is a pair of front and rear provided on both sides of the opening 11 a, that is, on the front area and the rear area of the opening 11 a and in the area closer to the placement portion 60 than the first restriction piece 70. The tongue piece-like portion formed by cutting out the base side plate 11 is bent outward (leftward). The separation distance between the second restricting piece 80 and the upper extension 62 of the placement portion 60 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the proximal end shaft portion 31.

  These second restricting pieces 80 restrict the base end shaft portion 31 that is swingably placed on the placing portion 60 from moving upward.

  In the product storage device 10 ′ having such a configuration, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the base end portion of the link member 30 penetrating through the opening 11 a is caused to enter the mounting portion 60. As a result, the proximal end shaft portion 31 of the proximal end portion is restricted from moving in the left-right direction, the front-rear direction, and the downward direction. Thereafter, by bending the second restricting piece 80 outward, as shown in FIG. 6, the proximal end shaft portion 31 is also restricted from moving upward. As a result, the base end portion (base end shaft portion 31) of the link member 30 can be swingably supported in a state where movement in the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction is restricted. Therefore, there is no need to attach the base member to the base side plate after the link member is laid down as in the prior art, and the posture that is out of the swinging region that exhibits the link function, and the link member 30 is swung by bending the second restricting piece 80. Therefore, the attachment work of the link member 30 and the assembly work of the product storage device 10 'can be facilitated. Therefore, even with such a configuration, the assembling work can be simplified and the efficiency of the assembling work can be improved.

  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 10 Commodity storage apparatus 11 Base side plate 11a Opening 12 Passage component 13 Commodity storage path 20 Movable side plate 30 Link member 31 Base shaft part 40 Holding part 41 Holding part 42 Guide part 43 Boundary part 50 Restriction piece 60 Mounting part 61 Left extension Part 62 Upper extension 70 First restriction piece 80 Second restriction piece

Claims (2)

A product storage passage that is configured 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 input products;
A base end shaft portion is supported on one of the base side plates, and the tip end portion is swingably disposed in such a manner that the tip end portion moves forward and backward with respect to the product storage passage, and is attached to the tip end portion. In a product storage device of a vending machine comprising a link member that moves a side plate along the left-right direction in a manner of approaching and separating from the base side plate,
The one base side plate is
The bottom edge of the opening formed in the base side plate is formed to extend upward in such a manner that the minimum distance from the outer surface of the base side plate is smaller than the outer diameter of the base end shaft portion. When the base end shaft portion penetrating the opening further enters, the base end shaft portion is allowed to pass by being deformed so as to enlarge the minimum interval, and after the base end shaft portion has passed, an elastic restoring force is used. A holding portion that holds the base end shaft portion so as to be swingable about its central axis while restricting movement of the base end shaft portion in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction by returning to the original state;
It is a pair of front and rear formed by bending outward in both side areas of the holding portion, and the base end shaft portion that is swingably held by the holding portion moves along the central axis direction. A product storage device for a vending machine, comprising a regulation piece that regulates the above. A product storage passage that is configured 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 input products;
A base end shaft portion is supported on one of the base side plates, and the tip end portion is swingably disposed in such a manner that the tip end portion moves forward and backward with respect to the product storage passage, and is attached to the tip end portion. In a product storage device of a vending machine comprising a link member that moves a side plate along the left-right direction in a manner of approaching and separating from the base side plate,
The one base side plate is
The lower edge of the opening formed in the base side plate is formed to extend upward in such a manner that the distance from the outer surface of the base side plate is larger than the outer diameter of the base end shaft portion, and the opening A mounting portion that swingably mounts around the central axis while restricting movement of the proximal end shaft portion that has entered through the left and right directions; and
It is a pair of front and rear formed by bending outward on both sides of the mounting portion, and the base end shaft portion that is swingably mounted on the mounting portion is along the central axis direction. A first restriction piece that restricts movement of the
It is formed on both sides of the opening and bent outward in a region closer to the mounting part than the first restricting piece, and is placed on the mounting part so as to be swingable. A product storage device for a vending machine, comprising: a second restricting piece for restricting the base end shaft portion from moving upward.

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