JP6914031B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention defines a product storage passage for storing a plurality of products in a line in the front-rear direction in a sideways posture in a product storage of a main body cabinet constructed as a heat insulating housing. The product storage rack is provided with a plurality of product storage racks inclined in the vertical direction so that the rear side, which is the product carry-out port, is lower than the front side. The present invention relates to a vending machine that carries out products stored in the product storage passage one by one by a product carrying-out device.

This type of vending machine is a product storage that creates a product storage passage that stores multiple products in a row in the front-back direction in a sideways posture in the product storage of the main cabinet constructed as a heat insulating housing. It is equipped with a product storage rack in which shelves are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction. The product storage shelves arranged in multiple stages above and below the product storage rack are arranged so as to be inclined with a predetermined gradient so that the rear side, which is the product carry-out port, is lower than the front side, which is the product input port. In the vicinity of the product carry-out port on the product storage shelf, a product carry-out device is provided that cuts out and carries out the products stored in the product storage passage in a sideways position. A product drop passage extending in the vertical direction is formed between the rear end of the product storage shelf and the back wall of the main body cabinet. The product drop passage is provided with an attitude control plate that rotates between a protruding position that protrudes into the product drop passage and a retracted position that is pushed open by the falling product and retracts from the product drop passage. The plate is urged by a coil spring so as to protrude toward the product drop passage, and when the product is pushed open by the product falling in the product drop passage and retracted from the product drop passage, the posture of the product is corrected to the sideways posture. At the same time, it absorbs the falling energy of the product and reduces the falling speed.

At the bottom of the product storage rack arranged in the product storage, the product unloading shooter and the product stored in the product storage passage are inclined forward and have a plurality of ventilation holes on the entire surface of the plate surface. It is equipped with a cooling / heating unit with a fan that cools or heats to a temperature suitable for sale. Further, side ducts are provided along the left and right side walls of the main body cabinet or the heat insulating partition wall that divides the inside of the product storage compartment into a plurality of product storage chambers in the left-right direction. As a result, the cold air cooled by the cooling / heating unit with a fan or the heated warm air is blown out into the product storage from the ventilation holes of the product delivery shooter by the drive of the fan, and rises inside the product storage before the side duct. It is configured to circulate so as to return to the fan via the above, and cool or heat the products stored in the product storage rack to a temperature suitable for sale in the process of ascending in the product storage. Then, when the product stored in the product storage rack is cooled or heated to a suitable temperature for sale, it becomes ready for sale, and when the product selection button provided on the outer door that is openably and closably attached to the front opening of the main body cabinet is pressed. The product unloading device provided on the corresponding product storage shelf operates to cut out one product stored in the product storage passage. The product cut out by the product unloading device is corrected by the attitude control plate in the process of falling down the product falling passage, and at the same time, the falling speed is reduced, and then the product is dropped onto the product unloading shooter, and then the product unloading shooter is used. It is configured to roll or slide on the product and be sent to the product outlet (for example, Patent Document 1).

In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of products are stored in the left-right side wall or the product storage compartment of the main body cabinet in the left-right direction instead of the back duct which is usually arranged along the back wall of the main body cabinet. Side ducts are provided along the heat insulating partition wall that divides the room. Therefore, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to increase the length of the I Ri commodity accommodating communication path to remove the rear duct disposed along the back wall of the cabinet , that is, it becomes possible to increase the length of the minute's only commodity accommodating communication path back duct has the advantage that it is possible to increase the number of storable item into product storage passage. However, there is a problem that the width dimension of the vending machine must be increased in order to provide the side duct.

Further, as a means for reducing the back duct, a cooling / heating unit with a fan cools a product falling passage formed in a vertically extending manner between the rear end of the product storage shelf and the back wall of the main body cabinet. It is known that it can also be used as a circulation path for cold air or heated warm air (for example, background art 0002,0003 of Patent Document 2). According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the cooling / heating unit with a fan is configured to blow out the cold air or the heated warm air cooled by the fan from below the product drop passage, and the cooling / heating with a fan. The cold air cooled by the heating unit or the heated warm air rises up the product drop passage, divides it into the product storage passage defined on the product storage shelf of each stage, and then circulates back to the fan to return to the product storage passage. It is possible to cool or heat the products stored in.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-137949 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-44293 (Background Art 0002,0003)

By the way, in Patent Document 2, when the product drop passage is also used as a circulation path for cold air cooled by a cooling / heating unit or heated warm air, it is cooled by a cooling / heating unit blown by a fan. Most of the cold or heated warm air is diverted to the lower product storage shelves and does not reach the upper product storage shelves sufficiently, and the products are defined in the lower and upper product storage shelves. There is a temperature difference between the products stored in the storage passage, and the entire product stored in the product storage rack, that is, the product stored in the product storage passage defined in the product storage shelf of each stage. The problem of inducing a large capacity of heat energy when all are cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale is disclosed. Therefore, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, a partition plate for forming an outward duct and a return duct for cold air or heated warm air cooled by a cooling / heating unit is provided in the product drop passage, and the product is described. by circulating the cooled cold air or the heated hot air in the cooling / heating unit via the forward duct and the return duct formed in the falling passage, housed in rear end zone of the goods storage communication channel It is configured to cool or heat only the product.

According to the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, the entire product stored in the product storage rack, that is, all the products stored in the product storage passage defined in the product storage shelf of each stage is suitable for sale. for the case of cooling or heating, so housed near the rear end zone of the goods storage communication path items is only necessary to cool or heat, superior in that it can avoid the large capacity of heat energy has to .. However, limited housed near the rear end zone of the goods storage communication path item only to the type of cooling or heating, also provided a partition member for forming a forward duct and a return duct to the product falling within the passageway It has a problem that the number of parts increases because it must be used.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to store products while also using the product drop passage as a circulation path for cold air cooled by a cooling / heating unit or heated warm air. It is to provide a vending machine capable of performing individual cooling or heating of the product housed in the rear end zone of the overall cooling or heating and commodity accommodating communication path of the commodities stored in the rack ..

The inventors have described the above problems, in particular, when the product drop passage is also used as a circulation path for cold air cooled by a cooling / heating unit with a fan or warm air heated, the product is cooled by a cooling / heating unit blown by a fan. Most of the cold or heated warm air is diverted to the lower product storage shelves and does not reach the upper product storage shelves sufficiently, and the products are defined in the lower and upper product storage shelves. As a result of various studies to solve the problem of temperature difference between the products stored in the storage passage, when cold air or warm air is simply blown from the bottom to the top of the product fall passage, it is from the bottom of the product fall passage. It was found that the cold or warm air that circulates upward becomes a turbulent flow, and as a result, most of the cold or warm air is diverted to the lower product storage shelf and does not reach the upper product storage shelf sufficiently. .. Therefore, paying attention to the flow of cold air or warm air that circulates from the lower side to the upper side of the product drop passage, and by giving the flow straightness, the cold air or warm air reaches the product storage shelf on the upper stage side sufficiently, and the lower stage stage. The following invention has been made, which can prevent a temperature difference between the products stored in the product storage aisles defined in the product storage shelves on the side and the upper stage, respectively.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is to store a plurality of products in a line in the front-rear direction in a sideways posture in a product storage of a main body cabinet constructed as a heat insulating housing. A product storage rack in which product storage shelves that define the passage are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction, a product unloading shooter that is inclined forward, and products stored in the product storage passage are cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale. The cooling / heating means are arranged in the order of top and bottom, and the product storage shelf is inclined so that the rear side, which is the product carry-out port, is lower than the front side, which is the product input port, and the product storage is near the product carry-out port. A product unloading device is provided in the passage to cut out and carry out the products stored in a sideways position one by one, and there is a product drop passage extending in the vertical direction between the rear end of the product storage shelf and the back wall of the main body cabinet. In a vending machine in which a product formed and carried out from the product unloading device is sent onto a product unloading shooter via the product drop passage, cold air cooled by the cooling / heating means or warm air heated by the cooling / heating means is blown. The lower fan in the refrigerator that blows air is connected to the lower part of the product drop passage, and the cold air or warm air blown by the lower fan in the refrigerator is guided to the lower part of the product drop passage and from the lower part to the upper part of the product drop passage. It is characterized by being provided with a straight-ahead stabilizing means for directing the vehicle.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, cold air or warm air that is located above the rear end of the uppermost product storage shelf and circulates in the product drop passage is stored in the product storage. forward equipped add the internal upper fan for blowing air, upon cooling or heating the entire of the commodities stored in the commodity rack drives a-compartment lower fan and the internal upper fans, merchandise storage communication When cooling or heating the products stored in the zone near the rear end of the road, the lower fan inside the refrigerator is driven, while the upper fan inside the refrigerator is driven and stopped.

The invention according to claim 3 is the vending machine according to claim 1, in which the wind direction is such that the cold air or warm air circulating from the rear to the front is changed downward at a position substantially intermediate in the front-rear direction of the uppermost product storage shelf. It is characterized by being additionally equipped with a conversion member.

The invention according to claim 4 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the straight-ahead stabilizing means has an inlet side opening facing the lower inner fan and an outlet side opening facing the lower part of the product drop passage. The duct is provided with a pressure difference between the inlet side opening and the outlet side opening so that the pressure of the outlet side opening becomes higher than the pressure of the inlet side opening. It is characterized by being.

The invention according to claim 5 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the straight-ahead stabilizing means is at least one of a flat plate-shaped rectifying member, a honeycomb structure, and a structure forming a spiral flow. It is characterized by consisting of.

Further, in the invention according to claim 6, in the vending machine according to claim 1, the product storage shelf is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes, and the perforation ratio in the intermediate region in the front-rear direction is maximized. It is characterized by becoming.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that, in the vending machine according to claim 1, the ventilation holes of the product carry-out shooter are bored except for the rear side close to the product drop passage. ..

The invention according to claim 8 is the vending machine according to claim 1, which has a protruding position protruding into the product falling passage at the rear end of the product storage shelf and a product falling passage pushed open by the falling product. It has an attitude control plate that rotates between the retracted position and the retracted position, and is characterized in that a plurality of ventilation holes are bored in the plate surface of the attitude control plate.

The invention according to claim 9 is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the straight-ahead stabilizing means has an opening on the entrance side facing the fan and a product drop at the rear end of the uppermost product storage shelf. It is characterized by having an outlet-side opening extending to the upper area of the passage, being a back side of the product drop passage, and being a duct arranged along the back wall of the main body cabinet.

Further, the invention according to claim 10 is that in the vending machine according to claim 9, a plurality of ventilation holes are formed in the entire surface of the shooter surface on which the product falls, as the ventilation holes of the product carry-out shooter. It is a feature.

According to the vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, a plurality of products are stored in a line in the front-rear direction in a sideways posture in the product storage of the main body cabinet constructed as a heat insulating housing. A product storage rack in which product storage shelves that define the passage are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction, a product unloading shooter that is inclined forward, and products stored in the product storage passage are cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale. The cooling / heating means are arranged in the order of top and bottom, and the product storage shelf is inclined so that the rear side, which is the product carry-out port, is lower than the front side, which is the product input port, and the product storage is near the product carry-out port. A product unloading device is provided in the passage to cut out and carry out the products stored in a sideways position one by one, and there is a product drop passage extending in the vertical direction between the rear end of the product storage shelf and the back wall of the main body cabinet. In a vending machine in which a product formed and carried out from the product unloading device is sent onto a product unloading shooter via the product drop passage, cold air cooled by the cooling / heating means or warm air heated by the cooling / heating means is blown. The lower fan in the refrigerator that blows air is connected to the lower part of the product drop passage, and the cold air or warm air blown by the lower fan in the refrigerator is guided to the lower part of the product drop passage and from the lower part to the upper part of the product drop passage. By providing a straight-ahead stabilizing means that allows the product to go straight toward the product, the cold air or warm air that circulates from the lower side to the upper side of the product drop passage has straightness, so that the product storage shelf on the upper stage can be sufficiently reached. Products in a predetermined area stored in the product storage passages defined on the product storage shelves from the lower side to the upper stage are uniformly cooled or heated, and the products are defined on the product storage shelves from the lower stage side to the upper stage side. It has the effect of being able to provide a vending machine capable of minimizing the temperature difference between the products stored in the stored product storage passage.

It is a schematic side view of the vending machine which concerns on Embodiment 1 which is the object of this invention. It is a perspective view which looked at the product storage rack of FIG. 1 from the diagonally upper right. It is a perspective view which shows the product storage shelf of FIG. 1 together with a partition member. It is an exploded view of the upper fan in the refrigerator and the mounting member of FIG. It is a perspective view of the wind direction changing member of FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cooling / heating unit and the product unloading shooter of FIG. 1 as viewed from diagonally above to the right. The duct of FIG. 1 is shown, (a) is a perspective view of the duct, and (b) is a perspective view of a duct to which a coil spring for holding a product unloading shooter is attached. The connection state between the duct and the wind tunnel of the cooling / heating unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown, (a) is a perspective view of the state where the wind tunnel is connected to the duct, and (b) is a disassembled duct and the wind tunnel. It is a perspective view of the state. Explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the air (cold air or warm air) which circulates in the product storage when concentrating cooling or heating of the product which is stored in the product storage rack which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention and has a fast selling order. Is. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the air (cold air or warm air) which circulates in the product storage storage at the time of cooling or heating the whole product stored in the product storage rack which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic side view of the vending machine which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. 11 is a perspective view of the cooling / heating unit and the product unloading shooter of FIG. 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from diagonally upper right. Explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the air (cold air or warm air) which circulates in the product storage when concentrating cooling or heating of the product which is stored in the product storage rack which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention and has a fast selling order. Is. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the air (cold air or warm air) which circulates in the product storage storage at the time of cooling or heating the whole product stored in the product storage rack which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the vending machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vending machine that sells canned beverages and PET bottled beverages, which is an example of a vending machine targeted by the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the product storage rack 4 of FIG. 1 from diagonally above right. It is a bird's-eye view. The left and right refer to the left and right when viewed from the front of the vending machine.

As shown in FIG. 1, this vending machine is supported on the front surface of the main body cabinet 1 so as to be openable and closable in a manner of closing the main body cabinet 1 formed as a heat insulating housing having an open front surface and the front opening of the main body cabinet 1. The outer door 2 is provided with a product outlet 2a. The main body cabinet 1 is constructed as a heat insulating housing by arranging heat insulating panels made of urethane foam inside the outer box made of steel plate, that is, on the upper wall 1a, the left and right side walls 1b, the back wall 1c, and the bottom wall 1d. A space surrounded by heat insulating panels arranged on 1a, the left and right side walls 1b, the back wall 1c, and the bottom wall 1d is formed as a product storage, and the lower part of the product storage is formed as a machine room 8. The front surface of the product storage in the main body cabinet 1 is closed by a heat-insulating inner door 3 that can be opened and closed, and the heat-insulating inner door 3 has a product carry-out port 3a having a flapper 3b that is pushed open by products sent from the product storage. It is provided. In the product storage cabinet surrounded by the heat insulating panel of the main body cabinet 1, a plurality of product storage racks 4 having product storage shelves 10 arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction are installed in the horizontal direction. The product storage rack 4 includes a pair of left and right rack side plates 41 and 41 made of rectangular flat plate-shaped thin steel plates, and the product storage shelves 10 are erected on the pair of left and right rack side plates 41.

The product storage shelves 10 are erected on a pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41 so as to be inclined with a predetermined gradient so that the front side serving as the product loading port 44 is high and the rear side serving as the product carry-out port 45 is low. The internal space surrounded by the product storage shelf 10 and the left and right rack side plates 41, or the partition member 42 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) set on the product storage shelf 10 as needed, lays down a plurality of products in a front-rear position. It is defined as a product storage passage 43 (product column) that is arranged and stored in a row in the direction, and this product storage passage 43 (product column) is formed in multiple upper and lower stages (10 product columns in this embodiment). There is. The product S housed in the product storage aisle 43 near the product carry-out port 45 of the product storage shelf 10 and on the upper surface of each product storage aisle 43, or on the lower surface of the product storage shelf 10 on the upper stage side in this embodiment. A product unloading device BM that cuts out and unloads the products one by one is arranged. As is well known (for example, Patent Document 1), the product unloading device BM has a mode in which it can freely appear in the product storage passage 43 and holds the product with the highest sales order (the last product, also referred to as a product for sale). The pedal member BM1 and the product storage passage 43 are movably provided between the protruding position protruding into the product storage passage 43 and the retracting position retracted from the product storage passage 43 in a manner that releases the holding of the product for sale. In the product storage passage 43, the retracted position for retracting from the product storage passage 43 and the second product in the sales order following the sold product (the product following the last product and also referred to as the next sold product) are held in the product storage passage 43. A stopper member movably provided between the protruding position, a link mechanism for moving the pedal member BM1 and the stopper member to the protruding position and the retracted position, a driving means (solor, motor) for driving the link mechanism, etc. The components of the above are attached to a thin box-shaped board, the pedal member protrudes into the product storage passage 43 to hold the product for sale, and the stopper member is retracted from the product storage passage during standby for sale. By driving the drive means, the stopper member is projected into the product storage passage 43 via the link mechanism to hold the next product to be sold, and then the pedal member is retracted from the product storage passage 43 to pay out the product for sale. It is composed. In addition, in order to attach the product carry-out device BM that cuts out the products stored in the uppermost product storage aisle 43 one by one, a mech locking member 100 composed of a dummy product storage shelf 10 above the uppermost product storage aisle 43. Are erected on a pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41.

Then, the upper fan F2 in the refrigerator is arranged at a position above the rear end of the MEC locking member 100. The area above the rear end of the MEC locking member 100 is a portion that becomes a dead space when the MEC locking member 100 is inclined and arranged with a predetermined gradient so that the rear side is lower than the front side. The upper fan F2 in the refrigerator is deployed using the dead space. The upper fan F2 in the refrigerator blows the air in the back side of the product storage toward the front. Further, a wind direction changing member WC is provided on the front side of the upper fan F2 in the refrigerator at a substantially intermediate position in the depth direction of the product storage. The wind direction changing member WC is fixed to a rack-side hook metal fitting 40 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, and changes the direction of the forward air blown from the upper fan F2 in the refrigerator downward.

The rear ends (product carry-out outlets 45) of the product storage shelves 10 arranged in multiple stages above and below each product storage rack 4 are located on the same vertical line, and the product carry-out outlet 45 and the back surface of the product storage cabinet (main body). The space between the back wall 1c) of the cabinet 1 is formed as a product drop passage 46 into which the product S falls. Then, at the rear end of each product storage shelf 10, it rotates between a protruding position protruding into the product dropping aisle 46 and a retracting position pushed open by the falling product S and retracted from the product falling passage 46. Attitude control plate 47 is deployed. The attitude control plate 47 is urged by a coil spring (not shown) so as to protrude toward the product drop passage 46, and is pushed open by the product S falling through the product drop passage 46 to retract from the product drop passage 46. When doing so, it has a function of correcting the posture of the product S to a sideways posture and absorbing the falling energy of the product S to reduce the falling speed. A plurality of ventilation holes 47a (see FIG. 2) are bored on the plate surface of the attitude control plate 47. Further, the attitude control plate 47 has a predetermined gap L between its tip and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1 at a protruding position protruding into the product falling passage 46 (a state of protruding into the product falling passage 46). Is what you are doing.

At the lower part of the product storage rack 4, the lower area of the product drop passage 46 and the product carry-out port 3a provided on the heat-insulating inner door 3 are connected to each other so as to be inclined in a downward-sloping posture and arranged on the plate surface. A product unloading shooter 5 having a plurality of vent holes 5a (see FIG. 6) and a cooling / heating unit 6 for cooling or heating the product S stored in the product storage rack 4 and storing the product S in a cold or hot state are arranged. Then, the product storage rack 4, the product unloading shooter 5, and the cooling / heating unit 6 are arranged in the product storage in the order of the top and bottom. The cooling / heating unit 6 constitutes a cooling / heating means for cooling or heating the product S stored in the product storage passage to a temperature suitable for sale.

The cooling / heating unit 6 is arranged in the space behind the product unloading shooter 5 which is arranged so as to be inclined forward. In the cooling / heating unit 6, the evaporator 6a, the heater 6b, and the inner lower fan F1 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction in the order of the evaporator 6a, the inner lower fan F1, and the heater 6b from the front side. The evaporator 6a, the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator, and the heater 6b are arranged in a wind tunnel that surrounds and protects each of them, and a wind tunnel 60 for a spacer is provided in connection with the wind tunnel of the heater 6b. The wind tunnels and the wind tunnels 60 in the evaporator 6a, the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator, and the heater 6b are continuous in a tunnel shape as a whole. It shall be referred to as a representative of each wind tunnel, that is, a wind tunnel 60 of the cooling / heating unit 6. A duct 7 is provided in connection with the wind tunnel 60 of the cooling / heating unit 6. The duct 7 is arranged along the back surface of the product storage (back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1) in a manner extending to the lower area of the product drop passage 46, and is an entrance side opening 74 (opening 74 facing the exit of the wind tunnel 60). (See FIG. 7) and an outlet side opening 78 (see FIG. 7) communicating with the lower area of the product drop passage 46. The duct 7 constitutes a straight-ahead stabilizing means.

Further, in the machine room 8 below the main body cabinet 1, an evaporator 6a of the cooling / heating unit 6 and a refrigerator condensing unit 9 forming a refrigerating cycle are arranged. The refrigerator condensin unit 9 includes a compressor 9a, a condenser 9b, an outside fan 9c, an expansion valve (not shown), and the like, and is arranged inside the product storage and the condenser 9b arranged outside the product storage. The evaporator 6a is connected to the evaporator 6a by a refrigerant pipe via an expansion valve.

Although not shown, a product display room displaying a plurality of product samples corresponding to the product columns, a product selection button for specifying the product S to be purchased, and coins as a price are inserted on the front surface of the outer door 2. By inserting coins, such as a coin slot, a bill slot for inserting bills as a price, a coin return slot for taking out change coins or coins returned by a return command, and a return lever for instructing the return of change or inserted coins. Parts necessary for the automatic sale of the product S are arranged, and a handle of a door lock mechanism for closing and locking the outer door 2 to the main body cabinet 1 is provided.

The product storage rack 4 includes a pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41 on which the product storage shelves 10 are erected. As shown in FIG. 2, the left and right rack side plates 41 and 41 are made of rectangular flat plate-shaped thin steel plates. Product storage shelves 10 are erected in multiple stages in the vertical direction on the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41. At the upper ends of the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41, two rack side hook metal fittings 40 similar to the serpentine type product storage rack are erected in the front and rear, and the rack side hook metal fittings 40, 40 are placed on the ceiling of the product storage. The product storage rack 4 is housed in the product storage by locking and fixing it to the laid main body side hook metal fittings (not shown).

A mounting member 410 made of a thin steel plate is erected at a position above the rear end of the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41, and the upper fan F2 in the refrigerator is fixed to the mounting member 410. Further, a wind direction changing member WC is attached behind the rear side rack side hook metal fittings 40 of the two front and rear rack side hook metal fittings 40 provided at the upper ends of the pair of left and right rack side plates 41 and 41.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of partition members 42 can be mounted on the product storage shelf 10 as needed. These partition members 42 define a product storage aisle 43 (product column) for storing a plurality of products in a row in the front-rear direction in a sideways posture. The width of the product storage passage 43 (product column) in the left-right direction facilitates the loading of products during product replenishment (loading), while the posture (axis) of the product rolling or sliding on the product storage shelf 10. ) Is set to a width slightly smaller than the diagonal length of the product in order to prevent the posture from being perpendicular to the front-rear direction to being aligned with the front-back direction, and is stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column). A slight gap is formed between the product and the partition plate 42 (or the rack side plate 41).

As shown in FIG. 3, the product storage shelf 10 is reinforced by forming flanges 11 and 11 bent downward from the left and right side edges of a rectangular plate surface. A hollow cylindrical portion 12 formed by rolling into a hollow cylindrical shape (curl shape) is formed at the front end of the product storage shelf 10. A pin insertion portion 11a is formed in the front portion of the flanges 11 and 11 by a notch, and an arcuate pin engaging portion 11b and 11c are also formed in a substantially intermediate portion and a rear end of the flange 11 by a notch. There is. Product storage in such a manner that the pin insertion portions 11a and the pin engaging portions 11b and 11c provided on the flanges 11 and 11 face the pin members P0 to P2 (see FIG. 2) erected on the left and right rack side plates 41 and 41. By arranging the shelves 10, the product storage shelves 10 are configured to be attached to the left and right rack side plates 41 and 41.

In this embodiment, the product storage shelf 10 is provided with three slit-shaped engaging grooves 14 in the front-rear direction at the center in the width direction of the plate surface defined to have a width corresponding to a long-sized product. The engaging groove 14 locks and fixes the partition member 42, and the width thereof is formed to be larger than the plate thickness of the partition member 42. A plurality of ventilation holes 10a are formed on the plate surface of the product storage shelf 10. The ventilation holes 10a are bored so that the perforation ratio differs in the front-rear direction of the product storage shelf 10. In this embodiment, the perforation ratio in the intermediate region MT in the front-rear direction of the product storage shelf 10 is the highest, and the perforation ratio in the front region FT and the rear region RT sandwiching the intermediate region MT is small.

The partition member 42 is made of a thin steel plate and is mounted on the product storage shelf 10 in a manner extending in the front-rear direction to define the product storage passage 43. As shown in FIG. 3, the partition member 42 is formed with triple claws 421 protruding downward, and these claws 421 are formed in the three engaging grooves 14 formed on the plate surface of the product storage shelf 10. It is configured so that it can be engaged with each other. In the set of the partition member 42, the partition member 42 is lowered after the triple claws 421 of the partition member 42 are made to face the corresponding triple engaging grooves 14 in a state where the partition member 42 is pulled out from the engaging groove 14. And, the triple claws 421 are set by falling into and engaging with the corresponding triple locking grooves 14. In this way, when the partition member 42 is set on the product storage shelf 10, two rows of short-sized product storage passages (product columns) are formed on both sides of the partition member 42 (half the width of the long-sized product). On the other hand, when the partition member 42 is removed, a product storage passage (product column) for long-sized products is formed. That is, the product storage rack 4 is also used for selling products of different lengths (long size products and short size products). In this case, the product unloading device BM is arranged in the vicinity of the product unloading outlet 45 corresponding to the short-sized product storage aisle, and when the partition member 42 is set, the two product unloading devices BM are individually arranged. When the partition member 42 is not set, the two product unloading devices BM are synchronously controlled.

As shown in FIG. 4, the internal upper fan F2 is composed of a box-type fan, and is erected on a pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41 via a mounting member 410 made of a thin steel plate. The mounting member 410 is provided with an opening 412 at a substantially central position of the base 411 corresponding to the width between the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41. Flange is formed on the upper and lower ends of the base 411 by bending, and on the left and right ends thereof, an L-shaped engaging piece 413 and 414 straddling the upper and lower flanges and a hook shape arranged between the engaging pieces 413 and 414. Locking pieces 415 (two on the right end side and one on the left end side) are formed so as to project outward. Corresponding to these L-shaped engaging pieces 413 and 414, the pair of left and right rack side plates 41 and 41 have through holes OP1 and OP2 matching the shape of the L-shaped engaging pieces 413 and the stop piece 414 (FIG. The leader line is shown by a dotted line on the rack side plate 41 on the right end side of 2), and the hook-shaped locking pieces 415 are attached to the pair of left and right rack side plates 41 and 41 corresponding to the hook-shaped locking pieces 415. A through hole OP3 (a portion where a leader line is indicated by a dotted line on the rack side plate 41 on the right end side of FIG. 2) matching the shape is formed. The upper fan F2 in the refrigerator is aligned with the opening 412 of the base 411 in the mounting member 410 and fixed by screwing, and then the L-shaped engaging pieces 413 and 414 of the mounting member 410 and the hook-shaped locking piece 415. Is inserted into the through holes OP1 to OP3 of the pair of left and right rack side plates 41 and 41, and then the hook of the hook-shaped locking piece 415 protruding outward from the pair of left and right rack side plates 41 and 41 is attached to the rack side plate 41. By locking, it is attached to a pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41.

As shown in FIG. 5, the wind direction changing member WC has an L-shape obtained by bending a strip-shaped rectangular flat plate having a length substantially matching the length between the pair of left and right rack side plates 41 and 41 along the longitudinal direction. Is formed in. In this embodiment, one L-shaped leg piece WC1 is arranged along the upper wall 1a (see FIG. 1) of the main body cabinet 1 so that the other leg piece WC2 extends downward. The other leg piece WC2 is fixed behind the rack-side hook fitting 40 on the rear side of the two front and rear rack-side hook fittings 40. As a result, the wind direction changing member WC is arranged at a substantially intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the upper ends of the pair of left and right rack side plates 41, 41 in such a manner that the other leg piece WC2 faces in the vertical direction.

FIG. 6 shows a product unloading shooter 5 arranged at the bottom of the product storage rack 4 and a wind tunnel 60 of the cooling / heating unit 6. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the product unloading shooter 5 is arranged on the wind tunnel 60 of the cooling / heating unit 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the product carry-out shooter 5 is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes 5a on the shooter surface. The ventilation holes 5a are perforated in the middle stage and the front stage side excluding the rear stage side of the product carry-out shooter 5. A mounting piece 51 bent in a "<" shape is formed at the front end of the product unloading shooter 5. The vertically extending downward portion 511 of the mounting piece 51 is along the front wall of the main body cabinet 1, and a screw insertion hole 511a is formed on the plate surface thereof and is screwed to the front wall of the main body cabinet 1. Will be done. Further, a locking piece 512 extending downward is formed at the rear end of the product unloading shooter 5, and is arranged in such a manner that the locking piece 512 is locked to the duct 7 and is arranged on the rear side of the product unloading shooter 5. The back surface is held by a coil spring SP attached to the duct 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, the duct 7 is made of a thin steel plate formed in a concave cross section, and is composed of a rectangular flat plate-shaped front wall 71, left and right side walls 72, 72, and back walls 73, 73. An inlet side opening 74 communicating with the outlet of the wind tunnel 60 is formed near the lower center of the front wall 71, and a pair of upper and lower screw holes 75 are formed near both left and right ends on the upper side of the front wall 71. Further, slit-shaped locking grooves 76 and 77 for locking the wind tunnel 60 are formed at both left and right ends of the inlet side opening 74, respectively. As shown in FIG. 7 (b), a "dogleg" -shaped spring fixing piece 50 is screwed into a pair of upper and lower screw holes 75, 75 formed near the left and right ends on the upper side of the front wall 71. .. A coil spring SP is locked to the spring fixing piece 50, and the coil spring SP holds the rear side back surface of the product unloading shooter 5 described above, and the product that falls to the rear end side of the product unloading shooter 5 It is configured to cushion the impact.

The duct 7 is arranged so that the lower end thereof is placed on the bottom wall 1d of the main body cabinet 1 and the back walls 73 and 73 are brought into contact with the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1 and is arranged with the front wall 71 of the duct 7. The space surrounded by the left and right side walls 72 and 72 and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1 (indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 7A) is a passage through which air flows, and the upper end thereof is the product drop passage 46 (see FIG. 1). The outlet side opening 78 faces downward. Here, the widths of the left and right side walls 72 and 72 are substantially the same as the predetermined gap L (see FIG. 1) formed between the tip of the attitude control plate 47 and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1. It is stipulated as. As a result, the vertical space above the outlet-side opening 78 becomes a passage without obstacles such as the attitude control plate 47, and the air flowing upward from the outlet-side opening 78 is above the product drop passage 46 without being obstructed. It is possible to reach the upper end of the product storage). Further, the areas of the inlet side opening 74 and the outlet side opening 78 of the duct 7 are formed so that the area of the outlet side opening 78 is smaller than the area of the inlet side opening 74. As a result, when air flows in from the inlet side opening 74 and flows out from the outlet side opening 78, a pressure difference is generated so that the pressure in the outlet side opening 78 becomes higher than the pressure in the vicinity of the inlet side opening 74, and the inlet side. The velocity of the air flowing out from the outlet side opening 78 becomes faster than the velocity of the air flowing into the opening 74, and the air flowing out from the outlet side opening 78 has straightness. The back walls 73 and 73 of the duct 7 serve to enhance the adhesion to the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1 and prevent the sealing material of the back wall 1c formed as a heat insulating panel from being scratched. ..

FIG. 8 shows a connection state between the duct 7 and the wind tunnel 60 of the cooling / heating unit 6, (a) shows a state in which the wind tunnel 60 is connected to the duct 7, and (b) shows the duct 7 and the wind tunnel 60. Shows the disassembled state of and.

As shown in FIG. 8, the wind tunnel 60 has a size that surrounds the inlet side opening 74 of the duct 7, and the trailing edges of the left and right side walls 61 are provided with locking pieces 611,612 protruding rearward. There is. The locking piece 611 is formed as a trapezoidal protrusion inserted into a slit-shaped locking groove 76 formed in the front wall 71 of the duct 7, and a bulging portion 611a is provided on the plate surface thereof. The locking piece 612 is formed as a hook-shaped protrusion inserted into the slit-shaped locking groove 77 formed in the front wall 71 of the duct 7. The plate thickness of the locking pieces 611 and 612 is smaller than the groove width of the slit-shaped locking grooves 76 and 77 formed in the front wall 71 of the duct 7, and the height of the bulging portion 611a provided in the locking piece 611. The thickness of the locking piece 611 and the amount of bulging of the bulging portion 611a are set to be slightly larger than the groove width of the locking groove 76.

The wind tunnel 60 is formed by inserting the locking pieces 611 and 612 provided on the left and right side walls 61 into the slit-shaped locking grooves 76 and 77 formed in the front wall 71 of the duct 7 and then sliding the locking pieces downward. The hook of 612 engages with the back surface of the front wall 71 of the duct 7 and is integrated with the duct 7 (see (a) in FIG. 8). When the locking piece 611 of the wind tunnel 60 is inserted into the locking groove 76 of the duct 7, the bulging portion 611a of the locking piece 611 becomes a resistance when passing through the locking groove 76 and passes through the locking groove 76. You can get a click feeling when you do.

In the vending machine having such a configuration, the product S is placed in the product storage passage 43 (product column) defined in the product storage shelf 10 from the product input port 44 by opening the outer door 2 and the heat insulating inner door 3 shown in FIG. It will be loaded. The product first loaded in the product storage passage 43 (product column) is held by the pedal member BM1 of the product unloading device BM protruding from the product storage passage 43 and becomes the product with the highest sales order (also referred to as the product for sale). The next loaded product is stacked on the front side of the sold product held by the pedal member BM1 to become the next sold product, and the subsequently loaded product is sequentially stacked in front of the next sold product. The product S stored in the product storage rack 4 in this way is cooled or heated by the cooling / heating unit 6 and stored in a cold or hot state suitable for sale, and is in a state where it can be sold (sales standby state).

Here, the flow of air (cold air or warm air) circulating in the product storage when the product stored in the product storage rack 4 is cooled or heated by the cooling / heating unit 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. do. FIG. 9 shows the state of the circulating airflow when the products with the highest sales order (for example, the fourth product from the sold product) stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column) are centrally cooled or heated. FIG. 10 shows a state of a circulating air flow when cooling or heating the entire product stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column). As shown in FIG. 9, the case where products having a high sales order are intensively cooled or heated is also referred to as zone cooling or zone heating, and the case where the entire product is cooled or heated as shown in FIG. 10 is referred to as overall cooling or heating. Also called total heating.

Although not shown, it has a main control unit that controls the entire vending machine, and this main control unit has a ROM that stores various execution programs, a RAM that stores various data, and various inputs. A CPU or the like that executes various execution programs by signals is provided, and the lower internal fan F1 and the upper internal fan F2 are driven and controlled according to a program for zone cooling or zone heating, overall cooling, or overall heating.

As shown in FIG. 9, when zone cooling or zone heating is performed, the inner lower fan F1 of the cooling / heating unit 6 is driven, while the inner upper fan F2 is stopped. In this case, the lower internal fan F1 is driven and controlled to rotate at a medium speed, which is slower than the high speed rotation. When the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator is driven, the cold air cooled by the cooler 6a or the warm air heated by the heater 6b (hereinafter, the cold air cooled by the cooler 6a or the warm air heated by the heater 6b is used as the inside air. After entering the inside of the duct 7 from the air cavity 60 of the cooling / heating unit 6 through the inlet side opening 74 of the duct 7, the air is blown out from the outlet side opening 78 of the duct 7 into the product drop passage 46. Here, the duct 7 is formed so that the area of the outlet side opening 78 is smaller than the area of the inlet side opening 74, and the pressure of the outlet side opening 78 is higher than the pressure in the vicinity of the inlet side opening 74. Since it is configured so as to generate a large pressure difference, the speed of the internal air blown out from the outlet side opening 78 becomes faster than the speed of the internal air entering the duct 7 from the inlet side opening 74. The air inside the refrigerator blown out from the outlet side opening 78 has straightness. Since the outlet side opening 78 of the duct 7 is arranged to face the passage of the gap L formed between the tip of the attitude control plate 47 in the product drop passage 46 and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1. The straight-moving internal air blown from the outlet-side opening 78 into the product drop passage 46 becomes a circulating air flow B between the multi-stage product storage shelves 10 while being diverted to the tip of the attitude control plate 47. The circulating airflow A passes through the gap L formed between the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1 and reaches the upper part of the product drop passage 46 (the upper end of the product storage). As a result of the circulation airflow A having a straightness due to the duct 7 and reaching the upper part of the product drop passage 46 (the upper end of the product storage), the circulation airflow B is distributed substantially evenly to the multi-stage product storage shelves. It has been confirmed by the experiments (simulation) of the inventors.

Further, by driving the lower inner fan F1, the air inside the product storage chamber is sucked into the lower inner fan F1 through the ventilation hole 5a of the product carry-out shooter 5, but the latter stage of the product carry-out shooter 5. Since the ventilation hole 5a is not drilled on the side, the air inside the refrigerator blown out from the outlet side opening 78 of the duct 7 does not short-cut and return directly to the lower fan F1 inside the refrigerator.

Then, the circulating airflow B divided between the product storage shelves 10 flushes the products stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column), and cools or heats the products. Then, the circulating airflow B separated between the product storage shelves 10 that have washed away the products circulates to the lower part of the refrigerator through the ventilation holes 10a drilled in the product storage shelves 10 by the suction of the lower interior fan F1. It becomes circulating airflows C and D and returns to the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator through the ventilation hole 5a of the product carry-out shooter 5.

Here, when the product S is placed on the product storage shelf 10, the ventilation hole 10a of the projected portion of the product S as seen from the upstream side in the flow direction of the circulating airflows C and D is blocked by the product S, but the product. The gap between the product and the partition plate 42 (or the rack side plate 41) caused by the gap outside the projection portion of S, that is, the width of the product storage passage 43 (product column) being set to be slightly longer than the length of the product S. The ventilation holes 10a corresponding to the gaps between them are open. Therefore, the circulating airflows C and D are formed even when the product S is placed on the product storage shelf 10 (if the product S is compared to a shoji screen of Japanese-style architecture, the circulating airflows C and D are gaps. It is equivalent to the wind). In this case, a product unloading device BM for carrying out the products S stored in the product storage passage 43 one by one is arranged on the back surface of the product storage shelf 10 at the passage of the circulating airflow C, and the product unloading device BM The ventilation hole 10a of the product storage shelf 10 is also closed. As a result, the air volume of the circulating air flow C becomes small, while the air volume of the circulating air flow D through which the ventilation hole 10a having a high perforation rate perforated in the product storage shelf 10 is a passage increases, and the circulating air flow D becomes the lower fan in the refrigerator. It becomes the main stream of the airflow returning to F1. In this way, in the case of zone cooling or zone heating, by driving and controlling the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator so as to have an intermediate speed, the air in the refrigerator becomes circulating airflows A to D via the duct 7 and stores the product. The product S, which is stored in the rack 4 and has a high sales order, can be intensively cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the case of total cooling or total heating, the inner lower fan F1 and the inner upper fan F2 of the cooling / heating unit 6 are driven. In this case, the inner lower fan F1 and the inner upper fan F2 are driven and controlled so as to rotate at high speed. When the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator is driven to rotate at high speed, the air inside the refrigerator blown out to the product drop passage 46 through the duct 7 becomes a circulating air flow A having a stronger straightness due to the function of the duct 7, and the product drop passage. It reaches above 46 (the upper end of the product storage). In this case, the high-speed rotation drive of the inner lower fan F1 and the inner upper fan F2 causes the straightness of the inner air blown out to the product drop passage 46 through the duct 7 and the high-speed rotation drive of the inner upper fan F2. Since the straightness of the circulating airflow A is enhanced in combination with the suction force, the circulating airflow B as shown in FIG. 9 does not occur.

The circulating airflow A (internal air) sucked by the drive of the internal upper fan F2 is blown out toward the front of the product storage by the internal upper fan F2 to become the circulating airflow F. The internal air (circulating airflow F) blown toward the front of the product storage by the internal upper fan F2 is turned downward by the wind direction changing member WC and becomes the circulating airflow D returning to the internal lower fan F1. On the other hand, it is diverted into the circulating airflow E toward the front of the product storage and the circulating airflow G toward the rear of the product storage. In the circulating airflows E and G, the air volume of the internal air (circulating airflow F) blown toward the front of the product storage by the upper internal fan F2 is larger than the airflow of the circulating airflow D, and the circulating airflow D becomes the product. It occurs when it is sprayed and diffused and spreads in the front-back direction of the product storage. The circulating airflow E flushes the products stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column), cools or heats them, descends along the inner wall surface of the inner door 3, and then descends along the inner wall surface of the inner door 3, and then the ventilation holes 5a of the product carry-out shooter 5. Return to the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator via. Further, from the circulating airflow E, a circulating airflow H is generated through a ventilation hole 10a formed in the intermediate region MT of the product storage shelf 10, and the circulating airflow H descends along the wall surface of the rack side plate 41 or the partition member 42. After that, the product returns to the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator through the ventilation hole 5a of the product carry-out shooter 5. The circulating airflow G toward the rear of the product storage unit flushes the products stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column) and then joins the circulating airflow A. The circulating airflow G is generated only on the upper stage side of the product storage shelf 10 in which the upper internal fan F2 is arranged (that is, is sucked by the upper internal fan F2), and becomes the circulating airflow C on the lower stage side thereof.

In this way, in the case of overall cooling or overall heating, by driving and controlling the lower inner fan F1 and the upper inner fan F2 so as to rotate at high speed, the air inside the refrigerator is circulated through the ducts 7 to H. Therefore, the products in all areas stored in the product storage rack 4 can be cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale.

As described above, according to the vending machine according to the first embodiment, a plurality of products S are arranged in a row in the front-rear direction in a sideways posture in the product storage of the main body cabinet 1 constructed as a heat insulating housing. The product storage rack 4 in which the product storage shelves 10 defining the product storage passage 43 are arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, the product carry-out shooter 5 inclined forward, and the product storage passage 43 are stored. Cooling / heating means (cooling / heating unit 6) for cooling or heating the product S to a temperature suitable for sale are arranged in the order of the top and bottom, and the product storage shelf 10 is a product with respect to the front side serving as the product input port 44. A product unloading device BM is provided in the vicinity of the product unloading outlet 45, which is inclined so that the rear side of the unloading outlet 45 is lowered, and the products S stored in the product storage passage 43 in a sideways posture are cut out and carried out one by one. A product drop passage 46 extending in the vertical direction is formed between the rear end of the product storage shelf 10 and the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1, and the product carried out from the product unloading device BM passes through the product drop passage 46. In the vending machine that is sent out onto the product delivery shooter 5 via the product, the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator and the product that blows cold air cooled by the cooling / heating means (cooling / heating unit 6) or warm air heated. It is connected to the lower part of the drop passage 46, and the cold air or warm air blown by the lower inner fan F1 of the refrigerator is guided to the lower part of the product drop passage 46, and the product goes straight from the lower part to the upper part of the product drop passage 46. By providing the stabilizing means (duct 7), the cold air or warm air that circulates from the lower side to the upper side of the product drop passage 46 has straightness, so that the product storage shelf 10 on the upper stage side can be sufficiently reached. , The products S in the predetermined area stored in the product storage passage 43 defined in the product storage shelves 10 from the lower side to the upper stage are uniformly cooled or heated, and the products are stored from the lower stage side to the upper stage side. This has the effect of providing a vending machine capable of minimizing the temperature difference between the products S stored in the product storage passage 43 defined on the shelf 10.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the duct 7 is used as the straight-ahead stabilizing means has been described, but as the straight-ahead stabilizing means, a flat plate-shaped rectifying member, a honeycomb structure, and a structure forming a spiral flow are described. It can be configured by at least one of the above, or a combination thereof, and is not limited to the embodiment.

(Embodiment 2)
Hereinafter, the vending machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a vending machine that sells canned beverages and PET bottled beverages, which is an example of a vending machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a cooling / heating of FIG. A perspective view of the unit and the product unloading shooter viewed from diagonally above to the right, FIG. 13 circulates in the product storage when the products stored in the product storage rack of FIG. Explanatory drawing showing the flow of air (cold air or warm air), FIG. 14 shows the air (cold air or warm air) circulating in the product storage when cooling or heating the entire product stored in the product storage rack of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the height of the duct and the area of the ventilation holes of the product carry-out shooter are different, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, those having the same or the same function as those in FIGS. 11 to 14 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the duct 7a shown in the second embodiment has a product drop aisle 46 at the rear end of the uppermost product storage shelf 10 with respect to the duct 7 (see FIG. 1) shown in the first embodiment. It extends to the upper area, the upper end of the duct 7a is opened in the same manner as the duct 7, and the total width is the same as that of the product storage. The duct 7a is arranged along the back surface of the product storage (the back wall 1c of the main body cabinet 1), communicates with the entrance side opening 74 facing the exit of the wind tunnel 60 and the lower area of the product drop passage 46, and has an upper end portion. Is provided with an outlet side opening 78a. The duct 7a constitutes the straight-ahead stabilizing means according to the second embodiment.

Here, the flow of air (cold air or warm air) circulating in the product storage when the product stored in the product storage rack 4 is cooled or heated by the cooling / heating unit 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. do. FIG. 13 shows the state of the circulating airflow when the products with the highest sales order (for example, the second product from the sold product) stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column) are centrally cooled or heated. FIG. 14 shows a state of a circulating air flow when cooling or heating the entire product stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column). In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, the case where products having a high sales order are intensively cooled or heated is also referred to as zone cooling or zone heating, and as shown in FIG. 14, the case where the entire product is cooled or heated is totally cooled or heated. Also called total heating.

Although not shown, it has a main control unit that controls the entire vending machine, and this main control unit has a ROM that stores various execution programs, a RAM that stores various data, and various inputs. A CPU or the like that executes various execution programs by signals is provided, and the lower internal fan F1 and the upper internal fan F2 are driven and controlled according to a program for zone cooling or zone heating, overall cooling, or overall heating.

As shown in FIG. 13, in the case of zone cooling or zone heating, the inner lower fan F1 of the cooling / heating unit 6 is driven, while the inner upper fan F2 is stopped. In this case, the lower internal fan F1 is driven and controlled to rotate at a medium speed, which is slower than the high speed rotation. When the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator is driven, the cold air cooled by the cooler 6a or the warm air heated by the heater 6b (hereinafter, the cold air cooled by the cooler 6a or the warm air heated by the heater 6b is used as the inside air. After entering the inside of the duct 7a from the air cavity 60 of the cooling / heating unit 6 through the inlet side opening 74 of the duct 7a, the air is blown out from the outlet side opening 78a of the duct 7a to the upper side of the refrigerator. Then, the air blown from the outlet side opening 78a to the upper part of the refrigerator becomes a resistance by the upper fan F2 in the refrigerator and the mounting member 410 (see FIG. 4) that are stopped, and the air direction to the product drop passage 46. Is converted into the circulating airflow B1. The circulation airflow B1 includes a circulation airflow B11 that is stored in the product storage rack 4 by the attitude control plate 47 and diverges to the product S side having a higher sales order, and a plurality of ventilation holes 47a provided on the plate surface of the attitude control plate 47. It becomes a downward circulating airflow B12 passing through (see FIG. 2) and is divided into multi-stage product storage shelves.

Further, by driving the lower inner fan F1, the air inside the product storage is sucked into the lower inner fan F1 through the ventilation hole 5a of the product carry-out shooter 5A. The duct 7a extends to the rear end of the uppermost product storage shelf, and the internal air A1 is blown out from the outlet side opening 78a at the upper end of the duct 7a. Never go back directly to. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, since the product carry-out shooter 5A has a plurality of ventilation holes 5a perforated on the entire surface of the shooter on which the product falls, the downward wind speed of the circulating airflow B1 increases, and the product storage shelf 10 The air volume of the circulating airflow B11 divided between the two and the circulating airflow B12 passing through the plurality of ventilation holes provided on the plate surface of the attitude control plate 47 increases, and zone cooling or zone heating is promoted.

The circulating airflow B11 divided between the product storage shelves 10 flushes, cools, or heats the product S, which is stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column) and has a high sales order. The circulating airflow B11 that has washed away the product S and diverged between the product storage shelves 10 is a circulating airflow that goes toward the lower part of the refrigerator through the ventilation holes 10a drilled in the product storage shelf 10 by the suction of the lower interior fan F1. It becomes C1 and D1 and returns to the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator through the ventilation hole 5a of the product carry-out shooter 5A.

Here, when the product S is placed on the product storage shelf 10, the ventilation hole 10a at the projected portion of the product S when the flow directions of the circulating airflows C1 and D1 are viewed from the upstream side is blocked by the product S. The gap outside the projected portion of the product S, that is, the product and the partition plate 42 (or the rack side plate 41) caused by the width of the product storage passage 43 (product column) being set to be slightly longer than the length of the product S. The ventilation holes 10a corresponding to the gaps between the two are open. Therefore, the circulating airflows C1 and D1 are formed even when the product S is placed on the product storage shelf 10 (if the product S is compared to a shoji screen of Japanese-style architecture, the circulating airflows C1 and D1 correspond to drafts. To do). In this case, a product unloading device BM for carrying out the products S stored in the product storage passage 43 one by one is arranged on the back surface of the product storage shelf 10 at the passages of the circulating airflows C1 and D1, and the product unloading device BM is arranged. The ventilation hole 10a of the product storage shelf 10 is also blocked by the device BM. As a result, the air volume of the circulating airflow C1 becomes small, while the airflow of the circulating airflow D1 through which the ventilation holes 10a having a high perforation rate perforated in the product storage shelf 10 pass is increased, and the circulating airflow D1 becomes the lower fan in the refrigerator. It becomes the main stream of the airflow returning to F1. In this way, in the case of zone cooling or zone heating, by driving and controlling the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator so as to have an intermediate speed, the air in the refrigerator becomes circulating airflows A1 to D1 via the duct 7a and stores the product. The product S, which is stored in the rack 4 and has a high sales order, can be intensively cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the whole cooling or the whole heating is performed, the lower inner fan F1 and the upper inner fan F2 of the cooling / heating unit 6 are driven. In this case, the inner lower fan F1 and the inner upper fan F2 are driven and controlled so as to rotate at high speed. When the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator is driven to rotate at high speed, the air in the refrigerator blown out to the product drop passage 46 through the duct 7a becomes a circulating air flow A1 with stronger straightness due to the function of the duct 7a, and the product falls. It reaches above the aisle 46 (the upper end of the product storage). In this case, the straightness of the internal air blown out to the product drop passage 46 through the upper opening 78a of the duct 7a and the straightness of the internal upper fan F2 by the high-speed rotational drive of the internal lower fan F1 and the internal upper fan F2. Since the straightness of the circulating airflow A1 is enhanced in combination with the suction force due to the high-speed rotation drive, the circulating airflow B1 as shown in FIG. 13 does not occur.

The circulating airflow A1 (internal air) sucked by the drive of the internal upper fan F2 is blown out toward the front of the product storage by the internal upper fan F2 to become the circulating airflow F3. The internal air (circulating airflow F3) blown toward the front of the product storage by the internal upper fan F2 is turned downward by the wind direction changing member WC and becomes the circulating airflow D1 returning to the internal lower fan F1. On the other hand, it is diverted into the circulating airflow E1 toward the front of the product storage and the circulating airflow G1 toward the rear of the product storage. In the circulating airflows E1 and G1, the airflow of the internal air (circulating airflow F3) blown toward the front of the product storage by the upper internal fan F2 is larger than the airflow of the circulating airflow D1, and the circulating airflow D1 becomes a product. It occurs when it is sprayed and diffused and spreads in the front-back direction of the product storage. The circulating airflow E1 flushes the products stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column), cools or heats them, descends along the inner wall surface of the inner door 3, and then descends along the inner wall surface of the inner door 3, and then the ventilation holes 5a of the product carry-out shooter 5A. Return to the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator via. Further, from the circulating airflow E1, a circulating airflow H1 is generated through a ventilation hole 10a (see FIG. 3) drilled in the intermediate region MT of the product storage shelf 10, and the circulating airflow H1 is generated by the rack side plate 41 or the partition member 42. After descending along the wall surface, the product returns to the lower fan F1 in the refrigerator through the ventilation hole 5a of the product unloading shooter 5A. The circulating airflow G1 toward the rear of the product storage unit flushes the products stored in the product storage passage 43 (product column) and then joins the circulating airflow A1. The circulating airflow G1 is generated only on the upper side of the product storage shelf 10 in which the upper inner fan F2 is arranged (that is, is sucked by the upper inner fan F2), and becomes the circulating airflow C1 on the lower side thereof.

In this way, in the case of overall cooling or overall heating, by driving and controlling the lower internal fan F1 and the upper internal fan F2 so as to rotate at high speed, the internal air is circulated through the duct 7a A1 to H1. Therefore, the products in all areas stored in the product storage rack 4 can be cooled or heated to a temperature suitable for sale.

1 ... Main body cabinet, 4 ... Product storage rack, 5, 5A ... Product carry-out shooter, 6 ... Cooling / heating unit (cooling / heating means), 7, 7a ... Duct (straight-ahead stabilizing means), 10 ... Product storage shelf, 42 ... Partition member, 43 ... Product storage passage, 44 ... Product input port, 45 ... Product carry-out outlet, 46 ... Product drop passage, BM ... Product carry-out device, F1 ... Lower interior fan, F2 ... Upper interior fan

Claims (7)

In the product storage of the main body cabinet constructed as a heat insulating housing, multiple product storage shelves that define the product storage passage for storing multiple products in a row in the front-back direction in a sideways posture are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction. The installed product storage rack, the product unloading shooter tilted forward, and the cooling / heating means for cooling or heating the product stored in the product storage passage to a temperature suitable for sale are arranged in the order of the top and bottom. The storage shelf is tilted so that the rear side, which is the product carry-out port, is lower than the front side, which is the product input port, and the products stored in the product storage passage are cut out and carried out one by one in the vicinity of the product carry-out port. A product unloading device is provided, and a product drop passage extending in the vertical direction is formed between the rear end of the product storage shelf and the back wall of the main body cabinet, and the product unloading from the product unloading device is the product. In a vending machine that is sent onto a product carry-out shooter via a drop passage, a lower fan in the refrigerator that blows cold air or heated warm air cooled by the cooling / heating means and a lower part of the product drop passage. It is equipped with a straight-ahead stabilizing means that connects the spaces and guides the cold air or warm air blown by the lower fan in the refrigerator to the lower part of the product drop passage and goes straight from the lower part to the upper part of the product drop passage.
The straight-ahead stabilizing means includes a duct having an inlet side facing the lower fan in the refrigerator and an outlet side facing the lower part of the product drop passage, and the duct has a pressure on the outlet side with respect to the pressure on the inlet side. A vending machine characterized in that the wind speed on the outlet side is increased by forming a pressure difference between the inlet side and the outlet side so as to be higher. In the vending machine according to claim 1, an upper fan in the refrigerator located above the rear end of the uppermost product storage shelf and blows cold air or warm air circulating in the product drop passage toward the front of the product storage. When cooling or heating the entire product stored in the product storage rack, the lower fan inside the refrigerator and the upper fan inside the refrigerator are driven, and the product stored in the zone near the rear end of the product storage passage. A vending machine characterized in that the lower fan inside the refrigerator is driven while the upper fan inside the refrigerator is driven and stopped when cooling or heating the product. The vending machine according to claim 1 is additionally equipped with a wind direction changing member that changes the direction of cold air or warm air circulating from the rear to the front downward at a substantially intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the uppermost product storage shelf. A featured vending machine. In the vending machine according to claim 1, the straight-ahead stabilizing means comprises at least one of a flat plate-shaped rectifying member, a honeycomb structure, and a structure forming a spiral flow. .. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the product storage shelf is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes to have the highest perforation ratio in the intermediate region in the front-rear direction. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation holes of the product carry-out shooter are bored except for the rear side close to the product drop passage. In the vending machine according to claim 1, the vending machine is rotated between a protruding position protruding into the product dropping aisle at the rear end of the product storage shelf and a retracting position pushed open by the falling product and retracted from the product falling passage. A vending machine that has a moving attitude control plate and is characterized in that a plurality of ventilation holes are bored in the plate surface of the attitude control plate.

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