JP7463029B2 - Product offering device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a product provision device that includes a product display case capable of displaying multiple products, and a transport device capable of transporting the products displayed in the product display case to a predetermined position outside the product display case.

Conventionally, in supermarkets, convenience stores, and the like, product display cases known as open showcases have been used. Open showcases are configured to be able to display multiple products, and have an opening at the front or the like so that customers can remove the displayed products, in other words, so that products can be provided in a self-service manner. As an example of an open showcase, Patent Document 1 describes an open showcase with an opening at the front and multiple product shelves in the vertical direction. Such an open showcase, i.e., a product display case with an opening at the front and multiple product shelves (product display section) in the vertical direction, has the advantage that many products can be displayed in a way that is relatively easy for customers to see, and that the installation area required is relatively small.

JP 2008-256302 A

However, in recent years, due to the decline in store clerks, etc., there is a demand for the ability to provide more products in a self-service manner. In response to such demands, for example, in the above-mentioned open showcase type product display cases, it is conceivable to increase the number of products that can be displayed by increasing the number of shelves of the product display sections and/or the depth dimension of the product display sections. However, simply increasing the number of shelves of the product display sections and/or the depth dimension of each product display section may result in some products (for example, products displayed in the upper product display sections or products displayed at the back of the product display shelves) becoming out of reach of customers, etc.

The present invention aims to provide a product provision device that enables a greater number of products to be provided in a self-service manner.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a product providing device is provided. The product providing device includes a product display case with a front opening and a plurality of product display sections in a vertical direction, and a transport device provided on the front side of the product display case. In the product display case, each product display section has a plurality of tray combinations arranged in a left-right direction, and each tray combination is configured by connecting a plurality of trays, on which products are placed, in a separable manner in a front-rear direction. The transport device is configured to separate the frontmost tray of each tray combination from the remaining trays, transport the frontmost tray and the products placed thereon to a predetermined position outside the product display case , and move the remaining trays and the products placed thereon forward. The transport device includes an upper unit provided on the upper part of the front side of the product display case, a lower unit provided on the lower part of the front side of the product display case, and a connecting unit located in front of the opening of the product display case, extending in a vertical direction, and connected to the upper unit and the lower unit, and the connecting unit is configured to be detachable from the upper unit and the lower unit.

The present invention provides a product provision device that allows a greater number of products to be provided in a self-service manner.

1 is a front view of a product providing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the product providing device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tray assembly and a tray holder. 4A, 4B, and 4C are diagrams showing trays constituting the tray assembly, in which FIG. 4A is a front view of the tray, FIG. 4B is a right side view of the tray, and FIG. 4C is a bottom view of the tray. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the tray holder. 1 is a perspective view of the holder as viewed from diagonally above and to the front right. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the holder as viewed from diagonally above and to the right; FIG. 4 is a view showing the inside of a holder main body constituting the holder; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the holder main body has been moved to the rearmost position; FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a configuration of a main part of an upper unit constituting a moving mechanism for moving the holder; 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 11 taken along line AA. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a configuration of a main part of a lower unit constituting the movement mechanism; 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 13. 13 is a front view of an upper pulley unit of a connecting unit that constitutes the movement mechanism. FIG. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the upper pulley unit. 13 is a view showing a state in which the upper pulley unit is connected to the upper unit; FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of a lower pulley unit of the connecting unit. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the lower pulley unit. 13 is a view showing a state in which the lower pulley unit is connected to the lower unit; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system configuration of the product provision device. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the product provision device. A separating and conveying device constituting a modified example of the product providing device

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. Note that power lines, communication lines, etc. are omitted from the attached drawings and the following description.

Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of a product provision device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a front view of the product provision device 1 according to the embodiment, and Figure 2 is a right side view of the product provision device 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the product provision device 1 includes a product display case 2 and a conveying device 3 provided on the front side of the product display case 2. There are various types of product display cases, such as a type that keeps the displayed products in a cooled state, a type that keeps the displayed products in a heated state, and a type that keeps the displayed products at room temperature, and the product display case 2 according to the embodiment may be any type.

[Product display case 2]
The product display case 2 has a housing 10. The housing 10 has an opening at the front. A plurality of product display sections 21 (six in this example) are provided in the vertical direction inside the housing 10. That is, the product display case 2 has an opening at the front and has a plurality of product display sections 21 in the vertical direction inside, similar to a so-called multi-tier (or shelf-type) open showcase.

The housing 10 has a top plate portion 11, a left side wall 12, a right side wall 13, a rear (back) wall 14, and a bottom plate portion 15. In this embodiment, the bottom plate portion 15 is located above the installation surface S of the product display case 2, and below the bottom plate portion 15, a storage space 16 capable of storing a part of the transport device 3 (specifically, the lower unit 62 described below) is formed.

In each product display section 21, multiple tray connectors 30 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, each product display section 21 has multiple (four in this embodiment) tray holders 4 arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and each tray holder 4 houses a tray connector 30. The tray connector 30 is configured by separably connecting multiple trays 31, each of which has a product P placed thereon, in the front-rear direction.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the tray assembly 30 and the tray holder 4. In this embodiment, the tray assembly 30 is configured by separably connecting two trays 31 in the front-rear direction. The tray assembly 30 is accommodated in a recess 41 formed in the upper surface of the tray holder 4 in a state in which it can move forward. Specifically, in this embodiment, the tray assembly 30 is accommodated in the recess 41 of the tray holder 4 in a state in which it can move forward and backward with its front portion (i.e., the front portion of the frontmost tray 31) protruding forward from the tray holder 4 by a predetermined amount.

The tray 31 is formed on a flat plate and is configured so that the product P is placed on the upper surface 311. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the tray 31. FIG. 4(a) is a front view of the tray 31, FIG. 4(b) is a right side view of the tray 31, and FIG. 4(c) is a bottom view of the tray 31.

At the top center of the front surface of the tray 31, a plate-like protrusion 312 protruding forward is provided. A connecting hole 313 is formed in the protrusion 312. The connecting hole 313 is formed as a long hole that penetrates from the top to the bottom of the protrusion 312 and extends in the left-right direction. A connecting protrusion 314 is provided in the center of the back surface of the tray 31. The connecting protrusion 314 is formed in an inverted L-shape when viewed from the right side (L-shape when viewed from the left side), and has a horizontal extension portion 314a that extends rearward from a middle position in the up-down direction on the back surface of the tray 31, and a vertical extension portion 314b that extends upward from the tip of the horizontal extension portion 314a. The vertical extension portion 314b is formed so that it can be inserted from below into the connecting hole 313 of another tray 31.

Therefore, the tray assembly 30 in this embodiment is formed by fitting the connecting protrusion 314 of the tray 31 into the connecting hole 313 of the subsequent tray 31 from below, in other words, by fitting the connecting protrusion 314 of the tray 31 into the connecting hole 313 of the subsequent tray 31 from above. Then, for example, the foremost tray 31 in the tray assembly 30 can be separated from the remaining trays 31 by moving downward relative to the remaining trays 31.

A front protrusion 315 and a rear protrusion 316 are formed on the bottom surface of the tray 31. The front protrusion 315 is formed in the center of the front end of the bottom surface of the tray 31, has a predetermined length in the left-right direction, and protrudes vertically downward. The rear protrusion 316 is formed in the center of the rear end of the bottom surface of the tray 31, has the same length in the left-right direction as the front protrusion 315, and protrudes vertically downward. In addition, a pair of left and right stopper ribs 317, 317 are provided at predetermined positions on the bottom surface of the tray 31.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the tray holder 4. In the tray holder 4, a number of restricting protrusions 42 that protrude inward are formed on the upper front sides of the left and right sides that form the recess 41 that houses the tray assembly 30. The restricting protrusions 42 restrict the tray assembly 30 housed in the recess 41 from moving upward (floating up).

A groove 43 extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the center of the bottom surface of the recess 41. The groove 43 has a width greater than the left-right length of the front protrusion 315 and rear protrusion 316 of the tray 31, and a depth greater than the length of the front protrusion 315 and rear protrusion 316 of the tray 31 protruding from the bottom surface of the tray 31. Therefore, the tray assembly 30 is accommodated in the recess 41 of the tray holder 4 with the bottom surface of each tray 31 in contact with the bottom surface of the recess 41 of the tray holder 4, and can move within the recess 41.

The tray holder 4 is provided with a pair of left and right stopper members 44, 44 that protrude upward from the bottom surface of the recess 41. The pair of stopper members 44, 44 are configured to operate in conjunction with a pair of left and right pressed parts 45, 45 that protrude forward. In this embodiment, the pair of pressed parts 45, 45 are held (biased) in the position shown in FIG. 5 (and FIG. 3) by a biasing member such as a spring member not shown. The pair of stopper members 44, 44 protrude upward from the bottom surface of the recess 41 when the pair of pressed parts 45, 45 are in the position shown in FIG. 5 (and FIG. 3), and are configured to be pulled downward and no longer protrude from the bottom surface of the recess 41 when the pair of pressed parts 45, 45 are pressed from the front and move rearward.

When the pair of stopper members 44, 44 of the tray holder 4 protrudes upward from the bottom surface of the recess 41, the pair of stopper ribs 317, 317 of the front tray 31 of the tray assembly 30 abuts against the pair of stopper members 44, 44. This restricts the forward movement of the tray assembly 30.

On the other hand, when the pair of pressed portions 45, 45 are pressed and the pair of stopper members 44, 44 are pulled downward, the pair of stopper ribs 317, 317 of the front tray 31 no longer come into contact with the pair of stopper members 44, 44. In other words, the restriction on the forward movement of the tray assembly 30 by the pair of stopper members 44, 44 is released. This allows the tray assembly 30 to move forward.

When the pressure on the pair of pressed portions 45, 45 is released, the pair of pressed portions 45, 45 return to the position shown in FIG. 5 (and FIG. 3) due to the biasing force of the biasing member, and the pair of stopper members 44, 44 return to their original state protruding upward from the bottom surface of the recess 41.

[Transportation device 3]
Returning to Figures 1 and 2, the conveying device 3 includes a holder 5 capable of holding and transporting a tray 31 on which products are placed, and a moving mechanism 6 capable of moving the holder 5 in the vertical direction (more precisely, diagonal vertical directions as described below) and the horizontal direction in front of the product display case 2.

[Holding body 5]
Figures 6 to 8 are views showing the holder 5. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the holder 5 as viewed from diagonally above the front right, Figure 7 is a perspective view of the holder 5 as viewed from diagonally above the rear right, and Figure 8 is a left side view of the holder 5.

The holder 5 includes a base portion 7 and a holder body 8 arranged on the base portion 7. The base portion 7 has an upwardly facing U-shaped cross section, and the holder body 8 is arranged on the inner bottom surface of the base portion 7. The holder body 8 is held by the base portion 7 so that it can move forward and backward while its upward movement is restricted. The holder body 8 has a housing 81 and an endless conveyor belt 82 housed in the housing 81.

The housing 81 is composed of a left housing 81a and a right housing 81b. The upper part of the housing 81 is provided with a pair of left and right tray receiving surfaces (left tray receiving surface 811a and right tray receiving surface 811b) on which the tray 31 is placed, and a pair of left and right guide parts (left guide part 812a and right guide part 812b) that suppress misalignment of the tray 31 in the left and right direction. The left tray receiving surface 811a and the right tray receiving surface 811b are provided at intervals in the left and right direction and extend approximately horizontally in the front and rear direction. The left tray receiving surface 811a and the right tray receiving surface 811b have a length equivalent to the length of the tray 31 in the front and rear direction, and the front end and the rear end are slightly inclined downward. Note that the left tray receiving surface 811a and the right tray receiving surface 811b only need to have a length equivalent to the length of the tray 31 in the front and rear direction (preferably a length longer than the length of the tray 31 in the front and rear direction), and for example, a tray with a half length or a third length can also be transported.

The conveyor belt 82 has an upper running portion 82a that extends approximately horizontally in the front-to-rear direction. The conveyor belt 82 is housed in the housing 81 so that the upper running portion 82a is located between the left tray receiving surface 811a and the right tray receiving surface 811b and slightly below the left tray receiving surface 811a and the right tray receiving surface 811b. In this embodiment, the conveyor belt 82 is driven so that the upper running portion 82a mainly travels forward (see arrow A).

A pair of first pressing protrusions 821, 821 and a pair of second pressing protrusions 822, 822 are provided on the surface of the conveyor belt 82. The pair of first pressing protrusions 821, 821 are provided on the conveyor belt 82 at a distance apart corresponding to the length of the tray 31 in the front-to-rear direction, and similarly, the pair of second pressing protrusions 822, 822 are provided on the conveyor belt 82 at a distance apart corresponding to the length of the tray 31 in the front-to-rear direction.

A moving gear 83 is provided on the lower left rear portion of the holder body 8 to move the holder body 8 relative to the base portion 7. The moving gear 83 meshes with a rack gear portion 71 that is formed on the base portion 7 and extends in the front-rear direction.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing the inside of the holder main body 8, with the base unit 7 and left housing 81a removed from Figure 8. The movement gear 83 is attached to the output shaft of a movement motor 84 arranged inside the holder main body 8. When the movement motor 84 rotates, the holder main body 8 moves in the front-to-rear direction, which is the extension direction of the rack gear unit 71 with which the movement gear 83 meshes, depending on the direction of rotation, that is, forward or backward relative to the base unit 7.

The conveyor belt 82 is wound around a drive roller 85, a driven roller 86, and a tension roller 87. A belt drive motor 88 is provided on the inside of the conveyor belt 82. When the belt drive motor 88 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the drive roller 85 via a drive gear 89 attached to the output shaft of the belt drive motor 88, an idler gear 90, and a driven gear 91 attached to the drive roller 85, thereby driving the conveyor belt 82 (running in the direction of arrow A).

Note that Figs. 6 to 8 show the state in which the holder body 8 has moved all the way forward. In contrast, Fig. 10 is a diagram (left side view) showing the holder 5 when the holder body 8 has moved all the way rearward. In other words, the holder body 8 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction relative to the base portion 7 between the state shown in Fig. 8 and the state shown in Fig. 10 when viewed from the left side. In this embodiment, the state in which the holder body 8 has moved all the way forward relative to the base portion 7, i.e., the state shown in Figs. 6 to 8, is the standby state of the holder 5.

[Moving mechanism 6]
The moving mechanism 6 includes an upper unit 61, a lower unit 62, and a connecting unit 63 that extends in a diagonal upward-downward direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the "upward-upward direction") with the upper portion slightly inclined rearward from the vertical direction and is detachably connected to the upper unit 61 and the lower unit 62 (see Figures 1 and 2).

[Upper unit 61]
The upper unit 61 is provided at the top of the front side of the product display case 2. In this embodiment, the upper unit 61 is attached to the front part of the lower surface of the top plate part 11 of the product display case 2 (see FIG. 1). FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the main configuration of the upper unit 61, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the A-A cross section of FIG. 11. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the upper unit 61 has a first guide rail 611, a first motor 612, a pair of left and right first pulleys 613, 613, a first timing belt 614, and a first moving body 615.

The first guide rail 611 is fixed to the underside of the top plate portion 11 of the product display case 2. The first guide rail 611 extends in the left-right direction.

The first motor 612 is disposed to the left of the first guide rail 611. The first motor 612 is attached to the top plate 11 and/or left side wall 12 of the product display case 2 via a motor bracket (not shown). In this embodiment, the first motor 612 is attached with its output shaft facing upwards.

One of the pair of first pulleys 613, 613 (hereinafter referred to as "one first pulley 613") is attached to the output shaft of the first motor 612. The other of the pair of first pulleys 613, 613 (hereinafter referred to as "the other first pulley 613") is disposed on the right side of the first guide rail 611. The other first pulley 613 is rotatably supported by a pulley bracket (not shown), and is attached to the top plate portion 11 and/or the right side wall 13 of the product display case 2 via the pulley bracket. In other words, the pair of first pulleys 613, 613 are disposed opposite each other with the first guide rail 611 in between.

The first timing belt 614 is wound around a pair of first pulleys 613, 613. The first timing belt 614 extends in the left-right direction and has a front side running portion 614a and a rear side running portion 614b that run in opposite directions. In this embodiment, the first guide rail 611 is disposed on the inside of the first timing belt 614, i.e., between the front side running portion 614a and the rear side running portion 614b (see FIG. 12).

The first moving body 615 is supported by the first guide rail 611 so as to be movable in the left-right direction and is fixed to the rear side running portion 614b of the first timing belt 614. Therefore, the first moving body 615 moves along the first guide rail 611 in the same direction as the running direction of the rear side running portion 614b of the first timing belt 614. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first moving body 615 has a plurality of roller members (or rollers) 615a and is supported on the support surface 611a of the first guide rail 611 via the plurality of roller members 615a. In addition, the first moving body 615 has a fixing portion 615b on the rear side, and the fixing portion 615b is fixed to the rear side running portion 614b of the first timing belt 614. A part of the bottom surface of the first moving body 615 constitutes an upper connecting portion 615c to which the upper end portion of the connecting unit 63 is detachably connected.

In the upper unit 61, when the first motor 612 rotates and drives one of the first pulleys 613, the first timing belt 614 runs in a direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the one of the first pulleys 613. That is, the rear side running portion 614b of the first timing belt 614 runs to the left or right. Then, the first moving body 615 moves in the same direction as the running direction of the rear side running portion 614b of the first timing belt 614, while the multiple roller members 615a roll on the support surface 611a of the first guide rail 611.

[Lower unit 62]
The lower unit 62 is provided at the lower part on the front side of the product display case 2. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the lower unit 62, and Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 13. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the lower unit 62 has a second guide rail 621, a second motor 622, a pair of left and right second pulleys 623, 623, a second timing belt 624, a second moving body 625, and a unit housing 626.

The unit housing 626 is formed in a box shape that extends in the left-right direction and has an open top, and houses the second guide rail 621, the second motor 622, a pair of second pulleys 623, 623, a second timing belt 624, and a second moving body 625. In this embodiment, the unit housing 626 is attached to the lower part of the left side wall 12 and the lower part of the right side wall 13 of the product display case 2 via a pair of left and right slide rails 9, 9. Therefore, the lower unit 62 can move in the front-rear direction, and is housed in a storage space 16 formed below the bottom plate portion 15 of the product display case 2 (i.e., the lower part of the product display case 2) when not in use, and is configured to be able to be pulled out forward from the storage space 16 when in use.

The second guide rail 621 is fixed to the inner bottom surface of the unit housing 626. The second guide rail 621 extends in the left-right direction to correspond to the first guide rail 611 of the upper unit 61.

The second motor 622 is disposed on the left side of the second guide rail 621. The second motor 622 is attached to the inner surface and/or the inner bottom surface of the unit housing 626 via a motor bracket (not shown). In this embodiment, the second motor 622 is attached with its output shaft facing downward.

One of the pair of second pulleys 623, 623 (hereinafter referred to as "one second pulley 623") is attached to the output shaft of the second motor 622. The other of the pair of second pulleys 623, 623 (hereinafter referred to as "the other second pulley 623") is disposed on the right side of the second guide rail 621. The other second pulley 623 is rotatably supported by a pulley bracket (not shown) and is attached to the inner bottom surface of the unit housing 626 via the pulley bracket. In other words, the pair of second pulleys 623, 623 are disposed opposite each other within the unit housing 626 with the second guide rail 621 in between.

The second timing belt 624 is wound around a pair of second pulleys 623, 623. Similar to the first timing belt 614 of the upper unit 61, the second timing belt 624 extends in the left-right direction and has a front side running portion 624a and a rear side running portion 624b that run in opposite directions. Similar to the first guide rail 611, the second guide rail 621 is disposed inside the second timing belt 624, i.e., between the front side running portion 624a and the rear side running portion 624b.

The second moving body 625 is supported by the second guide rail 621 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and is fixed to the rear side running portion 624b of the second timing belt 624. Therefore, the second moving body 625 moves along the second guide rail 621 in the same direction as the running direction of the rear side running portion 624b of the second timing belt 624.

Specifically, the second moving body 625 has a plurality of roller members (or rollers) 625a, similar to the first moving body 615, and the plurality of roller members 625a are placed on the support surface 621a of the second guide rail 621. In addition, the second moving body 625 has a fixed portion 625b at the lower rear side, and the fixed portion 625b is fixed to the rear side running portion 624b of the second timing belt 624.

A part of the upper surface of the second moving body 625 constitutes a lower connecting portion 625c to which the lower end portion of the connecting unit 63 is detachably connected. A support member 627 that supports the connecting unit 63 is attached to the rear of the lower connecting portion 625c on the upper surface of the second moving body 625, and a third motor 628 is attached to the left side of the lower connecting portion 625c on the upper surface of the second moving body 625 via a motor bracket (not shown). The third motor 628 is attached with its output shaft facing right. The third motor 628 is provided to rotate and drive the lower pulley 6333 of the connecting unit 63, which will be described later. A non-contact coupling 629, such as a magnetic coupling, is attached to the output shaft of the third motor 628.

In the lower unit 62, when the second motor 622 rotates and drives one of the second pulleys 623, the second timing belt 624 runs in a direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the one of the second pulleys 623. That is, the rear side running portion 624b of the second timing belt 624 runs to the left or right. Then, the second moving body 625 moves in the same direction as the running direction of the rear side running portion 624b of the second timing belt 624 while the multiple roller members 625a roll on the support surface 621a of the second guide rail 621.

As described above, the upper end of the connection unit 63 is connected to the first moving body 615 of the upper unit 61, and the lower end of the connection unit 63 is connected to the second moving body 625 of the lower unit 62. Therefore, in the movement mechanism 6, the left-right position of the first moving body 615 and the left-right position of the second moving body 625 match, and the first motor 612 of the upper unit 61 and the second motor 622 of the lower unit 62 operate in synchronization with each other.

[Connection unit 63]
As described above, the upper end of the connecting unit 63 is detachably connected to the first moving body 615 of the upper unit 61, and the lower end is detachably connected to the second moving body 625 of the lower unit 62. The connecting unit 63 has a rail member 631 extending in the vertical direction, an upper pulley unit 632 fixed to the upper end of the rail member 631 and constituting the upper end of the connecting unit 63, a lower pulley unit 633 fixed to the lower end of the rail member 631 and constituting the lower end of the connecting unit 63, a third timing belt 634, and a third moving body 635 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

Figures 15 and 16 show a schematic configuration of the upper pulley unit 632. Figure 15 is a front view of the upper pulley unit 632, and Figure 16 is a right side view of the upper pulley unit 632. As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the upper pulley unit 632 has a first support plate 6321, a first holder member 6322, and an upper pulley 6323.

The first support plate 6321 has a first vertical extension portion 6321a extending vertically and a first inclined extension portion 6321b extending diagonally upward from the upper end of the first vertical extension portion 6321a.

The first holder member 6322 has a U-shaped cross section, and its bottom is fixed to the first vertical extension 6321a of the first support plate 6321 by a bolt or the like (not shown).

The upper pulley 6323 is fixed to a first rotating shaft 6325 that is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right first support members 6324, 6324 having bearings not shown. In other words, the upper pulley 6323 is rotatably provided. The pair of first support members 6324, 6324 are fixed to the inner bottom surface of the first holder member 6322 by bolts not shown or the like.

The upper end of the rail member 631 is housed in the first holder member 6322 below the upper pulley 6323 and is fixed to both side surfaces of the first holder member 6322 by bolts or the like (not shown). In this embodiment, the upper end of the connecting unit 63, i.e., the upper pulley unit 632, is detachably connected to the upper connecting portion 615c of the first moving body 615 of the upper unit 61 by bolts or the like (not shown) at the first inclined extension portion 6321b of the first support plate 6321 as shown in FIG. 17.

Figures 18 and 19 show a schematic configuration of the lower pulley unit 633. Figure 18 is a front view of the lower pulley unit 633, and Figure 19 is a right side view of the lower pulley unit 633. As shown in Figures 18 and 19, the lower pulley unit 633 has a second support plate 6331, a second holder member 6332, and a lower pulley 6333.

The second support plate 6331 has a second vertical extension portion 6331a extending vertically and a second inclined extension portion 6331b extending diagonally downward from the lower end of the second vertical extension portion 6331a.

The second holder member 6332, like the first holder member 6322, has a U-shaped cross section and its bottom is fixed to the second vertical extension 6331a of the second support plate 6331 by a bolt or the like (not shown).

The lower pulley 6333 is fixed to a second rotating shaft 6335 that is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right second support members 6334, 6334 having bearings not shown. In other words, the lower pulley 6333 is rotatably provided, similar to the upper pulley 6323. The pair of second support members 6334, 6334 are fixed to the inner bottom surface of the second holder member 6332 by bolts or the like not shown.

A non-contact coupling 6336 is attached to the left end of the second rotating shaft 6335, which corresponds to the non-contact coupling 629 attached to the output shaft of the third motor 628 of the lower unit 62.

The lower end of the rail member 631 is housed in the second holder member 6332 above the lower pulley 6333 and is fixed to both side surfaces of the second holder member 6332 by bolts or the like (not shown). In this embodiment, the lower end of the connecting unit 63, i.e., the lower pulley unit 633, is detachably connected to the lower connecting portion 625c of the second moving body 625 of the lower unit 62 by bolts or the like (not shown) at the second inclined extension portion 6331b of the second support plate 6331 as shown in FIG. 20. At this time, the non-contact coupling 629 attached to the output shaft of the third motor 628 of the lower unit 62 and the non-contact coupling 6336 attached to the left end of the second rotating shaft 6335 face each other with a predetermined gap.

The third timing belt 634 is wound around the upper pulley 6323 and the lower pulley 6333. The third timing belt 634 extends in the vertical direction and has a front side running portion 634a and a rear side running portion 634b that run in opposite directions. The rail member 631 is disposed inside the third timing belt 634, i.e., between the front side running portion 634a and the rear side running portion 634b.

The third moving body 635 is held by the rail member 631 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the rear side running portion 634b of the third timing belt 634. In addition, the base portion 7 of the holding body 5 is fixed to the third moving body 635. Therefore, the third moving body 635 and the holding body 5 move along the rail member 631 in the same direction as the running direction of the rear side running portion 634b of the third timing belt 634. In other words, the holding body 5 moves in the vertical direction along the rail member 631.

In the connecting unit 63, when the third motor 628 of the lower unit 62 rotates, the rotation of the third motor 628 is transmitted to the second rotating shaft 6335 via the coupling 629 and the coupling 6336, causing the lower pulley 6333 to rotate. This causes the third timing belt 634 to run in a direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the lower pulley 6333. That is, the rear side running portion 634b of the third timing belt 634 runs upward or downward. Then, the third moving body 635 and the holding body 5 fixed to the third moving body 635 move along the rail member 631 in the same direction as the running direction of the rear side running portion 634b of the third timing belt 634.

[Operation of conveying device 3]
A description will now be given of an example of the operation of the conveying device 3. In the following description, the expression "tray 31" means "tray 31 and product P placed thereon."

First, the moving mechanism 6 moves the holder 5 to the front of the predetermined tray assembly 30. Specifically, the moving mechanism 6 synchronously rotates the first motor 612 of the upper unit 61 and the second motor 622 of the lower unit 62 according to the position of the predetermined tray assembly 30 in the left-right direction. As a result, the first moving body 615 and the second moving body 625 move the same distance in the same direction, and the connecting unit 63 moves to a position corresponding to the predetermined tray assembly 30 in the left-right direction. After that, the moving mechanism 6 rotates the third motor 628 of the lower unit 62 according to the position of the predetermined tray assembly 30 in the up-down direction to move the third moving body 635 in the up-down direction. As a result, the holder 5 moves to a position in front of the predetermined tray assembly 30.

When the holder 5 moves to the front of the specified tray assembly 30, it places the frontmost tray 31 of the specified tray assembly 30, i.e., the tray 31 located at the front of the product display section 21, on the holder body 8.

Specifically, the holder 5 rotates the movement motor 84 in the first rotation direction to move the holder main body 8 backward. As a result, the holder main body 8 presses the pair of pressed portions 45, 45 of the tray holder 4 that houses the specified tray assembly 30, and the forward movement restriction on the specified tray assembly 30 by the pair of stopper members 44, 44 is released.

Next, the holder 5 rotates the belt drive motor 88 to drive the conveyor belt 82 (running in the direction of the arrow A). Here, as described above, the front part of the foremost tray 31 of the tray combination 30 protrudes forward from the tray holder 4. Therefore, one of the pair of first pressing protrusions 821, 821 (or one of the pair of second pressing protrusions 822, 822) provided on the surface of the conveyor belt 82 hits the rear surface of the front protrusion 315 of the foremost tray 31 of the predetermined tray combination 30 and presses the rear surface of the front protrusion 315. As a result, the predetermined tray combination 30 is pulled forward from the tray holder 4, and the foremost tray 31 of the predetermined tray combination 30 moves from the tray holder 4 to the left tray receiving surface 112a and the right tray receiving surface 112b of the holder main body 8. Then, the holder 5 stops the belt drive motor 88 when a preset predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time is, for example, the time required for the conveyor belt 82 to travel a distance equivalent to the length of the tray 31 in the front-to-rear direction. As a result, the foremost tray 31 of the predetermined tray assembly 30 is placed on the holder body 8. In addition, the tray 31 following the foremost tray 31 in the predetermined tray assembly 30 (i.e., the second tray 31 from the front) becomes the new foremost tray 31 and is positioned at the forefront of the product display section 21.

When the frontmost tray 31 of the specified tray combination 30 is placed on the holder body 8, the movement mechanism 6 rotates the third motor 628 of the lower unit 62 to move the third moving body 635 and the holder 5 downward. As a result, the frontmost tray 31 of the specified tray combination 30 is separated from the remaining trays 31 of the specified tray combination 30, and only the frontmost tray 31 becomes transportable.

Next, the moving mechanism 6 moves the holder 5 to a predetermined position outside the product display case 2 by appropriately rotating the first motor 612 of the upper unit 61 and the second motor 622 and third motor 628 of the lower unit 62. Here, the predetermined position need only be within the movable range of the holder 5 and is not particularly limited, but here it is a position behind the product receiving section provided on the front side of the conveying device 3 for customers and the like to receive the products P.

When the holder 5 moves to a position behind the product receiving section, it moves the tray 31 placed on the holder main body 8 to the product receiving section. Specifically, the holder 5 rotates the movement motor 84 in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction to move the holder main body 8 forward.

Next, the holder 5 rotates the belt drive motor 88 to drive the conveyor belt 82 (run in the direction of arrow A). Here, as described above, the pair of first pressing protrusions 821, 821 and the pair of second pressing protrusions 822, 822 are provided on the conveyor belt 82 at a distance corresponding to the length of the tray 31 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the other of the pair of first pressing protrusions 821, 821 (or the other of the pair of second pressing protrusions 822, 822) hits the rear surface of the rear protrusion 316 of the tray 31 placed on the holder main body 8 and presses the rear surface of the rear protrusion 316. As a result, the tray 31 placed on the holder main body 8 is pushed out from the holder main body 8 and moves to the product receiving section. Then, the holder 5 stops the belt drive motor 88 when the predetermined time has elapsed.

In this manner, the conveying device 3 can convey a specified tray 31 (and the product P placed thereon) from the product display section 21 to the product receiving section.

[Operation of product provision device 1]
FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing the control system configuration of the product providing device 1. As shown in FIG. 21, the product providing device 1 has an information input unit 100 and a control device 150 in addition to the product display case 2 and the conveying device 3. The information input unit 100 includes an operation unit integrally provided in the housing 10 of the product display case 2 and an operation unit (such as an operation tablet) provided separately from the product display case 2. A store clerk or a purchaser of a product P can specify (select) a product P to be purchased by the purchaser from among a plurality of products P displayed in the product display case 2 (the product display unit 21) by performing a predetermined input operation on the information input unit 100. When a product P is specified (selected) by an input operation on the information input unit 100, the information input unit 100 outputs a product specification (selection) command to the control device 150.

The control device 150 has a memory M in which various programs, data, etc. are stored. In this embodiment, the memory M stores information about each of the multiple products P displayed in the product display section 21 of the product display case 2 (including position information about the tray assembly 30 on which the product P is placed). The control device 150 controls the operation of the product provision device 1, and in this embodiment, mainly the operation of the conveying device 3.

For example, when a product designation (selection) command is input from the information input unit 100, the control unit 150 controls the conveying device 3 to move the tray 31 on which the designated (selected) product P is placed from the product display unit 21 to the product receiving unit. Specifically, the control unit 150 identifies the position of the tray 31 (tray connection unit 30) on which the designated (selected) product P is placed, outputs a control signal to the holder 5 and the moving mechanism 6 based on the identified position, and appropriately controls the operation of the moving motor 84 and belt drive motor 88 of the holder 5, the first motor 612 of the upper unit 61 of the moving mechanism 6, and the second motor 622 and third motor 628 of the lower unit 62. As a result, the holder 5 and the moving mechanism 6 operate as described above, and the designated (selected) product P is conveyed to the product receiving unit together with the tray 31.

In the product provision device 1 according to this embodiment, the product display case 2 has multiple product display sections 21 in the vertical direction, and each product display section 21 has multiple tray connections 30 arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and each tray connection 30 is configured by connecting multiple trays 31, each of which has a product P placed thereon, in a separable manner in the front-rear direction. The transport device 3 is configured to separate the frontmost tray 31 of each tray connection 30 from the remaining trays 31, and transport the separated frontmost tray 31 and the product P placed thereon to the product receiving section outside the product display case 2. The transport device 3 is also configured to move the remaining trays 31 and the product P placed thereon forward.

According to this embodiment, each product P displayed in the product display case 2 can be transported to the product receiving section by the transport device 3 together with the tray 31 on which the product P is placed. Therefore, even if the displayed products P include products P that are out of reach of the purchaser, the purchaser can take out all of the displayed products P. In other words, the products P can be displayed in spaces that have not been used for displaying products P in the past, such as high places that are out of reach of the purchaser. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide more products P in a self-service manner.

In addition, in this embodiment, a part of the conveying device 3, specifically, the connection unit 63 of the moving mechanism 6 (including the holding body 5 fixed to the third moving body 635 of the connection unit 63), which is an element located in front of the opening of the product display case 2 among the components of the conveying device 3, is configured to be detachable from the other units of the moving mechanism 6 (the upper unit 61 and the lower unit 62), and ultimately from the product display case 2.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lower component constituting the lower part of the conveying device 3, specifically the lower unit 62 of the moving mechanism 6 which is an element of the conveying device 3 located at the front lower part of the opening of the product display case 2, is stored in a storage space 16 formed at the bottom of the product display case 2 when not in use, and is configured so that it can be pulled out forward from the storage space 16 when in use.

For this reason, the product providing device 1 according to this embodiment can function as an open showcase without any problems when the conveying device 3 is not used. Therefore, the product providing device 1 according to this embodiment can be used, for example, in a manner in which the conveying device 3 is not used during the day and in a manner in which the conveying device 3 is used at night.

In the above embodiment, among the elements constituting the transport device 3, the connecting unit 63 is configured to be detachable from the product display case 2. However, this is not limited to this. It is sufficient that at least the elements constituting the transport device 3 that are located in front of the opening of the product display case 2 are configured to be detachable, and the entire transport device 3 may be configured to be detachable from the product display case 2. However, considering the storage location of the transport device 3 removed from the product display case 2 and the use in the two modes described above, it is preferable that the elements located in front of the opening of the product display case 2 are detachable, as in the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the product providing device 1 transports the product P together with the tray 31 on which the product P is placed to the product receiving section. However, this is not limited to the above. The product providing device 1 may be configured to transport only the product P to the product receiving section. In this case, the product providing device 1 further includes a separation and conveying device 50, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 22. The separation and conveying device 50 is provided, for example, at a predetermined position on the front side of the conveying device 3. The conveying device 3 is configured to transport the tray 31 and the product P placed thereon (hereinafter simply referred to as "tray 31 and product P") to the separation and conveying device 50 instead of the product receiving section. Preferably, the separation and conveying device 50 is configured to be movable, and is moved from another location to, for example, a predetermined position on the front side of the conveying device 3 when in use.

Figure 23 is a diagram showing the main components of the separation and conveyance device 50. Figure 23(a) is a diagram showing the main components of the separation and conveyance device as seen from the front, and Figure 23(b) is a diagram showing the main components of the separation and conveyance device as seen from the right side. As shown in Figures 23(a) and (b), the separation and conveyance device 50 includes a drive roller 51, a driven roller 52, an endless conveyor belt 53 wound around the drive roller 51 and the driven roller 52, a motor 54 that drives and rotates the drive roller 51, and a separating member 55 that separates the tray 31 and the product P.

The drive roller 51 and driven roller 52 are spaced apart in the left-right direction, and the separating and conveying device 50 is configured to be able to convey an object placed on the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53 in both the left and right directions. The separating member 55 is provided on one end side (here, the left end side) of the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53. The separating member 55 extends in the width direction of the conveying belt 53 and forms a tray passing portion 56 between the separating member 55 and the surface of the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53, through which the tray 31 can pass. The tray passing portion 56 is formed as a gap whose vertical dimension is slightly larger than the height of the tray 31 (i.e., a gap through which the tray 31 can pass but the product P cannot pass).

The conveying device 3 is configured to place the tray 31 and the product P at a predetermined position on the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53. When the tray 31 and the product P are placed on the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53, the separating and conveying device 50 rotates the motor 54 in a predetermined direction to make the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53 run in the direction of arrow B. Then, the product P placed on the tray 31 collides with the separating member 55 and falls from the tray 31, and is prevented from passing by the separating member 55 and remains on the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53. Meanwhile, the tray 31 passes through the tray passing portion 56, falls from the one end of the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53, and is collected in a collection container not shown. After that, the separating and conveying device 50 rotates the motor 54 in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction to make the upper running portion 53a of the conveying belt 53 run in the direction opposite to the arrow B. As a result, the products P remaining on the upper running portion 53a of the conveyor belt 53 are conveyed to a product receiving portion (not shown). Note that the operation of the conveyor device 3 and the operation of the separating conveyor device 50 are also controlled by the control device 150.

In this way, the product P is provided to the purchaser and the tray 31 is collected, improving convenience.

Although the embodiments and variations of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and variations, and further variations and modifications are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention.

1...Product provision device, 2...Product display case, 3...Transport device, 4...Tray holder, 5...Holding body, 6...Moving mechanism, 16...Storage space, 21...Product display section, 30...Tray connecting body, 31...Tray, 50...Separation and transport device, P...Product

Claims (3)

The display case includes a front opening having a plurality of product display sections arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, and a conveying device provided on the front side of the display case,
In the product display case, each product display section has a plurality of tray combinations arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and each tray combination has a plurality of trays on which products are placed that are separably connected in the front-rear direction;
the conveying device is configured to separate the frontmost tray of each tray combination from the remaining trays, convey the frontmost tray and the products placed thereon to a predetermined position outside the product display case, and move the remaining tray and the products placed thereon forward ;
The conveying device includes an upper unit provided at the upper part of the front side of the product display case, a lower unit provided at the lower part of the front side of the product display case, and a connecting unit located in front of the opening of the product display case, extending in the vertical direction and connected to the upper unit and the lower unit, and the connecting unit is configured to be detachable from the upper unit and the lower unit.
Product provision device. The product providing device described in claim 1, wherein the lower unit is movable in the forward and backward directions, is stored in a storage space formed at the bottom of the product display case when the conveying device is not in use, and is configured to be able to be pulled forward from the storage space when the conveying device is in use. The conveying device further includes a separation conveying device to which the frontmost tray and the products placed thereon are conveyed,
The separation and conveyance device is configured to separate the forefront tray from the products placed thereon and convey the separated products to a product receiving section.
The product providing device according to claim 1 or 2 .