JP7476741B2 - Product storage device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a product storage device, and more specifically, to a product storage device that is installed in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, and that stores products while maintaining them at a desired temperature.

Patent Document 1 proposes a product storage device that is installed in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores and stores products while maintaining them at a desired temperature.

In the product storage device proposed in Patent Document 1, a storage chamber in the device body has an opening on the front, and multiple product placement shelves are arranged in multiple levels in the vertical direction, with products being placed on each product placement shelf.

In addition, a ventilation passage is formed inside the device body, but outside the storage chamber. The ventilation passage is an air passage that runs from an intake port that opens at the front lower part of the storage chamber to an outlet port that opens at the front upper part of the storage chamber, and has a lower air passage formed in the lower area of the storage chamber, a rear air passage formed behind the rear panel that forms the rear of the storage chamber, and an upper air passage formed in the upper area of the storage chamber, with an evaporator installed midway.

In such a product storage device, air is sucked in through the intake port, passing through the lower air passage, the rear air passage, and the upper air passage in that order, before being cooled by the evaporator along the way and being blown out through the exhaust port. The air blown out from the exhaust port is sucked into the intake port and circulates through the ventilation passage, thereby cooling the air inside the storage room and maintaining the products at the desired temperature.

JP 2000-102458 A

However, in the above-mentioned product storage device, the ventilation passage is formed separately from the storage chamber, so a rear panel is required to form the rear of the storage chamber. This increases the number of parts, such as the rear panel and the members for attaching the rear panel, resulting in increased manufacturing costs.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a product storage device that can reduce manufacturing costs.

In order to achieve the above object, the product storage device according to the present invention has a device main body formed as a rectangular heat-insulating housing and having a front opening on a front wall portion, a storage chamber formed inside the device main body facing the front opening and having multiple product placement shelves arranged in multiple tiers in the vertical direction on shelf supports erected in a left-right pair, a lower air passage formed in a lower area of the storage chamber and communicating with an intake port opening at the front lower part of the storage chamber, an upper air passage formed in an upper area of the storage chamber and communicating with an air outlet opening at the front upper part of the storage chamber, a lower air passage disposed in the lower air passage, and an upper air passage disposed in the upper air passage, and by driving the lower air passage and the upper air passage, air sucked in through the intake port passes through the lower air passage, and air that has passed through the upper air passage passes through the lower air passage. The product storage device is equipped with an air blowing means for blowing air to be blown out of the air outlet, and a temperature adjustment means for adjusting the air blown by the air blowing means to a predetermined temperature, and stores products placed on the product storage shelf while maintaining them at a desired temperature. The lower air passage has an outlet formed between the rear surface of the device body and the rear wall portion that constitutes the back surface of the storage chamber, and is equipped with a wind speed increasing member that reduces the opening area of the outlet to increase the wind speed of the air blown out of the outlet. The air blowing means is adjusted so that the air volume of the lower air blowing fan is larger than the air volume of the upper air blowing fan, and the air that has passed through the lower air passage is blown out of the outlet and passes upward along the front surface of the rear wall portion to pass through the upper air passage by driving the lower air blowing fan and the upper air blowing fan.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the above-mentioned product storage device, the air blowing means is adjusted so that the air volume of the lower blowing fan is at least twice the air volume of the upper blowing fan.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the above-mentioned product storage device, the front opening of the device body is opened and closed by a front door.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above-mentioned product storage device, the device body is provided with a product removal opening formed in the rear wall portion and opened and closed by a product removal door, and a transport means that, when a product is selected by operating an operating unit provided in the rear wall portion, receives the selected product from a product placement shelf on which the product is placed and transports the product to a position where it can be removed through the product removal opening.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the above-mentioned product storage device, the transport means includes a transport tray that is installed in a movably upward and downward direction in the rear area of the product placement shelf in the storage room.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the above-mentioned product storage device, the device body has a rear opening in the rear wall portion, and the rear opening is opened and closed by a rear door.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the above-mentioned product storage device, the rear door is equipped with a display device consisting of a liquid crystal display.

According to the present invention, the wind speed increasing member reduces the opening area of the outlet of the lower air passage to increase the wind speed of the air blown out from the outlet, the air blowing means is adjusted so that the air volume of the lower air blowing fan is greater than that of the upper air blowing fan, and by driving the lower air blowing fan and the upper air blowing fan, the air that has passed through the lower air passage is blown out from the outlet and passes upward along the front surface of the rear wall portion to pass through the upper air passage, so that the air sucked in from the intake port can be blown out to the exhaust port without providing a rear panel that constitutes the rear surface of the storage chamber as in the conventional case, and the number of parts such as the rear panel and the members for attaching the rear panel can be reduced, thereby achieving the effect of reducing manufacturing costs.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of the product storage apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing air circulation in the product storage device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view showing the product storage device shown in FIG. 1 in a state in which products can be removed through the front opening. FIG. 5 is a sectional side view showing an operation of selling products in the product storage device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional side view showing an operation of selling products in the product storage device shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional side view showing an operation of selling products in the product storage device shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional side view showing an operation of selling products in the product storage device shown in FIG.

The following describes in detail a preferred embodiment of the product storage device according to the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of the product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The product storage device 10 illustrated here is a vending machine/showcase installed in a store 1, such as a convenience store, and includes a device main body 11 and a control unit 50.

The device body 11 is a rectangular heat-insulated housing, and is installed penetrating the wall 4 of the store 1, with the front wall 12 forming the front surface facing the interior 2 of the store 1, while the rear wall 13 forming the outer surface facing the exterior 3 of the store 1. This device body 11 has a front opening 12a formed in the front wall 12 and a rear opening 13a formed in the rear wall 13, and is provided with a front door 14, a rear door 15, a storage room 16, a ventilation passage 17, and a product removal door 18.

The front door 14 is a heat-insulating door large enough to cover the front opening 12a, and is provided on one side edge that constitutes the opening edge of the front opening 12a so that it can swing back and forth. The front door 14 swings to open and close the front opening 12a. More specifically, the front door 14 swings forward to open the front opening 12a, and swings backward to close the front opening 12a. Although not shown in the figure, the front door 14 has a rectangular opening, and a window is provided by fitting a plate of heat-insulating glass in such a manner that it closes the rectangular opening. Therefore, the inside of the device body 11 can be seen through the window.

The rear door 15 is a heat-insulating door large enough to cover the rear opening 13a, and is provided on one side edge that constitutes the opening edge of the rear opening 13a so that it can swing in the front-to-rear direction. This rear door 15 swings to open and close the rear opening 13a. More specifically, it swings backward to open the rear opening 13a, and swings forward to close the rear opening 13a. Such a rear door 15 is held in a state in which the rear opening 13a is closed by a locking mechanism (not shown).

The rear door 15 is also provided with a display device 15a consisting of a liquid crystal display, and although not shown in the figure, a communication section is provided for making electronic money payments using a recording medium equipped with electronic money (such as an IC card or a mobile phone).

The display device 15a is a touch panel type screen that functions as a display means for displaying the products for sale and their prices, and also has an operation section 15b that sends a signal to the control section 50 that a product has been selected when the part displaying the product is pressed by the purchaser.

The storage chamber 16 is a chamber formed inside the device body 11 facing the front opening 12a. The back surface of the storage chamber 16 is formed by the rear wall portion 13 of the device body 11, i.e., the rear wall portion 13 including the rear door 15 that closes the rear opening 13a.

In this storage room 16, product placement shelves 20 are installed in multiple tiers in the vertical direction on shelf supports 19 that are erected in a pair on the left and right. These product placement shelves 20 are configured by arranging multiple product columns 22, each of which stores products in the front-to-rear direction, side by side on a pair of left and right bracket members 21 attached to the shelf supports 19 so as to extend forward. The product columns 22 are conventionally known, and store products W by placing them on the upper horizontally extending portion of a conveyor belt 22b that is endlessly stretched between a pair of front and rear pulleys 22a.

The ventilation passage 17 is configured with a lower air passage 17a arranged on the lower side of the storage chamber 16 and an upper air passage 17b arranged on the upper side of the storage chamber 16.

The lower air passage 17a is connected to an intake port 23 that opens to the front lower portion of the storage chamber 16, and an outlet 24 is formed between the lower air passage 17a and the rear wall portion 13 in such a manner that it faces upward. A lower blower fan 25 is installed in this lower air passage 17a.

The lower blower fan 25 is driven in response to commands given by the control unit 50. When driven, it draws air into the lower air passage 17a through the suction port 23 and sends out the air that has passed through the lower air passage 17a from the outlet 24.

Such a lower air passage 17a is equipped with a wind speed increasing member 26. The wind speed increasing member 26 is installed in a manner that reduces the opening area of the outlet 24, and is intended to increase the wind speed of the air ejected from the outlet 24.

The upper air passage 17b is connected to an air outlet 27 that opens to the upper front part of the storage chamber 16, and an inlet 28 is formed facing the rear. An upper blower fan 29 and an evaporator 30 are installed in this upper air passage 17b.

The upper blower fan 29 is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 50. When driven, it introduces air into the upper air passage 17b through the inlet 28 and blows the air that has passed through the upper air passage 17b out of the outlet 27 into the storage chamber 16. The upper blower fan 29 constitutes a blowing means together with the lower blower fan 25. In this blowing means, the blowing volume of the lower blower fan 25 is adjusted to be larger than the blowing volume of the upper blower fan 29, and more specifically, the blowing volume of the lower blower fan 25 is adjusted to be more than twice the blowing volume of the upper blower fan 29.

The evaporator 30 is connected to the compressor 31, the condenser, and the expansion mechanism (all not shown) through refrigerant pipes to form a refrigeration cycle that circulates the refrigerant. The compressor 31 is driven by commands given from the control unit 50, and compresses the refrigerant when driven. The condenser condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 31 and releases heat. The expansion mechanism adiabatically expands the refrigerant condensed by the condenser to bring it to a low-temperature, low-pressure state.

The evaporator 30 exchanges heat between the air passing through the upper air passage 17b and the refrigerant that has been brought to a low-temperature, low-pressure state by the expansion mechanism, and more specifically, cools the air passing through the upper air passage 17b by evaporating the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant. The refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator 30 is sucked into the compressor 31 and circulates through the refrigeration cycle.

The product removal door 18 is a heat-insulating door large enough to cover the product removal outlet 13b provided at the lower part of the rear opening 13a of the rear wall 13 of the device body 11, and is provided at the upper edge of the opening of the product removal outlet 13b so as to be able to swing in the front-to-rear direction. This product removal door 18 swings to open and close the product removal outlet 13b; more specifically, it swings backwards to open the product removal outlet 13b, and swings forwards to close the product removal outlet 13b.

The product removal door 18, together with the rear wall 13 and rear door 15 described above, constitutes the rear surface of the storage chamber 16 and is located above the outlet 24 of the lower air passage 17a described above.

In the storage room 16, a pair of transport rails 32 are provided on both sides of the rear area of the product placement shelf 20, and a transport tray 33 is provided between the transport rails 32 so that it can move vertically. In other words, a movement path 34 is formed between the transport rails 32 to allow the transport tray 33 to pass. The lower end of this movement path 34 is the product removal position 35. Here, the product removal position 35 is a position where a user can remove the product W transported by the transport tray 33 through the product removal opening 13b while it is still placed on the transport tray 33.

The control unit 50 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned operation unit 15b, lower blower fan 25, upper blower fan 29, and compressor 31, as well as to the dispensing mechanism 41, conveying mechanism (conveying means) 42, removal door opening/closing detection unit 43, and removal door locking mechanism 44, and generally controls the operation of the product storage device 10 according to the programs and data stored in the memory unit 51, which is also electrically connected.

The dispensing mechanism 41 is provided for each product column 22 that constitutes the product placement shelf 20, and is equipped with a dispensing motor 41a. The dispensing motor 41a is a drive source that is driven in response to commands given from the control unit 50. When the dispensing motor 41a is driven, the dispensing mechanism 41 rotates the pulley 22a of the corresponding product column 22, displacing the conveyor belt 22b along its extension direction so that the upper horizontally extending portion of the conveyor belt 22b faces rearward, dispensing the rearmost product W to the rear side.

The transport mechanism 42 includes a transport motor 42a and a tray detector 42b. The transport motor 42a is a drive source that is driven in response to commands given from the control unit 50. The tray detector 42b is composed of an encoder that detects the rotation of the transport motor 42a, and detects the position of the transport tray 33. In this way, the transport mechanism 42 moves the transport tray 33 up and down between the transport rails 32. In addition, the transport mechanism 42 positions the transport tray 33 at the product removal position 35 in the standby state.

The removal door opening/closing detection unit 43 is provided near the product removal opening 13b and is composed of, for example, an optical sensor. This removal door opening/closing detection unit 43 detects the opening and closing of the product removal opening 13b by the product removal door 18, and more specifically, detects whether the product removal opening 13b is closed, i.e., whether the product removal door 18 is closed. The removal door opening/closing detection unit 43 provides the control unit 50 with the detection result of whether the product removal door 18 is closed.

The removal door lock mechanism 44 is provided near the product removal opening 13b. This removal door lock mechanism 44 can be switched between a locked state in which the product removal door 18 that closes the product removal opening 13b is kept closed and the product removal door 18 is prevented from swinging backward, and an unlocked state in which the product removal door 18 is allowed to swing backward. The removal door lock mechanism 44 is switched in response to a command given by the control unit 50.

The control unit 50 may be realized, for example, by having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, i.e., by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

In the product storage device 10 having the above configuration, the control unit 50 drives the lower blower fan 25, the upper blower fan 29, and the compressor 31, and locks the removal door lock mechanism 44, so that the air inside the storage chamber 16 is sucked into the lower air passage 17a through the suction port 23. Here, the air volume of the lower blower fan 25 is adjusted to be more than twice the air volume of the upper blower fan 29, and the opening area of the outlet 24 is reduced by the wind speed increasing member 26, so that the air that has passed through the lower air passage 17a is blown out from the outlet 24 at a sufficiently high wind speed as shown in FIG. 3, and passes upward along the front surface of the rear wall portion 13 including the rear door 15 and the product removal door 18. Then, the air that has passed upward along the front surface of the rear wall portion 13 passes through the upper air passage 17b from the inlet 28, is cooled by the evaporator 30 during the passage, and is blown out from the outlet 27 into the storage chamber 16.

As a result, in the storage room 16, air is blown out from the air outlet 27 and sucked into the air inlet 23, forming an air curtain AC, and the storage room 16 is cooled to the desired temperature. This cools the products W placed on the product placement shelf 20 (product column 22).

During store 1 business hours, the control unit 50 disables operation of the operation unit 15b, so that a customer of store 1 can swing the front door 14 forward to open the front opening 12a and remove a product W from any product column 22, as shown in FIG. 4.

On the other hand, if store 1 is outside its business hours, the control unit 50 enables operation of operation unit 15b, so that product W in product column 22 can be sold as follows.

When a product W is selected by the operation unit 15b and a specified electronic money payment is completed via the communication unit, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 50 issues a command to the transport motor 42a to drive the transport mechanism 42, and moves the transport tray 33 arranged at the product removal position 35 upward toward the rear area of the product placement shelf 20 having the product column 22 on which the selected product W is placed.

When the tray detection unit 42b detects that the transport tray 33 has been transported to the rear area of a specific product placement shelf 20, the control unit 50 stops driving the transport motor 42a and drives the dispensing motor 41a of the corresponding product column 22. This drives the dispensing mechanism 41 to rotate the corresponding pulley 22a clockwise when viewed from the right, displacing the transport belt 22b with the upper horizontal extension portion facing backward as shown in FIG. 6, and the rearmost product W is dispensed backward and received by the transport tray 33. After the rearmost product W is dispensed backward, the control unit 50 stops driving the dispensing motor 41a and drives the transport motor 42a. As a result, the transport tray 33 moves downward toward the product removal position 35 by the transport mechanism 42.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the tray detector 42b detects that the transport tray 33 has been placed at the product removal position 35, the controller 50 stops driving the transport motor 42a. The controller 50 then switches the removal door lock mechanism 44 from the locked state to the unlocked state, and as shown in FIG. 8, the product removal door 18 is swung backward to remove the product W, allowing the product W to be sold.

When the removal door open/close detection unit 43 detects that the product removal door 18 is closed, the control unit 50 switches the removal door lock mechanism 44 from an unlocked state to a locked state, thereby terminating the sale of the product W.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the product storage device 10 of the present invention, the air volume of the lower blower fan 25 is adjusted to be larger than that of the upper blower fan 29, and the wind speed increasing member 26 reduces the opening area of the outlet 24 of the lower air passage 17a, so that the wind speed of the air passing through the lower air passage 17a and blowing out from the outlet 24 can be increased by driving the lower blower fan 25 and the upper blower fan 29, and the air passing through the lower air passage 17a can be blown out from the outlet 24 and pass upward along the front surface of the rear wall portion 13 and pass through the upper air passage 17b. As a result, the air sucked in from the suction port 23 can be sent to the blowing port 27 without providing a rear panel that constitutes the rear of the storage room as in the conventional case, and the number of parts such as the rear panel and the members for attaching the rear panel can be reduced, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

With the above-mentioned product storage device 10, there is no need to provide a rear panel in the storage room 16, so a transport tray 33 can be provided behind the product storage shelf 20 in a manner that allows it to be raised and lowered. Products placed on the product storage shelf 20 can not only be removed from the front opening 12a, but can also be transported and sold using the transport tray 33.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the product storage device 10 has been described as a showcase that doubles as a vending machine, but in the present invention, the showcase may be one in which no rear opening or product removal port is formed in the rear wall of the device body, no transport tray is provided in the storage chamber, and products are removed through a front opening.

In the above-described embodiment, the front opening 12a of the device body 11 is opened and closed by the front door 14, but in the present invention, a front door does not necessarily have to be provided.

Although not specifically mentioned in the above-described embodiment, in the present invention, a cover may be provided whose vertical extension length is variable according to the elevation and lowering of the transport tray, to separate an area in which the product placement shelves are installed and an area in which the transport tray's movement path is installed when the transport tray is positioned at the product removal position.

10...Product storage device, 11...Device body, 12...Front wall, 12a...Front opening, 13...Rear wall, 13a...Rear opening, 13b...Product removal port, 14...Front door, 15...Rear door, 15a...Display device, 15b...Operation unit, 16...Storage room, 17...Ventilation passage, 17a...Lower air passage, 17b...Upper air passage, 18...Product removal door, 19...Shelf support, 20...Product placement shelf, 22...Product column, 23... Intake port, 24...outlet, 25...lower blower fan, 26...wind speed increasing member, 27...blowout port, 28...inlet, 29...upper blower fan, 30...evaporator, 31...compressor, 33...transport tray, 41...dispensing mechanism, 41a...dispensing motor, 42...transport mechanism, 42a...transport motor, 42b...tray detector, 43...removal door open/close detector, 44...removal door lock mechanism, 50...controller, 51...storage unit, W...product.

Claims (7)

An apparatus main body formed as a rectangular heat-insulating housing having a front opening on a front wall portion;
a storage chamber formed inside the device body in a manner facing the front opening and having a plurality of product placement shelves arranged in multiple levels in the vertical direction on shelf supports that are erected in a pair on the left and right;
a lower air passage formed in a lower region of the storage chamber and communicating with an intake port opening at a front lower portion of the storage chamber;
an upper air passage formed in an upper area of the storage chamber and communicating with an air outlet opening at a front upper portion of the storage chamber;
a blowing means including a lower blowing fan disposed in the lower air passage and an upper blowing fan disposed in the upper air passage, the lower blowing fan and the upper blowing fan being driven to blow air sucked through the suction port so as to pass through the lower air passage and to blow air having passed through the upper air passage out of the air outlet;
and a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the air blown by the air blowing means to a predetermined temperature, wherein the product storage device stores the products placed on the product storage shelf while maintaining them at a desired temperature,
the lower air passage has an outlet formed between the rear surface of the device body and a rear wall portion constituting the rear surface of the storage chamber, and is provided with a wind speed increasing member that reduces an opening area of the outlet to increase the wind speed of air blown out from the outlet,
The air blowing means is adjusted so that the air volume of the lower air blower fan is greater than the air volume of the upper air blower fan, and by driving the lower air blower fan and the upper air blower fan, air that has passed through the lower air passage is ejected from the outlet, passes upward along the front surface of the rear wall portion, and passes through the upper air passage. The product storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that the air blowing means is adjusted so that the air volume of the lower blowing fan is at least twice the air volume of the upper blowing fan. The product storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the front opening of the device body is opened and closed by a front door. The device body includes:
a product outlet formed in the rear wall portion and opened and closed by a product outlet door;
and a transport means for, when an operating unit provided on the rear wall portion is operated to select a product, receiving the selected product from a product storage shelf on which the selected product is placed and transporting the product to a position where it can be removed through the product removal opening. The product storage device according to claim 4, characterized in that the transport means includes a transport tray that is installed in a movably manner in the rear area of the product placement shelf in the storage room. The product storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the device body has a rear opening in the rear wall portion, and the rear opening is opened and closed by a rear door. The product storage device according to claim 6, characterized in that the rear door is equipped with a display device consisting of a liquid crystal display.

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