JPH05258166A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control of temperature commodities at a temperature proper for storage and sales by heating commodity in a storing area separated from a position corresponding to carrying-out for sales to a comparatively lower temperature which is proper for storage and a commodity in a storing area close to a position corresponding to carrying-out to a comparatively higher temperature which is preferable for the condition at time of sales. CONSTITUTION:Heating means 11a to 11c are provided around a commodity storing part 3 superposing/storing the commodity by vertically extending/ installing them. The commodities are successively carried out from commodity at the lowest position with a sales work and the commodity superposed on it comes down within the commodity storing part in accordance with the carrying-out of the commodity in the vending machine. Then, the heating means set the temperature control value of the commodity storing part to be successively lower at a high-order area than that at low-order area. Thus, the commodity at the high-order area, which has a comparatively long period to a sale are heated to a comparatively lower temperature so as not to have any problem for long period of preservation and the commodity at the low-order area, which are expected to be sold soon have a temperature proper for the sale.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine, and more particularly to an automatic vending machine for heating the inside of a refrigerator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vending machine having a plurality of serpentine type product storage units, a product insertion port is provided at the upper part of each product storage unit and a product ejection port is provided at the lower part. When the products are loaded, the products are stacked and accommodated in a single row from the lower region to the upper region. And when it comes to selling hot products,
A heater is used, or a pressurized and heated refrigerant is circulated to heat the inside of the refrigerator to a substantially uniform temperature.

[0003]

It is preferred that hot products are heated to a relatively high temperature, but if the hot products are heated to such a high temperature in the refrigerator for a long period of time, the quality will be poor. There was a problem that it decreased.

It is an object of the present invention to warm the products in the storage area away from the carry-out correspondence position for sale to a relatively low temperature suitable for storage, and to sell the goods in the storage area close to the carry-out correspondence position at the time of sale. An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine which can be heated to a relatively high temperature and can be managed at a temperature suitable for storage and sale.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 has a product storage section vertically extending in a refrigerator, and products are stacked in the product storage section. Is provided with heating means provided with heat energy from the outside to the periphery of the product storage unit, the product storage unit is heated, and the lowermost products are sequentially carried out by the sales operation and above the product storage unit. In the vending machine in which the products stacked on the product are lowered in the product storage unit in accordance with the carry-out, the heating means corresponds to a plurality of regions divided in the vertical direction of the product storage unit. By doing so, the temperature control value is set to be gradually lower in the upper region than in the lower region. According to the invention of claim 2, in the invention of claim 1, among the heat storage agents having different melting temperatures, a heat storage agent having a relatively low melting temperature is disposed adjacent to the upper heating means, and the melting temperature is increased. A heat storage agent having a relatively high temperature is disposed adjacent to the lower heating means.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the temperature of the upper region of the commodity storage unit is controlled to be lower than the temperature of the lower region by the heating means. According to the invention of claim 2,
The temperature of the upper region in the product storage unit is heated by the heating means to be lower than the temperature of the lower region and the temperature is controlled in the same manner as above, and heat is stored by each heating, and each heating is performed in each heat storage state. When is stopped, the heat of fusion peculiar to each heat storage agent is released, and the temperature of the upper region is controlled to be lower than the temperature of the lower region.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the essential parts of an automatic vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a product storage, which is surrounded by a wall 2 made of a heat insulating material and has a plurality of serpentine columns 3 for storing products such as cans. Each of the serpentine columns 3 extends in the vertical direction to form a product storage portion, and products such as cans are stacked and stored. Reference numeral 4 is a column side plate, 5 is a product insertion port, 6 is a product release device for releasing the product at the time of sale, and 7 is a delivery shooter for delivering the sold product. Reference numeral 8 is a front door, and 9 is an inner door for closing the respective serpentine columns 3 and the like.

Heat storage agents 10a, 10b and 10c are housed in appropriate containers and are attached along the inner surface of the wall 2 which surrounds the serpentine column 3 and is made of a heat insulating material. In order to heat the product to an appropriate temperature at the time of sale, the melting temperature of the heat storage agent 10c is 60 in this embodiment.
The melting temperature of each of the heat storage agents 10a and 10b is lower than the melting temperature of the heat storage agent 10c and is set to a temperature gradually approaching thereto, for example, 45 ° C. and 50 ° C., respectively. Reference numerals 11a, 11b and 11c denote heating wires as heating means, which are arranged between the wall 2 and the heat storage agents 10a, 10b and 10c, and the heating wires 11a, 11b and 11c respectively correspond to the heating wires. The electric heat output is set so as to reach the temperature required to heat the heat storage agents 10a, 10b, 10c to their melting temperatures or higher.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the electric heating circuit.

In the figure, 12 is a power source, and each heating wire 1
1a, 11b and 11c are connected in parallel to the power source 12 and are energized respectively. Reference numerals 13a, 13b and 13c denote thermostats connected in series to the heating wires 11a, 11b and 11c, respectively, so that the corresponding heat storages are not directly received by the heating wires 11a, 11b and 11c and the temperature in the storage. It is mounted by being embedded in the agents 10a, 10b, 10c, and turns on / off the power supply to the heating wires 11a, 11b, 11c in response to the heat storage temperatures of the heat storage agents 10a, 10b, 10c, respectively. Each thermostat 13a, 13
The operating temperatures of b and 13c are the heat storage agents 10a, 10b and 1
A temperature slightly higher than the melting temperature of 0c, eg 47 ° C, 52
℃ and 62 ℃ are set respectively. Reference numeral 14 denotes an inside temperature detector, which is attached near the serpentine column 3 facing the lowest heat storage agent 10c. 15 is accumulated
In the heat radiation control circuit, each heating wire 11a, 11b is continuous during the midnight time, and when the temperature detected by the internal temperature detector becomes, for example, 58 ° C. or less except during the midnight time, over a predetermined heat storage time. , 11c can be connected to the power supply 12 and are disconnected from the power supply 12 under other conditions.

In the above construction, when the temperature inside the refrigerator is lower than 58 ° C. in the middle of the night, each heating wire 11a, 11b, 11c is connected to the power source 12, and each heat storage agent 10a, 10b, 10c is respectively connected. 47 ° C, 52
It is energized and stored heat until it reaches ℃ and 62 ℃ and becomes liquid phase.
During the energization, the products in the respective areas housed in the serpentine column 3 are at the respective temperatures of 47.
The heat storage agents 10a, 10b, and 10c at ℃, 52 ℃, and 62 ℃ are used as heat sources for heating. As a result, the products in the upper region are heated to a relatively low temperature, so that long-term storage is not hindered, and the products in the lower region have a high temperature suitable for sale. And under conditions other than the above, each heating wire 11
When a, 11b, and 11c are disconnected from the power source 12 and the temperature of each heat storage agent 10a, 10b, and 10c decreases to their melting temperature with the lapse of time, the latent heat is gradually released and the solid phase gradually shifts thereafter. To do. Meanwhile, the service
The products in the respective areas housed in the pentane column 3 are heated by using the heat storage agents 10a, 10b and 10c having the melting temperatures of 45 ° C., 50 ° C. and 60 ° C. as heat sources. As a result, the products in the upper areas, which have a relatively long period before sales, are heated to a relatively low temperature and do not hinder long-term storage, and the products in the lower areas that are about to be sold. Will be high temperature suitable for sale. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to effectively use the relatively low price late-night power.

In the above-described embodiment, the storage / heat radiation control circuit 15 is continuous during the midnight time period, and for a predetermined heat storage time when the detected temperature in the refrigerator becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature except the midnight time period. , It was possible to energize each heating wire, heat storage agent 1
By selecting 0a, 10b, and 10c as having a sufficient heat capacity for heating during the daytime, it is possible to energize only during the midnight hours and not to energize during the daytime. Further, in the present embodiment, each heating wire 11a, 11b, 11
The heat storage agent 10a, 10b, 10c was used to heat the serpentine column 3, but the heat storage agent 10
You may make it the structure which heats without a, 10b, and 10c.
The same temperature control can be performed in the configuration as described above.

[0014]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the heating means is provided around the commodity storing portion in which the commodity is stacked and accommodated in the vertical direction, and the warming means is provided to maximize the sales operation. In a vending machine in which lower products are sequentially carried out, the heating means sets the temperature control value of the product storage unit to the upper region sequentially lower than that in the lower region. By setting the temperature control value of the area to a temperature suitable for sales, the products in the upper area, which has a relatively long time before sales, are heated to a relatively low temperature and can be used for a long time. There is no problem in storage, and the products in the lower areas that are close to sales will reach the temperature suitable for sales. Further, according to the invention of claim 2, a heat storage agent having a relatively low melting temperature is arranged adjacent to the upper heating means, and a heat storage agent having a relatively high melting temperature is placed in the lower order. Since it is arranged adjacent to the heating means of the above, by storing heat in a timely manner, even if the heating by each of the above heating means disappears, the heat of each heat storage agent is radiated and the temperature is similarly managed and stored and sold. A vending machine suitable for is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an essential part of a vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an electric heating circuit diagram of the vending machine of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Merchandise storage, 3 ... Serpentine column, 10a,
10b, 10c ... Heat storage agent, 11a, 11b, 11c ... Heating wire, 12 ... Power supply, 13a, 13b, 13c ... Thermostat, 14 ... Chamber temperature detector, 15 ... Storage / radiation control circuit.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A product storage unit having a vertically extending product storage unit, wherein products are stacked and stored in the product storage unit, and thermal energy is externally supplied to the periphery of the product storage unit. A heating means is provided, and the product storage unit is heated so that the lowest products are sequentially carried out by the sales operation, and the products stacked above the products are lowered in the product storage unit in accordance with the transfer. In the automatic vending machine, the heating means has a temperature management value corresponding to each of a plurality of areas divided in the vertical direction of the product storage unit, and the temperature management values are sequentially lower in the upper area than in the lower area. A vending machine characterized by being set. 2. A product storage unit having a vertically extending product storage unit, wherein products are stacked and stored in the product storage unit, and thermal energy is externally supplied to the periphery of the product storage unit. A heating means is provided, and the product storage unit is heated so that the lowest products are sequentially carried out by the sales operation, and the products stacked above the products are lowered in the product storage unit in accordance with the transfer. In the automatic vending machine, the heating means has a temperature management value corresponding to each of a plurality of areas divided in the vertical direction of the product storage unit, and the temperature management values are sequentially lower in the upper area than in the lower area. Among the heat storage agents having different melting temperatures, the heat storage agent having a relatively low melting temperature is disposed adjacent to the upper heating means, and the heat storage agent having a relatively higher melting temperature is placed in the lower heating agent. Arranged adjacent to the heating means, A vending machine characterized by that.