JPH07320140A - Commodity storing device for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the durability by a rational constitution and also to use a synthetic resin to a curved plate for a commodity storing device of automatic vending machine. CONSTITUTION:A curved plate 1 having the support projections 2 at both sides of its upper end part is molded into a single body with use of a synthetic resin (polyacetal resin). The plate surface F is formed into a wave shape including top streaks 4a and bottom streaks 4b of U-shaped sections arranged alternately in the left-right direction. The erected walls 4 are formed among the streaks 4a and 4b as the boundaries and also as the reinforcement ribs. The width of the streak 4a is smaller than the inside width of the streak 4b and also laterally asymmetrical. Windows 5 are formed at the upper and lower positions on the upper surface of each streak 4a near the center of the surface F when viewed from the curved recess surface side. Furthermore, the interference prevention windows 6 are formed at the upper and lower positions of each streak 4b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a serpentine type product storage device (hereinafter simply referred to as a product storage device) in a vending machine for canned or bottled beverages.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vending machine, cylindrical products such as beverages in cans or bottles are stacked and stored in a horizontal posture in a product storage device in which a plurality of meandering storage paths are arranged side by side. There is. The product storage device is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.
As illustrated in Fig. 3, by vertically connecting the curved plates 1 ', 1' ... between the standing side plates 7, 7 arranged side by side at the height interval of the product, a plurality of meandering storage paths can be formed in the front-rear and left-right directions. They are formed next to each other, and in each meandering storage passage,
The products 15, 15 ... Injected from above are stacked and stored in a line. At the lower end of the meandering storage path, the product discharge mechanism 1
1 is provided, and the lowest product is dropped from the storage path by the customer's purchase operation, and the specified products are carried out one by one from the bottom to the product outlet through the chute. The curved plate 1 ′ used in the meandering storage path is made of metal, for example, as shown in the figure, and the upper and lower edges are curled to form the rod insertion portion 17, and both sides are folded back to enhance rigidity. , The product confirmation window 22 is largely cut out and formed on the plate surface, and the rod 2 is bridged to the standing side plate.
It is known that they are vertically arranged through 3,23 ...

[0003]

In a cabinet 9 of a vending machine, a commodity storage device M constituted by a plurality of meandering storage paths is incorporated. Curved plates 1 ', 1'
.. is a structure that is supported by the rods 23, 23 ... Inserted in the rod insertion portion 21 as described above,
To form the meandering storage path, each rod 23, 23
.. each of the curved plate 1 ', 1' ..
It is bridged between the standing plates 7 and 7 in a state of penetrating to 1, 21 ... .. are first inserted through the rod insertion holes 24 formed in the upright plate 7 on one side, and then the rods 23, 23 .. , The bending plates 1 ′, 1 ′ are respectively inserted into the rod insertion portions 21 and assembled one by one, and finally the other standing plate 7 is inserted into the rod insertion hole 24 formed in the other standing plate 7. It has to be done, which is very troublesome. Also, since the curved plate 1'is made of thin metal sheet metal, it is easy to damage the hands with sharp corners during its mounting work. This is taken out not only during assembly but also during maintenance when a product jam occurs. Or, the same can be said when guiding the product downward. Further, when installed indoors or used at night, there is a drawback that the dropping noise of replenishment and carry-out is noisy. Therefore, although it has been studied to make it a resin, when the fiber is reinforced, the scraped fibers scatter and it is not good for hygiene. However, long-term reliability has not been confirmed and it has not been put to practical use.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, by changing the material and structure of the bending plate, compatibility with the conventional bending plate is maintained, safety at the time of assembly and maintenance is improved, and high strength is secured. The configuration is
This is because the plate surface has a corrugated shape in which crests and troughs having a U-shaped cross section are alternately provided in the horizontal direction, or a plurality of ribs are provided in the vertical direction on the plate surface. The synthetic resin is preferably a thermoplastic resin, and it is preferable to select a polyacetal resin among them.

[0005]

[Function] The use of synthetic resin eliminates sharp corners,
Moreover, the carry-out sound is significantly reduced. Furthermore, corrugate the plate surface,
Or, by providing a plurality of ribs in the vertical direction on the plate surface, the lack of strength, which is a weak point of synthetic resin, is solved,
At the same time, weight reduction and cost reduction can be achieved.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A commodity storage device for an automatic vending machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a curved plate 1 used in a product storage device according to the present invention. The curved plate 1 is made of a synthetic resin (polyacetal resin), and the plate surface F has a curvature rate equal to that of a conventional metal curved plate. The support protrusions 2, 2 are integrally formed on both sides of the upper end, and a locking piece 3 curved on the side opposite to the plate surface is continuously provided at the center of the lower end edge. The plate surface F is formed in a corrugated shape in which crests 4a and troughs 4b having a U-shaped cross section are alternately provided in the left-right direction, and the crests 4a and troughs 4 are formed.
A standing wall 4 is formed at the boundary with b. This standing wall functions as a reinforcing rib. Further, the width of the back groove of the mountain line 4a is narrower than the width of the back surface ridge of the valley line 4b, and is therefore asymmetrical, and the upper surface of the mountain line 4a near the center of the plate surface F as seen from the curved concave side. Through windows 5, 5 in the upper and lower parts
Is provided. Furthermore, in the vertical position of each trough 4b,
Interference prevention windows 6 and 6 are formed respectively.

This curved plate 1 is, as shown in FIG.
One support protrusion 2 is pushed into a fastening hole 8 formed in one upright plate 7 to be continuously arranged in the vertical direction, and when all the curved plates 1 have been continuously arranged, the other support protrusion 2 is attached to the other support protrusion 2. Assembling of the commodity storage device M is completed only by pushing it into the fastening hole 8 formed in the upright plate 7. Thus, unlike the conventional case, the troublesome work of inserting the rod into the rod insertion hole of the bending plate is no longer required, so that the working time is shortened and the hand is not injured. The workability is good if the stand-up plate is laid down for assembly, and the locking piece 3 is
As shown in the figure, it is arranged so as to overlap the upper end surface of the curved plate 1 that is continuously provided below. The curved plate 1 of this embodiment is
Since the through windows 5 and 5 and the interference prevention windows 6 and 6 are separated from each other vertically, the central portion of the plate surface does not have insufficient strength, and the rigidity as a whole is increased in cooperation with the standing wall 4. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the curved plates 1 and 1 arranged back to back are combined with each other, and the trough lines 4b are formed in the interference prevention window 6 provided in the mountain line 4a.
Since the back side part of the rod fits in, it has a large storage space without being bulky despite the fact that it is wavy and thick, and it is formed on the existing standing plate without changing the intervals of the fastening holes in the standing plate. The insertion hole can be used as it is as the fastening hole. Further, as shown in the figure, the interference prevention window 6 in the front curved plate 1 arranged back to back and the through window 5 in the rear curved plate 1 communicate with each other, and a product confirmation function is also exhibited.

Next, the overall structure of the vending machine provided with the product storage device thus formed will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the vending machine is provided with an outer door 10 that can be opened and closed in front of an opening of a main body cabinet 9.
By opening the front surface of the opening at 0, a heat insulating chamber is formed inside. In the heat insulation chamber, the product storage device M and product transfer mechanisms 11, 11 ...
The chute 12 and the cooling or heating unit 13 are accommodated and arranged, and the inner door 14 is provided inside the outer door 10. Although not shown, the outer door 10 is provided with a display case accommodating a sample product, a coin slot, a push button for selling the product, and a product outlet, which are not shown in the figure. A control mechanism for calculating the total amount and operating a predetermined unloading mechanism according to the push button operation corresponding thereto is incorporated.

In the meandering storage path of the product storage device M, the products 15, 15 ... Injected from above are stacked and stored in a line. When a command is sent to the product unloading mechanism 11 provided at the lower end of the meandering storage path by the customer's purchase operation, the lowest product 15 drops from the meandering storage path, and the product passes through the chute 12. It is delivered to the outlet.

Since the curved plate used in the present invention is made of synthetic resin, it is convenient to integrally mold the supporting projections by using the injection molding technique. In the embodiment, since the locking piece at the lower end edge is continuously provided so as to cover the upper edge of the curved plate, when the product is jammed, it is rotated in one direction around the upper edge. It can be flipped up and the hands can be safely inserted into the storage path located at the back.

Further, since it is made of synthetic resin, there is no sharp corner and it is safe, and the sound of dropping when the can is dropped is reduced. Incidentally, when the noise level at the time of charging was measured at a position 1 m away from the charging port, it was confirmed that the noise level was 90 decibels in the past, but became 75 decibels, and a reduction of 15 decibels was confirmed. Furthermore, the sound quality of the noise also changed, and the harsh high-frequency sound due to the metal impact was eliminated, and the discomfort caused by the noise was greatly alleviated.

In the above-described embodiment, the support projections are integrally formed on both sides of the upper end of the curved plate, and the support projections are pushed into the fixing holes of the upright plate. However, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to integrally form horizontal rods 16 with both ends projecting to both sides, and to insert both ends of the horizontal rods 16 into the fastening holes of the upright plate. Is improved and cracks can be prevented. Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, a rod insertion portion 17 or a rod fitting portion 18 may be provided so as to be supported via a support rod 19 which is separate from the bending plate. As shown in FIG. 5, it is also possible to provide a type in which support projections 2 ′, 2 ′ ... In that case, the supporting protrusions 2 are formed in half-shapes that are paired with each other, and the supporting protrusions 2 are combined into the same fastening hole in a cylindrical shape.
If the two support protrusions can be inserted, the rod insertion hole formed in the conventional upright plate can be used as a fastening hole as it is, the fluttering is eliminated, and the noise level is lowered. In the case of such a fixed type, the support protrusions 20 may be added as shown in the drawing, or the support protrusions may have a shape other than a column.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the plate surface may have a shape in which a plurality of ribs 21, 21 ,. it can. Also in this embodiment, by providing the interference prevention window 6 and the through hole 5, the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in, not only can one type of curved plate be shared by curved plates facing each other (being back to back) simply by reversing the front and back, but the ribs 21 and 21 of the curved plates 1 and 1 arranged back to back can Since the ribs 21 are fitted alternately in the interference prevention window 6, the overlapped portion is not thickened and a large storage space is secured without being bulky. Therefore, the rod insertion hole formed in the existing upright plate can be used as it is as a fastening hole without expanding the distance between the upright plate fastening holes. Also, the through holes 5 and 5 are communicated with each other, and the communication part can be used to confirm the product. In the case of this modified example as well, it was confirmed that the noise level at the time of product introduction was reduced to the same extent as that of the above-mentioned example. In the present invention, the plate surface of the curved plate is formed in a wavy shape or ribs on both front and back surfaces to improve durability, and the supporting means is provided with supporting projections on both sides or simply using a erected rod. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, in which recesses are provided on both sides of the curved plate and the support projections provided on the standing plate side are fitted into the recesses. Needless to say, the type of synthetic resin used is not particularly limited, but if a fiber reinforced resin is used for the reasons described above, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the fibers from scraping off. Particularly, in consideration of the thermoplastic resin, among them, strength, friction and abrasion resistance, and heat resistance when incorporated into a heating device, polyacetal resin is most suitable.

[0014]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, by increasing the strength of the ribs, it is possible to put a synthetic resin curved plate into practical use, and by simply replacing it with an existing metal curved plate,
The use of synthetic resin improves safety and reduces noise.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a bending plate that constitutes a product storage device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an assembling process of the product storage device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a state where the curved plates are combined back to back.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a state where the curved plates are assembled back to back.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall structure of the vending machine.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified bending plate.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified bending plate.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a modified bending plate.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified bending plate.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a curved plate of a modified example.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the bending plates according to the modified example are combined back to back.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a conventional example of a bending plate.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional example of an automatic vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,1 '... Curved plate, 2,2' ... Support protrusion, 3
..Locking pieces, 4 ... Walls, 4a ... Mountain lines, 4b ... Valley lines,
5 ... Through window, 6 ... Interference prevention window, 7 ... Standing plate, 8 ...
・ Securing holes, 9 ・ ・ Main body cabinet, 10 ・ ・ Outer door, 1
1 ... Product discharge mechanism, 12 ... Chute, 13 ... Cooling (heating) unit, 14 ... Inner door, 15 ... Product, 16
..Horizontal rods, 17..Rod insertion portions, 18..Rod fitting portions, 19..Supporting rods, 20..Supporting protrusions, 2
1 ... Rib, 22 ... Product confirmation window, 23 ... Rod, 2
4 ... Rod insertion hole, F ... Plate surface, M ... Product storage device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A serpentine-type product storage device configured by vertically connecting curved plates between standing side plates, wherein the curved plates are made of synthetic resin, and the plate surface has a U-shaped cross section. A product storage device for a vending machine, which is formed by forming corrugations and ridges and streaks alternately in the left-right direction. 2. A serpentine type product storage device configured by vertically connecting curved plates between standing side plates, wherein the curved plates are made of synthetic resin, and a plurality of vertically extending strips are formed on both front and back surfaces of the plates. Vending machine product storage device with ribs. 3. The product storage device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic resin is a thermoplastic resin. 4. The product storage device for a vending machine according to claim 3, wherein a polyacetal resin is selected as the thermoplastic resin.