JPH0793657A - Article storage device of automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an article storage device of an automatic vending machine which is capable of shortening the depth dimension of an article storage column without damaging the function of a passage plate. CONSTITUTION:In the article storage device of an automatic vending machine where the depth dimension of the article ejection passage 4c composed of an article ejection device 5 and a passage plate 9 is possible to be changed by advancing and retreating the passage plate 9 erected at the other tip part of the depth direction of an article storage column 3 for the article ejection device 5 erected at the one tip part, a flange part 21 is formed on the passage plate 9 by bending the both side tip parts of the passage plate 9 to the side of the article ejection device 5, and guide projections 22a and 22b guiding the advancing and retreating of the passage plate 9 are provided projectingly on the outer side surface of the flange part 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is designed to move a passage plate forward and backward with respect to a product dispensing device so as to correspond to the diameter of a product.
The present invention relates to a product storage device of an automatic vending machine in which the depth dimension of the product delivery passage is changed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in vending machines for canned beverages, 25
The structure is such that a thin can typified by 0 mml can and a thick can typified by 350 mml can be stored in the same product storage column. A switching mechanism for switching to the setting is provided at the entrance portion and the exit portion of the product passage. At the exit portion, that is, the product delivery passage, either one of the product delivery device and the passage wall forming the product delivery passage is moved. As a means for moving the passage wall, for example, the actual opening Sho 63-168583. The one described in Japanese Patent Publication is known.

This product storage device guides a passage plate (passage wall) which constitutes one wall surface of a product delivery passage, and guides the guide holes of both side plates of the product storage column to the product delivery device which constitutes the other wall surface. Then, it is designed to move back and forth.
The passage plate is formed with a flange portion whose both end portions are bent outward, that is, on the side opposite to the product dispensing device, and a pair of guide rods are horizontally provided between two upper and lower portions of the flange portion. The outer end of each guide rod penetrates and is supported by guide holes formed in both side plates of the product storage column, and the guide plate is guided by the guide holes to move the guide plates so that the passage plate is narrowed. It is possible to switch between the can setting and the thick can setting.

[0004]

In such a conventional product storage device, the flange of the passage plate is bent to the side opposite to the product dispensing device in order to provide the passage plate with rigidity and to attach the guide rod. Therefore, the depth dimension of the product storage column is lengthened by the amount of the fold of the flange portion, and the depth dimension of the vending machine is also lengthened, which is against the trend of thinning.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a product storage device for a vending machine capable of shortening the depth dimension of the product storage column without impairing the function of the passage plate. Its purpose is to provide.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is arranged such that a merchandise dispensing device is erected at one end in the depth direction of a merchandise storage column and is erected at the other end. By moving the passage plate back and forth, in the product storage device of the vending machine configured to be able to change the depth dimension of the product delivery passage configured by the product delivery device and the passage plate, in the passage plate,
It is characterized in that both side ends of the passage plate are bent toward the product dispensing device side to form a flange portion, and guide projections for guiding the forward and backward movement of the passage plate are provided on the outer surface of the flange portion so as to project therefrom.

[0007]

[Function] A state in which the depth of the product delivery passage itself is maintained without sacrificing the rigidity of the passage plate by bending both end portions of the passage plate toward the product dispensing device side to form flanges on the passage plate. Thus, the depth dimension of the entire product storage column can be shortened. Further, by providing a guide protrusion for guiding the forward and backward movement of the passage plate on the outer surface of the flange portion, the guide protrusion can be provided on the passage plate without protruding into the product delivery passage.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A commodity storage device for an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
This product storage device constitutes a product storage of an automatic vending machine for canned drinks and the like, and FIG. 1 is a cut side view showing the basic structure of the product storage device. As shown in FIG. 1, this product storage device 1 includes two product storage columns 3 and 3 which can sell two kinds of products A and A and which are arranged back to back between the left and right side plates 2. Each product storage column 3 is provided with a product passage 4 in which a large number of the same products A are vertically stored, and a product dispensing device 5 arranged below the product passage 4. There is.

Each product passage 4 has a horizontal passage 4a extending obliquely downward and rearward from the product inlet 6, a vertical passage 4b bent downward from the rear end of the horizontal passage 4a, and a payout continuous to the lower end of the vertical passage 4b. It is composed of a passage 4c. The lateral passage 4a is
It is composed of a top plate 7 extending obliquely downward from the product insertion port 6, and guides the product A, which is inserted from the product insertion port 6 in a laterally laid state, to the upper part of the vertical passage 4b while rolling. The vertical passage 4b is formed in a meandering shape by a large number of guide plates 8 that are vertically opposed to each other in an offset state, and the introduced products A are stacked and stocked in a meandering shape. The dispensing passage 4c includes a product dispensing device 5 and a passage plate 9 arranged so as to face the product dispensing device 5, and the products A are dispensed to the outside one by one from this portion.

1 in a state of being laid sideways from the product slot 6
The products A that have been individually thrown into the vertical passage 4 are passed through the horizontal passage 4a.
It is dropped into b and is filled in the product passage 4 sequentially from the portion of the dispensing passage 4c. When the product delivery device 5 is activated by the sales instruction, the products A are sequentially delivered to the outside one by one from the delivery passage 4c. In this case, the passage plate 9 that constitutes one passage wall of the dispensing passage 4c is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction, and the dispensing passage 4c is set to a thin can or a thick can according to the can diameter of the product A. You can switch to settings.

That is, the product storage device 1 stocks and sells cylindrical products A such as canned juice and canned coffee.
Switch to the narrow can setting or the thick can setting, and each product storage column 2 has a thin can typified by a 250 mml can and a 350 mm can.
l It is possible to store two types of products A with different can diameters, such as thick cans, represented by cans.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut side view of the dispensing passage 4c. As shown in the figure, the passage plates 9 and 9 are attached to the front and rear ends of the left and right side plates 2 and 2, respectively, and a pair of product dispensing devices 5 and 5 are arranged inside and back so that they are parallel to each other. Two payout passages 4c and 4c are formed by the respective passage plates 9 and the respective commodity payout devices 5 arranged in the above.

In the following description, the structure will be described by taking the dispensing passage 4c on the right side of the drawing as an example.
The left side of the drawing will be described as “front” and the right side will be described as “rear”.

The passage plate 9 is formed by bending both end portions of a rectangular plate member toward the product dispensing device 5 side (front side), and is inscribed in the both side plates 2 by the bent flange portions 21. An upper guide pin 22a and a lower guide pin 22b, which are guide protrusions, are provided on the upper and lower ends of each flange 21 so as to project outward. On the other hand, both side plates 2
Has an upper guide hole 23a and a lower guide hole 23b corresponding to the upper and lower guide pins 22a and 22b, respectively. The upper guide hole 23a has a deformed S shape and the lower guide hole 23b has a deformed shape. Each is formed in an inverted U shape. Then, the upper and lower guide pins 22a and 22b are engaged with the upper and lower guide holes 23a and 23b, respectively, and the passage plate 9 is supported by the upper and lower guide holes 23a and 23b and is guided to move so that the thin can setting position. Is moved diagonally in the front-back direction between the and the thick can setting position.

Here, the setting switching operation of the payout passage 4c will be described with reference to FIGS. From the state shown in FIG. 2 in which the upper and lower guide pins 22a and 22b of the passage plate 9 are engaged with the lower ends of the upper and lower guide holes 23a and 23b of the side plates 2, respectively, the passage plate 9 is moved downward. The guide hole 23b is moved so as to be lifted in the vertical direction according to the extending direction of the guide hole 23b. By this movement, the lower portion of the passage plate 9 is guided by the lower guide hole 23b to move upward, and the upper portion is guided by the upper guide hole 23a and falls backward. Further, along the extending direction of the lower guide hole 23b, the passage plate 9 is pushed backward in a semicircular shape. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower guide pin 22b
Reaches the rear end of the lower guide hole 23b, and the upper guide pin 22a
Once reaches the upper end of the upper guide hole 23a and then settles down to a somewhat lower position, that is, the passage plate 9 is switched to the thick can setting position.

On the other hand, when switching from the thick can setting to the thin can setting, the operation is performed in the reverse procedure, that is, the procedure shown in FIGS.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the passage plate 9
Both side end portions of are bent to the side of the product dispensing device 5 to form the flange portion 21, and the guide pins 22a and 22b are provided on the outside of the flange portion 21 so that the rigidity of the passage plate 9 can be maintained and The guide pins 22a and 22b can be prevented from protruding into the payout passage 4c, and the payout passage 4c can be prevented.
The depth dimension of the product storage column 3 can be shortened while maintaining the effective depth dimension of itself. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the vending machine as a whole.

In the present embodiment, the product dispensing device is configured to switch between the thin can setting and the thick can setting.
When selling other products having different can diameters, it may be possible to switch to multiple stages such as three stages or four stages.

[0019]

As described above, according to the product storage device of the present invention, the depth dimension of the product storage column can be shortened without impairing the function of the passage plate, which in turn shortens the depth dimension of the vending machine. That is, the vending machine can be made thin.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cut side view of a product storage device of a vending machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut side view showing a setting state of small cans in a dispensing passage according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially cut side view showing a setting state of a thick can of a dispensing passage according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 product storage device 3 product storage column 4 product passage 4c delivery passage 5 product delivery device 9 passage plate 21 flange 22a upper guide pin 22b lower guide pin A product

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Masaki Tsuzuki 1311 Kawasaki-cho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A product delivery device and a passage are provided by moving a product delivery device erected at one end in the depth direction of a product storage column and moving a passage plate erected at the other end thereof forward and backward. In a product storage device of a vending machine configured to be able to change the depth dimension of a product delivery passage composed of a plate, in the passage plate, both end portions of the passage plate are bent toward the product delivery device to form a flange portion. A product storing device for a vending machine, wherein a guide protrusion is formed on the outer surface of the flange portion to guide the passage plate back and forth.