JP5458866B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine. More specifically, the present invention sells products such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles, and is installed and disposed in a manner exposed from the front surface of the outer door. The present invention relates to a vending machine including a sales unit that stores and sells products that are separate from the products stored in the machine body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vending machines that sell products such as canned beverages and plastic bottled beverages are known that have a sales unit that sells products that are separate from the products stored in the internal product storage rack. Yes.

  The sales unit is installed and installed in such a manner that its front surface is exposed from the front surface of the outer door, which is the front surface of the vending machine, and a storage rack that stores products in the vertical direction with products directly stacked inside. I have.

  In such a sales unit, when a sales instruction is given, the storage rack that stores the corresponding product is moved downward, and the product at the bottom of the storage rack is moved by the contact member that moves in the left-right direction. The product is pushed out by an extruding member that moves in the front-rear direction, and can be taken out from a product outlet provided in the lower part of the front surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-99638 A

  By the way, the sales unit of the vending machine as described above moves the storage rack for storing the corresponding product downward, and the contact member moves along the left-right direction when a sales instruction is given. The product comes in contact with the product at the lowest position of the storage rack, and the pushing member moves forward to push out the delivered product so that it can be taken out from the product outlet. The direction dimension needs to be increased. Therefore, the protruding length of the sales unit that protrudes forward from the outer door of the vending machine is increased. In addition, since a storage rack for storing products in a directly stacked state is provided on the outer door, it is necessary to prevent the products stored by the opening and closing operation of the outer door from falling and increase the number of storage. It is desirable.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention can reduce the length of the sales unit in the front-rear direction to reduce the protruding length protruding forward from the door body, increase the number of items stored, and the door body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine that can prevent a product stored by the opening / closing operation of the product from falling.

To achieve the above object, a vending machine according to the present onset Ming, without a rectangular shape having an opening on the front, and the vending machine body for accommodating goods therein, the front opening of the vending machine body In the vending machine comprising: a door body that opens and closes; and a sales unit that is disposed in such a manner that a front surface is exposed from the front surface of the door body, and a product outlet is formed in a lower central area of the front surface. Means for storing the product separately from the product stored in the main body of the vending machine in a directly stacked state, and when the sales command is given, moves in the left-right direction and stores by the storing means A delivery means for abutting against the lowest-ordered product and delivering the product to a product receiving portion in a rear area of the product outlet, wherein the storage means is formed on the rear surface and replenishes the product refill opening and, of forming the lower end for If the locking portion formed on the upper end portion is engaged with the rear surface, the replenishment is performed. A stopper member that closes at least a part of the opening for opening and swings in such a manner that the upper end portion is separated from the rear surface by its own weight when the engaged state is released, The stopper member is formed at a position above the lower edge of the replenishment opening when the locking portion is engaged with the rear surface, and when the engaging portion is in the engaged state. A step portion is provided for allowing a portion on the upper end side of itself to enter the inside of the storage means from the replenishment opening .

  According to the vending machine of the present invention, the sales unit has a storage means for storing a product separately from the product stored in the vending machine main body in a directly stacked state, and a horizontal direction when a sales instruction is given. And a dispensing means for abutting against the lowest product stored by the storage means and paying out the product to a product receiving part in the rear area of the product outlet. The replenishment opening is formed on the rear surface of the refill, and a replenishment opening for replenishing the product is formed, and at least a part of the replenishment opening when the end of the stopper member is engaged with the rear surface. On the other hand, when the engaged state is released, opening of the replenishment opening is allowed, so that the product can be replenished through the replenishment opening, and the product loading operation can be facilitated. it can. In addition, since replenishment is performed through a replenishment opening provided on the rear surface, the height of the storage rack can be maximized at the installation location, and the number of products stored can be increased. . Further, when the stopper member is engaged with the rear surface, the replenishment opening is closed, so that there is no possibility that the product stored by the opening / closing operation of the door body falls. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the length of the sales unit in the front-rear direction and reduce the protruding length that protrudes forward from the door body, and to increase the number of products stored and to store products by opening and closing the door body. There exists an effect that it can prevent falling.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the rear side of the outer door shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional rear view showing the internal structure of the storage rack shown in FIG. 2 from the rear side, and hatching is omitted. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the payout mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional rear view showing the internal structure of the storage rack shown in FIG. 2 from the rear side, and hatching is omitted. 6 is a sectional rear view showing the internal structure of the storage rack shown in FIG. 2 from the rear side, and hatching is omitted. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of a sales unit that is installed in the outer door. 8 is a perspective view showing the storage rack shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the storage rack shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the storage rack shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the storage rack shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional front view schematically showing a state in which products are paid out from each storage rack from the front side, and hatching is omitted.

  Exemplary embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine exemplified here sells, for example, canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles as main commodities, and includes a main body cabinet 1 which is the main body of the vending machine.

  The main body cabinet 1 is formed as a rectangular heat insulating casing having an open front surface. Inside the main body cabinet 1, a plurality of independent commodity storages are arranged side by side, though not explicitly shown in the drawing. These merchandise containers are for accommodating merchandise such as canned drinks and plastic bottled drinks at a desired temperature. Each product storage is provided with a product storage rack for storing the products thrown in through the product insertion port in the upper part of each product storage box, while the heat exchangers are defined below by the carry-out shooter. (Not shown) is provided, and by driving the heat exchanger, it is possible to maintain the beverage can and the plastic bottle stored in the product storage rack at a desired cooling temperature or heating temperature.

  In the present embodiment, the left side when the vending machine is viewed from the front side is described as the left side, and the right side when the vending machine is viewed from the front side is described as the right side.

  In the vending machine, an inner door (not shown) and an outer door (door body) 2 are provided at one side edge of the main body cabinet 1 so as to be openable and closable. The inner door has a sufficient size to cover the front surface of the commodity storage provided in the main body cabinet 1 and has a heat insulating structure.

  The outer door 2 has a size sufficient to cover the front opening of the main body cabinet 1. The outer door 2 is mainly provided with a display window 3, a product selection button (not shown), a coin slot 4, a bill insertion slot 5, a coin return slot 6, and a merchandise outlet 7 on the front side.

  The display window 3 is used for allowing a user to visually recognize a product sample placed on a display stand disposed on a single-opening type middle door 9 hinged to the left end side of the outer door 2 (see FIG. 2). The window. The product selection button is a push button switch for the user to select a purchased product, and is prepared for each product sample visually recognized through the display window 3. The coin slot 4 is an opening through which a user inserts coins. The bill insertion slot 5 is an opening for a user to insert a bill. The coin return port 6 is an opening for returning coins to be changed to the user. The product outlet 7 is an opening for the user to receive the product paid out from the product storage rack. The product outlet 7 can be opened and closed by a product outlet door 8.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the rear side of the outer door 2 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a sales unit 10 is disposed in the left central portion of the outer door 2. The sales unit 10 includes a rectangular unit body 11 having a rear surface opened by bending a steel plate. The front surface of the unit main body 11 is disposed so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the outer door 2. More specifically, the sales unit 10 is incorporated and arranged in such a manner that its front surface is exposed from the front surface of the outer door 2.

  When viewed from the front, such a unit main body 11 has a substantially rectangular shape in which each edge is bent. On the front surface of the unit main body 11, an exhibition section 12, a selection button 13, and a product outlet 14 are arranged. The display unit 12 is a part for displaying product samples. The selection button 13 is a push button switch for the user to select a purchased product, and is prepared for each product sample displayed in the exhibition unit 12. The product outlet 14 is an opening formed at the lower part of the central area on the front surface of the unit main body 11, and is an opening for the user to receive the product paid out from the inside. When the selection button 13 is pressed, a signal to that effect is given to a control device (not shown) mounted on the vending machine body.

  On the rear surface of the front surface of the unit main body 11, a product receiving unit 20 and a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) storage racks (storage means) 30 are attached to both the left and right sides of the product receiving unit 20. The product receiver 20 is disposed in the rear area of the product outlet 14.

  The storage rack 30 is disposed above the product receiving portion 20 and further on the left and right sides (in the figure, the upper and lower two steps are disposed on the right side and the left side is disposed with the product receiving portion 20 interposed therebetween). It is a rectangular parallelepiped. The storage rack 30 stores products in a vertically stacked state in a state of being directly stacked, and has an upper surface that is open, and a rear surface 31 that is continuous with the upper surface and has a tongue-like shape facing downward. A widening opening (replenishment opening) 32 is formed.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional rear view showing the internal structure of the storage rack 30 shown in FIG. 2 from the rear side. Note that hatching is omitted. The storage rack 30 illustrated here is the one disposed in the upper right region from the product receiving portion 20. Such a storage rack 30 is provided with a payout mechanism (payout means) 40 at the lowest level. As shown in FIG. 4, the payout mechanism 40 includes a mounting table 41 for mounting products in a directly stacked state, and moves and retreats the upper surface of the mounting table 41 along the left-right direction by driving a motor. A moving slider 42 is provided. Here, reference numeral 43 in FIG. 4 is a sold-out detection switch. When a product is placed on itself, the sold-out detection switch 43 is positioned below the placement table 41 and is turned off due to the weight of the product. On the other hand, when the product is not placed on itself, the product is turned on above the placement table 41, and the control device is notified that the product has been sold out.

  In such a storage rack 30, when a sales command is given from the control device, the motor is driven, so that the slider 42 moves forward in the left direction as shown in FIG. Abutting on the product W1, the product W1 is pushed leftward. At this time, when the left end of the second lowest product W2 comes into contact with the stopper piece 33, the second product W2 is restricted from moving in the left direction in the same manner as the lowest product W1.

  Moreover, the code | symbol 44 in a figure is a control member. The restricting member 44 normally has a posture projecting upward from the mounting table 41 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and avoids paying out a product placed on the mounting table 41 and stored. When the sales instruction is given, the posture is retracted downward from the mounting table 41 (see FIG. 5), and the product is allowed to be paid out by the slider 42.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the product W <b> 1 pushed out by the slider 42 is paid out to the product receiving unit 20 and can be taken out by the user through the product outlet 14. Even when the slider 42 pushes out the lowest product W1, as shown in FIG. 6, the second product W2 from the lowest is placed on the upper surface of the slider 42, and the slider 42 faces rightward. When retreating and returning to the initial position, the product is placed on the mounting table 41 and stored as the lowest product.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the sales unit 10 installed and installed in the outer door 2. As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) storage racks 30 constituting the sales unit 10 have replenishment openings 32 formed on the rear surface 31. The replenishment opening 32 allows the product stored in the storage rack 30 to pass through, and allows the product to be replenished through the replenishment opening 32.

  8 to 11 are perspective views showing the storage rack 30 shown in FIG. A stopper member 35 is swingably disposed on the rear surface 31 of the storage rack 30 illustrated here. The stopper member 35 is a substantially flat plate formed by processing a steel plate, and has a lateral width slightly smaller than the lateral width of the replenishment opening 32. The stopper member 35 has a size sufficient to cover the replenishment opening 32 and includes a shaft-shaped portion 351, a bent portion 352, and a locking portion 353.

  The shaft-shaped portion 351 is formed by being bent into a cylindrical shape at the lower end portion of the stopper member 35. The shaft-like portion 351 is pivotally supported by the storage rack 30 as a projection (not shown) formed at the rear lower end of the storage rack 30 enters its own hollow portion (not shown) from the left and right. Thus, the stopper member 35 is disposed so as to be swingable about the axis of the shaft-like portion 351. More specifically, the stopper member 35 is disposed so as to be swingable in a manner of approaching and separating from the rear surface 31 of the storage rack 30. Further, the shaft-shaped portion 351 is formed with a hollow portion to such an extent that the stopper member 35 can be allowed to move slightly along the vertical direction with respect to the protruding portion (storage rack 30).

  The bent portion 352 is formed by bending the upper end portion of the stopper member 35 at a substantially right angle. As shown in FIG. 8, the bent portion 352 is used for replenishment when the stopper member 35 swings upward in a manner close to the rear surface 31 of the storage rack 30 to close the replenishment opening 32. The upper edge portion of the opening 32 is covered.

  The locking portion 353 is formed by bending locking pieces 3531 protruding from both the left and right edge portions of the upper end portion of the stopper member 35 in the same direction as the bent portion 352. A notch 3532 is formed in the lower edge portion of the locking piece 3531 constituting the locking portion 353. As shown in FIG. 8, when the stopper member 35 closes the replenishment opening 32, the locking portion 353 is formed on the rear surface when the upper edge portion 311 of the rear surface 31 relatively enters the notch 3532. 31 is engaged.

  The stopper member 35 is formed with a step portion 354. The step portion 354 is a substantially central region of the stopper member 35, and more specifically, the lower edge portion of the replenishment opening 32 when the stopper member 35 closes the replenishment opening 32 as shown in FIG. It is formed at a location slightly on the upper side. The stepped portion 354 is formed by bending the upper end portion side of the stopper member 35 in such a manner that it protrudes in the same direction as the bent portion 352 from the lower end portion side of itself.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the stopper member 35 that closes the replenishment opening 32 is slightly moved upward, the upper edge portion 311 of the rear surface 31 of the storage rack 30 is detached from the notch portion 3532 of the locking piece 3531. Thus, the engagement state between the locking portion 353 and the rear surface 31 is released. When the engaged state is released in this way, the stopper member 35 swings downward in such a manner as to be separated from the rear surface 31 of the storage rack 30 by its own weight, as shown in FIG. As a result, the replenishment opening 32 is opened.

  In the vending machine provided with the sales unit 10 having the above-described configuration, when the product of the sales unit 10 is to be replenished, after the outer door 2 is opened, as shown in FIG. The product is entered from the replenishment opening 32 opened by swinging the member 35 by its own weight, and the product is sequentially placed on the placing table 41 of the payout mechanism 40 and stored in a directly stacked state along the vertical direction. be able to. After the products are stored in the respective storage racks 30, the upper edge portion 311 of the rear surface 31 is notched in the locking piece 3531 by swinging the stopper member 35 upward and moving it slightly downward. The locking portion 353 engages with the rear surface 31 relative to the portion 3532, and the stopper member 35 closes the replenishment opening 32.

  At this time, since the step portion 354 of the stopper member 35 is located slightly above the lower edge of the replenishment opening 32, the upper end side of the stopper member 35 extends from the replenishment opening 32 to the inside of the storage rack 30. This prevents the product stored from coming into contact with the opening edge of the replenishment opening 32. Thereafter, the outer door 2 is closed.

  And when the money enough to sell the goods stored in the sales unit 10 in the vending machine is inserted through the coin insertion slot 4 or the bill insertion slot 5, the sales unit 10 responds to a command from the control device. In response, the selection button 13 is turned on. When one of the selection buttons 13 is pressed by the user, the control device is notified that the selection button 13 has been pressed, and a sales command is given to the dispensing mechanism 40 of the storage rack 30 that stores the product selected from the control device. It is done. In the payout mechanism 40 to which such a sales instruction is given, the slider 42 advances and moves by driving the motor (in the storage rack 30 disposed in the upper right area of the product receiving unit 20, the slider 42 moves toward the left. Then, in the storage rack 30 disposed in the upper left area of the commodity receiving unit 20, the slider 42 moves forward in the right direction.

  The advancing slider 42 comes into contact with the product stored at the lowest position and pushes out the product, whereby the product is paid out to the product receiving unit 20 and can be taken out through the product outlet 14 ( (See FIG. 12).

  As described above, according to the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, the sales unit 10 incorporated and disposed in the outer door 2 stores the product in a state where the storage rack 30 directly stacks the products, When the dispensing mechanism 40 is given a sales command, it moves along the left-right direction and comes into contact with the lowest product (W1) stored in the storage rack 30 to place the product behind the product outlet 14. Since it pays out to the product receiving part 20 in the area, the pushing member that moves in the front-rear direction as in the prior art is not required, and the front-rear dimension of the sales unit 10 can be reduced.

  Accordingly, the longitudinal dimension of the sales unit 10 is reduced, and the protruding length of the sales unit 10 protruding forward from the outer door 2, that is, the protruding length from the front surface of the outer door 2 to the front surface of the sales unit 10 is reduced. can do.

  Further, since the product receiving unit 20 serves as a common product delivery path for the plurality of storage racks 30 arranged on the left and right, it is possible to arrange a plurality of storage racks 30 in a narrow space and sell a plurality of types of products. It becomes.

  According to the vending machine, the stopper member 35 is disposed so as to be swingable in a manner of approaching and separating from the rear surface 31 of the storage rack 30, and the notch portion 3532 of the locking piece 3531 constituting the locking portion 353 thereof. When the engaging portion 353 is engaged with the rear surface 31 by the relative entry of the upper edge portion 311 of the rear surface 31, the replenishment opening 32 is closed while the engaged state is released. In this case, since the replenishment opening 32 is opened by swinging due to its own weight, the product can be replenished through the replenishment opening 32, and the product loading operation can be facilitated.

  Moreover, since the replenishment is performed through the replenishment opening 32 provided on the rear surface 31, the height of the storage rack 30 can be maximized at the installation location, and the number of products stored can be increased. be able to.

  Further, since the replenishment opening 32 is closed when the stopper member 35 is engaged with the rear surface 31, there is no possibility that the product stored by the opening / closing operation of the outer door 2 is dropped.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the length of the sales unit 10 in the front-rear direction and reduce the protruding length protruding forward from the outer door 2, and to store the product by increasing the number of products stored and opening / closing the outer door 2. Can prevent the product to be dropped.

  As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention is useful for selling products such as canned drinks and plastic bottled drinks.

1 Main body cabinet 2 Outer door (door)
7 Product outlet 10 Sales unit 11 Unit main body 12 Display unit 13 Selection button 14 Product outlet 20 Product receiver 30 Storage rack (storage means)
31 Rear surface 311 Upper edge portion 32 Replenishment opening 33 Stopper piece 35 Stopper member 351 Shaft-shaped portion 352 Bending portion 353 Locking portion 3531 Locking piece 3532 Notch 40 Discharging mechanism (dispensing means)
41 Mounting table 42 Slider 43 Sold out detection switch 44 Restriction member

Claims (1)

A vending machine main body that has a rectangular shape with an opening on the front and stores products inside,
A door body for opening and closing the front opening of the vending machine body;
In a vending machine comprising a sales unit that is disposed in a manner in which a front surface is exposed from the front surface of the door body, and a product outlet is formed in a lower central area of the front surface,
The sales unit is
Storage means for storing the products separately from the products stored in the vending machine main body in a directly stacked state;
When a sales instruction is given, the product moves along the left-right direction, abuts against the lowest product stored by the storage means, and pays out the product to a product receiver in the rear area of the product outlet. With a withdrawal means,
The storage means includes
A replenishment opening formed on the rear surface for replenishing goods;
A locking portion formed at the upper end is in engagement with the rear surface, and is disposed so as to be swingable in a manner of approaching and separating from the rear surface about the axis of the shaft-shaped portion formed at the lower end. In this case, at least a part of the replenishment opening is closed, and when the engaged state is released, the replenishment opening is opened by swinging in a manner in which the upper end portion is separated from the rear surface by its own weight. Stopper member to
With
The stopper member is formed at a location on the upper side of the lower edge of the replenishment opening when the locking portion is engaged with the rear surface, and when the stopper is in the engaged state, A vending machine comprising a step portion for allowing the upper end side portion to enter the inside of the storage means from the replenishment opening .

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