JPH0821115B2 - Vending machine product storage structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of use] The present invention provides a product storage unit for storing products such as canned beverages in a main body having an openable / closable door, and The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine including a plurality of blocks arranged in a plurality of rows along each of the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and particularly to the product storage structure thereof.

[Conventional technology]

In conventional vending machines that sell products such as canned beverages, generally, a product insertion port is formed at the top of a product storage unit such as a serpentine type, and products are stored from the product insertion port. It is designed to be put into the department one by one. By the way, the product storage section is divided into a plurality of blocks so that the product types can be separately distributed, but it is demanded that the number of product types sold by a vending machine be as large as possible. In order to meet the demand, a vending machine having a large number of blocks has been developed. In such a vending machine, it is usual that a plurality of blocks are arranged not only in the left-right direction but also in the front-back direction.

When a plurality of blocks of the product storage section are arranged in the front-rear direction as described above, even if the door is opened, the state of the product stored in the inner part of the block, for example, the storage remaining There is a problem that it is difficult to visually confirm the number and the like.

Therefore, conventionally, support arms swingable around a vertical axis are attached to the respective side walls of the main body which are opposed to each other in the left-right direction, and the tip ends of the support arms are respectively attached to the product storage section. Of the plurality of blocks, the front block corresponding to the support arm is fixed, and the block fixed to the support arm is moved to the lateral outer position side in front of the main body by swinging the support arm around the longitudinal axis. It was constructed so that it can be freely drawn out and moved (for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-152178, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-63).
(See Japanese Patent No. 294).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In a conventional vending machine, the block on the front side can be exposed to the front side by pulling out and moving the block on the front side to the lateral outer position side in front of the main body.
It is possible to easily perform visual confirmation of the number of remaining articles stored in the block on the back side, replenishment work of articles, and the like.

However, if there is a wall or other vending machine at the lateral outer position on the front side of the vending machine, the front block can be pulled out to the maximum extent to the lateral outer position side in front of the main body. Since it is impossible, a part of the block on the back side is hidden by the block on the front side that is pulled out, and as a result, it is difficult to visually check the remaining number of stored products and replenish the products.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances,
Even if there is a wall or other vending machine at the lateral outside position on the front side of the vending machine, it is easy to check the remaining number of products stored in the block on the back side and to easily replenish products. It is intended to provide a product storage structure of a vending machine.

[Means for solving the problem]

The structure of a product storage unit of a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention is such that a product storage unit for storing products is provided in a main body having an openable / closable door, and the product storage unit is arranged in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Of a plurality of blocks arranged in a plurality of rows along each of the above, in the plurality of blocks of the commodity storage unit, one of the front block is adjacent to the one in the left-right direction. Is provided in the main body so as to guide the block so that it can be pulled out and moved to a position where it overlaps with the front side of the main body, and the block at the back is exposed to the front side by moving the front block along the guide means. It has a feature in that it is done.

Further, as described in claim 2 of the present invention, the guide means is provided with a guide groove in a front-back direction posture positioned at a portion corresponding to a block adjacent in the left-right direction and one block adjacent in the left-right direction. It is composed of a guide groove in the left-right direction that is positioned in the front and a guide groove with a 90 ° curved shape that communicates these guide grooves, and the front block moves along the guide groove. A suspension support member that is freely engaged is provided, and the front block guided by the guide means may be configured to rotate 90 ° and be superposed on the front surface side of one of the adjacent blocks. Good.

[Action]

According to the configuration of claim 1 of the present invention, even when there is a wall or another vending machine at the lateral outer position on the front side of the vending machine, the blocks of the front block arranged in the left-right direction are arranged side by side. Since a large space for product sales is always secured on the front side, it is possible to reliably pull out and move each of the front blocks to the position where it overlaps with the front side of the adjacent block in the left-right direction. The block located on the far side of the pulled out block can be largely exposed to the front side.

Further, according to the configuration of claim 2 of the present invention, the guide means for pulling out and guiding the front block extends from a position between the blocks adjacent in the left-right direction to a front position of one block adjacent in the left-right direction. Since it is composed of a series of guide grooves that are provided in the rocking arm, the working space of the rocking arm can be compared with, for example, the case where the front block is supported by a rocking support arm that can be drawn and moved around the longitudinal axis. It is not necessary to secure.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the configuration of claim 1 of the present invention, even if there is a wall or another vending machine at the lateral outer position on the front side of the vending machine, the withdrawal movement of the front block is obstructed. Since the block on the back side can be largely exposed to the front side, it is possible to easily visually check the number of remaining products stored in the block on the back side and to replenish the products.

Moreover, of the plurality of blocks of the product storage unit, each of the front blocks is moved separately by pulling out, for example,
Compared to the case where a plurality of front blocks are moved as a whole, the workability when moving them is good, and the structure for moving them can be simplified.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, even when three or more front blocks are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, the guide means can be simply and compactly structured.

〔Example〕

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show an automatic vending machine that stores a product (S) such as a canned beverage and sells the product automatically. The automatic vending machine stores a plurality of products (S). It is composed of a main body (2) having a product storage section (1) and the like, and a door (3) attached to the main body (2) so as to be openable and closable.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the product storage unit (1) is provided with a plurality of blocks arranged in a plurality of rows in the left, right, front, back and front directions so that the products (S) of various kinds are separately stored for each kind. It is divided into (11) and (12). Specifically, the product storage unit (1) has a total of eight blocks (a combination of a front block (11) arranged in left and right four rows and a back block (12) arranged in four left and right rows ( 11), (12)
It is divided into

As mentioned above, the inner blocks (12) arranged in four rows on the left and right
In each case, two casings (14) are provided in each of the two left and right casings (14) fixedly installed in the main body (2).
It is formed in a state of being separated by an intermediate zigzag partition wall (14a). The inner walls (14b) on both sides inside the casing (14) are also zigzag so as to follow the shape of the partition wall (14a), and the space between these walls (14a), (14b) is the product (S). Are guided in a zigzag shape and sent downward. A product individual delivery mechanism (15) is provided at the lower end portion thereof, and the product (S) is individually delivered from each of the blocks (12) by the operation of the product individual delivery mechanism (15) based on the sales command. It has become so.

In addition, the front blocks (11) arranged in four rows on the left and right sides are respectively arranged in two casings (13) on the left and right sides so as to be suspended and guided by guide means (16) described later. Each of them is formed by being separated by a zigzag partition wall (13a) in the middle of the casing (13). In addition,
The inner walls (13b) on both sides inside the casing (13) are also zigzag so as to follow the shape of the partition wall (13a), and the product (S) is zigzag between these walls (13a), (13b). It is guided in a shape and sent downward.
Further, a product individual feeding mechanism (15) is provided at the lower end portion thereof, and the product individual feeding mechanism (15) based on the sales command.
By the operation of the product (S) from each block (11) above
Are individually fed out. Moreover, the casing (13) is a guide means (16) consisting of a curved groove formed in the top plate (21) provided on the ceiling of the main body (12),
Specifically, the back portion is along the depth direction of the product storage portion (1) and the front portion (the front portions are opposite casings (1
(3) extends along the width direction of the product storage unit (1) so that the guide unit (90) bends 90 ° at the forefront of the product storage unit (1) and curves 90 ° as a whole ( 16) is guided through the suspension member (4) to move from the state shown in FIG. 1 to the state shown in FIG. 2, that is, the front block (1
One block (11) adjacent to each other in the left-right direction
The block (11) in the casing (13) is swung 90 ° from the posture shown in FIG. 1 to the posture shown in FIG. It is supposed to do.

More specifically, the guide means (16) includes a guide groove (16a) in a front-rear direction posture located at a portion corresponding to a block (11) adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, and one block adjacent to the guide groove (16a) in the left-right direction. It is composed of a guide groove (16b) in the left-right direction, which is located in front of 11), and a guide groove (16c) which is curved by 90 ° and which connects the guide grooves (16a) and (16b). Along with the guide groove (16a), (16b), (16c), a suspension support member (4) movably engaged with the guide groove (16a) is provided in the front block (11). The front block (11) guided by 16) turns 90 ° and is adjacent to the other block (11).
It is designed to be superposed on the front side of the.

Incidentally, (41) shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is for guiding the guided body (42) attached to the casing (13) when the casing (13) is housed in the main body (2). The guide body is provided on the inner surface of the main body (2). Further, it is preferable that the suspension support member (4) is detachable in order to improve workability during assembly work or deposit work.

Further, the front block (11) and the rear block (12) described above each have a structure in which the front surface is entirely opened, and the opening of the front block (11) is the door ( The outer surface of the block (12) is exposed when the block (12) is open, and the opening of the block (12) at the back is such that the door (3) is opened and the position of the block (11) in front is set.
The outer surface is exposed on the front side when it is turned 90 °.

When the product storage unit (1) has the above-mentioned structure,
When the door (3) is opened with respect to the main body (2) to replenish the product (S), first, the front block (11) is fully opened, and the product (S) stored therein. The state (for example, the remaining number) can be easily confirmed, and the product (S) to be stored therein can be easily supplemented. Further, when the posture of the front block (11) is swung 90 ° from that state as described above, the rear block (12) is entirely opened to the front side, and the product (S) stored there. The state (for example, the remaining number) can be easily confirmed, and the product (S) to be stored therein can be easily supplemented.

In the device of the present invention, the front block (1) of the plurality of blocks (11) and (12) of the product storage unit (1) is used.
Since each of 1) is individually moved, it can be moved lightly when moving the blocks, compared with the case where the blocks (11) and (12) are moved as a whole. Good structure, and a structure for moving it,
Specifically, the structure of the guide body (41) and the guided body (42) can be simplified.

[Another embodiment]

Further, the number of the blocks (11) and (12), particularly the number in the left-right direction, is not limited to the number in the above-mentioned embodiment.

Further, the guide means (16) may be a channel material in which similar grooves are formed instead of the grooves provided in the top plate (21) as shown in FIG.

It should be noted that reference numerals are added to the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the structures of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 and 2 are horizontal sectional views showing the structure of a product storage section of a vending machine according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional front view showing the entire structure of the vending machine, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view thereof. 5 is a perspective view showing the main part of another embodiment. (1) …… Product storage, (2) …… Main body, (3) ……
Door, (11), (12) ... Block, (16) ... Guide means, (16a), (16b), (16c) ... Guide groove, (S)
……Product.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A product storage unit (1) for storing a product (S) is provided in a main body (2) having a door (3) which can be opened and closed, and the product storage unit (1) is arranged in a front-rear direction. A plurality of blocks (11) arranged in a plurality of rows along each of the left and right directions,
In the vending machine configured from (12), among the plurality of blocks (11) and (12) of the product storage unit (1),
The main body (2) is provided with a guide means (1) that guides each of the front blocks (11) so that they can be drawn out and moved to a position where they overlap the front side of one of the blocks (11) adjacent in the left-right direction.
A structure for storing a product in an automatic vending machine, which is provided in the front block (11) and is moved along the guide means (16) to expose the rear block (12) to the front side. 2. The guide means (16) includes a guide groove (16a) in a front-rear direction posture located at a portion corresponding to a block (11) adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, and one block adjacent to the left-right direction (16a). It is composed of a guide groove (16b) in the left-right direction positioned in front of 11) and a guide groove (16c) which is curved by 90 ° and which communicates with both guide grooves (16a) and (16b). Along with the guide groove (16a), (16b), (16c), a suspension support member (4) movably engaged with the guide groove (16a) is provided in the front block (11). The front block (11) guided by 16) turns 90 ° and is adjacent to the other block (11).
The structure for storing a product in a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the structure is located on the front side of the stack.