Vending machine

Abstract

The present application relates to a vending machine. The vending machine is provided with: an inner door which is provided in a manner of opening and closing a front surface opening of a heat-insulated product storage of an inside of a main body cabinet, closes the front surface opening in a normal state to allow an inside atmosphere of the product storage to be cooled; and a heat-insulated product removal door which is provided in a manner of opening and closing a product removal opening formed in the inner door, closes the product removal opening in the normal state, on the other hand, in a case where the product removal opening is pushed by a product discharged from the product storage, opens the product removal opening to allow the product to be removed to a product removal area, the product removed to the product removal area is taken out through a product taking opening formed in an outer door which opens and closes an opening of a front surface of the main body cabinet, thereby selling the product, and the vending machine is provided with a supply fan which supplies air to a front surface of the product removal door which closes the product removal opening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an improvement of an automatic vending machine. Background Technology

[0002] Traditionally, vending machines that sell beverages in containers such as cans and plastic bottles have a main cabinet that serves as the main body of the vending machine. The main cabinet is a rectangular, heat-insulated shell with an opening on the front surface. Inside the main cabinet is a product storage compartment, and the front surface of the main cabinet has an outer door and an inner door.

[0003] The goods storage warehouse has an insulated structure. The warehouse cools the internal atmosphere by means of evaporators and the like, thereby cooling the stored goods.

[0004] The outer door is used to open and close the front surface of the main cabinet. The inner door has an insulated structure and is used to open and close the front surface of the goods storage compartment. A goods handling outlet is formed in the inner door, and the goods handling outlet is swingably installed so as to open and close the goods handling outlet.

[0005] The goods handling door is an insulated door with a heat-insulating structure. Under normal circumstances, the goods handling door is closed. When pushed by goods discharged from the goods storage compartment, it swings forward, thereby opening the goods handling door and allowing goods to be moved out to the goods removal area of ​​the outer door. Goods moved out to the goods removal area in this way are removed through the goods removal door formed in the outer door, thereby selling the goods (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] Existing technical documents

[0007] Patent documents

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-18386 Summary of the Invention

[0009] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0010] In addition, in the aforementioned vending machines, the product dispensing door is normally closed, but because the internal atmosphere of the product storage compartment is cooled, condensation sometimes occurs on the front surface of the product dispensing door.

[0011] Although the condensation that forms on the front surface of the goods handling door, and the condensation that drips from the goods handling door when it is closed, can be guided to the designated evaporation dish through a water pipe or the like, the condensation that remains on the front surface of the goods handling door sometimes drips forward and remains at the bottom of the goods removal area when the goods handling door is pushed forward by the goods discharged from the goods storage compartment.

[0012] If condensation remains at the bottom of the goods removal area, it will adhere to the goods that are subsequently discharged from the goods storage area and moved to the goods removal area through the goods handling outlet, wetting the surface of the goods and potentially causing discomfort to the user.

[0013] To prevent condensation from forming on the front surface of the goods removal door, it is considered to install a heater on the front surface of the goods removal door. However, the heat from the heater may be transferred into the interior of the goods storage compartment, which is not preferred from the point of view of heat loss.

[0014] In view of the above-mentioned actual situation, the present invention aims to provide an automatic vending machine that can reduce the amount of condensation on the front surface of the goods before they are removed from the door.

[0015] Solution for solving the problem

[0016] To achieve the above objectives, the vending machine according to the present invention comprises: an insulated door that is configured to open and close an opening on the front surface of a heat-insulated product storage compartment inside the vending machine body, and normally closes the front surface opening to allow the internal atmosphere of the product storage compartment to be cooled; and a heat-insulated product dispensing door that is configured to open and close a product dispensing outlet formed on the insulated door, normally closing the product dispensing outlet, but opening the product dispensing outlet when pushed by products discharged from the product storage compartment to allow the products to be dispensing to a product dispensing area, and the products dispensing to the product dispensing area are taken out through the product dispensing outlet formed on the front surface door that opens and closes the opening on the front surface of the vending machine body, thereby selling the products, wherein the vending machine is characterized by having a fan that supplies air to the front surface of the product dispensing door when the product dispensing outlet is closed.

[0017] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the vending machine, the fan is disposed on the top plate of the product dispensing area, and the top plate of the product dispensing area is located outside the opening and closing action area of ​​the product removal door.

[0018] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the vending machine, a plurality of the fan blowers are provided on the top plate in the left-right direction.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the vending machine includes a control unit that drives the fan when cooling the internal atmosphere of the merchandise storage compartment, and stops the fan when the front surface opening of the vending machine body is opened through the front surface door.

[0020] The effects of the invention

[0021] According to the present invention, the blower fan delivers air to the front surface of the goods handling door, which closes the goods handling outlet. Therefore, fresh air is supplied to replace the air near the front surface of the goods handling door before it becomes below the dew point temperature and condenses, thereby reducing condensation. This achieves the effect of reducing the amount of condensation water generated on the front surface of the goods handling door 12. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the external structure of an automatic vending machine as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of an automatic vending machine as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a block diagram schematically illustrating the characteristic control system of an automatic vending machine as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 It is an enlarged representation Figure 1 and Figure 2 The diagram shows a side cross-sectional view of the main parts of the vending machine.

[0026] Figure 5 It means Figure 4 A three-dimensional view of the surrounding structure of the product removal area, as shown.

[0027] Figure 6 It is an enlarged representation Figure 1 and Figure 2 The diagram shows a side cross-sectional view of the main parts of the vending machine.

[0028] Figure 7 It means Figure 3 The flowchart shown illustrates the processing steps of the fan drive control implemented by the control unit. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The preferred embodiments of the vending machine according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 and Figure 2 These refer to automatic vending machines that are embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 This is a 3D diagram showing the external structure of a vending machine. Figure 2 It is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the vending machine.

[0031] The vending machine illustrated here sells beverages and other items in a cooled state, packaged in containers such as cans or plastic bottles. The vending machine includes a main cabinet 1, which serves as the main body of the vending machine.

[0032] The main cabinet 1 is a rectangular shell with an opening 1a on its front surface. Inside the main cabinet 1, a merchandise storage compartment 2 is provided facing the opening 1a. This merchandise storage compartment 2 is used to store merchandise at a desired temperature and has a heat-insulating structure. In addition, merchandise shelves 3, a rear duct 4, an evaporator 5a, and a circulation fan 6 are provided inside the merchandise storage compartment 2.

[0033] The merchandise shelf 3 is installed in the storage area 2a of the merchandise storage compartment 2 to store merchandise in a manner that allows merchandise to be stored in a prescribed direction. The rear duct 4 forms a ventilation passage 4a on the rear side of the merchandise storage compartment 2, which is separate from the storage area 2a. The rear duct 4 extends in the vertical direction and has a lower opening 4b on the lower side and an upper opening 4c on the upper side.

[0034] The evaporator 5a is located in front of the lower opening 4b of the rear duct 4. This evaporator 5a, together with the compressor 5b, condenser 5c, and expansion mechanism 5d located in the lower part of the merchandise storage compartment 2, forms a refrigeration cycle 5, cooling the surrounding air to the desired temperature. In other words, the evaporator 5a, along with the compressor 5b, constitutes a cooling unit that cools the internal air of the merchandise storage compartment 2.

[0035] The circulating fan 6 is located in front of the evaporator 5a. The circulating fan 6 is driven according to the instructions provided by the control unit 40 (described later), and is a circulation mechanism that circulates the internal air of the merchandise storage compartment 2 between the storage area 2a and the ventilation passage 4a by driving it.

[0036] An inner door 10 and an outer door 20 are provided on the front surface of the main cabinet 1. The inner door 10 has a size sufficient to cover the opening 2b on the front surface of the merchandise storage compartment 2, and is an insulated door that can be opened and closed on one side edge of the main cabinet 1.

[0037] The inner door 10 is provided with a goods transfer outlet 11 and a goods transfer door 12. The goods transfer outlet 11 has multiple openings corresponding to the shelves 3 inside the goods storage compartment 2. The goods transfer door 12 is provided for each goods transfer outlet 11, and its upper end is axially supported in a swinging manner in the front-back direction. The goods transfer door 12 has a heat-insulating structure. Under normal conditions, the goods transfer door 12 closes the goods transfer outlet 11 by its own weight; however, when pushed forward by goods discharged from the corresponding shelves 3 of the goods storage compartment 2, it swings forward, thereby opening the goods transfer outlet 11 and allowing goods to be moved to the goods removal area 27 (described later) provided at the outer door 20.

[0038] The outer door 20 has an opening 1a large enough to cover the front surface of the main cabinet 1. It is a front surface door located on one side edge of the main cabinet 1, positioned forward of the inner door 10, and is designed to be opened and closed. The outer door 20 opens and closes the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 by swinging it in the back-and-forth direction. In addition, the outer door 20 is provided with a merchandise outlet 21, a merchandise selection section 22, a coin insertion slot 23, a banknote insertion slot 24, a coin return slot 25, a display compartment 26, etc.

[0039] The merchandise retrieval outlet 21 is a rectangular opening for the user to retrieve merchandise that has been moved to the merchandise retrieval area 27, and it is opened and closed via the merchandise retrieval door 28. The merchandise selection unit 22 has multiple buttons for the user to select merchandise. The coin insertion slot 23 is an opening for inserting coins. The banknote insertion slot 24 is an opening for inserting banknotes. The coin return slot 25 is an opening for returning inserted coins or returning change.

[0040] The display chamber 26 is used to display multiple product samples (not shown) and is rectangular in shape with an opening on the front surface. The opening on the front surface of the display chamber 26 is covered by a transparent resin panel 26a to prevent foreign objects from entering from the outside, while allowing the interior to be visually viewed through the resin panel 26a.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a block diagram schematically illustrating the characteristic control system of an automatic vending machine as an embodiment of the present invention. As such... Figure 3 As shown, in addition to the above-described structure, the vending machine of this embodiment also includes a coin handling device 31, a dispensing mechanism 32, a storage temperature sensor 33, an opening / closing detection unit 34, a fan 35, and a control unit 40.

[0042] The currency processing device 31, referred to as a coin mechanism or banknote reader, identifies coins inserted from the coin slot 23 or banknotes inserted from the banknote slot 24 and provides the identification result to the control unit 40.

[0043] Discharge mechanism 32 is provided for each merchandise shelf 3 and is driven according to instructions provided from control unit 40, thereby discharging merchandise from the shelf 3 on which it is located. Warehouse temperature sensor 33 is disposed inside the merchandise storage compartment 2 and is a detection unit for detecting the internal temperature (warehouse temperature) of the merchandise storage compartment 2. Information related to the warehouse temperature detected by the warehouse temperature sensor 33 is provided to control unit 40 as a temperature signal.

[0044] The opening / closing detection unit 34 is a detection unit that detects whether the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is open through the outer door 20. That is, when the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is closed through the outer door 20, the opening / closing detection unit 34 is in an open state and outputs a disconnect signal to the control unit 40; on the other hand, when the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is open through the outer door 20, the opening / closing detection unit 34 is in an open state and outputs an open signal to the control unit 40.

[0045] like Figure 4 As shown, a blower fan 35 is installed on the top plate portion 27c that constitutes the merchandise removal area 27. Here, as... Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the merchandise removal area 27 consists of a pair of left and right side panels 27a and a pair of upper and lower bottom panels 27b and a top panel 27c that connect these side panels 27a to each other. The merchandise removal area 27 is located on the outer door 20 facing the merchandise removal outlet 21. The merchandise removal area 27 places merchandise that has been moved out through the merchandise handling outlet 11 onto the bottom panel 27b.

[0046] Multiple fans 35 are provided along the left-right direction. These fans 35 are driven according to instructions provided from the control unit 40, and by driving, air is delivered from the ventilation holes 27d formed in the top plate portion 27c toward the front surface of the goods handling door 12 that closes the goods handling outlet 11.

[0047] The aforementioned top plate portion 27c extends obliquely upwards as it moves toward the rear, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the fan 35 is positioned outside the swinging area of ​​the product handling door 12 when it swings forward. In other words, the fan 35 is installed on the top plate portion 27c of the product handling area 27, which is outside the opening and closing operation area of ​​the product handling door 12.

[0048] The control unit 40 controls the operation of the vending machine in a unified manner according to the program and data stored in the storage unit 41. The control unit 40 includes a sales operation control unit 40a and a management operation control unit 40b.

[0049] The sales action control unit 40a centrally controls all processes related to the sale of goods. Specifically, when currency is inserted into the currency handling device 31 through the coin slot 23 or the banknote slot 24, the button on the corresponding product selection unit 22 is activated when the inserted currency is above the selling price. When the activated button on the product selection unit 22 is pressed, the sales action control unit 40a activates the discharge mechanism 32 provided on the corresponding product shelf 3 to discharge a product.

[0050] The management motion control unit 40b centrally controls all processes related to merchandise management. Specifically, the management motion control unit 40b drives the compressor 5b and the circulating fan 6 to bring the internal temperature of the merchandise storage compartment 2, detected by the internal temperature sensor 33, close to a preset temperature, thereby cooling the merchandise stored on the merchandise shelf 3 to the desired temperature. Additionally, the management motion control unit 40b provides drive commands to the fan 35 to activate it.

[0051] In addition, the control unit 40 can be implemented either by executing a program through a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), i.e., by software, or by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0052] In a vending machine with the above-described structure, the management operation control unit 40b of the control unit 40 drives the compressor 5b and the circulating fan 6 simultaneously to make the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor 33 approximately equal to a preset set temperature. As a result, air in the storage area 2a of the merchandise storage compartment 2 enters the ventilation path 4a from the lower opening 4b, and after passing through the ventilation path 4a, exits from the upper opening 4c back into the storage area 2a, thus circulating through the merchandise stored on the shelf 3. In other words, the air cooled by the evaporator 5a passes through the ventilation path 4a and then through the shelf 3 to cool the merchandise stored on the shelf 3. Thus, the merchandise stored on the shelf 3 is cooled.

[0053] Furthermore, when cooling the internal atmosphere of the goods storage compartment 2, the management motion control unit 40b provides a drive command to the blower fan 35 to drive the blower fan 35. For example... Figure 4 As shown, by driving the fan 35, air can be delivered through the ventilation hole 27d to the front surface of the goods handling door 12 of the closed goods handling outlet 11.

[0054] The control unit 40, which drives the compressor 5b, the circulating fan 6, and the blower fan 35, implements blower fan drive control as follows.

[0055] Figure 7 It means Figure 3 The flowchart shows the processing of the fan drive control implemented by the control unit 40. In this fan drive control, the management action control unit 40b of the control unit 40 determines whether the opening 1a of the front surface of the main cabinet 1 has been detected by the opening / closing detection unit 34, that is, whether an on signal output from the opening / closing detection unit 34 has been input (step S101). If the opening 1a of the front surface of the main cabinet 1 has not been detected (step S101: "No"), the control unit 40 repeats the process.

[0056] On the other hand, if the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is detected to be open (step S101: "Yes"), the management action control unit 40b sends a drive stop command to the blower fan 35 to stop the blower fan 35 from driving (step S102).

[0057] The management action control unit 40b, which stops the fan 35 from driving, determines whether the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 has been detected as closed by the opening / closing detection unit 34, that is, whether a disconnect signal output from the opening / closing detection unit 34 has been input (step S103). If the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is not detected as closed (step S103: "No"), the control unit 40b repeats the process.

[0058] If, in step S103 above, the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is detected to be closed (step S103: "Yes"), the management motion control unit 40b determines whether the compressor 5b is being driven (step S104). Then, if the compressor 5b is being driven (step S104: "Yes"), the management motion control unit 40b sends a drive command to the blower fan 35 to drive the blower fan 35 (step S105), and then returns the process and ends the current processing.

[0059] As explained above, according to the vending machine as an embodiment of the present invention, the fan 35 located on the top plate portion 27c of the product dispensing area 27, which is outside the opening and closing operation area of ​​the product dispensing door 12, supplies air to the front surface of the product dispensing door 12, which closes the product dispensing outlet 11. Therefore, fresh air can be supplied to replace the air near the front surface of the product dispensing door 12 before it becomes below the dew point temperature and condenses, thereby reducing the generation of condensation. As a result, the amount of condensation water generated on the front surface of the product dispensing door 12 can be reduced.

[0060] By reducing the amount of condensation generated on the front surface of the goods removal door 12 in this way, even when the goods removal door 12 is pushed forward by goods discharged from the goods storage compartment 2, the amount of condensation flying towards the bottom 27b of the goods removal area 27 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress condensation from adhering to the surface of the goods.

[0061] Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned vending machine, when cooling the internal atmosphere of the merchandise storage compartment 2, the control unit 40 drives the fan 35. On the other hand, when the opening 1a of the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is opened through the outer door 20, the control unit 40 stops driving the fan 35. Therefore, when replenishing merchandise such as merchandise on the merchandise shelf 3 of the merchandise storage compartment 2, the driving of the fan 35 is stopped, suppressing the unnecessary driving of the fan 35, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0062] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the following processing can also be performed.

[0063] In the above-described embodiments, a plurality of fans 35 are provided in the top plate portion 27c of the product removal area 27. However, in the present invention, as long as air can be supplied to the front surface of the product removal door that closes the product removal outlet, the location of the fans is not particularly limited.

[0064] In the above embodiments, multiple fans 35 are provided, but in the present invention, multiple fans may not be provided, and only one fan may be provided.

[0065] Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiments, in this invention, a component with a structure such as a drip plate that makes the surface of the goods placed higher than the bottom and allows water to flow into the tank may also be laid at the bottom of the goods removal area.

[0066] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0067] 1: Main cabinet; 1a: Opening; 2: Merchandise storage compartment; 2b: Front surface opening; 3: Merchandise shelf; 4: Rear duct; 5a: Evaporator; 5b: Compressor; 5c: Condenser; 5d: Expansion mechanism; 6: Circulating fan; 7: Machinery room; 10: Inner door; 11: Merchandise loading exit; 12: Merchandise loading door; 20: Outer door; 21: Merchandise unloading exit; 22: Merchandise selection section; 23: Coin slot; 24: Banknote slot; 25: Coin return slot; 26: Showroom; 27: Merchandise unloading area; 27a: Side panel; 27b: Bottom; 27c: Top panel; 27d: Ventilation vent; 28: Merchandise unloading door; 31: Currency handling device; 32: Discharge mechanism; 33: Warehouse temperature sensor; 34: Opening / closing detection unit; 35: Exhaust fan; 40: Control unit; 40a: Sales operation control unit; 40b: Management operation control unit; 41: Storage unit.

Claims

1. An automatic vending machine, comprising: The insulated door is designed to open and close the opening on the front surface of the product storage compartment, which is part of the internal heat-insulating structure of the vending machine body, and normally closes the opening to allow the internal atmosphere of the product storage compartment to be cooled; and The insulated goods handling door is designed to open and close the goods handling outlet formed within the insulation door. Normally, the goods handling outlet is closed; however, when pushed by goods discharged from the goods storage compartment, the goods handling outlet opens to allow the goods to be moved to the goods removal area. Goods moved to the product dispensing area are dispensed through a product dispensing outlet formed in the front surface door that opens and closes on the front surface of the vending machine body, thereby selling the goods. The vending machine is characterized in that... It is equipped with a fan that delivers air to the front surface of the goods handling door when the goods handling door is closed. The fan is installed on the top plate of the product removal area, which is located outside the opening and closing area of ​​the product removal door.

2. The automatic vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple air supply fans are provided on the top plate in the left-right direction.

3. The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The vending machine is equipped with a control unit that drives the fan when cooling the interior atmosphere of the merchandise storage compartment, and stops the fan when the front surface opening of the vending machine body is opened through the front surface door.

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