Article storage device

Abstract

To provide an article storage device capable of suppressing occurrence of a dead space for increasing the number of stored articles, and achieving favorable anti-theft properties.SOLUTION: An article storage device 1 comprises a plurality of article storage parts 20 which has a rectangular storage space 21b surrounded by a bottom surface, left and right side surfaces, a rear surface, and a top surface in a manner of facing a front surface opening 21a, where the front surface opening 21a being opened and closed by a front surface door 22. The article storage part 20 comprises: a rectangular module main body 31 in which a front region is opened; and a division member 33 for dividing the interior of the module main body 31 into upper and lower parts and / or left and right parts to define a plurality of storage regions 32. The division member 33 is for dividing the interior of the module main body 31 and is composed of horizontal partition plates 331, 332, vertical partition plates 333, 334, and a connecting member 335.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an item storage device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a locker device such as a parcel locker in which a plurality of locker sections are arranged vertically and horizontally in a device body having a thermal insulation structure. The locker section includes a box having a thermal insulation structure and a thermally insulated door having a thermal insulation structure. The box has a front opening on the front surface and forms a storage space inside. The thermally insulated door is provided so as to be able to swing in a manner to open and close the front opening of the box, and can be locked and unlocked.

[0003] In such a locker device, the storage space of each locker is adjusted to a desired temperature by a temperature control unit such as a cooling device provided in the device body, and items such as luggage are stored in the storage space. A user can then perform a specified unlocking operation to swing the insulated door of any locker in the opening direction and retrieve the items stored in the storage space.

[0004] In such a locker device, it is desirable to store various items from an operational standpoint, and the storage space of each locker section generally has a volume capable of storing the largest item (hereinafter also referred to as the maximum volume item). Therefore, when the item to be stored is smaller than the maximum volume item, a large amount of excess space (dead space) is generated in the storage space of the locker section, and this wasted space has been a problem.

[0005] Therefore, a locker device is known in which a box-shaped inner box having an opening at the front is placed in the storage space of each locker section, and the inside of the inner box is divided into a plurality of storage areas (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-094113 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the locker device proposed in Patent Document 1 above, even though the inside of the inner box is divided into multiple storage areas, the front part of each storage area is open, so when the insulated door is swung in the opening direction, it is possible to remove items from inside each storage area, posing a problem in terms of anti-theft.

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention has an object to provide an item storage device that can suppress the occurrence of dead space, increase the number of items that can be stored, and has good anti-theft properties. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the item storage device of the present invention is an item storage device having a rectangular storage space surrounded by a bottom, left and right side surfaces, a rear and a top surface facing a front opening formed on the front surface, and is provided with an item storage section whose front opening is opened and closed by a front door, wherein the item storage section comprises a rectangular module main body with an open front area, and a partition member that defines a plurality of storage areas by partitioning the interior of the module main body into at least one of upper and lower and left and right, and the partition member is for partitioning the interior of the module main body, and is configured to comprise at least one of a horizontal partition plate and a vertical partition plate, and a connecting member that connects the horizontal partition plates to each other or the vertical partition plates to each other.

[0010] The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above-mentioned item storage device, the item storage section comprises an opening / closing member for opening and closing a front portion of the storage area defined by the partition member, and a locking mechanism provided for each opening / closing member and capable of switching alternatively between a locked state in which the opening / closing member is held in a closed position and an unlocked state in which the opening / closing member is allowed to open the front portion of the storage area.

[0011] Furthermore, in the item storage device according to the present invention, the opening and closing member is an opening and closing door that is provided so as to be swingable relative to the module body. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, the partitioning member divides the interior of the rectangular module body, which is detachably stored in the storage space of the item storage section, into at least one of the upper and lower and left and right sides to define a plurality of storage areas, so that the storage space can be changed according to the size of the items, and the size of the items can be flexibly accommodated. Moreover, the opening and closing member opens and closes the front part of the storage area defined by the partitioning member, and the locking mechanism provided for each opening and closing member can be alternatively switched between a locked state in which the opening and closing member is kept closed and an unlocked state in which the opening and closing member allows the opening and closing member to open the front part of the storage area, so that only the front part of the storage area in which the item to be removed is stored can be opened. Therefore, the occurrence of dead space can be suppressed, and the number of items that can be stored can be increased, and the anti-theft properties can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of an item storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of the item storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 3 is a front view showing the internal structure of the article storage section of the article storage device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a storage module is stored in the item storage section of the item storage device shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the storage module shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the control unit shown in FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of taking out an article stored in the storage area. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of a modified example of an item storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of a modified example of an item storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the control unit shown in FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram that illustrates another modified example of an item storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of an item storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figures 1 and 2 each show an item storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of the item storage device, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic diagram of a characteristic control system of the item storage device.

[0016] The item storage device 1 illustrated here is a locker device used as a parcel locker or the like, and includes a device main body 10.

[0017] The device body 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a body opening 11 on the front, and multiple item storage sections 20 are arranged in a vertical line. The device body 10 has a heat-insulating structure by incorporating a heat insulating material such as urethane foam or vacuum insulation material. The device body 10 also includes a cooling unit (not shown), and the inside of the device body 10 is cooled to a predetermined temperature or lower by driving the cooling unit.

[0018] 3, the item storage section 20 includes a box body 21 and a front door 22. The box body 21 has a sheet metal structure, includes a bottom surface 211, left and right side surfaces 212, a rear surface 213, and a top surface 214, and is rectangular with a front opening 21a on the front side. Such a box body 21 has a rectangular storage space 21b surrounded by the bottom surface 211a, both left and right side surfaces 212a, the rear surface 213a, and the top surface 214a in a manner facing the front opening 21a.

[0019] 3, a plurality of passage holes are appropriately formed in the bottom surface 211 and the top surface 214, so that the air cooled by the cooling unit can pass through the storage space 21b. This makes it possible to cool the internal atmosphere of the storage space 21b to a predetermined temperature or lower.

[0020] Such a box body 21 is supported by a frame (not shown) extending in the front-to-rear direction inside the device main body 10, and is attached in a manner such that the front opening 21a faces the main body opening 11.

[0021] The front door 22 is provided for each box body 21, and is a door body having a size sufficient to close the front opening 21a of the corresponding box body 21. This front door 22 has a sheet metal structure, and although not shown in the figure, has a heat-insulating structure by laying a heat insulating material such as urethane foam or vacuum insulation material between the outer plate and the inner plate.

[0022] The right side of the front door 22 is pivotally supported on the front end of the right side surface 212 of the box body 21, and can swing back and forth in a manner of approaching and moving away from the box body 21. That is, the front door 22 opens the front opening 21a by swinging forward, and closes the front opening 21a by swinging backward. Although not shown in the figure, packing or the like is attached to each edge of the rear surface of the front door 22, and when the front opening 21a is closed, the packing comes into contact with the opening edge of the front opening 21a of the box body 21, thereby ensuring airtightness.

[0023] Meanwhile, in the vicinity of the front opening 21a of the box 21, a front door opening / closing detection unit 23 and a front door lock mechanism 24 are provided.

[0024] The front door opening / closing detection unit 23 is composed of, for example, an optical sensor, and detects the opening and closing of the front opening 21a by the front door 22. More specifically, the front door opening / closing detection unit 23 detects whether the front opening 21a of the box body 21 is closed, i.e., whether the front door 22 is closed or not. The front door opening / closing detection unit 23 sends the detection result of whether the front door 22 is closed or not as a signal to the control unit 50 described later.

[0025] The front door lock mechanism 24 is capable of selectively switching between a locked state in which the front door 22, which closes the front opening 21a of the box body 21, is held closed and the front door 22 is restricted from swinging forward, and a released state in which the front door 22 is permitted to swing forward. The front door lock mechanism 24 is switched in response to a command given from the control unit 50.

[0026] A storage module 30 is stored in the storage space 21b of the box body 21, as shown in Fig. 4. The storage module 30 is made of a resin material such as plastic, and includes a module body 31, a partition member 33, an opening / closing door 35, and an article detection lever 37, as shown in Figs.

[0027] The module body 31 is a rectangular parallelepiped with an open front portion, and is composed of a bottom wall 311, left and right side walls 312, a back wall 313, and a top wall 314. The module body 31 has dimensions slightly smaller than the storage space 21b of the box 21, and it is preferable that each wall 311 etc. contacts the inner surface of the box 21.

[0028] That is, it is preferable that in the module main body 31, the bottom wall portion 311 is in contact with the bottom surface portion 211, the left side wall portion 312 is in contact with the left side surface portion 212, the right side wall portion 312 is in contact with the right side surface portion 212, the back wall portion 313 is in contact with the rear surface portion 213, and the top wall portion 314 is in contact with the top surface portion 214. In the module main body 31, similar to the box body 21, a plurality of passage holes 311a, 314a are formed in the bottom wall portion 311 and the top wall portion 314.

[0029] The partition member 33 is for partitioning the inside of the module body 31 , and is composed of horizontal partition plates 331 , 332 , vertical partition plates 333 , 334 , and a connecting member 335 .

[0030] The horizontal partitions 331, 332 are used to divide the inside of the module body 31 into upper and lower sections, and include a left horizontal partition 331 and a right horizontal partition 332. The left horizontal partition 331 and the right horizontal partition 332 have the same front-to-back and left-to-right dimensions.

[0031] The vertical partitions 333, 334 are used to divide the inside of the module body 31 into left and right sections, and include an upper vertical partition 333 and a lower vertical partition 334. The upper vertical partition 333 and the lower vertical partition 334 have the same front-to-rear and top-to-bottom dimensions. A pair of lower end flanges 334a extending along the front-to-rear direction is provided at the lower end of the lower vertical partition 334, and a pair of upper end flanges 333a extending along the front-to-rear direction is provided at the upper end of the upper vertical partition 333.

[0032] The connecting member 335 is an elongated member whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction, and its front-rear dimension is approximately the same as that of the horizontal partitions 331, 332 and the vertical partitions 333, 334. The connecting member 335 is formed with an upper entrance groove 335a, a lower entrance groove 335b, a left entrance groove 335c, and a right entrance groove 335d. The upper entrance groove 335a is for the lower edge of the upper vertical partition 333 to enter. The lower entrance groove 335b is for the upper edge of the lower vertical partition 334 to enter. The left entrance groove 335c is for the right edge of the left horizontal partition 331 to enter. The right entrance groove 335d is for the left edge of the right horizontal partition 332 to enter.

[0033] Such a partition member 33 can partition the inside of the module body 31 into a plurality of storage areas 32 as follows.

[0034] The left side horizontal partition plate 331 and the right side horizontal partition plate 332 are connected via a connecting member 335, i.e., the right edge of the left side horizontal partition plate 331 enters the left side entrance groove 335c of the connecting member 335 while the left edge of the right side horizontal partition plate 332 enters the right side entrance groove 335d of the connecting member 335 to connect them, and while the rear edges of the left side horizontal partition plate 331, the right side horizontal partition plate 332 and the connecting member 335 enter the horizontal entrance groove 313a (see Figure 9, etc.) formed in the rear wall portion 313, the left edge of the left side horizontal partition plate 331 enters the left side wall entrance groove 312a formed in the left side wall portion 312, and the right edge of the right side horizontal partition plate 332 enters the right side wall entrance groove 312b formed in the right side wall portion 312.

[0035] Then, the lower edge of the lower vertical partition 334 is inserted into the bottom wall insertion groove 311b formed in the bottom wall 311, while the upper edge is inserted into the lower insertion groove 335b of the connecting member 335, and the rear edge of the lower vertical partition 334 is inserted into the vertical insertion groove 313b (see FIG. 8) provided in the rear wall 313. At this time, the lower end flange 334a of the lower vertical partition 334 is in contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall 311.

[0036] Next, the upper edge of the upper vertical partition 333 is inserted into the top wall insertion groove 314b formed in the top wall 314, while the lower edge is inserted into the upper insertion groove 335a of the connecting member 335, and the rear edge of the upper vertical partition 333 is inserted into the vertical insertion groove 313b provided in the rear wall 313. At this time, the upper end flange 333a of the upper vertical partition 333 is in contact with the lower surface of the top wall 314.

[0037] This allows the partition member 33 to partition the inside of the module body 31 into four storage areas 32.

[0038] A description will be given of an example of partitioning the inside of the module body 31 by such partitioning member 33. By removing the upper vertical partition plate 333 and the lower vertical partition plate 334 from the state in which the four storage areas 32 are defined as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the partitioning member 33 can partition the inside of the module body 31 into upper and lower storage areas 32 as shown in Figure 8.

[0039] Furthermore, by removing the left side horizontal partition plate 331 and the right side horizontal partition plate 332 from the state in which four storage areas 32 are defined as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the partition member 33 can divide the interior of the module main body 31 into left and right sections to define two storage areas 32 as shown in Figure 9.

[0040] Furthermore, by removing the left horizontal partition plate 331 from the state in which four storage areas 32 are defined as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the partition member 33 can divide the interior of the module body 31 into upper and lower and left and right sections to define three storage areas 32, as shown in Figure 10.

[0041] Although not an example of a compartment, by removing all of the compartment members 33 from the state in which four storage areas 32 are defined as shown in Figures 6 and 7, it is possible to define one storage area 32 inside the module body 31 as shown in Figure 11.

[0042] In this manner, the partition member 33 can define one to four storage areas 32 inside the module body 31.

[0043] The opening and closing doors 35 are provided on the module body 31 in correspondence with the maximum number (four) of storage areas 32 defined by the partition members 33, and include an upper left opening and closing door 351, a lower left opening and closing door 352, an upper right opening and closing door 353, and a lower right opening and closing door 354.

[0044] The upper left opening / closing door 351 is a door body large enough to close the front part of the upper left storage area 32 when the inside of the module main body 31 is divided into four storage areas 32. The left side part of this upper left opening / closing door 351 is pivotally supported by the upper front end part of the left side wall part 312 of the module main body 31, and can swing back and forth in a manner to approach and move away from the module main body 31. In other words, the upper left opening / closing door 351 opens the front part of the upper left storage area 32 by swinging forward, and closes the front part of the upper left storage area 32 by swinging backward.

[0045] The lower-left opening / closing door 352 is a door body large enough to close the front portion of the lower-left storage area 32 when the interior of the module main body 31 is divided into four storage areas 32. The left side portion of this lower-left opening / closing door 352 is pivotally supported by the lower front end portion of the left side wall portion 312 of the module main body 31, and is capable of swinging forward and backward in a manner of approaching and moving away from the module main body 31. In other words, the lower-left opening / closing door 352 opens the front portion of the lower-left storage area 32 by swinging forward, and closes the front portion of the lower-left storage area 32 by swinging backward.

[0046] The upper right opening / closing door 353 is a door body large enough to close the front part of the upper right storage area 32 when the inside of the module main body 31 is divided into four storage areas 32. The right side of this upper right opening / closing door 353 is pivotally supported by the upper front end part of the right side wall part 312 of the module main body 31, and can swing back and forth in a manner to approach and move away from the module main body 31. In other words, the upper right opening / closing door 353 opens the front part of the upper right storage area 32 by swinging forward, and closes the front part of the upper right storage area 32 by swinging backward.

[0047] The lower right opening / closing door 354 is a door body large enough to close the front part of the lower right storage area 32 when the interior of the module main body 31 is divided into four storage areas 32. The right side of this lower right opening / closing door 354 is pivotally supported by the lower front end part of the right side wall part 312 of the module main body 31, and can swing back and forth in a manner to move toward and away from the module main body 31. In other words, the lower right opening / closing door 354 opens the front part of the lower right storage area 32 by swinging forward, and closes the front part of the lower right storage area 32 by swinging backward.

[0048] In the module body 31, a door opening / closing detector 34 and a door locking mechanism 36 are provided for each of the opening / closing doors 35.

[0049] The door opening / closing detection unit 34 is configured with, for example, an optical sensor, and detects whether the corresponding opening / closing door 35 is closed or not. The door opening / closing detection unit 34 sends the detection result, whether the corresponding opening / closing door 35 is closed or not, to the control unit 50 as a signal.

[0050] The door locking mechanism 36 can be switched between a locked state in which the corresponding door 35 that closes the front part of the storage area 32 is kept closed and the door 35 is restricted from swinging forward, and an unlocked state in which the door 35 is permitted to swing forward. The door locking mechanism 36 is switched in response to a command given from the control unit 50. Various means can be used to restrict the forward swing of the door 35 by the door locking mechanism 36, and the door 35 may be restricted from swinging by engaging a part of the door 35 with the part of the door locking mechanism 36.

[0051] The item detection levers 37 are provided on the module body 31 corresponding to the maximum number (four) of storage areas 32 defined by the partition member 33, and include a lower right detection lever 371, a lower left detection lever 372, an upper right detection lever 373 and an upper left detection lever 374.

[0052] The lower right detection lever 371 is provided to the right of the bottom wall entrance groove 311b on the bottom wall portion 311 of the module main body 31. The lower right detection lever 371 is provided to be swingable in the up and down direction so as to move forward and backward relative to the upper area of ​​the bottom wall portion 311, and is biased by a biasing means (not shown) so as to swing upward.

[0053] When pressed by an article stored in the storage area 32, the lower right detection lever 371 swings downward against the biasing force of the biasing means and moves back from the upper area of ​​the bottom wall portion 311, turning off the article detection switch 38 provided corresponding to it, whereas when the article is removed, it swings upward and moves forward into the upper area of ​​the bottom wall portion 311, turning on the article detection switch 38. When the article detection switch 38 is in the on state, it detects that an article is not present and sends a message to that effect to the control unit 50.

[0054] The lower-left detection lever 372 is provided to the left of the bottom-wall entry groove 311b on the bottom wall portion 311 of the module body 31. The lower-left detection lever 372 is provided to be swingable in the up-down direction so as to move forward and backward relative to the upper region of the bottom wall portion 311, and is biased by a biasing means (not shown) so as to swing upward.

[0055] When pressed by an article stored in the storage area 32, the lower left detection lever 372 swings downward against the biasing force of the biasing means and moves back from the upper area of ​​the bottom wall portion 311, turning off the article detection switch 38 provided corresponding to it, whereas when the article is removed, it swings upward and moves forward into the upper area of ​​the bottom wall portion 311, turning on the article detection switch 38. When the article detection switch 38 is in the on state, it detects that an article is not present and sends a message to that effect to the control unit 50.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 12, the upper right detection lever 373 is mounted on the right lever support member 39 provided on the right side wall portion 312 of the module body 31 above the right side wall entrance groove 312b.

[0057] The right-side lever support member 39 is a rectangular parallelepiped made of a resin material such as plastic. A front-end shaft portion 391 protruding forward from the front end of the right end portion and a rear-end shaft portion 392 protruding rearward from the rear end of the right end portion of the right-side lever support member 39 are inserted into a support hole 312d formed in the lower part of a right-side storage recess 312c formed in the right side wall portion 312, so that the right-side lever support member 39 can swing about the central axis of the front-end shaft portion 391 and the rear-end shaft portion 392.

[0058] When the right horizontal partition plate 332 is provided, the right lever support member 39 swings downward in a manner away from the right side wall portion 312 and enters a cutout portion 332a formed in the right horizontal partition plate 332 as shown in Fig. 13, and is disposed so that its upper surface forms substantially the same plane as the upper surface of the right horizontal partition plate 332 (see Fig. 6, etc.). On the other hand, when the right horizontal partition plate 332 is not provided, the right lever support member 39 swings upward in a manner approaching the right side wall portion 312 and is locked by a snap fit 312e (see Fig. 8) provided at the upper portion of the right storage recess 312c, and is stored in the right storage recess 312c (see Fig. 9, etc.).

[0059] The upper right detection lever 373 is provided so as to be able to swing and protrude from the upper surface of the right lever support member 39, and is biased by a biasing means (not shown) so as to protrude from the upper surface of the right lever support member 39.

[0060] When the right lever support member 39 is positioned in a state where it has entered the notch portion 332a of the right horizontal partition plate 332, the upper right detection lever 373, when pressed by an article stored in the storage area 32, swings downward against the biasing force of the biasing means so as to sink from the upper surface of the right lever support member 39, turning off the article detection switch 38 provided on the right lever support member 39, whereas when the article is removed, it swings so as to protrude from the upper surface of the right lever support member 39, turning on the article detection switch 38. The article detection switch 38, together with the upper right detection lever 373, constitutes the article detection means of the present invention, and when it is turned on, it detects the absence of an article and sends a message to that effect to the control unit 50.

[0061] The upper left detection lever 374 is attached to the left lever support member 40 provided above the left side wall entry groove 312a in the left side wall portion 312 of the module body 31. This left lever support member 40 is symmetrical to the right lever support member 39, and will be briefly described below.

[0062] The left-side lever support member 40 is a rectangular parallelepiped made of a resin material such as plastic. The left-side lever support member 40 has a front shaft portion protruding forward from the front end of the left end and a rear shaft portion protruding rearward from the rear end of the left end, which are inserted into support holes formed in the lower part of a left-side storage recess 312f (see FIG. 7) formed in the left side wall portion 312, so that the left-side lever support member 40 is swingable about the central axis of the front shaft portion and the rear shaft portion.

[0063] When the left horizontal partition plate 331 is provided, the left lever support member 40 swings downward away from the left side wall portion 312, enters a cutout portion 331a formed in the left horizontal partition plate 331, and is disposed so that its upper surface forms approximately the same plane as the upper surface of the left horizontal partition plate 331 (see FIG. 7, etc.). On the other hand, when the left horizontal partition plate 331 is not provided, the left lever support member 40 swings upward approaching the left side wall portion 312, and is locked by a snap fit provided at the upper portion of the left storage recess 312f to be stored in the left storage recess 312f.

[0064] The upper left detection lever 374 is provided so as to be able to swing in and out of the upper surface of the left lever support member 40, and is biased by a biasing means (not shown) so as to protrude from the upper surface of the left lever support member 40.

[0065] When the left lever support member 40 is positioned in a state where it has entered the notch portion 332a of the left horizontal partition plate 331, the upper left detection lever 374, when pressed by an article stored in the storage area 32, swings downward against the biasing force of the biasing means so as to sink from the upper surface of the left lever support member 40, turning off the article detection switch 38 provided on the left lever support member 40, whereas when the article is removed, it swings so as to protrude from the upper surface of the left lever support member 40, turning on the article detection switch 38. The article detection switch 38, together with the upper left detection lever 374, constitutes the article detection means of the present invention, and when it is turned on, it detects the absence of an article and sends a message to that effect to the control unit 50.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 2, the item storage device 1 includes an operation input unit 42 and a control unit 50 in addition to the above components.

[0067] 1, the operation input unit 42 is provided on the right side of the item storage unit 20 on the front side of the device main body 10. This operation input unit 42 is configured with, for example, a touch panel, and when an item is selected by a touch operation, it sends a signal to that effect to the control unit 50.

[0068] The control unit 50 is electrically connected to the operation input unit 42, the front door opening / closing detection unit group 23A, the front door locking mechanism group 24A, the door body opening / closing detection unit group 34A, the door body locking mechanism group 36A and the item detection switch group 38A, and controls the overall operation of each part of the item storage device 1 in accordance with the programs and data stored in the memory unit 51 which is also electrically connected.

[0069] The front door opening / closing detection unit group 23A is a collection of the above-mentioned front door opening / closing detection units 23. The front door lock mechanism group 24A is a collection of the above-mentioned front door lock mechanisms 24. The door body opening / closing detection unit group 34A is a collection of the above-mentioned door body opening / closing detection units 34. The door body lock mechanism group 36A is a collection of the above-mentioned door body lock mechanisms 36. The article detection switch group 38A is a collection of the above-mentioned article detection switches 38. The memory unit 51 stores information on the articles stored in each storage area 32 as article information.

[0070] In addition, the control unit 50 may be realized, for example, by having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, that is, by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0071] Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the control unit 50 shown in Fig. 2. The operation of the item storage device 1 will be described while explaining the process. Note that the explanation is based on the premise that the front door locking mechanism 24 and the door body locking mechanism 36 are in a locked state.

[0072] The control unit 50 determines whether or not an article has been selected on the operation input unit 42 (step S101). If an article has not been selected (step S101: No), the control unit 50 repeats the above process.

[0073] When an item is selected (step S101: Yes), the control unit 50 releases the corresponding front door locking mechanism 24 and the corresponding door body locking mechanism 36 based on the item information stored in the memory unit 51 (steps S102, S103).

[0074] This allows the user to swing the corresponding front door 22 in the opening direction (forward) and also swing the corresponding opening door 35 (upper left opening door 351) in the opening direction (forward) as shown in Figure 15, thereby enabling the user to remove items stored in the storage area 32.

[0075] After performing step S103, the control unit 50 determines whether the article detection switch 38 (the article detection switch 38 corresponding to the upper left detection lever 374) of the corresponding storage area 32 (the upper left storage area 32) detects the absence of an article (step S104). If the absence of an article is not detected (step S104: No), the control unit 50 repeats the above process.

[0076] If it is detected that no article is present (step S104: Yes), the control unit 50 judges whether or not the door body open / close detection unit 34 detects that the corresponding door 35 is closed (step S105). If the door 35 is not detected as closed (step S105: No), the control unit 50 repeats the above process.

[0077] If the opening and closing door 35 is detected as closed (step S105: Yes), the control unit 50 judges whether the corresponding front door 22 is detected as closed by the front door opening and closing detection unit 23 (step S106). If the front door 22 is not detected as closed (step S106: No), the control unit 50 repeats the above process.

[0078] If the front door 22 is detected as closed (step S106: Yes), the control unit 50 locks the door body locking mechanism 36 that was released in step S103 above, and locks the front door locking mechanism 24 that was released in step S102 above (steps S107, S108), and then terminates the current processing.

[0079] As described above, according to the item storage device 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, the partitioning member 33 partitions the inside of the rectangular module body 31 stored in the storage space 21b of the item storage section 20 into at least one of the upper and lower and left and right sides to define a plurality of storage areas 32, so that the storage space can be changed according to the size of the items, and the size of the items can be flexibly accommodated. Moreover, the opening and closing doors 35 open and close the front part of the storage area 32 defined by the partitioning member 33, and the door body locking mechanism 36 provided for each opening and closing door 35 alternates between a locked state in which the opening and closing doors 35 are kept closed and an unlocked state in which the opening and closing doors 35 allow the front part of the storage area 32 to be opened, so that only the front part of the storage area 32 storing the item to be removed can be opened. Therefore, the occurrence of dead space can be suppressed to increase the number of stored items, and the anti-theft performance can be improved.

[0080] According to the above-mentioned item storage device 1, the upper right detection lever 373 and the corresponding item detection switch 38, as well as the upper left detection lever 374 and the corresponding item detection switch 38 are swingably mounted on the side wall portion 312 of the module main body 31, and when horizontal partition plates 331, 332 that divide the interior of the module main body 31 into upper and lower sections are arranged, they swing away from the side wall portion 312 and are positioned on the horizontal partition plates 331, 332, whereas when the horizontal partition plates 331, 332 are not arranged, they swing close to the side wall portion 312 and are stored in the storage recesses 312c, 312f formed in the side wall portion 312. Therefore, there is no need to remove the detection levers or the item detection switch 38, making it easy to partition using the partition member 33.

[0081] Fig. 16 and Fig. 17 show modified examples of the item storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 16 is an enlarged perspective view showing the main parts of the item storage device, and Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of the item storage device. Note that the same components as those in the item storage device 1 according to the embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals and redundant explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0082] The item storage device 2 illustrated here includes an opening / closing lid 65 instead of the opening / closing door 35 of the item storage device 1. The opening / closing lids 65 are provided on the module body 61 in a number corresponding to the maximum number (four) of storage areas 32 defined by the partition members 33. The upper opening / closing lid 65 of these four opening / closing lids 65 has a rear engagement protrusion 651 formed on the upper end portion of the rear surface, and this rear engagement protrusion 651 can be inserted into a main body side engagement hole 614a formed on the front surface of the top wall portion 614 of the module body 61. The lower opening / closing lid 65 has a rear engagement protrusion 652 formed on the lower end portion of the rear surface, and this rear engagement protrusion 652 can be inserted into a main body side engagement hole 611a formed on the front surface of the bottom wall portion 611 of the module body 61. Furthermore, front engagement protrusions 653 are formed in the central portion of the front surface of the four opening / closing lids 65, and these front engagement protrusions 653 can be inserted into door side engagement holes 25 formed in the rear surface of the front door 22.

[0083] The item storage device 2 also includes an operation input unit 42 and a control unit 70. The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the operation input unit 42, the front door open / close detection unit group 23A, the front door lock mechanism group 24A, the first lid lock mechanism group 66A, the second lid lock mechanism group 26A, and the item detection switch group 38A, and generally controls the operation of each unit of the item storage device 2 according to programs and data stored in a storage unit 71 that is also electrically connected to the control unit 42.

[0084] The first lid locking mechanism group 66A is a group of first lid locking mechanisms 66. The first lid locking mechanism 66 is provided for each opening / closing lid 65 in the module body 61. The first lid locking mechanism 66 is selectively switchable between a locked state in which the rear engagement protrusions 651, 652 of the corresponding opening / closing lid 65 are held inserted into the main body side engagement holes 611a, 614a to hold the opening / closing lid 65 in a closed state, and a released state in which the rear engagement protrusions 651, 652 are removed from the main body side engagement holes 611a, 614a to allow the opening / closing lid 65 to be detached from the module body 61. The first lid locking mechanism 66 is switched in response to a command given from the control unit 70.

[0085] The second lid locking mechanism group 26A is a group of second lid locking mechanisms (front door side locking mechanisms) 26. The second lid locking mechanism 26 is provided for each opening / closing lid 65 inside the front door 22. The second lid locking mechanism 26 is selectively switchable between a locked state in which the front engagement protrusion 653 of the corresponding opening / closing lid 65 is held inserted into the door side engagement hole 25 to hold the opening / closing lid 65 in an engaged state with the front door 22, and a released state in which the front engagement protrusion 653 is removed from the door side engagement hole 25 to allow the opening / closing lid 65 to be detached from the front door 22. The second lid locking mechanism 26 is switched in response to a command given from the control unit 70.

[0086] In addition, the control unit 70 may be realized, for example, by having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, that is, by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0087] Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the control unit 70 shown in Fig. 17. The operation of the item storage device 2 will be described while explaining the process. Note that the explanation is based on the premise that the front door locking mechanism 24, the first lid locking mechanism 66, and the second lid locking mechanism 26 are in a locked state.

[0088] The control unit 70 determines whether or not an article has been selected on the operation input unit 42 (step S201). If an article has not been selected (step S201: No), the control unit 70 repeats the above process.

[0089] When an article is selected (step S201: Yes), the control unit 70 releases the corresponding first lid locking mechanism 66 based on the article information stored in the memory unit 71, and releases the second lid locking mechanisms 26 other than the corresponding second lid locking mechanism 26 in the corresponding front door 22 (steps S202 and S203). That is, the opening / closing lid 65 that opens and closes the front part of the storage area 32 that stores the selected article is brought into engagement with the front door 22, and the other opening / closing lids 65 are engaged with the module body 61. Thereafter, the control unit 70 releases the corresponding front door locking mechanism 24 (step S204).

[0090] As a result, by swinging the corresponding front door 22 in the opening direction (forward), the corresponding opening / closing lid 65 also swings together with the front door 22, allowing the user to remove items stored in the storage area 32.

[0091] After performing step S204, the control unit 70 determines whether the article detection switch 38 of the corresponding storage area 32 detects the absence of an article (step S205). If the absence of an article is not detected (step S205: No), the control unit 70 repeats the above process.

[0092] If it is detected that no object is present (step S205: Yes), the control unit 70 locks the first lid body locking mechanism 66, which was released in step S201 above, and locks the second lid body locking mechanism 26, which was released in step S203 above (steps S207 and S208).

[0093] Then, the control unit 70 sets the front door locking mechanism 24, which was released in step S204, to a locked state (step S209), and then ends the current processing.

[0094] According to such an item storage device 2, the partitioning member 33 partitions the inside of the rectangular module body 61 stored in the storage space 21b of the item storage section 20 into at least one of the upper and lower and left and right sides to define a plurality of storage areas 32, so that the storage space can be changed according to the size of the items, and the size of the items can be flexibly accommodated. Moreover, the opening and closing lid 65 opens and closes the front part of the storage area 32 defined by the partitioning member 33, and the first lid locking mechanism 66 provided for each opening and closing lid 65 selectively switches between a locked state in which the opening and closing lid 65 is kept closed and an unlocked state in which the opening and closing lid 65 is allowed to be removed from the module body 61, so that only the front part of the storage area 32 in which the item to be removed is stored can be opened. Therefore, the occurrence of dead space can be suppressed to increase the number of items that can be stored, and the anti-theft performance can be improved.

[0095] Furthermore, the second lid locking mechanism 26 provided for each opening / closing lid 65 inside the front door 22 alternatively switches between a locked state in which the corresponding opening / closing lid 65 is held in an engaged state with the front door 22, and a released state in which the opening / closing lid 65 is allowed to detach from the front door 22. Therefore, by simply swinging the front door 22 in the opening direction, the corresponding opening / closing lid 65 can be swing together with the front door 22, thereby improving convenience.

[0096] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made.

[0097] In the above-mentioned embodiment, a door body lock mechanism 36 is provided for each door 35, but in the present invention, as shown in Fig. 19, a cam 80 with a cutout and a drive mechanism 81 for driving the cam 80 around a central axis may be provided, and the cutout portion 80a of the cam 80 may be positioned in front of some of the doors 35' by rotating the cam 80, thereby allowing only the doors 35' to swing in the opening direction. In this way, only one drive mechanism 81 is required, and the number of power sources can be reduced, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0098] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the locker device has been described as an example of the item storage device 1, 2, but the present invention can also be applied to a vending machine whose front opening is opened and closed by a heat-insulating front door (glass door). In this case, it is preferable to arrange a large number of storage modules in the storage space of the item storage unit.

[0099] In the above-described embodiment, the item storage device 1 includes a plurality of item storage sections 20, but in the present invention, the item storage device may include only one item storage section.

[0100] In the above-described embodiment, the module body 31 (storage module 30) is stored in the storage space 21b of the box body 21, but in the present invention, the module body may be stored in a detachable manner in the storage space. This allows the module body (storage module) to be removed as needed, and the entire storage space can be used for storing items, improving convenience.

[0101] Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, when the front door lock mechanism is released, the front door may be set to a half-open state by a biasing means such as a spring, etc. In this way, the user can easily identify the front door in which the target item is stored.

[0102] Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, each storage compartment may be provided with a light source such as an LED, and all of the light sources may be turned on in a normal state, and when an item is selected, only the light source of the corresponding storage compartment may be kept on. This allows the user to easily identify the front door in which the target item is stored. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1...item storage device, 10...device main body, 20...item storage section, 21...box body, 21a...front opening, 21b...storage space, 22...front door, 23...front door opening / closing detection section, 24...front door locking mechanism, 30...storage module, 31...module main body, 32...storage area, 33...compartment member, 34...door body opening / closing detection section, 35...opening / closing door, 36...door body locking mechanism, 37...item detection lever, 38...item detection switch, 50...control section.

Claims

1. An item storage device having a rectangular storage space surrounded by a bottom surface, both left and right sides, a rear surface, and a top surface in a manner facing a front opening formed on a front surface, and an item storage section having the front opening opened and closed by a front door, The item storage section includes: A rectangular module body having an open front area; a partition member that partitions the inside of the module body into at least one of upper and lower and left and right to define a plurality of storage areas; Equipped with The partition member is used to divide the interior of the module body, and is an item storage device characterized in that it is configured to include at least one horizontal partition plate and a vertical partition plate, and a connecting member that connects the horizontal partition plates to each other or the vertical partition plates to each other.

2. The item storage section includes: an opening / closing member for opening and closing a front portion of the storage area defined by the partition member; a lock mechanism that is provided for each of the opening / closing members and is switchable between a locked state in which the opening / closing members are held in a closed state and a released state in which the opening / closing members are allowed to open a front portion of the storage area; The article storage device according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. 3. The article storage device according to claim 2, wherein the opening and closing member is a door that is pivotably provided with respect to the module body.

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