Commodity storage device

Abstract

To easily exchange conveyance mechanisms.SOLUTION: There is provided a commodity storage device 20 including: a column case 30 constituting a commodity storage passage 20a; and a belt base 50a which is placed on the column case 30 and on which a belt 56 which is a conveyance mechanism is laid endlessly, the belt base 50a displacing the belt 56 in an aspect in which an upper side horizontally extending part 56a of the belt 56 moves forward, thereby gradually carrying a commodity placed on the upper side horizontally extending part 56a forward to discharge a frontmost commodity 100. The belt base 50a includes a sold-out lever 61 provided at a front end in an aspect of moving forward / backward to / from an area above the upper side horizontally extending part 56a to move into the upper area in a normal condition and when pressed to the frontmost commodity 100, regressively move from the upper area, and a detection unit 66 which is brought into an off state when the sold-out lever 61 regressively moves and brought into an on state when the sold-out lever 61 moves forward, thereby detecting the presence / absence of the frontmost commodity 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a merchandise storage device, and more particularly to a merchandise storage device applicable to a vending machine that sells merchandise.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a merchandise storage device applicable to a vending machine that sells merchandise has been proposed in Patent Document 1. When a driving force is transmitted from a driving source via a transmission mechanism in this merchandise storage device, the upper horizontal extending portion of a belt stretched endlessly along the front-rear direction is displaced in a manner of moving forward, and the merchandise placed on the upper surface of the upper horizontal extending portion is gradually carried forward and the foremost merchandise is dispensed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the above-described merchandise storage device, the belt is stretched endlessly on a belt base, and this belt base is placed on a column case. The driving source is stored in this column case, and a merchandise storage passage is formed in the upper region. Further, the column case is provided with a sold-out lever or the like for detecting the presence or absence of the foremost merchandise.

[0005] Thus, in the above-described merchandise storage device, since a sold-out lever or the like is provided in the column case, when replacing the merchandise conveyance mechanism from the above-described belt to, for example, a spiral, it is necessary to remove not only the belt base but also the column case. As a result, the replacement work of the conveyance mechanism has been complicated.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a product storage device that can easily replace a transport mechanism.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a product storage device according to the present invention includes a long column case that constitutes a product storage passage for storing products along its longitudinal direction in an upper region, and a belt base that is placed on the column case and has an endless belt, which is a transport mechanism, stretched along the longitudinal direction of the column case. When the driving force from a driving source stored in the column case is transmitted through a transmission mechanism, the belt base displaces the belt in such a manner that the upper horizontal extending portion of the belt moves toward one side in the longitudinal direction of the column case, thereby gradually discharging the product placed on the upper horizontal extending portion toward one side in the longitudinal direction of the column case and discharging the most downstream product at the most downstream position of the product storage passage. The belt base is provided in a downstream portion on one side in the longitudinal direction of the column case in a manner of advancing and retreating in an upper region above the upper horizontal extending portion, and normally advances into the upper region above the upper horizontal extending portion. However, when pressed by the most downstream product, it retreats from the upper region above the upper horizontal extending portion. The product storage device is characterized by including a sold-out lever and a detection means. When the sold-out lever retreats, it is in an off state, and when the sold-out lever advances, it is in an on state to detect the presence or absence of the most downstream product.

[0008] Further, in the present invention, in the above product storage device, the sold-out lever is configured by a pair of left and right sold-out lever components that are swingably provided on both left and right side regions of the belt in such a manner that their tip portions advance and retreat in the upper region above the upper horizontal extending portion.

[0009] Further, in the present invention, in the above product storage device, the pair of left and right sold-out lever components are provided so as to be swingable around the central axis of the shaft portion while being inserted through a common shaft portion.

[0010] Also, in the present invention, in the above-described merchandise storage device, the pair of left and right out-of-stock lever components are arranged at the base end portion to prevent the common shaft-shaped portion from coming off, and a balancer member that functions as a weight acting in the direction of the forward movement of the out-of-stock lever components is provided.

[0011] Further, in the present invention, in the above-described merchandise storage device, the balancer member is formed of a metallic plate material, and when the pair of left and right out-of-stock lever components are in a state of moving backward, the upper end portion is disposed below the upper region of the upper-side horizontal extending portion.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, the belt base is provided in a downstream portion on one side in the longitudinal direction of the column case in a manner of advancing and retreating in an upper region above the upper-side horizontal extending portion, and in a normal state, it advances and moves in the upper region above the upper-side horizontal extending portion. On the other hand, when pressed by the most downstream product, an out-of-stock lever that retreats from the upper region above the upper-side horizontal extending portion, and when the out-of-stock lever retreats, it is in an off state, while when the out-of-stock lever advances, it is in an on state. Since it is provided with a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the most downstream product, when replacing with a conveying mechanism such as a spiral different from the belt, the belt base can be removed from the column case while leaving the column case, and the effect that the replacement work of the conveying mechanism can be made easy is achieved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 13

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the product storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a vending machine to which a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The vending machine illustrated here includes a main body cabinet 1.

[0016] The main body cabinet 1 is a rectangular vending machine main body having an opening on the front surface, and a product storage 2 with a heat insulation structure is provided inside thereof. In this product storage 2, a plurality of product racks 10 are provided in multiple stages along the vertical direction. These product racks 10 are respectively installed between rack support side plates (not shown) erected on both the left and right sides of the product storage 2, and are for storing products. Further, these product racks 10 are configured by arranging a plurality of product storage devices 20 side by side in a manner where they are arranged side by side left and right.

[0017] Also, an evaporator 3 as a cooling means is installed in the product storage 2. The evaporator 3 constitutes a refrigeration cycle that circulates refrigerant with a compressor 5, a condenser 6, etc. installed in the machine room 4, and exchanges heat between the refrigerant passing through its refrigerant passage (not shown) and the air inside the product storage 2 passing around it to cool the air. Here, the machine room 4 is a room defined inside the main body cabinet 1 and below the product storage 2.

[0018] The air cooled around the evaporator 3 is sucked into the ventilation path 9 from the suction port 8a of the rear duct 8 installed on the back surface of the product storage 2 by driving the in - storage blower fan 7, and after passing through this ventilation path 9, is blown out from the blowout port 8b to cool the products stored in the product rack 10.

[0019] In the front area of the above - mentioned product rack 10, a pair of left - and - right conveying rails 11 are provided in a left - and - right paired manner on both its left and right sides, and a conveying tray 12 is provided between these conveying rails 11 so as to be movable along the vertical direction by a conveying mechanism (not shown). That is, a conveying passage 13 for passing the conveying tray 12 is formed between the conveying rails 11. This conveying passage 13 extends to the front of the machine room 4, and the conveying passage 13 and the machine room 4 are partitioned by a partition heat insulating material 4a.

[0020] The main body cabinet 1 is provided with a door body 14 and a closing wall portion 15. The door body 14 opens and closes the upper part of the front opening of the main body cabinet 1 (the front area of the product storage 2), and is swingably provided at one side edge of the main body cabinet 1. This door body 14 has a heat insulation structure and is provided with a heat insulating glass plate (not shown) that enables visual recognition from the outside to the inside.

[0021] The closing wall portion 15 closes the lower part of the front opening of the main body cabinet 1 (the lower part of the front opening of the main body cabinet 1 that cannot be closed by the above-mentioned door body 14). Therefore, the closing wall portion 15 closes the front of the conveyance passage 13 formed in front of the machine room 4.

[0022] A product outlet 15a is formed in this closing wall portion 15. This product outlet 15a is a rectangular opening for the user to take out the product conveyed through the conveyance tray 12, and is opened and closed by a product outlet door 16.

[0023] Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views showing the external configuration of one product storage device 20 that constitutes the product rack 10. The product storage device 20 illustrated here is configured to include a column case 30 and a carry-out portion A.

[0024] The column case 30 is formed of, for example, a resin material or the like, and is a long-shaped one with the front-rear direction being the longitudinal direction. As shown in Figure 4, this column case 30 is formed with a mounting portion 31 that protrudes downward at the front end portion, and a storage portion 32 is formed at the rear end portion, and constitutes a product storage passage for storing products in the upper area. Such a column case 30 is disposed by attaching the mounting portion 31 to the rack bottom plate 10a (see Figure 1) that constitutes the product rack 10.

[0025] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the carry-out portion A shown in Figures 2 and 3. As shown in this Figure 5, the carry-out portion A is configured to include a drive unit 40 and a belt unit 50.

[0026] The drive unit 40 is provided in a state where a part of it is housed in the housing portion 32 of the column case 30. This drive unit 40 is a conventionally known one, in which a drive source such as a motor (not shown) is housed inside a pair of front and rear drive cases 41a and 41b, and a transmission gear 42 arranged in a manner of protruding from the front-side drive cases 41a and 41b is rotated by the drive of the motor.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the belt unit 50 shown in FIG. 5. The belt unit 50 illustrated here includes a belt base 50a. The belt base 50a is a long member whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction, and is configured to include a base base portion 51, a drive pulley 52, a driven pulley 53, a tension applying roller 54, and a sold-out detection unit 60.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 7, the base base portion 51 is a long flat plate portion whose longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction. A plurality of locking pieces 51a protruding downward are formed on both left and right side portions of the base base portion 51, and the belt unit 50 is placed on the column case 30 by locking these locking pieces 51a to the locked portion (see FIG. 4 etc.) 33 of the column case 30.

[0029] The drive pulley 52 is rotatably installed around its central axis between a pair of left and right rear side walls 51b extending upward from the base base portion 51 on the rear side of the base base portion 51. A transmission gear portion 52a with an enlarged diameter is formed at the left end portion of the drive pulley 52. The transmission gear portion 52a meshes with the transmission gear 42 to form a so-called bevel gear with the transmission gear 42, and rotates around its central axis by the rotation of the transmission gear 42.

[0030] The driven pulley 53 is installed rotatably about its central axis between a pair of left and right front side walls 51c on the front side of the base base 51. As shown in FIG. 8, the tension applying roller 54 is rotatably supported by an applying base 55 in a region on the rear side of the base base 51 and below the driving pulley 52. This applying base 55 is attached to the base base 51 via a tension applying spring 55a, and is biased rearward from the base base 51 by the tension applying spring 55a.

[0031] In the belt base 50a, with the tension applied by the tension applying roller 54, the belt 56 is endlessly spanned along the front-rear direction with respect to the driving pulley 52 and the driven pulley 53. That is, in the belt base 50a, the belt 56 is endlessly stretched in such a manner that the upper horizontal extending portion 56a of the belt 56 is on the upper side of the base base 51 and the lower horizontal extending portion 56b of the belt 56 is on the lower side of the base base 51. Incidentally, the lateral dimension of the belt 56 is slightly smaller than the lateral dimension of the base base 51.

[0032] And, the upper horizontal extending portion 56a of the belt 56 is a portion where goods are placed on the upper surface along the extending direction (front-rear direction). When goods are placed on the upper surface of this upper horizontal extending portion 56a, the goods are stored in the goods storage passage 20a (see FIG. 1 etc.) along its extending direction (front-rear direction).

[0033] This belt 56 is a conveying mechanism that is displaced along its extending direction such that the upper horizontal extending portion 56a moves forward and the lower horizontal extending portion 56b moves rearward when the driving force of the driving unit 40 is transmitted through the transmission mechanism of the transmission gear 42 and the transmitted gear portion 52a and the driving pulley 52 rotates.

[0034] As a result, the products placed on the upper horizontal extending portion 56a are gradually conveyed forward, and the foremost product (the most downstream product) 100 placed at the foremost position (see FIG. 12) is discharged from the product storage passage 20a due to the displacement of the belt 56. That is, the front side of the belt base 50a (base base portion 51) is the downstream side of the product storage passage 20a (column case 30).

[0035] The products discharged from the product storage passage 20a are conveyed downward by the conveyance tray 12 and then taken out through the product outlet 15a.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 9, the out-of-stock detection unit 60 includes an out-of-stock lever 61 and a detection unit (detection means) 66.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the out-of-stock lever 61 is constituted by a pair of independent left and right out-of-stock lever components 61a. In such out-of-stock lever components 61a, the left out-of-stock lever component 61a and the right out-of-stock lever component 61a only differ in the configuration in the left-right direction. Therefore, only the right out-of-stock lever component 61a will be described here, and the description of the left out-of-stock lever component 61a will be omitted. Further, hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the direction in which the pair of left and right out-of-stock lever components 61a are close to each other will be referred to as the inner side, and the direction in which they are separated from each other will be referred to as the outer side for explanation.

[0038] The out-of-stock lever component 61a is formed of, for example, a resin material, and has an out-of-stock lever main body portion 611 and an out-of-stock lever component acting portion 612.

[0039] The out-of-stock lever main body portion 611 is a long portion extending along the front-rear direction in FIGS. 10 and 11, and is formed such that the vertical dimension gradually decreases from the base end portion 6111 which is the rear end portion to the tip portion 6112 which is the front end portion. An insertion hole 6111a is formed in the base end portion 6111 of the out-of-stock lever main body portion 611.

[0040] The out-of-stock lever configuration acting part 612 is formed at the extending end of the inner extending part 613 that extends inward from the proximal end part 6111 of the out-of-stock lever configuration main body part 611, and has a shaft support part 6121 and an acting piece 6122. The shaft support part 6121 is arranged above the front side of the inner extending part 613 in FIGS. 10 and 11, and is a part having a substantially cylindrical shape. A shaft support hole 6121a having the same inner diameter as the insertion hole 6111a is formed at a position inside the insertion hole 6111a in this shaft support part 6121. The acting piece 6122 is a flat plate-like part that extends toward the rear side of the inner extending part 613 in FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0041] Such an out-of-stock lever configuration part 61a is disposed on the base base part 51 via an out-of-stock detection unit attachment part 60a attached to the lower surface of the front end part of the base base part 51 as shown in FIG. 9. More specifically, a shaft-like part 62 made of metal (for example, made of SUS) penetrates through the out-of-stock detection unit attachment part 60a and the shaft support hole 6121a, and the end part of the shaft-like part 62 passes through the insertion hole 6111a, whereby the out-of-stock lever configuration part 61a is provided so as to be swingable around the central axis of the shaft-like part 62. In this case, the out-of-stock lever configuration main body part 611 is disposed in the left and right side regions of the belt 56 as shown in FIG. 5 and the like, and the tip part 6112 is provided so as to be swingable in a manner of advancing and retreating in the upper region of the upper side horizontal extending part 56a.

[0042] And a lever spring 63 is interposed between the out-of-stock lever configuration part 61a and the out-of-stock detection unit attachment part 60a. The lever spring 63 is disposed in a manner of winding around the shaft support part 6121 as shown in FIG. 10, one end is locked to the out-of-stock lever configuration part 61a, and the other end is locked to the out-of-stock detection unit attachment part 60a. This lever spring 63 biases the out-of-stock lever configuration part 61a so that the tip part 6112 of the out-of-stock lever configuration main body part 611 advances and moves in the upper region of the upper side horizontal extending part 56a.

[0043] Further, a balancer member 64 is detachably disposed outside the proximal end portion 6111 of the sold-out lever body portion 611. The balancer member 64 is made of a metal plate material, acts as a retaining means for the shaft-like portion 62 inserted through the insertion hole 6111a, and functions as a weight acting in the direction in which the sold-out lever component 61a moves forward. The upper end portion 64a of the balancer member 64 extends gradually downward and obliquely rearward in FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0044] This is because when the sold-out lever component 61a swings in a mode where the tip portion 6112 moves backward from above the upper-side horizontal extension portion 56a, the upper end portion 64a of the balancer member 64 is disposed below the upper-side horizontal extension portion 56a.

[0045] In a normal state, the sold-out lever 61 constituted by such a sold-out lever component 61a has the tip portion 6112 of the sold-out lever body portion 611 moving forward into the upper region of the upper-side horizontal extension portion 56a as shown in FIG. 5 and the like. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, when pressed by the foremost product 100 placed on the upper-side horizontal extension portion 56a, the sold-out lever 61 resists the biasing force of the lever spring 63, and the tip portion 6112 of the sold-out lever body portion 611 moves backward from the upper region of the upper-side horizontal extension portion 56a.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 9, the detection unit 66 is attached to the sold-out detection unit attachment portion 60a and is provided in the swing range of the acting piece 6122 of the sold-out lever 61 (sold-out lever component 61a). This detection unit 66 is a so-called photosensor and is in an off state when the light emitted from the light-emitting element 661 cannot be received by the light-receiving element 662, and is in an on state when the light emitted from the light-emitting element 661 can be received by the light-receiving element 662. This detection unit 66 outputs a sold-out signal to a control unit (not shown) when it is in the on state.

[0047] This is the positional relationship between the detection unit 66 and the out-of-stock lever 61 (out-of-stock lever component 61a). When the out-of-stock lever 61 moves backward from the upper region of the upper horizontal extension portion 56a (see Fig. 12), as shown in Fig. 13, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 661 is blocked by the actuating piece 6122, causing the detection unit 66 to turn off. When the out-of-stock lever 61 moves forward into the upper region of the upper horizontal extension portion 56a, as shown in Fig. 10, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 661 is received by the light-receiving element 662, causing the detection unit 66 to turn on. Here, the out-of-stock lever 61 is composed of a pair of left and right out-of-stock lever components 61a. Even when only one of the out-of-stock lever components 61a moves backward from the upper region of the upper horizontal extension portion 56a, the detection unit 66 turns off.

[0048] That is, the detection unit 66 turns off when the out-of-stock lever 61 moves backward from the upper horizontal extension portion 56a, and turns on when the out-of-stock lever 61 moves forward into the upper region of the upper horizontal extension portion 56a, thereby detecting the presence or absence of the frontmost product 100.

[0049] In the merchandise storage device 20 having the above configuration, the belt base 50a on which the column case 30 is placed and the endless belt 56, which is a transport mechanism, is stretched along the longitudinal direction of the column case 30 is provided with an out-of-stock detection unit 60. Therefore, when replacing with a transport mechanism different from the belt 56, such as a spiral, the belt base 50a can be removed from the column case 30 while leaving the column case 30, making the replacement work of the transport mechanism easier.

[0050] According to the above-described merchandise storage device 20, since the out-of-stock lever 61 is composed of a pair of left and right out-of-stock lever components 61a and the detection unit 66 turns off even when one of the out-of-stock lever components 61a moves backward from the upper region of the upper horizontal extension portion 56a, even when the merchandise stored in the merchandise storage passage 20a (placed on the belt 56) corresponds to lightweight or extremely small merchandise, the presence or absence of the merchandise can be detected satisfactorily.

[0051] According to the above-described merchandise storage device 20, since a pair of left and right out-of-stock lever constituent parts 61a constituting the out-of-stock lever 61 are inserted into a common shaft-shaped part 62 made of metal and are provided so as to be swingable around the central axis of the shaft-shaped part 62, the strength of the out-of-stock lever 61 can be improved.

[0052] According to the above-described merchandise storage device 20, since the balancer member 64 is provided at the base end portion 6111 of the out-of-stock lever main body portion 611 of the out-of-stock lever constituent part 61a, the decrease in the biasing force of the lever spring 63 can be achieved by the function of the balancer member 64 as a weight. As a result, it becomes possible to use a spring with a small biasing force as the lever spring 63, and by reducing the cost required for the lever spring 63, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0053] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made.

[0054] In the above-described embodiment, the out-of-stock lever 61 is constituted by a pair of left and right out-of-stock lever constituent parts 61a. However, in the present invention, the form of the out-of-stock lever 61 is not particularly limited as long as it is disposed on the belt base 50a and can detect the presence or absence of the most downstream merchandise in the merchandise storage passage 20a.

[0055] In the above-described embodiment, the lever spring 63 is provided. However, in the present invention, the lever spring 63 may not be provided as long as the balancer member 64 can move the out-of-stock lever constituent part 61a backward from above the upper horizontal extension part 56a in the normal state.

[0056] In the above-described embodiment, the front side of the column case 30 is described as the downstream side of the merchandise storage passage 20a. However, in the present invention, the downstream side of the merchandise storage passage is not limited to the front side of the column case.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0057] 1... Main body cabinet, 2... Product storage cabinet, 10... Product rack, 20... Product storage device, 20a... Product storage passage, 30... Column case, 31... Mounting part, 32... Storage part, 40... Driving unit, 41a, 41b... Driving case, 42... Transmission gear, 50... Belt unit, 50a... Belt base, 51... Base base, 52... Driving pulley, 53... Driven pulley, 54... Tension applying roller, 56... Belt, 56a... Upper side horizontal extending part, 56b... Lower side horizontal extending part, 60... Out-of-stock detection unit, 60a... Out-of-stock detection unit mounting part, 61... Out-of-stock lever, 61a... Out-of-stock lever component part, 611... Out-of-stock lever main body part, 6111... Base end part, 6111a... Insertion hole, 6112... Tip part, 612... Out-of-stock lever component acting part, 6121... Shaft support part, 6122... Acting piece, 613... Inner side extending part, 62... Shaft part, 63... Lever spring, 64... Balancer member, 64a... Upper end part, 66... Detection part, 100... Frontmost product, A... Carrying-out part.

Claims

1. A long column case that forms a product storage passage for storing products along its longitudinal direction in an upper region, a belt base that is placed on the column case and has an endless belt, which is a conveying mechanism, stretched along the longitudinal direction of the column case, and is provided with, when the driving force from a driving source stored in the column case is transmitted through a transmission mechanism, the belt base displaces the belt in such a manner that the upper horizontal extending portion of the belt moves toward one side in the longitudinal direction of the column case, thereby gradually discharging the product placed on the upper horizontal extending portion toward one side in the longitudinal direction of the column case and paying out the lowermost product at the lowermost position of the product storage passage. A product storage device is configured as follows: The belt base is, provided in a downstream portion on one side in the longitudinal direction of the column case in a manner of advancing and retreating in an upper region above the upper horizontal extending portion, and normally advances into the upper region above the upper horizontal extending portion. However, when pressed by the lowermost product, it retreats from the upper region above the upper horizontal extending portion. A sold-out lever, a detection means that is in an off state when the sold-out lever retreats and is in an on state when the sold-out lever advances, thereby detecting the presence or absence of the lowermost product, and is characterized by comprising the above. The product storage device is characterized by this.

2. The sold-out lever is configured by a pair of left and right sold-out lever components that are swingably provided on both left and right side regions of the belt in such a manner that the tip portions thereof advance and retreat in the upper region above the upper horizontal extending portion, respectively. The product storage device according to Claim 1 is characterized by this.

3. The pair of left and right sold-out lever components are provided so as to be swingable around the central axis of the shaft portion while being inserted through a common shaft portion. The product storage device according to Claim 2 is characterized by this.

4. The pair of left and right sold-out lever components are provided with a balancer member that functions as a weight acting on the sold-out lever components in the advancing direction at the base end portion to prevent the common shaft portion from coming off. The product storage device according to Claim 3 is characterized by this.

5. The balance member is made of a metallic plate material, and has a shape such that when the pair of left and right sold-out lever components are in the retracted state, the upper end portion is disposed below the upper region of the upper horizontal extending portion. The merchandise storage device according to claim 4, characterized in that.

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