vending machines

Abstract

To reduce the amount of condensation water generated on the front side of an item unloading door.SOLUTION: A vending machine for vending items, in which items carried out to an item unloading area 27 are taken out through an item unloading opening 21 formed on an outer door 20 that opens and closes an opening 1a on the front face of a main cabinet 1, includes: an inner door 10 provided in a manner of opening and closing a front opening 2b of an item storage unit 2 of a heat-insulated structure inside the main cabinet 1, which normally closes the front opening 2b and allows cooling of the internal atmosphere of the item storage unit 2; an item unloading door 12, which is provided to open and close an item unloading opening 11 formed in the inner door 10 and which normally closes the item unloading opening 11, but which opens the item unloading opening 11 and allows items to be taken out to the item unloading area 27 when pressed by the items discharged from the item storage unit 2, and which has insulated structure; and an air blowing fan 35 that blows air against the front surface of the item unloading door 12, which closes the item unloading opening 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to improvements in vending machines. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, vending machines that sell products such as beverages in containers such as cans or PET bottles include a main cabinet, which is the main body of the vending machine. The main cabinet is formed as a rectangular, insulated housing with an opening on the front, a product storage compartment inside, and an outer door and an inner door on the front.

[0003] The product storage has a heat-insulating structure. The interior atmosphere of the product storage is cooled by an evaporator or the like, thereby cooling the stored products.

[0004] The outer door is for opening and closing the front opening of the main cabinet. The inner door has a heat-insulating structure and is for opening and closing the front of the product storage cabinet. The inner door has a product delivery opening formed therein and a product discharge door that can swing to open and close the product delivery opening.

[0005] The product discharge door is an insulated door with an insulated structure that normally closes the product discharge opening, but when pressed by a product removed from the product storage room, it swings forward to open the product discharge opening, allowing the product to be discharged to the product removal area of ​​the outer door. The product thus delivered to the product removal area is removed through the product removal opening formed in the outer door, and the product is then sold (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-18386 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the above-described vending machine, the product outlet door normally closes the product outlet, but since the atmosphere inside the product storage compartment is cooled, condensation may form on the front surface of the product outlet door.

[0008] Condensation water that forms on the front of the product discharge door and drips from the product discharge door that is closing the product outlet can be guided to a designated evaporation tray through a gutter, etc., but when the product conveying door swings forward due to pressure from products dispensed from the product storage room, the water that remains on the front of the product discharge door drips forward and can become trapped at the bottom of the product removal area.

[0009] If condensation water accumulates at the bottom of the product removal area in this way, there is a risk that the condensation water will adhere to products that are subsequently removed from the product storage room and carried out to the product removal area through the product delivery outlet, causing the surface of the products to become wet and causing discomfort to users.

[0010] In order to prevent condensation from forming on the front of such a product discharge door, it is possible to install a heater on the front of the product discharge door, but there is a risk that the heat from the heater will be transmitted to the inside of the product storage room, which is not desirable from the perspective of heat loss.

[0011] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-described circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that can reduce the amount of condensation water that forms on the front surface of the product delivery door. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vending machine of the present invention comprises an insulated door that is arranged to open and close the front opening of an insulated product storage cabinet inside the vending machine main body, and that normally closes the front opening, allowing the internal atmosphere of the product storage cabinet to cool; and an insulated product discharge door that is arranged to open and close a product discharge outlet formed in the insulated door, and that normally closes the product discharge outlet, but when pressed by a product dispensed from the product storage cabinet, opens the product discharge outlet, allowing the product to be discharged to a product removal area, and the vending machine sells the product by removing the product discharged to the product removal area through the product discharge outlet formed in the front door that opens and closes the front opening of the vending machine main body, and is characterized by comprising an air blower fan that blows air toward the front of the product discharge door that closes the product discharge outlet.

[0013] Furthermore, in the vending machine of the present invention, the blower fan is installed on a top panel of the product removal area, which is outside the area in which the product delivery door is opened and closed.

[0014] Furthermore, in the vending machine according to the present invention, a plurality of the blower fans are provided along the left-right direction on the top panel portion.

[0015] The present invention is also characterized in that the vending machine is provided with a control unit that drives the blower fan when cooling the internal atmosphere of the product storage room, and stops driving the blower fan when the front door opens the front opening of the vending machine body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, the blower fan blows air toward the front of the product outlet door that closes the product exit, so that fresh air can be supplied and replaced before the air near the front of the product outlet door drops below the dew point and condenses, thereby reducing the amount of condensation that occurs on the front of the product outlet door 12. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view showing a main part of the vending machine shown in FIGS. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the peripheral structure of the product removal area shown in FIG. 4 and other figures. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view showing a main part of the vending machine shown in FIGS. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the blower fan drive control performed by the control unit shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] 1 and 2 each show a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the vending machine, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of the vending machine.

[0020] The vending machine exemplified here sells beverages and the like in containers such as cans or PET bottles in a cooled state, and includes a main cabinet 1 which is the main body of the vending machine.

[0021] The main cabinet 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped housing with an opening 1a on the front. Inside the main cabinet 1, a product storage room 2 is provided facing the opening 1a. The product storage room 2 is designed to store products cooled to a desired temperature and has an insulated structure. Inside the product storage room 2, product racks 3, a rear duct 4, an evaporator 5a, and a circulation fan 6 are also provided.

[0022] The product racks 3 are provided in the storage area 2a of the product storage room 2 and store products in a predetermined direction. The rear duct 4 forms a ventilation passage 4a that separates the storage area 2a from the rear side of the product storage room 2. The rear duct 4 extends in the vertical direction, and is provided with a lower opening 4b at its lower portion and an upper opening 4c at its upper portion.

[0023] 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 machine room 7 below the product storage room 2, constitutes a refrigeration cycle 5, and cools the air passing around it to a desired temperature. In other words, the evaporator 5a, together with the compressor 5b, etc., constitutes a cooling means for cooling the air inside the product storage room 2.

[0024] The circulation fan 6 is provided in front of the evaporator 5a. The circulation fan 6 is driven by a command given from the control unit 40, which will be described later, and is a circulation means that circulates the air inside the product storage room 2 between the storage area 2a and the ventilation passage 4a when driven.

[0025] An inner door 10 and an outer door 20 are provided on the front of the main cabinet 1. The inner door 10 is a heat-insulating door that is large enough to cover the front opening 2b of the product storage room 2 and is disposed on one side edge of the main cabinet 1 so as to be able to open and close.

[0026] The inner door 10 is provided with a product outlet 11 and a product discharge door 12. The product outlets 11 are openings provided in multiple locations corresponding to the product racks 3 inside the product storage warehouse 2. A product discharge door 12 is provided for each product outlet 11, and its upper end is pivoted so that it can swing back and forth. The product discharge doors 12 have a heat-insulating structure. Furthermore, while the product discharge doors 12 normally close the product outlet 11 due to their own weight, when pressed by a product dispensed from the corresponding product rack 3 in the product storage warehouse 2, they swing forward to open the product outlet 11, allowing the product to be discharged to a product removal area 27 (described later) provided in the outer door 20.

[0027] The outer door 20 is large enough to cover the opening 1a on the front of the main cabinet 1, and is a front door that is disposed on one side edge of the main cabinet 1 in an openable and closable manner, at a position further forward than the inner door 10. The outer door 20 swings back and forth to open and close the opening 1a on the front of the main cabinet 1. The outer door 20 is also provided with a product take-out opening 21, a product selection section 22, a coin slot 23, a bill insertion slot 24, a coin return opening 25, a display room 26, etc.

[0028] The product take-out opening 21 is a rectangular opening through which the user can take out products that have been carried out to the product take-out area 27, and is opened and closed by a product take-out door 28. The product selection section 22 has a plurality of push buttons or the like and is used by the user to select a product. The coin insertion opening 23 is an opening through which coins are inserted. The bill insertion opening 24 is an opening through which bills are inserted. The coin return opening 25 is an opening through which inserted coins or change, etc. are returned.

[0029] Display room 26 is a rectangular room with an open front for displaying multiple product samples (not shown). The opening at the front of display room 26 is covered with a transparent resin panel 26a, which prevents foreign matter from entering from the outside while allowing the interior to be seen through resin panel 26a.

[0030] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, in addition to the components described above, the vending machine according to this embodiment is equipped with a money handling device 31, a dispensing mechanism 32, an internal temperature sensor 33, an open / close detection unit 34, a blower fan 35, and a control unit 40.

[0031] The money processing device 31 is also called a coin mechanism or bill validator, and it validates coins inserted through the coin slot 23 and bills inserted through the bill slot 24, and provides the validation results to the control unit 40.

[0032] The dispensing mechanism 32 is provided for each product rack 3, and is driven in response to commands given from the control unit 40 to dispense products from the product rack 3 on which it is provided. The internal temperature sensor 33 is disposed inside the product storage warehouse 2, and is a detection means for detecting the internal temperature (internal temperature) of the product storage warehouse 2. Information relating to the internal temperature detected by this internal temperature sensor 33 is given to the control unit 40 as a temperature signal.

[0033] The open / close detection unit 34 is a detection means for detecting whether the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 has been opened by the outer door 20. That is, when the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is closed by the outer door 20, the open / close detection unit 34 is turned off and outputs an off signal to the control unit 40, whereas when the opening 1a on the front surface of the main cabinet 1 is opened by the outer door 20, the open / close detection unit 34 is turned on and outputs an on signal to the control unit 40.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 4, the blower fan 35 is installed on the top plate portion 27c that constitutes the product removal area 27. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the product removal area 27 is composed of a pair of left and right side plate portions 27a, and a pair of upper and lower bottom portions 27b and top plate portion 27c that connect the side plate portions 27a, and is provided in the outer door 20 in a manner that faces the product removal opening 21. In this product removal area 27, products that have been carried out through the product delivery opening 11 are placed on the bottom portion 27b.

[0035] A plurality of such ventilation fans 35 are installed along the left-right direction. These ventilation fans 35 are driven by commands given from the control unit 40, and when driven, send air through ventilation holes 27d formed in the top panel portion 27c toward the front of the product discharge door 12 that closes the product outlet 11.

[0036] The top panel 27c extends at an angle so as to gradually slope upward toward the rear, and is disposed at a location that is outside the swing range of the product discharge door 12 when the product discharge door 12 swings forward, as shown in Fig. 6. In other words, the blower fan 35 is disposed on the top panel 27c of the product removal area 27, which is outside the area in which the product discharge door 12 opens and closes.

[0037] The control unit 40 controls the overall operation of the vending machine in accordance with the programs and data stored in the storage unit 41, and includes a vending operation control unit 40a and a management operation control unit 40b.

[0038] The sales operation control unit 40a controls all processes related to the sale of merchandise. Specifically, when money is inserted into the money processing device 31 through the coin insertion slot 23 or the banknote insertion slot 24, the push button of the corresponding merchandise selection unit 22 is activated when the amount of money inserted exceeds the selling price. When the push button of the activated merchandise selection unit 22 is pressed, the sales operation control unit 40a operates the dispensing mechanism 32 provided on the corresponding merchandise rack 3 to dispense one merchandise.

[0039] The management operation control unit 40b performs overall control of processes related to product management. Specifically, the management operation control unit 40b drives the compressor 5b and the circulation fan 6 so that the internal temperature of the product storage cabinet 2 detected by the internal temperature sensor 33 approaches a preset temperature, thereby cooling the products stored in the product racks 3 to a desired temperature state. The management operation control unit 40b also issues a drive command to the blower fan 35 to drive the blower fan 35.

[0040] The control unit 40 may be realized, for example, by having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, i.e., by software, or by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0041] In a vending machine configured as described above, the management operation control unit 40b of the control unit 40 drives the compressor 5b and the circulation fan 6 so that the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor 33 approximates a preset temperature. As a result, air in the storage area 2a of the product storage room 2 enters the ventilation duct 4a from the lower opening 4b, passes through the ventilation duct 4a, and is then sent out from the upper opening 4c to the storage area 2a, where it circulates past the products stored in the product racks 3. In other words, the air cooled by the evaporator 5a passes through the ventilation duct 4a and then passes through the product racks 3, cooling the products stored in the product racks 3.

[0042] When cooling the internal atmosphere of the product storage room 2, the management operation control unit 40b issues a drive command to the blower fan 35 to drive the blower fan 35. By driving the blower fan 35 in this manner, air can be sent out through the ventilation holes 27d to the front of the product discharge door 12 that closes the product outlet 11, as shown in FIG.

[0043] The control unit 40 that drives the compressor 5b, the circulation fan 6, and the blower fan 35 in this manner performs the following blower fan drive control.

[0044] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the blower fan drive control performed by the control unit 40 shown in Fig. 3. In this blower fan drive control, the management operation control unit 40b of the control unit 40 determines whether the open / close detection unit 34 has detected that the opening 1a on the front of the main body cabinet 1 has been opened, that is, whether the control unit 40b has input an ON signal output from the open / close detection unit 34 (step S101). If the control unit 40 has not detected that the opening 1a on the front of the main body cabinet 1 has been opened (step S101: No), the control unit 40 repeats the processing.

[0045] On the other hand, if it is detected that the opening 1a on the front of the main cabinet 1 has been opened (step S101: Yes), the management operation control unit 40b sends a drive stop command to the blower fan 35 to stop the drive of the blower fan 35 (step S102).

[0046] The management operation control unit 40b, which has stopped driving the blower fan 35, determines whether the opening 1a on the front of the main cabinet 1 has been detected as being closed by the open / close detection unit 34, that is, whether the control unit 40b has received an OFF signal output from the open / close detection unit 34 (step S103). If the control unit 40b does not detect that the opening 1a on the front of the main cabinet 1 has been closed (step S103: No), the control unit 40 repeats the process.

[0047] If it is detected in step S103 that the opening 1a on the front of the main body cabinet 1 is closed (step S103: Yes), the management operation control unit 40b determines whether the compressor 5b is operating (step S104). If the compressor 5b is operating (step S104: Yes), the management operation control unit 40b sends a drive command to the blower fan 35 to drive the blower fan 35 (step S105), and then returns the procedure to end the current processing.

[0048] As described above, in the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, the blower fan 35 installed on the top panel 27c of the product removal area 27, which is outside the area in which the product delivery door 12 opens and closes, blows air toward the front of the product delivery door 12 that closes the product outlet 11. This allows new air to be supplied and replaced before the air near the front of the product delivery door 12 drops below the dew point and condenses, thereby reducing the occurrence of condensation. This reduces the amount of condensation that forms on the front of the product delivery door 12.

[0049] By reducing the amount of condensation water that forms on the front surface of the product discharge door 12 in this way, even when the product discharge door 12 is pushed forward by the products being removed from the product storage room 2 and swings, the amount of condensation water that splashes onto the bottom 27b of the product removal area 27 can be reduced, and as a result, the adhesion of condensation water to the surface of the products can be suppressed.

[0050] Furthermore, according to the above vending machine, the control unit 40 drives the blower fan 35 when cooling the internal atmosphere of the product storage room 2, but stops driving the blower fan 35 when the opening 1a on the front of the main cabinet 1 is opened by the outer door 20. Therefore, when products are being replenished on the product racks 3 in the product storage room 2, the driving of the blower fan 35 is stopped, and by preventing the blower fan 35 from being driven unnecessarily, power consumption can be reduced.

[0051] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and the following processing may also be performed.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, multiple blower fans 35 were installed on the top panel portion 27c of the product removal area 27, but in the present invention, the installation location of the blower fans is not particularly limited as long as they can blow air to the front of the product discharge door that blocks the product discharge outlet.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of blower fans 35 are provided, but in the present invention, a single blower fan may be provided instead of a plurality of blower fans.

[0054] Although not specifically mentioned in the above-described embodiment, in the present invention, a structure such as a slatted floor may be laid at the bottom of the product removal area, so that the product placement surface is elevated above the bottom and water, etc., is channeled into a groove. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1...Main cabinet, 1a...Opening, 2...Product storage, 2b...Front opening, 3...Product rack, 4...Rear duct, 5a...Evaporator, 5b...Compressor, 5c...Condenser, 5d...Expansion mechanism, 6...Circulation fan, 7...Machine room, 10...Inner door, 11...Product delivery outlet, 12...Product delivery door, 20...Outer door, 21...Product removal outlet, 22...Product selection section, 23...Coin slot, 24...Banknote insertion opening, 25...coin return opening, 26...display chamber, 27...product removal area, 27a...side panel portion, 27b...bottom portion, 27c...top panel portion, 27d...ventilation hole, 28...product removal door, 31...money processing device, 32...dispensing mechanism, 33...internal temperature sensor, 34...opening / closing detection unit, 35...blower fan, 40...control unit, 40a...sales operation control unit, 40b...management operation control unit, 41...memory unit.

Claims

1. a heat-insulating door that is provided in a manner that opens and closes a front opening of a heat-insulating product storage compartment inside the vending machine body, and that normally closes the front opening to allow the interior atmosphere of the product storage compartment to be cooled; a product discharge door having a heat-insulating structure that is provided in a manner that opens and closes the product discharge opening formed in the heat-insulating door, and that normally closes the product discharge opening, but when pressed by a product dispensed from the product storage room, opens the product discharge opening to allow the product to be discharged to the product removal area; a vending machine that sells a product by discharging the product delivered to the product take-out area through a product take-out port formed in a front door that opens and closes a front opening of the vending machine body, a blower fan that blows air toward a front surface of the product carry-out door that closes the product carry-out opening, The vending machine is characterized in that the blower fan is installed on a top panel of the product removal area, which is outside the area where the product delivery door opens and closes.

2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the blower fans are provided along the left-right direction of the top plate portion.

3. The vending machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it is provided with a control unit that drives the blower fan when cooling the internal atmosphere of the product storage room, and stops driving the blower fan when the front door opens the front opening of the vending machine body.

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