JP2000331232A - vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To suppress mechanical shock to a bucket unit and the like and not to give a user a rough feeling. A movable partition plate (37) is provided below an X-axis transport section of an XY transport mechanism (26). When the bucket unit 29 is in the standby state, the movable partition plate 37 and the heat insulating partition plate 4 are located at the same height, and thermally separates the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3. When the bucket unit 29 moves and the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 communicate with each other temporarily, the blowing fans 7, 9 are forcibly stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly, to a hot and cold machine in which the inside of a warehouse is divided into an upper room and a lower room, wherein a bucket unit moves between the two rooms. The present invention relates to a vending machine which suppresses a mechanical shock at the time of making, does not give a rough feeling to a user, and eliminates restrictions on the design of a bucket unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional vending machine. The vending machine 100 includes a hot room (upper room) 2 and a cold room (lower room) 3 having different temperature zones in the refrigerator.
And hot and cold machines. A heat insulating partition plate 4 that blocks heat transfer is provided between the chambers 2 and 3. In each of the rooms 2 and 3, a plurality of box racks 15 for accommodating commodities are arranged in upper and lower rows and right and left rows, and a commodity accommodating rack 15c is constructed. The box rack 15 has a structure in which a pusher mechanism 17 is provided in a column case 16. The pusher mechanism 17 has a belt 19 and a driving motor 20 for moving the belt 19. The pusher 18 is fixed to the belt 19.
When the pusher 18 is moved to the front of the column by the drive motor 20, the rear end of the product Ge is pushed by the pusher 18, and the product Gf in the front row is sent out.

The vending machine 100 has an outer door 21 and an inner door 22 in a main body case 10. A product outlet 23 is provided below the outer door 21. Transparent plates 24 and 25 are incorporated in the outer door 21 and the inner door 22, respectively, so that a user can visually recognize it from outside. An XY transport mechanism 26 is provided inside the inner door 22. The XY transport mechanism 26 is provided with a product storage rack 15c.
, An X-axis transport unit that moves in the horizontal direction, and a Y-axis transport unit that moves in the vertical direction. The X-axis transport unit includes a bucket unit 101 that receives the product G and an X-axis motor 32 that moves the bucket unit 101 in the X direction via a timing belt (not shown). The Y-axis transport unit has a Y-axis motor 35 that moves the X-axis transport unit in the Y direction via a timing belt 36.

[0004] The bucket unit 101 is located in a standby state so as to face a product outlet 23 provided below the inner door 22. The bucket unit 101 is provided with an opening 102 for receiving the product G from the box rack 15, and a conveyor 103 for carrying the product G to the product outlet 23 is provided on the bottom surface thereof. The goods G sent out from the box rack 15 are collected via the bucket unit 101 so as not to be damaged by directly dropping them, and to give the user an impression of mechanical fun without giving a rough impression. It is transported to the exit 23.

On the heat insulating partition plate 4 of the upper chamber 2, a heater 6 for heating the room and a fan 7 for blowing air for circulating the heat of the heater 6 into the room are provided. On the other hand, the lower chamber 3 has an evaporator 8 for cooling the room,
A blower fan 9 for circulating cool air from the evaporator 8 into the room is provided. A movable partition plate 104 made of a heat insulating material is provided at a portion where the boundary between the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 and the moving area of the bucket unit 101 interfere with each other.
Is provided. The movable partition plate 104 is placed on the locking portion 105 of the heat insulating partition plate 4 and the locking portion 106 formed on the inner surface of the inner door 22. A compressor 11, a cooling fan 12, and a condenser 13 are provided on a bottom surface of the main body case 10.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the vending machine shown in FIG. The user looks at the product G from outside,
Press the selection button of the desired product G (not shown). As a result, the bucket unit 101 moves to collect the product G. Here, when the user selects a hot product in the upper room 2, the bucket unit 101 moves upward from the lower room 3 toward the upper room 2 as shown in FIG. When the bucket unit 101 rises, as shown in FIG. 3B, the top surface of the bucket unit 101 and the movable partition plate 1 are moved.
04 comes into contact with the back surface. Since the movable partition plate 104 is merely placed on the locking portions 105 and 106, the movable partition plate 104 further rises as the bucket unit 101 rises as shown in FIG. Thereby, the bucket unit 101 moves from the lower room 3 to the upper room 2.

[0007] Next, the bucket unit 101 is
, When the product G is received, the bucket unit 1
01 descends from the upper chamber 2 to the lower chamber 3, and FIG.
(B) Place the movable partition plate 104 at the original position in the order shown in (a) and return to the home position. In this state, the conveyor 103 is driven to carry out the product G to the product outlet 23. The user opens the flapper of the product outlet 23 and takes out the product G.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional vending machine 100, since the movable partition plate 104 is mounted on the upper part of the bucket unit 101 and moves, a mechanical shock is applied to the bucket unit 101 and the like, so There was a problem of giving a rough feeling. In addition, there is a problem that design restrictions such as an inability to provide an opening above the bucket unit 101 arise.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to suppress a mechanical shock to a bucket unit and the like, do not give a rough feeling to a user, and eliminate a design limitation of the bucket unit. The purpose is to provide a vending machine.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine in which a compartment is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a heat insulating partition plate, and a rack for accommodating commodities. The product storage rack is constructed by arranging a plurality of in the upper and lower rows and the left and right rows in each room. A bucket unit, which is located on the X-axis transport unit and receives a product sent out of the rack, is provided. A movable partition plate that partitions a portion where the movement area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other is defined as X. The movable partition plate and the heat-insulating partition plate are provided at a standby position of the bucket unit below the shaft transport unit, and are positioned at substantially the same height.

In the standby position of the bucket unit, the height of the movable partition plate and the height of the heat-insulating partition plate match, so that the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be completely separated. When the bucket unit moves to receive the product, the bucket unit moves up and down together with the X-axis transport unit, so that the upper chamber and the lower chamber communicate temporarily. Since the transfer time relative to the standby time is short, it is sufficient to separate the storage temperature zones. In addition, since the movable partition plate is provided below the X-axis transport unit, the movable partition plate moves together with the X-axis transport unit, so that the mechanical shock caused by the movement of the bucket unit from the lower chamber to the upper chamber. And it doesn't give the user a rough feel. Furthermore, since the bucket unit is located on the X-axis transport unit and the movable partition plate is located below the X-axis transport unit, design freedom such as providing an opening at the top of the bucket unit is ensured.

In the vending machine according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine, the heat insulating partition plate is made detachable with respect to a rack supporting frame provided on an inner wall of the warehouse and supporting the rack. The heat insulating partition plate, a heater for heating the upper chamber, and a blower fan for circulating the heated air are unitized.

The upper side of the heat insulating partition plate is an upper room (hot room), and the lower side is a lower room (cold room). If the heat-insulating partition plate can be supported by the rack support frame that supports the rack, the position of the heat-insulating partition plate in the height direction can be set freely. Therefore, the volumes of the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be freely changed. Further, by making a unit including a heater and a blower fan, the change is facilitated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine, the height of the X-axis transport unit in the Y-axis direction in a standby state of the bucket unit can be set freely. The movable partition plate and the heat insulating partition plate are positioned at substantially the same height.

When the volume of each chamber is changed by freely setting the position of the heat insulating partition plate in the height direction as described above, the positions of the heat insulating partition plate and the movable partition plate do not coincide with each other. For this reason, the position of the movable partition plate can be freely set so that it can be adjusted to the position of the heat insulating partition plate.

In the vending machine according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the inside of the storage is divided into an upper room and a lower room by a heat insulating partition plate, and a plurality of racks for accommodating goods are arranged in upper and lower rows and in left and right rows in each room. By doing so, a product storage rack is constructed, and an XY transport mechanism having an X-axis transport unit and a Y-axis transport unit is provided on the front of the product storage rack, and the product is moved by the XY transport mechanism and moved from within the rack. A bucket unit for receiving the goods to be delivered is provided, and a shutter for heat insulation is provided at a portion where the movement area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other. The power is transmitted to the shutter to open and close the shutter.

Since the shutter is provided at a portion where the movement area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other, the interior of the compartment can be divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by the heat insulating partition plate and the shutter. Also, the shutter
It opens and closes using the power source of the X-axis transport unit. With the shutter structure, the shutter opens only when the bucket unit goes to pick up products in the upper chamber. For this reason, the time for which the upper chamber and the lower chamber communicate with each other is shortened, and a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

The vending machine according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the vending machine, wherein the heat insulating partition plate is detachable from a rack support frame provided on an inner side wall of the warehouse and supporting the rack. The heat insulating partition plate, a heater for heating the upper chamber, and a blower fan for circulating the heated air are unitized.

The upper side of the heat insulating partition plate is an upper room (hot room), and the lower side is a lower room (cold room). If the heat-insulating partition plate can be supported by the rack support frame that supports the rack, the position of the heat-insulating partition plate in the height direction can be set freely. Therefore, the volumes of the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be freely changed. Further, by making a unit including a heater and a blower fan, the change is facilitated.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine, the upper chamber and the lower chamber each have a fan for circulating air, and the upper chamber and the lower chamber are connected to each other. When the communication is temporarily established, the blower fan is stopped.

When the bucket unit passes, the upper chamber and the lower chamber are temporarily communicated with each other. However, if the blower fan is stopped, the atmosphere in the upper chamber and the lower chamber is hardly mixed. For this reason, a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

The vending machine according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the vending machine, wherein the upper chamber and the lower chamber each have an air circulation fan for circulating air. Is provided with a brake for forcibly stopping the blower fan when temporarily communicating.

When the bucket unit passes, the upper chamber and the lower chamber are temporarily connected, but if the blower fan is forcibly stopped by the brake, the atmospheres of the upper chamber and the lower chamber are hardly mixed. Become. For this reason, a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

In the vending machine according to the eighth aspect, the inside of the storage is divided into an upper room and a lower room by a heat insulating partition plate, and a plurality of racks for accommodating goods are arranged in upper and lower rows and in left and right rows in each room. By doing so, a product storage rack is constructed, and an XY transport mechanism having an X-axis transport unit and a Y-axis transport unit is provided on the front of the product storage rack, and the product is moved by the XY transport mechanism and moved from within the rack. A dedicated actuator provided with a bucket unit for receiving the product to be sent out, a shutter for heat insulation provided at a portion where the movement area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere, and the shutter provided on the heat insulation partition plate It is designed to be opened and closed.

If the shutter is opened and closed by an actuator dedicated to the shutter, the shutter can be opened and closed independently. The actuator is, for example, a hydraulic cylinder or a motor. The actuator is provided on the heat insulating partition plate, and is integrated with the heat insulating partition plate. This is useful for unitizing a heat insulating partition plate described later. In addition, with the shutter structure, the shutter opens only when the bucket unit goes to pick up a product in the upper room. For this reason, the time for which the upper chamber and the lower chamber communicate with each other is shortened, and a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine, the interior of the storage is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a heat insulating partition plate, and a plurality of racks for storing goods are arranged in each room in the upper and lower rows and in the right and left rows. By doing so, a product storage rack is constructed, and an XY transport mechanism having an X-axis transport unit and a Y-axis transport unit is provided on the front of the product storage rack, and the product is moved by the XY transport mechanism and moved from within the rack. A bucket unit for receiving the goods to be sent out is provided, a wind screen device is provided on the heat insulating partition plate, and a wind screen for heat insulation is formed at a portion where the moving area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other. It was made.

Since opening and closing operations are not required for a windscreen, the bucket unit can be passed through as it is. For this reason, the time in which the upper chamber and the lower chamber communicate with each other can be extremely reduced.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine comprising:
The interior of the warehouse is divided into an upper room and a lower room by a heat insulating partition plate, and a rack for storing products is arranged in a plurality of rows in each room in upper and lower rows and left and right rows, thereby constructing a product storage rack, and the front of the product storage rack. XY having an X-axis transport unit and a Y-axis transport unit
A transport mechanism is provided and located on the X-axis transport section,
A bucket unit for receiving the goods sent out from the rack is provided, and a movable partition plate that partitions a portion where the movement area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other is supported by both edges thereof, and the bucket unit is When moving from the lower chamber to the upper chamber, the movable partition plate is supported and pushed up by a damper provided in the X-axis transport unit.

By supporting the movable partition plate with the damper, the shock at the time of supporting the movable partition plate can be absorbed by the damper.

The vending machine according to claim 11 is
In the vending machine, further, the heat insulating partition plate,
A unit which is detachably attached to a rack support frame provided on the inner wall of the refrigerator and supports the rack, and which has the heat insulating partition plate, a heater for heating the upper chamber, and a blower fan for circulating the heated air. It is.

The upper side of the heat insulating partition plate is an upper room (hot room), and the lower side is a lower room (cold room). If the heat-insulating partition plate can be supported by the rack support frame that supports the rack, the position of the heat-insulating partition plate in the height direction can be set freely. Therefore, the volumes of the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be freely changed. Further, by making a unit including a heater and a blower fan, the change is facilitated. In the vending machine of the tenth aspect, it is structurally difficult to freely change the position of the heat insulating partition plate.

A vending machine according to claim 12 is:
In the vending machine, the upper chamber and the lower chamber each have a blower fan for air circulation, and when the upper chamber and the lower chamber are temporarily connected, the blower fan is stopped. It is like that.

When the bucket unit passes, the upper chamber and the lower chamber are temporarily communicated with each other. However, if the blower fan is stopped, the atmospheres of the upper chamber and the lower chamber are hardly mixed. For this reason, a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

[0034]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the embodiment.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vending machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the vending machine shown in FIG. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the XY transport mechanism illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the vending machine shown in FIG. The vending machine 1 is a hot and cold machine in which the inside of a refrigerator is divided into a hot room (upper room) 2 and a cold room (lower room) 3 having different storage temperature zones. A heat insulating partition plate 4 that blocks heat transfer is provided between the chambers 2 and 3. The heat insulating partition plate 4 is detachably supported by a rail-shaped rack support frame 5 provided on the inner wall of the refrigerator. On the heat insulating partition plate 4, a heater 6 for heating the room and a blower fan 7 for circulating the heat of the heater 6 into the room.
Are provided. The heat insulating partition plate 4, the heater 6, and the blower fan 7 are unitized.

On the other hand, the lower room 3 is provided with an evaporator 8 for cooling the room and a blower fan 9 for circulating cool air from the evaporator 8 into the room. The compressor 11 and the cooling fan 1 are provided on the bottom of the main body case 10.
2 and a condenser 13 are provided. The cooling device including the fan 7 and the heater 6 in the upper chamber 2, the fan 9 in the lower chamber 3, the evaporator 8, the compressor 11, and the like is controlled by the control unit 14 of the vending machine 1.

In each of the rooms 2 and 3, a plurality of box racks 15 for accommodating goods G are arranged in upper and lower rows and in left and right rows, and a goods storage rack 15c is constructed. The box rack 15 has a structure in which a pusher mechanism 17 is provided in a column case 16 made of sheet metal for accommodating a product G. The pusher mechanism 17 includes a pusher 18, a belt 19 for moving the pusher 18, and a drive motor 20. The drive motor 20 receives power supply from the main body of the vending machine 1 and is drive-controlled. When the driving motor 20 is driven to move the pusher 18 together with the belt 19, the rear end of the product Ge is pushed by the pusher 18, and the product Gf in the front row is sent out from the column case 16.

The main body case 10 of the vending machine 1 has an outer door 2
1 and an inner door 22 are provided. A product outlet 23 is provided below the outer door 21. Transparent plates 24 and 25 are incorporated in the outer door 21 and the inner door 22, respectively, so that a user can visually recognize it from outside.

Inside the inner door 22, a product storage rack 15
An XY transport mechanism 26 having an XY coordinate plane on the front surface of c is provided. The XY transport mechanism 26 includes an X-axis transport unit 27 that moves in the horizontal direction with respect to the product storage rack, and a Y-axis transport unit 28 that moves in the vertical direction.
The X-axis transport unit 27 is provided with a bucket unit 29 for receiving a product. This bucket unit 29
It is fixed to a timing belt 30 and driven by an X-axis motor 32 via a speed reduction mechanism 31.

The Y-axis transport unit 28 is provided with an X-axis transport unit 27.
, A rotating shaft 34 extending over the top of the rail portion 33, and a Y-axis motor 35 for rotating the rotating shaft 34. The X-axis transport section 27 is fixed to a timing belt 36 and is driven up and down by a Y-axis motor 35. The X-axis motor 32 and the Y-axis motor 35 are servomotors such as a stepping motor, and are controlled by the control unit 14 of the vending machine 1.

On the lower surface of the X-axis transport section 27, a movable partition plate 37 is provided over the entire surface. The bucket unit 29 is positioned such that the heat insulating partition plate 4 and the movable partition plate 37 are at the same height in a standby state. As a result, the front edge of the movable partition plate 37 comes into contact with or is in contact with the transparent plate 25 of the inner door, and the rear edge comes close to or in contact with the heat insulating partition plate 4.
The upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 are completely separated by 37. Also,
The bucket unit 29 is provided with an opening 38 for receiving the product G from the box rack 15, and the conveyor 3 for discharging the product G to the product outlet 23 is provided on the bottom surface thereof.
9 are provided.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a brake mechanism. 1A is a side view, and FIG. 1B is a plan view. The brake mechanism is not shown in FIGS. The blower fans 7 and 9 have a bucket unit 2
A belt-type brake mechanism 40 that operates when the ninth movement is provided. The movable partition plate 37 is provided with a mountain-shaped dog 41 that is inclined in four directions. An arm 43 provided with a spherical roller 42 at one end is in contact with the dog 41, and this arm 43 is rotatably supported by the heat insulating partition plate 4.
The arm 43 is provided with a spring 44 for urging in one direction.

Two wires 45 and 46 are connected to the other end of the arm 43. One of the wires 45 is connected to the brake 47 of the blower fan 7 in the upper chamber 2 and the other wire 45 is connected to the other wire 46. Is connected to the brake 48 of the blower fan 9 in the lower chamber 3. Each wire 45, 46
A plurality of guide rollers 49 up to the brakes 47 and 48
Is guided by The fans 7 and 9 for blowing
Brake drums 50 and 51 that come into contact with the brake shoes are provided.

When the bucket unit 29 moves from the home position, the dog 41 provided on the movable partition plate 37 moves, and the arm 43 is released. Since the spring 43 is provided on the arm 43, the arm 43 is forcibly swung in one direction by the elastic force of the spring 44. Along with this, the wires 45, 46 are pulled in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the brakes 47, 48 operate. Thereby, the rotation of the blowing fans 7, 9 is forcibly stopped.

Next, when the bucket unit 29 conveys the product G and returns to the home position, the dog 41 and the spherical arm 42 come into contact again, and the arm 43 is pushed.
As a result, the wires 45 and 46 are returned, and the brake 4
The constraints of 7, 48 are released. Thereby, rotation of the blowing fans 7 and 9 becomes possible.

Next, the operation of the vending machine 1 will be described. The user selects a specific product G by pressing a product selection button.
Is selected, the bucket unit 29 moves by the XY transport mechanism 26 and goes to pick up the product G. Since the bucket unit 29 is located at substantially the same height as the heat insulating partition plate 4 (the height at which the movable partition plate 37 and the heat insulating partition plate 4 coincide) at the home position, the bucket unit 29 is temporarily moved by the movement of the bucket unit 29. The upper room 2 and the lower room 3 communicate with each other.

At this time, the power supply to the blower fans 7 and 9 is cut off by the controller 14 and the rotation of the fans 7 and 9 is forcibly stopped by the brake mechanism 40. It should be noted that the brake 4
7, 48 may be applied. As a result, the blower fans 7, 9 are stopped and the circulation of the air in the respective chambers 2, 3 is not performed, so that the atmosphere in the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 is hardly mixed.

The product G sent out from the box rack 15 is received through the opening 38 of the bucket unit 29. The bucket unit 29 that has received the product G moves to the product outlet 23 and operates the internal conveyor 39 to carry out the product G to the product outlet 23. Thereafter, the bucket unit 29 immediately returns to the home position. In this state, the movable partition plate 37 and the heat insulating partition plate 4 come into contact again, and the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 are thermally partitioned. Also,
The restraint by the brake mechanism 40 is released, and the sending fans 7 and 9 start rotating. The user opens the flapper of the product outlet 23 and takes out the product G.

In the vending machine 1, the position of the heat insulating partition plate 4 can be changed. As described above, the heat insulating partition plate 4 is supported by the rack support frame 5, so that the box rack 15 can be extracted by one stage and attached thereto (see FIG. 1). Also, the position of the movable partition plate 37 needs to be changed by changing the position of the heat insulating partition plate 4, but this requires the bucket unit 2.
All that is necessary is to reset the home position of No. 9.
Specifically, the position of the home position of the bucket unit 29 is input and set from the keyboard of the vending machine 1.
Thereby, the volume of the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 can be arbitrarily adjusted by the user.

As described above, according to the vending machine 1, the movable partition plate 37 is provided at the lower portion of the X-axis transport section 27, so that the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 are thermally separated with a simple structure. It becomes possible. Further, there is no mechanical shock to the bucket unit 29, and the user is not given a rough impression. Furthermore, since the upper part of the bucket unit 29 is not blocked, the design restriction of the bucket unit 29 can be eliminated. Specifically, the opening 38 of the bucket unit 29 can be expanded to the upper part. Further, when the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 temporarily communicate with each other, the rotation of the blowing fans 7 and 9 is stopped, so that the atmosphere in each of the chambers 2 and 3 is hardly mixed. For this reason, a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine 60 includes a shutter 61 and a shutter mechanism 62.
The feature is that it is opened and closed by the The other configuration is the same as that of the vending machine 60 according to the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing the shutter mechanism 62. The shutter mechanism 62 includes the X-axis transport unit 27
It operates using the X-axis motor 32 of FIG. X-axis motor 32
The rotary shaft 63 is provided with a conical clutch 64, and the clutch 64 is connected when the bucket unit 29 is at the home position (a position facing the product outlet 23). Between the clutch 64 and the rotating shaft 63, a compression coil spring 65 for urging and buffering is provided.

The rotating shaft 66 of the clutch 64 is
The direction is changed by a plurality of bevel gears 67 and extends to the shutter 61. A pinion 68 is fixed to an end of the rotating shaft 66. The shutter 61 is made of a heat insulating material, and is movably supported in the front-rear direction of the vending machine 60 (the supporting state is not shown). Further, a rack 69 that meshes with the pinion 68 is provided at a side edge of the shutter 61. Further, the shutter 61 is unitized with the heat insulating partition plate 4.

Therefore, when changing the volumes of the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3, only the position of the heat insulating partition plate 4 needs to be changed. The length of the vertical rotation shaft 66 can be changed according to the position of the heat insulating partition plate 4. In particular,
A plurality of joints 66a (only one is illustrated in the figure) are provided in the middle of the rotating shaft 66, and when the position of the heat insulating partition plate 4 is changed, the length of the rotating shaft 66 is also adjusted. In addition,
A flexible wire shaft may be used instead of the rotating shaft 66 (not shown).

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a brake mechanism 70 used in this vending machine. First, a pinion 71 different from the shutter driving pinion 68 is placed in a rack 69.
And a reduction gear train 72
Is provided. Next, a bobbin 73 for winding a wire is provided on the gear at the last stage of the reduction gear train 72. Two wires are provided. One wire 74 is connected to a brake 76 of the blower fan 7 of the upper chamber 2 via a guide roller 75, and the other wire 77 is connected to a lower chamber 3 via a guide roller 78. Is connected to the brake 79 of the blower fan 9. The blowing fans 7, 9 are provided with brake drums 80, 81 which come into contact with the brake shoes.

When the shutter 61 is opened (moved in the direction of the arrow in the figure) by the X-axis motor 32, the pinion 71 meshing with the rack 69 rotates. This rotation is transmitted to the bobbin 73 at a reduced speed, and the bobbin 73 winds up the two wires 74 and 77. The windings of the wires 74, 77 pull the brakes 76, 79 in the direction of the arrow in the drawing to operate. Thereby, the rotation of the blowing fans 7, 9 is forcibly stopped. Next, when the shutter 61 is closed, the wires 74 and 77 wound by the bobbin 73 are wound.
Is released, so that the restraint by the brakes 76 and 79 is released. Thereby, rotation of the blowing fans 7 and 9 becomes possible.

Next, the operation of the vending machine 60 will be described. When the user selects a hot product in the upper chamber 2, X is set in a state where the bucket unit 29 is located at the home position (a state where the X-axis transport unit 27 is not moved).
The shaft motor 32 is driven to open the shutter 61 as described above. After that, the bucket unit 29 is moved by the XY transport mechanism 26 to go for the product G.

When the X-axis motor 32 is driven, the bucket unit 29 also moves in the X direction.
On the other hand, since the shutter mechanism 62 is directly connected to the rotation shaft 63 of the X-axis motor 32 to obtain rotation, the bucket unit 29 does not move significantly by the shutter opening / closing operation.

Next, when the shutter 61 is opened, the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 temporarily communicate with each other.
As a result, the power supply to the blower fans 7 and 9 is cut off, and the rotation is forcibly stopped by the brake mechanism 70. The brakes 76 and 79 may be applied while the motors of the blower fans 7 and 9 are energized. Since the circulation of the air in each of the chambers 2 and 3 is stopped by stopping the blower fans 7 and 9, the atmospheres of the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 are hardly mixed. Since the brake mechanism 70 operates only when the shutter 61 is opened and closed, the rotation does not need to be stopped frequently. On the other hand, when the user selects the cold product in the lower room 3, the user does not need to open the shutter 61, so the product G is immediately picked up by the bucket unit 29.

The product G sent out from the box rack 15 is received through the opening 38 of the bucket unit 29. The bucket unit 29 that has received the product G returns to the home position, and operates the internal conveyor 39 to carry out the product G to the product outlet 23. After unloading the product G, the X-axis motor 32 is operated to close the shutter 61, and the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 are thermally partitioned. When the shutter 61 is closed, the restraint by the brake mechanism 70 is released, and the sending fans 7 and 9 start rotating again. The user opens the flapper of the product outlet 23 and takes out the product G.

As described above, according to the vending machine 60, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the shutter 61 is moved when the bucket unit 29 moves to the upper chamber 2.
, The cooling efficiency and the heating efficiency of each of the chambers 2 and 3 can be further suppressed from decreasing. In the second embodiment, the bucket unit 29 may be attached below the X-axis transport unit 27 (not shown). Further, the shutter 61 may be attached to the inner door 22 side instead of the heat insulating partition plate 4 (not shown).

Another Embodiment Embodiment 2
May be opened and closed by separately provided actuators. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9A, a hydraulic cylinder 92 is provided between a shutter 91 made of a heat insulating material and the heat insulating partition plate 4, and the shutter 91 and the heat insulating partition plate 4 are unitized.
With this configuration, the shutter 91 can be opened and closed at the moment when the bucket unit 29 passes, so that the communication time between the upper chamber 2 and the lower chamber 3 can be further reduced. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency.

Further, a wind screen device may be provided in place of the shutter 91. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9B, a duct 95 having a fan 93 and a flat opening 94 is provided in the heat insulating partition plate 4,
An exhaust duct 96 is provided on the inner door 22 in front of the duct 95. The windscreen W is always operated. According to such a configuration, the bucket unit 29 can easily pass the boundary of the storage temperature zone.

Although not shown, a conventional vending machine (FIG. 10)
Dampers may be provided at the four corners of the X-axis transport unit 27 in FIG. 4), and the movable partition plate 37 may be supported by the dampers. Further, the movable partition plate 37 is supported at a certain distance above the X-axis transport unit 27 so as not to hit the top of the bucket unit 29. In this way, the shock at the time of supporting the movable partition plate 37 can be absorbed by the damper, and an opening can be provided at the top of the bucket unit 29.

[0064]

As described above, according to the vending machine according to the present invention (claim 1), the X-Y transport mechanism X
A bucket unit is located on the axis transport unit, a movable partition plate is provided below the X-axis transport unit, and at a standby position of the bucket unit, the movable partition plate and the heat insulating partition plate are located at substantially the same height. Therefore, the movable partition plate moves together with the X-axis transport unit, so that there is no mechanical shock associated with the movement of the bucket unit from the lower chamber to the upper chamber, and the user does not feel violent. Further, design freedom is ensured by providing an opening at the top of the bucket unit.

According to the vending machine according to the present invention (claim 2), the heat insulating partition plate is made detachable from a rack support frame provided on the inner wall of the warehouse and supporting the rack. Since the plate, the heater for heating the upper chamber, and the blower fan for circulating the heated air are unitized, the volumes of the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be easily and freely set.

According to the vending machine according to the present invention (claim 3), the height of the X-axis transport unit in the Y-axis direction can be freely set in the standby state of the bucket unit, so that the movable unit is movable. The partition plate and the heat insulating partition plate can be positioned at substantially the same height. For this reason, the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be thermally partitioned.

Further, according to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 4), a shutter for heat insulation is provided at a portion where the moving area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other, and Power is transmitted from a power source to the shutter via a power transmission path to open and close the shutter. For this reason, the time for which the upper chamber and the lower chamber communicate with each other is shortened, and a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

According to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 5), the heat insulating partition is made detachable from a rack support frame provided on the inner side wall of the warehouse and supporting the rack, and the heat insulating partition is provided. Since the plate, the heater for heating the upper chamber, and the blower fan for circulating the heated air are unitized, the volumes of the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be easily and freely set.

According to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 6), the upper chamber and the lower chamber each have a fan for circulating air, and the upper chamber and the lower chamber are temporarily connected. When communicating with, the blower fan is stopped. For this reason, the atmospheres of the upper chamber and the lower chamber are hardly mixed, and a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

According to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 7), when the upper room and the lower room are temporarily connected,
Since the brake for forcibly stopping the blower fan is provided, the atmospheres of the upper chamber and the lower chamber are hardly mixed, and a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

According to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 8), a shutter for heat insulation is provided at a portion where the moving area of the bucket unit and the boundary between the compartments intersect, and the shutter is provided with the heat insulating shutter. Since the shutter is opened and closed by a dedicated actuator provided on the partition plate, the shutter can be opened and closed independently. For this reason, the time in which the upper chamber and the lower chamber communicate with each other is further shortened, and a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency can be suppressed.

Further, according to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 9), a wind screen device is provided on the heat insulating partition plate to insulate a portion where the moving area of the bucket unit intersects the boundary between the compartments. To form a windscreen. For this reason, the time in which the upper chamber and the lower chamber communicate with each other becomes extremely short, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency.

Further, according to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 10), the movable partition plate is supported by the damper and pushed up, so that the mechanical shock when supporting the movable partition plate is reduced. Can be.

Further, according to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 11), the heat insulating partition plate is made detachable from a rack support frame provided on the inner side wall of the warehouse and supporting the rack, and Since the plate, the heater for heating the upper chamber, and the blower fan for circulating the heated air are unitized, the volumes of the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be easily and freely set.

Further, according to the vending machine of the present invention (claim 12), the upper chamber and the lower chamber each have a fan for circulating air, and the upper chamber and the lower chamber are temporarily connected. When communicating with, the blower fan is stopped. For this reason, the atmosphere of the upper room and the lower room is difficult to mix,
It becomes possible to suppress a decrease in cooling efficiency and heating efficiency.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the vending machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the XY transport mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the vending machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a brake mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a shutter mechanism shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a brake mechanism used in the vending machine.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional vending machine.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the vending machine shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Upper room 3 Lower room 4 Heat insulation partition plate 5 Rack support frame 6 Heater 7 Blow fan 8 Evaporator 9 Blow fan 10 Main body case 14 Control part 15 Box rack 15c Product storage rack 21 Outer door 22 Inner door 23 Product outlet 24, 25 Transparent plate 26 XY transport mechanism 27 X-axis transport unit 28 Y-axis transport unit 29 Bucket unit 32 X-axis motor 35 Y-axis motor 37 Movable partition plate 38 Opening 40 Brake mechanism 47, 48 Brake 60 Automatic Vending machine 61 Shutter 62 Shutter mechanism 91 Shutter 92 Hydraulic cylinder W Windscreen

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E044 AA01 DB16 FB09 FB11 FB12 FB13 3E046 CC03 DA03 DA07 EA01 EB01 FA04

Claims (12)

[Claims] An interior storage is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber by a heat insulating partition plate, and a plurality of racks for accommodating products are arranged in upper and lower rows and left and right rows in each chamber, thereby constructing a product storage rack. An XY transport mechanism having an X-axis transport unit and a Y-axis transport unit is provided on the front surface of the product storage rack, and a bucket unit that is located on the X-axis transport unit and that receives the products sent out from the rack is provided. A movable partition plate for partitioning a portion where the moving area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other is provided below the X-axis transport unit; and at a standby position of the bucket unit, the movable partition plate is insulated from the movable partition plate. A vending machine characterized in that the plate and the plate are located at substantially the same height. 2. The heat-insulating partition plate is detachably attached to a rack supporting frame provided on an inner side wall of the refrigerator and supporting the rack, and the heat-insulating partition plate and a heater for heating an upper chamber are heated. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a blower fan for circulating air is unitized. 3. The height of the X-axis transport unit in the Y-axis direction in a standby state of the bucket unit can be freely set, and the movable partition plate and the heat-insulating partition plate are positioned at substantially the same height. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the vending machine is operated. 4. A product storage rack is constructed by partitioning the interior of the compartment into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with a heat insulating partition plate, and arranging a plurality of racks for accommodating commodities in upper and lower rows and left and right rows in each compartment. An XY transport mechanism having an X-axis transport section and a Y-axis transport section is provided on the front surface of the product storage rack, and a bucket unit that is moved by the XY transport mechanism and receives a product sent from the rack is provided. A shutter for heat insulation is provided at a portion where the moving area of the bucket unit and the inter-room partition boundary surface interfere with each other, and power is transmitted from the power source of the X-axis transport unit to the shutter via a power transmission path. A vending machine characterized by opening and closing a shutter. 5. The heat-insulating partition plate is detachably attached to a rack supporting frame provided on the inner wall of the refrigerator and supporting the rack, wherein the heat-insulating partition plate and a heater for heating the upper chamber are heated. The vending machine according to claim 4, wherein a fan for circulating air is unitized. 6. The upper and lower chambers each have a blower fan for air circulation, and the blower fan is stopped when the upper and lower chambers are in temporary communication. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vending machine is provided. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper chamber and the lower chamber each have a blower fan for air circulation, and when the upper chamber and the lower chamber are in temporary communication, the blower fan is forcibly forced. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a brake for stopping the vending machine. 8. A merchandise storage rack is constructed by dividing the interior of the chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with a heat insulating partition plate, and arranging a plurality of racks for accommodating merchandise in upper and lower tiers and right and left rows in each chamber. An XY transport mechanism having an X-axis transport section and a Y-axis transport section is provided on the front surface of the product storage rack, and a bucket unit that is moved by the XY transport mechanism and receives a product sent from the rack is provided. A shutter for heat insulation is provided at a portion where the movement area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other, and the shutter is opened and closed by a dedicated actuator provided on the heat insulating partition plate. Vending machine. 9. A product storage rack is constructed by partitioning the interior of the compartment into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with a heat insulating partition plate and arranging a plurality of racks for accommodating commodities in upper and lower rows and left and right rows in each compartment. An XY transport mechanism having an X-axis transport section and a Y-axis transport section is provided on the front surface of the product storage rack, and a bucket unit that is moved by the XY transport mechanism and receives a product sent from the rack is provided. A vending machine, wherein a wind screen device is provided on the heat insulating partition plate, and a wind screen for heat insulation is formed at a portion where the moving area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other. . 10. A product storage rack is constructed by partitioning the interior of the compartment into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with a heat insulating partition plate, and arranging a plurality of racks for accommodating commodities in upper and lower rows and left and right rows in each compartment. An XY transport mechanism having an X-axis transport unit and a Y-axis transport unit is provided on the front surface of the product storage rack, and a bucket unit that is located on the X-axis transport unit and that receives the products sent out from the rack is provided. A movable partition plate that partitions a portion where the moving area of the bucket unit and the inter-room division boundary surface interfere with each other is supported at both edges thereof. When the bucket unit moves from the lower chamber to the upper chamber, the X-axis transport unit is provided. A vending machine characterized in that a movable partition plate is supported and pushed up by a damper provided in the vending machine. 11. The heat-insulating partition plate is detachably attached to a rack support frame provided on an inner side wall of the refrigerator and supporting the rack, wherein the heat-insulating partition plate and a heater for heating an upper chamber are heated. 10. The vending machine according to claim 8, wherein a fan for circulating air is unitized. Further, the upper chamber and the lower chamber each have a blower fan for air circulation, and when the upper chamber and the lower chamber are in temporary communication, the blower fan is stopped. The vending machine according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the vending machine is used.