ES2328324B2 - AUTOMATIC HEAVY MACHINE AND EXPENDER OF BULK PRODUCTS. - Google Patents

Abstract

Automatic weighing and vending machine bulk products.

It is a vending machine with a showcase of deposits (2) for the products, a numeric selector (3), a purse (5), an information display (4) and an output (6), of so that from these characteristics the machine will characterized in that the tanks (2) are rotating with a spring (7) internally solidarity for the dispensing of the product, including a hopper (18) receiving the product dispensed by the tank (2), hopper (18) that is movable both in direction horizontal as vertically to be placed under the tank (2) whose product has been selected, also incorporating a automatic filling system for product receiving bags supplied by the tilt of the hopper (18) and whose system Automatic bagging is based on a suction plate (33) that It is tiltable and movable, removing the bags (51) from a tank (52) and placing them in front of another fixed suction plate and vertical (40) to open the bag and allow reception of the product emptied into the tilt of the hopper (18) falling that product bag in the outlet receptacle (41) correspondent.

Description

Automatic weighing and vending machine bulk products.

Object of the invention

The present invention relates to a machine which is the type commonly known as vending, intended for sell bulk products, preferably goodies, and at the same time make the weight of the product being dispensed.

The object of the invention is to simplify the operations to be carried out for the purchase of goodies, without having to buy the desired products and then have to weigh them as conventionally.

Although the machine is planned preferentially and fundamentally for its application in the dispensing and weighing of goodies or sweets, its use in the sale or dispensed from any other type of small bulk product, such as screws, buttons, nuts, etc.

Background of the invention

As is known, there are establishments of goodies or candy and other bulk products in which each product is contained in a tank, with a trapdoor top or side swingarm, through which the consumer take the product you want, either by acting on the trapdoor of Dosed form or by a picker who takes the products directly from the deposit, so that in any case the consumer not only has to carry out the operations of go to one and another deposit to acquire different types of products, but then you have to go to a box where you weigh and make the subsequent payment of them.

This system, which is the most common and widespread, it means discomfort, loss of time and problems to the consumer, without ruling out that the establishment must have an employee to carry out the corresponding weighing and collection.

On the other hand, there are vending machines that Dispense bulk products of the referred type, both fruits dried as of goodies, etc, but the dispensing is usually done in bags, the consumer not having the option of acquiring a peso concrete in grams, but you have to acquire the concrete weight of product contained in the corresponding bag.

In any case, type machines are not known Vending that includes means for dispensing bulk products and at the same time means that carry out the weighing of each one of the products.

Description of the invention

The recommended machine has been conceived to solve this problem previously exposed, so that being constituted from a piece of furniture as is conventional, is say a closet, with a numeric selector of products, with a informative display, with a purse, with a series of containers of the products located in a display case, and with a product exit hole, has the peculiarity of counting  with a special system of dispensing deposits of products, as well as a positioning system of a receiving hopper of each of the products, in combination with a scale that it is part of that positioning and actuation system of the hopper, also including the machine a bagging system Automatic dispensed products, either together or unitarily, as requested or required by part of the customer or consumer.

More specifically, the machine of the invention presents as the first characteristic of novelty the inclusion of a series of product container deposits, consisting of cylindrical tubes of transparent plastic material, supported by different pairs of rollers, cylinders that include in their inside a spiral spring in solidarity with the inner surface of the cylinder or tank, this being operated through its base or  rear end by means of a motor that activates when, at through the purse, different currencies are deposited and the consumer press the corresponding selector, there is a motor for actuate a front door for closing and opening one's own tank or cylindrical tube, so that in the closed position prevents the exit of the product, while in the open position the product will come out when said cylindrical tube rotates, counting on proximity to that mouth with a pair of semi-discs, one of they fixed and another rotating, to establish a greater or lesser output opening according to the type of product or size of the same, and this in combination with a removable pivot located in correspondence with that area of the semi-discs.

Optionally, and depending on the type of stored product, within these tubes you can a stirring pendulum system should be incorporated, in order for said Products do not stick.

Another novelty feature of the machine The invention is based on the hopper positioning system Receiver of the product that leaves the deposits previously referred to, as well as the dispensed by that hopper of the product to a receptacle provided at the outlet.

Said positioning system of the receiving hopper of the products, is constituted by a transversal guide and front scrollable up and down, being linked through pulleys and two vertical cables and lateral, with reels located superiorly, driven by a motor, so that its drive carries with it, depending on the turn, upward displacement and descending from the guide and therefore from the receiving hopper of product, hopper that has a small tilt to the side to orient perfectly in correspondence with the exit of the tank or cylindrical tube container of the product to be dispensed, including a second tilting in the opposite direction, for the emptying the hopper over the outlet receptacle.

As is evident, the hopper is movable to through a skate, in the referred frontal guide, to position itself, depending on the selector that the consumer presses, in correspondence with the outlet end of the respective tube cylindrical or tank whose product has been selected by the consumer, having planned that the emptying tilt of said hopper is achieved as a consequence of the fact that in the structure Support is provided for a pinion capable of engaging with a zipper section located at the end of the travel of such a hopper, making it tilt for emptying Of the same.

A load cell or product weighing is included on the sliding skid of the hopper, on which in turn the pinion system of the hopper and means or tilt hinge of the
same.

Another novelty feature presented by the machine is the incorporation of an automatic bagging system which is constituted from a bag container deposit, with a rectangular prismatic configuration whose interior is left located the bags, and with a curved front to allow the tilt and position of a tilt plate with bellows aspiration, which, through these bellows, is located in proximity to the front end of the bag stack for extraction by aspiration of each of them, being that tilting suction plate linked to a duct derived from a vacuum cleaner, while that duct is extended to another vertical plate, also suction, located above the receptacle where the dispensing hopper deposits by tilting The collected products. The bellows tilting plate presents in its end of articulation to the flexible tube in communication with the vacuum cleaner, a pinion capable of engaging with two sections of zippers, one located above it to carry out tipping down the suction plate when is facing the deposit of the bags, and another to carry out swinging forward when that plate of aspiration reaches and faces the vertical plate located above the product outlet receptacle, so that in this case and through a cam acts a valve that allows the suction drive of this vertical plate leading to out the suction and separating the two walls of the bag, a adhered to the bellows of the suction plate and another one that remains logically adhered to the vertical plate referred to above, producing the opening of the bag by slight tilting towards behind the suction plate. Once the aspiration ceases bag falls by gravity, with the product contained and that has been deposited in it by the hopper, falling into the receptacle, there is a trapdoor that must be tilted manually to remove said product container bag dispensed.

Displacement movements and tilt of the tilt plate with suction bellows, It is done based on a motor with a pinion and a rack whose drive carries displacement in one direction and another of the tilting plate and that when the pinion of this one reaches the independent zipper sections referred to above, Tilt in one direction and another to carry out operations opportune of aspiration of the bag of the corresponding deposit and release of this when it faces the output receptacle with the product dispensed by the hopper.

Description of the drawings

To complement the description that then it will be done and in order to help a better understanding of the features of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical realization thereof, is accompanied as an integral part of that description, a set of drawings in where illustrative and not limiting, it has been represented the next:

Figure 1.- Shows a frontal representation of the automatic vending machine made in accordance with the object of the invention.

Figure 2.- Shows a sectional side view of one of the cylindrical tubes that constitutes a container container of the product, supported on the
lower rollers

Figure 3.- Shows a front view of the cylinder or tank represented in the previous figure, as well as the different lower rollers to support each of these deposits

Figure 4.- Shows a view according to a overview of the roller assembly, specifically four couples, for support of as many tanks or cylinders, specifically four, with the elements provided below for actuating each of the aforementioned cylinders or deposits

Figure 5.- Shows a frontal detail of the product receiving hopper displacement system dispensed from the different cylinders or container containers of the same, seeing the zipper section at the exit end on which the pinion linked to the hopper engages to swinging of this one. It has also been represented at the end corresponding to the zipper section referred to above, the tilt start position of a hopper for its discharge.

Figure 6.- Shows an elevation view side of the hopper with the means associated with it, that is those that produce the swing to one side and another of it, the gear pinion, the skate with the load cell and its assembly on the corresponding front and linear guide. In this figure you also shows the tilting in the opposite direction of said hopper to be oriented towards the exit of the respective tank or product dispensing cylinder.

Figure 7.- Shows a schematic view of the automatic bag bagging system, where you can see all and each of the elements that constitute it.

Figure 8.- Shows a plan view of the part corresponding to the container deposit of the bags, as well as the suction plate with bellows for the extraction of each one of the bags and the pinion integral to it to produce the tilting in one direction or another of such a tilting plate.

Figures 9 to 13.- They show different operating sequences of the automatic bagging system which includes the machine of the invention.

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

As you can see in the referred figures, the automatic bulk vending machine made of according to the object of the invention, it is a vending machine and it constitutes, as is conventional, from a piece of furniture or closet rectangular prismatic (1) with an display case in which show a series of deposits (2) containers of the products, a numerical selector (3), an informative display (4), a purse slot (5) and an exit opening (6) for The product dispensed.

From these characteristics it is planned that the deposits (2) are constituted, in each case, by a tube cylindrical as shown in figure 2, inside which it goes solidarity a spiral spring (7) so that the tanks or cylinders (2) rely on roller pairs swivels (8), assisted by a frame (9), there is an engine (10) for rotating actuation of tanks or cylinders (2) product containers, engine (10) that has an element of drive (11) that is embedded in a recess or machining (12) established in the base (13) of each of the cylinders (2), having also planned that in proximity to the outlet said cylinders or tanks (2) have a limiting means of the output of the product according to the thickness, consisting of two semi-discs (14 and 14 '), the first one fixed and the second one partially rotatable to throttle to a greater or lesser extent the output, according to its position, according to the thickness of the product, also having an adjustable pivot (15) its position in or out, as required by the product.

Each cylinder or tank (2) rotates independently according to the selection made by the consumer, complementing the exit end of each of those deposits or cylinders (2) with a door (16) driven by a motor (17), which closes the same when you have finished dispensing the product.

The output of the products that leave the different tanks or cylinders (2) is carried out by means of a hopper swingarm (18) that slides, through a skate (19), on a linear front guide (20), as shown clearly in the figure 4, so that at the end where the hopper (18) has to empty, includes a zipper section (21) whose function will be exposed with later.

On the skate (19) a cell of load (22) that weighs the product contained in the hopper (18), counting this with a hinge (23) that allows a small tilting of it to be oriented perfectly at the exit of the respective deposit (2) and receive the product to be dispensed, that tilt being activated by means of an engine (24) that pushes on a connecting rod (25) the opposite lower edge of the hopper (18) tilting the same, as said before.

At that edge of the connecting rod (25), it has provided a pinion (26) intended to engage with the section of rack (21) when the hopper (18) approaches that end where is the zipper section (21), including on this edge a tilt shaft or hinge (27) that produces the tilt towards the hopper discharge position (18) when it reaches the end where the rack section (21) is located, as  it has been said, the hopper (18) according to the selected product in each moment in the numerical selector (3), it will move towards a side or other, and / or up / down to get to the exit of the respective tank or cylinder (2) from which requested the specific product, to receive that product and then move towards the end of the rack section (21) and tilt through the gear that establishes the pinion (26) with that rack section (21) for emptying the product contained and previously received by the hopper (18).

Vertical displacements of the hopper (18), that is upwards and downwards, are made by lateral cables (28) running between pulleys (29) solidarity of the guide (20) in which the hopper (18) moves, and reels (30) located superiorly, so that those pulleys (29) slide along rounded guides (31) established in the sides of the furniture (1) and obviously located vertically from the bottom to the top of each of the sides of the front of the furniture or machine (1) proper, said displacement being ascending and descending from the guide (20) and therefore of the hopper (18) by means of a motor (32) that drives the axis of the reels (30) in which they are wound the lifting and lowering cables (28).

As for the automatic bagging system represented in figures 8 and 9, it is constituted from of a suction plate (33) with bellows (34) that is tiltable around an articulation point (36) thereof with respect to the union with a flexible tube (37) that belongs to the system itself suction, connected, through a conduit (38), with a vacuum cleaner (39), including the articulation shaft (36) a pinion solidarity (40) whose function will be discussed later.

From the connection between the flexible tube (37) and the conduit (38) a second conduit (38 ') is established that flows into a vertical and fixed plate (57) located above the receptacle (41) in which the output (6) of the product dispensed, at whose exit a door is provided swingarm (42) with counterweight (43).

That vertical and fixed suction plate (57) is Operates by means of a valve associated with a cam (Four. Five).

This system also includes a guide (46) that in combination with a zipper (47) sets the means of displacement to one side or the other of the suction plate (33), by driving a motor (48) with a pinion (49) that gear with the rack (47), there is also a section of zipper (50) at the end end, and a section of zipper (50 ') provided superiorly and movable to the opposite end.

According to the referred characteristics, the Machine operation is as follows:

Once the money has been introduced through the purse or slot (5) of the machine (1), the number of the selector (3) corresponding to the desired product, each number corresponding to a cylinder or tank (2) container of different products, so that the consumer will keep Press that selector number (3) until the amount of desired product It should be noted that when the selector (3) the product receiving hopper (18) will move conveniently until placed under the exit of the tank or cylinder (2) container of the selected product, producing a tilt of the hopper (18) towards the outlet of that cylinder or tank (2) to receive the product, dispensed which is done by turning such a tank or cylinder (2) to go dispensing the product little by little until the consumer leaves Press the number of the selector (3) or until the balance runs out available.

Obviously the consumer with the balance in proportion to the money entered, you can press each time a push button and thus receive the hopper (18) the different products selected, taking into account that in each selection you inform the customer, through the information display (4), the quantity of product in grams and the available balance.

When there is no balance received product by the hopper (18), by tilting it when moving towards the end where the rack section (21) that engages with the pinion (26) and produces that tilt around the hinge (27), falls towards the receptacle (41), although as a then it will be described, in that receptacle it is deposited previously a bag (51) receiving the product.

In a tank (52) located under the plate suction swingarm (33), the container (52) container is placed of the bags (51) that have to be sucked together by that plate (33), rather the bellows (34) thereof, tank (52) which is of general prismatic rectangular configuration with its front wall (52 ') curve with a path that should be correspond to that made by the front edge of the plate aspiration (33) in its introduction and exit with respect to the deposit (52). Inside the front wall (52 ') of the tank (52) container of the bags (51), some serrated strips are provided (53) to prevent glued bags from coming out, in combination with small upper springs (54).

The tank (52) also has a wall (55) on the back, equipped with a stop (56) for the stacking the bags (51) inside the tank (52), being that wall (55) tilting to allow its projection towards outside and allow the loading of the bags (51) inside the tank (52), and in position of use retain them conveniently stacked to be subtracted unitary.

In accordance with the suction system described, the automatic bagging of the product that is emptied by part of the hopper (18), is as follows:

Starting from the position represented in the Figure 9, when the machine is put into operation, the vacuum cleaner (39) and the order is given that the tilting plate (33) is scroll back so that it tilts down and the bellows (34) they can suck the upper bag (51) from those contained in the tank (52), adapting the bellows (34) according to the amount of bags left in the tank and performing the extraction in correspondence with the front of those bags (51), as represented in figure 9.

At the same time, the pinion (40) of the plate suction (33) when engaging with the rack (50 ') the tilting up of such tilting plate (33), staying in semi-vertical position, as shown in figure 10, advancing the assembly by pinion gear in the rack (47) towards the opposite end, as shown in the figure 10.

At the moment that the tilt plate and of suction (33) reaches the position of figure 11, its pinion (40) gear with the rack (50), producing a tilt forward of that suction plate (33) to face and superimpose on the suction and fixed plate (40) established in that end, in turn the movement of the cam (45) which will activate the valve (44), producing its opening to the plate (40) begins to suck and suck the other side of the bag (51), producing the opening of this prior tilting slightly backwards from the tilting suction plate itself (33), as depicted in Figure 12. At this time, the vacuum cleaner (39) stops and the tilting suction plate (33) stops withdraw back, allowing the bag (51) to fall with the product that had previously fallen to it from the hopper (18), as depicted in Figure 13, all in a manner such that the bag (51) with the product is inside the receptacle (41), as depicted in that figure 13, so that the consumer perform manual hatch tilt (42) and remove the bag (51) with the product; meanwhile the tilting suction plate (33) continues to move until reach the section of the rack (50 '), at which time it engages with the pinion (40) of said suction plate (33), producing a tilt forward and down to start over the suction and subtraction cycle of a bag (51) of the container (52), ie returning to the initial position corresponding to figure 9.

Claims (8)

1. Automatic weighing and vending machine for bulk products, which being preferably and fundamentally provided for dispensing goodies or sweets, and even other types of bulk products such as screws, buttons, dry products and the like, and constituting what a machine is Vending with a piece of furniture (1) that houses inside a showcase with different levels of deposits (2) containers of different products, and including a selector (3), an informative display (4), a coin slot (5) and an outlet (6) of the dispensed product, is characterized in that it includes a system of cylindrical dispensing tanks (2) that are supported on pairs of rollers (8), those tanks (2) being rotatable individually by actuation of respective motors (10) and each of them with a spiral spring (7) internally welded to carry out the product in the turn of the tank (2) to the exit, where it has been a closing door (16) driven by a motor (17), a positioning system of a hopper (18) receiving the products dispensed by the tanks (2), which is movable both horizontally and vertically to be placed under the exit of the respective tank (2), in which the hopper (18) is mounted with axial displacement power on a linear guide (20) through a skate (19), above which a scale or cell of load (22) for weighing the products, and an automatic bagging system consisting of a bag suction plate (33) with a bellows suction cup (34) at its upper end and a fixed and vertical suction plate (40) established above a receptacle (41) for receiving the bag (51) with the product once dispensed by the hopper (18), all in combination with a connected vacuum cleaner (39), through a conduit (38), both with a flexible tube (37) connected in turn with the suction plate (33), as well as with a conduit (38 ') connected to the vertical and fixed plate (40). 2. Automatic weighing and vending machine for bulk products, according to claim 1, characterized in that the containers (2) containers of the products have a base (13) provided with a notch or machining (12) in which an element (11) driven by the motor (10) is located to carry out the rotation of the respective tank (2). 3. Automatic weighing and vending machine for bulk products, according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the containers (2) rotating containers of the products are coupled in the vicinity of their mouth a device limiting the output, consisting of a pair of semi-discs (14 and 14 '), the first one fixed and the second manually movable around the axis of rotation on which the first one is fixed, so that the rotation in one direction or another of this movable disk carries with it the greatest or smaller opening of the tank outlet, adjustable depending on the thickness of the products contained, all in combination with a removable pivot (15), but adjustable in position inward or outward, that is, more raised at its end towards inside the tube or more lying at its outward end, facing the opening area set for the tank, in order to facilitate the unit separation of the products in s or exit through said area. 4. Automatic weighing and vending machine for bulk products, according to claim 1, characterized in that the linear guide (20), established frontally and horizontally, on which the hopper (18) receiving the product issued by the tanks (2) is mounted , it carries two extreme pulleys through which are corresponding lateral cables (28) that run vertically and are passed through reels (30) provided above, being mounted on a common axis driven by a motor (32) to carry out the winding and development of these cables (28), and thereby the upward and downward movement of the guide (20) with the hopper (18), so that these displacements in combination with the linear displacements of said hopper (18) along the guide (20), allow to place such hopper (18) under the outlet of the tank (2) whose product has been previously selected by pressing the button of the
selector (3). 5. Automatic weighing and vending machine for bulk products, according to claim 4, characterized in that the hopper (18) is a swinging hopper back and forth thanks to a hinge (23) on one of the edges for the swinging of the hopper (18) towards the exit of the tank (2), and a hinge (27) in opposition, linked to a pinion (26) capable of engaging with a rack section (21) provided at the exit end of the guide (20) ), to perform the tilting of the hopper (18) and corresponding emptying of the product contained therein into the outlet receptacle (41). 6. Automatic weighing and vending machine for bulk products, according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction plate (33) of bags with bellows suction cup (34) at its upper end is a tilting plate down and up, whose displacement it is carried out through a guide (46), in combination with a rack (47) on which the pinion (49) driven by a motor (48) engages, capable of engaging with a rack section (50 ') for tilt down that suction plate (33) and insert the bellows suction cups (34) inside a tank (52) container of the bags (51) and perform the unit aspiration of each of these, and a tilting up so that in the movement along the guide (46) the bag (51) is moved by the suction plate (33) to the vertical and fixed suction plate (40); so that the activation of this by the valve (44) causes the suction of the other wall of the bag (51), carrying out the opening of the bag and receiving the product of emptying the hopper (18) in the swinging of this one. 7. Automatic weighing and vending machine for bulk products, according to claim 6, characterized in that the actuation of the valve (44) is carried out by means of the cam (45) which is actuated by the suction plate (33), when the Pinion (49) reaches the rack section (50) provided at the end corresponding to the fixed and vertical suction plate (40). 8. Automatic weighing and vending machine for bulk products, according to claim 6, characterized in that the tank (52) container of the bags (51) has a rectangular prismatic configuration with its front wall (52 ') curved in correspondence with the arched path which describes the front part of the suction and tilting plate (33), presented that front wall (52 ') and on the internal part of it, serrated strips (53) and springs (54) to prevent the aspiration of more of a bag (51); It is further provided that subsequently that tank (52) of the bags has a tilting wall (55) with a stop (56), to position the bags (51) inside the tank (52), that wall (55) being tilting to allow the introduction of the bags (51) and their positioning inside the tank (52).