GB2182917A - Exchanging/vending machine for gas cylinders - Google Patents

Abstract

A coin-freed vending machine for cylinders of compressed gas comprises an outer cabinet 7 having a door-opening 9, a storage chain conveyor 15 for cylinders within the cabinet and a rotatable transfer cradle 10 between the door-opening and the conveyor preventing access to the conveyor. The transfer cradle is furnished with sensors enabling an empty cylinder placed in it through the door-opening to be identified by a data processor, following which the cradle and conveyor are operated to load the empty cylinder into the conveyor and to unload a full cylinder from the conveyor on to the cradle for extraction through the door-opening. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vending machine This invention relates to coin ortoken freed vending machines of the kind which require a returnable emptycontainerto be putintothe machine before it may be operated to deliver a replacement full container.

The invention was devised for the vending of cylinders of compressed gas. Such cylinders are usually morevaluablethan the gastheycontain and so it is very important commerciallythat a sale is effected onlywhen a genuine cylinder is presented to the machine buy a prospective purchaser.

Afurtherand more important reason for care in monitoring the genuineness ofthe empty cylinder arises because gases ofdiffentkindsaresold in cylinders which differ only to a slight extent, often only in the details ofthe cylindervalve. Thus,there is ariskthata purchaser acting in good faith and wishing to purchase, say, carbon dioxide may present an empty cylinderforthat gas, to a machine, or machine section selling, say, butane. Unlessthe butane machine rejects the carbon dioxide cylinder with certainty and refuses to dispense a cylinder of butane in exchange for it, the purchaser may mistakenly accept the butane for carbon dioxide with possibly disastrous consequences when later attempting to use the gas.

Therefore it is an object of the invention to provide acoinortokenfreedvending machine for cylinders of compressed gas which before dispensing a full cylinder of gas must receive an identicai cylinder with an identical valve.

The only prior proposal for a gas cylindervending machine ofwhich we are aware is that of French patent application No 8317051. In that case there is virtually no checkon the natureoftheemptycylinder and none whatsoever on the nature of its valve.

Indeed itwould seem that any objectof approximately the same size and weight as the relevant empty cylinderwould free the machine fora dispensing operation.

Another item of relevant prior art is French patent application No. 83 20757. This discloses an empty bottle accepting apparatus including a sensing arrangementwhich is responsive to the profile shape of a bottle's neck and shoulders. The apparatus includes a data processorwhich compares the sensing arrangement's output with a memorised standard and controls the operation of the apparatus in a way depending on the closeness of the comparison.

This invention consists in a coin, card, key or token freed vending machineforvalved cylinders of compressed gas comprising a supporting structure having a front panel with a door opening therein, a storage conveyoradapted to hoid a gas cylinder in each of a plurality of locations in an equally spaced sequence of locations, conveyor drive means which each time they are actuated drive said conveyor an incremental distance equal to the spacing between two locations, a transfer cradle shaped to snugly receive and locate a valved gas cylinder of predetermined shape and dimensions and disposed intermediate said dooropening and offand on loading stations for said conveyor, cradle drive means which each time they are actuated shift said cradle from a rest position in which it may accept an empty cylinderthrough said door opening to a first operative position in which it discharges the empty cylinder into said conveyor then to a second operative position, in which it accepts a full cylinder discharged from said conveyor, and then back to its rest position, a plurality of sensor means each adapted to issue an electric signal when a predetermined condition is sensed, at least some plurality of said sensor means being associated with said cradle and being respectively responsive to characteristics of a cylinder and its valve if present in said cradle, and a data processor receiving the signals from the sensor means and issuing a control signal or signals if the received signals comply with a signal profile held inthe memoryofthe processor, which control signal or signals causes an actuation ofthe machine.

In preferred embodiments the processor controls a visual display panel on the front of the machine, which informs the user ofthe machine's status and prompts him in respect of any actions he musttake to effectthetransaction required.

By way of example an embodiment of the above described invention is described in more detail belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure lisa diagrammatic side elevation of a vending machine or machine section according to the invention.

Figure2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a transfercradle being a component ofthe machine of Figure 1 drawn to a larger scale shown holding a gas cylinder.

Figure 3 is a sectional viewtaken on line Ill-Ill of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a conveyor carrier being a component of the machine of Figure 1 drawn two a largerscaleshown holding a gas cylinder.

Figures 5A to 5Eare diagrams showing successive stages in the operation of the machine of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Figure4.

The illustrated embodiment comprises a cabinet7 with an internal framework (not shown) housing and supporting the remaining components ofthe machine. The cabinet7 has a front panel 8 with an access doorway therethrough, which is normally closed provided with a door 9.

The subject matter of Figure 1 may bethewholeof a machine dedicated to the supply of a single product. More usually it is a section of a multi-product machine in which each section may hold and dispense differing products.

Thus a number of transactions are possible depending on what product is sought and whether or not the prospective purchaser has an empty container to return.

Therefore a prospective purchaserfirstly indicates the nature of the transaction he wishes to make by, for example, operating a push-button key-pad or the like. The signals so generated by the purchaser are fed to a data processor wh ich thereafter ensu res that subsequent operations are in accord with that requirement.

The cabinet7 houses coin monitoring devices (not shown) of conventional kind having coin inlet slots in thefront panel 8. Upon the coin monitoring device receiving the amount appropriate to the type of transaction involved it signals the data processor (not shown) controlling the operation ofthe machine as a whole.

If the transaction is one involving the return of an empty cylinder the processor energises a solenoid (not shown), which unlocks door 9 and initiates a motor (not shown) to open it and awaits further input signals before proceeding further. Ifthetransaction is one not involving the return of an empty cylinder the processor proceeds directly with a dispensing operation as described below with reference to the first mentioned type of transaction.

When the door 9 opens the customer is presented with an empty cylinder transfer cradle 10 readyto receive an empty cylinder E.

The transfer cradle 10 has a recess to accomodate the cylinder E which, as may best be seen in Figure 2, is shaped as a snug fit aboutthe cylinder including such a fit aboutthe neck and valve 11 of the cylinder.

Thus any cylinder or other article which is substantially different from the correct cylinder and which may be presented by the customer would either not enterthe recess orwould incompletely fil 1- it.

The cradle 10is preferably a hollow moulding of a durable and tough plastics material and is mounted for rotation about axles 12 underthe influence of geared motor 13. The arrangement is such thatwhen the motor 13 is actuated the cradle 10 is rotated one half revolution, reversing the motorthen returns the cradle to its starting position.

The cradle 10 effectively blocks access to the interiorofthecabinet7and in particulartoachain conveyor 14therein.

The conveyor 14 comprises a pair of endless chains 15trained around paired drivewheels 16 and idler wheels 17so asto follow a pair of sapced apart, mutually paralle, tortuous paths and a plurality of cylinder carriers 18 bridging from chain to chain and suspended therefrom. The carriers 18 are equally spaced apart along the chains 15.

The conveyor 14 is driven by a second motor 19 connected to the drive wheels 16. The arrangement is such that each timethe motor 19 is actuated the conveyor chains are advanced by a distance equal to the spacing between adjacent carriers 18.

A plurality of proximity sensors 20 are disposed within the cradle 10. Those sensors maybe conventional commercially available items. They are essentially switches which close whenever an object comes into close proximity with the end ofthe sensor. Thus all of the sensors respond if a body of the same shape and size as the relevant cylinder is placed in the cradle 10, but at least one of the sensors 20 would be unaffected if an over- or under-sized bodywereto be presented.

Afurther plurality of proximity sensors 21 are clustered at one end of the cradle 10, being the end adapted neatlyto accommodate the valve 11 of a cylinder E. The sensitive faces of sensors 21 are positioned so that all of the sensors 21 respond when and only when a cylinder with a correctly shaped valve is ensconced in the cradle 10.

For preferencethere are magnetically operated sensors in the cradle 10 which determine whether the cylinder E and valve is a steel or a non-ferrous material and signals accordingly.

Also there may be an optical sensor responsive to the fluorescence of a plastics cap,when illuminated by ultraviolet light, trained on the cylinder immediately upstream of the cradle 10own onthe conveyor 1 4to check ch eck that checkthatthatcylinderhassucha cap and therefore is indeed a full cylinder. The caps in question are applied to cylinders as they are factory filled and are necessarily destroyed bythe consumer when first taking gas from a cylinder.

Signals from all the sensors arefed to the data processor and if everything is consistent with a genuine cylinder having been placed in the cradle after coins appropriate to a full for empty type transaction have been received or with an empty cradle if coins appropriate to an initial purchase of a full cylinder have been received the processor issues controlsignalstoactuatethemotorsl3and 19.

There may be a slight time delay between the actuation of the motors, ortheireffective driving speeds may vary so that effective synchronisation of their operations occurs or the progress of motor 19 may be made contingent on that of motor 13. In any eventthe issuance of the go signal causes the sequence of events illustrated by Figures SAto 5Eto occur.

In Figure 5A an empty cylinder E has been piaced in the cradle 10. Afull cylinder F is held bya carrier 18 in an off loading station adjacent and slightly above the cradle. An empty carrier 18 is disposed in an on loading station also adjacent the cradle but slightly below it. It will be noted that the carriers in Figure 5A have been turned somewhat from their freely hanging position as shown for example in Figure 6.

Thatturning is dueto engagement of the carriers 18 descending past the cradle 10with appropriate guides 22 and is to facilitate the movement of cylinders into and out of the carriers in the on and off loading stations.

In Figure 5B the cradle has been turned clockwise buy a half revolution and the empty cylinder rolls from the cradle 10 across a support 23 into the formerly empty carrier 18.

In Figure 5C the conveyor 14 has been actuated and the flight adjacent the cradle 10 moved downwardlyto causefull cylinder Fto be forced by a fixed arm 24 from its carrier 18 to rest upon the arm 24 and the outer surface of the cradle.

In Figure 5D the cradle 10 has returned partway backto its starting position andthefull cylinder has thereby rolled from the arm 24 into the cradle recess.

In Figure5Ethecradle 10 has returned andthefull cylinder in it may be removed by the customerwhen the door opens. Atthe same time the conveyor 14 has finished its incremental movement so that another carrier 18 holding another full cylinder is in the off loading station and previouslyfilled but now empty carrier has moved into the on loading station.

Once the full cylinder has been removed by the customer the door 9 closes as instructed by the processor and the machine is reset for another vending operation.

The data processor may also be conditioned to respond to a magnetically encoded credit card orthe like in lieu of coins. It may also be responsive to a similar inputto adopt a loading mode in which it permits repeated operation or operation of the conveyor 14 onlyto enable the machine two be emptied of empty cylinders and recharged with full cylinders by an operator.

In other embodiments of the invention the sensors 20 and 21 may be supplemented or even replaced by other conventional sensor means, for example optical sensors responsive to identifying indicia such as a bar code applied to the cylinders ortothe cylinder colour.

Claims (8)

1. A coin, card, key or token freed vending machineforvalved cylinders of compressed gas comprising a supporting structure having a front panel with a door opening therein, a storage conveyor adapted to hold a gas cylinder in each of a plurality of locations in an equally spaced sequence of locations, conveyor drive means which each time they are actuated drive said conveyor an incremental distance equal to the spacing between two locations, a transfer cradle shaped to snugly receive and locate a valved gas cylinder of predetermined shape and dimensions and disposed intermediate said door opening and off and on loading stations for said conveyor, cradle drive means which each time they are actuated shift said cradle from a rest position in which it may accept an empty cylinderthrough said door opening to a first operative position in which it discharges the empty cylinder onto said conveyor then to a second operative position in which it accepts a full cylinder discharged from said conveyor and then back to its rest position, a plurality of sensor means each adapted to issue an electric signal when a predetermined condition is sensed, at least some plurality of said sensor means being associated with said cradle and being respectively responsive to characteristics of a cylinder and its valve if present in said cradle, and a data processor receiving the signals from the sensor means and issuing a control signal or signals if the received signals comply with a signal profile held in the memory of the processor, which control signal or signals causes an actuation ofthe machine.

2. A machine according to Claim 1 wherein said characteristics include the material ofwhich the cylinder and valve is made.

3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein said characteristics include the shape and dimensions of the cylinder or valve.

4. A machine according to claim 1 housing customer operable input means, whereby a customer may indicate the kind oftransaction required and the processorthen selects a corresponding signal profile.

5. Avending machine according to claim 1, wherein said storage conveyor is a tortuous chain conveyor.

6. Avending machine according to claim 1, wherein said cradle is a hollow plastics moulding and wherein said sensor means comprises proximity sensors within the hollow interior of said moulding.

7. Avending machine according to claim 1, wherein said sensor means include a sensor responsive to a plastics cap on a cylinder about to be dispensed to check that it is a full cylinder.

8. Avending machine substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.