JPS5922618Y2 - Ice cube vending machine ice detection device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an ice presence detection device for detecting the presence or absence of ice in the water storage section of an ice cube vending machine.

Conventionally, as this type of detection device, an electric detection device using a thermostat alone or a combination of a thermostat and a heater, and a mechanical detection device consisting of an ice detection plate installed in a water storage portion have been proposed.

Unlike electrical detection devices, this mechanical detection device is superior in that it can reliably detect the presence of ice regardless of the ambient temperature.However, with conventional mechanical detection devices, when the outside temperature becomes high, the ice detection When the surrounding ice melts and the ice arches near the ice detection plate, the ice presence/absence switch associated with the ice detection plate will signal that there is no ice, even though there is a sufficient amount of ice in the water reservoir. There were cases where the ice cube vending machine was set to a state where sales were stopped.

Moreover, if this condition continues, a large amount of ice adheres to each other in the water storage section, making it difficult to release the ice. It was found that there was a problem with the motor causing abnormalities.

The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional mechanical detection devices.The ice detection device according to the present invention is equipped with a control circuit device that compensates for the above-mentioned drawbacks. , this control circuit device is capable of dispensing ice cubes even if the ice cube vending machine is in the standby state and the ice presence/absence switch changes to the no ice position, that is, even if an arching condition occurs near the ice detection plate. The ice cube vending machine is kept in a standby state, and the ice feed screw is driven every time the ice cube vending machine sells the ice cubes.This ensures that the arching near the ice detection root is broken and the ice If the detection plate is pressed again by ice and the ice presence/absence switch issues an ice presence signal, the ice cube vending machine will be in standby mode when the sale is completed, and even after the ice feed screw operates during the sale, the ice presence/absence switch will indicate no ice. If the signal is to be output continuously, the ice cube vending machine is placed in a sales stop state after the sale is completed.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the ice detection device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the overall configuration of an ice cube vending machine to which the present invention is applied will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
The case designated by numeral 1 is box-shaped as a whole, and the case 1 is provided with an ice making mechanism section 2 and a water storage section 3, and the water storage section 3 is connected to a metering box 4 and an ice removal chamber 5. It is set up.

A door 6 is provided at the front of the ice removal chamber 5, and
An ice feeding screw 7 and an arching prevention screw 7' are rotatably attached to the water storage portion 3.

The specific configurations of the water storage section 3, metering box 4, and ice removal chamber 5 are as shown in FIG.

That is, in FIG. 3, a saucer 10 is provided at the bottom of the metering box 4 and is configured to be rotatable in the direction of arrow A around a fulcrum 9 by a spring member 8. Usually, the bottom of the metering box 4 is closed.

This metering box 4 is equipped with a water count motor 11 for rotatably opening and closing the saucer 10.
A reciprocating lever 13 is attached to a cam body 12 provided on the shaft 11a.

The lower end of this reciprocating lever 13 passes through an opening (not shown) in the saucer 10, and its tip is bent to form a locking portion 15, and furthermore, a rod-shaped pusher for pushing down the saucer is provided at the upper part. A member 16 is fixed.

The fixed quantity detection switch S1 provided at one end of the fixed quantity box 4 is
When a certain amount of ice cubes is present on the tray 10, the tilting operation of the tray 10, which tilts slightly downward from the illustrated closed position, is detected, and the detection causes the ice feeding screw 7 and the anti-arching screw 7 to move as described later. ’ drive motor G
At the same time as stopping M, the water output motor 11 is activated.

A fixed partition plate 19 projecting from the door 6 side and a movable partition plate 21 projecting from the back wall 20 are arranged in the ice removal chamber 5 so as to partition the ice removal chamber 5.

The tip of the fixed partition plate 19 has a locking part 22 bent in an inverted shape.
The movable partition plate 21 has a weight 2 under normal conditions.
Due to the action of 3, the tip end comes into contact with the locking part 22,
It is connected to the fixed partition plate 22.

Further, an ice removal container 24 can be taken in and out of the ice removal chamber 5.

In such an ice cube vending machine, according to the present invention,
As shown in FIG.
5 are arranged.

The predetermined portion refers to a portion where the amount of water stored below the portion is greater than the amount of water sold in at least one selling operation of the ice cube vending machine.

This ice detection plate 25 and the related ice presence/absence switch S
The details of No. 3 are as shown in FIG.

That is, in FIG. 4, there is a guide body 27 fixed to the inner surface of the wall 3a of the water storage section 3 by a suitable means such as a screw 26, and a bolt and nut assembly is located relatively below the guide body 27. A bracket 29 connected by a body 28 is provided, and the ice detection plate 25 is rotatably supported by the bracket 29 at its lower end.

The guide body 27 and the wall portion 3a have slits 30 in corresponding parts.
is provided, and the upper end of the ice detection plate 25 has a slit 3.
0 and protrudes outside the water storage section 3.

On the other hand, a switch box 31 is fixed to the outer surface of the wall portion 3a by suitable means (not shown), and a micro switch, that is, an ice presence/absence switch S3 is housed inside the switch box 31.

32 is pivotally connected at one end to the ice presence/absence switch S3;
The other end is a switch actuating arm extending outside the switch box 31, and the other end of the actuating arm 32 can come into contact with the upper end of the ice detection plate 25 protruding from inside the ice storage section.

Therefore, if the ice cubes are not stored up to the predetermined portion of the water storage section 3 where the ice detection plate 25 is installed, the ice detection plate 25 is not pushed by the ice cubes and remains at the position shown by the solid line, so the operating arm 3
2 is also in the solid line position shown in the figure, and the ice presence/absence switch S3 is in the no ice position.

Also, ice cubes (shown with imaginary lines in Figure 4) up to the predetermined part.
If ice is stored, both the ice detection plate 25 and the actuating arm 32 are pushed clockwise to the position shown by the imaginary line, so that the ice presence/absence switch S3 assumes the ice presence position.

However, if an arching phenomenon of ice cubes occurs near the ice detection plate 25 as schematically shown in FIG. Please be careful about taking .

With conventional mechanical detection devices, even when such an arching phenomenon occurs, the ice presence/absence switch issues a no-ice signal, causing the ice cube vending machine to stop selling. Various problems were occurring.

The ice presence/absence detection device of the present invention detects the ice presence/absence switch S3 in the no-ice position when such an arching phenomenon occurs.
The aforementioned drive motor GM does not generate the no-ice signal immediately, but generates the no-ice signal only when the ice presence/absence switch S3 is still in the no-ice position after one sales operation is completed.
, a water discharge motor M, a quantitative detection switch S1, an ice presence/absence switch, etc., and a control circuit device 33 (FIG. 6).

In FIG. 6, in order to control the various elements as described above, the control circuit device 33 includes a wire 35 that is parallel to a wire 34 that connects in series the ice presence/absence switch 8 and the sellable display device (lamp) L2. The normally closed contact X2 of the relay X2, which is energized when the ice release switch S2 is closed, and the normally open contact X3 for self-holding of the relay X3 are connected in series, and the wires 34 and 35 are connected in series. is connected by wiring 36 between the normally closed contact X22 and the normally open contact X3, and between the sellable display device L2 and the ice presence/absence switch S3.

In addition, a normally open contact X23 of the relay X2 is provided in a wire 37 connected to a wire 36 in parallel with the wires 34 and 35, and the wire 36 is connected to the water discharge motor via the normally open contact X22 of the relay X2. Connected to M.

Therefore, when the ice presence/absence switch S3 is in the ice presence position as shown in FIG.
6 and the normally closed contact X2°, and is self-maintained by the closing of the normally open contact X3□ of the relay X3, and the normally closed contact X13 of the relay Terminal (2) of the coin selector C8 is energized through the ice cube vending machine, and the ice cube vending machine enters a sales standby state.

When a coin is inserted, terminals ■ and ■ become conductive and relay Turn off the power to terminal ■ and return any coins that have been inserted since then.

On the other hand, the drive motor GM is driven by the closing of the normally open contact X12 due to the energization of the relay X1, and the ice in the water storage section 3 is stirred by the anti-archpuffer screw 7 and transferred to the metering box 4 by the ice feeding screw 7. send.

When the quantitative detection switch S1 detects the supply of quantitative bone ice and its contact is switched, the water dischargeable lamp L4 lights up.

When the purchaser activates ice release switch S2, relay The light goes out, and the water discharge motor M is driven by closing the normally open contact X22 of the relay X2.

Accordingly, the tray 10 shown in FIG. 3 rotates clockwise, and the ice cubes in the quantitative box 4 are discharged into the ice removal container 24 in the ice removal chamber 5.

After release, the quantitative detection switch S1 returns to the state shown in FIG. 6 and releases the self-holding of the relay X2, but at this time, if the vehicle presence/absence switch S3 still detects the presence of ice,
As described above, relay X3 is energized and self-holding, and the ice cube vending machine is again in the standby state.

On the other hand, if an arching phenomenon occurs in the water storage section 3 as shown in FIG. 5 while waiting for sales, the ice presence/absence switch S3
It switches from the contact side (ice position) to the b contact side (no ice position), but as mentioned above, relay The machine will remain on standby for sale.

Therefore, arching is prevented by the rotation of the arch puffer prevention screw 7' and the ice feeding screw 7 during the next sales operation, or by the impact of the ice cubes that fall from the ice making section 2 approximately every 30 minutes. The reliable collapse eliminates the shortcomings caused by conventional mechanical sensing devices.

However, in the case of a true ice-free state where the ice presence/absence switch S3 is on the b contact side despite the driving of the drive motor GM in the next selling operation, the quantitative detection switch S1 detects the quantitative amount and switches. , the relay X2 is energized by the operation of the ice release switch S2, and the self-holding of the relay X3 is released when the normally closed contact X2□ is opened.

Therefore, the ice cube vending machine has coin selector C3 terminal■
A sales suspension state is entered in which the electricity is turned off and the sales suspension display device (lamp) L3 is energized, and this state continues until the ice presence/absence switch S3 detects the presence of ice.

The coin selector C3 shown in Fig. 6 is a well-known one, and the functions of each terminal are as follows: ■ and ■ are to constantly supply power, and ■ are to output when a coin is inserted (set price). When there is no change left in the coin selector change tube (not shown), the number ■ connects with the number ■, which sends a signal.
When the power supply to the ■ number-in is cut off, the solenoid (not shown) between the ■ number-in and the ■ number-in is demagnetized and a coin is placed in the coin selector C5. ■.

∎ and ∎ terminals.

As described above, according to the present invention, even if the ice cube vending machine is in the sales standby state and the ice presence/absence switch is changed to the no ice position, that is, even if an arching state occurs near the ice detection plate, Keep the ice cube vending machine ready for sale,
When the ice cube vending machine subsequently sells ice cubes, it always drives the ice feeding screw, which ensures that the arching near the ice detection root is broken, and the ice detection plate is pushed again by ice to detect whether or not there is ice. If the switch issues an ice signal,
If the ice cube vending machine enters the ice cube vending standby state when the sale is completed, and the ice presence/absence switch continues to output the no-ice signal even after the ice feed screw operates at the time of the sale, the ice cube vending machine has been discontinued.

Therefore, even if an arching condition occurs, unlike conventional mechanical detection devices, the ice cube vending machine does not issue an ice-free signal even though there is ice, and therefore does not cause the ice cube vending machine to stop selling. Therefore, no abnormality occurs in the ice feeding screw or its drive motor.

Moreover, since the configuration allows one sales operation even after the ice presence/absence switch has been moved to the no-ice position, arching can be broken by that sale, and the presence or absence of ice can be detected by the sales operation described above. After releasing water from the metering box at
Since this is performed when the quantitative detection device returns, the amount of water stored can be accurately detected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the overall configuration of an ice cube vending machine embodying the present invention, FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing a partial cross section when viewed from the left side of FIG. 1 with the front plate removed, Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the quantitative box in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I■-IV in Figure 1, Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the arching state near the ice detection root, FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of a control circuit device according to the present invention. In the figure, 2 is an ice making mechanism, 3 is a water storage unit, 4 is a quantitative box, 7 is an ice feed screw, 25 is an ice detection plate, 33 is a control circuit device, SL is a quantitative detection switch, S3 is an ice presence/absence switch,
GM is a drive motor, and M is a water discharge motor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] an ice making mechanism section, a water storage section for storing produced ice cubes, an ice feeding screw disposed at a lower portion within the water storage section, and a drive motor that is energized by coin insertion to drive the ice feeding screw. , for detecting the presence or absence of ice in the water storage section of an ice cube vending machine, which is equipped with a metering device having a metering detection switch and a water output motor, which receives ice cubes being fed by the drive of a water speed squirrel screw. , an ice detection plate rotatably supported at a predetermined portion of the water storage portion; and an ice detection plate disposed within a rotation range of the ice detection plate, and detecting the ice presence position or the absence of ice in response to the detection of the presence or absence of ice by the ice detection plate. an ice presence/absence switch that takes a position; and a control circuit device that controls the drive motor, water output motor, quantitative detection switch, and ice presence/absence switch; At some point, when the ice cube vending machine is placed in a sales standby state and the ice presence/absence switch is switched from the ice position to the no ice position, the ice feed screw or ice cubes are transferred to the metering device by the driving of the drive motor. the ice cube vending machine when the ice presence/absence switch is still in the no-ice position after the water discharge motor is driven by the metering detection switch detecting the metering of ice cubes in the metering device and switching over. An ice presence/absence detection device for an ice cube vending machine, characterized in that it is configured to put the ice cube in a discontinued state.