KR102226799B1 - Insect vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an insect vending machine. The insect vending machine may comprise: a housing in the form of an enclosure with a discharge unit; a breeding shelf disposed inside the housing, extending in a horizontal direction, and having a space on an upper surface for breeding a plurality of insects; a measurement shelf disposed below one end of the breeding shelf, provided with a weight sensor capable of measuring the weight of the insects applied to the bottom surface, and having a downwardly inclined surface; a basket disposed below an end of the inclined surface and having the open top; a mounting module disposed above the basket and having a mounting unit mountable to the basket; a guide plate disposed on the side of the basket and connected to the discharge unit; and a mounting module moving motor connected to the mounting module and mounting the mounting module in the basket to be seated on the guide plate.

Description

Insect Vending Machine{INSECT VENDING MACHINE}

The present invention relates to an insect vending machine for automatically managing and selling insects.

Conventionally, an insect breeding apparatus for breeding insects and selling them as edible insects is disclosed as in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2020-0100467 (hereinafter referred to as'Patent Document 1'). According to Patent Document 1, insects are reared by stacking a plurality of cages on a main frame, and a feed inlet for providing food to the insects is separately installed in each of the plurality of cages.

For example, the main food for insects such as crickets is vegetables, and in the conventional insect breeding apparatus such as Patent Document 1, users usually purchase vegetables grown outside and put them into each cage in which insects are raised.

However, conventionally, only devices for rearing insects in large quantities in edible insect breeding grounds have been disclosed, and development of a device for directly selling insects to users is insufficient.

The reason is that conventionally, insects bred in this way are mainly processed and sold for use as edible insects. That is, since the edible insects in the dead state are processed, there is no big problem in packaging and selling the processed edible insects individually to consumers.

However, in order to supply live insects to consumers, not processed edible insects, it is necessary to properly maintain the breeding environment of insects during the distribution process.

Conventionally, it was common for intermediate-stage retailers to receive insects from factories that breed insects and sell them to consumers, and there was an inconvenience of individually controlling the breeding environment of insects in the distribution process.

Accordingly, there is a need for a device that enables users to easily purchase live insects by selling insects through a vending machine without going through a retailer, and to automatically adjust the breeding environment of insects within the vending machine.

On the other hand, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2001-0077022 (hereinafter referred to as'Patent Document 2') discloses an insect vending machine, but this corresponds to a vending machine that can be used not only for insects but also for food, etc. There is no detailed description of how to manage insects and how to move them and supply them to users.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0100467 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2001-0077022

An object of the present invention is to provide an insect vending machine capable of rearing insects inside a vending machine, but discharging a quantity of insects and providing them to a user.

The present invention for solving the above problems relates to an insect vending machine. The device includes: a housing in the form of a case in which a discharge port is formed; A breeding shelf disposed inside the housing, extending in a horizontal direction, and provided with a space for breeding a plurality of insects on an upper surface; A measuring shelf disposed below one end of the breeding shelf, provided with a weight sensor capable of measuring the weight of insects applied to the bottom surface, and having an inclined surface inclined downward; A basket disposed below an end portion of the inclined surface and having an open upper portion; A mounting module disposed above the basket and having a mounting portion mountable to the basket; A guide plate disposed on the side of the basket and connected to the discharge port; And a mounting module moving motor connected to the mounting module and mounting the mounting module to the basket to be seated on the guide plate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it may further include a tilt control drive motor connected to the breeding shelf to adjust the inclination of the breeding shelf.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an operation unit for summing the weight of insects measured by the weight sensor; And a tilt control control unit for controlling the driving of the tilt control drive motor, wherein the tilt control control unit receives a sum value of the weights of insects from the operation unit, and the tilt control control unit controls the breeding shelf to be tilted, When the sum of the weights of insects reaches a preset value, the inclination of the breeding shelf can be reduced.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a fan mounted on the other side of the breeding shelf may be further included, and the fan may apply wind pressure toward the one end of the breeding shelf.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of nozzles for supplying water and feed for insects to the upper surface of the breeding shelf may be provided on the upper side of the breeding shelf.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of breeding shelves are arranged in parallel with different heights,

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle may be mounted on the lower side of the second breeding shelf, which is disposed above the first breeding shelf, among the breeding shelves.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a ventilation fan provided on one side wall of the housing so as to communicate inside and outside of the housing and driven by a motor; And a light source provided on the upper surface of the breeding shelf and providing light necessary for breeding insects.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of sensors for sensing the temperature and humidity inside the housing; And a temperature/humidity controller controlling the opening/closing of the nozzle, driving of the ventilation fan, and intensity of the light source so that the temperature and humidity inside the housing are maintained at predetermined values.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the breeding shelf includes a body plate, an inclined plate on which an upper surface of the breeding shelf is formed, and an inclination adjustment module for adjusting the inclination of the inclined plate, and the inclination adjustment module comprises: At the other end of the shelf, a lower end is mounted on the main plate and an upper end is mounted on the inclined plate, and includes a height adjustment guide to which the height adjustment unit is slidably coupled, and the inclination adjustment drive motor It is connected to the height adjuster to adjust the height of the height adjuster.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion mounting arm; A basket lid mounted on the mounting arm and having a shape capable of being coupled to the basket; And a pressure device for lowering the mounting arm to couple the basket lid to the basket, and a guide rail for moving the mounting module toward the guide plate may be formed on a lower side of the breeding shelf.

According to the present invention, insects can be automatically managed and sold in a vending machine, and insects can be supplied according to a user's order by controlling elements necessary for the survival of insects inside the vending machine.

In addition, insects are sold through vending machines without going through a retailer so that users can easily purchase live insects.

1 is a perspective view exemplarily showing an insect vending machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the internal configurations of the insect vending machine of FIG. 1.
3 is a side view partially showing a state in which the inclination of the breeding shelf of FIG. 2 is adjusted so that the insect slides along the slope of the breeding shelf to reach the measurement shelf.
4 is a side view partially showing a state in which the weight of an insect is measured in the measurement shelf of FIG. 3 and the insect slides into a basket.
5A and 5B are side views partially showing a state in which the basket is mounted on the mounting module and sent to the discharge port through the guide plate, respectively.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing components for controlling the breeding environment of insects in the measurement shelf of FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail for the implementation of the present invention. In the description of the present invention, when it is determined that the subject matter of the present invention may be unnecessarily obscure as matters apparent to those skilled in the art with respect to known functions related to the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a perspective view exemplarily showing an insect vending machine according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the internal configurations of the insect vending machine of FIG. 1.

1 and 2, the insect vending machine according to the present invention includes a housing 10, a breeding shelf 20, a measuring shelf 30, a basket 40, a mounting module 50, and a guide plate 60. , A mounting module moving motor 70, and a tilt control drive motor 80.

The housing 10 is designed in the form of a housing in which a discharge port 11 is formed. The housing 10 includes not only a discharge port 11 on the outer front surface, but also a touch pad 12, a payment machine 13, and an external display unit 14, and a ventilation port 15 communicating with the inside on a side surface.

The type and quantity of insects reared inside the housing 10 are displayed on the touch pad 12. The user can select the type and quantity of insects through the touch pad 12 and pay the corresponding fee through a card, cash, and an app through the payment machine 13. When payment is completed, the user can receive the selected insect through the discharge port 11.

The breeding shelf 20 is disposed inside the housing 10, is formed extending in a horizontal direction, and a space for breeding a plurality of insects is provided on the upper surface 22a. Breeding insects may be, for example, crickets, but are not limited thereto. The breeding shelf 20 may be mounted on a rear inner wall of the housing 10, which is opposite to the front surface of the housing 10 provided with the discharge port 11 of the housing 10. The breeding shelf 20 may extend in the width direction of the housing 10 toward the front surface of the housing 10.

The breeding shelf 20 may be composed of a plurality, and in this case, each breeding shelf 20 may be disposed in parallel with different heights from each other. In addition, insects of different size ranges may be reared on each breeding shelf 20. For example, insects of small, medium, and large individuals may be reared in each breeding shelf 20 according to a predetermined range.

3 is a side view partially showing a state in which the inclination of the breeding shelf of FIG. 2 is adjusted so that the insect slides along the slope of the breeding shelf to reach the measurement shelf. 4 is a side view partially showing a state in which the weight of an insect is measured in the measurement shelf of FIG. 3 and the insect slides into a basket.

Referring to FIG. 3, a tilt control driving motor 80 for adjusting the inclination of the breeding shelf 20 is connected to the breeding shelf 20. The breeding shelf 20 includes a main body plate 21, an inclined plate 22 on which an upper surface 22a of the breeding shelf 20 is formed, and an inclination adjustment module 23 for adjusting the inclination of the inclined plate 22 can do. Meanwhile, the tilt control control unit 110 may control the driving of the tilt control drive motor 80.

The tilt adjustment module 23 is installed at the other end of the breeding shelf 20 opposite the discharge port 11. The inclination adjustment module 23 is a height adjustment guide in which the lower end is mounted on the body plate 21 and the upper end is mounted on the inclined plate 22, and the height adjustment unit 231 and the height adjustment unit 231 are slidably coupled to each other. (232) may be included. The height adjustment tool 231 and the height adjustment guide 232 may have a predetermined height and may extend perpendicularly to the body plate 21.

The tilt adjustment drive motor 80 is connected to the height adjustment tool 231 to adjust the height of the height adjustment tool 231. For example, the tilt adjustment drive motor 80 may adjust the height of the height adjustment member 231 by sliding the height adjustment member 231 in the height adjustment guide 232 in the height direction.

Insects reared on the upper surface of the breeding shelf 20 slide along the slope of the breeding shelf 20 and move to the measurement shelf 30 disposed below one end of the breeding shelf 20. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of breeding shelves 20, the inclination adjustment module 23 is adjusted so that only the breeding shelves 20 corresponding to the size range of the insect selected by the user are inclined.

A fan 91 may be provided on the other side of the breeding shelf 20 opposite the discharge port 11. The fan 91 may apply wind pressure toward one end of the breeding shelf 20 toward the measurement shelf 30. Through this, insects on the breeding shelf 20 can more easily move to the measurement shelf 30. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of breeding shelves 20, it is controlled to operate only the fan 91 provided in the breeding shelf 20 corresponding to the size range of the insect selected by the user.

According to an embodiment, the slope or wind pressure applied to the breeding shelf 20 in which the size range of the insect selected by the user is relatively large is the slope applied to the breeding shelf 20 in which the size range of the insect selected by the user is relatively small, or It can be controlled to be a value greater than the wind pressure.

4, the measuring shelf 30 is disposed below one end of the breeding shelf 20 on the discharge port 11 side. The measuring shelf 30 is provided with a weight sensor 33 capable of measuring the weight of insects applied to the bottom surface 31. In addition, an inclined surface 32 inclined downward is formed on the measurement shelf 30.

A fan (not shown) that provides wind toward the inclined surface 32 above the bottom surface 31 of the measurement shelf 30 so that insects can move from the bottom surface 31 of the measurement shelf 30 to the inclined surface 32 ) It may be installed or formed so that the bottom surface 31 is inclined toward the inclined surface 32. Insects are seated on the bottom surface 31 of the measuring shelf 30 from the breeding shelf 20, and the weight is measured by the weight sensor 33, and then move into the basket 40 through the inclined surface 32.

On the other hand, the weight sensor 33 transmits the weight information of the insect seated on the bottom surface 31 of the measuring shelf 30 to the calculation unit 120. The calculation unit 120 adds up the weights of insects measured by the weight sensor 33. The operation unit 120 is designed to add up the weight of insects for each of the user's order requests.

The tilt adjustment control unit 110 (refer to FIG. 3) receives the sum of the weights of insects from the operation unit 120. In response to the user's request for an order, the inclination control control unit 110 controls the rearing shelf 20 to which insects of the size range ordered by the user are assigned to be inclined. Then, when the sum of the weights of the insects reaches a preset value, the tilt control control unit 110 decreases the slope of the breeding shelf 20 so that the insects on the breeding shelf 20 move to the measurement shelf 30. You can control it so that it doesn't. At this time, for example, the inclination adjustment control unit 110 may control the breeding shelf 20 to return to an initial horizontal state by setting the inclination of the breeding shelf 20 to 0.

5A and 5B are side views partially showing a state in which the basket is mounted on the mounting module and sent to the discharge port through the guide plate, respectively.

5A and 5B, the basket 40 is disposed under the inclined surface 32 of the measuring shelf 30 and formed to open the upper part. Insects move from the inclined surface 32 of the measuring shelf 30 to the inside of the basket 40 and are accommodated in the basket 40. The basket 40 may be plural, and the plurality of baskets 40 may be accommodated in a manner that is stacked on each other in the storage housing 41. Meanwhile, the guide plate 60 is disposed on the side of the basket 40 and is connected to the discharge port 11.

A lifting module 42 for lifting the basket 40 may be mounted under the storage housing 41. The lifting module 42 may include a fixture 42a and an actuator 42b. When the fixing table 42a is raised by a predetermined height by the actuator 42b, the height of the stacked baskets 40 also increases. When the mounting module 50 mounts the top-floor basket 40-1 and sends it to the discharge port 11 through the guide plate 60, the rising module 42 moves the upper-floor basket 40 below the top-floor basket 40-1. -2) raises the fixing bar 42a so that it replaces the uppermost basket 40-1.

The mounting module 50 is disposed above the basket 40 and includes a mounting portion 51 that can be mounted on the basket 40. The mounting portion 51 is mounted on the mounting arm 511, the basket lid 512 having a shape that can be coupled to the basket 40, and the basket lid 512 by lowering the mounting arm 511. It may include a pressure device 513 coupled to the basket 40. The pressure device 513 may be driven by an actuator (not shown) connected to the pressure device 513. Meanwhile, in the basket 40 and/or the basket lid 512, a plurality of pores 512a for respiration of insects may be formed.

The mounting module moving motor 70 may be connected to the mounting module 50 and mounted on the guide plate 60 by mounting the mounting module 50 in the basket 40. A guide rail 24 for moving the mounting module 50 toward the guide plate 60 may be formed on the lower side of the breeding shelf 20 disposed on the basket 40 side. The mounting module moving motor 70 may be composed of a plurality of motors, and may include a motor for moving the pressure device 513 in a vertical direction, and a motor for moving the mounting module 50 in a horizontal direction. .

The mounting module moving motor 70 lowers the pressure device 513 to couple the basket lid 512 of the mounting portion 51 to the basket 40, and then mounts the basket 40 on the support 43. Then, the mounting module 50 is moved along the guide rail 24 toward the guide plate 60 by a predetermined distance. When the mounting arm 511 is released from the combination with the basket lid 512, the package p, in which the basket 40 and the basket lid 512 are combined, is transferred to the guide plate 60 by the withdrawal guide 44. Guided.

The withdrawal guide 44 is rotatably fixed with the supporter 43 in the vertical direction of the supporter 43, and when the packaged product (p) moves horizontally and contacts, it is pushed by the packaged product (p) and rotates to rotate the guide plate 60 ), and when the packaged product (p) is completely moved to the guide plate 60, it returns to its original position. In this way, the packaged product p is discharged through the discharge port 11 along the guide plate 60 and supplied to the user.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing components for controlling the breeding environment of insects in the measurement shelf of FIG. 2.

Each configuration for controlling the breeding environment of insects according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6 as follows.

A plurality of nozzles 92 for supplying water and feed for insects to the upper surface of the breeding shelf 20 may be provided on the upper side of the breeding shelf 20. The plurality of nozzles 92 includes a nozzle for supplying water and a nozzle for supplying feed for insects. The nozzle 92 may be mounted on the lower side of the second breeding shelf 20-2 disposed above the first breeding shelf 20-1 of the breeding shelf 20. Through this, even if a separate mounting table for mounting the nozzle 92 is not used, the nozzle 92 can be provided on the breeding shelf 20 already provided, so that a limited space in the insect vending machine can be efficiently used.

Meanwhile, a ventilation fan 93 may be provided on the side of the ventilation port 15 of the housing 10. The ventilation fan 93 is provided on one side wall of the housing 10 so as to communicate the inside and outside of the housing 10, and is driven by a motor. In addition, a light source 94 may be installed on the upper surface of the breeding shelf 20 to provide light necessary for breeding insects.

A plurality of sensors (not shown) for sensing temperature and humidity inside the housing 10 may be provided in the housing 10. In addition, the temperature and humidity control unit 100 that controls the opening and closing of the nozzle 92, the driving of the ventilation fan 93, and the intensity of the light source 94 so that the temperature and humidity inside the housing 10 are maintained at predetermined values. It is equipped. The temperature and humidity control unit 100 may control the temperature and humidity inside the insect vending machine according to an environment required according to the type of insects reared in the insect vending machine.

The scope of protection in this field is not limited to the description and expression of the embodiments explicitly described above. In addition, it is added once again that the scope of protection of the present invention may not be limited due to obvious changes or substitutions in the technical field to which the present invention pertains.

10: housing 11: discharge port
12: touchpad 13: payment machine
14: external display unit 15: ventilation port
20: breeding shelf 20-1: 1st breeding shelf
20-2: second breeding shelf 21: body plate
22: inclined plate 22a: upper surface of the breeding shelf
23: inclination adjustment module 231: height adjustment
232: height adjustment guide 30: measuring shelf
31: floor surface 32: slope
33: weight sensor 40: basket
40-1: top floor basket 40-2: second floor basket
41: storage housing 42: lifting module
42a: fixture 42b: actuator
43: support rod 44: exit guide
50: mounting module 51: mounting portion
511: mounting arm 512: basket lid
513: pressure device 60: guide plate
70: mounting module moving motor
80: tilt control drive motor
91: fan 92: nozzle
93: ventilation fan 94: light source
100: temperature and humidity control unit 110: tilt control control unit
p: package

Claims (10)

A housing in the form of a case having a discharge port;
A breeding shelf disposed inside the housing, extending in a horizontal direction, and provided with a space for breeding a plurality of insects on an upper surface;
A measuring shelf disposed below one end of the breeding shelf, provided with a weight sensor capable of measuring the weight of insects applied to the bottom surface, and having an inclined surface inclined downward;
A basket disposed below an end portion of the inclined surface and having an open upper portion;
A mounting module disposed above the basket and having a mounting portion mountable to the basket;
A guide plate disposed on the side of the basket and connected to the discharge port; And
An insect vending machine comprising a mounting module moving motor connected to the mounting module and mounting the mounting module to the basket to be seated on the guide plate.
The method of claim 1,
It is connected to the breeding shelf and characterized in that it further comprises a tilt control drive motor for adjusting the inclination of the breeding shelf, insect vending machine.
The method of claim 2,
An operation unit for summing the weights of insects measured by the weight sensor; And
It includes a tilt control control unit for controlling the driving of the tilt control drive motor,
The tilt control control unit receives the sum value of the weights of insects from the operation unit, and the tilt control control unit controls the breeding shelf to be inclined, and when the sum of the weights of the insects reaches a preset value, An insect vending machine, characterized in that the slope is reduced.
The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a fan mounted on the other side of the breeding shelf,
The fan is an insect vending machine, characterized in that the wind pressure is applied to the one end side of the breeding shelf.
The method of claim 1,
An insect vending machine, characterized in that a plurality of nozzles for supplying water and feed for insects to the upper surface of the breeding shelf are provided on the upper side of the breeding shelf.
The method of claim 5,
The breeding shelves are plural and are arranged in parallel at different heights,
The nozzle is characterized in that mounted on the lower side of the second rearing shelf, which is disposed above the first rearing shelf, of the breeding shelf.
The method of claim 5,
A ventilation fan provided on one side wall of the housing and driven by a motor to communicate the inside and outside of the housing; And
It is provided on the upper surface of the breeding shelf, characterized in that it comprises a light source for providing light necessary for breeding insects, insect vending machine.
The method of claim 7,
A plurality of sensors sensing temperature and humidity inside the housing; And
And a temperature/humidity controller configured to control the opening/closing of the nozzle, driving of the ventilation fan, and intensity of the light source so that the temperature and humidity inside the housing are maintained at predetermined values.
The method of claim 2,
The breeding shelf includes a body plate, an inclined plate on which an upper surface of the breeding shelf is formed, and an inclination adjustment module for adjusting the inclination of the inclined plate,
The inclination adjustment module, at the other end of the breeding shelf, includes a height adjustment unit having a lower end mounted on the main plate and an upper end mounted on the inclined plate, and a height adjustment guide to which the height adjustment unit is slidably coupled. And
The tilt adjustment drive motor is connected to the height adjustment device, characterized in that to adjust the height of the height adjustment device, insect vending machine.
The method of claim 1,
The mounting portion mounting arm; A basket lid mounted on the mounting arm and having a shape capable of being coupled to the basket; And a pressure device for lowering the mounting arm to couple the basket lid to the basket,
An insect vending machine, characterized in that a guide rail for moving the mounting module toward the guide plate is formed on a lower side of the breeding shelf.

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