KR102588821B1 - Multi-use cup recovery apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a main body that allows sewage to be received from a reusable cup through a sewage inlet and provides an internal space for recovery of the reusable cup; A reader provided on the front part of the main body facing the front to read an NFC or RFID tag attached to the bottom of the reusable cup; A cup recovery unit that opens the inlet door provided in the main body when the reading of the tag by the reader is completed, so that the reusable cup is put into the inside of the main body and recovered; a display unit provided to display the recovery operation status and collection information of the reusable cup on the main body; an input unit provided in the main body to provide information on the person collecting the reusable cup; a communication unit providing collection information of the reusable cup and information of the retrieval participant through a communication network to a reusable cup collection server that performs a service related to the retrieval of the reusable cup; and a control unit that performs the control necessary for collecting the reusable cup. According to the present invention, it not only makes it easier to process beverages in reusable cups, but also improves convenience of use, and stimulates motivation to collect reusable cups through application of mileage, etc., thereby recovering reusable cups. and reuse efficiency, and can be applied to the recovery of reusable cups of various sizes.

Description

{Multi-use cup recovery apparatus}

The present invention relates to a reusable cup recovery device. More specifically, it not only facilitates the processing of beverages in reusable cups, but also improves convenience of use, enables effective recovery of reusable cups, and provides various sizes of reusable cups. This relates to a reusable cup recovery device that can be easily applied to recycle cup recovery.

In general, disposable products are manufactured using fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas, which generates a lot of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that causes climate change. In particular, synthetic resin, which accounts for a large portion of disposable products, contains carbon and generates a large amount of carbon dioxide.

In this way, disposable products waste energy and resources, cause climate change, environmental pollution due to long decomposition time, difficulty in waste disposal, and marine debris problems. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the use of these disposable products or place restrictions on their use.

Due to this need, the use of reusable cups is being encouraged, and in order to provide effectiveness in the use of these reusable cups, specific measures for recovery, cleaning, and reuse of reusable cups are required.

As a prior art related to the recovery of such reusable cups, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0134363 proposes “Cup supply and recovery device for repeated use of environmental cups and management system for repeated use of eco-friendly cups using this device.” There is a bar, which includes a supply cup storage unit storing a plurality of supply cups with cup identification information printed on them; a supply cup discharge unit that discharges the supply cup from the supply cup storage unit to the outside; a supply cup identification information recognition unit that recognizes cup identification information of the supply cup; a user information recognition unit that recognizes the user's identification information; A recovery cup identification information recognition unit that recognizes the cup identification information of the cup recovered after use; A recovery cup storage unit for loading cups recovered after use; a storage unit that stores the user information and the cup identification information; and a control unit that controls each of the components.

However, this prior art had the problem of not providing a method for disposing of beverages in a reusable cup, being insufficient in terms of convenience of use, and lacking motivation for collecting the reusable cup. In particular, the prior art had a problem in that it was difficult to apply to reusable cups of various sizes.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, the present invention not only facilitates the processing of beverages in reusable cups, but also improves convenience of use and motivates the recovery of reusable cups through application of mileage, etc. The purpose is to increase the efficiency of the recovery and reuse of reusable cups by stimulating the use of reusable cups and to enable them to be applied to the retrieval of reusable cups of various sizes.

Other objects of the present invention may be easily understood through the description of the examples below.

In order to achieve the above-described object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main body that allows sewage from a reusable cup to be received through a sewage inlet and provides an internal space for recovery of the reusable cup; A reader provided on the front part of the main body facing the front to read an NFC or RFID tag attached to the bottom of the reusable cup; A cup recovery unit that opens the inlet door provided in the main body when the reading of the tag by the reader is completed, so that the reusable cup is put into the inside of the main body and recovered; a display unit provided to display the recovery operation status and collection information of the reusable cup on the main body; an input unit provided in the main body to provide information on the person collecting the reusable cup; a communication unit providing collection information of the reusable cup and information of the retrieval participant through a communication network to a reusable cup collection server that performs a service related to the retrieval of the reusable cup; And a control unit that performs the control necessary for collecting the reusable cup. A reusable cup recovery device is provided, including a.

The reader has a surface for recognizing the tag of the reusable cup at an angle of 80 to 100° with respect to the horizontal plane, so that the tag can be read while the reusable cup is emptied of sewage from the inside. there is.

The cup recovery unit includes an inlet door that can be opened and closed at an upper part of the main body; A door opening and closing unit that provides driving force for opening and closing the inlet door; an input pipe provided in the main body to be exposed when the inlet door is opened, and a direction change pipe provided at an angle at the bottom thereof to be rotatable so as to change the discharge position of the reusable cup being introduced into the inside; a switching drive unit that provides driving force for rotation of the diverting pipe; A recovery magazine provided with a plurality of vertical collection pipes arranged in parallel for collecting the reusable cups discharged from the input pipe; A stacking detection unit that detects a state in which the collection tube is filled with a reusable cup; A stage on which the collection magazine is installed on the upper surface; a first transfer unit that horizontally reciprocates the stage in the X-axis direction; and a second transfer unit that horizontally reciprocates the stage in the Y-axis direction, wherein the control unit receives size information of the reusable cup obtained by reading the tag from the reader and sends the same to the collection tube. The switching drive unit and the first and second transfer units can be controlled so that the size of the reusable cup is recovered.

The cup recovery unit includes an inlet door that can be opened and closed at a cup inlet formed in the upper part of the main body; A door opening and closing unit that performs a first-stage opening of the inlet door to prevent the reusable cup from passing downward with only the lower portion inserted, and a second-step opening of the reusable cup to allow the reusable cup to pass downward; a collection pipe that collects the reusable cups passing downwardly through the inlet door; A primary detection unit that detects a reusable cup located above the cup inlet; and a secondary detection unit that detects the lower part of the reusable cup through the inlet door, wherein the control unit, when receiving a detection signal from the primary detection unit, controls the door opening and closing unit to open and close the inlet door. A first-stage opening is performed so that only the lower part of the reusable cup is inserted, and when a detection signal is received from the secondary detection unit, a second-stage opening is performed to allow the reusable cup to pass through the inlet door under the control of the door opening and closing unit. It can be done.

According to the reusable cup collection device according to the present invention, it not only facilitates the disposal of beverages in reusable cups, but also improves convenience of use, and stimulates motivation for retrieval of reusable cups through application of mileage, etc. By doing so, the efficiency of recovery and reuse of reusable cups can be increased, and it has the effect of being applicable to the retrieval of reusable cups of various sizes.

Figure 1 is a front view showing a reusable cup recovery device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a side view showing a reusable cup recovery device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a plan view showing a reusable cup recovery device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a configuration diagram showing a reusable cup recovery device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the cup recovery unit of the reusable cup recovery device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a plan view showing the inlet door and the door opening and closing portion of the reusable cup recovery device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 7 and 8 are side cross-sectional views for sequentially explaining the reusable cup recovery operation of the reusable cup retrieval device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can be subject to various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the technical idea and scope of the present invention, and may be modified into various other forms. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, and identical or corresponding components will be assigned the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a front view showing a reusable cup recovery device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a side view showing a reusable cup recovery device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a view showing the reusable cup recovery device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a plan view showing the reusable cup recovery device according to the first embodiment of the invention, and Figure 4 is a configuration diagram showing the reusable cup recovery device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, the reusable cup recovery device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 110, a reader 120, a cup recovery unit 130 (see FIG. 5), and a display unit. It may include 140, an input unit 150, a communication unit 160, and a control unit 170.

The main body 110 can accommodate sewage from the reusable cups 1 and 2 through the sewage inlet 111 and provide an internal space for recovery of the reusable cups 1 and 2. The main body 110 may be provided with a sewage tank inside to collect sewage introduced through the sewage inlet 111, for example, various beverages left behind. These waste tanks can be separated through an opening opened through a door. Additionally, the sewage inlet 111 may be configured to have a structure that allows it to be opened and closed when necessary conditions are met. Here, the set condition may be, for example, a case where the reader 120 recognizes the tag 3 for the reusable cups 1 and 2. Additionally, the structure that opens and closes may be, for example, a door structure that rotates or moves using a driving force such as a motor or cylinder.

The main body 110 may be provided with a touch panel and a reader 120 corresponding to the display unit 140 and the input unit 150, which will be described later, on the front part 112, which is provided to face the front from the top, respectively. A sewage inlet 111 and an inlet door 131, which will be described later, may be provided in the flat part 113 provided to face upward from the lower part of the part 112.

The reader 120 is attached to the front part 112 of the main body 110 to read the NFC (Near Field Communication) or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag 3 attached to the bottom of the reusable cups 1 and 2. It is prepared. Here, the reusable cups 1 and 2 may be made of a number of types with different sizes. In this embodiment, two types are shown, but they are not limited to this and may be made of more types than this. The tag 3 can store various information related to the cups, including size information about the reusable cups 1 and 2, and provide the information to the reader 120.

The reader 120 has a surface for recognizing the tags 3 of the reusable cups 1 and 2 at an angle of 80 to 100° with respect to the horizontal plane, so that the reusable cups 1 and 2 do not contain sewage from the inside. Reading of the tag 3 can be performed in an empty state. Therefore, by preventing the reusable cups 1 and 2 containing sewage from being recovered, it is possible to avoid contamination of the interior of the reusable cup recovery device 100 with sewage such as beverages.

Referring to FIG. 5, when the cup recovery unit 130 completes reading the tag 3 by the reader 120, it opens the inlet door 131 provided in the main body 110 to collect the reusable cup 1. ,2) is inserted into the inside of the main body 110 and recovered.

For example, as in this embodiment, the cup recovery unit 130 includes an inlet door 131 that can be opened and closed at the upper part of the main body 110, and a door opening and closing part 132 that provides driving force for opening and closing the inlet door 131. And, it can be provided in the main body 110 to be exposed by opening the inlet door 131, and the direction change pipe 133a, which is inclined at the bottom, is rotatably provided, so that the reusable cups 1 and 2 are introduced into the inside. ), an input pipe 133 that switches the discharge position, a switching drive unit 134 that provides driving force for rotation of the direction change pipe (133a), and a reusable cup (1, 2) A collection magazine (135) provided with a plurality of vertical collection tubes (135a) arranged side by side for collecting waste, and a stacking system that detects the state in which the collection tubes (135a) are filled with the reusable cups (1, 2). A stage 137 on which a detection unit 136 and a recovery magazine 135 are installed on the upper surface, a first transfer unit 138 that horizontally reciprocates the stage 137 in the X-axis direction, and a Y It may include a second transfer unit 139 that performs horizontal reciprocating transfer in the axial direction.

The door opening and closing unit 132 is, for example, geared to a rack 132a provided on the side of the entry door 131 and a pinion fixed to the rotation axis of the opening and closing motor 132b, so that the entry door is opened by driving the opening and closing motor 132b. (131) can be moved back and forth. Additionally, the door opening and closing portion 132 may be provided on both sides of the inlet door 131, respectively.

The switching drive unit 134 is, for example, a pneumatic cylinder, and both ends can be hinged to the inner surface of the main body 110 and the direction changing pipe 133a, and are driven to rotate the direction changing pipe 133a to change the direction changing pipe 133a. ) so that the position of the reusable cups (1, 2) discharged can be switched. Due to the position change of the reusable cups 1 and 2 by the switching drive unit 134, the reusable cups 1 and 2 of the same size are quickly and easily transferred to each of the collection pipes 135a located below. Ensure that it is collected accurately. The operation of the direction change pipe 133a by the change drive unit 134 has the advantage of being performed in a short time compared to the transfer operation of the stage 137.

The collection tube 135a is detachably coupled to the stage 137 through various coupling methods such as an interference fit, a locking structure, or a screw connection, so that it can be easily separated from the stage 137, thereby allowing the reusable cups collected inside. (1,2) can be easily retrieved from the outside.

The stacking detection unit 136 uses an optical sensor inside the collection tube 135a to check whether the collection tube 135a is fully filled with the reusable cups 1 and 2. The control unit 170 By receiving the detection signal from the stacking detection unit 136 and controlling the position of the stage 137 by driving the first and second transfer units 138 and 139, the collection tube (filled with all the reusable cups 1 and 2) Avoid 135a) and allow the empty collection tube 135a to be filled with the reusable cups 1 and 2.

The first transfer unit 138 may use the driving force of a rotary motor. Alternatively, it may be a linear motor consisting of a first stator 138a and a first transferor 138b as in this embodiment. Additionally, the second transfer unit 139 may use the driving force of a rotary motor. Alternatively, it may be a linear motor consisting of a second stator 139a and a second transferor 139b as in this embodiment.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the display unit 140 is provided to display the recovery operation status and collection information of the reusable cups 1 and 2 on the main body 110. As in this embodiment, the display unit 140 may be made of a touch panel having the function of the input unit 150, which will be described later.

The input unit 150 is provided in the main body 110 to provide information about the participant collecting the reusable cups 1 and 2. For example, it may be formed as a switch or button, or as in this embodiment, it may be formed as a touch panel. In addition, it is possible to input identification information to accumulate compensation for collecting reusable cups 1 and 2, for example, mileage or points. Therefore, the control unit 170 sends the information input through the input unit 150 and the collection information of the reusable cups 1 and 2 provided from the reader 120 to the reusable cup collection server 10 through the communication unit 160. By providing this, the reusable cup collection server 10 can provide a predetermined reward to the participant and also transmit the reward content to the participant's terminal 20.

The communication unit 160 provides a communication network to the reusable cup collection server 10, which performs services related to the retrieval of the reusable cups 1 and 2, and the retrieval participant information of the reusable cups 1 and 2. It must be provided through. The communication unit 160 can use various communication methods such as 3G, LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi to communicate with the reusable cup collection server 10.

The control unit 170 performs the control necessary to recover the reusable cups 1 and 2. The control unit 170 receives size information of the reusable cups 1 and 2 obtained by reading the tag 3 from the reader 120, and stores reusable cups 1 and 2 of the same size in the collection tube 135a. 2) The switching drive unit 134 and the first and second transfer units 138 and 139 can be controlled so that the unit is recovered. That is, the control unit 170 specifies the size of the reusable cups 1 and 2 to be collected in advance for each collection pipe 135a, and determines the position of the collection pipe 135a that matches the size of the reusable cups 1 and 2. The stage 137 can be moved by driving the first and second transfer units 138 and 139. At this time, the control unit 170 allows the collection pipes 135a, which respectively collect the reusable cups 1 and 2 of different sizes, to be adjacent to each other, so that each of these collection pipes 135a changes direction by the switching drive unit 134. Each is positioned below the switching position of the pipe (133a).

The reusable cup collection device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply unit 180 that provides power required for operation and a memory unit 190 provided to store advertising content in the main body 110. More may be included. The control unit 170 can receive advertising content from the reusable cup collection server 10 through the communication unit 160, store it in the memory unit 190, and control the advertising content to be displayed through the display unit 140. there is. The control unit 170 can display advertising content for a specified period of time or for a specified period of time.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing the inlet door and the door opening and closing part of the reusable cup recovery device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 7 and 8 are the reusable cup recovery device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This is a side cross-sectional view to sequentially explain the reusable cup recovery operation.

6 to 8, the reusable cup recovery device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, like the reusable cup recovery device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, includes a main body 210 and a reader. , may include a cup recovery unit, a display unit, an input unit, a communication unit, and a control unit, and may further include a power supply unit and a memory unit, except for the cup recovery unit. Recyclable cup recovery according to the first embodiment of the present invention Since it is the same as the device 100, the description will focus on the differences.

In this embodiment, the cup recovery unit has an inlet door 231 that can be opened and closed in the cup inlet 231c formed in the upper part of the main body 210, and the reusable cup 1 is inserted only in the lower part of the inlet door 231. It passes downward through the door opening/closing unit 232 and the inlet door 231, which performs a first-stage opening that prevents the reusable cup (1) from passing downward in one state and a second-stage opening that allows the reusable cup (1) to pass downward. A collection pipe (235a) that collects the reusable cup (1), a primary detection unit (236) that detects the reusable cup (1) located on the upper side of the cup inlet (231c), and an inlet door (231). It may include a secondary sensing unit 237 that detects the lower part of the reusable cup 1. Here, the diameter or width of the opening formed by the first stage opening is to have a size between the bottom diameter (a; see Figure 7) and the top diameter (b; see Figure 7) of the reusable cup 1 requiring recovery. It can be done, and the diameter or width of the opening formed by the two-stage opening can be larger than the top diameter (b) of the reusable cup (1) requiring recovery.

The inlet door 231 is placed in a radial direction from the center of the cup inlet 231c, and each of the plurality of blades 231a arranged around the center rotates by the rotation axis 231b, thereby opening the center of the cup inlet 231c. Make sure it is open in the radial direction from. The blade 231a may have a shape for forming an aperture, and may be installed to be rotatable by a rotation axis 231b provided inside the main body 210.

The door opening/closing unit 232 may have a ring gear 232a provided with gears along the outer peripheral surface or the inner peripheral surface so as to be rotatable in response to the arrangement direction of the blades 231a, and each blade 231a may be installed on the ring gear 232a. A plurality of movable shafts 232b to be coupled to the movable shaft 232b may be provided to protrude, and the movable shafts 232b may be movably inserted into each blade 231a, so that when the ring gear 232a rotates, the movable shaft 232b A guide hole (232c) can be formed to open and close the cup inlet (231c) by rotating the blade (231a), and an opening and closing motor (232e) having a pinion (232d) geared to the ring gear (232a) may be formed. It can be provided. The ring gear 232a can be rotatably coupled to a rotary coupling provided on the inner surface of the main body 210. The opening and closing motor 232e is installed by a motor bracket (not shown) fixed to the inside of the main body 210, and is operated by a control unit (not shown) to perform first-stage opening and second-stage opening with respect to the inlet door 231, and To select the opening and closing operation, a motor capable of controlling the rotation amount, such as a step motor or a servo motor, may be used.

When the control unit (not shown) receives a detection signal from the primary detection unit 236, the first stage of opening is performed so that only the lower part of the reusable cup 1 is inserted into the inlet door 231 by controlling the door opening and closing unit 232. (see FIG. 7), and when a detection signal is received from the secondary detection unit 237, a second stage opening is performed to allow the reusable cup 1 to pass through the inlet door 231 under the control of the door opening/closing unit 232. This can be achieved (see Figure 8). Therefore, by preventing the reusable cups 1 from being turned over and collected in the collection tube 235a, a large number of reusable cups 1 can be collected in the collection tube 235a.

According to the reusable cup recovery device according to the present invention, it not only facilitates the disposal of beverages in the reusable cup, but also improves convenience of use, and provides motivation for the retrieval of the reusable cup through application of mileage, etc. By stimulating, the efficiency of recovery and reuse of reusable cups can be increased.

In addition, according to the present invention, it can be applied to the recovery of reusable cups of various sizes.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined by the claims described below as well as equivalents to these claims.

1,2: Reusable cup 3: Tag
10: Disposable cup collection server 20: Terminal
110,210: Main body 111: Sewage inlet
112: front part 113: flat part
120: Reader 130,230: Cup recovery unit
131,231: Inlet door 132,232: Door opening and closing part
132a: Rack 132b: Opening/closing motor
133: Input pipe 133a: Direction change pipe
134: Conversion drive unit 135: Recovery magazine
135a: collection tube 136: stacked detection unit
137: Stage 138: First transfer unit
138a: first stator 138b: first transporter
139: second transfer unit 139a: second stator
139b: second transporter 140: display unit
150: input unit 160: communication unit
170: control unit 180: power supply unit
190: memory unit 231a: blade
231b: Rotation axis 231c: Cup inlet
232a: Ring gear 232b: Movable shaft
232c: Guide hole 232d: Finier
232e: opening/closing motor 235a: collection tube
236: primary detection unit 237: secondary detection unit

Claims (5)

A main body that allows sewage from the reusable cup to be received through the sewage inlet and provides an internal space for recovery of the reusable cup;
A reader provided on the front part of the main body facing the front to read an NFC or RFID tag attached to the bottom of the reusable cup;
A cup recovery unit that opens the inlet door provided in the main body when the reading of the tag by the reader is completed, so that the reusable cup is put into the inside of the main body and recovered;
a display unit provided to display the recovery operation status and collection information of the reusable cup on the main body;
an input unit provided in the main body to provide information on the person collecting the reusable cup;
a communication unit providing collection information of the reusable cup and information of the retrieval participant through a communication network to a reusable cup collection server that performs a service related to the retrieval of the reusable cup; and
a control unit that performs controls necessary for recovery of the reusable cup;
Including,
The cup recovery unit,
An inlet door that is provided on the upper part of the main body to be openable and closed;
A door opening and closing unit that provides driving force for opening and closing the inlet door;
an input pipe provided in the main body to be exposed when the inlet door is opened, and a direction change pipe provided at an angle at the bottom thereof to be rotatable so as to change the discharge position of the reusable cup being introduced into the inside;
a switching drive unit that provides driving force for rotation of the diverting pipe;
A recovery magazine provided with a plurality of vertical collection pipes arranged in parallel for collecting the reusable cups discharged from the input pipe;
A stacking detection unit that detects a state in which the collection tube is filled with a reusable cup;
A stage on which the collection magazine is installed on the upper surface;
a first transfer unit that horizontally reciprocates the stage in the X-axis direction; and
It includes a second transfer unit that horizontally reciprocates the stage in the Y-axis direction,
The control unit,
Receives size information of the reusable cup obtained by reading the tag from the reader, and controls the switching drive unit and the first and second transfer units so that the reusable cup of the same size is collected in the collection tube. Disposable cup recovery device. In claim 1,
The reader is,
The surface for recognizing the tag of the reusable cup has an angle of 80 to 100° with respect to the horizontal surface, so that the tag is read while the reusable cup is emptied of sewage from the inside. Device. delete delete delete

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