RU2751827C1 - Vending machine for sale of heated food products - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: vending machines.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of vending machines, in particular to the field of vending machines for the sale of heated food products. The proposed vending machine contains a housing 1, which houses a refrigerating chamber 2 for storing food, a microwave oven 10 for heating food, a mechanism for moving food inside the housing, a user interface 20 for ordering, and a discharge tray 15 associated with the window dispensing food products to the user. The refrigerating chamber 2 is located in the lower part of the housing 1 and is provided with at least one lid 4, made with the possibility of automatic opening and closing, and the refrigerating chamber is divided into vertically oriented sections 7 for storing various food products. The microwave oven 10 is located in the upper part of the housing 1 and is provided with a door 11, also made with the possibility of automatic opening and closing. The mechanism for moving food products contains a food manipulator 16 and a movable shelf 13, and the manipulator 16 is designed to move in the vertical and horizontal planes of the housing 1 to transfer food from the refrigerating chamber 2 to the movable shelf 13 and from the movable shelf 13 to the discharge tray 15. The movable shelf 13 is configured to receive food products from the gripping mechanism of the manipulator 16 and move them inside the microwave oven 10 to warm up and remove the food products from the microwave oven 10 after they are warmed up, and the movements of the manipulator 16, at least one cover 4 of the refrigerating chamber 2 and the doors 11 of the microwave oven 10 are synchronized in time to avoid collisions.

EFFECT: invention simplifies the design, reduces the overall dimensions and increases the stability of the vending machine.

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Description

The invention relates to the field of vending machines, in particular to the field of vending machines for the sale of heated food products.

Vending machines are widely known and widely used in commerce. Payment and delivery of prizes or goods in such machines is carried out using technical devices and does not require the direct participation of the seller or operator. Typically, a vending machine consists of a storage compartment for the item or item components, a payment receiving device, and a dispensing device. Food vending machines may also contain devices for preparing or reheating food. For example, such vending machines may be equipped with a microwave oven to reheat pre-cooked food items or food components.

A vending machine for the sale of frozen or chilled food is known from the prior art, as described in the RF patent for utility model No. 139275 (publication date: 10.04.2014). In this solution, the vending machine contains a body made with transparent windows, which is also equipped with a product gripping mechanism, made with the ability to move in the vertical and horizontal planes inside the body. The body also contains a receiver of goods, communicated with the delivery window, as well as a control panel for the gripping mechanism. The goods are placed in the refrigeration device of the machine. The disadvantage of this solution is the inability to warm up or otherwise prepare the selected product (food product).

A vending machine with a built-in microwave oven for the implementation of complex meals for students is also known from the prior art, as described in the RF patent for invention No. 2674708 (publication date: 12.12.2018). This machine is characterized by the fact that for the implementation of complex meals for students, there is a built-in microwave oven for heating the first and second courses included in the set of culinary dishes of the complex lunch, a touch screen with buttons indicating the type of products sold. The choice of set menu is reflected on the touch screen with an interactive menu. The disadvantage of this machine is the inability to automate the process of heating the selected dishes. The user needs to pay, receive a chilled food product in one section of the vending machine, and then reheat it in a microwave oven located in another section of the vending machine.

From the prior art, in particular from the RF patent for invention No. 2718326 (publication date: 04/01/2020), a vending machine for the sale of soup is also known, containing a body with a screen, a dispenser for dispensing glasses, a payment and change delivery system, a front door for access to internal systems, as well as installed inside the case: a system for storing and dispensing soup, including at least one bowl of soup, a hydraulic system for dispensing and dispensing soup from at least one bowl of soup, a system for maintaining a given temperature in the compartment with a container, a microwave heating system for a glass of soup, a system for periodic stirring of soup in a container, a main control board with a microcontroller. The disadvantage of this solution is the impossibility of selling food products other than soups.

The closest technical solution is a vending machine for the sale of pizza, described in the South Korean patent for invention No. KR101090647 (publication date: 12/07/2011). This patent discloses a vending machine comprising a housing containing a refrigeration device for storing commercial products (frozen pizza), a microwave oven for heating products, a user interface for placing an order, and a system for moving and supplying commercial products from the refrigeration device to the microwave oven and from microwave oven to the user. The disadvantage of this solution is the complexity of the design, in particular due to the need to use special equipment (for example, a refrigeration device and a microwave oven) of a special design that is not widely available on the market. In addition, the disadvantage of this solution is the likely instability of the vending machine due to the design feature in which the refrigeration device and the goods are placed in the upper part of the housing. Finally, the disadvantage of this solution is its increased overall dimensions.

The present invention is aimed at eliminating the above disadvantages, namely, it is aimed at creating a simple and compact vending machine, which can be made from publicly available devices, and which is cheap and easy to maintain.

The problem of the invention is solved by creating a vending machine, which contains a housing that houses a refrigerating chamber for storing food, a microwave oven for heating food, a mechanism for moving food inside the housing, a user interface for ordering, and a discharge tray associated with the window dispensing food products to the user. The invention differs from the known analogs in that the refrigerating chamber for storing food is located in the lower part of the housing and is provided with at least one lid made with the possibility of automatic opening and closing, and the refrigerating chamber is divided into vertically oriented sections for storing various food products, and the microwave oven is located in the upper part of the body and is equipped with a door, also made with the possibility of automated opening and closing, and the mechanism for moving food products contains a (Cartesian) food manipulator and a movable shelf, and the Cartesian food manipulator is made with the ability to move in vertical and horizontal planes housings for transferring food products from the refrigerating chamber to a movable shelf and from a movable shelf to a discharge tray, while the movable shelf is configured to receive food products from the manipulator gripping mechanism and moving I put them inside the microwave for heating and removing food from the microwave after heating them, and the movements of the Cartesian manipulator, at least one lid of the refrigerator compartment and the door of the microwave oven are synchronized in time to eliminate the possibility of collision.

In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the food handler has a grab or vacuum device for gripping food. In addition, the vending machine may further include a perforation mechanism for puncturing the food package, the puncturing being performed after the selected food item has been removed from the refrigerator compartment but before the selected food item is placed inside the microwave oven for reheating.

In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the refrigeration compressor may be located at the top of the cabinet of the machine and above the microwave oven. In addition, the microwave oven and the refrigerating chamber compressor can be located in a wall cabinet rigidly fixed to the machine body.

All of the above and other elements of the vending machine are structurally combined into one device, interconnected by assembly operations and are in functional and structural unity with each other.

The technical result provided by the essential features of the invention consists in simplifying the design of the vending machine for the sale of heated food products, reducing the overall dimensions of the vending machine and increasing its stability, as well as reducing the cost of the vending machine and simplifying its maintenance.

The essence of the invention is further illustrated by the figures, which show: FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal section of a vending machine according to one embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a vending machine in longitudinal section and according to one embodiment (top view), and FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the electronic and electromechanical devices of a vending machine according to one embodiment of the invention.

Designation of items in the drawings:

1 - case;

2 - refrigerating chamber;

3 - food product (unit of goods);

4 - refrigerating chamber cover;

5 - drive of the refrigerating chamber cover;

6 - control device;

7 - section of the refrigerating chamber;

8 - compressor of the refrigerating chamber;

9 - condenser of the refrigerating chamber;

10 - microwave oven;

11 - microwave oven door;

12 - microwave oven door drive;

13 - movable shelf;

14 - the location of the movable shelf for warming up food;

15 - discharge tray;

16 - manipulator;

17 - executive carriage;

18 - guides;

19 - vacuum gripper;

20 - user interface.

The following is a description of embodiments of the invention with reference to the provided drawings.

A vending machine is an electromechanical complex that includes the following related systems and devices: a device for storing and cooling or freezing food, a device for heating food, a device for moving food inside the case, a user interface (including a payment receiving device), a control device for a vending machine and power supply system. Any acceptable portioned food in disposable packaging can be used as food. For example, food can be frozen or chilled sandwiches, hamburgers, pizza, dumplings, dumplings, vegetables, set meals, and the like. Liquid foods, including soups, purees, beverages, can also be used as foods.

As shown in the figures, the vending machine comprises a housing 1 made generally of metal, polymeric materials, plexiglass, wood-based materials, and / or a combination of these materials. The housing 1 may have at least one translucent window (not shown in the figures) allowing the user to view the interior of the vending machine, including food. In shape, the body 1 can be made in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped or, as shown in FIG. 1, can have a complex shape, for example, have an L-shape in longitudinal section through the use of a wall cabinet for built-in equipment.

In the lower part of the housing 1 there is a device for storing and cooling food, for example, a refrigerating chamber 2 for storing food 3 in frozen or chilled form. For example, refrigerator compartment 2 can maintain a temperature in the range from -25 ° C to + 5 ° C, and preferably in the range from -15 ° C to -0 ° C or from 0 ° C to + 5 ° C, depending on the stored food. nutrition.

Refrigerator compartment 2 may be a standard or publicly available refrigeration device such as a commercial ice cream refrigerator. In other embodiments, the refrigerating chamber 2 is a special design in order to achieve its maximum capacity for the given dimensions of the vending machine, and the refrigerating chamber 2 can be integrated into the lower part of the machine body 1, being its supporting structure. Refrigerating chamber 2 is located exactly in the lower part of housing 1 to improve ease of maintenance, simplify assembly (design) and increase the balance (stability) of the machine as a whole by lowering its center of mass.

Refrigerating chamber 2 has at least one cover 4, which is equipped with a drive 6 (for example, an electric drive or pneumatic drive) for automatic control of opening and closing of cover 4. The operation of the drive 5 of each cover 4 is controlled by a control device 6 (for example, a microprocessor or computer) ... The number of covers 4 (and drives 6) can be any acceptable. Each lid 4 can be opened / closed in a hinged manner (i.e. up or down) or in a sliding manner (i.e., laterally displaced). In addition, each lid 4 can be opened or closed independently of one another.

Refrigerating chamber 2 is divided into vertically oriented sections or compartments 7 for storing food 3. So each compartment (section) 7 can store a certain type of food 3. The number of compartments (sections) 7 can be any acceptable, from one or more. Each compartment 7 can have its own individual temperature, size, location and other characteristics. In addition, in the compartments 7, a pull-out basket (not shown in the figures) can be installed on the guides, adapted for stacking foodstuffs 3 in a "stack".

In some embodiments of the invention, in order to maximize the refrigeration volume and provide a more compact size of the machine as a whole, the compressor 8 of the refrigerating chamber 2, which is usually located at the bottom and thereby reduces the usable volume, is transferred to the upper part of the housing 1, for example, in a wall cabinet ( see Fig. 1). Likewise, the condenser 9 of the refrigerating chamber 2 can be transferred to the upper plane ("roof") of the vending machine body 1 to make it more compact.

As shown in the figures, the upper part of the cabinet 1 also houses a food warming device, namely a microwave (microwave) oven 10 for heating food 3. For example, the microwave oven 10 can be located in the wall cabinet of the cabinet 1. This arrangement makes it possible to create a more compact vending machine. The operation of the microwave oven 10 can be controlled by the control device 6.

The microwave oven 10 is also provided with a door 11. The housing 1 also has a drive 12 for the door 11 of the microwave 10. The drive 12 may be an electromechanical device for opening and closing the door 11 of the microwave oven 10 for electromagnetic protection. The operation of the drive 12 of the door 11 of the microwave oven 10 can be automated and controlled by the control device 6. In some embodiments of the invention, the door 11 of the microwave oven 10 can be attached to the housing 1 rather than to the microwave oven 10. In addition, the microwave oven 10 is not used. turntable. Otherwise, to simplify the design, its maintenance, and reduce the cost of the vending machine as a whole, a public and commercial microwave oven with a power of 700-800 W and a volume of about 20 liters can be used as a microwave oven 10.

In the housing 1 or on the door 11 of the microwave oven 10, a movable shelf 13 is used, which is configured to receive food products 3 and move them inside the microwave oven 10 to warm up and remove food products 3 from the microwave oven 10 after they are warmed up. For simplicity of construction, the movable shelf 13 is mounted on the inner surface of the door 11. For example, when the door 11 is closed, the movable shelf 13 is in position 14 (see Fig. 2). In other embodiments (for example, if the door 11 of the microwave oven 10 is not used), the movable shelf 13 is located in the housing 1 and is provided with corresponding electromechanical drives. For compactness, the compressor 8 and the condenser 9 of the refrigerating chamber 2 are rigidly fixed to the housing 1 and placed above the microwave oven 10.

The housing 1 also accommodates a device for moving food products, which is made in the form of a manipulator 16, which is configured to move in the vertical and horizontal planes of the housing 1 for transferring food products 3 from the refrigerating chamber 2 to the movable shelf 13 and from the movable shelf 13 to the discharge tray 15 connected to the window for dispensing heated foodstuffs 3 to the user (customer).

The working area of the manipulator 16 is the space above the refrigerating chamber 2. The manipulator 16 is a Cartesian manipulator (robot), i.e. made with the ability to move both in the vertical and horizontal planes of the housing 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the manipulator 16 is equipped with an actuating carriage 17, which is a "mini hoist" that can be moved horizontally along two mutually perpendicular guides 18 mounted in the upper part of the housing 1. The carriage 17 is moved using stepping motors (not shown in the figures) ... The removal of food products 3 from the refrigerating chamber 2 occurs vertically using a grab or a vacuum device (gripper) 19, which is fixed on a manipulator driven by a telpher. The vacuum gripper 19 can be equipped with a vertical position sensor. The manipulator 16 is automated and controlled by the control device 6.

In some embodiments of the invention, the housing 1 is additionally equipped with a perforation mechanism (not shown in the figures) for puncturing the food packaging 3. The puncture is performed after the selected food product 3 is removed from the refrigerator 2, but before the selected food product 3 is placed inside the microwave 10 for heating. The perforation mechanism can be made on the basis of a solenoid and represent a "hole punch". Perforation is needed to release hot air from food packaging 3 when it is heated in a microwave oven 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vending machine is also provided with a user interface 20, which has controls for enabling the customer to place an order, that is, to select the food product 3 and initiate its automatic gripping by the manipulator 16 and heating in the microwave 10. The user interface 20 can be made in the form of a touch screen and / or buttons for ordering. The user interface 20 may also include a payment acceptance device. For example, a payment receiving device can be configured to accept for payment, for example, coins, banknotes (bills), plastic cards, bank cards, or accept payments using RFTD (Radio Frequency IDentification) or NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, for account for scanning a barcode or QR code, or accept payments via the Internet.

The vending machine may also have a power supply unit (not shown in the figures) which is designed to supply electrical power to all electrical components of the machine. The vending machine may also have a modem or other network interface for wired or wireless communication with a remote server.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vending machine includes a control device 6, which is functionally connected to a drive 5, a drive 12, a microwave oven 10, a manipulator 16 and a user interface 20. The control device 6 ensures the operability of the entire vending machine by monitoring the operation of its electrical and electromechanical elements. The control device 6 can be a computer control device, processor, chip, logic or transistor circuit. In particular, the control device 6 is configured to ensure the joint operation of the above electronic, electrical and electromechanical devices of the machine based on a computer program, as well as user commands received from the user interface 20.

In one embodiment, the vending machine operates as follows. The user selects the food product 3 for purchase and makes payment using the user interface 20 (through his payment receiving device). After the control device 6 detects a successful payment, the sale of the goods is initialized. For this, the control device 6 activates the manipulator 16 and controls its movement for picking up and moving the selected food product 3 from the refrigerating device 2 to the microwave oven 10 and then from the microwave oven 10 to the tray 15 for subsequent dispensing to the user.

As noted above, the controller 6 controls the electronic and electromechanical components of the vending machine. Thus, the operating mode of the microwave oven 10 is selected by the control device 6 based on which particular food product 3 has been selected. The coordinates of movement of the manipulator 16 are also determined by the control device 6 based on which particular food product 3 was selected, i.e. in which section (compartment) 7 of the refrigerating device 2 it is located.

In addition, the control device 6 ensures the synchronous operation of the drive 5, the drive 12, the microwave oven 10 and the manipulator 16, and in such a way that the movements of the manipulator 16, at least one cover 4 of the refrigerating chamber 2 and the door 11 of the microwave oven 10 are synchronized in time for elimination of the probability of their collision in the space of the housing 1. This circumstance makes it possible to provide the most compact design of the vending machine. So, when the lid 4 of the refrigerating chamber 2 is opened, the manipulator 16 takes such a position that the lid 4 does not collide with the manipulator 16. After removing the goods (food product) 3 from the refrigerating chamber 2 with the manipulator 16, the lid 4 of the refrigerating chamber 2 closes, and the manipulator 16 with the captured food product 3 moves in the space of the housing 1 so as not to collide with either the lid 4 or the door 11 of the microwave oven 10. After opening the door 11, the manipulator 16 moves the captured food product 3 to the shelf 13 for its subsequent movement inside the microwave oven 10. Then the manipulator 16 again takes such a spatial position inside the housing 1 in order to avoid collision with the door 11. After the food product 3 has been heated in the microwave oven 11, the manipulator 16 removes the heated food product 3 from the shelf 13 and transfers it to the tray 15, which moves the heated food product 3 to the dispensing window for the user to receive it. Thus, the vending machine of the present invention, in comparison with the known counterparts, has a more compact size, and is also simple in implementation and maintenance.

Claims (6)

1. A vending machine containing a housing containing a refrigerator for storing food, a microwave oven for heating food, a mechanism for moving food inside the housing, a user interface for ordering, and a discharge tray associated with the food dispensing window to the user characterized in that the refrigerating chamber for storing food is located in the lower part of the housing and is provided with at least one lid made with the possibility of automatic opening and closing, and the refrigerating chamber is divided into vertically oriented sections for storing various food products, and the microwave oven is located in the upper part of the body and is equipped with a door, also made with the possibility of automated opening and closing, and the mechanism for moving food contains a food manipulator and a movable shelf, and the food manipulator is made with the ability to relocation in the vertical and horizontal planes of the case for gripping and transferring food products from the refrigerating chamber to a movable shelf and from a movable shelf to a discharge tray, while the movable shelf is configured to receive food products from the manipulator and move them inside the microwave oven for heating and removing products power supply from the microwave oven after they are warmed up, and the movements of the manipulator, at least one lid of the refrigerating chamber and the door of the microwave oven are synchronized in time to eliminate the possibility of their collision. 2. The vending machine of claim. 1, characterized in that the food product manipulator has a grab for grabbing food. 3. A vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the food product manipulator has a vacuum device for gripping food. 4. The vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it is additionally equipped with a perforation mechanism for puncturing food packaging, and the puncture is carried out after the selected food product has been removed from the refrigerating chamber by a manipulator, but before the selected food product is placed inside microwave oven for heating. 5. The vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the refrigerating chamber compressor is located in the upper part of the machine body and above the microwave oven. 6. The vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the microwave oven and the refrigerating chamber compressor are located in a wall cabinet rigidly fixed to the machine body.

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