RU2777275C1 - Vending machine that combines the storage of frozen ready meals and heating of ready meals with microwaves - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: computer technology.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of computer technology. The vending machine contains: a vending machine body (1) with a door (2) in which the display is located (3); a window for the delivery of ready meals (4); a folding table fixed in the door of the body from the outside (5); a garbage container with a garbage hole (6), and the hole it is located in the door of the body from the outside, and the garbage container is located in the body; at the same time, a sealed freezer with a cooling system for storing dishes at a negative temperature is placed inside the vending machine body; inside the freezer there is a drum consisting of at least one removable tube for loading and storing packaged portions of frozen dishes (8), and a block for storing sauces with a cooling system and a sauce dispensing mechanism consisting of three electric drives and three pushers (9); at the same time, the dishes inside the device are stored in portions in cardboard cups with lids (10), and the bottom row of cardboard cups is fixed in the pipe and does not come into contact with the base of the freezer, to eliminate the friction of the cups during the rotation of the drum (11), an ejector mechanism that pushes one cup with a dish out of the pipe so that the cup with the selected dish fell into the heating unit (12), the motor for rotating the drum to move the pipe with the user-selected dish (14) to the ejector mechanism; a shielded dish heating unit (15) containing two magnetrons and two shielded lids; a system for automatically opening and closing the upper hole of the heating unit to move a portion of the dish from the heating unit to the delivery window (17); a pipe built inside the heating unit for fixing a cup with a portion of the dish and holes in this pipe to provide ventilation during the heating of the dish (18); the control system unit (19), which contains a chip connected to a microcomputer and a GPRS modem, a power supply unit and an autonomous power supply unit of the machine, and the control system unit is connected to the display.

EFFECT: expansion of the range of vending machines.

4 cl, 8 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

This technical solution relates to the field of computer technology, in particular, to vending machines that combine the storage of frozen ready-made meals and their heating using microwaves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art solution, selected as the closest analogue, RU 2751827 (C1), publ. 07/19/2021. In this solution, a vending machine is disclosed, containing a housing in which 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, as well as an outlet tray associated with a product dispensing window supply to the user, characterized in that the refrigerating chamber for storing food products is located in the lower part of the housing and is equipped with at least one lid, made with the possibility of automated opening and closing, moreover, the refrigerating chamber is divided into vertically oriented sections for storing various food products, and the microwave the 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 foodstuffs contains a food manipulator and a movable shelf, and the food manipulator is lnen with the ability to move in the vertical and horizontal planes of the body to capture and transfer food from the refrigerator to the movable shelf and from the movable shelf to the outlet tray, while the movable shelf is configured to receive food from the manipulator and move them inside the microwave oven for heating and removing food from the microwave oven after they are heated, and the movements of the manipulator, at least one cover of the refrigerator compartment and the door of the microwave oven are synchronized in time to eliminate the possibility of their collision.

The proposed technical solution is aimed at eliminating the shortcomings of the state of the art and differs from the previously known ones in that the proposed solution provides a higher heating rate of frozen dishes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The technical problem to be solved by the claimed solution is the creation of a vending machine.

The technical result consists in simplifying the design of the vending machine.

An additional technical result is an increase in the rate of product heating due to the simultaneous use of two magnetrons in the heating unit.

The claimed technical results are achieved through the implementation of a vending machine containing:

body vending machine (1) with a door (2), which houses the user interface (3) and the terminal for payment;

window for issuing ready meals (4);

a folding table fixed in the case door from the outside (5);

a trash can with a hole for debris (6) removed, the hole being located in the door of the housing from the outside, and the trash can is located in the housing;

at the same time, a sealed freezer with a cooling system for storing dishes at a negative temperature is placed inside the body of the vending machine;

inside the freezer there is a drum, consisting of at least one removable pipe for loading and storing packaged portions of frozen dishes (8), as well as a sauce storage unit with a cooling system and a sauce dispensing mechanism, consisting of three electric drives and three pushers (9);

while the dishes inside the machine are stored in portions in cardboard cups with lids (10), and the bottom row of cardboard cups is fixed in the pipe and does not come into contact with the base of the freezer, to avoid friction of the glasses during the rotation of the drum (11),

ejection mechanism that pushes one glass with a dish out of the pipe so that the glass with the selected dish falls into the heating unit (12),

an engine for rotating the drum, which allows moving a pipe with a dish selected by the user (14) to the ejector mechanism;

shielded food warming unit (15) containing two magnetrons and two shielded lids;

system of automatic opening and closing of the upper opening of the heating unit using a manipulator (16),

a system for automatically opening the lower opening of the heating block to move a portion of the dish from the heating block to the dispensing window (17);

a pipe built inside the heating block for fixing a glass with a portion of the dish with a hole to ensure ventilation during the heating of the dish (18);

control system unit (19), which contains a microcircuit connected to a microcomputer and a GPRS modem, a power supply unit and an autonomous power supply unit of the machine, and the control system unit provides communication with all elements of the device.

In a private embodiment of the described apparatus, the control system unit (19) contains a microcircuit connected to the controller.

In another particular embodiment of the described apparatus, the drum placed inside the freezer consists of twelve removable tubes for loading and storing packed portions of frozen meals in them.

In another particular embodiment of the described apparatus, the user interface is a display.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The implementation of the invention will be described hereinafter in accordance with the accompanying drawings, which are presented to explain the essence of the invention and in no way limit the scope of the invention. The following drawings are attached to the application:

Fig. 1 illustrates the body of a vending machine.

Fig. 2 illustrates the vending machine cabinet door.

Fig. 3 illustrates a sealed freezer with a refrigeration system.

Fig. 4 illustrates the overall contents of the case.

Fig. 5 illustrates the push mechanism of the vending machine.

Fig. 6 illustrates a shielded reheat unit.

Fig. 7 illustrates a pipe for fixing a glass with a serving of food and an opening for providing ventilation.

Fig. 8 illustrates the control system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description of the implementation of the invention, numerous implementation details are provided to provide a clear understanding of the present invention. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate how the present invention can be used, both with and without these implementation details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the features of the present invention.

Moreover, it will be clear from the foregoing that the invention is not limited to the present implementation. Numerous possible modifications, changes, variations and substitutions that retain the spirit and form of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the subject area.

The vending machine (vending machine) for storing and selling ready-made hot meals, described in this application, allows you to store frozen products at sub-zero temperatures. For convenient service and ensuring fast delivery of purchased products to the user, ready meals are heated by the device using microwaves through the internal mechanisms of the device, while heating is carried out automatically, without user participation.

A freezer is built inside the vending machine, which allows you to store packaged portions of ready-made frozen meals for a long period (1 month or longer depending on the dish), while maintaining the proper quality of products. In addition, the maintenance work of the device is reduced (simplification of maintenance), since the loading of products in the form of ready-made frozen dishes is possible once every 30 days or as soon as all the dishes are sold.

As the packaging of portions of ready meals, cardboard cups with a lid are used, which do not deform when heated and do not burn the user's hands while eating. Ready meals are loaded into the vending machine in packaged form, and thus the products do not come into contact with the surfaces inside the machine. This protects the products from external influences and also ensures better hygiene inside the machine.

For defrosting and preparing hot dishes in the vending machine, a shielded heating unit containing two magnetrons is used, while the heating unit has automatic opening and closing of access to the heating chamber to move frozen products inside the chamber for automatic heating and subsequent delivery of products to the user. The use of two magnetrons in the heating unit at the same time makes it possible to achieve the maximum heating rate of frozen products. To protect against microwave waves and to ensure performance within acceptable values in accordance with sanitary norms and rules, inside the vending machine, in the heating unit, radiation shielding is additionally used by means of two shielded covers.

Additionally, the vending machine has a built-in module with sauces in disposable packaging, which can be selected and purchased in addition to the products. The module gives the necessary sauces to users simultaneously with the issuance of products. Sauces are stored in a separate refrigerating chamber in the apparatus in a temperature regime with cooling (with a temperature of +2 and above).

The device can be equipped with an additional freezer, where portions of dumplings can be stored at sub-zero temperatures for another full load of the "drum".

The combination of a freezer and a heating block inside the vending machine allows you to store portioned ready-made frozen meals of good quality in the machine for a month or longer, automatically heat them up without the participation of the buyer in this process and give out ready-made hot meals.

Among the products for the sale of which this vending machine may be intended, there may be dumplings, pasta, wok, pilaf, lagman, cereals, soups and other products.

The vending machine, in comparison with known analogues, provides faster heating of products with the help of two magnetrons. Ready meals are stored in cardboard cups to avoid burns to the hands of users when receiving the finished portion. Taking into account the placement of dishes in cardboard cups, a special unit in the form of a drum is used for their storage, which contains pipes for storing glasses with products. This solution implements a freezer that allows you to store products at sub-zero temperatures, providing a longer shelf life in the machine (up to 30 days). Products are stored not in vertical compartments in the refrigerator, but in the pipes of the drum, which is placed in the freezer at sub-zero temperatures. The transfer of products from the storage unit to the heating unit is carried out by gravity, when the hole under the glass opens, allowing it to fall into the heating unit. Thus, the number of technical elements in solving the task is reduced, simplifying the design of the device, reducing the number of possible errors in its operation, and also speeding up the process of moving products inside the machine and issuing it to the user. To move the products from the drum to the heating block, a "pusher" is used, which pushes the lower portion, allowing it to fall lower into the heating block, while the ejector simultaneously holds the upper portion, preventing all other portions from falling down.

The terminal for paying for products can be configured to receive, for example, banknotes, plastic cards, bank cards, etc. The terminal can accept payments using RFTD (Radio Frequency IDentification) or NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, by scanning a barcode or QR code, or accept payments via the Internet.

After paying for products through a payment terminal or via the Internet, information about this is transmitted to the control unit in the control program ("Pel-Meni"), which records statistics on all purchases, and also converts each purchase into a task (request) and transfers it to the program controller (PU), also installed on the built-in microcomputer.

The PU is designed to exchange data between the elements of the vending machine, and it contains the logic and sequence of performing all the operations of the vending machine. Upon receipt of a task for the preparation and delivery of products, the CP transmits commands to perform actions to various nodes and devices in accordance with the prescribed logic.

Sequence of operation of the control program.

- PU reads data from sensors on each tube of the "drum" and reveals information about the location of each tube of the drum.

- When the controller receives the task of preparing and dispensing products, as well as issuing the selected sauce, it sends a command to the engine that rotates the drum to turn the "drum" so that a pipe with exactly the type of dish that chosen by the buyer.

- Next, the PU sends a command to open the hole and starts the "ejector", which works out one cycle and due to this "pushes" one portion from the "drum" pipe into the heating unit.

- Further, the control panel automatically, in accordance with the specified logic, closes the upper opening and turns on the heating unit for a specified time interval.

- After the products are heated, the control panel switches off the heating unit and opens the lower opening in the heating unit so that the glass with the heated product falls lower into the window for dispensing products to the buyer.

PU is configured to determine:

- position of the drum;

- temperature inside the freezer;

- lack of a glass in the dispensing window;

- the front door of the vending machine is closed or open.

An example of the implementation of this technical solution.

The user selects products through the interface and makes a payment, thereby creating a request. The control system unit processes the user's request and sends a signal to the drum. The drum, located in the storage block, begins its movement by rotating in such a way that a pipe with the selected dish is above the opening in the heating block. When the drum has turned, and the pipe with the desired dish is above the hole in the heating unit, the "ejector" pushes the lower portion out of the pipe into the hole and at the same time fixes the next portion from above so that the rest of the glasses do not fall into the hole. After the bottom glass falls into the hole, the ejector returns to its original position, and all the upper glasses fall down to the lower level of the pipe (where they stand on a special footboard). In parallel with the rotation of the drum, in the freezer, an opening is opened between the drum and the reheat unit, and the top cover of the reheat unit is opened to allow the glass to fall inside the reheat unit. After the glass falls, the opening of the freezer is closed, providing it with tightness, and the top cover of the heating unit is closed. Then the magnetrons are turned on, which heat the products. After heating the products in the heating block, the bottom cover opens, allowing the glass to fall down and move to the window for dispensing products to the customer.

On “Fig. 1” shows the body of the vending machine (1).

On “Fig. 2” shows the door of the vending machine body (2) with the user interface (3), the window for dispensing goods (4), the folding table (5) and the trash can with a hole for garbage (6).

On “Fig. 3” shows a sealed freezer with a cooling system for storing ready-made meals at sub-zero temperatures, located inside the body of the vending machine (7).

On “Fig. 4” shows a unique drum placed inside the freezer, consisting of twelve removable pipes for loading and storing packed portions of frozen dishes (8) and a sauce storage unit with a cooling system and a sauce dispensing mechanism consisting of three electric drives and three pushers (9) .

On “Fig. 5” shows cardboard cups with lids, in which frozen hot dishes are stored in portions (10), the bottom row of cardboard cups is fixed in pipes and does not come into contact with the base of the freezer (11), ejection mechanism (12), heating unit (13), motor to rotate the drum (14).

On “Fig. 6” shows a shielded reheating block for ready meals (15), a system for automatically opening and closing the upper opening of the reheating block using a manipulator (16), a system for automatically opening the bottom opening of the reheating block to move a portion of the dish from the reheating block to the dispensing window (17).

On “Fig. 7” shows a pipe built into the reheating unit for fixing a glass with a portion of the dish and an opening in this pipe to provide ventilation during the reheating of the dish (18).

On “Fig. 8” shows the placement inside the vending machine of the control system unit (19), which contains a microcircuit connected to a microcomputer and a GPRS modem, a power supply unit and an autonomous power supply unit of the machine.

In these application materials, a preferred disclosure of the implementation of the claimed technical solution was presented, which should not be used as limiting other, private embodiments of its implementation, which do not go beyond the requested scope of legal protection and are obvious to specialists in the relevant field of technology.

Claims (18)

1. A vending machine, comprising: body vending machine (1) with a door (2), which houses the user interface (3) and the terminal for payment; window for issuing ready meals (4); a folding table fixed in the case door from the outside (5); a trash can with a hole for debris (6) removed, the hole being located in the door of the housing from the outside, and the trash can is located in the housing; at the same time, a sealed freezer with a cooling system for storing dishes at a negative temperature is placed inside the body of the vending machine; inside the freezer there is a drum, consisting of at least one removable pipe for loading and storing packaged portions of frozen dishes (8), as well as a sauce storage unit with a cooling system and a sauce dispensing mechanism, consisting of three electric drives and three pushers ( 9); at the same time, the dishes inside the apparatus are stored in portions in cardboard cups with lids (10), and the bottom row of cardboard cups is fixed in the pipe and does not come into contact with the base of the freezer, to avoid friction of the glasses during the rotation of the drum (11); ejection mechanism that pushes one glass with a dish out of the pipe so that the glass with the selected dish falls into the heating unit (12); an engine for rotating the drum, which allows moving a pipe with a dish selected by the user (14) to the ejector mechanism; shielded food warming unit (15) containing two magnetrons and two shielded lids; system of automatic opening and closing of the upper opening of the heating unit using a manipulator (16); a system for automatically opening the lower opening of the heating block to move a portion of the dish from the heating block to the dispensing window (17); a pipe built inside the heating block for fixing a glass with a portion of the dish with a hole to ensure ventilation during the heating of the dish (18); control system unit (19), which contains a microcircuit connected to a microcomputer and a GPRS modem, a power supply unit and an autonomous power supply unit of the machine, and the control system unit provides communication with all elements of the device. 2. A vending machine according to claim 1, in which the control system unit (19) contains a microcircuit connected to the controller. 3. A vending machine according to claim 1, in which the drum, placed inside the freezer, consists of twelve removable pipes for loading and storing packaged portions of frozen meals in them. 4. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a display.

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