Automatic disposable cup separating machine

Abstract

One of the common challenges in public drinking fountains and health services is the use of disposable cups and the separation and removal of a number of these cups from the storage compartments. This device is designed to solve this challenge by connecting to the outlet of the cup holder. Each time a hand is moved towards the opening of the device, a cup is automatically separated from the chain inside the container and guided towards the outlet of the opening. The device mechanically solves the challenge of removing cups and, in addition, significantly optimizes cup consumption in the long term by reducing the number of discarded cups. It also increases public hygiene because basically, a person other than the one using the cup will not come into contact with other cups. The automatic disposable cup separating device is designed and manufactured with an electromechanical mechanism, using a number of gears and the driving force of a direct current motor coupled to a small gearbox, and its activation drive is an infrared sensor, and it operates by stimulating the motor sensor for a certain period of time.

Description

Description of the invention Title of the invention (as stated in the declaration) Automatic disposable cup separating machine Technical background of the relevant invention The device is designed and manufactured with an electromechanical mechanism and uses a number of gears and the driving force of a direct current motor coupled with a small gearbox, and its activation trigger is an infrared sensor that operates by stimulating the motor sensor for a certain period of time. The device is related to other automatic systems such as smart taps, smart hand dryers in bathrooms and automatic liquid soap dispensers. And it is specifically related to disposable cup holders that perform the mechanism of separating and removing the cup automatically and without manual intervention. Technical problem and stating the objectives of the invention Obviously, one of the natural needs of every living being, especially humans, is to drink water throughout the day. Since this need is fulfilled in public places by disposable cups, and one of the problems we generally face is removing and separating these cups from special compartments (holders), which are sometimes difficult and sometimes separated in multiples, causing waste or ultimately returning the extra touched cups back into the compartment. Therefore, with the help of this device and the mechanism designed in it, the cups are separated numerically and completely easily and without the intervention of hands, and due to the spread of viral diseases such as Covid-19, it prevents the transmission of contamination and also optimizes the use of cups. Description of the state of the prior art and the history of developments related to the claimed invention. Through the studies conducted so far, we have found that no specific solution has been adopted for the problem raised, and our project is the first example at the national level. Previous attempts, which were carried out informally and experimentally, have often involved changes in the structure of the cup-holding compartments or the ergonomics of the cups themselves. However, due to the storage conditions in terms of temperature and humidity, and considering that the cups are plastic, there has been no significant result in optimizing the proper use of the cups, especially preventing hand contact to separate them.Only in very few cases, such as patent number US9676141B2 by Dimitri Stamatiou, made in 2017, is the purpose of the device similar, but for example, in this invention, a complete device with large dimensions is designed to perform only the task of separating and delivering cups, which naturally has a high price, both in terms of placement and economy, and is not justified in many cases. However, in the present design, we have arranged the mechanism and approach in such a way that the device can be optionally connected to previous compartments and prevent the purchase of a new device as much as possible, and is fully justified and presentable as a commercial product. Or, for example, in patent number US10743679B2 by Mckeever in 2020, the manufactured samples operate manually and non-automatically. Providing a solution to an existing technical problem along with a precise, sufficient and complete description of the invention In the model of this project, the idea of ​​which came to our mind to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus and reduce multiple contacts with objects, we designed a mechanism that detects an obstacle under the device, which is basically a human hand, using an infrared sensor. By commanding the built-in motor, the mechanism of the device operates and separates one of the cups from the chain and releases it downwards, which is the output of the device. The person will reach his destination without having to contact other cups or the body of the device or make any special effort to pull out a cup correctly. The calculations of the gears have been done in such a way that after stimulating the sensor using a small electric motor with an RPM of 50, and here we reached this round using a miniature gearbox, a cup can be separated from the chain and released towards the output in a reasonable time of between 2 and 3 seconds. This power transmission process ultimately starts from the motor and is transmitted by gears to spiral structures designed to separate the interlocking cups, ultimately causing the cups to separate and release. Explanation of shapes, maps and diagrams Figure 1) is a top view of the device showing the cup inlet opening. (In fact, this opening is connected to the cup holder compartment) Figure 2) shows the bottom view of the device, which is the output of the device and the part where the cup is directed out. Also, the sensor eye of the device is placed in this part, which issues the command to operate the motor when the person's hand approaches. Figure 3) shows the side view of the device. Figure 4) is an isometric view of the complete device. Figure 5) In this figure, which is an exploded view of the device, the components and function of the device, which were previously briefly described in the technical context and in detail in the claim, can be understood. A clear and precise statement of the advantages of the claimed invention over prior inventions. In this design, all goals including: Automating the mechanism for removing or separating disposable cups from special compartments in public places, which had not been done in this way before. Since mechanical mechanisms are less prone to problems than electronic ones, in this device, an attempt has been made to design the mold more mechanically than electronically. Flawless operation regardless of the angle of the glass (so that the device places the glass at the correct angle after one or two rotations)  Very affordable price - fully automatic system without manual intervention for cup separation  Ability to be provided in a modular format and connected to various cup holders Significant reduction in glass consumption at the installation site Ease of use and real efficiency It was achieved, thank God. Description of at least one implementation method for implementing the invention Because the structure of the cups is thin and plastic, the device does not require much force to separate the cups. Therefore, the entire structure, except for the motor and electrical board, is made of PLA or ABS plastic, which can be produced through 3D printing for prototyping and plastic injection in mass production. Finally, according to the plan provided, it can be easily assembled and presented for use. The electric motor used is a 6-volt DC motor with a speed of 50 rpm, and the electrical board is a simple infrared sensor to drive and adjust the operation time of the device for the motor, which is available in a modular form on the market. Explicit mention of the industrial application of the invention This device is used in all public and private services that use disposable plastic and paper cups, and it solves the problem of constantly separating and removing cups, both physically and in terms of reducing the contact of people's hands with other cups and objects, which is considered a hygienic aspect. Brief description of the invention Since the use of disposable containers, and in particular in this invention disposable cups, one of the common problems in using this product is separating and removing a cup for individual consumption. Therefore, in this project, we decided to design and build a device using a torsion mechanism the size of the step distance between two cups in a handle and using the power of a small electric motor to rotate this mechanism, which can be selectively connected to the outlet of disposable cup holders, and using a sensor that detects the hand or even pressing a button, separates a cup from the handle and releases it towards the outlet. This device solves the main problem of cups clashing and the difficulty of removing a cup, and in addition, it prevents people's hands from coming into contact with other cups in the handle, which results in throwing them away or leaving a microbial mark on them.

Claims

Claim What is claimed: Claim 1) Design and manufacture of an electromechanical system in the form of a portal for separating and ejecting a disposable cup from inside the cup holding cylinder in such a way that the device is installed as a portal in the outlet opening of the disposable cup cylindrical holder from which the cup is manually pulled out from its bottom, and the cup column is guided out from the opening of the device, which is installed as a ring at the end of the cylindrical chamber. This device:  Is designed in a circular shape in proportion to the cup holding chambers and is easily connected to the chamber.  Eliminates the need for manual effort to pull out the cup, which was not previously addressed.  Improves public health safety by limiting personal contact only with the cup that has been separated and ejected.  It is completely safe and does not pose any electrical hazard to the consumer due to the use of 12 V direct voltage in the operation of the device and the plastic body of the mold.It is designed to be very small and compact so that it does not take up more space and does not present any installation challenges compared to the previous placement and placement of the cup holder. Claim 2) According to claim 1, when a hand approaches the opening of the device, which is detected by the built-in sensor, the cup placed in the opening is guided downwards, which is actually the outlet of the cylindrical cup compartment, and there is no longer any need to pull the cup out manually. Claim 3) The mechanism for ejecting the cup from the cylindrical chamber is such that 5 screw-shaped structures with a coarse-pitch edge (in the form of a spiral or a screw) engage with the edge of the disposable cup and, with one rotation, separate the last cup from the chain of cups and release it towards the outlet. Claim 4) According to claim number 3, the rotation of these screws is driven by a miniature electric motor that is installed on one side of the device and receives the operation command after the sensor is activated by the approach of the hand. Claim 5) According to claims 3 and 4, to coordinate the rotation of these 5 screws (helixes), a large ring gear is used inside the frame of the device, through which the rotational force of the motor is simultaneously and uniformly transmitted to all the screws so that the cup is correctly and easily separated from the chain and released downwards, where the person's hand is. Claim 6) All rotations and power transfers from the motor head to the spirals are transmitted in the form of gears, and in order, from the motor head gear to the central ring gear and then from the ring gear to the spirals, each of which has a gear.

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