Automatic vending machine pickup mechanism

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of automatic vending machines, and specifically discloses a pickup mechanism for automatic vending machines, including a bottom plate, a storage table slidably connected to the bottom plate, a manipulator assembly slidably connected to the bottom plate and located above the storage table for grabbing goods, and a driving device for driving the manipulator assembly to slide; the storage table and the manipulator assembly slide in the same direction, and after the storage table slides along the bottom plate to dock with the cargo aisle on the shelf, the manipulator assembly grabs the goods in the cargo aisle and places them on the storage table. The pickup mechanism of the present invention can realize active pickup, replacing the current pickup method of falling goods, so as to reduce the delivery failure rate, which is conducive to selling a variety of commodity categories.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automatic vending machines, in particular to a goods-taking mechanism of an automatic vending machine. Background Art

[0002] A vending machine is a machine that can automatically pay for goods based on the coins inserted. It is not restricted by time or place, can save manpower and facilitate transactions. Due to its convenience, it has been welcomed by more and more users and is widely used in various occasions.

[0003] There are two common ways to pick up goods in existing vending machines. One is to use a movable platform. After the customer selects the goods and completes the payment, the driving device on the shelf pushes the goods purchased by the customer into the storage compartment of the platform. After the platform detects that the goods have fallen into the storage compartment of the platform, it will automatically move to the pickup port of the vending machine. The customer takes out the goods from the pickup port to complete the sales process. The other way is that when receiving the delivery instruction, the goods purchased by the customer fall into the lower pickup port storage device along a specific aisle under the action of their own gravity. The customer takes out the goods from the pickup port storage device to complete the sales process. In both of these pickup methods, the height difference is used to make the goods passively fall into the pickup device. The goods are easily damaged when falling, which makes the vending machine unsuitable for selling fragile goods, limiting the types of goods that can be sold. At the same time, because the internal structures of the vending machine are arranged relatively closely, occupying a large space, and the remaining gap position is small, the goods are easily stuck during the falling process, affecting the normal operation of the vending machine. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a vending machine pickup mechanism to replace the current pickup method of falling goods, so as to reduce the delivery failure rate and facilitate the sale of various commodity categories.

[0005] Based on this, the present invention provides a vending machine picking mechanism, comprising: a bottom plate, a storage table slidably connected to the bottom plate, a manipulator assembly slidably connected to the bottom plate and located above the storage table for grabbing commodities, and a driving device for driving the manipulator assembly to slide;

[0006] The storage platform and the manipulator assembly slide in the same direction. After the storage platform slides along the bottom plate until it docks with the aisle on the shelf, the manipulator assembly grabs the goods in the aisle and places them on the storage platform.

[0007] As a preferred solution, a gap transmission component is provided on one side of the storage table, which cooperates with the robot assembly in gap transmission and is used to enable the robot assembly to drive the storage table to slide together in the front section of the sliding path.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment, the robot assembly includes a sliding platform slidably connected to the base plate, an arm slide rail perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding platform and installed on the sliding platform, a first robot arm and a second robot arm slidably connected to the arm slide rail and arranged side by side along the length direction of the arm slide rail, and a power device for driving the first robot arm and the second robot arm to slide.

[0009] As a preferred solution, the sliding platform is provided with a first rack parallel to the arm slide rail, and the power device is a first arm motor and a second arm motor. The first arm motor is installed at one end of the first robotic arm, and the second arm motor is installed at the end of the second robotic arm opposite to the first arm motor. The output shafts of the first arm motor and the second arm motor are both connected to a first transmission gear meshing with the first rack.

[0010] As a preferred solution, the driving device is a power motor installed on the bottom plate, the output shaft of the power motor is connected to a synchronous belt, and a clamping block passing through the storage table is provided at the bottom of the sliding platform, and the clamping block is clamped on both sides of one side of the synchronous belt;

[0011] The gap transmission assembly includes a second rack fixedly connected to the bottom of the sliding platform, a third rack fixedly connected to the storage table and located below the second rack, and a second transmission gear pivotally connected to the base plate, the length of the second rack is shorter than that of the third rack, and the second rack and the third rack are both meshed with the second transmission gear.

[0012] As a preferred solution, the robot assembly further includes a vacuum pump, and the ends of the first robot arm and the second robot arm are both provided with suction cups connected to the vacuum pump.

[0013] As a preferred solution, the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm are provided with pressure sensors for detecting the pickup of commodities.

[0014] As a preferred solution, the automatic vending machine pickup mechanism further includes a transverse movement component for moving the bottom plate transversely to transport the storage table to the pickup port.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the transverse movement assembly includes a ball screw, a screw nut, a guide rail and a drive motor. The screw nut is connected to a base that is slidably connected to the guide rail, and the base plate is installed on the base via a base plate bracket arranged thereunder.

[0016] As a preferred solution, the storage table and the sliding platform are all slidably connected to the bottom plate by means of a slide rail and a slide block.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The automatic vending machine picking mechanism of the present invention includes a manipulator assembly, a storage table, a bottom plate and a driving device. The storage table and the manipulator assembly slide toward the goods in the aisle on the shelf in the same direction. The driving device drives the manipulator assembly to slide toward the goods in the aisle on the shelf. When the storage table slides along the bottom plate to dock with the aisle, it stops sliding, and the manipulator assembly continues to extend forward to the goods and realizes the picking action, and then places the grabbed goods on the storage table. Therefore, through the coordinated action of the manipulator assembly and the storage table, it is possible to actively grab the goods for picking up, replacing the picking method of falling goods. Since a storage table is provided under the manipulator assembly, the goods grabbed by the manipulator assembly can be temporarily stored to prevent the goods from falling or tipping over, which is conducive to improving the success rate of grabbing, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the goods, thereby adapting to the sale of multiple categories of goods, especially the sale of fragile goods, and the active grabbing method can effectively reduce the failure rate of shipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a vending machine pickup mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The three-dimensional structure diagram after the storage table is hidden;

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional structure diagram from another perspective;

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of point I in the middle;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the transverse shift assembly provided in this embodiment.

[0024] Among them, 1. base plate; 11. base plate bracket; 12. first slide rail; 13. second slide rail; 2. storage table; 30. manipulator assembly; 31. sliding platform; 311. clamping block; 32. arm slide rail; 33. first manipulator arm; 331. first arm motor; 34. second manipulator arm; 341. second arm motor; 35. first rack; 36. vacuum pump; 37. suction cup; 38. pressure sensor; 40. power motor; 41. synchronous belt; 50. gap transmission assembly; 51. second rack; 52. third rack; 53. second transmission gear; 60. transverse movement assembly; 61. ball screw; 62. drive motor; 63. base; 7. manipulator panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The specific implementation of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0027] See also Figures 1 to 3 , schematically shows the automatic vending machine picking mechanism of the present invention, including a base plate 1, a storage table 2, a manipulator assembly 30 and a driving device. Among them, the storage table 2 and the manipulator assembly 30 are both slidably matched with the base plate 1, the manipulator assembly 30 is used to grab goods from the aisle on the shelf of the automatic vending machine, the driving device is used to drive the manipulator assembly 30 to slide toward the goods on the shelf, and the manipulator assembly 30 is located above the storage table 2, so as to facilitate the manipulator assembly 30 to take out the goods from the shelf and temporarily store them on the storage table 2, thereby ensuring the success rate of the manipulator assembly 30 grabbing the goods and preventing the goods grabbed by the manipulator assembly 30 from falling or tipping over. In this embodiment, the driving device can be a power motor 40 installed on the base plate 1.

[0028] It is important that the storage table 2 and the manipulator assembly 30 slide in the same direction toward the goods, and the power motor 40 drives the manipulator assembly 30 to slide toward the goods in the aisle on the shelf. When the storage table 2 slides along the bottom plate 1 until it docks with the aisle, it stops sliding, and the manipulator assembly 30 continues to extend forward toward the goods and performs the picking action, and then places the grabbed goods on the storage table. Therefore, through the coordinated action of the manipulator assembly 30 and the storage table 2, it is possible to actively grab the goods for picking up, replacing the picking method of falling goods. Due to the setting of the storage table 2, the goods grabbed by the manipulator assembly 30 can be temporarily stored to prevent the goods from falling or tipping over, which is conducive to improving the success rate of grabbing, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the goods, thereby adapting to the sale of multiple categories of goods, especially the sale of fragile goods, and the active grabbing method can also effectively reduce the failure rate of shipment.

[0029] On one side of the storage table 2 is provided a gap transmission component 50 which cooperates with the gap transmission of the manipulator assembly 30 and is used to make the manipulator assembly 30 drive the storage table 2 to slide together in the front section of the sliding path. In this way, after the manipulator assembly 30 receives the signal to grab the goods, the power motor 40 drives the manipulator assembly 30 to start sliding towards the goods, driving the storage table 2 to slide along with the manipulator assembly 30. When the storage table 2 is close to the front end of the cargo channel and docked with the cargo channel, the storage table 2 stops sliding, and the manipulator assembly 30 continues to slide forward to the position of the goods, and then clamps the goods, thereby realizing the grabbing of the goods; after grabbing the goods, the original path is retrieved with the opposite action, that is, the manipulator assembly 30 moves back first, and after the manipulator assembly 30 transfers the grabbed goods to the storage table 2, the manipulator assembly 30 drives the storage table 2 to move back together to disengage from the shelf, so that the grabbed goods can be transported to the pickup port by the moving assembly, which is convenient for users to take away. In this way, through the coordinated actions of the manipulator assembly 30, the storage table 2 and the gap transmission assembly 50, it is possible to actively grab the goods and avoid falling goods, so as to reduce the risk of damage to the goods, thereby adapting to the sale of multiple categories of goods and effectively reducing the delivery failure rate.

[0030] Specifically, see Figure 2 and Figure 3The robot assembly 30 includes a sliding platform 31, an arm slide 32, a first robot arm 33, a second robot arm 34 and a power device for driving the first robot arm 33 and the second robot arm 34 to slide. The sliding platform 31 is slidably matched with the bottom plate 1, and the arm slide 32 is arranged perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding platform 31 and is installed on the sliding platform 31. The first robot arm 33 and the second robot arm 34 are arranged side by side and both are slidably matched with the arm slide 32 to grab the goods. In this embodiment, the first robot arm 33 and the second robot arm 34 are both arranged perpendicular to the arm slide 32, and the power devices are respectively installed at the rear end of the first robot arm 33 and the first arm motor 33. 31 and a second arm motor 341 installed at the rear end of the second robotic arm 34, a first rack 35 parallel to the arm slide 32 is provided on the sliding platform 31, and the output shafts of the first arm motor 331 and the second arm motor 341 are both connected to a first transmission gear (blocked in the figure) meshing with the first rack 35. When the first arm motor 331 and the second arm motor 341 are actuated, the first transmission gears thereon are respectively driven to mesh and transmit on the first rack 35, thereby realizing the left and right sliding of the first robotic arm 33 and the second robotic arm 34 along the arm slide 32. When the first robotic arm 33 and the second robotic arm 34 are close to / far away from each other, the goods can be flexibly clamped / put down. It should be noted that the first robotic arm 33 and the second robotic arm 34 can also be a fixed arrangement of one of the robotic arms, and the other robotic arm is driven by a motor to slide on the arm slide 32, which can also realize the grasping function.

[0031] As a preferred embodiment, the robot assembly 30 also includes a vacuum pump 36. Suction cups 37 are provided at the ends of the first robot arm 33 and the second robot arm 34. The suction cups 37 are connected to the vacuum pump 36. When the goods purchased by the customer are soft-packaged goods, the soft-packaged goods are sucked by the suction cups 37 at the ends of the first robot arm 33 and the second robot arm 34, thereby improving the efficiency of the robot assembly 30 in acquiring such goods and expanding the categories of goods sold.

[0032] Preferably, the first robotic arm 33 and the second robotic arm 34 are provided with a pressure sensor 38 for detecting the goods taken. When the pressure sensor 38 detects that the first robotic arm 33 and the second robotic arm 34 have clamped or sucked the goods, it sends a signal to control the driving device to drive the robotic arm assembly to move back, thereby clamping or sucking the goods onto the storage table 2, and transporting the goods to the pickup port together.

[0033] More specifically, see Figure 3As shown, the driving device is a power motor 40 installed on the base plate 1, and the output shaft of the power motor 40 is connected to a synchronous belt 41. A clamping block 311 passing through the storage table 2 is provided at the bottom of the sliding platform 31, and the clamping block 311 is clamped on both sides of one side of the synchronous belt 41. In this way, the output shaft of the power motor 40 rotates to drive the synchronous belt 41 to rotate, and the friction between the clamping block 311 and the belt on one side of the synchronous belt 41 drives the sliding platform 31 to move with the synchronous belt 41. Preferably, a first slide rail 12 is provided on the base plate 1, and a slider is provided on the sliding platform 31, so that the sliding platform 31 slides along the first slide rail 12 on the base plate 1 toward the goods on the shelf driven by the synchronous belt 41.

[0034] Based on the above structure, see Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the gap transmission assembly 50 includes a second rack 51, a third rack 52 and a second transmission gear 53. The second rack 51 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sliding platform 31, the third rack 52 is fixedly connected to the storage table 2 and is located directly below the second rack 51, the second transmission gear 53 is pivotally connected to the bottom plate 1, and the second rack 51 and the third rack 52 are both meshed with the second transmission gear 53. It is important that the length of the second rack 51 is shorter than the length of the third rack 52. In this way, when the power motor 40 drives the sliding platform 31 to slide forward, the second transmission gear 53 can only be driven when the tooth groove of the second rack 51 is in meshing contact with the second transmission gear 53. The third rack 52 moves, thereby driving the storage platform 2 fixedly connected to the third rack 52 to slide forward. Since the length of the second rack 51 is shorter than that of the third rack 52, when the sliding platform 31 drives the storage platform 2 to slide forward for a distance, the second rack 51 and the second transmission gear 53 are disengaged from each other, so that the storage platform 2 stops sliding, and the sliding platform 31 continues to slide forward alone, so that the first mechanical arm 33 and the second mechanical arm 34 on the sliding platform 31 can grab the goods in the cargo channel, thereby realizing the gap transmission of the power motor 40 to the storage platform 2. Preferably, a second slide rail 13 is provided on the bottom plate 1, and a slider that slidably cooperates with the second slide rail 13 is provided at the bottom of the storage platform 2.

[0035] As a preferred embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 5As shown, the vending machine pickup mechanism also includes a transverse movement component 60 for moving the bottom plate 1 horizontally to transport the storage table 2 to the pickup port, so as to drive the manipulator component 30 to move horizontally in the vending machine, so as to realize the grabbing of goods in different aisles, and also facilitate the delivery of the grabbed goods to the pickup port, and then the manipulator component 30 releases the goods for the convenience of users to take away. The transverse movement component 60 specifically includes a ball screw 61, a screw nut, a guide rail and a drive motor 62, and the screw nut is connected to a base 63 that is slidably connected to the guide rail, and the bottom plate 1 is installed on the base 63 of the transverse movement component 60 through a bottom plate bracket 11 arranged thereunder. It can be understood that the transverse movement component 60 can also be installed on the lifting component, so as to be used in a vending machine with upper and lower aisles, so that the manipulator component can clamp or absorb goods in aisles at different heights.

[0036] Further preferably, in order to improve the aesthetics of the automatic goods receiving machine, a manipulator panel 7 is provided on the outward side of the bottom plate 1. Since the front door panel of the vending machine is generally made of transparent material, the setting of the manipulator panel 7 can cover the entire pickup mechanism, thereby not affecting the aesthetic appearance of the vending machine.

[0037] In summary, the automatic vending machine pickup mechanism of the present invention adopts the form of active pickup, with two acquisition forms of clamping and suction, avoiding the falling delivery method, reducing the risk of damage to the goods, and thus adapting to the sale of multiple categories of goods, thereby effectively reducing the delivery failure rate. In addition, a storage table is provided under the manipulator assembly, which can be used to temporarily store goods to prevent the goods from falling or tipping over, which is conducive to improving the success rate of grabbing.

[0038] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention. These improvements and substitutions should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vending machine pickup mechanism, characterized in that: include: A bottom plate, a storage table slidably connected to the bottom plate, a manipulator assembly slidably connected to the bottom plate and located above the storage table for grabbing commodities, and a driving device for driving the manipulator assembly to slide; The storage platform and the manipulator assembly slide in the same direction. After the storage platform slides along the bottom plate until it docks with the aisle on the shelf, the manipulator assembly grabs the goods in the aisle and places them on the storage platform; A gap transmission component is provided on one side of the storage platform, which cooperates with the manipulator component in gap transmission and is used to enable the manipulator component to drive the storage platform to slide together at the front section of the sliding path; The manipulator assembly includes a sliding platform slidably connected to the base plate, an arm slide rail perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding platform and installed on the sliding platform, a first manipulator arm and a second manipulator arm slidably connected to the arm slide rail and arranged side by side along the length direction of the arm slide rail, and a power device for driving the first manipulator arm and the second manipulator arm to slide; The driving device is a power motor installed on the bottom plate, the output shaft of the power motor is connected to a synchronous belt, and a clamping block passing through the storage table is provided at the bottom of the sliding platform, and the clamping block is clamped on both sides of one side of the synchronous belt; The sliding platform is provided with a first rack parallel to the arm slide rail, the power device is a first arm motor and a second arm motor, the first arm motor is installed at one end of the first mechanical arm, the second arm motor is installed at an end of the second mechanical arm opposite to the first arm motor, and the output shafts of the first arm motor and the second arm motor are both connected to a first transmission gear meshing with the first rack; The gap transmission assembly includes a second rack fixedly connected to the bottom of the sliding platform, a third rack fixedly connected to the storage table and located below the second rack, and a second transmission gear pivotally connected to the base plate, the length of the second rack is shorter than that of the third rack, and the second rack and the third rack are both meshed with the second transmission gear.

2. The automatic vending machine pickup mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot assembly also includes a vacuum pump, and the ends of the first robot arm and the second robot arm are both provided with suction cups connected to the vacuum pump.

3. The automatic vending machine pickup mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first robotic arm and the second robotic arm are provided with pressure sensors for detecting the goods taken.

4. The automatic vending machine pickup mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The automatic vending machine picking mechanism also includes a transverse movement component for moving the bottom plate transversely to transport the storage platform to the picking port.

5. The automatic vending machine pickup mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transverse movement assembly includes a ball screw, a screw nut, a guide rail and a driving motor. The screw nut is connected to a base that is slidably connected to the guide rail, and the base plate is installed on the base through a base plate bracket arranged thereunder.

6. The automatic vending machine pickup mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage table and the sliding platform are all slidably connected with the bottom plate in the form of a slide rail and a slide block.

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