Method and device for automatic beverage filling and dispensing

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and device for automatically filling and distributing beverages, comprising a cup distributing mechanism and a cup sending mechanism, wherein the cup sending mechanism is located at the upper end of the cup distributing mechanism, and the cup distributing mechanism comprises a shell, an inner surface of an upper side wall of the shell is provided with a guide rail, an inner side wall of the guide rail is slidably connected with a slider, an inner side and an outer side surface of the slider are respectively provided with racks, and gears are respectively provided at the side walls of the shell corresponding to the racks, the gears are rotatably connected to the inner surface of the shell through a connecting rod, and a cup distributing wheel is respectively fixedly connected to one end of the connecting rod away from the shell, and the gears of the present invention drive the cup distributing wheel to rotate while rotating, so as to distribute empty cups in a cup sending channel, and when the cups in a cup sending channel are used up or a cup jam occurs, it is only necessary to control the motor, and the motor drives the rotating shaft, and then drives the main body to rotate, so as to align the next cup sending channel with the cup distributing wheel, and perform normal cup distributing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cup supply devices, and more specifically to a method and device for automatic beverage filling and dispensing. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of automation, automatic or semi-automatic beverage filling machines are increasingly used in the production process and are indispensable mechanical devices. Instant noodles, milk tea and other paper cup filling products are automatically filled and packaged in the filling equipment. When filling, the paper cups need to be placed one by one in the filling station of the filling equipment in a timely manner. In the prior art, placing paper cups one by one in the filling station of the filling equipment is all manual operation. First, a large number of workers are required to operate, second, the manual operation is not sanitary, and third, the manual operation is inefficient, and sometimes even becomes a bottleneck in the entire filling process. The filling cup divider adopts a scissor-fork type cup divider, which is not well compatible with the blow-molded cups used, resulting in poor cup separation and affecting the efficiency of the filling machine by 5%. At the same time, in order to solve the problem of cup jamming, the door is frequently opened to clean the cabin, which affects the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the environment, and then affects the positive pressure stability and sterility inside the filling cabin. In order to improve the working efficiency of the filling machine, save manpower, maintain good sanitary conditions, reduce sterility risks, and meet the automation needs of the entire filling process, a method and device for automatic beverage filling and cupping are proposed. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for automatically filling and dispensing beverages into cups, so as to solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: an automatic beverage filling and cup dispensing device, comprising a cup dispensing mechanism and a cup sending mechanism, the cup sending mechanism comprising a main body, the main body is cylindrical, a plurality of cup sending channels are arranged inside the main body, the cup sending channels are all cylindrical through-groove structures, the axes of the cup sending channels are respectively arranged parallel to the axes of the main body, and the cup sending channels are distributed in an annular manner, the cup sending mechanism is located at the upper end of the cup dispensing mechanism, the cup dispensing mechanism comprises a shell, a guide rail is arranged on the inner surface of the upper side wall of the shell, a slider is slidably connected to the inner side wall of the guide rail, the slider is annular, racks are respectively arranged on the inner and outer surfaces of the slider, gears are respectively arranged on the side walls of the shell corresponding to the racks, the gears are rotatably connected to the inner surface of the shell through a connecting rod, and the connecting rod is respectively fixed at one end away from the shell. A cup wheel is connected, the outer side wall of the slider is fixedly connected with a connecting rod, a swing groove is provided at the side wall of the shell corresponding to the connecting rod, the connecting rod passes through the swing groove, and a driving device is provided at one end of the connecting rod away from the slider for driving the connecting rod to swing, the inner side wall of the shell is fixedly connected with a motor, the output shaft of the motor passes through the surface of the shell and is fixedly connected with a rotating shaft, a plurality of supporting rods are fixedly connected to the outer surface of the shell, an inner ring and an outer ring are respectively fixedly connected at one end of the support rod away from the shell, the inner ring and the outer ring are both annular, and the upper surfaces of the inner ring and the outer ring are respectively in the same plane with the upper surface of the cup wheel, the inner ring and the outer ring are respectively provided with notches at the positions corresponding to the cup wheel, the outer surface of the main body is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft at the axis center, and the lower surface of the main body is in contact with the inner ring and the outer ring.

[0005] Preferably, a baffle is provided at one end of the cup delivery channel away from the cup dispensing mechanism, and a push plate is slidably connected to the inner side wall of the cup delivery channel, and a spring is provided between the push plate and the corresponding baffle.

[0006] Preferably, a through groove is respectively provided on a side wall of the cup delivery channel away from the axis of the main body.

[0007] Preferably, paddles are fixedly connected to the outer side walls of the push plate at locations corresponding to the through slots.

[0008] Preferably, the end surface of the baffle plate and the end surface of the push plate are respectively provided with corresponding distance sensors.

[0009] A method for automatically filling and dispensing beverages into cups, comprising the following steps:

[0010] Step 1: After arranging the empty cups, open the baffle, and take out the baffle, spring and push plate.

[0011] Step 2: Arrange the empty cups in a row with their mouths facing upwards and place them into the cup delivery channel respectively.

[0012] Step 3: Replace the inner ring and outer ring with suitable sizes so that the inner ring and the outer ring can be respectively stuck out of the edge of the empty cup, and replace the cup-dividing wheel at the same time so that the edge of the cup-dividing wheel is on the same arc surface as the outer surface of the inner ring and the inner surface of the outer ring.

[0013] Step 4: Align one of the cup delivery channels with the notch, and reset the baffle, spring and push plate.

[0014] Step 5: The driving device drives the connecting rod to swing, the connecting rod drives the slider to rotate, the slider drives the gear to rotate through the rack, the gear drives the cup-separating wheel to rotate through the connecting rod, and the cup-separating wheel moves the edge of the empty cup through the threaded surface to complete the cup separation.

[0015] Preferably, step six is ​​also included: detecting the moving distance between the corresponding distance sensors, if the distance change between the two distance sensors meets the predetermined value, if the distance change between the two distance sensors is less than the predetermined value, it indicates that the cup separation is abnormal, the motor is started, and the main body is driven to rotate through the rotating shaft to move the adjacent cup delivery channel to the notch, and then repeating step five.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a method and device for automatic filling and cupping of beverages, by setting a main body, and setting a plurality of cup delivery channels inside the main body, so that the device can accommodate more cups, by setting a shell at the lower end of the cup delivery mechanism, and setting a guide rail inside the shell, the movement of the slider is controlled by the guide rail, and by setting a connecting rod, the connecting rod is driven by a driving device to swing, so as to control the rotation of the slider, by setting a rack and a gear meshing with the rack on the slider, so as to drive the gear to rotate when the slider rotates, by setting a connecting rod, the gear drives the cup delivery wheel to rotate while rotating, so as to deliver the empty cups in the cup delivery channel, and when the cups in a cup delivery channel are used up or the cups are stuck, it is only necessary to control the motor, and the motor drives the rotating shaft, and then drives the main body to rotate, so as to align the next cup delivery channel with the cup delivery wheel, and perform normal cup delivery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the front cross-sectional structure of Example 1 of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the top view of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a top cross-sectional structure of embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a top view of a cross-sectional structure of a cup-dispensing mechanism according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the front cross-sectional structure of Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a top view cross-sectional structure of Example 2 of the present invention.

[0023] In the figure: 1-main body, 2-cup delivery channel, 3-housing, 4-guide rail, 5-slider, 6-rack, 7-gear, 8-connecting rod, 9-cup dividing wheel, 10-connecting rod, 11-swinging groove, 12-support rod, 13-inner ring, 14-outer ring, 15-notch, 16-rotating shaft, 17-baffle, 18-push plate, 19-spring, 20-through groove, 21-paddle, 22-distance sensor, 23-motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] Example 1

[0026] See also Figure 1-4 The present invention provides a technical solution: a beverage automatic filling and cup-dispensing device, comprising a cup-dispensing mechanism and a cup-feeding mechanism, wherein the cup-feeding mechanism comprises a main body 1, and the main body 1 is cylindrical, such as Figure 2 As shown, the main body 1 is provided with a plurality of cup delivery channels 2, each of which is a cylindrical through-groove structure. The axes of the cup delivery channels 2 are respectively arranged parallel to the axis of the main body 1. The diameter of the cup delivery channels 2 is slightly larger than the diameter of the empty cups to be divided, so as to facilitate the placement of the empty cups. The cup delivery channels 2 are distributed in an annular shape, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the cup delivery mechanism is located at the upper end of the cup separation mechanism. Figure 4As shown, the cup-distributing mechanism comprises a shell 3, a guide rail 4 is provided on the inner surface of the upper side wall of the shell 3, the guide rail 4 is a fan-shaped cavity, a slider 5 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the guide rail 4, the slider 5 is annular, the end face of the slider 5 is located inside the guide rail 4, so that the slider 5 can rotate along its axis, the inner and outer surfaces of the slider 5 are respectively provided with a rack 6, the rack 6 is located on one side of the slider 5, and a gear 7 is provided at the side wall of the shell 3 corresponding to the rack 6, the gear 7 is rotatably connected to the inner surface of the shell 3 through a connecting rod 8, and the end of the connecting rod 8 away from the shell 3 is respectively fixedly connected with a cup-distributing wheel 9, the surface of the cup-distributing wheel 9 is spiral, and the cup-distributing wheel 9 with a spiral surface is used to distribute the cups through rotation. The whole row of cups is pressed down on the cup-distributing wheel 9, and when the cup-distributing wheel 9 rotates, the edge of the bottom cup will be brought into the thread surface (because the thread pitch can only accommodate one cup to pass). When the cup-distributing wheel 9 continues to rotate, the cup is brought below the spiral surface and is suspended. In this way, the cup will fall smoothly under the action of gravity and spiral surface pressure, and accurately fall into the cup-retrieving device below, thereby achieving the design intention. The cup-distributing wheel 9 is replaced to adapt to cups of different sizes. The cup-distributing wheels 9 of various sizes keep the gear 7 that cooperates with the slider 5 unchanged, and only change the diameter of the upper threaded surface. With this design, a series of cup distributors can be made in conjunction with the remaining parts. A connecting rod 10 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the slider 5, and a swinging groove 11 is provided on the side wall of the shell 3 corresponding to the connecting rod 10. The connecting rod 10 passes through the swinging groove 11, and the swinging groove 11 allows the connecting rod 10 to swing. A driving device for driving the connecting rod 10 to swing is provided at the end of the connecting rod 10 away from the slider 5. The driving device is electrically connected to an external controller. The swinging groove 11 and the driving device limit the angle of a single swing of the slider 5. By adjusting the gear 7 and the rack 6, the gear 7 is in a positive position during a single swing. The outer shell 3 can rotate one circle, so as to swing once. The cup-distributing wheel 9 rotates one circle to deliver one cup. The inner side wall of the outer shell 3 is fixedly connected with a motor 23. The output shaft of the motor 11 passes through the surface of the outer shell 3 and is fixedly connected with a rotating shaft 16. The outer surface of the outer shell 3 is fixedly connected with a plurality of support rods 12. The ends of the support rods 12 away from the outer shell 3 are respectively fixedly connected with an inner ring 13 and an outer ring 14. The inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14 are both annular, and the upper surfaces of the inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14 are respectively in the same plane with the upper surface of the cup-distributing wheel 9. Figure 2 As shown, the cup edge inside the cup delivery channel 2 is clamped by the inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14, and when the main body 1 rotates, the cup is always in a clamped state, so that the cup cannot fall. Figure 3As shown, the inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14 are respectively provided with notches 15 corresponding to the cup-dividing wheel 9. It should be noted that the connection distance between the notch 15 and the cup-dividing wheel 9 needs to satisfy that when the cup edge moves from the position between the inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14 to the dividing wheel 9 under the rotation of the main body 1, it will not fall from the gap. The outer surface of the main body 1 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 16 at the axis center, and the lower surface of the main body 1 is in contact with the inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14. The motor 23 is also electrically connected to the controller.

[0027] Working principle: When the present invention is used, the cup is located inside the cup delivery channel 2, and the cup edge is stuck out by the inner ring 3 and the outer ring 14. The cup in the cup delivery channel 2 located at the notch 15 is stuck by the cup separation wheel 9. When the cups are separated, the driving device is started by the controller, and the driving device controls the connecting rod 10 to swing, thereby driving the slider 5 to rotate. The slider 5 drives the gear 7 to rotate through the rack 6, and the gear 7 drives the cup separation wheel 9 to rotate through the connecting rod 8. The cup separation wheel 9 controls the empty cup to fall through the spiral surface. When the cup in a cup delivery channel 2 is used up, or the cup is stuck inside, the motor 23 is started, and the motor 23 drives the main body 1 to rotate through the rotating shaft 16, and moves the next cup delivery channel 2 to the notch 15. The empty cup inside this cup delivery channel 2 is sent to the cup separation wheel 9 from between the inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14, so as to continue the cup separation.

[0028] Example 2

[0029] See also Figure 5-6 The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that: Figure 5 As shown, a baffle 17 is provided at one end of the cup delivery channel 2 away from the cup dispensing mechanism, and a push plate 18 is slidably connected to the inner side wall of the cup delivery channel 2. A spring 19 is provided between the push plate 18 and the corresponding baffle 17. The spring 19 enables the push plate 18 to generate downward pressure, so that when the cup is dispensed, the cup can fall under the action of the downward pressure to avoid being stuck. At the same time, the cup in the cup delivery channel 2 can be kept tightly to avoid shaking when the main body 1 rotates.

[0030] Specifically, if Figure 6 As shown, the side walls of the cup delivery channel 2 away from the axis of the main body 1 are respectively provided with through grooves 20, which facilitate observation of the situation inside the cup delivery channel 2, and the cups in the corresponding cup delivery channel 2 can also be adjusted through the through grooves 20.

[0031] Specifically, the outer wall of the push plate 18 is fixedly connected with a paddle 21 corresponding to the through groove 20, and the position of the push plate 18 can be adjusted by the paddle 21. When the cup body in the cup delivery channel 2 is offset, the push plate 18 can be controlled first so that the push plate 18 leaves the cup body and then the cup body is adjusted.

[0032] Specifically, the end surface of the baffle 17 and the end surface of the push plate 18 are respectively provided with corresponding distance sensors 22. The two distance sensors 22 correspond to each other and can sense the distance between them. The distance sensors 22 are connected to the controller. After each cup separation is completed, the two distance sensors 22 on the cup delivery channel 2 of the cup separation detect the distance between them. Since the push plate 18 will drop after the cup separation, the distance sensor 22 detects whether the drop distance of the push plate 18 meets the set value. If the distance between the two distance detectors 22 is abnormal, it means that the cup is stuck. Through the setting of the controller, when abnormal cup separation occurs, the motor 23 is driven to rotate the main body 1, and the new cup delivery channel 2 is rotated to the cup separation wheel 9, and then the cup separation operation is repeated, thereby realizing continuous cup separation without manual supervision.

[0033] A method for automatically filling and dispensing beverages into cups, comprising the following steps:

[0034] Step 1: After arranging the empty cups, open the baffle 17 and take out the baffle 17, the spring 19 and the push plate 18.

[0035] Step 2: Arrange the empty cups in a row with their mouths facing upwards and place them into the cup delivery channel 2 respectively.

[0036] Step 3: Replace the inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14 of appropriate size so that the inner ring 13 and the outer ring 14 can be respectively stuck out of the edge of the empty cup, and replace the cup-dividing wheel 9 at the same time so that the edge of the cup-dividing wheel 9 is on the same arc surface as the outer surface of the inner ring 13 and the inner surface of the outer ring 14.

[0037] Step 4: Align one of the cup delivery channels 2 with the notch 15, and reset the baffle 17, the spring 19 and the push plate 18.

[0038] Step 5: The driving device drives the connecting rod 10 to swing, and the connecting rod 10 drives the slider 5 to rotate. The slider 5 drives the gear 7 to rotate through the rack 6. The gear 7 drives the cup-separating wheel 9 to rotate through the connecting rod 8. The cup-separating wheel 9 moves the edge of the empty cup through the threaded surface to complete the cup separation.

[0039] Specifically, the step also includes step six: detecting the moving distance between the corresponding distance sensors 22, if the distance change between the two distance sensors 22 meets the predetermined value, if the distance change between the two distance sensors 22 is less than the predetermined value, it indicates that the cup separation is abnormal, the motor 23 is started, and the main body 1 is driven to rotate through the rotating shaft 16, so that the adjacent cup delivery channel 2 moves to the notch 15, and then repeating step five.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0041] The standard parts used in the present invention can all be purchased from the market, and special-shaped parts can be customized according to the instructions and the drawings. The specific connection methods of each part adopt conventional means such as mature bolts, rivets, welding, etc. in the prior art. Machinery, parts and equipment all adopt conventional models in the prior art, and the circuit connection adopts the conventional connection method in the prior art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0042] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A beverage automatic filling and cup dispensing device, comprising a cup dispensing mechanism and a cup feeding mechanism, characterized in that: The cup-feeding mechanism comprises a main body (1), the main body (1) is cylindrical, a plurality of cup-feeding channels (2) are arranged inside the main body (1), the cup-feeding channels (2) are all cylindrical through-groove structures, the axes of the cup-feeding channels (2) are respectively arranged parallel to the axes of the main body (1), and the cup-feeding channels (2) are distributed in an annular shape, the cup-feeding mechanism is located at the upper end of the cup-dispensing mechanism, the cup-dispensing mechanism comprises a shell (3), the inner surface of the upper side wall of the shell (3) is provided with a guide rail (4), the inner side wall of the guide rail (4) is slidably connected to the inner side wall of the guide rail (4) A slider (5) is provided, the slider (5) being annular, the inner and outer surfaces of the slider (5) being provided with racks (6) respectively, the side walls of the housing (3) being provided with gears (7) at locations corresponding to the racks (6), the gears (7) being rotatably connected to the inner surface of the housing (3) via connecting rods (8), the ends of the connecting rods (8) being away from the housing (3) being fixedly connected with cup-distributing wheels (9), the outer wall of the slider (5) being fixedly connected with connecting rods (10), the side walls of the housing (3) corresponding to the connecting rods (10) A swing groove (11) is provided at the outer surface of the housing (3), the connecting rod (10) passes through the swing groove (11), an end of the connecting rod (10) away from the slider (5) is provided with a driving device for driving the connecting rod (10) to swing, an inner side wall of the housing (3) is fixedly connected to a motor (23), an output shaft of the motor (11) passes through the surface of the housing (3) and is fixedly connected to a rotating shaft (16), an outer surface of the housing (3) is fixedly connected to a plurality of support rods (12), and ends of the support rods (12) away from the housing (3) are respectively fixedly connected to An inner ring (13) and an outer ring (14) are connected, the inner ring (13) and the outer ring (14) are both annular, and the upper surfaces of the inner ring (13) and the outer ring (14) are respectively in the same plane as the upper surface of the cup-dividing wheel (9), the inner ring (13) and the outer ring (14) are respectively provided with notches (15) at positions corresponding to the cup-dividing wheel (9), the outer surface of the main body (1) is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft (16) at the axis center, and the lower surface of the main body (1) is in contact with the inner ring (13) and the outer ring (14); A baffle plate (17) is provided at one end of the cup delivery channel (2) away from the cup dispensing mechanism, and a push plate (18) is slidably connected to the inner side wall of the cup delivery channel (2), and a spring (19) is provided between the push plate (18) and the corresponding baffle plate (17); The end surface of the baffle plate (17) and the end surface of the push plate (18) are respectively provided with corresponding distance sensors (22).

2. The automatic beverage filling and dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A through groove (20) is respectively provided on a side wall of the cup delivery channel (2) away from the axis of the main body (1).

3. A cup dispensing method based on the beverage automatic filling and dispensing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: After arranging the empty cups, open the baffle (17), and take out the baffle (17), the spring (19) and the push plate (18); Step 2: Arrange the empty cups in a row with their mouths facing upwards and place them into the cup delivery channel (2); Step 3: Replace the inner ring (13) and the outer ring (14) of suitable sizes so that the inner ring (13) and the outer ring (14) can be respectively stuck out of the edge of the empty cup, and replace the cup-dividing wheel (9) so that the edge of the cup-dividing wheel (9) is respectively on the same arc surface as the outer surface of the inner ring (13) and the inner surface of the outer ring (14); Step 4: align one of the cup delivery channels (2) with the notch (15), and reset the baffle (17), the spring (19) and the push plate (18); Step 5: The driving device drives the connecting rod (10) to swing, the connecting rod (10) drives the slider (5) to rotate, the slider (5) drives the gear (7) to rotate through the rack (6), the gear (7) drives the cup-separating wheel (9) to rotate through the connecting rod (8), and the cup-separating wheel (9) moves the edge of the empty cup through the threaded surface to complete the cup separation.

4. The cup dispensing method of the automatic beverage filling and dispensing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises a sixth step: detecting the moving distance between the corresponding distance sensors (22); if the distance change between the two distance sensors (22) meets a predetermined value, it indicates that the cup separation is normal; if the distance change between the two distance sensors (22) is less than the predetermined value, it indicates that the cup separation is abnormal; the motor (23) is started, and the main body (1) is driven to rotate via the rotating shaft (16), so that the adjacent cup delivery channel (2) moves to the notch (15), and then step five is repeated.

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