Curved cup dispensing mechanism, beverage vending machine, control method and control system

Abstract

The present application discloses a curved cup dispensing mechanism, a beverage vending machine, a control method and a control system, wherein the curved cup dispensing mechanism comprises: a frame, a curved cup dispensing slot and a cup loading and transferring mechanism fixedly mounted on the frame; a cup holder assembly slidably mounted on the curved cup dispensing slot so that the cup holder assembly can move along the opening direction of the curved cup dispensing slot; and a sensor assembly fixedly mounted on the frame and used to detect the position of the cup holder assembly; wherein the cup loading and transferring mechanism is transmission-connected to the cup holder assembly to drive the cup holder assembly to slide on the curved cup dispensing slot, and the cup loading and transferring mechanism is electrically connected to the sensor assembly to control the action of the cup loading and transferring mechanism. The present application solves the problems in the related art that the cup dispensing mechanism occupies a large space, increases the manufacturing cost, and has a low degree of intelligence.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of beverage vending equipment, and in particular, to a curved cup dispensing mechanism, a beverage vending machine, a control method and a control system. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of people's living standards, the development of beverage vending machines is getting faster and faster. In the prior art, there are already beverage vending machines with automatic cup dropping, lid dropping and cap pressing functions. The cup discharging mechanism in this type of beverage vending machine can automatically separate the cup, fill the cup with liquid, and automatically separate the lid and cover it on the cup after filling. Since the movement path of the cup in the cup discharging mechanism of the related art is a straight line, it occupies a large space, increases the manufacturing cost, and this type of cup discharging mechanism requires manual placement of the beverage cup, manual cup removal and cup cover, which is complicated to operate and cannot intelligently control various situations that occur during the cup discharging stage.

[0003] With regard to the problems in the related art that the cup dispensing mechanism occupies a large space, increases the manufacturing cost, and has a low level of intelligence, no effective solution has been proposed so far. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a curved cup dispensing mechanism, a beverage vending machine, a control method and a control system to solve the problems in the related art that the cup dispensing mechanism occupies a large space, increases the manufacturing cost, and has a low degree of intelligence.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides a curved cup discharging mechanism, which includes: a frame and a curved cup discharging groove and a cup loading and transferring mechanism fixedly mounted on the frame; a cup holder assembly, which is slidably mounted on the curved cup discharging groove so that the cup holder assembly can move along the opening direction of the curved cup discharging groove; and a sensor assembly fixedly mounted on the frame and used to detect the position of the cup holder assembly; wherein the cup loading and transferring mechanism is transmission-connected to the cup holder assembly to drive the cup holder assembly to slide on the curved cup discharging groove, and the cup loading and transferring mechanism is electrically connected to the sensor assembly to control the action of the cup loading and transferring mechanism.

[0006] Furthermore, a cup dropping station, an extraction station, a cap dropping station, a cap pressing station and a cup discharging station are sequentially arranged on the curved cup discharging groove along the moving direction of the cup holder assembly.

[0007] Furthermore, the sensor assembly includes a cup drop station arrival sensor, an extraction station arrival sensor, a cap drop station arrival sensor, a cap pressing station arrival sensor, a cup discharge station arrival sensor, a cup drop arrival sensor and a beverage discharge warehouse sensor arranged on the frame.

[0008] Furthermore, the cup loading and transferring mechanism includes: a bracket, a motor and a swing arm; wherein, the bracket is fixed on the frame, the motor is fixed on the bracket, the first end of the swing arm is transmission connected to the output end of the motor, and the second end is transmission connected to the cup holder assembly to drive the cup holder assembly to slide on the curved cup outlet groove.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes a bearing seat arranged on the frame, a bearing arranged in the bearing seat, and a rotating shaft arranged in the bearing, and the rotating shaft is drivingly connected to the output end of the motor.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a linear guide rail arranged at the second end of the swing arm, and the cup holder assembly is slidably connected to the linear guide rail.

[0011] Furthermore, the cup holder assembly includes: a cup holder bracket, a first side of which is slidably connected to the linear guide rail; a cup holder, fixedly disposed on a second side of the cup holder bracket, and provided with a bearing groove for accommodating a cup; and a roller, rotatably disposed at the lower end of the cup holder bracket, and the roller is slidably connected to the curved cup outlet groove.

[0012] Furthermore, the cup holder bracket includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, the back side of the vertical portion is slidably connected to the linear guide rail, the cup holder is arranged on the upper end surface of the horizontal portion, and the roller is arranged on the lower end surface of the horizontal portion.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes a cup discharge chamber door arranged on the frame, the cup discharge chamber door is arranged on the curved cup discharge groove and corresponds to the cup discharge station, and a cup inlet and a cup removal port are opened on the cup discharge chamber door.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present application, a beverage vending machine is provided, the beverage vending machine comprising a curved cup dispensing mechanism.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present application, a control method of a curved cup discharging mechanism is provided, the control method comprising:

[0016] S1, detect whether there is a cup in the cup bin, if not, send a reminder signal, if yes, proceed to S2;

[0017] S2, check whether there is a cup cover in the cup cover bin, if not, send a reminder signal, if yes, proceed to S3;

[0018] S3, detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup dispenser, if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to under the cup dispenser along the curved cup outlet groove, if yes, proceeding to S4;

[0019] S4, controlling the cup dispenser to dispense a cup to the cup holder assembly, and detecting whether the cup is on the cup holder assembly, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, proceeding to S5;

[0020] S5, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the extraction mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the extraction mechanism, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, proceeding to S6;

[0021] S6, controlling the extraction mechanism to start extracting the beverage, and after the extraction is completed, controlling the cup loading and loading mechanism to move the cup holder assembly along the curved cup outlet groove to below the cup dispensing cover device;

[0022] S7, detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover distributor, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, controlling the cup cover distributor to distribute a cup cover to the cup, and detecting whether the cup cover is already on the cup, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, proceeding to S8;

[0023] S8, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to below the cup cover pressing mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is below the cup cover pressing mechanism, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, controlling the cup cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover tightly;

[0024] S9, detecting whether the cup cover has been pressed onto the cup, if not, controlling the cup cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover again, if yes, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the cup outlet along the curved cup outlet groove.

[0025] Further, step S3 is specifically as follows: detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup dispenser, if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to under the cup dispenser along the curved cup outlet groove, and detecting again whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup dispenser, if yes, proceeding to S4, if not, uploading the abnormality to the background server through the main control module.

[0026] Furthermore, before controlling the cup dispenser to dispense a cup to the cup holder assembly, it is also included to detect whether the extraction mechanism is normal, if not, a reminder signal is sent, if normal, proceed to S4.

[0027] Further, step S4 is specifically as follows: controlling the cup dispenser to dispense a cup to the cup holder assembly, and detecting whether the cup is on the cup holder assembly; if not, controlling the cup dispenser to dispense another cup to the cup holder assembly, and detecting whether the cup is on the cup holder assembly; if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module; if yes, proceeding to S5.

[0028] Furthermore, step S5 is specifically as follows: controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the extraction mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the extraction mechanism; if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the extraction mechanism again, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the extraction mechanism; if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module; if yes, proceeding to S6.

[0029] Further, step S7 is specifically as follows: detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover distributor, if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism again to move the cup holder assembly to under the cup cover distributor, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover distributor, if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module; if yes, controlling the cup cover distributor to distribute a cup cover to the cup, and detecting whether the cup cover is already on the cup, if not, controlling the cup cover distributor to distribute a cup cover to the cup again, and detecting whether the cup cover is already on the cup, if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module, and if yes, proceeding to S8.

[0030] Furthermore, step S8 is specifically as follows: controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the cup cover pressing mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover pressing mechanism; if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the cup cover pressing mechanism, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover pressing mechanism; if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module; if yes, controlling the cup cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover tightly.

[0031] Further, step S9 is specifically as follows: detecting whether the cup cover has been pressed onto the cup, if not, controlling the cup cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover again, and detecting whether the cup cover has been pressed onto the cup, if yes, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the cup outlet along the curved cup outlet groove, if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module.

[0032] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0033] S10, detecting whether the cup holder assembly is at the cup outlet, if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the cup outlet again, and detecting again whether the cup holder assembly is at the cup outlet, if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the backend server by the main control module, and if yes, proceeding to S11;

[0034] S11, notifying the user to take away the cup with the finished drink, and checking whether the cup is taken away within the set time. If not, notifying the user again to take away the cup with the finished drink, and checking again whether the cup is taken away within the set time. If not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the backend server by the main control module. If yes, proceeding to S12;

[0035] S12, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move along the curved cup discharging groove to below the cup distributor.

[0036] According to another aspect of the present application, a control system of a curved cup discharging mechanism is provided, the control system comprising:

[0037] at least one processor;

[0038] at least one memory for storing at least one program;

[0039] When the at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the control method of the curved cup dispensing mechanism.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, a curved cup outlet groove is adopted, by providing a frame and a curved cup outlet groove and a cup loading and transferring mechanism fixed on the frame; a cup holder assembly is slidably arranged on the curved cup outlet groove so that the cup holder assembly can move along the opening direction of the curved cup outlet groove; and a sensor assembly is fixed on the frame and used to detect the position of the cup holder assembly; wherein the cup loading and transferring mechanism is transmission-connected with the cup holder assembly to drive the cup holder assembly to slide on the curved cup outlet groove, and the cup loading and transferring mechanism is electrically connected with the sensor assembly to control the action of the cup loading and transferring mechanism, thereby achieving the purpose of changing the motion path of the cup holder assembly from a straight line to a curve, and controlling the movement of the cup loading and transferring mechanism through the sensor assembly, thereby achieving the technical effect of reducing the floor space occupied by the cup outlet mechanism, reducing the manufacturing cost, and improving the intelligence of the cup outlet mechanism, thereby solving the problems in the related art that the cup outlet mechanism occupies a large space, increases the manufacturing cost, and has a low degree of intelligence. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] The drawings constituting a part of this application are used to provide a further understanding of this application, so that other features, purposes and advantages of this application become more obvious. The schematic embodiment drawings and their descriptions of this application are used to explain this application and do not constitute an improper limitation on this application. In the drawings:

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a top view structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a cup loading and transferring mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a cup holder assembly according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a control method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Among them, 10 racks, 101 cup dropping station, 102 extraction station, 103 cap dropping station, 104 cap pressing station, 105 cup discharging station, 106 cup discharging bin door, 107 cup loading and transferring mechanism, 207 swing arm, 1071 motor, 1072 rotating shaft, 1073 bearing, 1074 bearing seat, 1075 bracket, 209 cup holder assembly, 2091 cup, 2092 cup holder, 2093 roller, 2094 cup holder bracket, 206 curved cup discharging slot, 201 cup dropping station in place sensor, 202 extraction station in place sensor, 203 cap dropping station in place sensor, 204 cap pressing station in place sensor, 205 cup discharging station in place sensor, 2010 cup dropping in place sensor, 2011 beverage discharging bin sensor, 208 linear guide rail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0049] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so as to describe the embodiments of the present application described herein.

[0050] In this application, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", etc. indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. These terms are mainly used to better describe the present application and its embodiments, and are not used to limit the indicated devices, elements or components to have a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0051] In addition, some of the above terms may be used to express other meanings in addition to indicating orientation or positional relationship. For example, the term "on" may also be used to express a certain dependency or connection relationship in some cases. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of these terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0052] In addition, the terms "disposed", "provided with", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connected" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be an internal connection between two devices, elements or components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0053] In addition, the term "plurality" shall mean two or more.

[0054] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0055] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a curved cup discharging mechanism, which includes: a frame 10, a curved cup discharging groove 206 and a cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 fixedly mounted on the frame 10; a cup holder assembly 209, which is slidably mounted on the curved cup discharging groove 206 so that the cup holder assembly 209 can move along the opening direction of the curved cup discharging groove 206; and a sensor assembly fixedly mounted on the frame 10 and used to detect the position of the cup holder assembly 209; wherein the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 is transmission-connected to the cup holder assembly 209 to drive the cup holder assembly 209 to slide on the curved cup discharging groove 206, and the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 is electrically connected to the sensor assembly to control the action of the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107.

[0056] In this embodiment, the frame 10 is used to install and protect the various components of the curved cup outlet groove 206 and the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107. Therefore, the frame 10 should have multiple installation positions and can be made of at least one installation plate. The curved cup outlet groove 206 is fixed to the upper surface of the frame 10. The fixing method can be fixed by screws. The curved cup outlet groove 206 includes two parts, one of which is an arc segment and the other is a straight segment. An arc slide groove is opened on the curved cup outlet groove 206, so that the cup holder component 209 can slide in the slide groove along a preset path (that is, the opening direction of the curved cup outlet groove 206). The sensor component is installed The sensor assembly is mounted on the upper surface of the frame 10 and is used to detect the position of the cup holder assembly 209. The sensor assembly is composed of a plurality of detection sensors and is mainly used to detect whether the cup holder assembly 209 is in a production station, which includes a cup drop station 101, an extraction station 102, a cover drop station 103, a cover pressing station 104 and a cup discharge station 105 arranged on the curved cup discharge groove 206, and controls the corresponding mechanism to perform corresponding actions at the corresponding station, such as controlling the extraction mechanism to complete the extraction of capsule beverage, controlling the cover drop mechanism to complete the placement of the cup cover on the cup 2091, controlling the cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover on the cup 2091, etc. The cup discharging process is automated, and the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 is used to drive the cup holder assembly 209 to move. When a cup 2091 is placed on the cup holder assembly 209, the cup 2091 is driven to move in a curve on the curved cup discharging groove 206. The cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 can be driven to move the cup holder assembly 209, or can be driven to move the cup holder assembly 209 by a transmission mechanism. Since the sensor assembly is electrically connected to the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107, when the cup holder assembly 209 reaches the corresponding station, the corresponding detection sensor can control the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to stop moving. Since the displacement of the cup holder assembly 209 and the output end of the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 has a certain corresponding relationship, the sensor assembly can also detect the position of the cup holder assembly 209 by detecting the position of the output end of the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107. In this embodiment, the movement path of the cup holder assembly 209 is changed from a straight line to a curve by setting the curved cup discharge groove 206, thereby achieving the technical effect of reducing the floor space of the cup discharge mechanism, reducing the manufacturing cost, and improving the intelligence of the cup discharge mechanism, thereby solving the problem that the cup discharge mechanism in the related art occupies a large space, increases the manufacturing cost, and the degree of intelligence.

[0057] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the sensor assembly includes a cup drop station arrival sensor 201, an extraction station arrival sensor 202, a cap drop station arrival sensor 203, a cap pressing station arrival sensor 204, a cup discharge station arrival sensor 205, a cup drop station arrival sensor 2010 and a beverage discharge bin sensor 2011, which are arranged on the frame 10.

[0058] Specifically, it should be noted that the sensors used in this embodiment can all be infrared photoelectric sensors, and the signal transmitting end and signal receiving end of the infrared photoelectric sensor are used to realize information collection, that is, when the signal receiving end does not receive the signal normally, it represents that the cup holder assembly 209 moves to the corresponding workstation, thereby making information feedback, controlling the cup loading and loading mechanism 107 to stop moving, and at the same time controlling the corresponding production mechanism to work, among which, the beverage out-of-warehouse sensor 2011 is mainly used to remind the staff or users to take away the cup 2091 with the prepared beverage, and the cup landing sensor 2010 is mainly used to detect whether the cup 2091 falls into the cup holder assembly 209 normally.

[0059] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 includes: a bracket 1075, a motor 1071 and a swing arm 207; wherein, the bracket 1075 is fixed on the frame 10, the motor 1071 is fixed on the bracket 1075, the first end of the swing arm 207 is transmission-connected to the output end of the motor 1071, and the second end is transmission-connected to the cup holder assembly 209 to drive the cup holder assembly 209 to slide on the curved cup outlet groove 206.

[0060] Specifically, it should be noted that the bracket 1075 is fixed to the frame 10 by screws to support the motor 1071 and the swing arm 207. The swing arm 207 is in a long strip shape. The first end of the swing arm 207 is connected to the motor 1071, and the motor 1071 drives the swing arm 207 to rotate. The second end of the swing arm 207 is connected to the cup holder assembly 209, so that during the rotation of the swing arm 207, the second end of the swing arm 207 can push the cup holder assembly 209 to slide on the curved cup outlet groove 206. When the sensor assembly detects the position of the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107, the cup holder assembly 209 can be pushed to slide on the curved cup outlet groove 206. When the position of the cup holder assembly 209 is detected, the sensor assembly is mainly implemented by detecting the position of the swing arm 207. Since the swing arm 207 is in rotational motion, the extraction station arrival sensor 202, the capping station arrival sensor 203 and the capping station arrival sensor 204 are distributed along an arc as a whole. Since the cup dropping station arrival sensor 201 and the cup dropping arrival sensor 2010 are used as the starting points of the entire cup discharging process and are used to monitor the cup dropping link, the cup dropping arrival sensor 2010 directly detects whether the cup 2091 falls on the cup holder assembly 209 normally.

[0061] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, the machine also includes a bearing seat 1074 disposed on the frame 10, a bearing 1073 disposed in the bearing seat 1074, and a rotating shaft 1072 disposed in the bearing 1073, and the rotating shaft 1072 is drivingly connected to the output end of the motor 1071. The bearing seat 1074 is fixed on the frame 10, and the bearing 1073 in the bearing seat 1074 can ensure the stable rotation of the rotating shaft 1072, thereby ensuring the stable rotation of the swing arm 207 drivingly connected to the output end of the motor 1071. It also includes a linear guide rail 208 disposed at the second end of the swing arm 207, and the cup holder assembly 209 is slidably connected to the linear guide rail 208. The linear guide rail 208 can constrain the movement of the cup holder assembly 209, so that it can move stably along a preset route.

[0062] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the cup holder assembly 209 includes: a cup holder bracket 209, a first side of which is slidably connected to the linear guide rail 208; a cup holder 2092, fixedly arranged on the second side of the cup holder bracket 209, and provided with a bearing groove for accommodating a cup 2091; a roller 2093, rotatably arranged at the lower end of the cup holder bracket 209, and slidably connected to the curved cup outlet groove 206. The cup holder bracket 209 includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, the back side of the vertical portion is slidably connected to the linear guide rail 208, the cup holder 2092 is arranged on the upper end surface of the horizontal portion, and the roller 2093 is arranged on the lower end surface of the horizontal portion.

[0063] The horizontal portion and the vertical portion can be integrally formed or separately formed. When the separate portion is adopted, the end face of the horizontal portion is fixed on the side of the vertical portion away from the sliding end, and the roller 2093 is configured to be rotatable around a vertical axis, so that the roller 2093 is slidably connected to the arc-shaped sliding groove of the curved cup outlet groove 206, thereby driving the entire cup holder assembly 209 to move on the curved cup outlet groove 206.

[0064] The beverage discharge chamber door 106 is provided on the frame 10, and the beverage discharge chamber door 106 is provided on the curved cup discharge groove 206 and corresponds to the cup discharge station 105. A cup inlet and a cup removal port are provided on the cup discharge chamber door 106, and a cover of the cup discharge chamber door 106 is provided on the curved cup discharge groove 206. The cup holder assembly 209 enters the cup discharge chamber door 106 through the cup inlet, and the user can take away the cup 2091 through the cup removal port. Since the beverage discharge chamber sensor 2011 is used to detect whether the cup 2091 reaches the cup discharge chamber door 106, the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end of the beverage discharge chamber sensor 2011 are respectively provided on both sides of the cup discharge chamber door 106, and the detection is realized by providing corresponding through holes on both sides of the cup discharge chamber door 106.

[0065] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, according to another aspect of the present application, a beverage vending machine is provided, which includes a curved cup dispensing mechanism.

[0066] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, according to another aspect of the present application, a control method of a curved cup dispensing mechanism is provided, the control method comprising:

[0067] S1. Through sensor detection, determine whether there is a cup 2091 in the cup bin. If not, send a reminder signal to let the main control module notify the backend service system of material shortage. After receiving the instruction, the maintenance personnel confirm whether there is material in the cup bin. If not, replenish the material. If so, the maintenance personnel upload abnormal information. The main control module sends the information to the backend, and the backend notifies the maintenance personnel to repair the equipment. If there is a cup 2091 in the cup bin when it is detected, proceed to S2.

[0068] S2. Through sensor detection, determine whether there is a cup cover in the cup cover bin. If not, send a reminder signal to let the main control module notify the backend service system of material shortage. After receiving the instruction, the maintenance personnel confirm whether there is material in the cup cover bin. If not, replenish the material. If yes, the maintenance personnel upload the abnormal information. The main control module sends the information to the backend, and the backend notifies the maintenance personnel to repair the equipment. If there is a cup cover in the cup cover bin when it is detected, proceed to S3;

[0069] S3, through the cup drop position arrival sensor 201, determine whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the cup dispenser, if not, control the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 to the bottom of the cup dispenser along the curved cup outlet groove 206, if yes, proceed to S4;

[0070] S4, controlling the cup dispenser to dispense a cup 2091 to the cup holder assembly 209, and detecting whether the cup 2091 is on the cup holder assembly 209, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, proceeding to S5;

[0071] S5, control the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 to the bottom of the extraction mechanism along the curved cup discharging groove 206, and detect whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the extraction mechanism through the extraction station arrival sensor 202, if not, send a reminder signal, if yes, proceed to S6;

[0072] S6, controlling the extraction mechanism to start extracting the beverage, and after the extraction is completed, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 along the curved cup outlet groove 206 to below the cup dispensing cover device;

[0073] S7, through the cover drop position in place sensor 203, determine whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the cup cover distributor, if not, send a reminder signal, if yes, control the cup cover distributor to distribute a cup cover to the cup 2091, and detect whether the cup cover is already on the cup 2091, if not, send a reminder signal, if yes, proceed to S8;

[0074] S8, control the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 to the bottom of the cup cover pressing mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove 206, and detect whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the cup cover pressing mechanism through the cover pressing station in-position sensor 204, if not, send a reminder signal, if yes, control the cup cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover tightly;

[0075] S9. The sensor is used to detect whether the cup cover has been pressed onto the cup 2091. If not, the cup cover pressing mechanism is controlled to press the cup cover again. If yes, the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 is controlled to move the cup holder assembly 209 to the cup outlet along the curved cup outlet groove 206.

[0076] Through this control method, real-time monitoring and status feedback of the cup-dispensing process are achieved, making the cup-dispensing process more intelligent.

[0077] Further, step S3 is specifically as follows: through sensor detection, it is determined whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the cup dispenser. If not, the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 is controlled to move the cup holder assembly 209 to under the cup dispenser along the curved cup outlet groove 206, and the cup holder assembly 209 is detected again to determine whether it is under the cup dispenser. If yes, S4 is performed; if not, the main control module is used to upload the abnormality to the background server.

[0078] Furthermore, before controlling the cup dispenser to dispense a cup 2091 to the cup holder assembly 209, the sensor is used to detect whether the extraction mechanism is normal, and if it is not normal, a reminder signal is issued, and if it is normal, S4 is performed.

[0079] Further, step S4 is specifically as follows: controlling the cup dispenser to dispense a cup 2091 to the cup holder assembly 209, and detecting through the sensor whether the cup 2091 is on the cup holder assembly 209; if not, controlling the cup dispenser to dispense another cup 2091 to the cup holder assembly 209, and detecting whether the cup 2091 is on the cup holder assembly 209; if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the backend server by the main control module; if yes, proceeding to S5.

[0080] Furthermore, step S5 is specifically as follows: controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 to below the extraction mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove 206, and detecting through the sensor whether the cup holder assembly 209 is below the extraction mechanism; if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 to below the extraction mechanism again, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly 209 is below the extraction mechanism; if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module; if yes, proceeding to S6.

[0081] Further, step S7 is specifically as follows: through sensor detection, it is determined whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the cup cover distributor. If not, the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 is controlled again to move the cup holder assembly 209 to under the cup cover distributor, and detect whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the cup cover distributor. If not, a reminder signal is sent to the main control module, which is uploaded to the backend server by the main control module; if yes, the cup cover distributor is controlled to distribute a cup cover to the cup 2091, and detect whether the cup cover is already on the cup 2091. If not, the cup cover distributor is controlled to distribute a cup cover to the cup 2091 again, and detect whether the cup cover is already on the cup 2091. If not, a reminder signal is sent to the main control module, which is uploaded to the backend server by the main control module. If yes, S8 is performed.

[0082] Furthermore, step S8 is specifically as follows: controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 to the bottom of the cup cover pressing mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove 206, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the cup cover pressing mechanism. If not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 to the bottom of the cup cover pressing mechanism, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly 209 is under the cup cover pressing mechanism. If not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module. If yes, controlling the cup cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover tightly.

[0083] Further, step S9 is specifically as follows: through sensor detection, it is determined whether the cup cover has been pressed onto the cup 2091. If not, the cup cover pressing mechanism is controlled to press the cup cover again, and it is detected whether the cup cover has been pressed onto the cup 2091. If yes, the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 is controlled to move the cup holder assembly 209 to the cup outlet along the curved cup outlet groove 206. If not, a reminder signal is sent to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module.

[0084] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0085] S10, through the cup discharging station in-position sensor 205, determine whether the cup holder assembly 209 is at the cup discharging port, if not, control the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move the cup holder assembly 209 to the cup discharging port again, and detect again whether the cup holder assembly 209 is at the cup discharging port, if not, send a reminder signal to the main control module, and the main control module uploads it to the backend server, if yes, proceed to S11;

[0086] S11, notifying the user to take away the cup 2091 with the finished drink, and detecting through the drink exit sensor 2011 whether the cup 2091 has been taken away within the set time, if not, notifying the user again to take away the cup 2091 with the finished drink, and detecting again whether the cup 2091 has been taken away within the set time, if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the backend server by the main control module, if yes, proceeding to S12;

[0087] S12, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism 107 to move along the curved cup discharging groove 206 to below the cup distributor.

[0088] According to another aspect of the present application, a control system of a curved cup discharging mechanism is provided, the control system comprising:

[0089] at least one processor;

[0090] at least one memory for storing at least one program;

[0091] When at least one program is executed by at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the control method of the curved cup dispensing mechanism.

[0092] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. Within the spirit and principle of the present application, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A curved cup discharging mechanism, characterized in that: include: A frame, and a curved cup discharging groove and a cup loading and transferring mechanism fixedly mounted on the frame; a cup holder assembly, slidably disposed on the curved cup outlet groove, so that the cup holder assembly can move along the opening direction of the curved cup outlet groove; and A sensor assembly fixed on the frame and used to detect the position of the cup holder assembly; wherein, The cup loading and transferring mechanism is transmission-connected with the cup holder assembly to drive the cup holder assembly to slide on the curved cup outlet groove, and the cup loading and transferring mechanism is electrically connected with the sensor assembly to control the action of the cup loading and transferring mechanism; The curved cup discharging groove is provided with a cup dropping station, an extraction station, a cap dropping station, a cap pressing station and a cup discharging station in sequence along the moving direction of the cup holder assembly; The cup loading and transferring mechanism comprises: a bracket, a motor and a swing arm; wherein, The bracket is fixed on the frame, the motor is fixed on the bracket, the first end of the swing arm is drivingly connected to the output end of the motor, the motor drives the swing arm to rotate, and the second end of the swing arm is drivingly connected to the cup holder assembly, so that during the rotation of the swing arm, the second end of the swing arm can push the cup holder assembly to slide on the curved cup outlet groove; The curved cup discharging mechanism further includes a linear guide rail arranged at the second end of the swing arm, and the cup holder assembly is slidably connected to the linear guide rail. The linear guide rail can constrain the movement of the cup holder assembly so that it can move stably along a preset route.

2. The curved cup dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor assembly includes a cup drop position arrival sensor, an extraction position arrival sensor, a cap drop position arrival sensor, a cap pressing position arrival sensor, a cup discharge position arrival sensor, a cup drop position arrival sensor and a beverage discharge bin sensor arranged on the frame.

3. The curved cup dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a bearing seat arranged on the frame, a bearing arranged in the bearing seat, and a rotating shaft arranged in the bearing, and the rotating shaft is drivingly connected to the output end of the motor.

4. The curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cup holder assembly comprises: a cup holder bracket, wherein a first side of the cup holder bracket is slidably connected to the linear guide rail; A cup holder, fixedly mounted on the second side of the cup holder bracket, wherein the cup holder is provided with a bearing groove for accommodating a cup; A roller is rotatably arranged at the lower end of the cup holder bracket, and the roller is slidably connected to the curved cup outlet groove.

5. The curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cup holder bracket comprises a horizontal part and a vertical part, the back side of the vertical part is slidably connected with the linear guide rail, the cup holder is arranged on the upper end surface of the horizontal part, and the roller is arranged on the lower end surface of the horizontal part.

6. The curved cup dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a cup discharge chamber door arranged on the frame, wherein the cup discharge chamber door is arranged on the curved cup discharge groove and corresponds to the cup discharge station, and a cup inlet and a cup removal port are provided on the cup discharge chamber door.

7. A beverage vending machine, characterized in that: It comprises the curved cup discharging mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A control method for a curved cup discharging mechanism, characterized in that: The steps include: S1, detect whether there is a cup in the cup bin, if not, send a reminder signal, if yes, proceed to S2; S2, check whether there is a cup cover in the cup cover bin, if not, send a reminder signal, if yes, proceed to S3; S3, detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup dispenser, if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to under the cup dispenser along the curved cup outlet groove, if yes, proceeding to S4; S4, controlling the cup dispenser to dispense a cup to the cup holder assembly, and detecting whether the cup is on the cup holder assembly, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, proceeding to S5; S5, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the extraction mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the extraction mechanism, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, proceeding to S6; Specifically, the cup loading and transferring mechanism comprises: a bracket, a motor and a swing arm; wherein, The bracket is fixed on the frame, the motor is fixed on the bracket, the first end of the swing arm is drivingly connected to the output end of the motor, the motor drives the swing arm to rotate, and the second end of the swing arm is drivingly connected to the cup holder assembly, so that during the rotation of the swing arm, the second end of the swing arm can push the cup holder assembly to slide on the curved cup outlet groove; The curved cup dispensing mechanism further includes a linear guide rail disposed at the second end of the swing arm, the cup holder assembly being slidably connected to the linear guide rail, and the movement of the cup holder assembly can be constrained by the linear guide rail, so that the cup holder assembly can move stably along a preset route; S6, controlling the extraction mechanism to start extracting the beverage, and after the extraction is completed, controlling the cup loading and loading mechanism to move the cup holder assembly along the curved cup outlet groove to below the cup dispensing cover device; S7, detecting whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover distributor, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, controlling the cup cover distributor to distribute a cup cover to the cup, and detecting whether the cup cover is already on the cup, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, proceeding to S8; S8, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to below the cup cover pressing mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove, and detecting whether the cup holder assembly is below the cup cover pressing mechanism, if not, sending a reminder signal, if yes, controlling the cup cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover tightly; S9, detecting whether the cup cover has been pressed onto the cup, if not, controlling the cup cover pressing mechanism to press the cup cover again, if yes, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the cup outlet along the curved cup outlet groove.

9. The control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step S3 is specifically as follows: Check whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup dispenser. If not, control the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to under the cup dispenser along the curved cup outlet slot, and check again whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup dispenser. If yes, proceed to S4. If not, upload the exception to the background server through the main control module.

10. The control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method also includes detecting whether the extraction mechanism is normal before controlling the cup dispenser to dispense a cup to the cup holder assembly, and sending a reminder signal if it is not normal, and proceeding to S4 if it is normal.

11. The control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step S4 is specifically as follows: The cup dispenser is controlled to dispense a cup to the cup holder assembly, and detects whether the cup is on the cup holder assembly. If not, the cup dispenser is controlled to dispense another cup to the cup holder assembly, and detects whether the cup is on the cup holder assembly. If not, a reminder signal is sent to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module. If yes, S5 is performed.

12. The control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step S5 is specifically as follows: The cup loading and transferring mechanism is controlled to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the extraction mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove, and detect whether the cup holder assembly is under the extraction mechanism. If not, the cup loading and transferring mechanism is controlled to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the extraction mechanism again, and detect whether the cup holder assembly is under the extraction mechanism. If not, a reminder signal is sent to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module. If yes, S6 is performed.

13. The control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step S7 is specifically as follows: Detect whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover device. If not, control the cup loading and loading mechanism again to move the cup holder assembly to under the cup cover device, and detect whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover device. If not, send a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module; If yes, the cup cover distributor is controlled to distribute a cup cover to the cup and detect whether the cup cover is already on the cup. If no, the cup cover distributor is controlled to distribute a cup cover to the cup again and detect whether the cup cover is already on the cup. If no, a reminder signal is sent to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module. If yes, S8 is performed.

14. The control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step S8 is specifically as follows: The cup loading and transferring mechanism is controlled to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the cup cover pressing mechanism along the curved cup outlet groove, and detect whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover pressing mechanism. If not, the cup loading and transferring mechanism is controlled again to move the cup holder assembly to the bottom of the cup cover pressing mechanism, and detect whether the cup holder assembly is under the cup cover pressing mechanism. If not, a reminder signal is sent to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module. If yes, the cup cover pressing mechanism is controlled to press the cup cover tightly.

15. The control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The step S9 is specifically as follows: Detect whether the cup lid is pressed on the cup. If not, control the cup lid pressing mechanism to press the cup lid again, and detect whether the cup lid is pressed on the cup. If yes, control the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the cup outlet along the curved cup outlet groove. If not, send a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the background server by the main control module.

16. The control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: Also includes: S10, detecting whether the cup holder assembly is at the cup outlet, if not, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move the cup holder assembly to the cup outlet again, and detecting again whether the cup holder assembly is at the cup outlet, if not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the backend server by the main control module, and if yes, proceeding to S11; S11, notifying the user to take away the cup with the finished drink, and checking whether the cup is taken away within the set time. If not, notifying the user again to take away the cup with the finished drink, and checking again whether the cup is taken away within the set time. If not, sending a reminder signal to the main control module, which is uploaded to the backend server by the main control module. If yes, proceeding to S12; S12, controlling the cup loading and transferring mechanism to move along the curved cup discharging groove to below the cup distributor.

17. A control system for a curved cup discharging mechanism, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; at least one memory for storing at least one program; When the at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the control method of the curved cup discharging mechanism as described in any one of claims 8 to 16.

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