A tray circulation mechanism and method for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine

Abstract

This invention proposes a tray circulation mechanism for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine, comprising a fork, a positioning plate, a drive mechanism, and a guide frame. Multiple forks are evenly distributed in a rectangular arrangement to support the tray. The positioning plate is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the tray and engages with the forks. The drive mechanism drives the forks to circulate along a rectangular trajectory in a vertical plane, and the forks can rotate around their center line. The guide frame supports the tray, ensuring that the tray remains open upwards during movement. By incorporating a drive mechanism, this invention allows the tray to circulate along a rectangular trajectory in a vertical plane, enabling shoppers to select food items from different locations without moving, thus improving shopping efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vending table tray circulation mechanism technology, and in particular to a tray circulation mechanism and method for an intelligent integrated insulated vending table. Background Technology

[0002] Vending counters are widely used in the food sales industry. By placing various foods on different trays, people can choose according to their preferences. In order to make the food more palatable, vending counters are usually equipped with intelligent mechanisms to keep the food warm.

[0003] To meet people's demand for a variety of food options, existing vending machines are equipped with multiple slots for placing trays, such as the dustproof and air-heated vending machine disclosed in utility model publication number CN217426204U, which allows for the placement of various types of food.

[0004] However, increasing the number of trays will increase the length of the sales counter. When there are many people buying food in front of the sales counter, it will make it difficult for them to move around freely and pick up food from different locations, thus affecting their purchasing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention proposes a tray circulation mechanism and method for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine, which can improve the purchasing efficiency of shoppers.

[0006] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows: On one hand, this invention provides a tray circulation mechanism for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine, including a fork, a positioning plate, a drive mechanism, and a guide frame, wherein...

[0007] Multiple lever forks are evenly distributed in a rectangular arrangement to support the tray;

[0008] The positioning plate is fixedly installed at the bottom of the tray and engages with the shift fork;

[0009] The driving mechanism is used to drive the shift fork to move cyclically along a rectangular trajectory in a vertical plane, and the shift fork can rotate around its center line;

[0010] The guide frame is used to hold the tray in place, so that the tray remains open and facing upwards during movement.

[0011] Based on the above technical solutions, preferably, the guide frame includes a support frame and a guide plate, wherein,

[0012] The abutment frame is fixedly installed inside the main frame and abuts against the top side of the tray. There are two abutment frames arranged in parallel. The two ends of the upper abutment frame abut against the main frame, and the two ends of the lower abutment frame are spaced apart from the main frame.

[0013] Two guide plates are provided, which are fixedly installed at both ends of the support frame located below.

[0014] More preferably, the supporting frame includes a limiting plate, a limiting bracket, a locking plate, and an elastic element, wherein,

[0015] The limiting plate is fixedly installed inside the main frame and abuts against one end of the top side of the tray. The two ends of the upper limiting plate abut against the main frame, and the two ends of the lower limiting plate are spaced apart from the main frame.

[0016] The limiting frame is fixedly installed inside the main frame. The two ends of the upper limiting frame abut against the main frame, and the two ends of the lower limiting frame are spaced apart from the main frame. The guide plate is fixedly installed at both ends of the lower limiting frame.

[0017] The card plate is slidably disposed within the limiting frame and selectively abuts against the end of the top side of the tray away from the limiting plate;

[0018] One end of the elastic element is fixedly mounted on the limiting frame, and the other end of the element abuts against the side of the card plate away from the tray.

[0019] More preferably, the side of the pallet closest to the tray has a chamfer.

[0020] More preferably, the elastic element is a compression spring.

[0021] More preferably, the drive mechanism includes a rotating wheel, a rotating belt, and a drive device, wherein,

[0022] The rotating wheels are rotatably mounted on the main frame, and at least four of the rotating wheels are arranged in a rectangular pattern.

[0023] The rotating belt is sleeved on the outside of the plurality of rotating wheels, and the rotating wheels are tumblingly connected to the rotating belt. One end of the shift fork is rotatably mounted on the rotating belt.

[0024] The drive device is fixedly mounted on the main frame, and the output end of the drive device is fixedly connected to one of the rotating wheels.

[0025] More preferably, the driving device is a stepper motor.

[0026] More preferably, the positioning plate is a circular plate structure, and multiple positioning plates are provided.

[0027] Secondly, the present invention provides a tray circulation method for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine, comprising the following steps:

[0028] S1, push the card plate to move it closer to the elastic member;

[0029] S2, the tray is passed through the space between the card plate and the limiting plate and placed on the shift fork, so that the shift fork engages with the positioning plate and one end of the top side of the tray abuts against the limiting plate;

[0030] S3, release the card plate, use the elastic force of the elastic element to push the card plate to the top side of the tray, and make the card plate engage with the top side of the tray;

[0031] S4 connects the drive device to an electrical pulse signal, causing the drive device to rotate intermittently, driving the rotating wheel, rotating belt and shift fork to move cyclically along a rectangular trajectory on the vertical plane.

[0032] Based on the above technical solution, preferably, in S4, the moving distance of the shift fork driven by each periodic electrical pulse signal is equal to the distance between two adjacent shift forks.

[0033] The tray circulation mechanism and method of the intelligent integrated insulated vending machine of the present invention have the following advantages over the prior art:

[0034] (1) By setting a drive mechanism, the tray can be moved cyclically along a rectangular track on the vertical plane, and the purchasing staff can select food from different positions without moving, thus improving the purchasing efficiency of the purchasing staff.

[0035] (2) By setting a limit plate, the pallet can always keep the opening facing upward during the movement, ensuring the stability of the pallet during the movement and preventing liquid food in the pallet from spilling during the movement.

[0036] (3) By setting up a card plate and elastic parts, the tray can be easily removed from the sales table and the tray with insufficient food can be replaced in time;

[0037] (4) By setting the drive device as a stepper motor and using the coordination of pulse electrical signals, the position of one tray can be aligned with the previous position of the tray in front of it, ensuring that the relative position of the trays will not change and preventing misalignment after the trays are moved, which would cause the trays to be blocked. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a tray circulation mechanism for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a front view of the tray in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the drive mechanism in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0042] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the fork in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0043] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the bottom side of the tray in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0044] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the drive device in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0045] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the upper support frame in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0046] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the lower support frame in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0047] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the pallet plate in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0048] Figure 10 This is a perspective view of the elastic element in the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine according to the present invention.

[0049] The components are: 1. Main frame; 2. Pallet; 3. Fork; 4. Positioning plate; 5. Drive mechanism; 51. Rotating wheel; 52. Rotating belt; 53. Drive device; 6. Guide frame; 61. Support frame; 611. Limiting plate; 612. Limiting frame; 613. Chesing plate; 614. Elastic element; 62. Guide plate. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0051] like Figure 1-10 As shown, the tray circulation mechanism of an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine of the present invention includes a fork 3, a positioning plate 4, a drive mechanism 5, and a guide frame 6.

[0052] Among them, the fork 3 is used to support the tray 2 on which food is placed. Multiple forks 3 are evenly distributed in a rectangular arrangement, that is, the distance between two adjacent forks 3 is the same.

[0053] The positioning plate 4 is used to move the pallet 2 in conjunction with the shift fork 3. The positioning plate 4 is fixedly set at the bottom of the pallet 2 and is engaged with the shift fork 3. When the shift fork 3 moves, the pallet 2, which is fixedly connected to the positioning plate 4, can be moved by the engagement between the shift fork 3 and the positioning plate 4.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the positioning plate 4 can be configured as a circular plate structure, and multiple positioning plates 4 can be provided, such as... Figure 5 As shown, by using multiple positioning plates 4 to engage with the shift fork 3, the tray 2 can move with the shift fork 3. At the same time, the setting of multiple positioning plates 4 can also reduce the contact area between the tray 2 and the ground or tabletop, thereby reducing the heat loss efficiency of the food inside the tray 2 when it is placed on the ground or tabletop.

[0055] The drive mechanism 5 is used to drive the fork 3 to move cyclically along a rectangular track on the vertical plane. By setting the drive mechanism 5, the tray 2 can be moved cyclically along a rectangular track on the vertical plane. When there are many customers in front of the sales counter and there is no need to move it, the food can be rotated in a circular manner to allow customers to select food from different positions, thus improving the efficiency of customers' selection. In addition, the fork 3 can rotate around the center line of the fork 3 instead of being rigidly connected to the drive mechanism 5, which prevents the drive mechanism 5 from causing the fork 3 to flip over.

[0056] In a preferred embodiment, the drive mechanism 5 includes a rotating wheel 51, a rotating belt 52, and a drive device 53. The rotating wheel 51 is rotatably mounted on the main frame 1, and at least four rotating wheels 51 are arranged in a rectangular pattern. The rotating belt 52 is sleeved on the outside of the rotating wheels 51, and the rotating wheels 51 are in rolling connection with the rotating belt 52. One end of the shift fork 3 is rotatably mounted on the rotating belt 52. The drive device 53 is fixedly mounted on the main frame 1, and the output end of the drive device 53 is fixedly connected to one of the rotating wheels 51. Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, when the drive device 53 is started, it can drive the rotating wheel 51 to rotate synchronously, thereby driving the rotating belt 52 and the shift fork 3 connected to the rotating belt 52 to rotate, realizing the effect of multiple shift forks 3 moving cyclically along a rectangular trajectory in the vertical plane; specifically, the drive device 53 is preferably a stepper motor, which, after being supplied with a pulse electrical signal, can make the drive device 53 rotate a certain distance, such as... Figure 2 As shown, when the drive device 53 is connected to a certain pulse electrical signal and the tray 2 is moved once, the position of the tray 2 after the movement corresponds to the previous position of the previous tray 2, thereby preventing other items from blocking the tray 2.

[0057] The guide frame 6 is used to hold the tray 2. With the rotation of the fork 3 around its own center line, the tray 2 can always keep the opening facing upward during the movement, thereby preventing the food in the tray 2 from spilling.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, the guide frame 6 includes a support frame 61 and a guide plate 62. The support frame 61 is fixedly installed within the main frame 1 of the sales counter and abuts against the top side of the tray 2. Two support frames 61 are provided, arranged in parallel. The two ends of the upper support frame 61 abut against the main frame 1, while the two ends of the lower support frame 61 are spaced apart from the main frame 1. This space is preferably equal to the width of the tray 2, ensuring that the lower support frame 61 does not abut against the top sides of the tray 2 on either side. Two guide plates 62 are provided, respectively fixedly installed at the two ends of the lower support frame 61. Figure 2 As shown, the tray 2 can abut against the upper support frame 61 during horizontal movement, thus ensuring that the tray 2 always maintains an upward opening during horizontal movement. When the tray 2 moves to the left or right ends and moves up or down, it will pass through the gap between the lower support frame 61 and the main frame 1. By utilizing the sliding cooperation between the guide plate 62 and the main frame 1 and the side wall of the tray 2, the tray 2 can move up and down smoothly without the problem of food spilling out of the tray 2. Specifically, in order to improve the stability of the tray 2 during up and down movement, the guide plate 62 is preferably made of an elastic material.

[0059] In a preferred embodiment, the support frame 61 includes a limiting plate 611, a limiting frame 612, a locking plate 613, and an elastic member 614. The limiting plate 611 is fixedly disposed within the main frame 1 and abuts against one end of the top side of the tray 2. The two ends of the upper limiting plate 611 abut against the main frame 1, while the two ends of the lower limiting plate 611 are spaced apart from the main frame 1. The limiting frame 612 is fixedly disposed within the main frame 1. The two ends of the upper limiting frame 612 abut against the main frame 1, while the two ends of the lower limiting frame 612 are spaced apart from the main frame 1. A guide plate 62 is fixedly disposed at both ends of the lower limiting frame 612. The locking plate 613 is slidably disposed within the limiting frame 612 and selectively abuts against the end of the top side of the tray 2 away from the limiting plate 611. One end of the elastic member 614 is fixedly disposed on the limiting frame 612, and the other end abuts against the side of the locking plate 613 away from the tray 2. Figure 2 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the limiting plate 611 and the clamping plate 613 respectively abut against the top ends of the upper row of trays 2 and the three middle trays 2 below, preventing the trays 2 from tilting during horizontal movement. When the food in the tray 2 is insufficient, the clamping plate 613 can be pushed towards the elastic member 614 to disengage from the top side of the tray 2, thus facilitating the replacement of the tray 2. Specifically, to simplify the structure of the elastic member 614 and facilitate its maintenance, the elastic member 614 is preferably a compression spring.

[0060] Furthermore, a chamfer can be provided on the side of the pallet 613 near the tray 2. This not only prevents the edges of the pallet 613 from damaging the tray 2, but also reduces the area of ​​the pallet 613, increases the space for picking up and putting down the tray 2, and facilitates the replacement of the tray 2.

[0061] The present invention provides a tray circulation method for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine as follows:

[0062] S1, push the clamping plate 613 to move it closer to the elastic member 614, that is, increase the distance between the clamping plate 613 and the limiting plate 611;

[0063] S2, pass the tray 2 through the space between the card plate 613 and the limiting plate 611, place it on the shift fork 3, so that the shift fork 3 is engaged with the positioning plate 4, and one end of the top side of the tray 2 abuts against the limiting plate 611.

[0064] S3, release the clamping plate 613, use the elastic force of the elastic element 614 to push the clamping plate 613 to the top side of the tray 2, and make the clamping plate 613 engage with the top side of the tray 2.

[0065] S4, the drive device 53 is connected to an electrical pulse signal, causing the drive device 53 to rotate intermittently, driving the rotating wheel 51, the rotating belt 52 and the shift fork 3 to move cyclically along a rectangular trajectory on the vertical plane. For each cycle of the electrical pulse signal, the moving distance of the shift fork 3 is equal to the distance between two adjacent shift forks 3.

[0066] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tray circulation mechanism for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine, characterized in that: It includes a shift fork (3), a positioning plate (4), a drive mechanism (5), and a guide frame (6), wherein, The forks (3) are arranged in a rectangular pattern and are evenly distributed to support the tray (2); The positioning plate (4) is fixedly installed at the bottom of the tray (2) and engages with the fork (3); The driving mechanism (5) is used to drive the shift fork (3) to move cyclically along a rectangular trajectory on the vertical plane, and the shift fork (3) can rotate around the center line of the shift fork (3); The guide frame (6) is used to support the tray (2) so that the tray (2) remains open and facing upwards during movement; The positioning plate (4) is a circular plate structure to reduce the contact area between the tray (2) and the ground or tabletop. When the tray (2) is placed on the ground or tabletop, it reduces the heat loss efficiency of the food inside the tray (2). Multiple positioning plates (4) are provided. The shift fork (3) includes a straight end and a U-shaped end. The straight end is rotatably mounted on the drive mechanism (5), and the U-shaped end is fixedly mounted on the straight end. The opening of the U-shaped end faces away from the straight end, and multiple positioning plates (4) are slidably mounted inside the U-shaped end. The guide frame (6) includes a support frame (61) and a guide plate (62). The support frame (61) is fixedly installed inside the main frame (1) and abuts against the top side of the tray (2). There are two support frames (61), which are arranged in parallel. The two ends of the upper support frame (61) abut against the main frame (1), and there is a gap between the two ends of the lower support frame (61) and the main frame (1). There are two guide plates (62), which are fixedly installed at the two ends of the lower support frame (61). The abutment frame (61) includes a limiting plate (611), a limiting frame (612), a locking plate (613), and an elastic element (614). The limiting plate (611) is fixedly disposed within the main frame (1) and abuts against one end of the top side of the tray (2). The two ends of the upper limiting plate (611) abut against the main frame (1), and the two ends of the lower limiting plate (611) are spaced apart from the main frame (1). The limiting frame (612) is fixedly disposed within the main frame (1), and the upper limiting frame (612) has a... Both ends abut against the main frame (1), and the two ends of the lower limiting frame (612) are spaced apart from the main frame (1), and the guide plate (62) is fixedly disposed at both ends of the lower limiting frame (612); the card plate (613) is slidably disposed in the limiting frame (612) and selectively abuts against the end of the top side of the tray (2) away from the limiting plate (611); one end of the elastic member (614) is fixedly disposed on the limiting frame (612), and the other end abuts against the side of the card plate (613) away from the tray (2); The drive mechanism (5) includes a rotating wheel (51), a rotating belt (52), and a drive device (53). The rotating wheel (51) is rotatably mounted on the main frame (1), and at least four rotating wheels (51) are arranged in a rectangular pattern. The rotating belt (52) is sleeved on the outside of the multiple rotating wheels (51), and the rotating wheels (51) are in rolling connection with the rotating belt (52). One end of the shift fork (3) is rotatably mounted on the rotating belt (52). The drive device (53) is fixedly mounted on the main frame (1), and the output end of the drive device (53) is fixedly connected to one of the rotating wheels (51). The drive device (53) is connected to an electrical pulse signal to make the drive device (53) rotate intermittently.

2. The tray circulation mechanism of the intelligent integrated insulated vending machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The pallet (613) has a chamfer on the side near the tray (2).

3. The tray circulation mechanism of the intelligent integrated insulated vending machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic element (614) is a compression spring.

4. The tray circulation mechanism of the intelligent integrated insulated vending machine as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The drive device (53) is a stepper motor.

5. A tray circulation method for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine, using the tray circulation mechanism of the intelligent integrated insulated vending machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, push the card plate (613) to move it toward the elastic member (614); S2, pass the tray (2) through the space between the card plate (613) and the limiting plate (611) and place it on the fork (3), so that the fork (3) engages with the positioning plate (4) and one end of the top side of the tray (2) abuts against the limiting plate (611); S3, release the card plate (613), use the elastic force of the elastic member (614) to push the card plate (613) to the top side of the tray (2), and make the card plate (613) engage with the top side of the tray (2); S4, connect the drive device (53) to the electrical pulse signal, so that the drive device (53) rotates intermittently, driving the rotating wheel (51), the rotating belt (52) and the shift fork (3) to move cyclically along a rectangular trajectory on the vertical plane.

6. The tray circulation method for an intelligent integrated insulated vending machine as described in claim 5, characterized in that: In S4, the distance that the shift fork (3) moves in each cycle of electrical pulse signal is equal to the distance between two adjacent shift forks (3).

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