A food preparation and vending machine

Abstract

This invention provides an integrated food preparation and vending machine, relating to the food production field, comprising: a machine body; a food dispensing port; a steaming module located inside the machine body, the steaming module including a steamer assembly and a steam pot assembly located below the steamer assembly, the steamer assembly including a material tray and steamer compartments, multiple steamer compartments stacked together to form an internal structure allowing air circulation, the steamer compartments having a swing panel, and the material tray having a hopper panel matching the swing panel; a storage module, including a material refrigeration chamber, a refrigeration device, and a dispensing assembly; and a material transfer module, including a robotic arm supporting three-axis translation with forks mounted on the robotic arm. The integrated machine disclosed in this invention supports concurrent multi-type food preparation orders and completes on-site preparation, while ensuring both production efficiency and quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food production, and more specifically, to an integrated machine for food preparation and sales. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in the food processing and vending machine sectors, foods requiring steaming (such as steamed buns, bread, and cakes) are generally produced centrally, then packaged and placed in vending machines for sale. This process requires large-scale production equipment for food processing and cooling packaging, consuming additional packaging materials and significant logistical resources for food delivery. The biggest drawback is the inability to guarantee food freshness; often, delivered food requires secondary heating to meet consumer demand. Furthermore, the simple combination of existing food vending equipment and food steaming equipment results in very low on-site production efficiency and quality when faced with multiple orders within a short period. For example, after the first user selects a food item, the corresponding raw materials are manually or robotically placed into the steamer. Until the food is taken out of the steamer, subsequent users cannot place new orders or need to repeatedly open the steamer to add new raw materials. If there are multiple entrances for adding raw materials, the frequent opening and closing of the entrances will cause frequent convection of hot and cold air between the inside and outside of the steamer or a certain degree of steam loss, affecting the steaming quality. If the steamer is designed as multiple independent spaces, it will place excessive demands on the steam generating equipment, leading to increased costs or wasted heat.

[0003] Therefore, how to design a high-efficiency, high-quality food vending machine that supports on-site ordering and on-site food preparation has become a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art or related technologies, and provides a food preparation and vending machine that supports concurrent orders for multiple types of food preparation and completes on-site preparation, while ensuring production efficiency and quality.

[0005] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution: A food preparation and vending machine, comprising: a machine body; a food outlet located on the outer panel of the machine body; and a steaming module located inside the machine body. The steaming module includes a steamer assembly and a steam pot assembly located below the steamer assembly. The steamer assembly and the steam pot assembly are connected. The steamer assembly includes a material tray and multiple steamer compartments stacked together to allow air circulation within the overall structure. Each steamer compartment has a swing panel. The material tray is a semi-open hopper with a hopper panel that matches the swing panel, facilitating the material tray's movement on top. After the swing panel is inserted into the steamer compartment, the hopper panel replaces the swing panel and forms a closed space with the steamer compartment. The storage module is located inside the machine body. The storage module includes a material refrigeration chamber, a refrigeration device, and a discharge component. The refrigeration device is connected to the refrigeration chamber, and the discharge component is located at the bottom of the refrigeration chamber to facilitate the discharge of materials. The material transfer module is located behind the steaming module. The material transfer module includes a robotic arm that supports three-axis translation and forks on the robotic arm to lift the materials in the storage module and transfer the materials to the steaming module or to remove the materials from the steaming module and transfer them to the serving port.

[0006] In this technical solution, the openings of the steamer compartments are alternately closed by two structures: a swing panel and a hopper panel, to minimize heat loss. Furthermore, as the hopper is placed into the steamer compartment, it pushes inward, and the swing panel also swings (rotates) inward to further reduce the convection of hot and cold air, ensuring steaming quality without affecting food being prepared in other compartments. This invention allows for the addition of new materials or the removal of steamed products at any time. Multiple steamer compartments are interconnected and share a single heat source (steamer assembly), reducing costs and improving heat source utilization.

[0007] According to the food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention, preferably, the steamer assembly specifically includes: a steamer body; a heater disposed inside the steamer body; a water supply pipe connected to the upper part of the steamer body for adding water to the steamer body; a drain pipe connected to the bottom of the steamer body for draining water from the inside of the steamer body to the outside; and a solenoid valve disposed in the pipeline of the water supply pipe and / or the drain pipe for water level control.

[0008] In this technical solution, the main body of the steamer is located below the steamer assembly and is used to provide a heat source. A level gauge can be added inside the main body of the steamer, and the water level can be automatically controlled by adjusting the solenoid valve through the control system.

[0009] According to the food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention, preferably, the swing panel specifically includes: a panel body, which is connected to the upper edge of the front opening between the steamer compartments via a pivot, for closing the steamer compartments or swinging into the compartments under the push of the material tray; the panel body also has a ventilation window; a swing plate, which is connected to the upper side of the ventilation window via a pivot, for closing the ventilation window, or swinging by its own weight after the panel body is lifted to expose the ventilation window.

[0010] According to the food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention, preferably, the material refrigeration chamber specifically includes: a feeding door, which is provided on the front side panel of the refrigeration chamber body so that material trays can be placed inside the body and stacked; a discharging top cover, which is provided above the top window of the refrigeration chamber body, and the discharging top cover is connected to the refrigeration chamber body through a guide rail mechanism; the discharging top cover can be lifted by the material tray sent out by the discharging component or can be self-repositioned.

[0011] According to the food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention, preferably, the discharging component specifically includes: a translation mechanism, located inside the material refrigeration chamber and in contact with the material tray, for moving the material tray in the horizontal direction; and a lifting mechanism, located inside the material refrigeration chamber, for lifting the material tray in the vertical direction.

[0012] The food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention preferably further includes: an interactive component disposed on the external panel of the machine body, for displaying information and / or receiving control signals.

[0013] The food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention preferably further includes: a control system connected to an interactive component, the control system being configured to: update the display content of the interactive component based on the received order information and the inventory information of the server, or calculate the inventory status of multiple machines within a certain area.

[0014] The food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention preferably further includes: a communication module, which is configured to send data from the integrated machine to other integrated machines or a server.

[0015] In the food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention, preferably, the interactive component is configured to display local inventory information and / or display food combination packages.

[0016] According to the integrated food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention, preferably, the control system counts the number of times each type of food is ordered based on the received order information, and adjusts the order of each type of food in the menu based on the statistical results.

[0017] The beneficial effects achieved by this invention include at least the following: it simultaneously possesses on-site food preparation and sales functions with a high degree of automation; the storage module and steaming module share a material tray to complete the material storage and steaming process, reducing usage costs, maintenance costs, and maintenance difficulty; the serving port, steaming module, and storage module share the same material transfer module to complete the discharging, feeding, and serving process, greatly reducing the complexity of the automation system; the design of multiple steamer compartments improves food preparation efficiency; the opening of the same compartment is alternately sealed by two sealing structures, reducing heat loss and air convection, effectively ensuring steaming quality and efficiency; utilizing the relatively mature Internet of Things (IoT) technology currently available on the market, it fully explores the data potential of the integrated machine, greatly improving the practicality and ease of use of a single integrated machine; the food preparation and sales integrated machine disclosed in this invention already possesses strong functionality and practicality as a single machine entity. On this basis, this invention also proposes for the first time to form a local sales network by combining multiple machine units, where each machine is not only a production device but also an information node, thereby supporting the solution of complex material management, customer behavior analysis, and sales data analysis problems, and helping to form a new business model. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the external structure of a food preparation and vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a food preparation and vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the steamer assembly of a food preparation and vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 A partial internal structure diagram of a food preparation and vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the material tray structure of a food preparation and vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure 6 An isometric view of the internal structure of a food preparation and vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0024] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of another steamer assembly of a food preparation and vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0025] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the swing panel structure of a food preparation and vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0027] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more. The terms "installed," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly; for example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention through specific circumstances.

[0028] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 6As shown, the food preparation and vending machine disclosed in this invention includes: a machine body 1; a food outlet 2, located on the outer panel of the machine body; and a steaming module located inside the machine body. The steaming module includes a steamer assembly 3 and a steam pot assembly 4 located below the steamer assembly. The steamer assembly and the steam pot assembly are connected. The steamer assembly includes a material tray 5 and steamer compartments 6. The interior of the multiple steamer compartments stacked together allows air circulation. Each steamer compartment has a swing panel 7. The material tray is a semi-open hopper and has a hopper panel 8 that matches the swing panel, so that the material tray can lift the swing panel. The material is then inserted into the steamer compartment, at which point the hopper panel replaces the swing panel and forms a closed space with the steamer compartment; the material storage module is located inside the machine body, and includes a material refrigeration chamber 9, a refrigeration device 10, and a material discharge component. The refrigeration device is connected to the refrigeration chamber, and the material discharge component is located at the bottom of the refrigeration chamber to facilitate the discharge of materials; the material transfer module 12 is located behind the steaming module, and includes a robotic arm that supports three-axis translation and a fork 13 set on the robotic arm, which is used to lift the materials in the material storage module and transfer the materials to the steaming module or to remove the materials from the steaming module and transfer them to the serving port.

[0029] According to the above embodiments, preferably, the discharge assembly specifically includes: a translation mechanism 22, which is located inside the material cold storage chamber and contacts the material tray, for moving the material tray in the horizontal direction; and a lifting mechanism 23, which is located inside the material cold storage chamber and is used to lift the material tray in the vertical direction.

[0030] According to the above embodiment, preferably, the material cold storage chamber specifically includes: a feeding door 20, which is provided on the front side panel of the cold storage chamber body so that material trays can be placed inside the body and stacked; a discharge top cover 21, which is provided above the top window of the cold storage chamber body, and the discharge top cover is connected to the cold storage chamber body through a guide rail mechanism; the discharge top cover can be lifted by the material tray sent out by the discharge component or can be self-repositioned.

[0031] like Figure 5 As shown, preferably, the bottom of the material tray is provided with fork hole 14.

[0032] According to the above embodiments, preferably, the steamer assembly specifically includes: a steamer body; a heater, disposed inside the steamer body, for providing a heat source; a water supply pipe 16, connected to the upper part of the steamer body, for adding water to the steamer body; a drain pipe 17, connected to the bottom of the steamer body, for draining water from the inside of the steamer body to the outside; and a solenoid valve, disposed in the water supply pipe and / or drain pipe, for facilitating water level control.

[0033] like Figure 7 , Figure 8As shown, according to the above embodiment, preferably, the swing panel specifically includes: a panel body, which is connected to the upper edge of the front opening between the steamer compartments via a large pivot 25, for closing the steamer compartments or swinging into the compartments under the push of the material tray; the panel body also has a ventilation window 24; a swing piece 18, which is connected to the upper side of the ventilation window via a small pivot 26, for closing the ventilation window, or swinging by its own weight after the panel body is lifted to expose the ventilation window.

[0034] According to the above embodiments, preferably, it further includes: an interactive component 19, disposed on the external panel of the device body, for displaying information and / or receiving control signals.

[0035] According to the above embodiments, preferably, it further includes: a control system, connected to the interactive component, the control system being configured to: update the display content of the interactive component based on the received order information and the inventory information of the server, or calculate the inventory status of multiple all-in-one machines within a certain area.

[0036] According to the above embodiments, preferably, it further includes: a communication module, which is configured to send data from the all-in-one machine to other all-in-one machines or a server.

[0037] According to the above embodiments, preferably, the interactive component is configured to display local inventory information and / or display food combo meals.

[0038] According to the above embodiments, preferably, the control system counts the number of times each type of food is ordered based on the received order information, and adjusts the order of each type of food in the menu based on the statistical results.

[0039] According to the above embodiments, the food preparation and vending machine provided by the present invention has both on-site food preparation and vending functions and a high degree of automation; the storage module and the steaming module share a material tray to complete the material storage and steaming process, reducing the cost of use, maintenance cost and maintenance difficulty; the serving port, steaming module and storage module share the same set of material transfer modules to complete the discharging, feeding and serving process, which greatly reduces the complexity of the automation system; the design of multiple steamer compartments improves food preparation efficiency; the opening of the same compartment is alternately closed by two sealing structures to reduce heat loss and air convection, effectively ensuring the steaming quality and efficiency.

[0040] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A food preparation and vending machine, characterized in that, include: body; The food dispensing port is located on the external panel of the machine body; A steaming module, located inside the machine body, includes a steamer assembly and a steam pot assembly located below the steamer assembly. The steamer assembly and the steam pot assembly are connected. The steamer assembly includes a material tray and steamer compartments. Multiple steamer compartments stacked together form an internal structure that allows air circulation. Each steamer compartment has a swing panel. The material tray is a semi-open hopper with a hopper panel that matches the swing panel, allowing the material tray to be inserted into the steamer compartment after lifting the swing panel. In this case, the hopper panel replaces the swing panel to form a closed space with the steamer compartment. Specifically, the swing panel includes: The panel body is connected to the upper edge of the front opening between the steamer compartments via a pivot, which is used to close the steamer compartments or swing into the compartments under the push of the material tray. The panel body also has a ventilation window; A swing plate is connected to the upper side of the ventilation window via a pivot, used to close the ventilation window, or to swing by its own weight to expose the ventilation window after the panel body is lifted. A material storage module is located inside the machine body. The material storage module includes a material cold storage chamber, a refrigeration device, and a material discharge component. The refrigeration device is connected to the cold storage chamber, and the material discharge component is located at the bottom of the cold storage chamber to facilitate the discharge of materials. A material transfer module is located behind the steaming module. The material transfer module includes a robotic arm that supports three-axis translation and forks mounted on the robotic arm for lifting materials in the storage module and transferring the materials to the steaming module or removing the materials from the steaming module and transferring them to the serving port.

2. The integrated food preparation and vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steamer assembly specifically includes: Steamer body; A heater is located inside the main body of the steamer; A water supply pipe is connected to the upper part of the steamer body and is used to add water to the steamer body. A drain pipe, connected to the bottom of the steamer body, is used to drain water from the inside of the steamer body to the outside; A solenoid valve is installed in the water supply pipe and / or the drain pipe to facilitate water level control.

3. The integrated food preparation and vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material cold storage compartment specifically includes: The inlet door is located on the front side panel of the cold storage compartment, so that the material trays can be placed inside the compartment and stacked. A discharge top cover is located above the top window of the refrigerator compartment, and the discharge top cover is connected to the refrigerator compartment via a guide rail mechanism; The discharge top cover can be lifted by the material tray delivered by the discharge assembly or by self-replacement.

4. The integrated food preparation and vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge assembly specifically includes: A translation mechanism, located inside the material cold storage compartment, contacts the material tray and is used to move the material tray in the horizontal direction; A lifting mechanism, located inside the material cold storage compartment, is used to lift the material tray in the vertical direction.

5. The integrated food preparation and vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: An interactive component, located on the external panel of the body, is used to display information and / or receive control signals.

6. The integrated food preparation and vending machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: A control system is connected to the interactive component. The control system is configured to update the display content of the interactive component or calculate the inventory status of multiple all-in-one machines within a certain area based on the received order information and the inventory information of the server.

7. The integrated food preparation and vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Also includes: A communication module configured to send data from a single all-in-one machine to other all-in-one machines or a server.

8. The integrated food preparation and vending machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The interactive component is configured to display local inventory information and / or display food combo meals.

9. The integrated food preparation and vending machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The control system counts the number of times each type of food is ordered based on the received order information, and adjusts the order of each type of food in the menu based on the statistical results.

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