Storage and output system for frozen commodities with outer packages

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of vending machines, and discloses a storage and output system for frozen commodities with outer packages, the storage and output system comprises a closed machine body with a refrigeration function, and a commodity storage unit comprises a shelf and a power mechanism; the periphery of the goods shelf is surrounded by baffles. An output port corresponding to the power mechanism is formed in the bottom of the goods shelf; through holes for air flow to circulate are formed in the baffle plate on the front side and the baffle plate on the rear side of the goods shelf; the goods shelf is internally provided with at least one goods storage area which is vertically arranged. The frozen commodities are placed in the storage area in a multi-stack mode. The power mechanism is used for conveying the frozen commodities on the lowest layer of the commodity storage area to the conveying unit from the output port in a flat pushing or conveying belt mode. The system has the advantages that the storage capacity is large, and the possibility that the commodities are bonded due to crystallization is reduced, can be used as a core system of an automatic vending machine for frozen products, and has obvious market advantages.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of automatic vending machines, in particular to a storage and output system for frozen commodities with outer packaging. Background Art

[0002] The following patents and documents are available for the automated sales equipment of frozen products:

[0003] Announcement No. CN108564727B, the subject is a patent application for an automatic vending machine for frozen goods; it discloses an automatic vending machine for frozen goods, characterized in that it includes an outer shell and an XY track, a storage rack, a parallel pickup and delivery device, an automatic door and a delivery port installed in the outer shell; the delivery port, an electronic operating screen, a refrigeration device and an inspection door are on the outer shell; the electronic operating screen is arranged next to the delivery port on the outer shell; the parallel pickup and delivery device is installed on the XY track, and storage racks are also installed on both sides of the X-axis of the XY track, and the delivery port is arranged below the pickup port in the outer shell; a robotic arm sorting device is also provided above the delivery port in the outer shell behind the electronic operating screen on the outer shell; an automatic door is also provided in the outer shell at the entrance on the delivery port.

[0004] PCT patent application WO2023227092A1, the subject matter of which is an automatic vending device and a control method, discloses an automatic vending device, comprising: a freezer, a side wall of which is provided with an entrance and an exit and an opening and closing door for blocking the entrance and exit; a circulating shelf is provided in the freezer, a plurality of pallets are provided on the circulating shelf, and the circulating shelf can drive the pallets to circulate in the freezer to move any pallet to the position of the entrance and exit;

[0005] A robot is also provided on one side of the outside of the freezer close to the entrance and exit to place the lunch box on the tray from the entrance and exit, or to clamp the lunch box from the tray.

[0006] Whether it is CN108564727B or WO2023227092A1, they have one thing in common: the goods are placed separately.

[0007] From the perspective of saving space, similar to the existing vending machines on the market, the goods should be stacked horizontally or vertically to accommodate the goods to the greatest extent.

[0008] This design is often not used in vending machines that sell frozen products. The reason is that the door of the vending machine needs to be opened every time for replenishment or inspection. Air containing moisture will enter the vending machine and quickly form ice crystals between the products, making it impossible to separate and output the products smoothly.

[0009] Therefore, the technical problem solved in this case is: how to develop a frozen food vending machine with high storage efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0010] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a storage and output system for frozen goods with outer packaging. The system has the advantages of large storage capacity and reduced possibility of adhesion between goods due to crystallization. It can be used as the core system of a frozen food vending machine and has obvious market advantages.

[0011] The technical solution provided by the present invention is: a storage and output system for frozen goods with outer packaging, comprising a closed body with a refrigeration function, a storage space within the body, at least one delivery port on the body, at least two commodity storage units and at least one conveying unit for outputting the goods output by the commodity storage unit to the delivery port within the storage space, the commodity storage unit comprising a shelf and a power mechanism; the periphery of the shelf is surrounded by a baffle; the bottom of the shelf is provided with an output port corresponding to the power mechanism; the baffles on the front side and the baffles on the rear side of the shelf are provided with through holes for air flow; at least one vertically arranged storage area is provided within the shelf; the frozen goods are placed in the storage area in the form of multiple stacks; the power mechanism is used to transport the frozen goods at the bottom layer of the storage area from the delivery port to the conveying unit in the form of flat pushing or conveyor belt;

[0012] An auxiliary heating mechanism and an air extraction port are provided in the machine body; the air extraction port is used to extract the hot air generated by the auxiliary heating mechanism through a preset path; the connection line of the baffle plate on the front side and the baffle plate on the rear side of the shelf is located on the preset path.

[0013] The core advantage of the present invention is that a relatively closed commodity storage unit is constructed, and the commodity storage unit has the following characteristics:

[0014] 1. The storage capacity is large, and the goods are arranged in the form of vertical stacking in the internal inventory area;

[0015] 2. When replenishing goods in one commodity storage unit, the air has little impact on other commodity storage units. More specifically, since there are baffles on the periphery of the commodity storage unit, there is little gas exchange between the inside and the outside, and it is not easy to be affected by the outside humid air to form ice crystals and stick together when replacing / replenishing goods;

[0016] 3. Through auxiliary heating, the air can be heated appropriately and the ice crystals can be sublimated, thereby reducing the sticking phenomenon. Specifically, after the door of the machine body is closed (the implied machine body contains a door, which is a conventional design in the field), the air inside the machine body is heated by the auxiliary heating mechanism or dry hot air is provided from the outside. The air outlet forms an airflow through the front and rear baffles, which can sublimate the ice crystals and reduce the occurrence of sticking. Of course, the heating time is not long and will not have a substantial impact on the temperature of the product.

[0017] Therefore, this solution can reduce the generation of ice crystals and promote the disappearance of ice crystals by reducing the degree of air flow exchange and assisting short-term heating or hot air, so that when storing goods in large quantities, goods can be smoothly output individually.

[0018] The present invention is generally applicable to commodities with outer packaging. Commodities without outer packaging, such as meat, fish, fruit, etc., have their own moisture and will be unable to be separated.

[0019] In the above-mentioned storage and output system of frozen goods with outer packaging, the auxiliary heat supply mechanism is a radiation or contact heat exchange heat source or air supply mechanism; the air supply mechanism is a device for providing dry hot air;

[0020] If the auxiliary heating mechanism is a radiation type or contact heat exchange type heat source, the machine body is provided with an air replenishing device for replenishing dry air into the machine body, and the air replenishing device is located near the heat source.

[0021] Regardless of the form adopted, its core purpose is to generate a short-term gas flow with a certain temperature; in the present invention, the certain temperature refers to a temperature above 0°C, and the higher the temperature, the shorter the heating time; the preferred temperature is 10-40°C, more preferably 20-30°C; the recommended heating time is more than 10s, preferably more than 30s, and preferably 30s to 90s.

[0022] In the above-mentioned storage and output system for frozen products with outer packaging, the auxiliary heating mechanism is located at the rear side of the machine body; and the air extraction port is located at the front side of the machine body.

[0023] In the above-mentioned storage and output system for frozen goods with outer packaging, a plurality of storage areas arranged side by side are provided in a shelf; each storage area corresponds to a separate motor mechanism.

[0024] In the above-mentioned storage and output system for frozen goods with outer packaging, the power mechanism is a power cylinder powered by pneumatic, electric or hydraulic power or a conveyor belt that can provide friction or driving force to the frozen goods; the friction or driving force is greater than the resistance to relative movement generated by the frozen goods in the bottom layer and the next bottom layer of the storage area.

[0025] In the above-mentioned storage and output system for frozen commodities with outer packaging, the through holes are evenly distributed on the baffles on the front side and the baffles on the rear side of the shelf.

[0026] In the above-mentioned storage and output system for frozen products with outer packaging, at least one of the baffles on the front side and the baffles on the rear side of the shelf is connected to the shelf in an openable and closable manner.

[0027] In the above-mentioned storage and delivery system for frozen products with outer packaging, it is characterized in that a brush is provided at the position of the delivery port; the brush acts on the surface of the frozen products;

[0028] The height of the output port is higher than the upper surface of the frozen goods at the lowest layer in the inventory area and lower than the upper surface of the frozen goods at the next lowest layer.

[0029] In the present invention, the brush has two functions. The first function is to brush away ice crystals, water drops, dust, etc. on the surface of the goods, thereby assisting in cleaning. The second function is to reduce the gas exchange between the commodity storage unit and the outside world, thereby avoiding excessive gas exchange between the atmosphere and other commodity storage units during the commodity replenishment / exchange process.

[0030] In the above-mentioned storage and output system for frozen products with outer packaging, the product storage units are multiple and arranged in the form of an X*Y array; X and Y are both integers; X and Y are not less than 2;

[0031] The conveying unit is a conveying unit whose height can be raised or lowered.

[0032] In the above-mentioned storage and output system for frozen commodities with outer packaging, the commodity storage unit is fixed in the machine body in a detachable manner.

[0033] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0034] The system of the present invention has the advantages of large storage capacity and reduced possibility of adhesion between commodities due to crystallization. It can be used as the core system of an automatic frozen food vending machine and has obvious market advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 is a stereogram of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 It is the front view of the present invention (removing the door);

[0037] Figure 3 is a stereogram of the present invention (without the door);

[0038] Figure 4 is a rear view of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 is a front view of the commodity storage unit of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 6 is a rear view of the commodity storage unit of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a commodity storage unit of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 8 It is a front view of the commodity storage unit of the present invention (with a brush added);

[0043] Fig. 9 It is a front view of the commodity storage unit of the present invention (without the baffle on the front side);

[0044] Fig.10 It is a three-dimensional view of the commodity storage unit of the present invention (without the baffle on the front side). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific implementation methods, but does not constitute any limitation to the present invention.

[0046] refer to Figures 1 to 10 , a storage and output system for frozen goods with outer packaging, comprising a closed body 1 with a refrigeration function, wherein the body 1 has a storage space, the body 1 is provided with a delivery port 2, the storage space is provided with a plurality of commodity storage units 3, and a conveying unit 4 for outputting the goods output by the commodity storage unit 3 to the delivery port 2, the commodity storage unit comprises a shelf 31 and a power mechanism 32; the periphery of the shelf 31 is surrounded by a baffle 33; the bottom of the shelf 31 is provided with an output port 34 corresponding to the power mechanism 32; the baffle 33 on the front side and the baffle 33 on the rear side of the shelf 31 are provided with through holes 35 for air flow; the shelf 31 is provided with a plurality of vertically arranged storage areas 36; the frozen goods are placed in the storage area 36 in the form of multiple stacks; the power mechanism 32 is used to transport the frozen goods at the bottom layer of the storage area 36 from the output port 34 to the conveying unit 4 in the form of flat pushing or conveyor belt;

[0047] The machine body 1 is provided with an auxiliary heating mechanism 5 and an air exhaust port 6; the air exhaust port 6 is used to extract the hot air generated by the auxiliary heating mechanism 5 through a preset path; the connection line of the baffle 33 on the front side and the baffle 33 on the rear side of the shelf 31 is located on the preset path.

[0048] Specifically in this embodiment, the commodity storage unit 3 is arranged in the form of 2*3, and in actual applications, more abundant forms can be selected, such as 2*2, 3*3, 3*4, 4*3, 4*4, 4*5, 5*4, 5*5, etc.;

[0049] A commodity storage unit 3 can be provided with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. inventory areas 36, and in this embodiment, there are 5 inventory areas 36; more inventory areas 36 are also possible; in this embodiment, there is generally one delivery port 2, but there can be multiple delivery ports. For example, corresponding to a 2*3 layout, the conveying unit 4 is fixed as a non-liftable structure, then there are 3 conveying units 4, and the conveying units 4 and the delivery ports 2 correspond one to one, and the delivery ports 2 should be set to 3; but if the conveying unit 4 is a liftable structure, then there can be only 1 conveying unit 4 and the delivery port 2; the conveying unit 4 is generally a conveyor belt, but other conveying structures such as a manipulator can also be selected. From the perspective of cost, simplicity, and maintainability, a conveyor belt is selected;

[0050] The working principle of the present invention is:

[0051] In a normal sales state, the body 1 is closed, and a temperature sensor is preferably provided inside to maintain the temperature inside the body 1 at 0°C or below through timely or continuous refrigeration; when a consumer selects a product, the power mechanism 32 of the corresponding product storage unit 3 pushes the frozen product at the bottom layer of the inventory area 36 out of the output port 34 or conveys it to the conveying unit 4; the conveying unit 4 conveys the product to the delivery port 2;

[0052] When it is necessary to replenish / exchange goods, the door of the machine body 1 is opened, generally from the front side, and then the corresponding commodity storage unit is replenished. In most cases, there are always some commodity storage units that do not need to be replenished. During the replenishment process, the outer periphery of the shelf 31 is surrounded by the baffle 33, so the gas inside the shelf 31 will not be exchanged too much with the atmosphere, which can effectively suppress the generation of ice crystals; since the front and rear baffles 33 have through holes 35, it is impossible to prevent the exchange of gas with the atmosphere, and a small amount of ice crystals may be generated (related to factors such as air suitability and temperature and the temperature inside the equipment); in order to solve this problem, when the replenishment / exchange is completed, the door of the machine body 1 is closed; the auxiliary heating mechanism 5 and the air extraction port 6 are started, and the air extraction port 6 extracts the dry gas generated by the auxiliary heating mechanism 5 with a temperature higher than the storage temperature from the auxiliary heating mechanism 5 to the air extraction port 6; since the front and rear baffles 33 are located on the gas path, the ice crystals generated will sublime in this process; through the optimization of the present invention, it is possible to avoid the adhesion between the goods due to the generated ice crystals.

[0053] The core advantage of the present invention is that a relatively closed commodity storage unit is constructed, and the commodity storage unit has the following characteristics:

[0054] 1. The storage capacity is large, and the goods are arranged in a vertical stack in the internal storage area 36;

[0055] 2. When replenishing goods in one commodity storage unit 3, the air has little influence on other commodity storage units 3. More specifically, since there are baffles 33 on the periphery of the commodity storage unit 3, there is little gas exchange between the inside and the outside, and it is not easy to be affected by the outside humid air to form ice crystals and stick when replacing / replenishing goods;

[0056] 3. Through auxiliary heating, the air can be heated appropriately and the ice crystals can be sublimated, thereby reducing the sticking phenomenon. Specifically, after the door of the machine body 1 is closed (the implied machine body 1 contains a door, which is a conventional design in the field), the auxiliary heating mechanism 5 is used to heat the air inside the machine body 1 or provide dry hot air outside. The air outlet 6 forms an airflow passing through the front and rear baffles 33. The airflow can sublimate the ice crystals and reduce the occurrence of sticking. Of course, the heating time is not long and will not have a substantial impact on the temperature of the product.

[0057] Therefore, this solution can reduce the generation of ice crystals and promote the disappearance of ice crystals by reducing the degree of air flow exchange and assisting short-term heating or hot air, so that when storing goods in large quantities, goods can be smoothly output individually.

[0058] The present invention is generally applicable to commodities with outer packaging. Commodities without outer packaging, such as meat, fish, fruit, etc., have their own moisture and will be unable to be separated.

[0059] At the same time, the present invention does not exclude the arrangement of goods in a horizontal stacking form, but its disadvantages are obvious compared with the vertical stacking method, because horizontal stacking means that the contact area between the goods and the bottom of the shelf 31 is too large, which significantly increases the difficulty of pushing or conveying the power mechanism 32. Especially in the presence of ice crystals, the resistance generated by such pushing or conveying will be very large.

[0060] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the auxiliary heat supply mechanism 5 is a radiation or contact heat exchange heat source or air supply mechanism; the air supply mechanism is a device for providing dry hot air;

[0061] If the auxiliary heat supply mechanism 5 is a radiation type or contact heat exchange type heat source, the machine body 1 is provided with an air supply device for supplying dry air into the machine body 1, and the air supply device is located near the heat source.

[0062] Regardless of the method used, it is necessary to keep the supplemented gas or hot air as dry as possible; to achieve this purpose, an additional water removal module can be added to the system of the present invention. Since the system of the present invention has its own refrigeration system, the gas can be cooled by heat exchanging between the air and the refrigeration system, and the water vapor can be condensed and dried in the process to produce dry gas; and the method of producing dry hot gas can be further based on this. A set of electric heating modules can be added. Regardless of the perspective, there are many ways to produce dry gas or hot air in this field, and the scope of protection of the present invention cannot be limited by the above examples.

[0063] The core purpose of the above optimization is to generate a short-term gas flow with a certain temperature; in the present invention, the certain temperature refers to a temperature above 0°C, and the higher the temperature, the shorter the heating time; the preferred temperature is 10-40°C, more preferably 20-30°C; the recommended heating time is more than 10s, preferably more than 30s, and preferably 30s to 90s.

[0064] In some other preferred cases of the present invention, the auxiliary heating mechanism 5 is located at the rear side of the machine body 1; the air extraction port 6 is located at the front side of the machine body 1. In some other preferred cases, the auxiliary heating mechanism 5 is located at the front side of the machine body 1; the air extraction port 6 is located at the rear side of the machine body 1. This front-to-back layout ensures that the airflow must pass through the commodity storage unit 3, so that the basic purpose of the present invention can be achieved.

[0065] Preferably, a plurality of storage areas 36 arranged side by side are provided in a shelf 31; each storage area 36 corresponds to a separate motor mechanism. In this embodiment, there are five storage areas 36 arranged side by side in a shelf 31, and then there are five corresponding motor mechanisms such as conveyor belts, and the surface of the conveyor belt is rough to generate sufficient friction.

[0066] More preferably, the power mechanism 32 is a power cylinder powered by pneumatic, electric or hydraulic power or a conveyor belt that can provide friction or driving force to the frozen goods; the friction or driving force is greater than the resistance to relative movement of the frozen goods in the bottom layer and the next bottom layer of the storage area 36.

[0067] In the above implementation, the power cylinder is an air cylinder, an oil cylinder or an electric cylinder, but a conveyor belt is more preferred; because the power cylinder generally needs lubrication, which is not often used under low temperature conditions, especially in the food field. In this embodiment, the power mechanism 32 is a conveyor belt, and more preferably, the surface of the conveyor belt is a rough surface; more preferably, the surface of the conveyor belt has vertically arranged baffles, and when the conveyor belt is running, the baffles can generate horizontal driving force in addition to friction to assist in pushing the goods.

[0068] Preferably, the through holes 35 are evenly distributed on the baffle 33 at the front side and the baffle 33 at the rear side of the shelf 31, and at least one of the baffle 33 at the front side and the baffle 33 at the rear side of the shelf 31 is connected to the shelf 31 in an openable and closable manner. In practical applications, the design position of the openable and closable position should be determined by where the door of the machine body 1 is set. For example, if the door of the machine body 1 is at the front, then the front baffle 33 and the shelf 31 are hinged and locked, otherwise, the baffle 33 at the rear is used.

[0069] Preferably, reference Figure 8 A brush 37 is provided at the position of the output port 34; the brush 37 acts on the surface of the frozen product;

[0070] The height of the output port 34 is higher than the upper surface of the lowest layer of frozen goods in the inventory area 36 and lower than the upper surface of the next lowest layer of frozen goods.

[0071] In the present invention, the brush 37 has two functions. The first function is to brush away ice crystals, water drops, dust, etc. on the surface of the goods, thereby assisting in cleaning. The second function is to reduce the gas exchange between the commodity storage unit and the outside world, thereby avoiding excessive gas exchange between the atmosphere and other commodity storage units during the commodity replenishment / exchange process.

[0072] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the commodity storage unit is fixed in the body 1 in a detachable manner. Through this detachable manner, different assembly schemes can be quickly implemented, and the commodity storage unit can also be quickly removed and taken out for maintenance to prevent the door from being opened for a long time and causing influence on other commodities.

[0073] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A storage and output system for frozen goods with outer packaging, comprising a closed body with refrigeration function, a storage space in the body, at least one delivery port on the body, at least two commodity storage units in the storage space, and at least one conveying unit for delivering the goods delivered by the commodity storage units to the delivery port, characterized in that: The commodity storage unit comprises a shelf and a power mechanism; the periphery of the shelf is surrounded by a baffle; the bottom of the shelf is provided with an output port corresponding to the power mechanism; the baffles on the front side and the baffles on the rear side of the shelf are provided with through holes for air flow; at least one vertically arranged storage area is provided in the shelf; the frozen commodities are placed in the storage area in the form of multiple stacks; the power mechanism is used to transport the frozen commodities at the bottom layer of the storage area from the output port to the conveying unit in the form of flat pushing or conveyor belt; An auxiliary heating mechanism and an air extraction port are provided in the machine body; the air extraction port is used to extract the hot air generated by the auxiliary heating mechanism through a preset path; the connection line between the baffle plate on the front side and the baffle plate on the rear side of the shelf is located on the preset path.

2. The storage and output system of frozen goods with outer packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary heat supply mechanism is a radiation type or contact heat exchange type heat source or air supply mechanism; the air supply mechanism is a device for providing dry hot air; If the auxiliary heating mechanism is a radiation type or contact heat exchange type heat source, the machine body is provided with an air replenishing device for replenishing dry air into the machine body, and the air replenishing device is located near the heat source.

3. The storage and output system of frozen goods with outer packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary heating mechanism is located at the rear side of the machine body; and the air extraction port is located at the front side of the machine body.

4. The storage and output system of frozen goods with outer packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple storage areas arranged side by side in a shelf; each storage area corresponds to a separate motor mechanism.

5. The storage and output system of frozen goods with outer packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power mechanism is a power cylinder powered by pneumatic, electric or hydraulic power or a conveyor belt that can provide friction or driving force to the frozen goods; the friction or driving force is greater than the resistance to relative movement of the frozen goods on the bottom layer and the next bottom layer in the storage area.

6. The storage and output system of frozen goods with outer packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The through holes are evenly distributed on the baffle plate at the front side and the baffle plate at the rear side of the shelf.

7. The storage and output system of frozen goods with outer packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the baffle on the front side and the baffle on the rear side of the shelf is connected to the shelf in an openable and closable manner.

8. The storage and output system for frozen products with outer packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: A brush is provided at the position of the output port; the brush acts on the surface of the frozen product; The height of the output port is higher than the upper surface of the frozen goods at the lowest layer in the inventory area and lower than the upper surface of the frozen goods at the next lowest layer.

9. The storage and output system for frozen products with outer packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: There are multiple commodity storage units arranged in the form of an X*Y array; X and Y are both integers; X and Y are not less than 2; The conveying unit is a conveying unit whose height can be raised or lowered.

10. The storage and output system for frozen products with outer packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The commodity storage unit is fixed in the machine body in a detachable manner.

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