Meal serving unit of automatic vending machine capable of continuously delivering meals and application method of meal serving unit

Abstract

The invention discloses a meal serving unit of a continuous meal delivery vending machine and an application method, the meal serving unit comprises a rack, a meal storage device arranged on the rack, a meal distribution device arranged below the meal storage device, and a rice shaping device arranged at the tail end of a conveying belt and used for shaping rice; the steam components are arranged on the two sides of the rice distributing device so that rice in the rice distributing device can be in a constant-temperature state, the steam components are communicated with the constant-temperature heating water tank, and the rice shaping device and the rice distributing device are matched with each other in space; the rice shaping device comprises a rice cup assembly arranged below the tail end of the rice distributing device and provided with a rice containing space, a rice cutting and scraping plate assembly arranged above the tail end of the rice distributing device and a rice shaping assembly arranged above the rice cup assembly, the lower end of the rice shaping assembly extends into the rice cup assembly, and the rice shaping assembly shapes rice. Through cooperative work of all the assemblies of the whole system, automatic distribution, heat preservation and shaping of rice are achieved, and the automation degree and working efficiency of the vending machine and the attractiveness of the rice are greatly improved. Meanwhile, through constant-temperature control of the steam component, the palatable temperature and freshness of the rice are ensured, and the dining experience of a user is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of food meal vending equipment, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a meal serving unit of an automatic meal vending machine that continuously serves meals and an application method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of science and technology, vending machines have gradually entered people's daily lives, providing great convenience for people. Especially in the catering industry, vending machines have been widely welcomed for their fast and convenient features. However, traditional meal vending machines have some problems in the process of rice dispensing and shaping, such as the rapid drop in rice temperature and uneven shapes, which affect consumers' dining experience.

[0003] In order to solve the above problems, some vending machines have begun to use heat preservation technology to maintain the temperature of rice, but this method often cannot effectively ensure the stability of the temperature of rice during the rice distribution and transmission process. At the same time, existing vending machines also have shortcomings in rice shaping, resulting in different shapes of rice sold, which does not meet consumers' expectations.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a novel intelligent heat preservation rice dispensing and shaping system for a meal vending machine to solve the above-mentioned problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to solve at least the above problems and / or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages which will be described hereinafter.

[0006] In order to achieve these purposes and other advantages of the present invention, a rice serving unit of a continuous meal serving vending machine is provided, comprising a frame, a rice storage device arranged on the frame, a rice dispensing device arranged below the rice storage device, a conveyor belt arranged below the rice dispensing device for conveying rice, and further comprising:

[0007] A rice shaping device disposed at the end of the conveyor belt;

[0008] Steam components are arranged on both sides of the rice distributing device to keep the rice in the rice distributing device at a constant temperature, the steam components are connected to the constant temperature heating water tank, and the rice shaping device and the rice distributing device cooperate with each other in space;

[0009] The rice shaping device comprises: a rice cup assembly having a space for accommodating rice and arranged below the end of the rice dispensing device, a rice cutting and scraping plate assembly arranged above the end of the rice dispensing device, and a rice shaping assembly arranged above the rice cup assembly, whose lower end extends into the rice cup assembly and shapes the rice.

[0010] Preferably, the rice distributing device comprises: a rice clamping plate arranged in pairs below the rice storage device, two rice blocking plates respectively arranged at the front ends of the rice clamping plates, a rice receiving plate component slidably arranged on a side wall of the rice clamping plates, and the conveyor belt is located below the rice clamping plates;

[0011] The rice clamping plate, the rice blocking plate and the conveyor belt form a cavity for conveying rice in space;

[0012] The rice receiving plate component comprises: a U-shaped rice receiving plate for spatially shaping and limiting the falling rice, one end of the U-shaped rice receiving plate passes through the side wall of one rice clamping plate and abuts against the other rice clamping plate, and the other end is connected to the output shaft of the cylinder;

[0013] Wherein, a certain gap is reserved between the rice receiving plate and the conveyor belt in terms of spatial height.

[0014] Preferably, each rice clamping plate has a double-layer structure, and its internal space has an area for accommodating steam. A plurality of through holes I connected to the cavity are provided on one side of each rice clamping plate, and a through hole II connected to the steam outlet of the steam component is provided on the other side of the rice clamping plate. The two rice clamping plates are connected by a connecting component, and the connecting component includes: ball screws arranged in pairs at the front and rear ends of the rice clamping plates, the front and rear ends of each rice clamping plate are connected to the slider seat on the ball screw through a connecting piece, the two ball screws are connected by a synchronous belt drive, the slider seats on the ball screws are arranged opposite to each other, and one of the ball screws is transmission-connected to the output shaft of the output motor.

[0015] Preferably, the steam component comprises: a plurality of steam spray pipes arranged on the frame;

[0016] The constant temperature heating water tank is connected to each steam nozzle through a hard connecting pipe. The size of each steam nozzle is smaller than the size of through hole II, and the steam nozzle extends into the inner area of ​​the rice clamping plate, and a certain gap is reserved in the spatial position between the two.

[0017] Preferably, the rice shaping assembly includes: a transmission component arranged above the ends of the pair of rice clamping plates, a connecting rod with a hollow structure extending into the interior of the rice cup assembly, a transmission shaft connected to the built-in motor shaft of the transmission component is arranged inside the connecting rod, a shaping cover for rice shaping is arranged at the bottom of the connecting rod, the transmission component is connected to the upper end of the connecting rod for transmission so that the connecting rod moves up and down in space, the lower end of the built-in transmission shaft of the transmission component is connected to the arc-shaped scraper below the shaping cover, and the built-in transmission shaft drives the arc-shaped scraper to rotate left and right.

[0018] Preferably, the rice cup assembly comprises: a rice cup disposed above the rice receiving tray, and a cylinder component I connected to one side above the rice cup to enable the rice cup to move up and down in space;

[0019] Wherein, the width between the rice clamping plates is greater than the width of the rice cup;

[0020] The rice cutting and scraping plate assembly includes: an L-shaped rice cutting and scraping plate arranged above the rice conveyor belt assembly, a cylinder component II connected to one side of the rice cutting and scraping plate to enable the rice cutting and scraping plate to move up and down in space, and a longitudinal driving component to enable the cylinder component II to move longitudinally in space.

[0021] Preferably, the longitudinal driving component comprises: a connecting block connected to the cylinder component II, and one side of the connecting block is connected to the output shaft of the longitudinal driving cylinder.

[0022] Preferably, the shaping cover is composed of an upper and lower part, and a plurality of connecting holes are arranged on both side surfaces of the upper and lower parts of the shaping cover. The upper part of the shaping cover has a boss structure, and the upper end of the boss is connected to the connecting rod through a quick locking buckle. A through hole III for the transmission shaft to pass through is provided in the middle of the boss, and a cleaning water inlet hole is provided on the lower end surface of the boss. A through hole IV for the transmission shaft to pass through is provided in the middle of the lower part of the shaping cover, and an annular water storage tank is provided on the outer side of the through hole IV. A plurality of water spray holes connected to the annular water storage tank are provided on the arc surface on the outer side of the lower part of the shaping cover, and the cleaning water inlet hole is connected to the annular water storage tank in space;

[0023] Among them, the female end of the transmission shaft passes through the through hole IV to connect with the arc scraper, the bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover is a semicircular dome consistent with the surface shape of the arc scraper, and the upper and lower parts of the shaping cover are connected by a connecting piece passing through the connecting hole.

[0024] Preferably, at least one micro water spray hole is provided at the bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover, and the micro water spray hole is connected to the annular water storage tank.

[0025] A meal vending machine, comprising: an order processing unit for receiving user orders and sending order data to a PLC control unit;

[0026] A PLC control unit for receiving and processing order data sent by the order processing unit, and sending instructions to the serving unit, the suction unit, and the meal tray transport unit;

[0027] A serving unit having multiple independently operated food ports, which automatically serves food at the corresponding food ports according to the instructions of the PLC control unit;

[0028] A suction cup unit for sucking up the meal trays in the meal tray storage area and placing them in the meal tray transport unit;

[0029] The meal tray transport unit is used to transfer the meal tray from the meal pickup point to the meal outlet and to serve the meal in the meal serving unit according to the instruction of the PLC control unit, and also includes: an automatic meal serving unit of the meal vending machine as described in any one of claims 1-8.

[0030] An application method of a meal vending machine, wherein the meal vending machine as claimed in claim 9 is used to perform a meal serving operation, comprising the following steps:

[0031] S1. The order processing unit accepts user order data submitted from the mobile APP and the touch screen of the meal vending machine;

[0032] S2. The order processing unit sends the received order data to the PLC control unit for processing and storage;

[0033] S3. The PLC control unit sends the processed and calculated information to the automatic rice serving unit, the dish serving unit and the meal tray transport unit, and finally transmits the meal tray to the meal outlet. The processing and calculation of multiple order information in S2 includes the following steps:

[0034] S21. The PLC control unit numbers a plurality of dish dropping openings on the meal vending machine and a plate opening on the meal plate, wherein the plurality of dish dropping openings and the plate openings are located on the same straight line, and a spacing between two adjacent dish dropping openings is equal to a spacing between two adjacent plate openings, and the spacing between two adjacent dish dropping openings is defined as a standard iteration number;

[0035] S22. The PLC control unit parses the number data of the dish drop port for each order, and marks the state of the dish drop port required for each order in turn according to the number data obtained by the parsing;

[0036] S23. Calculate the number of standard iterations required for each order in S22 to move to the corresponding marked drop port, form an iteration array with the above number, find the minimum value in each order iteration array, form a minimum value array, find the minimum value from the minimum value array, and record this value as the true minimum value;

[0037] S24. The conveyor belt of the meal tray transport unit moves according to the true minimum value in S23. After the movement is completed, the number of iterations of the iteration array of each order is subtracted from the true minimum value, and it is determined whether there is a plate in each order with the required standard number of iterations being 0. If there is a plate with the required number of iterations being 0, the state of the dish drop port above the plate with the current number of iterations being 0 is determined. If the state of the corresponding dish drop port is marked, the dish drop port is used to drop the dish;

[0038] S25. For the iteration array of each order after subtracting the true minimum value in S24, determine again whether the iteration number of the iteration array of each order is 0. If it is 0, the conveyor belt transports the plate out of the dining port to complete the meal serving. If it is not 0, return to S23 for the next round of serving operations.

[0039] The present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: the present invention realizes automatic distribution, heat preservation and shaping of rice through the coordinated work of various components of the whole system, greatly improving the automation degree and working efficiency of the vending machine and the appearance of rice. At the same time, through the constant temperature control of the steam component, the palatable temperature and freshness of the rice are ensured, improving the dining experience of users.

[0040] Other advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be embodied in part through the following description, and in part will be understood by those skilled in the art through study and practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic meal serving unit of the meal vending machine of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the spatial structure of the rice storage device, the rice distribution device, the rice shaping device and the steam component;

[0043] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the spatial structure of the rice distributing device, the rice shaping device and the steam component;

[0044] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the rice distributing device;

[0045] Figure 5 is a top view of the rice dispensing device;

[0046] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of a rice clamping plate and a rice receiving plate of a rice distributing device;

[0047] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the constant temperature heating water tank and connecting pipe structure of the steam component;

[0048] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of a rice shaping device;

[0049] Fig. 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of a rice cutting and scraping plate assembly;

[0050] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the connection between the connecting rod and the shaping cover;

[0051] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the internal connection between the connecting rod and the shaping cover;

[0052] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the upper part of the plastic cover;

[0053] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of the lower half of the plastic cover;

[0054] Fig.14This is a schematic diagram of the bottom of the lower half of the plastic cover.

[0055] Markings in the figure: 1. frame, 2. rice storage device, 3. rice distributing device, 31. rice clamping plate, 32. through hole I, 33. through hole II, 34. U-shaped rice receiving plate, 35. cylinder output shaft, 36. ball screw, 37. slider seat, 38. synchronous belt, 39. rice blocking plate. 4. Conveyor belt, 5. Rice shaping device, 51. Rice cup assembly, 511. Rice cup, 502. Cylinder component I, 52. Rice cutting and scraping plate assembly, 521. Rice cutting and scraping plate, 522. Cylinder component II, 523. Connecting block, 524. Longitudinal driving cylinder, 53. Rice shaping assembly, 531. Transmission component, 532. Connecting rod, 533. Shaping cover, 534. Transmission shaft, 535. Arc scraper, 6. Steam component, 61. Constant temperature heating water tank, 62. Steam nozzle, 63. Hard connecting pipe, 64. Connecting hole, 65. Boss, 66. Through hole III, 67. Through hole IV, 68. Cleaning water inlet hole, 69. Annular water storage tank, 70. Water spray hole, 71. Micro water spray hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can implement the invention with reference to the description.

[0057] It should be understood that the terms such as “having”, “including” and “comprising” used herein do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other elements or combinations thereof.

[0058] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the term is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0059] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly stipulated and limited, the terms "installed", "provided with", "mounted / connected", "connected", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connected" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. It can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection. It can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. It can be the internal connection of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0060] In addition, in the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0061] Figure 1-Figure 14 The present invention shows a rice serving unit of a continuous meal vending machine, comprising a frame 1, a rice storage device 2 arranged on the frame 1, a rice dispensing device 3 arranged below the rice storage device 2, a conveyor belt 4 arranged below the rice dispensing device 2 for conveying rice, and further comprising:

[0062] A rice shaping device 5 is arranged at the end of the conveyor belt 4;

[0063] Steam components 6 are arranged on both sides of the rice distributing device 3 to keep the rice in the rice distributing device 3 at a constant temperature. The steam components 6 are connected to a constant temperature heating water tank 61. The rice shaping device 5 and the rice distributing device 3 cooperate with each other in space.

[0064] The rice shaping device 5 includes: a rice cup assembly 51 with a space for accommodating rice, which is arranged below the end of the rice dispensing device 3; a rice cutting and scraping plate assembly 52, which is arranged above the end of the rice dispensing device 3; and a rice shaping assembly 53, which is arranged above the rice cup assembly 51 and has its lower end extending into the rice cup assembly 51 and shaping the rice.

[0065] Working principle: The automatic rice serving unit of the meal vending machine provided by the present invention is provided with an operation screen, and the required rice portion is set on the operation screen. The system mainly consists of a frame 1, a rice storage device 2, a rice dispensing device 3, and a rice shaping device 5.

[0066] The rice storage device 2 is arranged on the frame 1 for storing the rice to be distributed. The rice distributing device 3 is located below the rice storage device 2. A certain amount of rice falls from the rice outlet below the rice storage device 2 and enters the rice distributing device 3. The rice distributing device 3 transmits the rice inside to the rice shaping device 5 through the transmission of the conveyor belt 4.

[0067] The rice distributing device 3 transfers the loose rice to the inside of the rice shaping device 5. The shaping device is composed of a rice cup assembly 51, a rice cutting and scraping plate assembly 52 and a rice shaping assembly 53. The rice cup assembly 51 is located at the end of the rice distributing device 3 and provides a space for accommodating rice. The rice cutting and scraping plate assembly 52 is located above the rice distributing device 3 and is used to cut the loose rice and scrape it into the rice cup assembly 51. The rice shaping assembly 53 is located above the rice cup assembly 51, and its lower end extends into the rice cup assembly 51 to perform the final shaping on the rice to ensure that the shape of the rice is regular and beautiful. Among them, the cut amount of rice is determined by the distance that the conveyor belt 4 transports the rice, and the distance that the conveyor belt 4 transports the rice is adjustable according to the set rice amount.

[0068] In addition, the system is also equipped with steam components 6, which are installed on both sides of the rice dispensing device 3. These steam components 6 can continuously inject steam into the cavity in the rice dispensing device 3, so that the rice is always kept at a constant temperature during the distribution and transmission process, ensuring the taste and freshness of the rice.

[0069] The entire system realizes the automatic distribution, transmission and shaping of rice through the coordinated work of various components, greatly improving the automation and working efficiency of the vending machine. At the same time, the constant temperature control function also ensures the taste and freshness of the rice, improving the user's dining experience.

[0070] In the above scheme, the rice distributing device 3 includes: a rice clamping plate 31 arranged in pairs below the rice storage device 2, two rice blocking plates 39 respectively arranged at the front end of the rice clamping plate 31, a rice receiving plate component slidably penetrated on a side wall of the rice clamping plate 31, and the conveyor belt 4 is located below the rice clamping plate 31; the rice clamping plate 31, the rice blocking plate 39 and the conveyor belt 4 construct a cavity for conveying rice in space; the rice receiving plate component includes: a U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 for shaping and limiting the falling rice in space, one end of the U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 passes through the side wall of the rice clamping plate 31 on one side and abuts against the rice clamping plate 31 on the other side, and the other end is connected to the output shaft of the cylinder; wherein, a certain gap is reserved between the rice receiving plate and the conveyor belt 4 at the spatial height position. Using this technical method, first, the cylinder first drives the front end of the U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 to slide to a predetermined position toward one side of the rice clamping plate 31. At this time, the rice in the rice storage device 2 begins to fall. As the rice falls, it enters the cavity constructed by the rice clamping plate 31, the rice blocking plate 39 and the conveyor belt 4. In this process, the rice blocking plate 39 plays a role in preventing the rice from falling from the front end of the rice clamping plate 31. When the space inside the U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 is filled with rice, the cylinder starts to drive the U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 to slide to one side. Since the shape and size of the U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 are fixed, the rice falls from the U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 to the conveyor belt 4, and the conveyor belt 4 begins to convey the rice to the next process at a predetermined speed and direction for further processing. There is a certain gap between the rice receiving plate and the conveyor belt 4. When the rice falls into the rice receiving plate, the cylinder output shaft 35 drives the U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 to move backward, and the rice falls from the rice receiving plate to the conveyor belt 4. This ensures that there is no gap between the rice and the rice transmission component, resulting in the problem that the subsequent rice cannot fall. Such a design can improve the efficiency of rice transmission and quantitative distribution. According to the different needs of the personnel for the rice, the distance of the conveyor belt 4 movement can be adjusted to control the weight of the rice transmitted to the next process. The cylinder continuously drives the U-shaped rice receiving plate 34 to reciprocate, thereby realizing the continuous and quantitative distribution of the rice.

[0071] In the above scheme, each rice clamping plate 31 is a double-layer structure, and its internal space has an area for accommodating steam. A plurality of through holes I32 communicating with the cavity are provided on one side of each rice clamping plate 31, and a through hole II33 communicating with the air outlet of the steam component 6 is provided on the other side of the rice clamping plate 31. The two rice clamping plates 31 are connected by a connecting component, and the connecting component includes: ball screws 36 arranged in pairs at the front and rear ends of the rice clamping plate 31, and the front and rear ends of each rice clamping plate 31 are connected to the slider seat 37 on the ball screw 36 through a connecting piece. The two ball screws 36 are connected by a synchronous belt 38. The slider seats 37 on the ball screw 36 are arranged oppositely, and one of the ball screws 36 is connected by a transmission connection with the output shaft of the output motor. With this technical method, when the rice enters the cavity, when the steam component 6 starts to work, it will heat the water tank 61 with a constant temperature to generate steam and enter the internal space of the rice clamping plate 31 through the through hole II33. The steam accumulates in the inner space of the rice clamping plate 31 and flows into the cavity formed by the rice clamping plate 31, the rice blocking plate 39 and the conveyor belt 4 through the through hole I 32. Since the rice clamping plate 31 is a double-layer structure, the flow and diffusion of steam in the inner space can be effectively controlled, thereby achieving uniform heating of the rice. Two ball screws 36 are respectively arranged at the front and rear ends of the rice clamping plate 31, and are arranged oppositely in pairs. As a high-precision transmission device, the ball screw 36 has excellent straightness and wear resistance, and can provide stable and precise movement control.

[0072] The front and rear ends of the rice clamping plate 31 are connected to the slider seat 37 on the ball screw 36 through a connecting piece. This means that when the ball screw 36 rotates, the slider seat 37 will move linearly along the ball screw 36, thereby driving the rice clamping plate 31 to move accordingly. This connection method not only ensures the stable movement of the rice clamping plate 31, but also enables precise position control.

[0073] The two ball screws 36 are connected by a synchronous belt 38. The synchronous belt 38 has the advantages of stable transmission, low noise, high transmission efficiency, etc., and can ensure that the two ball screws 36 rotate synchronously, thereby ensuring that the movement of the rice clamping plate 31 at the front and rear ends remains consistent.

[0074] One of the ball screws 36 is in driving connection with the output shaft of the output motor. The output motor provides power to the ball screw 36, and the movement of the rice clamping plate 31 is achieved by driving the rotation of the ball screw 36. Since the ball screw 36 has high transmission accuracy, the movement of the rice clamping plate 31 will also be very accurate and stable.

[0075] During operation, when the output motor is started, it drives the ball screw 36 connected thereto to rotate. Through the transmission of the synchronous belt 38, the other ball screw 36 will also rotate synchronously. As the ball screw 36 rotates, the slider seat 37 will move linearly along the ball screw 36, thereby driving the rice clamping plate 31 to move accordingly. The moving direction and speed of the rice clamping plate 31 can be achieved by controlling the rotation direction and speed of the output motor.

[0076] In the above scheme, the steam component 6 includes: a plurality of steam spray pipes 62 arranged on the frame 1;

[0077] Among them, the constant temperature heating water tank 61 is connected to each steam nozzle 62 through a hard connecting pipe 63, the size of each steam nozzle 62 is smaller than the size of the through hole II 33, and the steam nozzle 62 extends into the internal area of ​​the rice clamping plate 31, and a certain gap is reserved between the two in space. Using this technical method, the constant temperature heating water tank 61 is used to store heated water. When the water in the constant temperature heating water tank 61 is heated to a higher temperature, steam will be generated. The temperature of the water inside the constant temperature heating water tank 61 can be adjusted according to different needs, thereby controlling the amount of steam generated, and the steam then flows to the steam nozzle 62 through the hard connecting pipe 63. The hard connecting pipe 63 ensures the smooth flow of steam from the constant temperature heating water tank 61 to the steam nozzle 62, while reducing the loss of steam during the transmission process and improving energy utilization efficiency.

[0078] The steam nozzle 62 is arranged on the frame 1, and its size is smaller than that of the through hole II 33, so as to ensure that the steam nozzle 62 can pass through the through hole II 33 and extend into the inner space of the rice clamping plate 31. A certain gap is reserved between the steam nozzle 62 and the through hole II 33, so as to ensure that when the rice clamping plate 31 moves left and right, the steam nozzle 62 and the rice clamping plate 31 will not interfere with each other in space, and also ensure that the steam can be uniformly sprayed from the nozzle to cover the inner space of the rice clamping plate 31.

[0079] When steam is ejected from the steam nozzle 62, it enters the inner space of the rice clamping plate 31 through the through hole II 33 to heat and moisturize the rice. Due to the double-layer structure and through-hole design of the rice clamping plate 31, the steam can be evenly distributed around the rice, ensuring that the rice always remains hot and moist during the selling process.

[0080] In this way, the steam component 6 provides continuous heating and moisturizing effects for the rice, thereby improving the taste and flavor of the rice, while also ensuring that the rice can maintain a suitable temperature for a long time.

[0081] In the above scheme, the rice shaping assembly 53 includes: a transmission component 531 arranged above the ends of the paired rice clamping plates 31, a connecting rod 532 with a hollow structure extending into the rice cup assembly 51, a transmission shaft 534 connected to the motor shaft built in the transmission component 531 is arranged inside the connecting rod 532, a shaping cover 533 for rice shaping is arranged at the bottom of the connecting rod 532, the transmission component 531 is connected to the upper end of the connecting rod 532, so that the connecting rod 532 moves up and down in a spatial position, the lower end of the transmission shaft 534 built in the transmission component 531 is connected to the arc scraper 535 below the shaping cover 533, and the built-in transmission shaft 534 drives the arc scraper 535 to rotate left and right. With this technical method, the function of the transmission component 531 is to drive the connecting rod 532 to move up and down in a spatial position through a motor. The connecting rod 532 has a hollow structure, and a transmission shaft 534 connected to the click shaft is arranged inside it, and a shaping cover 533 is arranged at its bottom. When the transmission component 531 drives the connecting rod 532 to move downward, the shaping cover 533 will extend into the interior of the rice cup assembly 51. First, the loose rice is pressed into a semicircle by the squeezing of the shaping cover 533. Then, the transmission shaft 534 drives the arc scraper 535 to rotate. The main function of the arc scraper 535 is to make the surface of the rice in the rice cup assembly 51 smoother by rotation. When the transmission component 531 drives the connecting rod 532 to descend, so that the arc scraper 535 contacts the rice, the transmission shaft 534 starts to work and drives the arc scraper 535 to rotate inside the rice cup assembly 51. The rotation of the arc scraper 535 will drive the movement and redistribution of the rice. The rotation of the arc scraper 535 can also break the lumps and uneven parts in the rice, making it looser and more uniform. This evenly distributed rice is more easily compacted and shaped by the shaping cover 533, thereby obtaining a more beautiful and compact rice shape. The upper surface of the rice is scraped flat, and the shaping cover 533 completes the final pressing. After the shaping is completed, the transmission component 531 drives the connecting rod 532 to move upward, and the shaping cover 533 is retracted from the rice cup assembly 51. Through appropriate pressure and shape adjustment, the rice shaping assembly 53 compacts and flattens the rice, giving it a beautiful and attractive appearance. This step not only improves the appearance of the rice, but also ensures the firmness and taste of the rice.

[0082] In the above scheme, the rice cup assembly 51 includes: a rice cup 511 arranged above the rice receiving plate, and a cylinder component I502 connected to one side above the rice cup 511 to enable the rice cup 511 to move up and down in space; wherein the width between the rice clamping plates 31 is greater than the width of the rice cup 511. With this technical method, firstly, the cylinder component I502 in the rice cup assembly 51 plays a key role. The cylinder component I502 is connected to one side above the rice cup 511, and can control the rice cup 511 to move up and down in space. This design allows the rice cup 511 to be raised and lowered as needed, so as to cooperate with the paired rice clamping plates 31 and the rice cutting and scraping plate assembly 52.

[0083] In the above scheme, the rice cutting and scraping plate assembly 52 includes: an L-shaped rice cutting and scraping plate 521 arranged above the rice conveyor belt assembly, a cylinder component II 522 connected to one side of the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 to enable the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 to move up and down in space, a connecting block 523 connected to the cylinder component II 522, and a longitudinal driving component to enable the cylinder component II 522 to move longitudinally in space. With this technical method, first, the cylinder component II 522 is started to drive the lower end of the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 to fit with the rice conveying device. Then, the longitudinal driving component starts to work and drives the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 to move toward the rice cup 511 so that it scrapes the rice into the rice cup 511. After scraping the rice, the cylinder component II 522 drives the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 to move upward, and the longitudinal driving component can drive the cylinder component II 522 to move back to the initial position again. The next round of rice scraping operation is carried out.

[0084] In the above scheme, the longitudinal driving component includes: a connecting block 523 connected to the cylinder component II 522, and one side of the connecting block 523 is connected to the output shaft of the longitudinal driving cylinder 524. With this technical method, first, the cylinder component II 522 is connected to one side of the rice cutting and scraping plate 521, which is responsible for controlling the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 to move up and down in space. The rice cutting and scraping plate 521 can be raised and lowered as needed. When the rice clamping plate 31 clamps the rice and moves it above the rice cup assembly 51, the cylinder component II 522 drives the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 to move downward, so that it is closely attached to the two sides of the rice clamping plate 31.

[0085] Then the longitudinal driving cylinder 524 starts to work. It drives the cylinder component II 522 to move longitudinally in space, ensuring that the rice scraping plate 521 can accurately scrape all the rice between the paired rice clamping plates 31 into the rice cup 511.

[0086] Since the rice cutting and scraping plate assembly 52 has two degrees of freedom in space, it can not only move up and down under the drive of the cylinder component II 522, but also move laterally under the control of other driving components. In this way, the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 can move along the surface of the rice clamping plate 31 and scrape the rice into the rice cup 511 evenly.

[0087] When the rice is completely scraped into the rice cup 511, the cylinder component II 522 works again to drive the rice cutting and scraping plate 521 to move upward and return to the initial position to prepare for the next rice scraping operation.

[0088] In the above scheme, the shaping cover 533 is composed of an upper and lower part, and a plurality of connecting holes 61 are arranged on the surfaces of both sides of the upper and lower parts of the shaping cover 533. The upper part of the shaping cover 533 has a boss 65 structure, and the upper end of the boss 65 is connected to the connecting rod 532 through a quick locking buckle. A through hole III 66 for the transmission shaft 534 to pass through is provided in the middle of the boss 65, and a cleaning water inlet hole 68 is provided on the lower end surface of the boss 65. A through hole IV 67 for the transmission shaft 534 to pass through is provided in the middle of the lower part of the shaping cover 533, and an annular water storage tank 69 is provided on the outer side of the through hole IV 67. A plurality of water spray holes 70 connected to the annular water storage tank 69 are provided on the arc surface on the outer side of the lower part of the shaping cover 533, and the cleaning water inlet hole 68 is connected to the annular water storage tank 69 in space.

[0089] Among them, the female end of the transmission shaft 534 passes through the through hole IV67 to connect with the arc scraper 535, the bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover 533 is a semicircular dome consistent with the surface shape of the arc scraper, and the upper and lower parts of the shaping cover 533 are connected by a connector passing through the connecting hole 61. Using this technical method, the shaping cover 533 is composed of an upper and lower part, and the two parts are tightly connected through multiple connecting holes 61 and corresponding connecting parts (such as bolts, pins, etc.) to form an integral structure. The upper half of the shaping cover 533 has a boss 65 structure, and the upper end of the boss 65 is connected to the connecting rod 532 through a quick locking buckle, so that the shaping cover 533 can be easily installed and disassembled. The bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover 533 is designed as a semicircular dome, which is consistent with the surface shape of the arc-shaped scraper plate, ensuring that the shaping cover 533 can fit the scraper plate tightly and ensure the stability of the rotation of the arc-shaped scraper 535. The lower end surface of the boss 65 is provided with a cleaning water inlet hole 68, which is spatially connected with the annular water storage tank 69 of the lower half of the shaping cover 533. When cleaning is required, the cleaning liquid (such as water) flows into the annular water storage tank 69 through the cleaning water inlet hole 68.

[0090] A plurality of water spray holes 70 are arranged on the outer side of the annular water storage tank 69, and these water spray holes 70 are connected to the annular water storage tank 69. After the cleaning liquid accumulates in the annular water storage tank 69, it is evenly sprayed on the inner wall of the rice cup 511 through the water spray holes 70, so as to effectively clean the inside and the side wall of the rice cup 511. The female end of the transmission shaft 534 passes through the through hole III 66 and the through hole IV 67, and is connected to the arc scraper 535. This connection mode ensures that the transmission shaft 534 can drive the rice scraper to rotate or reciprocate, so as to effectively scrape or flatten the rice.

[0091] In the above scheme, at least one micro water spray hole 71 is provided at the bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover 533, and the micro water spray hole 71 is connected to the annular water storage tank 69. With this technical method, the cleaning liquid in the annular water storage tank 69 flows into the surface of the semicircular dome at the bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover 533 through the provided micro water spray hole 71, and the bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover 533 is cleaned by the rotation of the arc scraper 535.

[0092] Application method of meal vending machine

[0093] Example 1

[0094] During use, the following steps are completed:

[0095] Step 1:

[0096] The PLC control unit first numbers the nine food drop openings on the food vending machine. The nine food drop openings are located on the same horizontal line. The first food drop opening is recorded as A1 and the ninth food drop opening is recorded as A9. At the same time, there are three openings on the plate. The three openings are also located on the same horizontal line and the spacing between the three openings is consistent with the spacing between the food drop openings. The openings of the plate are also numbered, recorded as A, B, and C.

[0097] Step 2:

[0098] The order processing unit accepts order data submitted by users from the mobile phone APP and the touch screen of the food vending machine. The PLC control unit parses the meal serving data of each order and marks the status of the dish dropping port required for each order in turn. For example, if the first order requires food to be served at the first, fifth and eighth dish dropping ports, the status of dish dropping ports 1-A1-A is marked as true, the status of 1-A5-B is marked as true, and the status of 1-A8-C is marked as true. At the same time, the distance required to move the plate opening from one dish dropping port to the next is defined as the standard iteration number. The first plate on the conveyor belt that is grabbed by the suction cup assembly and moved to the conveyor belt is recorded as the closest spatial position of the plate A to the first dish drop port. The distance from the plate A of the first plate to the first dish drop port is recorded as the initial iteration value. The distance from the plate B of the first plate to the first dish drop port is recorded as the initial iteration value plus one standard iteration value. And so on. For each order, calculate the number of standard iterations required for each plate to move to the corresponding dish drop port (because the initial iteration value needs to be added from the plate of each plate to the first dish drop port, so the initial iteration value does not need to be added when calculating the number of iterations) and form these numbers into an iteration array. Next, find the minimum value in each order iteration array to form a minimum value array. Finally, find the smallest value from the minimum value array, which is the true minimum value.

[0099] Step 3:

[0100] The conveyor belt of the meal tray transport unit moves according to the true minimum value. After the movement is completed, the number of iterations of the iteration array of each order is subtracted from the true minimum value, and then it is determined whether the required standard number of iterations is 0. If there is a tray, the required number of iterations = 0, and then the state of the dish dropping port above the tray where the current number of iterations is 0 is determined. If the state of the corresponding dish dropping port is true, the dish dropping port will be used to drop the dish and the meal is served.

[0101] At the same time, the iterative array of each order after subtracting the true minimum value performs the next round of serving operations according to the above steps, until the number of iterations of the iterative array of each order is 0. Finally, the conveyor belt transports the plate out of the dining port to complete the meal serving. The conveyor belt only moves in one direction during the transmission process.

[0102] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed as above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and the implementation modes, and they can be fully applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. For those familiar with the art, additional modifications can be easily implemented. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and the scope of equivalents, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and the illustrations shown and described herein.

Claims

1. A rice serving unit of a continuous meal vending machine, comprising a frame, a rice storage device arranged on the frame, a rice dispensing device arranged below the rice storage device, and a conveyor belt arranged below the rice dispensing device for conveying rice, characterized in that: Also includes: A rice shaping device disposed at the end of the conveyor belt; Steam components are arranged on both sides of the rice distributing device to keep the rice in the rice distributing device at a constant temperature, the steam components are connected to the constant temperature heating water tank, and the rice shaping device and the rice distributing device cooperate with each other in space; The rice shaping device comprises: a rice cup assembly having a space for accommodating rice and arranged below the end of the rice dispensing device, a rice cutting and scraping plate assembly arranged above the end of the rice dispensing device, and a rice shaping assembly arranged above the rice cup assembly, whose lower end extends into the rice cup assembly and shapes the rice.

2. The meal serving unit of the meal continuous serving vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rice distributing device comprises: a rice clamping plate arranged in pairs below the rice storage device, two rice blocking plates respectively arranged at the front ends of the rice clamping plates, a rice receiving plate component slidably penetrated on a side wall of the rice clamping plates, and the conveyor belt is located below the rice clamping plates; The rice clamping plate, the rice blocking plate and the conveyor belt form a cavity for conveying rice in space; The rice receiving plate component comprises: a U-shaped rice receiving plate for spatially shaping and limiting the falling rice, one end of the U-shaped rice receiving plate passes through the side wall of one rice clamping plate and abuts against the other rice clamping plate, and the other end is connected to the output shaft of the cylinder; Wherein, a certain gap is reserved between the rice receiving plate and the conveyor belt in terms of spatial height.

3. The meal serving unit of the meal continuous serving vending machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each rice clamping plate has a double-layer structure, and its internal space has an area for accommodating steam. A plurality of through holes I connected to the cavity are opened on one side of each rice clamping plate, and a through hole II connected to the steam outlet of the steam component is opened on the other side of the rice clamping plate. The two rice clamping plates are connected by a connecting component, and the connecting component includes: ball screws arranged in pairs at the front and rear ends of the rice clamping plates, the front and rear ends of each rice clamping plate are connected to the slider seat on the ball screw through a connecting piece, the two ball screws are connected through a synchronous belt drive, the slider seats on the ball screws are arranged opposite to each other, and one of the ball screws is connected to the output shaft of the output motor.

4. The meal serving unit of the meal continuous serving vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam component comprises: a plurality of steam spray pipes arranged on the frame; The constant temperature heating water tank is connected to each steam nozzle through a hard connecting pipe. The size of each steam nozzle is smaller than the size of through hole II, and the steam nozzle extends into the inner area of ​​the rice clamping plate, and a certain gap is reserved in the spatial position between the two.

5. The meal serving unit of the meal continuous serving vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rice shaping assembly comprises: a transmission component arranged above the ends of the paired rice clamping plates, a connecting rod with a hollow structure extending into the rice cup assembly, a transmission shaft connected to a built-in motor shaft of the transmission component arranged inside the connecting rod, a shaping cover for shaping rice arranged at the bottom of the connecting rod, the transmission component being transmission-connected to the upper end of the connecting rod so that the connecting rod can move up and down in space, the lower end of the built-in transmission shaft of the transmission component being connected to an arc-shaped scraper below the shaping cover, and the built-in transmission shaft drives the arc-shaped scraper to rotate left and right; The rice cup assembly comprises: a rice cup arranged above the rice receiving plate, a cylinder component I connected to one side above the rice cup to enable the rice cup to move up and down in space, and the width between the rice clamping plates is greater than the width of the rice cup; The rice cutting and scraping plate assembly includes: an L-shaped rice cutting and scraping plate arranged above the rice conveyor belt assembly, a cylinder component II connected to one side of the rice cutting and scraping plate to enable the rice cutting and scraping plate to move up and down in space, and a longitudinal driving component to enable the cylinder component II to move longitudinally in space.

6. The meal serving unit of the meal continuous serving vending machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The longitudinal driving component comprises: a connecting block connected to the cylinder component II, and one side of the connecting block is connected to the output shaft of the longitudinal driving cylinder.

7. The meal serving unit of the meal continuous serving vending machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The shaping cover is composed of an upper and lower part, and a plurality of connecting holes are arranged on the surfaces of both sides of the upper and lower parts of the shaping cover. The upper part of the shaping cover has a boss structure, and the upper end of the boss is connected to the connecting rod through a quick locking buckle. A through hole III for the transmission shaft to pass through is provided in the middle of the boss, and a cleaning water inlet hole is provided on the surface of the lower end of the boss. A through hole IV for the transmission shaft to pass through is provided in the middle of the lower part of the shaping cover, and an annular water storage tank is provided on the outer side of the through hole IV. A plurality of water spray holes connected to the annular water storage tank are provided on the arc surface on the outer side of the lower part of the shaping cover, and the cleaning water inlet hole is connected to the annular water storage tank in space; Among them, the female end of the transmission shaft passes through the through hole IV to connect with the arc scraper, the bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover is a semicircular dome consistent with the surface shape of the arc scraper, and the upper and lower parts of the shaping cover are connected by a connecting piece passing through the connecting hole.

8. The meal serving unit of the meal continuous serving vending machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: At least one micro water spray hole is arranged at the bottom of the lower half of the shaping cover, and the micro water spray hole is connected to the annular water storage tank.

9. A meal vending machine, comprising: An order processing unit for receiving user orders and sending order data to a PLC control unit; A PLC control unit for receiving and processing order data sent by the order processing unit, and sending instructions to the serving unit, the suction unit, and the meal tray transport unit; A serving unit having multiple independently operated food ports, which automatically serves food at the corresponding food ports according to the instructions of the PLC control unit; A suction cup unit for sucking up the meal trays in the meal tray storage area and placing them in the meal tray transport unit; The meal tray transport unit is used to transfer the meal tray from the meal tray taking position to the meal outlet, and to serve the meal in the meal serving unit according to the instruction of the PLC control unit, characterized in that it also includes: A meal serving unit of an automatic meal vending machine for continuous meal delivery as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is used.

10. An application method of a meal vending machine, characterized in that: The meal vending machine as claimed in claim 9 is used to perform meal serving operation, comprising the following steps: S1. The order processing unit accepts user order data submitted from the mobile APP and the touch screen of the meal vending machine; S2. The order processing unit sends the received order data to the PLC control unit for processing and storage; S3. The PLC control unit sends the processed and calculated information to the automatic rice serving unit, the dish serving unit and the meal tray transport unit, and finally transmits the meal tray to the meal outlet. The processing and calculation of multiple order information in S2 includes the following steps: S21. The PLC control unit numbers a plurality of dish dropping openings on the meal vending machine and a plate opening on the meal plate, wherein the plurality of dish dropping openings and the plate openings are located on the same straight line, and a spacing between two adjacent dish dropping openings is equal to a spacing between two adjacent plate openings, and the spacing between two adjacent dish dropping openings is defined as a standard iteration number; S22. The PLC control unit parses the number data of the dish drop port for each order, and marks the state of the dish drop port required for each order in turn according to the number data obtained by the parsing; S23. Calculate the number of standard iterations required for each order in S22 to move to the corresponding marked drop port, form an iteration array with the above number, find the minimum value in each order iteration array, form a minimum value array, find the minimum value from the minimum value array, and record this value as the true minimum value; S24. The conveyor belt of the meal tray transport unit moves according to the true minimum value in S23. After the movement is completed, the number of iterations of the iteration array of each order is subtracted from the true minimum value, and it is determined whether there is a plate in each order with the required standard number of iterations being 0. If there is a plate with the required number of iterations being 0, the state of the dish drop port above the plate with the current number of iterations being 0 is determined. If the state of the corresponding dish drop port is marked, the dish drop port is used to drop the dish; S25. For the iteration array of each order after subtracting the true minimum value in S24, determine again whether the iteration number of the iteration array of each order is 0. If it is 0, the conveyor belt transports the plate out of the dining port to complete the meal serving. If it is not 0, return to S23 for the next round of serving operations.

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