Weighing structure of automatic vending machine
By introducing a buffer unit and a transmission unit into the unmanned vending machine, the impact force of items can be buffered by compressible fluid and fluid flow rate limiting, the problems of inaccurate weighing and equipment damage of unmanned vending machine are solved, and precise weighing and equipment protection are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510765749.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-10
- Publication Date
- 2025-08-15
AI Technical Summary
The electronic weighing unit of existing unmanned vending machines cannot be guaranteed to be easily placed when placing items, resulting in inaccurate weighing results and in serious cases, damage to the equipment.
The buffer unit and transmission unit structure are adopted, and the pallet and its items are buffered by means of compressible fluid and fluid flow rate limiting, reducing the impact force, and transmitting the buffered force to the detection unit through the transmission unit for weighing.
It improves the weighing accuracy, avoids damage to the equipment by the impact force of the item, and ensures the accuracy of the weighing results and the stability of the equipment.
Smart Images
Figure CN120489312A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of detection structures, and in particular to a weighing structure for an automatic unmanned vending machine. Background Art
[0002] With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and automation technologies, unmanned retail has gradually become an important trend in the modern commercial field. Traditional manual sales methods can no longer meet the growing consumer demand due to problems such as low efficiency, high operating costs, and strong dependence on manpower. Against this background, automatic unmanned vending machines have emerged as an efficient and convenient retail solution and have quickly become popular.
[0003] When vending machines sell items that need to be weighed, they use the electronic weighing unit on the vending machine to weigh the items and determine the price of the items. In the existing method, the electronic weighing unit generally adopts electronic scales, pressure gauges and other structures. However, since the items cannot be handled with care when placed on the electronic weighing unit, the items will cause impact on the electronic weighing unit, resulting in inaccurate weighing results. In serious cases, it will cause damage to the equipment. Summary of the Invention
[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an automatic vending machine weighing structure, the specific technical solution adopted by the present invention is: According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a weighing structure for an automatic vending machine, comprising a tray for holding items, a plurality of buffer units serving as a buffer for the tray, a transmission unit, and a detection unit, wherein the transmission unit is configured to transmit forces applied to the plurality of buffer units to the detection unit. The buffer unit includes a storage bucket that is transmission-connected to the transmission unit, a piston that slides inside the storage bucket, a plurality of openings formed on the piston, and a connecting column provided on the piston, the end of the connecting column passing through the storage bucket and connected to the tray, and the tray and the storage bucket are connected via a support spring. Wherein, compressible fluid is stored in the storage barrel.
[0005] In some embodiments of the present invention, the connecting column is located on one end face of the piston, and a secondary column is provided on the other end face of the piston. A top pressure spring is slidably provided on the secondary column. The top pressure spring is used to seal at least part of the through opening on the piston, and the top pressure spring and the secondary column are connected by a sealing disk.
[0006] In some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of limiting bodies for limiting the moving position of the piston are provided in the storage barrel.
[0007] In some embodiments of the present invention, threads are provided on the outer wall of the storage barrel; The transmission unit includes an internal threaded body screwed to the storage barrel, teeth are provided on the outer wall of each internal threaded body, and racks are meshed between the internal threaded bodies. The racks move in the horizontal direction, and the detection unit detects the magnitude of the force acting on the racks.
[0008] In some embodiments of the present invention, the detection unit is connected to the rack via a connecting spring.
[0009] In some embodiments of the present invention, the internally threaded body includes an internally threaded sleeve and an externally toothed ring, the internally threaded sleeve is threadedly mounted on the outer wall of the storage barrel, the externally toothed ring is slidably sleeved on the internally threaded sleeve, and the externally toothed ring and the internally threaded sleeve rotate coaxially, the externally toothed ring and the internally threaded sleeve are connected by a plurality of clamping structures, a bracket is provided on the externally toothed ring, and the externally toothed ring rotates on the bracket, and the externally toothed ring is meshed with the rack; When the impact force of the object on the tray is too great, the clamping structure is unlocked and the internal thread sleeve slides on the external gear ring.
[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, the clamping structure includes a top post, one end of which is obliquely slidably inserted into the internally threaded sleeve, the other end of which abuts against the upper end surface of the outer gear ring, and the top post and the internally threaded sleeve are connected via a spring; Both ends of the internal threaded sleeve are provided with ribs for limiting the position of the external gear ring.
[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the buffer unit further includes a pushing structure, and the pushing structure is used to push the internal threaded sleeve to reset on the external gear ring.
[0012] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: By utilizing the through-port to limit the flow rate of the fluid when the fluid passes through it, a buffering effect on the pallet and the items on it can be achieved. By utilizing the compressibility of the fluid, a secondary buffering effect on the pallet and the items on it can be achieved, thereby reducing the impact force of the items on the equipment, improving the detection accuracy, and avoiding excessive impact force of the items and damage to the equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.
[0014] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement structure of several buffer units in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a buffer unit in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a cross-section of a storage bucket in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the internal threaded body in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] Reference numerals: 1. Tray; 2. Buffer unit; 3. Transmission unit; 4. Detection unit; 5. Storage barrel; 6. Piston; 7. Through port; 8. Connecting column; 9. Support spring; 10. Sub-column; 11. Compression spring; 12. Sealing plate; 13. Limiting body; 14. Internally threaded body; 15. Rack; 16. Connecting spring; 17. Internally threaded sleeve; 18. External gear ring; 19. Bracket; 20. Top column; 21. Retaining edge; 22. Pushing structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.
[0017] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by “center”, “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “inside” and “outside” are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do 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 a limitation on the present invention.
[0018] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integrated connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium, or they can refer to internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances. This embodiment is written in a progressive manner.
[0019] like Figures 1 to 5As shown, an automatic vending machine weighing structure of the present invention includes a tray 1 for holding items, a plurality of buffer units 2 for buffering the tray 1, a transmission unit 3 and a detection unit 4. The transmission unit 3 is used to transmit the force exerted on the plurality of buffer units 2 to the detection unit 4. The buffer unit 2 includes a storage bucket 5 drivingly connected to the transmission unit 3, a piston 6 slidingly located inside the storage bucket 5, a plurality of openings 7 formed in the piston 6, and a connecting column 8 provided on the piston 6. The end of the connecting column 8 passes through the storage bucket 5 and is connected to the tray 1. The tray 1 and the storage bucket 5 are connected by a support spring 9. The storage tank 5 stores compressible fluid.
[0020] In the present invention, a plurality of buffer units 2 are located at the bottom of the tray 1 and are used to support the tray 1. Articles can be placed on the tray 1, and the weight of the articles is transferred to the plurality of buffer units 2 through the tray 1, and then transferred to the detection unit 4 via the transmission unit 3, thereby achieving the purpose of detecting the weight of the articles by using the detection unit 4; the arrangement of the plurality of buffer units 2 can be a polygonal arrangement, a multi-row arrangement, a relative distribution, or other arrangement methods, as long as they can achieve the purpose of providing stable support for the tray 1; the purpose of the transmission unit 3 is to integrate the forces exerted on the plurality of buffer units 2, thereby transferring the forces to the detection unit 4 through a single transmission unit 3 to facilitate detection, and the transmission unit 3 can adopt any transmission method such as gear transmission, chain transmission, belt transmission, etc.; the detection unit 4 can adopt any structure such as an electromagnetic pressure gauge, a spring distance measuring pressure gauge, etc. The compressible fluid stored in the storage barrel 5 can be an inert gas, a mixture of liquid and gas, etc., or a small amount of space on the upper side of the storage barrel 5 can store gas, while the other spaces inside the storage barrel 5 can store liquid. The liquid can be hydraulic oil, water, etc.; the piston 6 is slidably arranged in the storage barrel 5 along the axial direction of the storage barrel 5, and the piston 6 divides the storage barrel 5 into two chambers. When the piston 6 moves in the storage barrel 5, the liquid in one chamber can flow into the other chamber through the multiple openings 7 on the piston 6. Due to the limitation of the diameter of the multiple openings 7, the flow rate of the oil is obtained. The piston 6 is limited in this way, and the moving speed of the piston 6 in the storage barrel 5 is limited, thereby achieving the effect of using the liquid to cushion the piston 6. In this case, when the connecting column 8 is inserted into the storage barrel 5 and pushes the piston 6 to move, the connecting column 8 fills part of the space in the storage barrel 5, so the internal space of the storage barrel 5 is reduced. At this time, the compressibility of the compressible fluid is utilized to increase the fluid pressure, and the fluid pressure reversely generates a thrust on the piston 6 and the connecting column 8, thereby achieving a cushioning effect on the piston 6. In summary, the flow characteristics and compressibility of the fluid can achieve a dual cushioning effect on the piston 6 and the connecting column 8. During assembly, the connecting column 8 can be fixed to the bottom of the tray 1 by welding, riveting, etc., and the storage bucket 5 is connected to the transmission unit 3. When an item is placed on the tray 1, the force acting on the tray 1 is transmitted to the piston 6 through the connecting column 8. The piston 6 moves in the storage bucket 5, and the fluid in the storage bucket 5 has a double buffering effect on the piston 6, thereby reducing the impact force of the item on the equipment. The piston 6 transmits the force it receives to the storage bucket 5 through the fluid and transmits it to the detection unit 4 through the transmission unit 3. The detection unit 4 weighs the buffered items, thereby improving the stability of the weighing work and protecting the equipment to avoid impact damage to the equipment caused by the items; when the connecting column 8 and the storage bucket 5 move relative to each other, the support spring 9 undergoes elastic deformation. At this time, the support spring 9 also has a buffering effect on the item. The support spring 9 on the buffer unit 2 also plays a role in resetting the relative positions of the tray 1 and the buffer unit 2.
[0021] Furthermore, the connecting column 8 is located on one end face of the piston 6, and a secondary column 10 is provided on the other end face of the piston 6. A top pressure spring 11 is slidably provided on the secondary column 10. The top pressure spring 11 is used to seal at least part of the opening 7 on the piston 6, and the top pressure spring 11 and the secondary column 10 are connected by a sealing disk 12.
[0022] It can be seen that the blocking of some of the openings 7 by the top pressure spring 11 can reduce the flow rate of the fluid when flowing through the piston 6, thereby improving the buffering effect. The sub-coupling 10 and the sealing plate 12 are mainly used to provide support for the top pressure spring 11, and in the natural state, the sealing plate 12 pushes the top pressure spring 11 to block some of the openings 7; when the top pressure spring 11 is located at the top of the piston 6, the downward movement of the piston 6 will cause the liquid flowing through the piston 6 to push the top pressure spring 11 to separate from the piston 6. At this time, the fluid passes through all the openings 7 normally, and the piston 6 uses all the openings 7 to achieve a buffering effect, and this caching effect It is relatively weak. When the top pressure spring 11 is located at the bottom of the piston 6, the downward movement of the piston 6 will cause the top pressure spring 11 to maintain the blocking state of the partial opening 7. At this time, the partial opening 7 is in a working state, and the buffering effect achieved by the piston 6 using the partial opening 7 is relatively strong. Therefore, by setting different positions of the top pressure spring 11, the buffering effect can be adjusted. It should be pointed out that the blocking of the partial opening 7 by the top pressure spring 11 can be a part of each opening 7, or a part of the openings 7 among several openings 7 can be blocked, while the other part of the openings 7 work normally.
[0023] Furthermore, a plurality of limiting bodies 13 for limiting the moving position of the piston 6 are provided in the storage barrel 5 .
[0024] When the piston 6 moves to one end of the storage barrel 5, the space on one side of the piston 6 will disappear, while the space on the other side will reach its maximum. When the piston 6 moves in the opposite direction, the disappeared space cannot allow the fluid to re-enter the space due to the vacuum effect, so the piston 6 cannot move in the storage barrel 5. To avoid this phenomenon, the moving position of the piston 6 can be limited by setting a limiter 13, thereby reserving a certain space; the limiter 13 can be any structure such as a bump, a boss, a top column, etc. Furthermore, a thread is provided on the outer wall of the storage barrel 5; The transmission unit 3 includes an internal threaded body 14 screwed together with the storage barrel 5. Teeth are provided on the outer wall of each internal threaded body 14, and racks 15 are meshed between each internal threaded body 14. The racks 15 move in the horizontal direction, and the detection unit 4 detects the magnitude of the force acting on the racks 15.
[0025] In the present invention, the position of the internal threaded body 14 is relatively fixed. When the buffer unit 2 is subjected to force and moves downward, the storage barrel 5 will use the thread on it to push the internal threaded body 14 to rotate. At this time, the internal threaded body 14 will drive the rack 15 to move, and the rack 15 will squeeze the detection unit 4, thereby realizing force transmission, and multiple buffer units 2 simultaneously transmit force to the rack 15, which can realize force integration; since the internal threaded body 14 and the rack 15 are engaged through teeth, and the storage barrel 5 and the internal threaded body 14 are engaged through threads, the vertical force of the buffer unit 2 can be transmitted to the horizontal rack 15, thereby realizing force reversal. This structural method can reduce the overall height of the equipment, make the equipment more compact, and reduce its occupied space.
[0026] Furthermore, the detection unit 4 and the rack 15 are connected via a connecting spring 16 .
[0027] When the rack 15 is connected to the detection unit 4, the rack 15 can only move in a smaller area, that is, the vertical movement distance of the buffer unit 2 and the rotation angle of the internal threaded body 14 are both small. At this time, the detection sensitivity of the detection unit 4 is low. By setting the connecting spring 16, the tiny force change can be converted into obvious displacement, thereby improving the detection sensitivity.
[0028] Furthermore, the internally threaded body 14 includes an internally threaded sleeve 17 and an externally toothed ring 18. The internally threaded sleeve 17 is screwed onto the outer wall of the storage barrel 5. The externally toothed ring 18 is slidably sleeved on the internally threaded sleeve 17. The externally toothed ring 18 and the internally threaded sleeve 17 rotate coaxially. The externally toothed ring 18 and the internally threaded sleeve 17 are connected by a plurality of clamping structures. A bracket 19 is provided on the externally toothed ring 18. The externally toothed ring 18 rotates on the bracket 19 and is meshed with the rack 15. When the impact force of the object on the tray 1 is too great, the clamping structure is unlocked, and the internal threaded sleeve 17 slides on the external gear ring 18 .
[0029] In the present invention, the internal threaded sleeve 17 and the external toothed ring 18 need to rotate synchronously, and the external toothed ring 18 needs to be able to slide on the internal threaded sleeve 17. Therefore, multiple edges can be added between the internal threaded sleeve 17 and the external toothed ring 18 to guide the external toothed ring 18, and the bracket 19 can support the external toothed ring 18. When the object is detected, the storage bucket 5 will drive the internal threaded sleeve 17 and the external toothed ring 18 to rotate synchronously and normally. When the impact force of the object is too large, the impact force will push open the clamping structure, that is, the internal threaded sleeve 17 and the external toothed ring 18 will unlock each other, and the internal threaded sleeve 17 and the external toothed ring 18 can no longer provide effective support for the storage bucket 5, and the force applied to the storage bucket 5 will not be transmitted to the detection unit 4, thereby effectively protecting the equipment.
[0030] Furthermore, the clamping structure includes a top column 20, one end of which is obliquely slidably inserted into the internal threaded sleeve 17, and the other end of the top column 20 abuts against the upper end surface of the outer gear ring 18, and the top column 20 and the internal threaded sleeve 17 are connected by a spring; Both ends of the internal threaded sleeve 17 are provided with ribs 21 for limiting the position of the external gear ring 18 .
[0031] In the present invention, the top column 20 is inserted into the internal threaded sleeve 17 at an angle, and the bottom of the top column 20 abuts against the top of the outer gear ring 18. The spring between the top column 20 and the internal threaded sleeve 17 is hidden in the internal threaded sleeve 17 and is not shown in the accompanying drawings. In the natural state, the spring pushes the top column 20 to abut against the outer gear ring 18, and the bottom of the outer gear ring 18 contacts the retaining edge 21 at the bottom of the internal threaded sleeve 17, thereby fixing the internal threaded sleeve 17 and the outer gear ring 18. When the object generates a large impact force on the pallet 1, the internal threaded sleeve 17 slides downward on the outer gear ring 18, and the outer gear ring 18 squeezes the top column 20 to slide into the internal threaded sleeve 17. At this time, the clamping structure is unlocked, and the internal threaded sleeve 17 and the external gear ring 18 can be separated normally and slide relative to each other. The retaining edge 21 on the upper side of the internal threaded sleeve 17 is mainly used to prevent the external gear ring 18 from separating from the internal threaded sleeve 17; in some embodiments, a base plate can be provided to fix the bracket 19 on the base plate, and a rubber pad or other structure for caching the internal threaded sleeve 17 is provided on the base plate. In this way, when the internal threaded sleeve 17 is separated from the external gear ring 18, the internal threaded sleeve 17, the buffer unit 2, the pallet 1 and the items can be effectively cached.
[0032] Furthermore, the buffer unit 2 further includes a pushing structure 22 , which is used to push the internal threaded sleeve 17 to reset on the external gear ring 18 .
[0033] When the internal threaded sleeve 17 is separated from the external gear ring 18, in order to ensure that the equipment can carry out subsequent inspection work normally, the pushing structure 22 can be used to push the internal threaded sleeve 17 to move upward and reset, and the normal connection relationship between the internal threaded sleeve 17 and the external gear ring 18 can be restored through the clamping structure; the pushing structure 22 can be a cylinder, electromagnetic push rod or other structures.
[0034] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. An automatic vending machine weighing structure, characterized in that: It includes a tray for holding articles, a plurality of buffer units serving as a buffer for the tray, a transmission unit, and a detection unit, wherein the transmission unit is used to transmit the force exerted on the plurality of buffer units to the detection unit; The buffer unit includes a storage bucket that is transmission-connected to the transmission unit, a piston that slides inside the storage bucket, a plurality of openings formed on the piston, and a connecting column provided on the piston, the end of the connecting column passing through the storage bucket and connected to the tray, and the tray and the storage bucket are connected via a support spring. Wherein, compressible fluid is stored in the storage barrel.
2. The automatic vending machine weighing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting column is located on one end surface of the piston, and a secondary column is provided on the other end surface of the piston. A top pressure spring is slidably provided on the secondary column. The top pressure spring is used to seal at least part of the through opening on the piston, and the top pressure spring and the secondary column are connected by a sealing disk.
3. The automatic vending machine weighing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of limiting bodies for limiting the moving position of the piston are arranged in the storage barrel.
4. The automatic vending machine weighing structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The outer wall of the storage barrel is provided with a thread; The transmission unit includes an internal threaded body screwed to the storage barrel, teeth are provided on the outer wall of each internal threaded body, and racks are meshed between the internal threaded bodies. The racks move in the horizontal direction, and the detection unit detects the magnitude of the force acting on the racks.
5. The automatic vending machine weighing structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The detection unit is connected to the rack via a connecting spring.
6. The weighing structure of an automatic vending machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The internally threaded body includes an internally threaded sleeve and an externally toothed ring. The internally threaded sleeve is threadedly mounted on the outer wall of the storage barrel. The externally toothed ring is slidably sleeved on the internally threaded sleeve and coaxially rotates with the internally threaded sleeve. The externally toothed ring and the internally threaded sleeve are connected via a plurality of clamping structures. A bracket is provided on the externally toothed ring and the externally toothed ring rotates on the bracket. The externally toothed ring is meshed with the rack. When the impact force of the object on the tray is too great, the clamping structure is unlocked and the internal thread sleeve slides on the external gear ring.
7. The automatic vending machine weighing structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The clamping structure includes a top column, one end of which is obliquely slidably inserted into the internal threaded sleeve, the other end of which abuts against the upper end surface of the outer gear ring, and the top column and the internal threaded sleeve are connected by a spring; Both ends of the internal threaded sleeve are provided with ribs for limiting the position of the external gear ring.
8. The automatic vending machine weighing structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: The buffer unit further includes a pushing structure, which is used to push the internal threaded sleeve to reset on the external gear ring.