Cup storage quantity detection assembly for vending machine

Abstract

The utility model discloses a cup storage quantity detection assembly for a vending machine, which comprises a machine shell, a stacking area for stacking material cups is arranged in the machine shell, a distance sensor for sensing the uppermost material cup is arranged right above the stacking area, and the distance sensor is connected with the uppermost material cup. The distance sensor is used for being connected with a vending machine control system and transmitting distance information to the vending machine control system. According to the utility model, the distance sensor is used for measuring the distance between the cup separator and the uppermost material cup, when the distance is changed, the cup separator is judged to output the material cup downwards, and if the distance between the uppermost material cup and the distance sensor is not changed, the cup separator is judged to not output the material cup; at the moment, the vending machine control system can control the cup dispenser to output the material cups again, so that the cup storage amount can be accurately measured, and whether the cup dispenser outputs the material cups or not can be judged according to data measured by the distance sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a cup quantity detection component used for an automatic vending machine. Background Art

[0002] Prior art, such as Chinese utility model patent document, with announcement number CN105460627A, discloses a cup divider, including a cup divider body, the cup divider body including a mounting seat, an inner gear ring and two or more worm gear assemblies, the inner gear ring and the worm gear assembly are mounted on the mounting seat, the worm gear assembly includes a connecting shaft and a gear, the gear is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft, the gear is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft, and the gear is meshed with the inner gear ring; the worm gear assembly includes a first worm gear semicircle and a second worm gear semicircle. The cup divider of the present invention has the advantages of: with a worm gear assembly composed of double worm gear semicircles, a crank connecting rod structure and an auxiliary cup divider device, it can accurately separate a given number of cups, does not waste cups, is not easy to get stuck, has high reliability, and is equipped with a cup monitoring device to monitor the number of cups and promptly notify the user to replenish cups.

[0003] Based on the above, in the prior art, the cup-distributing structure inside the cup distributor drives the crank part to rotate synchronously when it rotates. When the crank part touches the spring of the speed sensor when it rotates, the speed sensor senses the trigger signal to transmit data to the control system. This counting method is realized by the rotating structure inside the cup distributor during operation. It triggers the speed sensor to sense the signal and realizes counting by rotating a certain angle to make a cup fall, so as to calculate the number of stored cups in real time. The problem with this induction calculation is that since the cups are all paper cups or plastic cups, the cups can be deformed, resulting in the cup distributor not falling after the rotating mechanism inside the cup distributor rotates a certain angle during the process of rotating the cups. At this time, although the cups have not fallen, the speed sensor has been triggered to sense, resulting in counting errors and the inability to discharge cups. There are certain principle defects and further improvements are needed. Utility Model Content

[0004] The utility model aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the utility model proposes a cup quantity detection component for a vending machine.

[0005] A cup quantity detection component for a vending machine designed for this purpose includes a casing, wherein a stacking area for stacking material cups is provided inside the casing, and a distance sensor for sensing the topmost material cup is provided directly above the stacking area. The distance sensor is used to connect to a vending machine control system and transmit distance information to the vending machine control system.

[0006] Preferably, a fixing plate is provided in the casing directly above the stacking area, and the distance sensor is fixedly provided on the fixing plate.

[0007] Preferably, a mounting plate is provided in the casing, a mounting hole is provided on the mounting plate, a cup divider is provided in the mounting hole, the stacking area is located directly above the cup divider, and the material cup at the bottom of the stacking area is located in the cup divider.

[0008] Compared with the existing technology, the present invention uses a distance sensor to sense and measure the topmost material cup. When the cup distributor drops the cup downward, the entire stack of material cups in the stacking area will drop a certain height, which is measured by the distance sensor and transmitted to the vending machine control system to accurately calculate the amount of material cups stored. Compared with the existing rotation sensor combined with the crank part touch pressure trigger, the present invention uses a distance sensor to measure the distance from the topmost material cup. When the distance changes, it is determined that the cup distributor has output the material cup downward. If the distance between the topmost material cup and the distance sensor does not change, it can be determined that the material cup has not been output. At this time, the vending machine control system can control the cup distributor to output the material cup again, so as to achieve not only accurate measurement of the amount of stored cups, but also to resolve the data measured by the distance sensor to determine whether the cup distributor has output the material cup. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the utility model;

[0010] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The utility model is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0012] See also Figure 1-Figure 2 A cup quantity detection component for a vending machine includes a housing 10, wherein a stacking area 20 for stacking material cups 30 is provided in the housing 10, and wherein a distance sensor 40 for sensing the top material cup 30 is provided directly above the stacking area 20, and the distance sensor 40 is used to connect to a vending machine control system and transmit distance information to the vending machine control system.

[0013] The utility model measures the original height by induction cooperation between the distance measuring sensor and the inner bottom surface of the material cup 30. When the cup divider is running and the bottom material cup is conveyed downward, the height of the whole stack of material cups will be reduced by a height A. Figure 2The distance sensor 40 transmits the data information to the vending machine control system, so that the amount of cups stored in the stacking area 20 can be known in real time, which is convenient for the backstage staff to grasp the time of adding material cups in real time, and avoid the problem of lack of cups affecting the operation of the machine.

[0014] In the present invention, the distance sensor 40 is selected from existing products, and its control principle and connection method all adopt existing technologies, which will not be described in detail here.

[0015] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 A fixing plate 110 is disposed in the housing 10 directly above the stacking area 20 , and the distance sensor 40 is fixedly disposed on the fixing plate 110 .

[0016] In the utility model, a mounting plate 120 is provided in the housing 10, a mounting hole is provided on the mounting plate 120, a cup divider is provided in the mounting hole, the stacking area 20 is located directly above the cup divider, and the material cup 30 at the bottom of the stacking area 20 is located in the cup divider. The cup divider is a product that can always convey one cup at a time to fall downward, and it adopts the existing cup divider structure, such as the solution recorded in the invention patent application document with the existing patent publication number CN105460627A or the utility model document with the announcement number CN208683964U. Of course, other existing cup divider products can also be directly selected.

[0017] The contents not described in detail in this specification belong to the prior art known to professional and technical personnel in this field.

[0018] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship 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 referred device or element 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. The terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features.

[0019] The above shows and describes the basic principle and main features of the utility model and the advantages of the utility model. The technicians in this industry should understand that the utility model is not limited by the above embodiments. The above embodiments and the description are only to illustrate the principle of the utility model. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model, the utility model will have various changes and improvements, which fall within the scope of the utility model to be protected. The scope of protection of the utility model is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A cup quantity detection assembly for a vending machine, comprising a housing (10), wherein a stacking area (20) for stacking material cups (30) is provided in the housing (10), characterized in that: A distance sensor (40) for sensing the uppermost material cup (30) is arranged directly above the stacking area (20); the distance sensor (40) is used to connect to a vending machine control system and transmit distance information to the vending machine control system.

2. The cup quantity detection assembly for a vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fixed plate (110) is arranged in the housing (10) directly above the stacking area (20), and the distance sensor (40) is fixedly arranged on the fixed plate (110).

3. The cup quantity detection assembly for a vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A mounting plate (120) is arranged in the housing (10), a mounting hole is arranged on the mounting plate (120), a cup divider is arranged in the mounting hole, the stacking area (20) is located directly above the cup divider, and the material cup (30) at the bottom of the stacking area (20) is located in the cup divider.

Images