A popcorn machine

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of food processing equipment, specifically a popcorn machine, a material bin, a material distribution mechanism and a popcorn making device are arranged in a cabinet, the material distribution mechanism includes a material distribution barrel, a driving mechanism for driving the material distribution barrel to move back and forth horizontally, and a lower baffle. The material distribution barrel is also connected to an upper baffle. When the material distribution barrel is in a first position, the upper port of the material distribution barrel is connected to the material bin discharge port and the lower baffle blocks the lower port of the material distribution barrel. When the material distribution barrel moves to a second position, the lower port of the material distribution barrel staggers the lower baffle and is connected to the material inlet of the popcorn making device and the upper baffle blocks the material bin discharge port. This patent realizes the distribution of equal amounts of raw materials to the popcorn making device each time, so that the amount of popcorn produced each time can be kept consistent, improving the use experience of consumers, and has a simple structure, stable operation, and low manufacturing, assembly and maintenance costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of food processing equipment, in particular to a popcorn machine. Background Art

[0002] Popcorn is a popular snack. Traditional popcorn machines generally use manual feeding, manual production and manual sales to make and sell popcorn, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. With the development of technology, some automatic popcorn machines are now available on the market, which greatly meet the needs of theaters, shopping malls, amusement parks and other recreational areas. However, although the existing automatic popcorn machines can automatically make popcorn, they usually have the following problems: the channel for the raw material warehouse to supply raw materials to the popcorn making device is directly controlled by the solenoid valve to open or close, and it is difficult to ensure that the raw materials are supplied in equal amounts each time, which makes it difficult to keep the amount of popcorn produced each time consistent, affecting the consumer's experience. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to overcome the defects in the prior art, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a popcorn machine which can supply an equal amount of raw materials to a popcorn making device each time.

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] A popcorn machine comprises a cabinet, in which a silo, a material dispensing mechanism and a popcorn making device are arranged, the material dispensing mechanism comprises a material dispensing barrel, a driving mechanism for driving the material dispensing barrel to move back and forth laterally between a first position and a second position, and a fixed lower baffle, the material dispensing barrel is also connected to an upper baffle, wherein the moving direction of the material dispensing barrel and the upper and lower baffles are parallel to each other, when the material dispensing barrel is located at the first position, the upper port of the material dispensing barrel is connected to the material outlet of the silo and the lower baffle blocks the lower port of the material dispensing barrel, when the material dispensing barrel moves to the second position, the lower port of the material dispensing barrel is staggered with the lower baffle and connected to the material inlet of the popcorn making device and the upper baffle blocks the material outlet of the silo.

[0006] As a preferred technical solution, the material distributing mechanism also includes a guide frame arranged at the discharge port of the silo, the material distributing barrel is slidably installed in the guide frame and can slide therein, the lower baffle is arranged on the guide frame, the guide frame is provided with an inlet connected to the discharge port of the silo, and an outlet connected to the feed port of the popcorn making device, and a horizontally inverted columnar scraper spring is installed on the side of the inlet of the guide frame or the discharge port of the silo close to the second position, and when the material distributing barrel moves from the first position toward the second position, the lower part of the scraper spring can abut against the upper port of the material distributing barrel to scrape the material.

[0007] As an optimal technical solution, it also includes a cup dropper and a cup rack. The cup dropper is used to store a plurality of cups stacked vertically with their openings facing upward and can drive the lowest single cup to fall downward each time. The cabinet is provided with a cabinet door, and the cabinet door is provided with a pick-up port. The popcorn making device includes a boiler, and the boiler has a built-in electric heating mechanism. The boiler is provided with a discharging chute extending obliquely downward. The silo, the material dividing mechanism and the cup dropper are all fixedly arranged in the upper space inside the cabinet, and an escape space is reserved in the lower part of the cabinet. The cup rack is fixedly installed on the inner side of the cabinet door corresponding to the pick-up port. When the cabinet door is closed, the cup rack is embedded in the escape space and is located directly below the cup dropper so that the cup can fall on the cup rack. The end of the discharging chute can extend to the upper side of the cup on the cup rack so that the popcorn can fall into the cup through the discharging chute.

[0008] As a preferred technical solution, the cup holder includes an outer cover, a support plate arranged inside the outer cover, and a cup drop port located directly above the support plate. The outer cover is provided with an opening on the side facing the picking port, and an avoidance window is provided on the side wall of the outer cover between the cup holder and the cup drop port. When the cabinet door is closed, the discharge chute can pass through the avoidance window to enter the interior of the outer cover without interfering with the outer cover.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution, a C-shaped clamp for limiting the cup is further provided above the support plate in the outer cover, the clamp is lower than the avoidance window, and the opening of the clamp faces the taking port.

[0010] As a preferred technical solution, the support plate is provided with a plurality of leakage holes, the bottom of the outer cover is provided with a discharge port, and a waste collection bag is detachably connected to the discharge port.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution, a downwardly extending guide cylinder is provided at the cup drop mouth, the diameters of the guide cylinder and the cup drop mouth are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cup, and the downward extension length of one side wall of the guide cylinder close to the avoidance window is shorter than the other opposite side so that it will not block the avoidance window.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution, the cabinet door is provided with a taking door for opening or closing the taking opening.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution, a fan and a control circuit board are also provided in the cabinet, and the fan and the control circuit board are installed on the inner side of the lower space in the cabinet and the avoidance space is reserved on the outer side thereof. An interactive device is provided on the outer side of the cabinet door, and the controller is electrically connected to the dividing mechanism, popcorn making device, fan, cup dropper and interactive device respectively. The interactive device includes a touch screen and / or a coin machine. The interactive device is used for inputting purchase information and / or payment information and sending it to the controller. The controller can control the above-mentioned dividing mechanism, popcorn making device, fan and cup dropper to automatically operate according to the set program.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the utility model mainly has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] 1. By setting up a material distribution mechanism, it is possible to distribute an equal amount of raw materials to the popcorn making device each time, so that the amount of popcorn produced each time can be kept consistent, thereby improving the consumer's experience, and the structure is simple, the operation is stable, and the manufacturing, assembly and maintenance costs are low.

[0016] 2. A scraper spring is provided to scrape the protruding raw materials from the upper end of the distributing barrel when the distributing barrel moves to the second position after loading. Since the scraper spring has a certain elasticity, it is not easy to crush the raw materials. In addition, the scraper uses a standard spring that is easy to purchase, which has low cost and good effect.

[0017] 3. The cup holder of the existing popcorn machine is generally fixedly installed inside the cabinet. It is inconvenient for consumers to take out the cup containing popcorn through the access port on the cabinet door due to the long distance. In addition, the internal space of the cabinet is occupied, which is inconvenient for inspection and cleaning. Some equipment may even need to be removed for inspection and cleaning. The present patent fixes the cup holder on the inner side of the cabinet door, which can not only enable the cup holder to normally receive the cup and allow the cup to receive the prepared popcorn, but also make the cup closer to the access port for consumers to take out. Moreover, when the popcorn machine needs to be inspected or cleaned, it is only necessary to open the cabinet door, and the space originally occupied by the cup holder can be vacated, providing operating space for inspection or cleaning, which is convenient for maintenance.

[0018] The concept, specific structure and effects of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to fully understand the purpose, features and effects of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the external structure of the popcorn machine in the embodiment;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the popcorn machine in the embodiment after the cabinet door is opened;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the material bin, the material distribution structure and the popcorn making device;

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the cross-section structure of the middle material bin and the material distribution structure;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cup holder.

[0024] Among them: cabinet 1, cabinet door 11, picking port 12, picking door 121, touch display screen 13, coin machine 14, silo 2, material distribution mechanism 3, material distribution barrel 31, lower baffle 32, upper baffle 33, motor 341, crank connecting rod mechanism 342, guide frame 35, scraper spring 36, material distribution slide 37, popcorn making device 4, discharging slide 41, cup dropper 5, cup rack 6, outer cover 61, support plate 62, cup drop port 63, guide barrel 631, avoidance window 64, clamp 65, fan 7, control circuit board 8, cup 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the utility model clearer, the utility model is further described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described here are only used to explain the utility model and are not used to limit the utility model. It should be noted that when an element is referred to as "connected" or "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to another element or connected to another element through other intermediate elements. If there is no special explanation, it can be a non-detachable connection or a detachable connection. Similar expressions are only for illustrative purposes and are not used to limit the utility model.

[0026] like Figure 1-5 As shown, the present embodiment provides a popcorn machine, including a cabinet 1, in which a silo 2, a distributing mechanism 3 and a popcorn making device 4 are arranged, the distributing mechanism 3 includes a distributing barrel 31, a driving mechanism for driving the distributing barrel 31 to move laterally back and forth between a first position and a second position, and a fixed lower baffle 32, the distributing barrel 31 is also connected to an upper baffle 33, wherein the moving direction of the distributing barrel 31 and the upper baffle 33 and the lower baffle 32 are parallel to each other, when the distributing barrel 31 is located at the first position, the upper port of the distributing barrel 31 is connected to the discharge port of the silo 2 and the lower baffle 32 blocks the lower port of the distributing barrel 31, when the distributing barrel 31 moves to the second position, the lower port of the distributing barrel 31 is staggered from the lower baffle 32 and is connected to the feed port of the popcorn making device 4 and the upper baffle 33 blocks the discharge port of the silo 2. The driving mechanism in this embodiment preferably adopts a motor 341 in conjunction with a crank connecting rod mechanism 342. The motor 341 rotates through the crank connecting rod mechanism 342 to drive the distributing barrel 31 to slide back and forth horizontally. In this embodiment, two silos 2 and two distributing mechanisms 3 are respectively provided and correspond one to one. The silo 2 is used to store and supply raw materials (such as corn, seasonings, etc.).

[0027] The popcorn machine provided in this embodiment has the following working principle: when popcorn needs to be made, the distributing barrel 31 is located at the first position (i.e., the initial position), at which time the lower port of the distributing barrel 31 is blocked by the lower baffle 32, and the raw materials in the silo 2 will automatically fall into and fill the distributing barrel 31, and then the driving mechanism drives the distributing barrel 31 to slide toward the second position, and when the upper port of the distributing barrel 31 and the unloading port of the silo 2 are offset, the upper baffle 33 can block the unloading port of the silo 2 to prevent the silo 2 from continuing to unload materials, and after reaching the second position, the lower port of the distributing barrel 31 is offset from the lower baffle 32 and connected to the feed port of the popcorn making device 4, and the raw materials in the distributing barrel 31 will fall into the popcorn making device 4, and the popcorn making device 4 will make the raw materials into popcorn. By setting up the material distribution mechanism 3, the patent can use the volume of the material distribution barrel 31 as the measurement unit to supply the same amount of raw materials to the popcorn making device 4 each time, and has a simple structure, stable operation, and low manufacturing, assembly and maintenance costs.

[0028] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the material distributing mechanism 3 further includes a guide frame 35 arranged at the discharge port of the silo 2, the material distributing barrel 31 is slidably mounted in the guide frame 35 and can slide therein, the lower baffle plate 32 is arranged on the guide frame 35, the guide frame 35 is provided with an inlet connected to the discharge port of the silo 2, and an outlet connected to the feed port of the popcorn making device 4, and a horizontal columnar scraper spring 36 is installed on the inlet of the guide frame 35 or the discharge port of the silo 2 near the second position. When the material distributing barrel 31 moves from the first position to the second position, the lower part of the scraper spring 36 can be against the upper port of the material distributing barrel 31 so as to scrape the material. In this solution, by setting the scraper spring 36, the raw materials protruding from the upper port of the material distributing barrel 31 can be scraped flat when the material distributing barrel 31 moves to the second position after the material is loaded, and because the scraper spring 36 has a certain elasticity, it is not easy to crush the raw materials, and the standard spring that is easy to purchase is used to scrape the materials, which is low in cost and good in effect. In addition, in this embodiment, the outlet of the guide frame 35 is connected to the feed port of the popcorn making device 4 through a downwardly inclined material distribution slide 37, so that the material bin 2 and the popcorn making device 4 do not need to be staggered in the left and right directions, which is beneficial to saving the space occupied by the popcorn machine in the left and right directions.

[0029] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, it also includes a cup dropper 5 and a cup rack 6. The cup dropper 5 is used to store a plurality of cups 100 stacked vertically with their openings facing upward and can drive the lowest single cup to fall downward each time. The cabinet 1 is provided with a cabinet door 11, and the cabinet door 11 is provided with a take-out port 12. The popcorn making device 4 includes a boiler with a built-in electric heating mechanism. The boiler is provided with a discharging chute 41 extending obliquely downward. The silo 2, the material dividing mechanism 3 and the cup dropper 5 are all fixedly arranged in the upper space of the cabinet 1, and an escape space is reserved in the lower part of the cabinet 1. The cup rack 6 is fixedly installed on the inner side of the cabinet door 11 corresponding to the take-out port 12. When the cabinet door 11 is closed, the cup rack 6 is embedded in the escape space and is located directly below the cup dropper 5 so that the cup can fall on the cup rack 6. The end of the discharging chute 41 can extend to the upper side of the cup on the cup rack 6 so that the popcorn can fall into the cup through the discharging chute 41. The cup dropper and popcorn making device in this patent do not belong to the innovation of this patent, and the prior art has disclosed similar structures, so this patent will not describe and limit their structures in detail. In this solution, the cup holder 6 is fixedly installed on the inner side of the cabinet door 11, which can not only enable the cup holder 6 to normally receive the cup and allow the cup to receive the prepared popcorn, but also make the cup closer to the taking port 12 for consumers to take out, and when the popcorn machine needs to be repaired or cleaned, only the cabinet door 11 needs to be opened, and the avoidance space at the bottom of the cabinet 1 can be vacated, providing operating space for repair or cleaning, which is convenient for maintenance.

[0030] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the cup holder 6 includes an outer cover 61, a support plate 62 arranged in the outer cover 61, and a cup drop opening 63 located directly above the support plate 62. The outer cover 61 is provided with an opening on the side facing the picking port 12, and an avoidance window 64 is provided on the side wall of the outer cover 61 between the cup holder 6 and the cup drop opening 63. When the cabinet door 11 is closed, the discharge chute 41 can pass through the avoidance window 64 to enter the interior of the outer cover 61 without interfering with the outer cover 61.

[0031] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, a C-shaped clamp 65 for limiting the cup is further provided above the support plate 62 in the outer cover 61 . The clamp 65 is lower than the avoidance window 64 , and the opening of the clamp 65 faces the taking port 12 .

[0032] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the support plate 62 is provided with a plurality of leakage holes, and the bottom of the outer cover 61 is provided with a discharge port, to which a waste collection bag (not shown in the drawings) is detachably connected to facilitate the collection of overflowed popcorn.

[0033] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, a downwardly extending guide cylinder 631 is provided at the cup drop opening 63, and the diameters of the guide cylinder 631 and the cup drop opening 63 are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cup. A side wall of the guide cylinder 631 close to the avoidance window 64 extends downward by a length shorter than the other side opposite thereto so as not to block the avoidance window 64. This solution prevents the cup from deviating from the set position or tipping over during the falling process.

[0034] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the cabinet door 11 is provided with a taking door 121 for opening or closing the taking opening 12 .

[0035] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, a fan 7 and a control circuit board 8 are further provided in the cabinet 1. The fan 7 and the control circuit board 8 are installed on the inner side of the lower space in the cabinet 1 and the avoidance space is reserved on the outer side thereof. An interactive device is provided on the outer side of the cabinet door 11. The controller is electrically connected to the dividing mechanism 3, the popcorn making device 4, the fan 7, the cup dropper 5 and the interactive device respectively. The interactive device includes a touch display screen 13 and a coin machine 14, which are used to input purchase information and payment information and send it to the controller. The controller can control the above-mentioned dividing mechanism 3, the popcorn making device 4, the fan 7 and the cup dropper 5 to automatically operate according to the set program.

[0036] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and an explanation of the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the utility model involved in the present application is not limited to the technical solution formed by a specific combination of the above technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the concept of the utility model. For example, the above features are replaced with the technical features with similar functions disclosed in the present application (but not limited to) by each other to form a technical solution.

Claims

1. A popcorn machine, comprising a cabinet, in which a material bin, a material distribution mechanism and a popcorn making device are arranged, characterized in that: The material dispensing mechanism includes a material dispensing barrel, a driving mechanism for driving the material dispensing barrel to move horizontally back and forth between a first position and a second position, and a fixed lower baffle. The material dispensing barrel is also connected to an upper baffle, wherein the moving direction of the material dispensing barrel and the upper and lower baffles are parallel to each other. When the material dispensing barrel is located at the first position, the upper port of the material dispensing barrel is connected to the discharge port of the silo and the lower baffle blocks the lower port of the material dispensing barrel. When the material dispensing barrel moves to the second position, the lower port of the material dispensing barrel is staggered with the lower baffle and is connected to the feed port of the popcorn making device and the upper baffle blocks the discharge port of the silo.

2. The popcorn machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material distributing mechanism also includes a guide frame arranged at the discharge port of the silo, a distributing barrel is slidably installed in the guide frame and can slide therein, the lower baffle is arranged on the guide frame, the guide frame is provided with an inlet connected to the discharge port of the silo, and an outlet connected to the feed port of the popcorn making device, and a horizontally inverted columnar scraper spring is installed on one side of the inlet of the guide frame or the discharge port of the silo close to the second position, and when the distributing barrel moves from the first position toward the second position, the lower part of the scraper spring can abut against the upper port of the distributing barrel to scrape the material.

3. The popcorn machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also includes a cup dropper and a cup rack. The cup dropper is used to store a plurality of cups stacked vertically with their openings facing upwards and can drive the lowest single cup to fall downwards each time. The cabinet is provided with a cabinet door, and the cabinet door is provided with a taking-out port. The popcorn making device includes a boiler, and the boiler has a built-in electric heating mechanism. The boiler is provided with a discharging chute extending obliquely downwards. The silo, the material dividing mechanism and the cup dropper are all fixedly arranged in the upper space inside the cabinet, and an escape space is reserved in the lower part of the cabinet. The cup rack is fixedly installed on the inner side of the cabinet door corresponding to the taking-out port. When the cabinet door is closed, the cup rack is embedded in the escape space and is located directly below the cup dropper so that the cup can fall on the cup rack. The end of the discharging chute can extend to the upper side of the cup on the cup rack so that the popcorn can fall into the cup through the discharging chute.

4. The popcorn machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cup holder includes an outer cover, a support plate arranged in the outer cover, and a cup drop port located directly above the support plate. The outer cover is provided with an opening on one side facing the picking port, and an avoidance window is provided on the side wall of the outer cover between the cup holder and the cup drop port. When the cabinet door is closed, the discharge slide can pass through the avoidance window to enter the interior of the outer cover without interfering with the outer cover.

5. The popcorn machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: A C-shaped clamp for limiting the position of the cup is also provided above the support plate in the outer cover, the clamp is lower than the avoidance window, and the opening of the clamp faces the taking port.

6. The popcorn machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The support plate is provided with a plurality of leakage holes, the bottom of the outer cover is provided with a discharge port, and a waste collection bag is detachably connected to the discharge port.

7. The popcorn machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: A guide cylinder extending downward is provided at the cup drop opening, and the diameters of the guide cylinder and the cup drop opening are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cup.

8. The popcorn machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cabinet door is provided with a taking door for opening or closing the taking opening.

9. The popcorn machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cabinet is also provided with a fan and a control circuit board, which are installed on the inner side of the lower space in the cabinet and the avoidance space is reserved on the outer side thereof. An interactive device is provided on the outer side of the cabinet door. The controller is electrically connected to the material dividing mechanism, popcorn making device, fan, cup dropper and interactive device respectively. The interactive device includes a touch display screen and / or a coin machine, which is used to input purchase information and / or payment information and send it to the controller.

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