Cup falling device and popcorn machine with same

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of vending machines, in particular to a cup falling device and a popcorn machine with the cup falling device, the cup falling device comprises a cup holder and a driving device, the cup holder is provided with a circular cup falling hole, and a plurality of cup falling wheels are arranged in the circumferential direction of the cup falling hole. The cup falling wheel comprises a center shaft, an arc-shaped upper supporting table and an arc-shaped lower supporting table, the arc-shaped upper supporting table and the arc-shaped lower supporting table are arranged on the two opposite sides of the center shaft respectively and distributed up and down, the lower surface of the upper supporting table is provided with a spiral downward spinning face in the rotating direction of the upper supporting table, and the upper surface of the lower supporting table is lower than the starting point of the spinning face and higher than the ending point of the spinning face. The driving device comprises a driving motor, a driving wheel and a synchronous belt, the driving wheel and the driven wheels are sleeved with the synchronous belt, the driving motor is connected with the driving wheel so that the cup falling wheels can be driven to rotate synchronously through the driving wheel, the synchronous belt and the driven wheels to achieve cup falling one by one, work is stable, the structure is simple, and assembly is convenient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of automatic vending machines, in particular to a cup dropper and a popcorn machine with the same. Background Art

[0002] Many vending machines for bulk goods (such as popcorn machines, candy bean vending machines, freshly brewed coffee machines, etc.) need to be equipped with a cup dropper, which can drop the empty cups stored in the vending machine onto the pickup table one by one. After the vending machine transfers bulk goods into the empty cups, the user can take the cups containing goods away. The Chinese utility model patent with the announcement number CN220765853U discloses a popcorn cup automatic cup drop structure. When it is working, the cup edge of the popcorn cup located at the bottom is placed on the upper end of the spiral part, and the motor is started. The motor drives the transmission gear through the worm gear to rotate the transmission gear, and the rotation of the transmission gear drives the ring gear to rotate. Under the drive of the ring gear, 6 driven wheels rotate, and the driven wheels drive the extrusion rotating block to rotate, so that the cup edge of the popcorn cup located at the bottom moves down along the spiral part. When the popcorn cup is separated from the spiral part, it will lose support and fall due to gravity, realizing the automatic cup drop of the popcorn cup. The following problems exist: the popcorn cup at the bottom falls by its own weight when it is separated from the spiral part, but since many popcorn cups are generally light and the friction between them and the previous popcorn cup is relatively large, it is difficult for them to fall by their own weight during actual operation, resulting in failure of the cup dropper; in addition, each extrusion rotating block is driven by a ring gear, which has a complex structure, is inconvenient to assemble, and is expensive. In addition, since there is generally a matching gap between the gears, it is easy for each extrusion rotating block to achieve stable and accurate synchronous rotation, which can easily cause the popcorn cup to deflect and get stuck when it falls. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to overcome the defects existing in the prior art, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a cup dropper and a popcorn machine having the same, which can realize cup dropping and has stable operation, simple structure and convenient assembly.

[0004] One of the purposes of the utility model is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] A cup dropper comprises a cup holder and a driving device, wherein a circular cup drop hole is provided in the middle of the cup holder, and at least three cup drop wheels are provided at circumferential intervals around the cup drop hole, and the cup drop wheel comprises a central axis and an upper supporting platform and a lower supporting platform which are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the central axis and distributed up and down in an arc shape, and the lower surface of the upper supporting platform is provided with a spinning surface which spirals downward along its rotation direction, and the upper surface of the lower supporting platform is lower than the starting point of the spinning surface and higher than the end point of the spinning surface, and the lower supporting platform and the upper supporting platform can alternately pass through the cup drop hole when the cup drop wheel rotates, and a coaxial driven wheel is also provided on the central axis of each rotating wheel, and the driving device comprises a driving motor, a driving wheel and a synchronous belt, and the synchronous belt is sleeved on the driving wheel and each driven wheel, and the driving motor is connected to the driving wheel so that each cup drop wheel can be driven to rotate synchronously through the driving wheel, the synchronous belt and the driven wheel.

[0006] As a preferred technical solution, a first positioning mark is respectively provided at the same position of each cup dropping wheel, and a second positioning mark corresponding to each first positioning mark is provided on the cup holder. When each first positioning mark and the second positioning mark are facing each other, the arc top of the lower support platform of each cup dropping wheel is facing the center of the cup dropping hole.

[0007] As a preferred technical solution, the first positioning mark is a first positioning hole that passes through the upper support platform from top to bottom, and the second positioning mark is a second positioning hole correspondingly arranged on the cup holder. When the first positioning holes and the second positioning holes are facing each other, positioning pins can be inserted into the first positioning holes and the second positioning holes to achieve the initial angle positioning of each cup drop wheel during assembly.

[0008] As a preferred technical solution, the cup dropping wheel also includes an adjustment pad, and the lower surface of the adjustment pad and the upper surface of the lower support platform are provided with plug-in protrusions and plug-in grooves that can cooperate with each other and be detachably connected, so that the height of the upper surface of the lower support platform can be adjusted by loading and unloading the adjustment pad.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution, there are multiple adjustment pads, and the thickness of each adjustment pad is different.

[0010] As a preferred technical solution, each of the cup dropping wheels also includes a support bar, which is vertically arranged on the outer side wall of the central axis and below the starting point of the spinning surface, and the outer diameter of the support bar is smaller than the outer diameters of the upper and lower support platforms.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution, the driving device also includes at least two guide wheels, the driving wheel is located on the outside of the circle surrounded by each of the driven wheels, the guide wheel is located between the driving wheel and the circle and can support and guide the synchronous belt, at least one of the guide wheels is installed on a tensioning adjustment frame, the tensioning adjustment frame is slidably connected to the cup holder, and the two are elastically connected by an elastic member, and the elastic force of the elastic member can make the guide wheel elastically press the synchronous belt.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution, the cup holder includes a detachably connected base and an upper cover plate, both of which are provided with corresponding cup dropping holes, and an installation cavity is formed between the two, and each of the cup dropping wheels and the driving motor are located in the installation cavity.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution, the cup rack is also connected to a cup storage tube for storing vertically stacked cups, the lower end of the cup storage tube is opposite to and connected to the cup drop hole, and the cup rack or the cup storage tube is provided with a sensor for detecting whether there is a cup therein.

[0014] The second purpose of the utility model is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0015] A popcorn machine comprises any one of the cup droppers mentioned above.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the utility model mainly has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. The synchronous belt is driven by the driving motor, and then the synchronous belt is used to drive each cup-dropping wheel to rotate synchronously. The transmission mechanism is simple, easy to install, and low in cost. In addition, since the synchronous belt and each driven wheel and driving wheel are frictionally driven, there is no problem of transmission error, so each rotating wheel can achieve stable and accurate synchronous rotation.

[0018] 2. In the initial state, several cups are stacked in the cup drop hole with their openings facing upwards, the bottom cup is the cup to be dropped, and the lower support platform of each cup drop wheel is used to support the cup edge of the cup to be dropped (that is, the convex edge set at the cup mouth). When the motor drives each cup drop wheel to rotate synchronously, as the lower support platform of each rotating wheel withdraws from the cup drop hole to lose support for the cup to be dropped, the upper support platform will rotate into the cup drop hole and cut into between the cup to be dropped and the cup edge of the upper adjacent cup to support the upper cup, and the spinning surface of the upper support platform will gradually press the cup mouth of the cup to be dropped downwards as the cup drop wheel rotates, thereby driving it to fall downwards to drop the cup. Therefore, the problem in the prior art that the cup to be dropped is difficult to drop due to its own gravity, resulting in the failure of the cup dropper.

[0019] 3. By setting corresponding first positioning marks and second positioning marks on each cup-dropping wheel and cup holder, it is convenient to realize the initial angle positioning of each cup-dropping wheel during assembly, that is, the arc top of the lower support platform of each cup-dropping wheel is facing the center of the cup-dropping hole. Furthermore, the first positioning mark and the second positioning mark are both set as positioning holes. During assembly, it is only necessary to align the first positioning holes of each cup-dropping wheel with the corresponding second positioning holes on the cup holder, and then insert the positioning pins (which can be built-in or external to the patented product) through the corresponding first positioning holes and second positioning holes. This can realize the initial angle positioning of each cup-dropping wheel without worrying about its displacement and misalignment. After the synchronous belt is installed, each positioning pin is pulled out to ensure that each rotating wheel is accurately positioned initially and can keep synchronous rotation during operation.

[0020] 4. By setting the adjustment pad, the upper and lower distances between the lower support platform and the upper support platform can be adjusted, so as to adapt to cup types with different cup distances (the distance between the cup edges of two adjacent cups in a stacked state).

[0021] 5. By setting the support bar, the side wall of the cup to be dropped can be supported by the lower support platform when the lower support platform exits the cup drop hole and loses support for the cup to be dropped, so as to prevent the cup from suddenly losing support and falling and deflecting.

[0022] 6. By setting the guide wheel, the driving motor and the driving wheel can avoid the circumference surrounded by the cup-dropping wheels, which will not interfere with the installation and layout of the cup-dropping wheels. By setting the tensioning adjustment frame and the elastic member, the transmission belt can be kept in a pre-tightened state to prevent the transmission belt from slipping.

[0023] 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

[0024] Figure 1 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the cup dropper in Example 1;

[0025] Figure 2 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the cup dropper in Example 1;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cup dropper wheel in the cup dropper;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the popcorn machine in Example 2;

[0028] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the popcorn machine after omitting the cabinet door and adding the cup cover.

[0029] Among them: cup holder 1, cup drop hole 11, second positioning hole 12, cup drop wheel 2, central axis 21, upper support platform 22, spinning surface 221, first positioning hole 222, lower support platform 23, driven wheel 24, adjustment pad 25,

[0030] Support bar 26, driving motor 31, driving wheel 32, synchronous belt 33, guide wheel 34, adjustment frame 35,

[0031] Elastic member 36 , cup storage tube 4 , sensor 5 , cup dropper 100 , cup 200 , cabinet 300 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] 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.

[0033] Embodiment 1:

[0034] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the present embodiment provides a cup dropper 100, comprising a cup holder 1 and a driving device, wherein a circular cup drop hole 11 is provided in the middle of the cup holder 1, and six cup drop wheels 2 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the cup drop hole 11, and the cup drop wheel 2 comprises a central axis 21 and an upper support platform 22 and a lower support platform 23 which are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the central axis 21 and are distributed up and down in an arc shape, wherein the outer arcs of the upper support platform 22 and the lower support platform 23 are coaxial with the central axis 21 and can alternately pass through and protrude into the cup drop hole 11 when the cup drop wheel 2 rotates, and the upper surfaces of the upper support platform 22 and the lower support platform 23 are both horizontal planes, and the lower surface of the upper support platform 22 is a horizontal plane. A spinning surface 221 is provided which spirals downward in its rotation direction. The upper surface of the lower support platform 23 is lower than the starting point of the spinning surface 221 and higher than the end point of the spinning surface 221. The lower surface of the lower support platform 23 is flush with the end point of the spinning surface 221. A coaxial driven wheel 24 is also provided on the central axis 21 of each rotating wheel. The driving device includes a driving motor 31, a driving wheel 32 and a synchronous belt 33. The synchronous belt 33 is sleeved on the driving wheel 32 and each driven wheel 24. The driving motor 31 is connected to the driving wheel 32 so that each cup-dropping wheel 2 can be driven to rotate synchronously through the driving wheel 32, the synchronous belt 33 and the driven wheel 24.

[0035] The cup dropper provided in this embodiment is generally used in vending machines for bulk goods (such as popcorn machines, candy bean vending machines, freshly brewed coffee machines, etc.). In the initial state, a plurality of cups 200 are stacked in the cup drop hole 11 with their openings facing upwards, and the bottom cup 200 is the cup to be dropped, and the lower support platform 23 of each cup drop wheel 2 is used to support the cup edge (i.e., the convex edge set at the cup mouth) of the cup to be dropped. When the cup needs to be dropped, the synchronous belt 33 is driven by the driving motor 31, and then the synchronous belt 33 drives each cup drop wheel 2 to rotate synchronously. As the lower support platform 23 of each rotating wheel withdraws from the cup drop hole 11 to lose support for the cup to be dropped, the upper support platform 22 will turn into the drop hole 11. The cup hole 11 is cut into between the cup to be dropped and the cup edge of the upper adjacent cup to support the upper cup, and the spinning surface 221 of the upper support platform 22 will gradually press the cup mouth of the cup to be dropped downward as the cup dropping wheel 2 rotates, thereby driving it to drop downward to drop the cup, thereby overcoming the problem in the prior art that the cup to be dropped is difficult to drop due to its own gravity, resulting in the failure of the cup dropper; and the present patent utilizes the synchronous belt 33 to perform friction transmission with each driven wheel 24 and the driving wheel 32, and there is no problem of transmission error, so that each rotating wheel can achieve stable and precise synchronous rotation, and the transmission mechanism is simple, easy to install, and low in cost.

[0036] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, a first positioning mark is respectively provided at the same position of each cup drop wheel 2, and a second positioning mark corresponding to each first positioning mark is provided on the cup holder 1. When each first positioning mark and the second positioning mark are facing each other, the arc top of the lower support platform 23 of each cup drop wheel 2 is facing the center of the cup drop hole 11. In this solution, corresponding first positioning marks and second positioning marks are respectively provided on each cup drop wheel 2 and the cup holder 1, so as to facilitate the initial angle positioning of each cup drop wheel 2 during assembly, that is, the outer arc top of the lower support platform 23 of each cup drop wheel 2 is facing the center of the cup drop hole 11. Furthermore, it is preferred that the first positioning mark is a first positioning hole 222 that passes through the upper support platform 22 from top to bottom, and the second positioning mark is a second positioning hole 12 correspondingly arranged on the cup holder 1. During assembly, it is only necessary to align the first positioning holes 222 of each cup-dropping wheel 2 with the corresponding second positioning holes 12 on the cup holder 1, and then insert the positioning pins (not shown in the accompanying drawings, which can be provided by the patented product or externally) through the corresponding first positioning holes 222 and second positioning holes 12. This can achieve the initial angular positioning of each cup-dropping wheel 2 without worrying about its displacement and misalignment during the subsequent assembly process. After the synchronous belt 33 is installed, each positioning pin is pulled out to ensure that each rotating wheel is accurately positioned initially and can maintain synchronous rotation during operation.

[0037] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the cup drop wheel 2 also includes an adjustment pad 25, the shape of which matches the shape of the upper surface of the lower support platform 23, and the lower surface of the adjustment pad 25 and the upper surface of the lower support platform 23 are also provided with plug-in protrusions and plug-in grooves that can cooperate with each other and be detachably connected, so that the height of the upper surface of the lower support platform 23 can be adjusted by loading and unloading the adjustment pad 25. Further, it is preferred that the number of the adjustment pads 25 is multiple, and the thickness of each adjustment pad 25 is different. In this solution, by providing the adjustment pad 25, the upper and lower spacing between the lower support platform 23 and the upper support platform 22 can be adjusted, so as to facilitate adapting to cup types with different cup spacings (the spacing between the cup edges of two adjacent cups in a stacked state).

[0038] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, each cup drop wheel 2 further includes a support bar 26, which is vertically arranged on the outer side wall of the central axis 21 and located below the starting point of the spinning surface 221, and the outer diameter of the support bar 26 is smaller than the outer diameters of the upper support platform 22 and the lower support platform 23. In this solution, by providing the support bar 26, when the lower support platform 23 exits the cup drop hole 11 and loses support for the cup to be dropped, it can assist in supporting the side wall of the cup to be dropped, thereby preventing the cup from suddenly losing support and falling and being deflected.

[0039] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the driving device further includes two guide wheels 34, the driving wheel 32 is located outside the circumference surrounded by each driven wheel 24, the guide wheel 34 is located between the driving wheel 32 and the circumference and can support and guide the synchronous belt 33, one of the guide wheels 34 is installed on a tensioning adjustment frame 35, the tensioning adjustment frame 35 is slidably connected to the cup holder 1, and the two are elastically connected through an elastic member 36, and the elastic force of the elastic member 36 can make the guide wheel 34 elastically press the synchronous belt 33. In this solution, by providing the guide wheel 34, the driving motor 31 and the driving wheel 32 can avoid the circumference surrounded by each cup drop wheel 2, and will not interfere with the installation and layout of the cup drop wheel 2. By providing the tensioning adjustment frame 35 and the elastic member 36, the transmission belt can be kept in a pre-tightened state, which can prevent the transmission belt from slipping.

[0040] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the cup holder 1 includes a detachably connected base and an upper cover plate, both of which are provided with corresponding cup dropping holes 11, and the two are enclosed to form an installation cavity, and each cup dropping wheel 2 and a driving motor 31 are located in the installation cavity, which can prevent materials or debris from falling in and affecting the rotation of the cup dropping wheel 2 or the operation of the driving motor 31.

[0041] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the cup holder 1 is also connected to a cup storage tube 4 for storing vertically stacked cups 200, the lower end of the cup storage tube 4 is opposite to and connected to the cup drop hole 11, and the cup holder 1 or the cup storage tube 4 is provided with a sensor 5 for detecting whether there is a cup 200 therein.

[0042] Embodiment 2:

[0043] like Figure 4-5 As shown, the present embodiment provides a popcorn machine, comprising a cabinet 300 and the cup dropper 100 in Embodiment 1. A cup adding opening 301 and a corresponding cup adding cover plate 302 are provided on the top of the cabinet 300. The cup adding opening 301 is directly opposite to the upper end of the cup storage tube 4. This design makes it unnecessary to open the cabinet door when adding cups, and cups can be added directly through the top of the cabinet, which is convenient for adding cups. In addition, there is no need to set an additional cover plate on the cup storage tube 4, which can reduce the occupation of the longitudinal space and make the structure more simple and compact.

[0044] 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 cup dropper, characterized in that: It includes a cup holder and a driving device. A circular cup-dropping hole is provided in the middle of the cup holder. At least three cup-dropping wheels are provided at circumferential intervals around the cup-dropping hole. The cup-dropping wheel includes a central axis and an upper supporting platform and a lower supporting platform which are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the central axis and distributed up and down in an arc shape. The lower surface of the upper supporting platform is provided with a spinning surface which spirals downward along its rotation direction. The upper surface of the lower supporting platform is lower than the starting point of the spinning surface and higher than the end point of the spinning surface. When the cup-dropping wheel rotates, the lower supporting platform and the upper supporting platform can alternately pass through the cup-dropping hole. A coaxial driven wheel is also provided on the central axis of each rotating wheel. The driving device includes a driving motor, a driving wheel and a synchronous belt. The synchronous belt is sleeved on the driving wheel and each driven wheel. The driving motor is connected to the driving wheel so that each cup-dropping wheel can be driven to rotate synchronously through the driving wheel, the synchronous belt and the driven wheel.

2. The cup dropper according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first positioning mark is respectively provided at the same position of each cup dropping wheel, and a second positioning mark corresponding to each first positioning mark is provided on the cup holder. When each first positioning mark and the second positioning mark are facing each other, the arc top of the lower support platform of each cup dropping wheel is facing the center of the cup dropping hole.

3. The cup dropper according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first positioning mark is a first positioning hole that passes through the upper support platform from top to bottom, and the second positioning mark is a second positioning hole correspondingly arranged on the cup holder. When the first positioning holes and the second positioning holes are facing each other, positioning pins can be inserted into the first positioning holes and the second positioning holes to achieve the initial angle positioning of each cup drop wheel during assembly.

4. The cup dropper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cup dropping wheel also includes an adjusting pad, and the lower surface of the adjusting pad and the upper surface of the lower supporting platform are provided with plug-in protrusions and plug-in grooves that can be detachably connected to each other, so that the height of the upper surface of the lower supporting platform can be adjusted by loading and unloading the adjusting pad.

5. The cup dropper according to claim 4, characterized in that: There are multiple adjustment pads, and the thickness of each adjustment pad is different.

6. The cup dropper according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the cup dropping wheels also includes a support bar, which is vertically arranged on the outer side wall of the central axis and below the starting point of the spinning surface. The outer diameter of the support bar is smaller than the outer diameters of the upper supporting platform and the lower supporting platform.

7. The cup dropper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving device also includes at least two guide wheels, the driving wheel is located outside the circle surrounded by each of the driven wheels, the guide wheel is located between the driving wheel and the circle and can support and guide the synchronous belt, at least one of the guide wheels is installed on a tensioning adjustment frame, the tensioning adjustment frame is slidably connected to the cup holder, and the two are elastically connected by an elastic member, and the elastic force of the elastic member can make the guide wheel elastically press against the synchronous belt.

8. The cup dropper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cup holder comprises a detachably connected base and an upper cover plate, both of which are provided with the cup dropping holes correspondingly, and an installation cavity is formed between the two, and each of the cup dropping wheels and the driving motor are located in the installation cavity.

9. The cup dropper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cup rack is also connected to a cup storage cylinder for storing vertically stacked cups, the lower end of the cup storage cylinder is directly opposite to and connected to the cup drop hole, and the cup rack or the cup storage cylinder is provided with a sensor for detecting whether there is a cup therein.

10. A popcorn machine, characterized in that: The cup dropper comprises any one of claims 1 to 9.

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