Automatic marshmallow vending machine

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of vending machines, in particular to an automatic marshmallow vending machine which comprises a main machine box, a first partition plate and a second partition plate are arranged in the main machine box to divide the inner space of the main machine box into a first area, a second area and a third area, a stick outlet mechanism is arranged in the first area, and the stick outlet mechanism is fixed on the upper side of the first partition plate; a vertical partition plate is arranged between the first partition plate and the second partition plate to divide the second area space into a sugar winding area and a goods taking area; a feeding mechanism and a sugar furnace module are installed in the third area space, and the end, for discharging sugar filaments, of the sugar furnace module penetrates through the second partition plate to be located in the sugar winding area. According to the marshmallow production line, the marshmallow is automatically produced through the feeding mechanism, the stick discharging mechanism, the marshmallow furnace module and the like, the marshmallow with more stable quality can be produced, and full-automatic production and selling of the marshmallow are realized; a specially-assigned person is not required to be dispatched and supervised, customers only need to pay in time, and the machine only needs to be simply maintained in daily life; manpower resources are saved, and convenience and rapidness are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of automatic vending machines, in particular to a cotton candy vending machine. Background Art

[0002] Marshmallows are made from granulated sugar through physical processing, resulting in a flocculent candy. Their shape, resembling cotton balls, is why they're named after them. Traditional marshmallow machines require dedicated sales staff to add sugar to a dissolver to create the marshmallows. Consumers then use a readily available wrapping stick to wrap the marshmallow balls. Marshmallows are a time-honored craft food. Currently, semi-automated marshmallow production is still the dominant method on the market. This involves a marshmallow machine producing shredded sugar, which is then wrapped around a cotton swab by a dedicated person. This method results in high production costs and a low level of automation. In existing traditional marshmallow production techniques, the sugar is manually poured into the dispenser's inlet with one hand while wrapping the shredded sugar with a paper stick using the other hand. This requires a high level of operator skill. Automating this production process would be costly, requiring a robotic arm with multiple joints and servo motors, and requiring complex and diverse programming. This results in complex and diverse movements, resulting in low stability and compatibility. To address these issues, the inventors designed a marshmallow vending machine. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a cotton candy vending machine, which can realize the purpose of automatically making cotton candy through a feeding mechanism, a stick discharging mechanism, a movable robotic arm, and a sugar furnace module, and can produce cotton candy with more stable quality, thereby realizing fully automated production and sales of cotton candy; no dedicated person is required to be stationed for supervision, customers only need to pay immediately, and the machine only needs simple daily maintenance; it saves human resources and is convenient and fast.

[0004] The technical solution of the present utility model is a cotton candy vending machine, comprising a main box, wherein a first partition plate and a second partition plate are provided in the main box to divide the internal space of the main box into a first area, a second area and a third area, a stick discharging mechanism is provided in the first area, and the stick discharging mechanism is fixed on the upper side of the first partition plate; a vertical partition plate is provided between the first partition plate and the second partition plate to divide the second area space into a cotton candy winding area and a goods picking area; a feeding mechanism and a cotton candy furnace module are installed in the third area space, and one end of the cotton candy furnace module that discharges cotton candy passes through the second partition plate and is located in the cotton candy winding area; the stick discharging mechanism comprises a paper stick box, a stick discharging roller installed on the paper stick box and a stick discharging port; a stick feeding mechanism is provided at the bottom of the paper stick box, and the stick feeding mechanism comprises a mounting plate, a lifting motor installed on the mounting plate, a paper stick baffle, a lower stick port and a stick taking slot connected to the lifting motor; the stick taking slot corresponds to the stick discharging port, the stick discharging roller also comprises a rotating motor, and a stick slot is also provided on the stick discharging roller.

[0005] Furthermore, in order to improve the efficiency of making marshmallow shreds, the sugar stove module includes a sugar stove base, a sugar stove support plate installed on the sugar stove base, a driving motor installed on the sugar stove support plate, and a burner mechanism; the burner mechanism includes a burner that can produce shredded sugar, and the lower part of the burner is connected to a central shaft cylinder, on which a conductive ring, a synchronous wheel, a bearing and a burner support plate are arranged from top to bottom; the central shaft cylinder is a hollow structure, and a feed pipe connected to a feeding mechanism is provided in the central shaft cylinder, and the feed pipe passes through the central shaft cylinder and extends into the burner; a transmission wheel is provided on the driving motor, and a belt is provided between the transmission wheel and the synchronous wheel.

[0006] Furthermore, in order to ensure the stability of the sugar threads and subsequent cleaning, a water pump and an air pump are provided on one side of the sugar furnace base. There are two groups of water pumps, and the air pump is connected to the furnace head.

[0007] Furthermore, in order to ensure the standardization of the sugar feeding ratio, the feeding mechanism includes a sugar storage box and a sugar collecting box installed at the bottom of the sugar storage box. The sugar collecting box is provided with a sugar rolling motor, the sugar collecting box is connected to an air collecting pump, and the sugar collecting box is connected to a feed pipe.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to reduce the internal temperature, an exhaust fan corresponding to the sugar surrounding area is further provided on the first partition plate.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to improve the convenience of taking sugar, a movable door is provided on the vertical partition plate, a movable robotic arm is provided at the bottom of the vertical partition plate located around the sugar area, and a movable card slot corresponding to the movable robotic arm is provided on the partition plate corresponding to the lower end of the movable door. A photoelectric sensor is provided on the movable card slot, and a second electric push rod is provided on the lower side of the first partition plate in the picking area, and the second electric push rod is connected to the movable door.

[0010] Furthermore, the installation position of the rod outlet corresponds to the movable robotic arm.

[0011] Furthermore, in order to display the production process in real time and facilitate customers to view information, the main chassis is also provided with a display screen and a cooling fan.

[0012] Furthermore, an inspection door is provided on the back of the main chassis; a movable plate is provided at the front of the main chassis corresponding to the cargo pickup area, and the movable plate is provided with a cargo pickup port, a first electric push rod, and a lifting door connected to the first electric push rod and corresponding to the cargo pickup port.

[0013] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that a cotton candy vending machine is provided with a display screen at the front of the cotton candy vending machine to cater to the payment method adopted by modern people to pay by scanning a code with a mobile phone. The user can complete the ordering operation by scanning the payment code on the display screen with a mobile phone, thereby saving the user's ordering time; during the fully automatic operation of the cotton candy vending machine, the quantitative sugar addition in the feeding mechanism is used to add sugar material for making cotton candy at a fixed point and in a fixed quantity to maintain the stability of the sugar material supply, and the stick discharging mechanism is used to accurately control the number of paper sticks discharged to avoid the occurrence of stick jams, and the movable mechanical arm clamps the paper sticks and controls the clamping angle and rotation speed to collect the sugar threads at a uniform speed and in a determined direction. After the cotton candy is made, the movable mechanical arm finally delivers the cotton candy to the pickup area for the user to take out. The whole process is fully automated and intelligent, which reduces labor costs while realizing the 24-hour non-stop sale of cotton candy, and effectively avoids the situation that the user has to wait for a long time due to manual operation and the quality of the produced cotton candy is uneven, thereby greatly facilitating the use needs of users and improving the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] For ease of explanation, the present invention is described in detail with reference to the following preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a cotton candy vending machine in this utility model Figure 1 ;

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a cotton candy vending machine Figure 1 ;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a cotton candy vending machine Figure 2 ;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a rear view of a cotton candy vending machine of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a cotton candy vending machine Figure 3 ;

[0020] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of an activity organizer in a cotton candy vending machine of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the stick dispensing mechanism in a cotton candy vending machine of this utility model. Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of the stick dispensing mechanism in a cotton candy vending machine of this utility model. Figure 2 ;

[0023] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the stick discharging roller and stick feeding mechanism in a cotton candy vending machine of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cotton candy furnace module in a cotton candy vending machine of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sugar furnace module in a cotton candy vending machine of this utility model. Figure 2 .

[0026] Figure numerals: main box 1, first partition plate 2, second partition plate 3, first area 11, second area 12, third area 13, stick discharging mechanism 4, vertical partition plate 5, sugar winding area 121, picking up area 122, feeding mechanism 6, sugar furnace module 7, paper stick box 41, stick discharging roller 42, stick discharging port 43, stick feeding mechanism 44, mounting plate 441, lifting motor 442, paper stick baffle 443, lower stick port 444, stick taking slot 445, rotating motor 421, stick slot 422, movable plate 14, picking up port 141, first electric push rod 142, lifting door 143, sugar furnace base 71 , sugar furnace support plate 72, drive motor 73, burner mechanism 74, burner 75, central shaft 76, conductive ring 761, synchronous wheel 762, bearing 763, burner support plate 764, feed pipe 77, water pump 711, air pump 712, sugar storage box 61, sugar collecting box 62, sugar rolling motor 63, air collecting pump 64, exhaust fan 21, movable door 51, movable robotic arm 52, movable slot 53, photoelectric sensor 54, second electric push rod 55, display screen 15, cooling fan 16, inspection door 17, pressing knife 8, burner outer box 751, transmission wheel 731, belt 732. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely for the purpose of explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present invention may be combined with each other unless there is a conflict.

[0028] In the description of this utility model, 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 integral connections; mechanical connections, electrical connections; direct connections, indirect connections through an intermediate medium, and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this utility model based on specific circumstances.

[0029] The cotton candy vending machine of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0030] like Figure 1-11 The cotton candy vending machine shown in the figure includes a main case 1, and a first partition plate 2 and a second partition plate 3 are provided in the main case 1 to divide the internal space of the main case 1 into a first area 11, a second area 12, and a third area 13. A stick discharging mechanism 4 is provided in the first area 11, and the stick discharging mechanism 4 is fixed on the upper side of the first partition plate 2; a vertical partition plate 5 is provided between the first partition plate 2 and the second partition plate 3 to divide the space of the second area 12 into a cotton candy surrounding area 121 and a picking area 122; a feeding mechanism 6 and a cotton candy furnace module 7 are installed in the space of the third area 13, and one end of the cotton candy furnace module 7 that discharges the cotton candy passes through the second partition plate 3 and is located in the cotton candy surrounding area 121. In order to maintain the ambient temperature of the cotton candy surrounding area and ensure cleanliness, an exhaust fan 21 corresponding to the cotton candy surrounding area 121 is provided on the first partition plate 2, and a pressing knife 8 for shaping the cotton candy is provided in the cotton candy surrounding area.

[0031] In this embodiment, the stick discharging mechanism 4 includes a paper stick box 41, a stick discharging roller 42 mounted on the paper stick box 41, and a stick discharging port 43; a stick feeding mechanism 44 is provided at the bottom of the paper stick box 41, and the stick feeding mechanism 44 includes a mounting plate 441, a lifting motor 442 mounted on the mounting plate 441, a paper stick baffle 443, a lower stick port 444, and a stick taking slot 445 connected to the lifting motor 442; the stick taking slot 445 corresponds to the stick discharging port 43, the stick discharging roller 42 further includes a rotating motor 421, and a stick slot 422 is further provided on the stick discharging roller 42. The paper stick is in the paper stick box, When the sticks are taken out, the rotating motor drives the stick-out roller to rotate, and the stick slot on the stick-out roller takes out a single paper stick. When the stick-out roller rotates to the stick-out port, the paper stick falls and then enters the stick-taking slot. A paper stick sensor (not marked) is provided on one side of the stick-taking slot. After the paper stick sensor (not marked) detects the paper stick, the rotating motor starts to work and drives the stick-taking slot to rotate upward and stand up. The paper stick slides out and falls into the lower stick mouth under the limit of the stick baffle. Part of the paper stick extends into the sugar-surrounding area for the movable robot arm 52 to clamp. The stick-out and stick-taking are completed to start making cotton candy. The use of a single stick and a single slot ensures that the stick will not be stuck, ensuring smooth stick-out.

[0032] In this embodiment, the sugar stove module 7 includes a sugar stove base 71, a sugar stove support plate 72 installed on the sugar stove base 71, a drive motor 73 installed on the sugar stove support plate 72, and a burner mechanism 74; the burner mechanism 74 includes a burner 75 that can produce sugar threads, and the lower part of the burner 75 is connected to a central shaft cylinder 76, on which a conductive ring 761, a synchronous wheel 762, a bearing 763 and a burner support plate 764 are arranged in sequence from top to bottom; the central shaft cylinder 76 is a hollow structure, and a feeding pipe 77 connected to the feeding mechanism 6 is provided in the central shaft cylinder 76, and the feeding pipe 77 passes through the central shaft cylinder 76. Extending into the burner 75, a transmission wheel 731 is provided on the driving motor 73, and a belt 732 is provided between the transmission wheel 731 and the synchronous wheel 762. The burner is driven to rotate by the driving motor, and a water pump 711 and an air pump 712 are provided on one side of the sugar stove base 71. There are two groups of water pumps 711. The air pump 712 is connected to the burner 75, and the water pump is connected to the burner. Water supplied by the water pump can be used to clean the burner and heat water vapor during the sugar-making process to improve the quality of marshmallows. The air pump improves the drawing efficiency. A burner outer box 751 is provided on the burner, and the burner outer box 751 is fixed on the second partition plate and extends the burner into the sugar-surrounding area.

[0033] In this embodiment, the feeding mechanism 6 includes a sugar storage box 61 and a sugar collecting box 62 installed at the bottom of the sugar storage box 61. The sugar collecting box 62 is provided with a sugar rolling motor 63. The sugar collecting box 62 is connected to an air collecting pump 64. The sugar collecting box 62 is connected to a feed pipe 77. The sugar is poured into the sugar storage box. When making marshmallows, the sugar enters the sugar collecting box through the sugar rolling motor, and then the sugar is blown into the sugar furnace through the air collecting pump.

[0034] The movable card slot 53 is provided with a photoelectric sensor 54, and a second electric push rod 55 is provided on the lower side of the first partition plate 2 in the picking area 122. The second electric push rod 55 is obliquely connected to the movable door 51, and the installation position of the stick outlet 43 corresponds to the movable mechanical arm 52. First, the stick outlet mechanism takes out the paper stick, and the movable mechanical arm first clamps the paper stick supplied by the stick outlet mechanism, and then makes cotton candy in the sugar winding area. After the production is completed, the second electric push rod opens the movable door, and the movable mechanical arm places the paper stick with cotton candy in the movable card slot and clamps it for customers to take. The photoelectric sensor 54 can detect whether there is a paper stick in the movable card slot and feed back to the control mechanism to determine whether to open the picking port.

[0035] In this embodiment, in order to facilitate maintenance, an inspection door 17 is provided on the back of the main case 1, and a movable plate 14 is provided at the front of the main case 1 corresponding to the pickup area 122. The movable plate 14 is provided with a pickup port 141, a first electric push rod 142, and a lifting door 143 connected to the first electric push rod 142 and corresponding to the pickup port 141; a display screen 15 and a cooling fan 16 are also provided on the main case 1. The display screen allows customers to choose the specifications of marshmallows and make payments conveniently. After the customer completes the selection and payment, the marshmallow making begins. After the marshmallows are made, the lifting door opens and the customer takes out the prepared marshmallows from the pickup port to enjoy.

[0036] Cotton candy making process: after the customer selects the cotton candy specifications on the display screen and successfully pays, the control system first controls the stick discharging mechanism to discharge the stick. When the paper stick enters the stick discharging port, the movable mechanical arm clamps the paper stick, and then the sugar rolling motor works to transport the sugar in the sugar storage box to the sugar collecting box. Under the action of the air collecting pump, the sugar is blown into the burner. At the same time, the burner starts to heat and rotates under the drive motor. When the sugar enters the burner, the water pump pumps an appropriate amount of water into the burner to generate steam. The sugar melts under the action of high temperature and steam and is thrown out into silk at high speed. The movable mechanical arm clamps one end of the paper stick to the appropriate position, and then the movable mechanical arm drives the paper stick to rotate continuously to collect sugar silk. A cotton candy pressing knife 8 is provided in the sugar winding area to ensure that the cotton candy produced is regular in shape. After the cotton candy is made, the second electric push rod opens the movable door, and the rotating mechanical arm fixes the paper stick with cotton candy in the movable card slot. Then, under the drive of the first electric push rod, the lower lifting door opens, and the customer takes out the made cotton candy through the pickup port.

[0037] The utility model discloses a cotton candy vending machine, in order to cater to the payment method of modern people using mobile phone scanning code payment, a display screen is provided at the front of the cotton candy vending machine, and the user can complete the ordering operation by scanning the payment code on the display screen with the mobile phone, thereby saving the user's ordering time; during the fully automatic operation of the cotton candy vending machine, the quantitative sugar adding in the feeding mechanism is used to add sugar material for making cotton candy at a fixed point and in a fixed quantity to maintain the stability of sugar material supply, and the stick discharging mechanism is used to accurately control the number of paper sticks discharged to avoid the occurrence of stick jam; the movable mechanical arm clamps the paper sticks and controls the clamping angle and rotation speed to collect the sugar threads at a uniform speed and in a determined direction; after the cotton candy is made, the movable mechanical arm finally delivers the cotton candy to the pickup area for the user to take out; the whole process is fully automated and intelligent, which reduces labor costs and can realize the 24-hour non-stop sales of cotton candy, and effectively avoids the situation that the user waits for a long time and the quality of the produced cotton candy is uneven due to manual operation, thereby greatly facilitating the use needs of users and improving user experience.

[0038] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cotton candy vending machine, comprising a main chassis, wherein a first partition plate and a second partition plate are provided within the main chassis, dividing the interior space of the main chassis into a first zone, a second zone, and a third zone; a stick discharging mechanism is provided within the first zone, the stick discharging mechanism being fixed to the upper side of the first partition plate; a vertical partition plate is provided between the first and second partition plates, dividing the second zone into a cotton candy winding zone and a pick-up zone; a feeding mechanism and a cotton candy stove module are installed within the third zone, wherein an end of the cotton candy stove module discharging cotton candy passes through the second partition plate and is located within the cotton candy winding zone, and the machine is characterized in that: The stick discharging mechanism includes a paper stick box, a stick discharging roller installed on the paper stick box, and a stick discharging port; a stick feeding mechanism is provided at the bottom of the paper stick box, and the stick feeding mechanism includes a mounting plate, a lifting motor installed on the mounting plate, a paper stick baffle, a lower stick port, and a stick taking groove connected to the lifting motor; the stick taking groove corresponds to the stick discharging port, the stick discharging roller also includes a rotating motor, and a stick groove is also provided on the stick discharging roller.

2. The cotton candy vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sugar stove module includes a sugar stove base, a sugar stove support plate installed on the sugar stove base, a driving motor installed on the sugar stove support plate, and a burner mechanism; the burner mechanism includes a burner that can produce sugar threads, the lower part of the burner is connected to a central shaft cylinder, and a conductive ring, a synchronous wheel, a bearing and a burner support plate are arranged on the central shaft cylinder from top to bottom; the central shaft cylinder is a hollow structure, and a feed pipe connected to the feeding mechanism is arranged in the central shaft cylinder, and the feed pipe passes through the central shaft cylinder and extends into the burner; a transmission wheel is provided on the driving motor, and a belt is provided between the transmission wheel and the synchronous wheel.

3. The cotton candy vending machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: A water pump and an air pump are provided on one side of the sugar stove base. The water pumps are provided in two groups. The air pump is communicated with the stove head.

4. The cotton candy vending machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism includes a sugar storage box and a sugar collecting box installed at the bottom of the sugar storage box. The sugar collecting box is provided with a sugar rolling motor, the sugar collecting box is connected to an air collecting pump, and the sugar collecting box is connected to a feed pipe.

5. The cotton candy vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first partition plate is further provided with an exhaust fan corresponding to the sugar surrounding area.

6. The cotton candy vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A movable door is provided on the vertical partition plate, and a movable robotic arm is provided at the bottom of the vertical partition plate located on one side of the sugar area. A movable card slot corresponding to the movable robotic arm is provided on the partition plate corresponding to the lower end of the movable door, and a photoelectric sensor is provided on the movable card slot. A second electric push rod is provided on the lower side of the first partition plate in the pickup area, and the second electric push rod is obliquely connected to the movable door.

7. The cotton candy vending machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The installation position of the rod outlet corresponds to the movable mechanical arm.

8. The cotton candy vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main chassis is also provided with a display screen and a heat dissipation fan.

9. The cotton candy vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The back of the main chassis is also provided with an inspection door; the front of the main chassis is provided with a movable plate corresponding to the cargo pickup area, and the movable plate is provided with a cargo pickup port, a first electric push rod, and a lifting door connected to the first electric push rod and corresponding to the cargo pickup port.

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