Cup adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for drink robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses a cup body adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for beverage robot, including with cup cylinder assembly and fit lifting assembly, cup cylinder group includes each cup cylinder main body in turn, the guide groove of Z axial is seted up in one side of cup cylinder main body, and lifting assembly includes the screw rod of motor drive, and the top support mechanism of connection in screw rod, and the top support mechanism includes the carrier plate of screw rod connection, and the connector of horizontal extension in one side of carrier plate, and the inside of cup cylinder main body is worn into from the guide groove of connector, and forms the connector piece that extends upward, and the tray is equipped with in the top of connector piece. The utility model has solved the problem that the cup mechanism of automatic beverage equipment in prior art lacks the problem of multiple cups synchronous adjustable characteristics.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automatic beverage equipment, and in particular to an adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot. Background Technology

[0002] In existing technologies, the method of using robotic arms to pick up cups in automated beverage preparation equipment such as automatic coffee machines and automatic cocktail machines is relatively slow and unstable. Currently, mainstream automatic coffee machines and cocktail machines typically use a fixed cup position design, meaning the cup is placed on a fixed tray or platform inside the machine, and its height is not adjustable. This design has significant limitations in practical applications. For example, the robotic arm needs to actively find, adjust, and align itself with the gripping position to pick up the cup. This requires very complex vision and sensor calculations, resulting in slow movements and a complex robotic arm structure that is difficult to assemble and maintain.

[0003] In view of this, this technical solution proposes an adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for beverage robots. It adopts a simple synchronous lifting mechanism to achieve fast and adjustable synchronous lifting action. It can also cooperate with sensors on the up and down movement and near the cup for precise and stable action coordination. It has good compatibility with various automatic beverage equipment, improves overall work efficiency, and has a simple structure that is easy to assemble and maintain. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present invention aims to at least partially solve one of the technical problems in related technologies. Therefore, the main objective of this invention is to provide an adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot, addressing the problem that existing automatic beverage equipment lacks multi-cup synchronous adjustable dispensing mechanisms.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot, including a lifting assembly assembled with the cup cylinder.

[0006] The cup assembly includes cup bodies arranged in sequence, with a Z-axis guide groove formed on one side of each cup body.

[0007] The lifting assembly includes a lead screw driven by a motor and a top support mechanism connected to the lead screw. The top support mechanism includes a carrier plate connected to the lead screw and a connector extending horizontally from one side of the carrier plate. The connector passes through the guide groove into the interior of the cup body and extends upward to form a connector. The top of the connector is provided with a tray.

[0008] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the lifting assembly also includes guide rods located on both sides of the lead screw, and a guide sleeve is provided at the junction of the lead screw, the guide rods and the carrier plate.

[0009] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the lifting assembly is externally fixed on a rectangular bracket, and the bracket is provided with an upper limit sensor and a lower limit sensor on the upper and lower sides of the side parallel to the lead screw, respectively.

[0010] As a further embodiment of this utility model, a slot for quick assembly of the lead screw and the guide rod is provided on one side of the carrier plate, and a locking hole is provided outside the slot.

[0011] As a further embodiment of this utility model, a front frame is provided on the other side of the cup assembly, and the top of the front frame is provided with a cup outlet corresponding to the top opening of each cup body.

[0012] As a further improvement of this utility model, a cup dispensing sensor corresponding to each of the cup dispensing ports is provided on one side of the top of the front frame.

[0013] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the bottom of the cup assembly is provided with a base plate for connecting each of the cup bodies, and the base plate is fixed to the bottom inner side of the front frame.

[0014] As a further improvement of this invention, the number of cup bodies is at least 5.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0016] This technical solution uses a motor-driven lead screw to move the top support mechanism connected to the carrier plate up and down, allowing the connector to slide smoothly along the Z-axis guide groove on the side of the cup body. Multiple cups are simultaneously lifted or lowered using the tray on top of the connector, achieving uniform, precise, and adjustable synchronous lifting and lowering of multiple cup positions. This effectively solves the problems of fixed cup positions and difficult robotic arm alignment in traditional equipment, significantly improving dispensing efficiency and cup retrieval accuracy. Furthermore, the overall structure is simple and compact, operates stably and reliably, and is easy to assemble and maintain, significantly enhancing the adaptability and work efficiency of automatic beverage equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the technical solutions of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the front frame, support, and lifting assembly of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a preliminary disassembly diagram of the front frame, cup sleeve assembly, bracket, and lifting component in this utility model.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cup dispensing sensor setup in this utility model.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a preliminary disassembly diagram from another perspective of the mechanism of this utility model.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the components of the lifting assembly in this utility model.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the components of the top support mechanism in this utility model.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cup body and the guide groove in this utility model.

[0025] [Explanation of Markings on Main Components / Assemblies] 1 Front frame 32 Guide rod 10 cup outlet 320 Guide sleeve 11 Cup dispensing sensor 33 Upper limit sensor 12 support 34 Lower limit sensor 2 Cup and tube set 35 Top support mechanism 20 Cup body 350 carrier board 200 Guide groove 351 Card slot 21 base plate 352 keyhole 3 Lifting components 353 connector 30 motor 354 tray 31 Lead screw 355 connector Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] The term "one embodiment" or "implementation" as used herein refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that may be included in at least one implementation of this utility model. In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Moreover, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this utility model described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0028] Please see the appendix Figure 1-7 ,

[0029] This technical solution provides an adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism (3) for a beverage robot. The structure mainly includes a lifting component (3) that cooperates with a cup assembly (2). The cup assembly (2) consists of multiple cup bodies (20) arranged in sequence. Each cup body (20) has a guide groove (200) on one side along the Z-axis (i.e., vertical direction). The lifting component (3) includes a lead screw (31) driven by a motor (30) and a top support mechanism (35) connected thereto. The top support mechanism (35) has a carrier plate (350) connected to the lead screw (31). A connector (355) extends horizontally from one side of the carrier plate (350). The connector (355) passes through the guide groove (200) on the side of the cup body (20) and enters its interior, and extends upward to form a connector (353). The top of the connector (353) is provided with a tray (354) for supporting the cup.

[0030] Specifically, the motor (30) drives the lead screw (31) to rotate, which in turn drives the entire top support mechanism (35) to move up and down along the Z-axis, allowing the connector (355) to slide smoothly in the guide groove (200), thereby achieving synchronous lifting and lowering of the cups on the tray (354). Since all cup bodies (20) share the same set of lifting components (3), their lifting actions are consistent, and the height of the cups can be uniformly adjusted according to the actual cup dispensing needs, improving the accuracy and efficiency of cup dispensing. This avoids the problem of frequent adjustment of the gripping position by the robotic arm in traditional equipment, while reducing the dependence on complex sensing or vision systems. The overall structure is simple and clear, easy to assemble and maintain, and suitable for multi-cup automatic beverage equipment, with good adaptability and stability.

[0031] Reference Appendix Figure 5 In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, guide rods (32) are respectively provided on both sides of the lead screw (31) in the lifting assembly (3). The lead screw (31) and the two guide rods (32) are equipped with guide sleeves (320) at the positions where they connect with the carrier plate (350) of the top support mechanism (35). The rotational motion generated by the lead screw (31) driven by the motor (30) is carried out in a vertical linear motion through the guide sleeves (320) on the carrier plate (350), preventing the top support mechanism (35) from tilting or shaking during the lifting process, and ensuring that the entire tray (354) assembly always runs stably up and down along the Z-axis. The guide sleeves (320) are used to ensure smooth sliding and low wear.

[0032] Reference Appendix Figure 5 In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the lifting assembly (3) is fixedly installed on a rectangular bracket (12), and an upper limit sensor (33) and a lower limit sensor (34) are respectively provided on the upper and lower sides of the side of the bracket (12) parallel to the lead screw (31).

[0033] In a real-world scenario, for example, when the motor (30) drives the top support mechanism (35) to rise, the carrier plate (350) will trigger the upper limit sensor (33) when it reaches the preset highest position, and the motor (30) will stop immediately. At this time, all cups on the trays (354) will be accurately raised to a uniform cup dispensing height, making it convenient for the robotic arm or user to pick them up directly. Conversely, when the cup dispensing mechanism descends, the motor (30) will stop after the carrier plate (350) touches the lower limit sensor (34), ensuring that the entire assembly is safely reset to the initial standby position. This achieves automatic and precise control of the lifting stroke, effectively preventing overshoot or undershoot, and ensuring the reliability and safety of the equipment operation.

[0034] Reference Appendix Figure 6In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a special slot (351) is provided on one side of the carrier plate (350) of the top support mechanism (35) for quick assembly of the lead screw (31) and guide rod (32). These "long rods" can be directly inserted into the carrier plate (350) from the side without the need for cumbersome insertion operations from the top or bottom, simplifying the assembly process. At the same time, a locking hole (352) is opened on the outside of the slot (351), which can be used to firmly lock the inserted lead screw (31) and guide rod (32) onto the carrier plate (350) with fasteners, preventing them from loosening or slipping during operation, thus improving the assembly efficiency and maintenance convenience of the entire lifting assembly (3).

[0035] It is understandable that the structure of the card slot (351) and the lock hole (352) is only the preferred structure of this solution, and of course, other flexible connection structures can also be used.

[0036] Reference Appendix Figure 2 In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a front frame (1) is added to the outside of the other side of the cup assembly (2). The top of the front frame (1) has a cup outlet (10) that corresponds to the top opening of each cup body (20). When the cup is raised to the highest point by the lifting mechanism (35), the cup opening can be aligned with the cup outlet (10) on the front frame (1), making it easy to take the cup.

[0037] It is understandable that the front frame (1) not only has a protective function to prevent foreign objects from entering the cup and interfering with the operation of the mechanism, but its regular external shape also allows the entire lifting mechanism (3) to be easily assembled into the internal frame of various automatic beverage machines as a whole module.

[0038] Reference Appendix Figure 3 , 4 In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a cup dispensing sensor (11) corresponding to each cup dispensing port (10) is provided on one side of the top of the front frame (1).

[0039] In practice, when the top support mechanism (35) lifts the cup to the dispensing position, the cup will reach the sensing area at the dispensing spout (10). The dispensing sensor (11) will immediately detect the cup's arrival signal and transmit it to the equipment's control system. The control system can then notify the subsequent automatic cup-retrieving device (such as a robotic arm) to perform the cup-retrieving action, improving the automation level of the equipment operation and the accuracy and efficiency of cup retrieval. This avoids cup retrieval failures or waiting caused by positional deviations, making the entire dispensing process smoother and more intelligent. When there are cups at the dispensing spout, they are automatically retrieved one by one. The control system is a common electronic control system on the market.

[0040] Reference Appendix Figure 4In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, a base plate (21) is provided at the bottom of the cup assembly (2). This base plate (21) connects and fixes the individual cup bodies (20) together to form a complete cup module. The base plate (21) is finally fixedly installed on the bottom inner side of the front frame (1). The base plate (21) integrates the cup bodies (20) into a solid whole, enhancing the structural stability and integrity of the cup assembly (2) so that it will not shake or misalign during the lifting process.

[0041] At the same time, the integrated module is easy to transport and assemble as a whole unit, which simplifies the installation process with the front frame (1) and improves the assembly efficiency and structural reliability of the equipment.

[0042] Reference Appendix Figure 2 , 4 In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the cup cylinder assembly (2) contains at least five cup cylinder bodies (20), which are compatible with the size of the internal dispensing mechanism of most automatic beverage machines on the market. This makes it suitable for commercial beverage equipment that requires efficient and continuous dispensing. The multiple cup cylinder bodies (20) in this embodiment are connected by the base plate (21) to form an integral module and are driven by the same set of lifting components (3) to achieve synchronous movement, which increases the cup capacity and working efficiency and can meet the demand for fast and continuous beverage supply during peak hours.

[0043] The following points need to be explained:

[0044] (1) The accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this disclosure only involve the structures involved in the embodiments of this disclosure. Other structures can be referred to the general design.

[0045] (2) Where there is no conflict, features of the same embodiment and different embodiments of this disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0046] The above are merely specific embodiments of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot, characterized in that, include The lifting assembly is assembled with the cup holder. The cup assembly includes cup bodies arranged in sequence, with a Z-axis guide groove formed on one side of each cup body. The lifting assembly includes a lead screw driven by a motor and a top support mechanism connected to the lead screw. The top support mechanism includes a carrier plate connected to the lead screw and a connector extending horizontally from one side of the carrier plate. The connector passes through the guide groove into the interior of the cup body and extends upward to form a connector. The top of the connector is provided with a tray.

2. The adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting assembly also includes guide rods located on both sides of the lead screw, and a guide sleeve is provided at the junction of the lead screw, guide rods and the carrier plate.

3. The adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting assembly is externally fixed to a rectangular bracket, and the bracket is provided with an upper limit sensor and a lower limit sensor on the upper and lower sides of the side parallel to the lead screw, respectively.

4. The adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The carrier plate has a slot on one side for quick assembly of the lead screw and the guide rod, and a locking hole is provided on the outside of the slot.

5. The adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The other side of the cup assembly is provided with a front frame, and the top of the front frame is provided with a cup outlet corresponding to the top opening of each cup body.

6. The adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The top side of the front frame is provided with a cup dispensing sensor corresponding to each of the cup dispensing ports.

7. The adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom of the cup assembly is provided with a base plate for connecting each cup body, and the base plate is fixed to the bottom inner side of the front frame.

8. The adjustable synchronous lifting mechanism for a beverage robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of cup bodies is at least 5.

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