Lottery Ticket Vending Machine Reflective Sensor Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lottery ticket vending machines face challenges in properly separating lottery tickets due to misalignment, registration issues, and improper positioning, leading to miscuts and operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The proposed lottery ticket vending machine incorporates a reflective sensor and a controller to detect static section signals from lottery tickets, determining if they are properly positioned before separation. This system takes corrective actions or alerts operators to address positioning issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lottery tickets are fed into the ticket burster without position monitoring, then the feeding process is simple and fast, but miscuts and improper separations occur frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical position monitoring mechanisms with an optical reflective sensor system. The sensor detects static section signals on the lottery tickets to determine their positions, eliminating the need for complex mechanical switches, encoders, or physical alignment mechanisms while achieving reliable ticket separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a reflective sensor as an intermediary between the ticket feeding mechanism and the ticket cutter. This sensor acts as a mediator that detects ticket positions through static section signals and communicates this information to the controller, enabling precise separation without direct mechanical interaction or complex positioning hardware.
2Manufacturing precision
If a reflective sensor and controller are added to detect and correct ticket positioning, then ticket separation accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical positioning and alignment systems with an optical detection and electronic control system. The reflective sensor detects static section signals to determine ticket positions, and the controller electronically adjusts feeding or cutting parameters, eliminating the need for mechanical adjustment mechanisms, gauges, or physical alignment tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-correction of ticket positioning issues through the reflective sensor and controller combination. When the sensor detects improper ticket positions via static section signals, the controller automatically adjusts the feeding mechanism or cutting timing without operator intervention, making the system self-regulating and reducing the need for complex manual adjustment mechanisms.
3Reliability
If ticket positioning is monitored and corrected in real-time, then miscuts are reduced, but processing time increases due to monitoring and corrective actions
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective sensor detects ticket positions and the controller makes necessary adjustments before the cutting action occurs. By detecting static section signals and correcting positioning issues in advance of the actual ticket separation, the system prevents miscuts without requiring rework or slowing down the overall processing rhythm.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects and corrects ticket positioning issues through the reflective sensor and controller without requiring operator intervention or stopping the feeding process. The controller adjusts feeding timing or cutting parameters in real-time based on sensor feedback, maintaining continuous operation while ensuring accurate separation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures accurate and efficient separation of lottery tickets, reducing miscuts and maintaining operational integrity by regularly monitoring and correcting ticket positioning issues.
Implementation Method 1
a reflective sensor supported by the ticket burster and configured to create static section signals based on a static section of a lottery ticket
Data Source
AI summary
A lottery ticket vending machine configured to determine if its ticket bursters are improperly separating the lottery tickets received from the ticket drawers of the ticket drawer columns, and to make one or more adjustments and/or alert an operator if its ticket bursters are improperly separating the lottery tickets. In various embodiments, each of the tickets bursters includes a suitable reflective sensor configured to sense components of a static section of each lottery ticket received in such ticket burster. In various embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes one or more controllers configured to receive static section signals from the reflective sensor and make such determinations regarding any adjustments and/or alerts, and to cause any such adjustments and/or alerts.