Modular Ticket Feed Mechanism for Dispenser Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ticket dispensers face reliability issues, particularly with partial failures requiring costly servicing and difficulties in unloading the last ticket, due to inefficient mechanical designs and compactness problems in the ticket feed mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A multi-channel ticket separation mechanism with compact, modular feed mechanisms and bidirectional detection flags that allow for efficient power transfer and flexible placement, enabling easier maintenance and reliable operation by allowing individual channel servicing without affecting others.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single assembly services all ticket channels, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability decreases because failure of one channel requires servicing of the entire mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The feed mechanism is divided into separate modular assemblies, with each assembly servicing a specific ticket channel. This segmentation allows individual channel maintenance without affecting other channels, improving reliability while keeping each module relatively simple in structure.
2Ease of operation
If the ticket feed mechanism is designed for compactness, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to mechanical difficulties in drive rotation axis
Solution Approach 1:
A compact transmission mechanism serves as an intermediary between the vertically-oriented feed motor and horizontally-oriented feed rollers. This transmission enables efficient power transfer while maintaining compact geometry and flexible component placement, making the mechanism both compact and easy to operate.
3Measurement precision
If a detection flag blocks the ticket to prevent unloading, then the measurement precision of ticket presence is improved, but the ease of operation worsens due to time-consuming and mechanically involved removal of the last ticket
Solution Approach 1:
The detection flag is designed to be bidirectional and dynamic, allowing it to trigger the optical sensor for ticket presence detection while simultaneously permitting appropriate reverse motion of the ticket. This dynamic design enables easy removal of the last ticket without requiring complex mechanical intervention.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A multi-channel separation mechanism assembly (l) for a lottery or other ticket dispensing machine (M) includes a separate detachable feed mechanism (10) associated with each separate feed channel (A-E), such that the feed mechanism for a single channel can be removed and replaced without replacing the entire assembly. Each such detachable feed mechanism (10) includes a compact transmission (20) wherein drive is efficiently transferred from a vertically-oriented feed motor (30) to horizontally-oriented feed rollers (12). Each feed channel (A-E) is additionally equipped with a bidirectional mechanical flag (40) which triggers an optical sensor (41) to detect presence of a ticket strip (42) in the channel (A-E) while still allowing appropriate reverse motion of the ticket strip (42) within the associated channel (A-E).