Movable Coffee Bean Hopper for Ergonomic Vending Machine Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing coffee vending machines have coffee bean containers located in hard-to-reach, high positions, making it difficult to load coffee beans and perform routine cleaning and maintenance due to the gravity-fed design.
Innovation Solution
A coffee vending machine design featuring a coffee bean container with a bottom funnel and top loading opening, where the container is connected to the machine via a coupling device with wheels and guide slots, allowing it to move between a raised work position for operation and a lowered loading/maintenance position, ensuring easy access and ergonomic loading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the coffee bean container is positioned high inside the casing for gravity-fed operation, then coffee beans can flow to the grinding device by gravity, but the container becomes hard to reach and difficult to load and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The coffee bean container is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be dynamically repositioned between a high operating position (for gravity-fed operation) and a low maintenance position (for easy access). The container can be manually pulled out through the rear opening for loading and pushed back in for operation, combining the benefits of both positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed to move along a curved path that combines vertical and horizontal displacement. By pulling the container outward through the rear opening, users gain horizontal access to what would otherwise be a vertically inaccessible position, effectively adding a spatial dimension to the accessibility problem.
2Device complexity
If the container is fixed in a high position, then the structure is simple and stable, but loading and maintenance become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The container transitions from a fixed structure to a movable one, guided by curved slots in the rear wall that define its movement path. This guided mobility maintains structural simplicity while enabling easy access for loading and maintenance operations.
3Ease of operation
If the container is made movable with wheels and guide slots, then accessibility for loading is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Wheels act as intermediary elements between the container and the guide slots in the rear wall. These simple rolling components enable smooth movement along the curved path without requiring complex mechanical linkages, motors, or control systems, thus minimizing the increase in device complexity.
4Productivity
If the container is positioned high for gravity flow, then coffee beans flow automatically to the grinding device, but the risk of tipping increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container's position is dynamically adjusted based on operational needs. During operation, it is positioned high for gravity-fed flow; during loading and maintenance, it is positioned low and stable. This dynamic repositioning allows the system to optimize for either automatic feeding or stability depending on the operational phase.
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
This design facilitates easier loading of coffee beans and maintenance by providing full accessibility to the top loading opening and reducing the risk of tipping, enhancing user convenience and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a guide device (31) formed in an inner plate (32) on lateral wall (5) for guiding container (15) to move, through opening (8), between raised and lowered positions
Implementation Method 2
coffee beans to drop by force of gravity from the container to the grinding device
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
A coffee beverage vending machine (1) having an outer casing (2) with an access opening (8); a coffee grinding device (14) housed in a fixed position inside the outer casing (2), and having a top coffee grain inlet (16); and a coffee grain container (15), which has a bottom feed conduit (18) for feeding coffee grains to the inlet (16) of the grinding device (14), and at least one top loading opening (20), and is connected to the outer casing (2) to move, through the access opening (8) and along a given path (P), between a raised work position, in which the feed conduit (18) is connected to the inlet (16) of the grinding device (14), and a lowered loading position, in which the feed conduit (18) is disconnected from the inlet (16) and the top loading opening (20) is located outside the outer casing (2).