Radially Adjustable Cup Catcher for Varying Beverage Sizes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vending machines with cup catchers are expensive, take up significant space, and often fail to securely catch and fill drinking cups of varying sizes due to their design limitations.
Innovation Solution
A vending machine equipped with a flexible cup catcher featuring radially adjustable cup-catching fingers that can be positioned to securely catch and hold drinking cups of different sizes by adjusting to the circumference matching the mouth roll diameter, ensuring proper filling and customer delivery without spilling or tilting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional cup catcher is used, then drinking cups can be caught, but the device is expensive and takes up a lot of installation space
Solution Approach 1:
The cup catcher is segmented into multiple independent cup-catching fingers instead of a single monolithic structure. Each finger can be independently adjusted radially to match different cup sizes, reducing the overall space required while maintaining reliable catching capability for various cup types.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup-catching fingers are made radially adjustable to dynamically adapt to different cup diameters. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the same device to handle multiple cup sizes without requiring multiple fixed-size catchers, thereby reducing installation space while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If a conventional cup catcher is used, then drinking cups can be caught, but the device is expensive
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the cup catcher into multiple simple finger elements reduces manufacturing complexity and cost compared to a single complex monolithic structure. The segmented design allows for simpler individual components that are easier and cheaper to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The radially adjustable fingers serve multiple functions: catching different cup sizes, accommodating various cup shapes, and adapting to different installation spaces. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple specialized devices, lowering overall manufacturing costs.
3Device complexity
If a fixed cup catcher design is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to different cup sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The radially adjustable finger mechanism introduces controlled dynamics to an otherwise simple structure. The fingers can be adjusted to different radial positions to match various cup diameters, providing adaptability while maintaining relative structural simplicity through a straightforward adjustment mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable radial position of the cup-catching fingers changes the geometric parameters of the catching mechanism to match different cup sizes. This parameter adjustment capability allows a single device structure to adapt to multiple cup types without complex redesign.
Data Source
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AI summary
A drinking cup receiving device (12) has at least one cup magazine (14) in which conically shaped drinking cups (11) of different sizes are stored. Drinking cups (11) are conveyed to the dispensing area (10) via a guide device (21). A variably adjustable collecting device (22) catches the drinking cup (11). For this purpose, the collecting device (22) has at least two cup-catching fingers (30) that are moved radially to adapt to the size of the drinking cup (11) being collected. The collected drinking cups (11) are then filled with a beverage and can be removed.