Tray product pusher-puller device for a vending machine and vending machine
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vending machine pullers face limitations in thrust capacity and are difficult to clean, especially when dealing with heavy products and accidental spills, and often require complex mechanisms that complicate cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A tray product pusher-puller device with a chain system comprising links and a toothed pinion gear, allowing for high thrust capacity and easy cleaning by eliminating the need for channels in the base, and featuring a removable base for enhanced cleanliness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a toothed belt mechanism is used for the puller, then the thrust force is limited by the elastic limit of the belt, but the structure becomes more complex with channels and surfaces that are difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The chain is divided into multiple rigid links connected by joints, allowing the force transmission system to be segmented into discrete units. This segmentation enables the chain to achieve high thrust through mechanical advantage while maintaining a simple, cleanable structure without requiring complex channels or enclosed spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the elastic belt mechanism with a rigid chain and pinion gear system. This substitution eliminates the elastic limit constraint that limited thrust force, as the rigid chain can transmit force beyond elastic deformation limits. The simple chain links and pinion gear create minimal surfaces that are easy to clean, resolving the contradiction between thrust capacity and cleaning difficulty.
2Ease of operation
If the base includes channels for belt movement, then the puller mechanism can function, but the base surface becomes difficult to clean due to projections and crevices
Solution Approach 1:
The chain is extracted from the base structure, allowing it to move independently above the base rather than requiring channels within the base. This extraction eliminates the need for base channels and projections, creating a completely smooth and flat base surface that is easy to clean while maintaining full puller functionality.
3Force
If heavy products are moved with high thrust, then the pusher can handle heavy loads, but the mechanism requires complex components that are difficult to maintain and clean
Solution Approach 1:
The chain links are designed as standardized, interchangeable components that can be easily removed, replaced, or recovered for maintenance. The simple link-and-joint design allows individual links to be discarded or replaced without affecting the entire system, significantly improving ease of repair and maintenance while maintaining high thrust capacity.
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 device achieves tripled thrust capacity compared to existing systems and ensures easy cleaning by maintaining a smooth, flat base, reducing complexity and improving cleaning efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a toothed drive pinion gear provided inside the fairing, rotatably mounted inside the fairing and configured to contact at least a portion of the links of the chain
Implementation Method 2
a chain (2) comprising a set of links (3), wherein the chain (2) in turn comprises a first end (4) configured to come into contact with the products to be dispensed
Data Source
AI summary
A tray product pusher-puller device for a vending machine that allows a very high thrust to be achieved in order to move heavy products while at the same time ensuring that the storage surface that constitutes the unitary puller is easily cleanable and removable, in addition to providing the product with a stable base for storage, wherein the invention further relates to the vending machine comprising said pusher-puller device.