Automatic vending machine
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automatic vending machines lack precise temperature control, particularly for maintaining products in a supercooled state, which can lead to the sale of beverages not in the appropriate state, including frozen ones.
Innovation Solution
An automatic vending machine with a cooling device and control unit that selectively executes partial or entire cooling operations based on temperature measurements, using a blower fan and heat exchanger to maintain the product storage chamber temperature within a set range, ensuring products are kept in a supercooled state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional temperature control is used in automatic vending machines, then the structure is simple, but the temperature control precision is insufficient leading to products being sold in inappropriate states
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling control is segmented into two distinct modes: partial cooling for the lower space and entire cooling for the whole chamber. The control unit selectively executes these different cooling operations based on temperature measurements, allowing precise control of critical areas without unnecessarily cooling the entire chamber, thus improving temperature precision while managing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different cooling strategies to different spatial zones within the product storage chamber. The lower space receives targeted partial cooling when needed, while the upper space is cooled only when necessary. This local quality approach ensures products in critical zones maintain proper temperature states without requiring uniform cooling throughout the entire chamber
2Reliability
If the entire product storage chamber is continuously cooled, then all products are maintained at low temperature, but energy consumption increases and products may be over-cooled to frozen state
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit implements partial cooling action by selectively cooling only the lower space when the temperature exceeds the set range, rather than continuously cooling the entire chamber. This partial action approach maintains product quality reliability in critical zones while avoiding excessive cooling that would lead to frozen products and wasted energy
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling operation is executed periodically based on temperature monitoring rather than continuously. The control unit measures temperatures at lower and upper spaces, compares them against set ranges, and activates cooling only when necessary. This periodic action ensures product quality while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous cooling
3Ease of operation
If temperature monitoring is performed only at the lowermost part, then the structure is simple, but products in the upper part may not be properly controlled
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature monitoring is segmented into two distinct measurement points: the lower space and the upper space. The control unit independently monitors temperatures at both locations and executes different cooling operations based on which zone exceeds the set temperature range. This segmentation ensures comprehensive temperature control reliability while maintaining operational simplicity through clear, location-specific control logic
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 effectively maintains the temperature of the product storage chamber within a narrow, set range, preventing the sale of beverages not in a supercooled state, while minimizing component count and operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling device which cools the inside of a product storage chamber
Implementation Method 2
using a blower fan and heat exchanger to maintain the product storage chamber temperature
Implementation Method 3
a lower part temperature measuring unit which measures a temperature of a lower space inside the product storage chamber
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
In an automatic vending machine which cools products for sale, sales of products not in an appropriate temperature state is prevented even for sales of products of which appropriate temperature range and permitted temperature range is narrow. The automatic vending machine drives a cooling device to execute partial cooling operation for cooling the product located on a lower side of the plurality of products stored in a product storage chamber when a lower space temperature T1 inside the product storage chamber becomes higher than an upper-limit value TSu of a set temperature range (S1 → S2). Then when the lower space temperature T1 is decreased to a lower-limit value TSL of the set temperature range, the automatic vending machine executes entire cooling operation for cooling all the plurality of products (S3 → S4). Furthermore, when the lower space temperature T1 becomes higher than the upper-limit value TSu of the set temperature range during the execution of the entire cooling operation, the automatic vending machine stops the entire cooling operation to execute the partial cooling operation (S5 → S6).