BEVERAGES VENDING MACHINE

Abstract

 A beverages vending machine, comprising means for positioning and transporting containers, such as cups (5), which includes at least one gripping arm (11) configured to translate below a plurality of modular units for delivering beverages, such as a selection and release device (6) for releasing said containers, a sugar dispensing device (7), a blades dispensing device (8) and a beverage dispensing device (9); the gripping arm (11) is connected to a cylindrical rotor (1), whose axial rotation is driven by an electric motor (2) and by a mechanism formed by a lever (3), which is integral with a shaft connected to the motor (2) and by a Maltese-crossed section (4), which is integral and coaxial with the center of gravity of the cylindrical rotor (1).

Description

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a vending machine for dispensing beverages, in particular hot drinks.

[0002] More particularly, the invention relates to a system configured to make easier the steps of positioning and conveying the containers (cups or glasses) inside the automatic vending machines for dispensing beverages. Said system includes a mechanism configured to be positioned with extreme precision at various points which are pre-calculated by means of the axial rotation of a cylindrical element (rotor).

[0003] Said rotation is driven by a motor and by a simple kinematic mechanism formed by a lever integral with the motor shaft and by an element shaped as a Maltese crossed section which is integral with the rotor and which is placed axially with respect to the center of gravity of said rotor.

[0004] The preparation of hot or cold drinks dispensed by a vending machine usually takes place, according to the known art, by moving a gripping arm of the cups or glasses under the different stations of the machine and first of all under a selection and release system of said cups or glasses (cups' releasing device).

[0005] Moreover, through other placements, each cup is placed under the other functional modules of the machine, such as the sugar's dispenser, the blades' dispenser, the dispenser of the finished product (coffee and/or other hot or cold drinks) and any other possible stations.

[0006] In order to carry out said controlled positioning movement, complex systems are currently used, such as motors with encoder, pinions, pinions with gear racks or other lever systems, which have a management complexity and consequently a lack of reliability in the operation of the whole machine.

[0007] An object of the present invention is therefore to obviate the drawbacks of the known art mentioned above and, in particular, to provide a vending machine for dispensing drinks or beverages, which has many mechanical and functional features realized by means of simple and safe electromechanical solutions and which has remarkable features of accuracy for a suitable use.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine for dispensing beverages, which is very easy to assemble and which is very simple to set.

[0009] These and other objects, which will be better clear in the following, are obtained by a vending machine for dispensing beverages according to the enclosed claim 1.

[0010] Other technical features of the vending machine of the present invention are contained in the dependent claims.

[0011] Advantageously, the vending machine according to the invention uses a mechanism for positioning and conveying the cups or glasses which is configured to be positioned with extreme precision at various points which are set by means of the axial rotation of a cylindrical element (rotor).

[0012] Said rotation is driven by a motor and by a kinematic system formed by a lever integral with the motor shaft and by an element shaped as a Maltese-crossed section, which is integral with the rotor and which is placed axially with respect to the center of gravity of said rotor.

[0013] Therefore, different re-placements of each cup or glass can be provided by keeping a constant angle (on average, no more than 5 re-placements for each cycle of the machine).

[0014] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more clear from the following description relating to a preferred embodiment of the vending machine for dispensing beverages, which is the object of the invention, and with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

• figures 1 and 2 show two perspective views of a mechanism for positioning and conveying the cups, which is placed inside a vending machine for dispensing beverages according to the present invention;
• figure 3 is a perspective view of a mechanism for positioning and conveying the cups, which is placed inside a vending machine for dispensing beverages according to the present invention;
• figure 4 shows the enlarged detail indicated with A in figure 3;
• figure 5 shows a detailed partial perspective view of the positioning and conveying mechanism shown in figure 3;
• figure 6 shows a front view of the positioning and conveying mechanism of figure 3, according to the invention;
• figures 7A, 7B, 7C, 8A, 8B, 8C show a series of movements of the positioning and conveying mechanism shown in figure 5, according to the present invention.

[0015] With reference to the mentioned figures, the vending machine for dispensing beverages according to the present invention includes a mechanism for positioning and conveying a plurality of containers (cups or glasses), which is configured to be placed with extreme accuracy at different prefixed positions; said positions are pre-calculated through the axial rotation of a cylindrical rotor 1, which is driven by an electric motor 2 and from a kinematic mechanism formed by a lever 3 integral with the motor shaft and by an element shaped as a Maltese-crossed section 4 which is integral with the rotor 1 and which is placed axially with respect to the center of gravity of said rotor.

[0016] The mechanism is configured so as to move a gripping arm 11 of the cups or glasses 5 under different stations corresponding to a cups' selection and release device 6 (cups' releasing device), to a sugar dispenser 7, to a blades' dispenser 8, to a dispenser of the finished product (coffee and/or hot or cold drinks) 9 and/or to any other stations of the vending machine. In particular, the cylindrical rotor 1 is provided with a recess or opening 10 and is connected to the gripping arm 11 of the cup 5, in order to collect and block the selected cup.

[0017] The openings or recesses 10 can also be two or more, with different positionings and with arms having differentiated diameters, so as to provide the use of an additional cups' releasing device 6 which contains cups 5 having diameters different from standard diameters.

[0018] Assuming that the rotation of the rotor 1 starts from a cup's releasing point (corresponding to a zero or rest position), at this position the outer cylinder 15 which contains the rotor 1 closes the opening 10 from which the cup 5 may be taken by the user.

[0019] In order to identify said rest position (or zero point), a micro-switch 13, which is actuated at the passage of a cam fixed on the lever 3 in the lower part of the element shaped as a Maltese-crossed section 4, is placed in the lower part of the containment casing 12 of the rotor 1.

[0020] The signal coming from the micro-switch 13 is directed to a control circuit which reads the signal as a zero point coming and which, according to said processing, is able to start or stop the motor 2.

[0021] An additional micro-switch 14 is provided In correspondence of the Maltese-crossed section 4 and said micro-switch 14 contacts a lower cam of the lever 3, so as to detect the rotation of the shaft connected to the motor 2, thus providing a related signal to an electronic management unit of the machine.

[0022] Basically, at each pulse of said additional micro-switch 14 corresponds one revolution of the gripping arm 11 and, therefore, given the mechanical relationship between the different parts, at each pulse corresponds a placement of the rotor 1 in a desired stations.

[0023] It follows that, given the rest position (zero point) and the pulses corresponding to the revolutions of the rotor 1, it is possible to set, by means of the electronic circuit, the position of the rotor 1, of the cup 5 and of the gripping arm 11, with respect to the functional modules, such as the cups' releasing device 6, the sugar's dispenser 7, the blades' dispenser 8 and the drink dispenser 9.

[0024] Practically, the movement of the system takes place through the rotation of the lever 3, which is provided with a protruding face 3a, which engages in the grooves 4a of the Maltese-crossed section 4 by rotating for an angle greater than 180°, so as to maintain said face 3a locked until the roller 3c of the lever 3 is entered in one of the grooves 4b of the Maltese-crossed section 4.

[0025] The rotation of the arm 11 and the consequent push of the roller 3c in the groove 4b causes the rotation of the Maltese-crossed section 4, and thus of the cylindrical rotor 1, to which said Maltese-crossed section 4 is coupled.

[0026] The roller 3c acts as an element for controlling the movement of the whole system and of the rotor 1 itself (so that said rotor 1 cannot be moved by hand from the outside), until a full revolution of the rotor 1 is completed, when the protruding face 3a of the lever 3 goes back inside the corresponding groove 4a, thus completing the positioning of the cup 5 in the desired position.

[0027] Throughout this phase, the cylindrical rotor 1 is never free, but it is always driven by the movement of the lever 3, which is synchronized with the movement of the Maltese-crossed section 4.

[0028] Moreover, the slight portions of the system, such as the engine 2 and the micro-switches 13 and 14, remain in the lower part of the device and are thus protected from fumes and dust, which usually ranging upwards during the operation of the machine.

[0029] It has thus been found that the invention according to the invention allows to obtain a guided movement, with constant or differentiated speed, even with a reversal of the movement and with a minimum tolerance on the positioning of the devices.

[0030] Furthermore, the invention does not require great powers of the motor 2, as considerable masses are not moved and in any case the main movement is an axial movement, as well as the electronic circuit is greatly simplified with respect to the prior art.

[0031] Finally, the stopping points of the cups 5 can be modified at will, for example, by modifying the shape of the cam which is coupled with the Maltese-crossed section 4 and/or by detecting the number of stops of the cup 5 (which correspond to the revolutions of the motor 2).

[0032] The technical features of the vending machine for dispensing beverages according to the present invention are clear from the above description, as well as the related advantages are also clear.

[0033] Finally, it is clear that many other variations may be made to the vending machine of the present invention, without departing from the principles of novelty inherent in the inventive idea expressed in the appended claims.

Claims

1. Beverages vending machine, comprising means for positioning and transporting containers, such as cups (5), which includes at least one gripping arm (11) configured to move below a plurality of modular units for delivering beverages, such as a selection and releasing device (6) for releasing said containers, a sugar dispensing device (7), a blades dispensing device (8) and a beverage dispensing device (9), characterized in that said at least one gripping arm (11) is connected to a cylindrical rotor (1), whose axial rotation is driven by an electric motor (2) and by a mechanism formed by a lever (3), which is integral with a shaft connected to said motor (2) and by a Maltese-crossed section (4), which is integral and coaxial with the center of gravity of said cylindrical rotor (1).

2. Beverages vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said cylindrical rotor (1) has at least one recess or opening (10), configured to allow the taking of the container or cup (5) by a user.

3. Beverages vending machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, at a rest position of said cylindrical rotor (1), an outer cylinder (15) for containing said rotor (1) closes said opening (10) from which said container or cup (5) may be taken by the user.

4. Beverages vending machine according to claim 3, characterized in that a first micro-switch (13) is placed below said cylindrical rotor (1), said first micro-switch (13) being actuated by a cam, which is fixed to said lever (3) in a lower portion of said Maltese-crossed section (4), in order to detect said rest position and to activate or de-activate said electric motor (2) according to an electronic processing of the signal sent from said first micro-switch (13).

5. Beverages vending machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a second micro-switch (14) is placed at said Maltese-crossed section (4), said second micro-switch (14) being in contact with a cam, which is arranged below said lever (3) and which detects the rotation of said shaft connected to said electric motor (2), thus providing a corresponding signal to an electronic processing control unit.

6. Beverages vending machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each pulse of said second micro-switch (14) corresponds to a revolution of said at least one gripping arm (11) and to a subsequent positioning of said cylindrical rotor (1) in a prefixed position, with respect to said modular units of the vending machine.

7. Beverages vending machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said lever (3) is rotatable and is provided with a protruding face (3a), which engages in at least one recess (4a) of said Maltese-crossed section (4) and is always locked until a roller (3c) of said lever (3) engages with at least one groove (4b) of said Maltese-crossed section (4).

8. Beverages vending machine according to claim 7, characterized in that a movement of rotation of said at least one gripping arm (11) and a consequent thrust of said roller (3c) within said groove (4b) causes a rotation of said Maltese-crossed section (4) and of said cylindrical rotor (1), to which said Maltese-crossed section (4) is coupled.

9. Beverages vending machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cylindrical rotor (1) is always driven by the movement of said lever (3), which is synchronized with the movement of said Maltese-crossed section (4).

Drawing