Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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VENDING MACHINE
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to vending machines.
The invention has particular application to vending machines
for vending chilled or frozen products especially in pre-packaged
form. However, it will be appreciated that the invention may also
be used with other vendible products.
BACKGROUND ART
The presently available vending machines for vending frozen
products fall into two main types. The first type has a cabinet
containing a plurality of racks each normally arranged to contain
one product line and having a pusher or the like for dispensing
a product from the rack upon selection of the desired product by
a customer. In some cases, instead of using a pusher each rack
may be an auger which rotates to move a product held therein into
a delivery chute. This general type of machine is illustrated in
United States Patent No. 5025950 to Trouteaud et al. It will be
appreciated that in this type of machine, the number of products
held in each rack is fairly small and the product line is limited
to a fairly specific size and shape to suit the rack.
Furthermore, each rack requires an undesirably large space in
order for the dispensing mechanisms to work effectively and the
racks themselves must be contained in the freezer compartment
which therefor must be undesirably large.
A second known type of vending machine includes a freezer
cabinet which houses an extraction device arranged to extract a
desired product from the freezer upon selection by a customer and
dispense it via a dispensing chute. In such apparatus the
extraction device typically includes a beam crane or gantry crane
movable to any selected x, y co-ordinates within the cabinet
whereupon a suction device supported by the crane moves down into
a product compartment at the selected co-ordinates and attaches
itself by suction to a product and then lifts it clear of the
product compartment then the crane moves to a position above a
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dispensing chute and releases the selected product which slides
down the chute for collection by the customer. In this type of
machine the beam crane is typically moved by motor driven (closed
loop) cables or rack and pinion devices. A variation on this type
of vending machine is disclosed in United States patent No.
5240139 which describes a machine in which a beam crane is
movable to any selected x,y co-ordinate above a chest freezer and
also includes a mechanism for opening the door of the chest
freezer so that a selected product can be extracted and then
allows the door to close after the product has been extracted.
It will be appreciated that in this machine, the extraction
mechanism is housed outside the chest freezer and is not subject
to the hostile environment of the other types mentioned and
furthermore, the chest freezer can be almost fully allocated to
product storage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
vending machine which has at least some of the advantages
proffered by the use of a chest freezer in a vending machine and
to provide additional advantages arising from the use of a
different extraction device.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing in view, this invention in one aspect
resides broadly in a vending machine including:
a cabinet;
a storage compartment in said cabinet for storing products
to be vended, said storage compartment having an upwardly
directed access opening;
product extraction means in said cabinet for extracting
products from said storage compartment and a customer accessible
product station for receiving products extracted by said product
extraction means;
selection means on a customer accessible position of said
cabinet for selecting a product to be extracted;
control means in operative communication with said product
extraction means for controlling the operation of said product
extraction means in response to a product selection;
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said product extraction means including a base member
operatively connected to said cabinet or mounted in said cabinet
for pivoting movement relative thereto about a vertical axis and
first elongate link means operatively connected at one end to
said base member for pivoting movement relative thereto about a
first horizontal axis and second elongate link means operatively
connected at one end to the other end of said first elongate link
means for movement relative to said first elongate link means
about a second horizontal axis, first actuation means operatively
connected to said first elongate link means and said base member
for pivotally moving said first elongate link means about said
first horizontal axis, second actuation means operatively
connected to said first and second elongate link means for
pivotally moving said second elongate link means relative to said
first elongate link means above said access opening about said
second horizontal axis, third actuation means operatively
connected to said base member for pivotally moving said base
member about said vertical axis, and coupling means operatively
connected to the other end of said second elongate link means for
coupling with a selected product wherein it may be extracted from
said storage compartment.
In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a vending
machine including:
a cabinet;
a refrigerated storage compartment in said cabinet for
storing chilled or frozen food products, said storage compartment
having an upwardly directed access opening and a compartment
closure for closing said upwardly directed access opening;
product extraction means in said cabinet for extracting
chilled or frozen food products from said storage compartment and
a customer accessible product station for receiving products
extracted by said product extraction means;
opening means operatively connected to said compartment
closure for selectively opening said closure to allow said
product extraction means access to food products in said
refrigerated storage compartment;
selection means on a customer accessible position of said
cabinet for selecting a product to be extracted;
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control means in operative communication with said product
extraction means for controlling the operation of said product
extraction means and said opening means in response to a product
selection;
said product extraction means including a base member
operatively connected to said cabinet or mounted in said cabinet
for pivoting movement relative thereto about a vertical axis and
first elongate link means operatively connected at one end to
said base member for pivoting movement relative thereto about a
first horizontal axis and second elongate link means operatively
connected at one end to the other end of said first elongate link
means for movement relative to said first elongate link means
about a second horizontal axis, first actuation means operatively
connected to said first elongate link means and said base member
for pivotally moving said first elongate link means about said
first horizontal axis, second actuation means operatively
connected to said first and second elongate link means for
pivotally moving said second elongate link means relative to said
first elongate link means above said access opening about said
second horizontal axis, third actuation means operatively
connected to said base member for pivotally moving said base
member about said vertical axis, and coupling means operatively
connected to the other end of said second elongate link means for
coupling with a selected food product wherein it may be extracted
from said storage compartment.
Preferably, said product extraction means is mounted on a
stand in said cabinet and said third actuation means is
operatively connected to said stand and said base member so as
to move said base member relative to said stand.
Preferably, the vending machine includes fourth actuation
means operatively connected to said coupling means for moving
said coupling means up and down with respect to said second link
means so that said coupling means may couple with products
located at any depth within the storage compartment. It is also
preferred that said coupling means include a flexible and
resilient coupling head adapted to abut a surface of the selected
product in such manner that vacuum pressure provided at said
coupling head may cause the product to be "sucked" on to the
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coupling head thus being securely engaged, the vacuum being
provided by a vacuum pump or other source of vacuum operatively
connected to said coupling head by a tubular member such as a
vacuum tube or hose connected to said coupling head at one end
and at the other end to the vacuum pump. Preferably, such vacuum
pump or other source has a low flow rate and provides a
relatively high negative pressure vacuum, for example, 6 cubic
metres per hour at -80kPa. Advantageously, such high negative
pressure is believed to decrease the possibility of product
slippage sideways and resultant dropping of the product whilst
being extracted. In such form of the invention, the vacuum pump
is remote from the first and second link means and the tubular
member is attached in such manner to allow up and down movement
of said tubular member in conjunction with said coupling means.
In a preferred form said tubular member is supported by a semi-
rigid sheath which connects said coupling means to said fourth
actuation means and preferably the sheath is a helical spring
which is guided for linear movement along or beside said first
and second link means by rollers mounted thereon whilst in
another embodiment the spring passes through a tubular sleeve.
Suitably, the spring has sufficient flexibility to allow bending
so as to accommodate pivoting movement of said first and second
link means but is sufficiently rigid for linear movement
therealong or therebeside. It is also preferred that said fourth
actuation means be a short stroke linear actuator connected to
said spring via a crank adapted to cause movement of the spring
so that the coupling means can be lowered from a first position
above the storage compartment to a second position on or close
top the bottom of the storage compartment. For this purpose it
is preferred that the spring have sufficient flexibility to bend
through an arc of about 90 degrees at a radius of about 500mm to
800mm.
Preferably, said control means is arranged to control said
first and second actuators for movement in unison so that the
height of said distal second end relative to said access opening
is maintained substantially constant. It will be appreciated that
in such case the height of the coupling means will be varied for
coupling with the selected food product. It is also preferred
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that said control means include sensing means for sensing contact
with or proximity to a product to be extracted or other suitable
parameter whereby coupling may be effected. In one form of the
invention, said sensing means is a proximity switch mounted on
or adjacent said coupling means for sensing the position of the
coupling means relative to a selected product whereby downward
movement of the coupling head can be stopped upon said coupling
head reaching a position at a predetermined distance from the
product and vacuum may be applied to said coupling means to
effect coupling and upward movement may be commenced once
coupling has been effected or after a predetermined period. In
another embodiment, said sensing means includes a contact member
operatively connected to said coupling means and adapted for
progressive displacement upon contact with the product to be
extracted and a micro-switch arranged to sense a predetermined
amount of displacement of said contact member.
In yet another aspect the invention resides broadly in a
vending machine including:
a cabinet;
a refrigerated storage compartment in said cabinet for
storing chilled or frozen food products, said storage compartment
having an upwardly directed access opening and a compartment
closure for closing said upwardly directed access opening;
product extraction means in said cabinet for extracting
chilled or frozen food products from said storage compartment and
a customer accessible product station for receiving products
extracted by said product extraction means;
opening means operatively connected to said compartment
closure for selectively opening said closure to allow said
product extraction means access to food products in said
refrigerated storage compartment;
selection means on a customer accessible position of said
cabinet for selecting a product to be extracted;
control means in operative communication with said product
extraction means for controlling the operation of said product
extraction means and said opening means in response to a product
selection;
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transfer means for receiving extracted food products from
said product extraction means and transferring said products to
said product station, said transfer means including a chute and
guide means for guiding a product to be transferred into said
chute, said guide means being movable in response to a product
selection from a stowed position remote from said storage
compartment to a guiding position adjacent said storage
compartment upon opening of said compartment closure;
said product extraction means including a base member
operatively connected to said cabinet or mounted in said cabinet
for pivoting movement relative thereto about a vertical axis and
first elongate link means operatively connected at one end to
said base member for pivoting movement relative thereto about a
first horizontal axis and second elongate link means operatively
connected at one end to the other end of said first elongate link
means for movement relative to said first elongate link means
about a second horizontal axis, first actuation means operatively
connected to said first elongate link means and said base member
for pivotally moving said first elongate link means about said
first horizontal axis, second actuation means operatively
connected to said first and second elongate link means for
pivotally moving said second elongate link means relative to said
first elongate link means above said access opening about said
second horizontal axis, third actuation means operatively
connected to said base member for pivotally moving said base
member about said vertical axis, and coupling means operatively
connected to the other end of said second elongate link means for
coupling with a selected food product wherein it may be extracted
from said storage compartment and delivered to said transfer
means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more readily understood
and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of
the invention and wherein:
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Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a vending
machine according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a pictorial representation of the vending
machine of Fig. 1 from the front with the front panel of
the vending machine cabinet removed;
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the chest freezer in the
vending machine cabinet as shown in Fig. 2 illustrating the
operation of the freezer lid;
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the vending machine of Fig.
1 with the top wall and side walls of the cabinet all
removed and with the freezer lid removed;
Fig. 5 illustrates the operation of the product
extractions unit for extracting products from the chest
freezer of the vending machine of Fig. 1, and
Figs. 6 and 7 are pictorial representations of an
alternative coupling head and sensor arrangement for the
vending machine of Fig. 1;
Fig. 8 is a pictorial representation of the vacuum pump
of the vending machine of Fig. 1;
Figs. 9 and 10 are schematic representations of the
vacuum control valve assembly of the vending machine of
Fig. 1;
Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the mounting frame
assembly on which the product extraction unit is mounted in
the machine of Fig. 1;
Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the mounting frame
assembly on which the product extraction unit is mounted in
the machine of Fig. 1 but showing an alternative
arrangement for supporting the extraction tube;
Fig. 13 is a pictorial representation of another
alternative arrangement for supporting the extraction tube
of the vending machine of Fig. 1;
Figs. 14a and 14b are pictorial representations of the
transfer chute of the vending machine of Fig. 1, with guide
door in open and closed attitudes respectively, and
Fig. 15 is a partial side elevation of the vending
machine of Fig. 1 showing the operation of the guide
assembly illustrated in Fig. 14.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The vending machine 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 has an outer
cabinet 11 having a base wall lla, a top wall llb, two spaced
apart side walls llc and lld, a rear wall lle and a removable
front wall llf having an outer frame and two side by side
hingedly mounted doors 12a and 12b which allow access to the
interior of the cabinet for maintenance and restocking. A
product selection panel 13 is mounted on the front door of the
cabinet in the normal manner for operation by a customer for
selecting a desired product and an electronically operated
message display unit 14 is located above the selection panel.
Similarly a coin mechanism 16 and associated coin retrieval
chute are mounted in the front door in the usual manner.
A glass window 17 is also provided in the front door and
extends across a large part of the upper portion of the
cabinet whereby a customer may view the extraction and
dispensing of the selected product which can be collected from
the delivery station 18 provided in the lower part of the door
12a.
A chest freezer 21 having a food storage compartment 21a
stands in the outer cabinet for storage of frozen food
products, particulary ice creams and ice blocks which are
typically stacked in plastic or cardboard containers opening
upwardly towards the lid 22. The lid 22 is pivotally mounted
at its rear edge by two spaced apart hinge assemblies 22a for
opening upwardly towards the rear wall of the cabinet 12 so
that the food products can be accessed from the top of the
freezer. Advantageously, the hinge assemblies are constructed
to allow the lid to open within the plan area of the freezer
so that the maximum width freezer can be accommodated in a
preselected size cabinet.
A product extraction unit 20 for extracting products from
the freezer and delivering them to the delivery station via
delivery chute 19 is mounted to a stand 24 in the cabinet 12
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which in turn is secured to the base wall of the cabinet
adjacent one side 21b of the freezer 21. The product
extraction unit includes a base 29 and a first parallel
linkage arm assembly 25a connected at one end to the base 29
5 and a second parallel linkage arm assembly 25b connected to
the other end of the first arm assembly 25a. The two arm
assemblies 25a and 25b operate in unison as will be more fully
described later. A shaft 26 depends from the base 29 and is
supported in bearings mounted to the stand 29 for pivotal
10 movement about a vertical axis 27 adjacent the side wall 21b
of the chest freezer 21, the base being secured to the shaft
for pivoting movement therewith. The first parallel linkage
arm assembly 25a includes a first arm member 28 which is
pivotally connected at one end to the base 29 by a
horizontally disposed pivot pin 30a for up and down pivoting
movement and at the other end to a connector member 31 by a
horizontally disposed pivot pin 30b. A second arm member 32 is
also pivotally connected to the connector member 31 by a
horizontally disposed pivot pin 30c for allowing up and down
pivoting movement of the second arm member 32 relative to the
connector member 31. At its other end the second arm member 32
is pivotally connected to a guide head 33 by a horizontally
disposed pin 30d, the guide head 33 having a passage 34 for
slidably receiving an extraction tube 35 therethrough for up
and down movement into and out of the food storage compartment
21a as will be explained more fully later. The orientation of
the guide head 33 such that the passage 34 is substantially
vertical is maintained by first and second link members 36 and
37 which are pivotally connected to the base 29, connector
member 31 and guide head 33 respectively in parallel with the
respective first and second arm members 28 and 32.
Movement of the first and second arm members 28 and 32 is
effected by first and second linear actuators 38 and 39
respectively, the first linear actuator 38 being pivotally
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connected to the base 29 and the first arm member 28 whilst
the second linear actuator 39 is pivotally connected to the
first arm member 28 and the second arm member 32 in such
manner that as the respective linear actuators extend in
unison. The first arm member 28 pivots relative to the base 29
and connector member 31 and the second arm member 32 pivots
relative to the connector member 31 and the guide head 33 so
that the two arm members 28 and 32 are extended to place the
guide head 33 at a desired position above the chest freezer 21
with the height of the guide head 33 being maintained
substantially constant.
Pivoting of the base 29 about the axis 27 is effected by
a third actuator 41 which is pivotally connected at one end to
the shaft 26 via a crank assembly having a crank arm 43
extending radially from the shaft 26 and an intermediate link
arm 42 as will be more clearly understood from Fig. 4.
Movement of the guide head 33 relative to the freezer 21
is controlled by an electronic controller 15 mounted on the
stand 24 which causes the first, second, and third actuators
(38, 39 and 41) to position the guide head 33 above a
particular product according to preprogrammed coordinates in
response to a product selection made by a customer operating
selection panel 13 after the appropriate payment has been made
via coin mechanism 16. The position of the guide head 33 is
determined by the distance each actuator (38, 39 or 41) has
extended from a predetermined datum and the preset coordinates
are selected according to a particular extension of each
actuator. The amount of extension is determined by the
inclusion of signal pulse generators attached to the
respective actuators and one or more pulses are generated upon
one revolution of the actuator motor depending on the degree
of accuracy required for positioning of the guide head 33.
The extraction tube 35 in this embodiment is a coil
spring which is operatively connected at one end to an
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actuator 48 within the stand 24 by a crank assembly 45 and
passes through a passage 46 provided in the shaft 26, beside
the two arm members 28 and 32 and through the passage 34 in
the guide head 33 to terminate in a free end 35b which moves
up and down into and out of the food storage compartment 21a
under the action of the actuator 48. The path of movement of
the spring 35 beside each of the arm members is guided by
tubular guide members 49 and 51 connected to the first and
second arm members 28 and 32 respectively. The path of
movement of the spring 35 within the stand 24 below the shaft
26 is guided by a plurality of spaced apart guide roller
assemblies 52 each having three guide rollers 53 and the crank
arm 47 is arranged to move through a maximum arc of
approximately 90 degrees to move the free end of the
extraction tube 35 down and up from a position above the food
storage compartment 21 to a position near the bottom of the
food storage compartment 21 as required. The operation of the
extraction tube 35 is more clearly shown in Fig. 11 and an
alternative arrangement is shown in Fig 12. In these drawings
it can be seen that the crank assembly 45 has a shaft 45a
which is mounted for pivotable movement about a horizontal
axis extending across the vending machine from side to side
and that the actuator 48 is connected at one end to the stand
24 and at the other end to a first crank arm 54 extending from
the shaft 45a and that the other crank arm 47 extends from the
other end of the shaft 45a and is much longer to give the
required arc of movement. The alternative arrangement for
guiding the extraction tube 35 illustrated in Fig. 13 includes
a sleeve 71 suitably curved at the same radius as the arc of
movement of the extraction tube 35. The sleeve 71 has a slot
72 extending from one end of the sleeve to the other and
adapted to receive therethrough the end portion of the crank
arm 47 for moving the extraction tube 35 within the sleeve 71.
The sleeve 71 is mounted to the stand 24 by brackets 73 only
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one of which is shown.
A vacuum tube 61 extends fully through the extraction
tube 35 and is connected at one end to a vacuum pump 62
mounted to the stand 24 and at its other end to a bellows type
rubber suction cup 63, the mouth of which is adapted to deform
to the shape of the surface of the article to be extracted as
vacuum is applied via the vacuum tube 61. A proximity switch
64 is attached to the extraction tube 35 near its free end and
electrically connected to the controller 15 by wire 60 for
sensing the position of the free end or the suction cup 63
relative to a product to be extracted and the controller 15 is
configured to switch the vacuum pump 62 on in response to a
signal from the proximity switch 64. In an alternative
embodiment illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, a micro-switch is
used instead of the proximity switch 64. In this arrangement,
an inner sleeve 66 is fitted to the free end of the extraction
tube 35 and an outer sleeve 67 is slidably mounted on the
inner sleeve 66, the outer sleeve 67 forming a shroud about
the suction cup 63 and being adapted to slide relative to the
inner sleeve 66 upon making contact with the product 65 to be
extracted. A two part switch having a reed 68 mounted on the
inner sleeve and axially spaced from the outer sleeve 67 and a
complementary magnet 69 mounted on the outer sleeve 67.
Movement of the outer sleeve 67 relative to the inner sleeve
66 by a predetermined distance causes the reed 68 and the
magnet 69 to engage, thus causing the controller 15 to switch
the vacuum pump 62 on.
The opening and closing of the lid 22 is effected by a
fifth linear actuator 56 which is connected at one end to the
wall 21b of the freezer and at the other end to the lid 22 via
a link member 55, the actuator also being controlled by the
electronic controller 15.
The delivery chute 19 has a base wall 19a forming the
base of the delivery station 18, two spaced apart side walls
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19c and 19d, a rear wall 19e adjacent the freezer 21 and a
front wall panel 19f adjacent the cabinet front wall llf. The
chute has a product entry 19g at its upper end for receiving
products from the extraction unit 20. It will be appreciated
that the overall width of the vending machine 10, front to
rear must be limited to allow passage through doorways and the
like and accordingly the size of the chest freezer 21 which
can be accommodated in the cabinet 11 is limited and so too
the width of the delivery chute 19. The chute in this case
includes a door or flap 19h at its upper end which opens in
response to opening of the freezer lid 22 towards the freezer
compartment 21a. Advantageously, the door acts as a guide for
products being dropped into the chute 19 by the product
extraction unit 20 thus allowing the width of the chute 19 to
be minimised and the freezer width to be maximised. Opening of
the door 19h is effected by a bowden cable 19j which is
connected at one end to the door 19h by a crank assembly 19k
and to the freezer lid 22 at the other end.
In use, a customer selects a desired product by pressing
a button on the control panel 13 whereupon an electronic
signal causes actuator 56 to open the lid 22 of the freezer 21
so that the desired product can be extracted by the product
extraction unit 20. As the lid 22 opens the chute door 19h
opens to provide a product guide and once the freezer lid 22
is open the product extraction unit 20 moves to a position
wherein the guide head 33 is directly above the compartment
containing the desired product (as indicated in phantom in
Fig. 5) whereupon the actuator 48 causes the spring 35 and the
vacuum tube 61 sheathed thereby with the attached suction head
to move downwardly towards the desired product. Upon the
suction head reaching a position of close proximity to the
product, the suction head "sucks on" to the product and
downward movement of the extraction tube is stopped in
response to transmission of a signal from the proximity switch
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14a
64 and subsequently the actuator 48 retracts the extraction
tube and the product attached to the suction cup 63 to a
position above the freezer 21. Once the product is above the
freezer 21 as indicated by the position of the actuator 48 (by
a signal pulse transmitted to the controller) the product
extraction unit 20 pivots about axis 27 and moves to a
position above the chute 19 where it releases the product
thereinto. The product extraction unit 20 then moves to the
fully retracted disposition illustrated in Fig. 5 and the lid
22 is closed by actuator 56 ready for the next customer. In
order to inhibit accidental early release of a product from
the suction cup 63 due to twitching of the proximity switch,
the vacuum tube 61 is connected to the vacuum pump 62 via a
valve assembly 81. The valve assembly 81 includes a vacuum
activated switch 82 which closes upon start-up of the vacuum
pump 62 to complete an auxiliary power supply circuit to the
pump, and a vacuum release valve 83 adapted to release the
vacuum from the vacuum tube 61 upon the product extraction
unit 20 reaching a predetermined delivery position so that the
product can be released.
It will of course be realised that while the foregoing
description has been given by way of illustrative example of
the invention all such and other modifications and variations
thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are
deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this
invention as defined in the appended claims.
