JPH0417555B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a commercially available liquid milk product in a cup with a flange, in which liquid milk to be added to a beverage such as coffee is divided into cup containers. The present invention relates to a dispensing device for products in brimmed cups that is incorporated into a fresh brew coffee vending machine and dispenses the liquid milk products one by one to a product dispensing port in accordance with the coffee vending operation.

[Conventional technology]

Diversity in the preferences of vending machine users these days,
Due to the trend toward higher quality coffee, there has recently been a growing demand for liquid milk to be used as an additive for coffee sold in the coffee vending machines mentioned above, and in response to this demand, liquid milk products in cups are stored on board. In addition, a product dispensing device that dispenses coffee items one by one in accordance with the sales operation of coffee is being developed.

By the way, the above-mentioned liquid milk products in cups that are currently on the market have a weight of 6 to 6.
It is a small and lightweight item of about 8 gr, and its shape is as shown in Figure 3.
As shown in FIG. 4, the product 1 has a large-diameter brim portion 1b extending outward from the cup body 1a on its upper surface.
It is made as a specially formed small circular container which has a lid with a lid and a protrusion 1c that serves as a spout formed in a part of the lid. Furthermore, this container is made of thin plastic and is easily deformed by a slight external force. The size ratio of the cup container is the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the top surface A,
B, if the height of the cup is C, then A>B>C
There is a relationship between

When storing a large number of such products in irregularly shaped brimmed cups in a product storage case installed on board the aircraft and controlling their dispensing, the products are arranged one by one and placed in the case like a product storage shelf in a normal vending machine. If the device is housed inside the device, the entire device will be large and complicated, and loading the product will be time-consuming. Therefore, from the standpoint of product management services, it is desirable to have a configuration that can store a large amount of products in bulk and control their removal one by one based on instructions.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, if you put all these products in odd-shaped brimmed cups in bulk into a large storage case, the storage positions of the products will be uneven, and the rims of the products will get entangled with each other in the case and cause problems. This makes it difficult to separate the products one by one and smoothly control their delivery, and this is a major reason for preventing the realization of a product dispensing device for products in brimmed cups that is satisfactory in terms of performance. It is becoming.

Therefore, the present invention aims at storing a large number of the above-mentioned products in irregularly shaped rimmed cups in a case in a bulk manner, and then controlling the storage posture of the products in the case and dispensing the products one by one based on a dispensing command. An object of the present invention is to provide a product dispensing device capable of smoothly discharging products one by one.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a product that is placed in a cup container having a lid with a brim on the top surface, and the height dimension of the cup container is set smaller than the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the top surface of the container. It is a dispensing device that stores a large number of products in brimmed cups at once and discharges the products one by one based on a product dispensing command, and has a product input port and a product discharge port at the top and bottom, and a gap between the left and right side walls. A box-shaped product storage case configured such that the width of the passage inside the case is regulated to the height of the cup container of the product, and a timing belt disposed at the bottom of the case while leaving an exit passage leading to the product exit in the case. A product carrying-out mechanism of the type shown in FIG. A slit into which the collar of the product can fit is formed between the left and right edges of the timing belt that makes up the delivery mechanism and the side wall of the case.
The device for dispensing products in brimmed cups is configured to drive and operate the timing belt in response to a dispensing command to sequentially send out stored products arranged on the belt to a product discharging passage and carry them out.

[Effect]

According to the above means, when the products are loaded into the case in bulk through the product input port at the top,
Since the width of the case is set according to the height of the products, all the products 1 are stacked and stored on the timing belt 4b in a horizontal and parallel posture. Therefore, the products are prevented from getting entangled with each other in the case and bridging, and by driving the timing belt, the products can be separated one by one and smoothly transported.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an embodiment of the present invention, and in the figures, reference numeral 2 indicates a product input port 2a on the top surface;
This product storage case is a box-shaped case with a product delivery port 2b opened on the bottom surface, and inside the case, product guides 3 are provided on the front and rear end surfaces, and a timing belt type product delivery mechanism 4 and product detection switch 5 are located at the bottom. etc. are equipped. Here, the product storage case 2 has a passage width W in the case between its left and right side walls.
is regulated in accordance with the height dimension C of the product 1 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In addition, the product guide 3 disposed on the front and rear end surfaces of the case serves as a protective member to prevent the peripheral edge of the brim of the stored product 1 housed in the case from hitting the wall surface of the case and being deformed. The product guide 3, which is a convex strip, is installed with a slit d into which the collar 1b of the product 1 fits between the left and right side surfaces of the product guide 3 and the side wall surface of the case. On the other hand, the product delivery mechanism 4 includes an endless timing belt 4b stretched between pulleys 4a installed in the bottom area of the case, and a bend motor 4 for driving the belt connected to the pulleys.
The timing belt 4b is constructed as an assembly with the timing belt 4b and the timing belt 4b has a roughened surface so as to have a large coefficient of friction. Further, the product delivery mechanism 4 is installed in the case, and a slit d into which at least the collar portion 1b of the product 1 can fit is secured between the left and right edges of the belt 4b and the case side wall. Also timing belt 4
A bulging part 3a protruding inward of the case is formed at the lower end of the product guide 3 on the product delivery end side facing b, and between this bulging part 3a and the timing belt 4b, the product from the top surface of the belt to the case side is formed. A product carry-out passage 6 leading to the carry-out port 2b is defined. Further, the above-mentioned product detection switch 5 is installed on the product guide side facing the product delivery path 6. Note that the timing belt 4b and the protruding portion 3 of the product guide
The width of the entrance of the product carrying-out passage 6 regulated between the product 1 and the product 1 is limited to be slightly smaller than the cup body diameter of the product 1.

Next, the product dispensing operation with the above configuration will be explained. First, the products 1 are loaded in bulk into the case 2 through the product input port 2a at the top. In this case, the width W of the passage inside the case is set according to the height dimension C of the product 1, as described above.
Therefore, all of the input products 1 are stacked and stored on the timing belt 4b in a horizontal and parallel posture. Here, among the stored products, the products located at the front and rear ends of the case are restrained by the product guide 3, and the brim of the product 1 enters the slit d between the product guide 3 and the side wall surface of the case 2. The peripheral edge of the product 1 does not touch the wall surface, and the products at the lowest position rest on the timing belt 4b, and in this position, the collar 1b of the product 1 is inserted into the slit d between the side edge of the belt 4b and the case side wall. Therefore, the products 1 are aligned such that their cup bodies 1a are in contact with the belt surface of the timing belt 4b. Further, the products 1 in the front row lined up on the belt are held between the belt 4b and the bulge 3a of the product guide in a standby position. Therefore, in this stored state, each product 1 is in a parallel posture, and the collar portion 1b is inserted into the slit, so that the peripheral edge of the collar portion is prevented from being unduly pressed against the case wall and deformed.

Next, when a product delivery command is given from the standby state, the bend motor 4c is started by this command and drives the timing belt 4b in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the products 1 lined up on the belt are conveyed by the belt 4b due to the frictional force acting between them, and the products 1 lined up in the front row in front of the delivery end are guided by the product guide with their bodies deformed into a somewhat flattened shape. The product slips through the entrance of the product delivery path 6, which is regulated between the bulging portion 3a of will be paid out to. On the other hand, when the product detection switch 5 detects the next product 1 that has been belt-transported from the rear to the delivery position with this delivery operation, the bend motor 4c is controlled to stop based on this detection signal, and the product returns to the delivery standby state again. Thereafter, in the same manner, each time a delivery command is given, the products addressed to one item are sequentially delivered. The products stored in the case are controlled in a parallel position so that their cylindrical cup bodies overlap each other.
In the process of carrying out the product, the brim portions of the products do not become entangled with each other and are smoothly conveyed by the belt while rolling against each other.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the case is a box-shaped case with a product input port and a product output port opened at the top and bottom, and the width of the passage inside the case between the left and right side walls is adjusted to the cup height dimension of a product in a brimmed cup. The product is equipped with a product storage case configured in a regulated manner, and a timing belt type product delivery mechanism provided at the bottom of the case, leaving an exit path leading to the product delivery port inside the case. By storing the products in a horizontal position and driving the timing belt in response to a delivery command, the stored products lined up on the belt are sequentially delivered to the product delivery path and transported, making it possible to store them in bulk in the case. By controlling the posture of a large number of products stored in the same manner, the products can be smoothly dispensed one by one in order by a dispensing command while being aligned on a timing belt without their collars intertwining with each other.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing the shape of a product in a cup with an irregularly shaped brim. In the figure, 1...Product, 1a...Cup body, 1b...Brim, 2...Product storage case, 2a...Product inlet, 2b...Product output port, 3...Product guide, 4
...Product delivery mechanism, 4a...Pulley, 4b...Timing belt, 4c...Bend motor, 5...
Product detection switch, 6...Product delivery path, W...
Passage width in the case, C... Product cup height, d...
...Slit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Bulk storage of a large number of products in cup containers with a brim on the top surface, the height of which is smaller than the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the top surface of the container. , is a dispensing device for discharging products one by one based on a product dispensing command, which has a product input port and a product discharge port open at the top and bottom, and the width of the passage inside the case between the left and right side walls is the same as that of the cup container for the product. Consisting of a box-shaped product storage case configured with height dimensions regulated, and a timing belt-type product delivery mechanism disposed at the bottom of the case, leaving an exit path leading to the product delivery port inside the case, A product guide in the form of a convex strip is provided on the rear surface of the product storage case, leaving a slit between it and the case side wall surface into which the collar of the product can fit, and the left and right side edges of a timing belt constituting the product delivery mechanism. A slit into which the collar of the product can fit is formed between the case and the case side wall surface, and by driving the timing belt in response to a delivery command, the stored products lined up on the belt are sequentially delivered to the product delivery passage and carried out. A device for dispensing products in a cup with a brim.