Vending machine and goods delivery method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11386739-B2
Application number	US-201816954970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	Jul 12, 2022
Grant date	Jul 12, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a vending machine, including a cabinet, a bucket, a bucket drive mechanism, a first shutter mechanism, a second shutter mechanism, a controller and a storage column; a pickup port is arranged at the surface of the cabinet; the storage column stores the commodities; the bucket includes an inlet and an outlet; the inlet receives the commodity to be conveyed from the storage column, and the outlet is butted with the pickup port; the bucket drive mechanism drives the bucket to move in the cabinet; the first shutter mechanism blocks or opens the inlet; the second shutter mechanism blocks or opens the outlet; the controller controls the first shutter mechanism to open the inlet and the second shutter mechanism to block the outlet in the process of commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket. Further disclosed is a commodity conveying method.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vending machine, comprising:
a cabinet, wherein a pickup port is arranged at the surface of the cabinet;
a storage column arranged in the cabinet, configured to store the commodities;
a bucket arranged in the cabinet, configured to convey commodities between the storage column and the pickup port, wherein the bucket comprises an inlet and an outlet which are oppositely arranged, wherein the inlet is configured to be butted with the storage column so that the commodity to be conveyed in the storage column can enter the bucket through the inlet, and wherein the outlet is configured to be butted with the pickup port;
a bucket drive mechanism, in transmission connection with the bucket, configured to drive the bucket to move in the cabinet;
a first shutter mechanism arranged at the inlet, configured to block or open the inlet;
a second shutter mechanism arranged at the outlet, configured to block or open the outlet; and
a controller, wherein the first shutter mechanism and the second shutter mechanism are both electrically connected with the controller, wherein the controller is configured to control the first shutter mechanism to open the inlet and the second shutter mechanism to block the outlet in the process of the commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket.

2. The vending machine according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the first shutter mechanism to block the inlet and the second shutter mechanism to block the outlet in the process of the bucket conveying the commodity to be conveyed from the storage column to the pickup port.

3. The vending machine according to claim 2 , wherein a first sensor is arranged at the inlet of the bucket, wherein the first sensor is electrically connected with the controller, and the first sensor is configured to detect whether the commodity to be conveyed completely enters the bucket, wherein the controller is further configured to control the first shutter mechanism to block the inlet when the first sensor detects that the commodity to be conveyed completely enters the bucket.

4. The vending machine according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the first shutter mechanism to block the inlet and the second shutter mechanism to open the outlet when the outlet is butted with the pickup port.

5. The vending machine according to claim 1 , wherein a second sensor is arranged in the bucket, wherein the second sensor is configured to detect the height of the commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket, and the second sensor is electrically connected with the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the height of the first shutter mechanism when the first shutter mechanism blocks the inlet and the height of the second shutter mechanism when the second shutter mechanism blocks the outlet according to the height of the commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket.

6. A commodity conveying method for a vending machine, wherein the vending machine comprises a cabinet, a bucket, a bucket drive mechanism, a first shutter mechanism, a second shutter mechanism and a storage column, wherein a pickup port is arranged at the surface of the cabinet, wherein the bucket, the bucket drive mechanism and the storage column are arranged in the cabinet, wherein the bucket is configured to convey commodities between the storage column and the pickup port, comprising an inlet and an outlet oppositely arranged, wherein the first shutter mechanism is arranged at the inlet, the second shutter mechanism is arranged at the outlet, and the bucket drive mechanism is configured to drive the bucket to move in the cabinet, the method comprising:
controlling the bucket drive mechanism to drive the bucket to move towards the storage column; and
controlling the first shutter mechanism to open the inlet and the second shutter mechanism to block the outlet when the inlet is butted with the storage column.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
controlling the first shutter mechanism to block the inlet when it is determined that the commodity to be conveyed in the storage column is conveyed into the bucket; and
controlling the bucket drive mechanism to drive the bucket to move to the pickup port so that the outlet can be butted with the pickup port.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the vending machine further comprises a first sensor configured to detect whether the commodity to be conveyed completely enters the bucket; the method further comprising:
judging whether the commodity to be conveyed in the storage column completely enters the bucket according to a signals output by the first sensor; and
determining the commodity to be conveyed in the storage column is conveyed into the bucket when it is determined that the commodity to be conveyed completely enters the bucket.

9. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
controlling the second shutter mechanism to open the outlet when the outlet is butted with the pickup port.

10. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the vending machine further comprises a second sensor configured to detect the height of the commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket, the method further comprising:
determining the height of the commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket according to signals output by the second sensor, and adjusting the height of the first shutter mechanism when the first shutter mechanism blocks the inlet and the height of the second shutter mechanism when the second shutter mechanism blocks the outlet according to the height.

11. The vending machine according to claim 1 , wherein a first sensor is arranged at the inlet of the bucket, wherein the first sensor is electrically connected with the controller, and the first sensor is configured to detect whether the commodity to be conveyed completely enters the bucket, wherein the controller is further configured to control the first shutter mechanism to block the inlet when the first sensor detects that the commodity to be conveyed completely enters the bucket.

12. The vending machine according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the first shutter mechanism to block the inlet and the second shutter mechanism to open the outlet when the outlet is butted with the pickup port.

13. The vending machine according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the first shutter mechanism to block the inlet and the second shutter mechanism to open the outlet when the outlet is butted with the pickup port.

14. The vending machine according to claim 2 , wherein a second sensor is arranged in the bucket, wherein the second sensor is configured to detect the height of the commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket, and the second sensor is electrically connected with the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the height of the first shutter mechanism when the first shutter mechanism blocks the inlet and the height of the second shutter mechanism when the second shutter mechanism blocks the outlet according to the height of the commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket.

15. The vending machine according to claim 3 , wherein a second sensor is arranged in the bucket, wherein the second sensor is configured to detect the height of the commodity to be conveyed entering the bucket, and the second sensor is electrically connected with the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the height of the first shutter mechanism when the first shutter mechanism blocks the i

Assignees

• Shandong New Beiyang Inf Tech

Inventors

• Zhang Chunguang
• Zhou Chong
• Wang Xinping
• Peng Yuanbin

Classifications

• G07F11/1653 Primary

  the picking arrangements being collecting buckets · CPC title

• G07F11/42

  the articles being delivered by motor-driven means · CPC title

• G07F11/02 Primary

  from non-movable magazines · CPC title

• G07F11/165

  using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements · CPC title

• G07F11/005

  Special arrangements for insuring that only one single article may be dispensed at a time · CPC title