IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0175061
(2002-06-20)
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§371/§102 date |
20031113
(20031113)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Selfridge, Glenn D.
- Herzog, Clayton
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출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
29 인용 특허 :
31 |
초록
▼
A frozen product, upright-style vending machine having a pick and place mechanism moveable in three dimensions (X, Y, Z) with a fourth, rotational, degree of freedom (W) effected using the Z axis drive. The mechanism moves along tracks in the X-Y directions and is permitted full range of motion by a
A frozen product, upright-style vending machine having a pick and place mechanism moveable in three dimensions (X, Y, Z) with a fourth, rotational, degree of freedom (W) effected using the Z axis drive. The mechanism moves along tracks in the X-Y directions and is permitted full range of motion by an extension hose. Frozen products are arranged in a container within the vending machine freezer, the container acting as a virtual cold-wall freezer trapping cold air. The pick and place mechanism positions a vacuum pick-up head over the appropriate product along the X-Y tracks in response to a customer selection. The vacuum pick-up head is attached to a vacuum hose which is wound on a hose reel. The vacuum hose is unwound to lower the vacuum pick-up head along the Z axis to the selected product and, when suction has been established against a selected product in the virtual cold-wall freezer, the vacuum hose is rewound. By over-driving the Z-axis drive motor, the pick-up head is rotated to a horizontal position by hose tension, and the product is dispensed through a delivery door positioned relatively high on the vending machine such that the frozen products are not dropped a significant distance and broken during delivery.
대표청구항
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1. A frozen product vending machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of frozen products to a customer comprising:an upright style freezer unit having a cooled interior for storing the plurality of frozen products; a product delivery mechanism for selectively removing a frozen product in
1. A frozen product vending machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of frozen products to a customer comprising:an upright style freezer unit having a cooled interior for storing the plurality of frozen products; a product delivery mechanism for selectively removing a frozen product in response to customer selection, said product delivery mechanism having a linear bearing and cross-slide mechanism mounted within said freezer unit for movement in X and Y directions and, for movement along a Z axis direction, said product delivery mechanism including; a hose reel; a length of vacuum hose wound upon said hose reel, said length of hose having an inflow end and an outflow end; a pick-up head coupled to said inflow end of said length of vacuum hose; a vacuum pump mounted in said freezer unit for generating negative pressure; an extension hose coupling an output of said vacuum pump to said outflow end of said length of vacuum hose for directing negative pressure from said pump to said pick-up head to pick up a frozen product from said container by suction; a Z-axis drive motor for driving rotation of said hose reel to unwind and wind said length of vacuum hose for extending and retracting said length of hose along the Z axis direction; and a guide member rotatably connected to said hose reel for aligning said vacuum hose when winding and unwinding, and said guide member being rotatable through approximately 90° from a vertical position to a horizontal position in response to tension exerted on said vacuum hose by said Z-axis drive motor when said vacuum hose is fully wound up on said reel. 2. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said product delivery mechanism is located inside said freezer unit and said pick-up head is positioned over a selected product before said Z-axis drive motor is activated to unwind said vacuum hose for product pick-up.3. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 1, said product delivery mechanism further including a weight attached to said pick-up head for straightening said vacuum hose during an unwinding phase and for providing a stop through contact with said guide member upon completion of a rewind phase.4. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 1, said product delivery mechanism further comprising a delivery port opening structure, hingedly connected to said guide member and rotatable with said guide member from said vertical position to said horizontal position, said delivery port opening structure including an extension bar for pushing open a hatch covering said delivery port, and a spring for assisting return of said guide member to said vertical position following product delivery.5. A frozen product vending machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of frozen products to a customer comprising:an upright style freezer unit having a cooled interior for storing the plurality of frozen products; a product delivery mechanism for selectively removing a frozen product in response to customer selection, said product delivery mechanism having a linear bearing and cross-slide mechanism mounted within said freezer unit for movement in X and Y directions and, for movement along a Z axis direction, said product delivery mechanism including, a hose reel; a length of vacuum hose wound upon said hose reel, said length of hose having an end coupled to a vacuum source and a inflow end; a pick-up head coupled to said inflow end of said length of vacuum hose for picking up a selected frozen product by suction; and a Z-axis drive motor for driving rotation of said hose reel to unwind and wind said length of vacuum hose for extending and retracting said length of hose along the Z axis direction. 6. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 5, further comprising a delivery port in a front portion of said freezer unit, said delivery port on a horizontal plane common with said product delivery mechanism when positioned for product delivery.7. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 6, wherein a delivery chute is positioned below said delivery port, a depth of said chute corresponding to just greater than a maximum thickness of the frozen products being delivered.8. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 5, said product delivery mechanism further including:a guide member rotatably connected to said hose reel for aligning said vacuum hose when winding and unwinding, said guide member rotatable through approximately 90° from a vertical position to a horizontal position in response to tension exerted on said vacuum hose by said Z-axis drive motor when said vacuum hose is fully wound up on said reel. 9. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 8, said product delivery mechanism further including a weight attached to said pick-up head for straightening said vacuum hose during an unwinding phase and for providing a stop through contact with said guide member upon completion of a rewind phase.10. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 8, further comprising a delivery port closed with a hingedly connected hatch in a front portion of said freezer unit for allowing the selected frozen product to be delivered to the customer therethrough when said guide member is in said horizontal position.11. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 10, said product delivery mechanism further comprising a delivery port opening structure, hingedly connected to said guide member and rotatable with said guide member from said vertical position to said horizontal position, said delivery port opening structure including an extension bar for pushing open said hatch covering said delivery port, and a spring for assisting return of said guide member to said vertical position following product delivery.12. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 5, further comprising a container situated within a bottom portion of said freezer unit for storing the plurality of frozen products, said container being open at a top thereof, said product delivery mechanism selectively removing a frozen product from said container through said open top.13. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 12, wherein said container has four sides and a bottom and is constructed of a thermally conductive material.14. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 13, wherein said bottom is spaced from an inner bottom surface of said freezer unit and each of said four sides is spaced at a distance from a corresponding inner wall surface of said freezer unit.15. A frozen product vending machine for selectively delivering one of a plurality of frozen products to a customer comprising:an upright style freezer unit having a cooled interior for storing the plurality of frozen products; a product delivery mechanism for selectively removing a frozen product in response to customer selection, said frozen products located beneath said product delivery mechanism which is moveable in X, Y and Z axis directions and includes a pick-up head with a tip-up mechanism for rotational movement of said pick-up head from a vertical position for product pick-up through approximately 90° to a horizontal position; and a delivery port in a front portion of said freezer unit, said delivery port located on a horizontal plane allowing the selected frozen product to be delivered to the customer therethrough when said pick-up head is in said horizontal position. 16. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 15, wherein a delivery chute is positioned below said delivery port, a depth of said chute corresponding to just greater than a maximum thickness of the frozen products being delivered.17. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 15, said product delivery mechanism further including:a hose reel; a length of vacuum hose wound upon said hose reel, said length of hose having an end coupled to a vacuum source and an inflow end coupled to said pick-up head; and a Z-axis drive motor for driving rotation of said hose reel to unwind and wind said length of vacuum hose for extending and retracting said length of hose along the Z axis direction. 18. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 17, said product delivery mechanism further including:a guide member rotatably connected to said hose reel for aligning said vacuum hose when winding and unwinding, said guide member for rotating said pick-up head from said vertical position to said horizontal position in response to tension exerted on said vacuum hose by said Z-axis drive motor when said vacuum hose is fully wound up on said reel. 19. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 18, said product delivery mechanism further including a weight attached to said pick-up head for straightening said vacuum hose during an unwinding phase and for providing a stop through contact with said guide member upon completion of a rewind phase.20. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 18, said product delivery mechanism further comprising a delivery port opening structure, hingedly connected to said guide member and rotatable with said guide member from said vertical position to said horizontal position, said delivery port opening structure including an extension bar for pushing open a hatch covering said delivery port, and a spring for assisting return of said guide member to said vertical position following product delivery.21. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 15, further comprising a container within said cooled interior of said freezer unit for storing the plurality of frozen products, said container being open at a top thereof, said product delivery mechanism selectively removing a frozen product from said container through said open top.22. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 21, wherein said container has four sides and a bottom and is constructed of a thermally conductive material.23. The frozen product vending machine as set forth in claim 22, wherein each of said four sides is spaced at a distance from a corresponding inner wall surface of said freezer unit.24. An automated method of picking up a product within a vending machine having X, Y and Z drive members for moving a vacuum pick-up head located within the vending machine in X, Y and Z axis directions, respectively, said pick-up head attached to a vacuum hose which is wound and unwound on a reel, said method comprising the steps of:moving said pick-up head in a wound-up vertical position in at least one of an X axis direction and a Y axis direction using associated drive members, in response to a product selection, until said pick-up head is located above said selected product; activating the vacuum pick-up head to create suction; initiating said Z drive member to unwind said vacuum hose and lower said pick-up head in a Z axis direction to contact the selected product; securing the selected product against the pick-up head with said suction; winding up said vacuum hose to return said pick-up head to said wound-up vertical position; over-driving said Z axis drive member to create tension on said vacuum hose, said tension rotating said pick-up head by approximately 90° to a wound-up horizontal position; moving said pick-up head in said wound-up horizontal position in at least one of said X axis direction and said Y axis direction using associated drive members, until said pick-up head is located adjacent a delivery port; delivering the selected product to a customer through said delivery port. 25. The method as set forth in claim 24, further comprising releasing said over-drive tension on said vacuum hose to allow said pick-up head to return to said wound-up vertical position.
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