KR-20260063674-A - CONTAINER DISCHARGE APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

KR20260063674AKR 20260063674 AKR20260063674 AKR 20260063674AKR-20260063674-A

Abstract

A container dispensing device is disclosed. The device comprises a main body including a plurality of supply lines for receiving a plurality of containers stacked sequentially, a dispensing module, and a base for supporting the main body. The dispensing module includes a plurality of dispensing gears for dispensing containers and a cushioning structure for cushioning impact applied to the plurality of dispensing gears when a plurality of containers are fed into the dispensing module from one of the plurality of supply lines.

Inventors

강영철
노성호

Assignees

삼성전자주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241030

Claims (15)

In a container dispensing device, A main body comprising a plurality of supply lines for each accommodating a plurality of containers stacked sequentially; Discharge module; and A base for supporting the above main body; is included, The above discharge module is. A plurality of discharge gears for discharging a container and A container dispensing device comprising a cushioning structure for cushioning the impact applied to the plurality of dispensing gears when the plurality of containers are fed from one of the plurality of supply lines to the discharge module.
In paragraph 1, Controller; A turret structure forming the plurality of supply lines within the main body; A first motor for rotating the plurality of discharge gears; and It further includes a second motor for rotating the above-mentioned turret structure; and The above controller is, When an event occurs requiring the discharge of a container, the first motor is controlled so that the plurality of discharge gears rotate while in contact with one of the plurality of containers to discharge the container, and When the container fed into the discharge module is depleted, the turret structure is rotated to control the second motor so that the next supply line among the plurality of supply lines is positioned above the discharge module. A container dispensing device in which, when the above-mentioned next supply line is positioned above the discharge module, a plurality of containers contained in the above-mentioned next supply line are fed into the discharge module.
In paragraph 2, The above base is, Base panel; A support member coupled to the main body via a hinge on the base panel above; A bottom panel positioned below the base panel; and It includes an intermediate support member connecting the base panel and the floor panel, The above base panel is A first base panel that supports the main body through the support member; A second base panel positioned parallel to the first base panel and coupled with the buffer structure; and A fastening structure for separating or combining the first and second base panels; is included, A container dispensing device in which the main body is rotatable with respect to the hinge together with the dispensing module and the first base panel when the fastening structure is open.
In the 23rd, The above discharge module is, The above plurality of discharge gears; An upper plate and a lower plate supporting the plurality of discharge gears above; The cushioning structure connected to the lower side of the lower plate; and It includes a support structure that supports the buffer structure while spaced apart from the base, The above main body is a container dispensing device that is rotatable about the hinge together with the above dispensing module.
In paragraph 3 or 4, It further includes a third motor for rotating the main body based on the hinge connected between the base and the main body, and The above controller is, A container dispensing device that controls the third motor to rotate the main body to a first position for replenishing the container within the main body when the container accommodated in the entire plurality of supply lines is depleted, and to rotate the main body to a second position for dispensing the container when the container is replenished.
In paragraph 5, The above plurality of discharge gears are, They are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other at a certain distance based on the insertion direction of the above-mentioned container, and Each of the lowest containers among the plurality of containers is in contact within the space between the plurality of discharge gears, and A container dispensing device in which, when the plurality of discharge gears rotate according to the control of the above controller, the plurality of discharge gears discharge the lowest container downwards and come into contact with the next container.
In paragraph 6, The above main body is A discharge port for supplying the container to the above discharge module and It includes a cover formed on the opposite side of the discharge port; and The above controller is, When the container accommodated in all of the above multiple supply lines is exhausted, the third motor is controlled to rotate the main body to the first position in which the surface on which the cover is formed is tilted at an angle less than a certain angle relative to the bottom surface, and A container dispensing device that controls the third motor to rotate the main body into the second position in which the surface on which the cover is formed faces a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface when the container is refilled.
In paragraph 6, The above buffer structure is a container discharge device comprising at least one damper disposed on the lower side of a plate supporting the plurality of discharge gears, which receives and absorbs an impact applied to the plurality of discharge gears through the plate.
In paragraph 6, The plurality of discharge gears above include three discharge gears arranged side by side at a constant interval centered on the space, and Each of the three discharge gears includes a spiral groove formed in at least one area within the outer surface for contacting the lowest container, The above discharge module is, It further includes a rotating member for rotating the three discharge gears together, A container dispensing device in which, when the three discharge gears are rotated by the rotating member while the protrusion protruding on the outer surface of the bottom container is fitted into the helical groove of each of the three discharge gears, the bottom container is separated from the next container and discharged.
In Paragraph 9, A container dispensing device comprising a rotating member, wherein the rotating member comprises a rotating gear formed to engage with the helical groove of each of the three discharge gears.
In Paragraph 9, The above-mentioned rotating member is, A container dispensing device comprising a rotating belt that surrounds and contacts each of the three discharge gears mentioned above.
In paragraph 2, The above main body is A discharge port for discharging the above container and It includes a cover formed on the opposite side of the discharge port; and The above base is connected to the above main body through a hinge, and The above main body is A container dispensing device capable of rotating to a first position in which the direction of the cover is tilted relative to the hinge or a second position in which the cover is positioned vertically from the base when an external force is applied to the outer surface of the main body.
In paragraph 2, It further includes at least one sensor for sensing the container of the supply line connected to the discharge module among the plurality of supply lines, and The above controller is, A container dispensing device that identifies whether a container in a supply line connected to the dispensing module is depleted based on the sensing value of at least one sensor, and rotates the turret structure so that the next supply line is connected to the dispensing module if the container is depleted.
A control method for a container dispensing device comprising a plurality of supply lines for each receiving a plurality of containers stacked sequentially, wherein A step of discharging a container received in one of the plurality of supply lines using a plurality of discharge gears; The above plurality of discharge gears The method includes the step of rotating the plurality of supply lines so that when the container of one supply line corresponding to the position is exhausted, the next supply line moves to the said position; The above container dispensing device is, A control method comprising a cushioning structure for cushioning the impact applied to the plurality of discharge gears when a plurality of containers received in the above-mentioned next supply line are fed into the plurality of discharge gears.
In Paragraph 14, The above plurality of supply lines are arranged in a turret structure that is rotatable within the main body of the container discharge device, and The above main body is connected to the base of the container dispensing device in a rotatable manner through a hinge, and The above control method is, When the containers accommodated in all of the above plurality of supply lines are exhausted, a step of rotating the main body into a first position to replenish the containers within the main body; and A control method further comprising the step of rotating the main body to a second position for discharging the container when the container is replenished in the first position.

Description

Container Discharge Apparatus and Control Method Thereof The present disclosure relates to a container dispensing device and a method for controlling the same. Establishments such as cafes and restaurants frequently use containers like cups. In such cases, a container dispensing device can be used to store the containers cleanly and efficiently. A container dispensing device is a device that holds multiple containers together and dispenses them one by one as needed. A container dispensing device may also be referred to as a dispenser. Container dispensing devices are primarily used for dispensing disposable containers made of materials such as paper. However, as environmental issues have become a major concern, there is a movement to reduce the use of disposable containers and replace them with so-called reusable containers that can be used multiple times. Since reusable containers must be able to be washed and reused after collection, they are generally made of thicker and harder materials compared to disposable containers. Consequently, when multiple reusable containers are stacked, the weight becomes much heavier than when multiple disposable containers are stacked. Conventional container dispensing devices are designed for relatively lightweight disposable containers; therefore, when accommodating reusable containers, there is a possibility that the device may break due to the weight during the filling process. Additionally, there was a problem in that it was not easy to load multiple reusable containers into the dispensing device at once. FIG. 1a is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a container dispensing device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1b is a perspective view showing the interior of a container dispensing device in an open state according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the operation of a controller mounted on a container dispensing device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the configuration of a container dispensing device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating the state in which a container is handled in a container dispensing device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a drawing of a container dispensing device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from a different angle. FIGS. 6 and 7 are drawings illustrating a state in which a part of the main body of a container dispensing device is opened or closed according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating a container dispensing device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 shows a tilted state of the main body (120) in a container discharge device (100) having the structure of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating a container dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 shows the main body of the container dispensing device of FIG. 10 in a rotated state. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a control method for a container dispensing device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiments described in this specification may be modified in various ways. Specific embodiments may be depicted in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, specific embodiments disclosed in the accompanying drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of various embodiments. Accordingly, the technical concept is not limited by specific embodiments disclosed in the accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that it includes all equivalents or substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by the aforementioned terms. The aforementioned terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. In this specification, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof. When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected to or connected to the other component, or that there may be other components in between. Conversely, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.