Automatic food dispensers or vending machines for dispensing pre-packaged food products are well known. Typically, the vending machine includes a cabinet or housing having mounted therein at least one refrigerated enclosure that includes passages or compartments for storing pre-packaged food products to be dispensed. The vending machine can further be provided with an oven and a conveying system operable to remove one of the food products from the refrigerated enclosure and position the food product within the oven for heating/cooking. The present disclosure relates to an automated side opening door for the refrigerated enclosure.
According to one aspect, a vending machine comprises a refrigerated enclosure including a housing for storage of an associated pre-packaged food product. The housing has a sidewall with a sidewall opening. A door is mounted to the sidewall for closing and opening the sidewall opening. A drive mechanism is operably connected to the door and adapted to mechanically move the door between a closed position and an opened position. The drive mechanism includes at least one sensing device adapted to determine whether the door is in one of the closed position and the opened position. A door rail is mounted to the sidewall and has a guide track. The door is movably received in the guide track.
According to another aspect, a drive mechanism for automatically moving a door provided on a sidewall of a refrigerated enclosure between a closed position and an opened position is provided. The drive mechanism comprises a mount secured to the door and an actuator operably to move the door. The actuator includes a motor and a rod operably coupled to the motor and pivotally connected to the mount. A first sensing device is operably connected to the actuator and adapted to detect the door in the opened position and deactivate the actuator in the opened position of the door. A second sensing device is operably connected to the actuator and adapted to detect the door in the closed position and deactivate the actuator in the closed position of the door.
It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are merely illustrative and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the present disclosure. Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views,
With continued reference to
A drive mechanism 180 is operably connected to the door 156 and adapted to mechanically move the door between a closed position and an opened position. In the depicted aspect, the drive mechanism includes an actuator 182 secured to the mounting plate 140 and coupled the door 156. The actuator 182 includes a motor 186 and a rod 188 driven by the motor. The rod 188 has a first end portion 190 coupled to the motor 186 via a sleeve 192 and a second end portion 194 coupled to the door 156. The sleeve 192 adapted to telescopically receive therein the rod 188, and as depicted the motor 186 is connected to the sleeve. Accordingly, actuation of the motor 186 moves the rod 188 within the sleeve 192, and, in turn, moves the door 156. Further, the door 156 is pivotally connected to the second end portion 194 of the rod 188 via a mount or lower clevis 198 secured to the door frame 160. A mounting bracket or upper clevis 200 is provided to mount the sleeve 192 together with the motor 186 to the mounting plate 140.
The door 156 can be guided, for example, in a pair of guide rails 210, 212 attached to the mounting plate 140 flanking the plate opening 142. The guide rail 210 includes at least one guide track formed therein for guiding movement of the door 156. In the depicted aspect, the guide rail 210 includes an upper or first guide track 216 and a lower of second guide track 218. Each guide track 216, 218 is adapted to first move the door 156 in a first direction outwardly of the housing sidewall 132 of the refrigerated enclosure 104 (allowed for by the pivotal connection between the door 156 and the rod 188) and then move the door in a second direction along the housing sidewall 132 to the opened position. To this end, each guide track 216, 218 is generally L-shaped with a respective first section 220, 222 oriented diagonally relative to the housing sidewall 132 and a respective second section 226, 228 extending from the first section in a plane parallel to the housing sidewall 132. It should be appreciated that the guide rail 212 is similarly constructed and includes an upper or first guide track 230 and a lower of second guide track 232. Track rollers 236 are mounted to the door frame 160 and are received in the guide tracks of the respective guide rails 210, 212. The door 156 is movable in the guide tracks of the respective guide rails 210, 212 in a height direction of the vending unit 116 (see
The exemplary drive mechanism 180 further includes at least one sensing device adapted to determine whether the door 156 is in one of the closed position and the opened position. The at least one sensing device can be in communication with the CPU 124, which, in turn, allows for operation of the transfer mechanism 112 when the door 156 is in the opened position. In the depicted embodiment, the at least one sensing device is a first sensing device 240 operably connected to the actuator 182 and adapted to detect the door 156 in the opened position, and the drive mechanism 180 further includes a second sensing device 242 operably connected to the actuator 182 and adapted to detect the door 156 in the closed position. According to the present embodiment, the first sensing device 240, which can be a first micro-switch, can mounted to the mounting plate 140 by an upper switch mount 246 fastened to the mounting plate. The second sensing device 242, which can be a second micro-switch, can also mounted to the mounting plate 140 by a lower switch mount 248 fastened to the mounting plate. The first and second sensing devices 240, 242 are positioned such that the first sensing device 240 is actuated by an upper pin 250 secured to the door frame 160 in the opened position of the door 156 and the second sensing device 242 is actuated by a lower pin 252 secured to the door frame 160 in the closed position of the door 156. It should be appreciated that actuation of either of the first and second sensing devices 240, 242 deactivates the actuator 182. It should also be appreciated that the first and second sensing devices 240, 242 can be in communication with the CPU 124 allowing for proper timing of the transfer mechanism 112 for the removal of the pre-packaged food product from the refrigerated enclosure 104.
A drive mechanism 300 is operably connected to the door 280 and adapted to mechanically move the door between a closed position and an opened position. In the depicted aspect, the drive mechanism 300 includes an actuator 302 secured to the mounting plate 262 and coupled the door 280. The actuator 302 includes a motor 306 and a rod 308 driven by the motor. The rod 308 has a first end portion 310 coupled to the motor 306 and a second end portion 312 pivotally connected to the door 280 via a mount or lower clevis 318 secured to the door frame 282. Mounting brackets 320, 322, 324 mount the motor 306 to the mounting plate 262. In the depicted aspect, the rod 308 is a threaded rod and the motor 306 is adapted to threadingly receive the threaded rod. The threaded rod 308 is movable through the motor 306 as the door 280 is moved between the closed position and opened position.
Similar to the above described door 156, the door 280 can be guided, for example, in a pair of guide rails 330, 332 attached to the mounting plate 262 flanking the plate opening 264. In the depicted aspect, the guide rail 330 includes an upper or first guide track 336 and a lower of second guide track 338. The guide rail 332 also includes an upper or first guide track 340 and a lower of second guide track 342. Each guide track of the respective guide rails 330, 332 is adapted to first move the door 280 in a first direction outwardly of the housing sidewall 132 of the refrigerated enclosure 104 (allowed for by the pivotal connection between the door 280 and the rod 308) and then move the door 280 in a second direction along the housing sidewall 132 to the opened position. To this end, each guide track of the respective guide rails 330, 332 is generally L-shaped. Track rollers 346 are mounted to the door frame 282 and are received in the guide tracks of the respective guide rails 330, 332. Again, the door 280 is movable in the guide tracks of the respective guide rails 330, 332 in a height direction of the vending unit 116. Although, it should be appreciated that the guide rails 330, 332 can be arranged so that the door 280 is movable in a width direction of the vending unit 116. Further, the door 280 is in direct engagement with the pass through member 266 in the closed position, with the seal member 296 sealingly engaging the mounting flange 270.
The exemplary drive mechanism 300 further includes at least one sensing device adapted to determine whether the door 280 is in one of the closed position and the opened position. The at least one sensing device can be in communication with the CPU 124, which, in turn, allows for operation of the transfer mechanism 112 when the door 280 is in the opened position. In the depicted embodiment, the at least one sensing device is a first sensing device 350 operably connected to the actuator 302 and adapted to detect the door 280 in the opened position, and the drive mechanism 180 further includes a second sensing device 352 operably connected to the actuator 302 and adapted to detect the door 280 in the closed position. According to the present embodiment, the first sensing device 350, which can be a first micro-switch, can mounted to the mounting plate 262 by an upper switch mount 356 fastened to the mounting plate. The second sensing device 352, which can be a second micro-switch, can also mounted to the mounting plate 262 by a lower switch mount 358 fastened to the mounting plate. The first and second sensing devices 350, 352 are positioned such that the first sensing device 240 is actuated by an upper pin 360 secured to the door frame 282 in the opened position of the door 280 and the second sensing device 352 is actuated by a lower pin 362 secured to the door frame 282 in the closed position of the door 280. It should be appreciated that actuation of either of the first and second sensing devices 350, 352 deactivates the actuator 302. Again, it should also be appreciated that the first and second sensing devices 350, 352 can be in communication with the CPU 124 allowing for proper timing of the transfer mechanism 112 for the removal of the pre-packaged food product from the refrigerated enclosure 104.
It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed features and functions, or alternatives or varieties thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. By way of example, the refrigerated enclosure can be configured to include doors on opposing sidewalls which would allow for the pre-packaged food products to be transferred through the refrigerated enclosure (i.e., inserted though one sidewall and delivered though the other sidewall). The refrigerated enclosure can also be configured to include the door on at least one of the top wall and bottom wall of the refrigerated enclosure. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US19/15986 | 1/31/2019 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62625538 | Feb 2018 | US |