JPH0525028Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a device that is attached to an ice pellet supplying device and detects and discharges a fixed amount of ice pellets.

[Prior Art] Although many of such fixed-dose dispensing devices generally have an unchanging supply amount, there are also known devices in which the supply amount is variable according to the user's request. For example, in the apparatus for supplying tea leaves, etc. described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 10508/1983, the cylindrical bottom member of the hopper that receives tea leaves is slidable in the vertical direction, and an interlocking mechanism that guides tea leaves from inside the bottom plate member to the outside of the hopper is used. An operating body is provided at the outer end of the shaft, and an eccentric cam that engages with the bottom member is provided at the inner end.By manually rotating the operating member, the bottom member is moved up and down via the eccentric cam, thereby controlling the supply amount. It is possible to adjust the

Such a quantitative release device is very convenient because the amount of tea leaves supplied to the tea infuser can be freely adjusted depending on the brand and type of tea leaves or the user's preference.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, in cases such as an ice vending machine where the supplied product is sold to the user at a price according to the quantity, the above-mentioned fixed-dose dispensing device cannot be used. If installed in an ice vending machine, the supply amount would be adjusted arbitrarily, making it impossible to collect an appropriate fee according to the supply amount, making it difficult to put it to practical use. Under these circumstances, there is a need for a rice grain feeding device that is equipped with a metered discharge device that can vary the amount of rice that is fed, which makes it possible to collect fees according to the amount of rice that is fed.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The ice grain supply device of the present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned needs, and includes an ice stocker for storing ice grains made by an ice making section; In the ice stocker, an ice discharge screw is disposed so as to cross above an ice discharge port provided at the bottom of the ice stocker; a metered discharge device that cooperates with the screw to discharge a fixed amount of ice particles, the metered discharge device is arranged below the ice discharge port in alignment with the ice discharge port, and has an upper open end and A metering box having a lid, a tilting body provided in the metering box so as to be movable up and down between an uppermost position and a lowermost position in order to adjust the volume of the metering box, and a tilting body for raising and lowering the tilting body. a lifting mechanism connected to the body, an opening/closing mechanism connected to the lid to open and close the lid, and electrically connected to the lifting mechanism to select an initial position of the tilting body in the quantitative box. a volume selecting device configured to move the inclined body to the initial position in response to a selection operation of the volume selecting device, and to move the inclined body downward toward the lowermost position; a control device electrically connected to the lifting mechanism; and a control device configured to open the lid when the tilting body approaches the lowermost position.
A linkage mechanism that causes the lifting mechanism and the opening/closing mechanism to cooperate with each other is provided.

[Operation] First, when the volume selection device is operated, under the action of the control device, the lifting mechanism moves the inclined body in the quantitative box down to the initial position corresponding to the selected volume, and the selected volume is placed above the inclined body. A volume is defined. When the ice discharge screw is actuated, the selected volume as described above is filled with ice particles through an ice discharge opening formed in the bottom of the ice stocker. Thereafter, under the action of the control device, the lifting mechanism is further driven and the tilting body is directed towards its lowermost position. At this time, the lifting mechanism and the opening/closing mechanism cooperate with each other, and the lid provided on the quantitative box is opened via the opening/closing mechanism, and the ice particles filled in the set volume are released. Also, at this point, the ice discharge screw has already stopped, and since it is located above the open end of the metering box and extends across the ice discharge port, the lid opens and the ice metering screw is opened. Even if the ice in the box is released, the relatively large amount of ice in the ice stocker will push against each other at the entrance of the narrow ice outlet, and the reaction will cause a blockage directly above the ice outlet, resulting in substantial damage. It will not fall into the metering box.

In an embodiment, the lifting mechanism continues to be driven so that the ramp is reversed from its lowermost position to its uppermost position and stops there.

[Embodiments] Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an ice cube vending machine (ice grain supply device) 1 equipped with a metered dispensing device to be described later according to the present invention. A known ice-making section 2 having an evaporator 3 is provided. In the ice making cycle,
Ice-making water in an ice-making tank 6 defined at the bottom of the box-shaped housing 1a as shown in the figure is supplied to the ice-making surface of the ice-making section 2 by a pump 7 through an inlet 8, an outlet 9, and an ice-making water sprinkling pipe 10. In order to cool the ice making section 2, refrigerant from the compressor of the refrigeration system is circulated and supplied to the evaporator 3 via a condenser, an expansion valve (none of which are shown), etc. . 4
is a cooling fan of the condenser. The ice-making water that is circulated gradually freezes on the ice-making surface 2a, and the surplus ice-making water that has not frozen flows down the ice-making surface 2a, passes through the guide plate 11, passes through the water gutter 12, and enters the ice-making water tank 6.
leading to. When the ice-making completion state is reached in which ice grows to a predetermined size on the ice-making surface 2a, this state is detected by a well-known ice-making completion detection means, and the ice making section 2
is switched from the ice-making cycle to the de-icing cycle.

In the deicing cycle, the aforementioned hot gas valve (not shown) of the refrigeration system is opened to supply hot gas to the evaporator 3, and at the same time, deicing water is supplied from the deicing water sprinkling pipe 13 to the back side of the ice making surface 2a. is,
The ice making surface 2a is heated. Therefore, the ice making surface 2a
The surface of the ice (not shown) that was attached to it melted,
The ice leaves the ice-making surface 2a, slides down the guide plate 11, crosses the water gutter 12, and is stored in the ice stocker 5 as ice pieces. On the other hand, the deicing water passes through the guide plate 11, enters the water gutter 12, and is introduced into the ice-making water tank 6 described above from there. The detachment of ice from the ice-making surface 2a is detected by a well-known water removal completion detection means,
After that, the ice making section 2 enters the ice making cycle again.

A water storage switch S is located above the ice stocker 5.
(See also FIG. 4), and the ice making section 2 repeats the ice making cycle and deicing cycle described above until the switch S detects the upper eye storage amount of the ice stocker 5. When the switch S detects the upper limit storage amount, the operation of the ice making section 2 is stopped.

The bottom portion 5a of the ice stocker 5 is sloped upward from right to left in the drawing, and an ice discharge port 5b is defined in the upper portion of the bottom portion 5a. A quantitative discharge device 20 of the present invention, which will be described later, is disposed below the ice discharge port 5b. Also,
Inside the ice stocker 5, an ice discharge device 15 consisting of a screw 14 is disposed approximately parallel to the bottom portion 5a, and above the ice discharge port 5b.
The lower end 14a of the screw shaft of the screw 14 extending across the ice stocker 5 is rotatably supported by the wall 5c of the ice stocker 5, and the upper end 14b extends through the wall 5c and the box housing 1a.
It is connected to a known drive device 16 for. When the screw 14 is driven by the drive device 16, the screw 14 advances the ice pieces (not shown) in the ice stocker 5 from the lower end 14a side to the upper end 14b side, that is, toward the ice discharge port 5b. It is starting to rotate.

Now, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, according to the present invention, the metered release device 20 is constructed as follows. That is, 21 is a quantitative box with a rectangular cross section in the embodiment where the top and bottom are open, and a plurality of screw holes 21 are provided in the flange 21a provided at the top of the box.
b is bored, and is attached to the above-mentioned discharge port 5b in the screw hole 21b by a screw (not shown). Inside this metering box 21, a tilted body 22 for closing the open lower part or bottom is arranged to be able to freely slide up and down.

On the left side of the metering box 21 as seen in the drawing, a lid body 24 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is suspended and supported by a support shaft 23 that fits into a pair of mounting portions 21c protruding from the side surface of the metering box 21. has been done. The lid 24 is normally held in the closed position by a schematically illustrated coil spring 40. The above-mentioned inclined body 22 has an upper surface 22a inclined downward toward the lid 24, and as can be understood from FIGS. A plurality of ribs 22b are formed. Such upper surface 2
2a allows for smooth release of ice cubes or ice particles, which will be described later.

Next, the elevating mechanism 25 of the tilting body 22 and the opening/closing mechanism 31 of the lid body 24 will be explained.
The slope body 2 is preferably integrally formed of resin.
A first support part 22c (only one is shown in FIG. 2) rotatably supported by a pin-shaped member 26 between a pair of aligned support parts 22c (only one is shown in FIG. 2) extending downward from the back surface of the second part parallel to the lid body 24 link 27, and a metering motor GM (Fig. 1), which will be explained in connection with the electric circuit described later.
The lower end of the first link 27 and the upper end of the second link 29 are rotatably connected by a pin 30. When the output shaft 28 of the metering motor GM rotates due to the operation of the metering motor GM, the second
The inclined body 22 moves up and down via the first links 29 and 27.

The opening/closing mechanism 31 of the lid body 24 includes a substantially horizontal L-shaped third link 3 rotatably supported by a pin 37 on a mounting plate 33 that protrudes rearward from the side surface of the quantitative box 21.
2, and a round bar-shaped operating member 35 for rotating this link 32. The link 32 is
Normally, the coil spring 36 is pulled clockwise in FIG. as shown in the figure, to hold the lid body 24 in the closed position. Further, a slot 42 having a substantially inverted "dog" shape is formed at the upper end of the vertical portion 32b of the L-shaped link 32, and a pin 39 provided on the lid body 24 extends into the slot 42.

The actuating member 35 is attached to the above-mentioned inclined body 22 by a screw 3.
It is attached by appropriate means to the guide body 34 which is integrally attached by 4a. A vertically extending notch 21c is formed on the guide side of the metering box 21, that is, on the side opposite to the lid.
1 from the outside through this notch 21c to the inclined body 22.
is fixed. Therefore, when the inclined body 22 moves downward, the guide body 34 and the actuating member 35 also move downward. When the actuating member 35 engages with the horizontal portion 32a of the link 32 and pushes the horizontal portion 32a downward, the link 32 rotates counterclockwise against the coil spring 36, and the stopper 38 moves away from the groove 41. It comes off. When the link 32 rotates further, the slot 42
The "dog" shaped bent portion presses the pin 39 to the left as seen in FIG. Rotate.

Therefore, from the above description, the link 32, the mounting plate 33, the guide body 34, the actuating member 35, the coil spring 3
6. The stopper 38, pin 39, etc. constitute a linkage mechanism that allows the lifting mechanism 25 and the opening/closing mechanism 31 to cooperate with each other so that the lid 24 is opened when the tilting body 22 approaches the lowermost position. I know that there is.

Next, the above-mentioned quantitative dispensing device 20 according to the present invention
The configuration and operation of the control device for controlling the operation of the lifting mechanism 25 of the tilt body 22 in the present embodiment will be described with particular reference to the electric circuit of FIG.

In FIG. 4, among the plurality of select buttons PB ₁ , PB ₂ and PB ₃ constituting the volume selection device 45,
By pressing an arbitrary button, the upper part of the inclined body 22 is pressed under the action of the control device 46 electrically connected to the volume selection device 45 and the metering motor GM of the lifting mechanism 25 mentioned above. A volume corresponding to the pressed button is defined. i.e. select button
Assuming you press PB ₁ , normally closed contacts X ₂₁ , X ₂₁ ,
While _relay X ₁ is energized via X ₄₁ , _this energized state is self-maintained by normally open contact X ₁₃ . The relay is energized via the closed contact, and this energized state is self-maintained by the normally open contacts X ₂₃ and X _33. Also, the select button PB ₁
The same applies to the operations described below related to
(Explanation of operations related to PB ₂ and PB ₃ will be omitted). Normally open contact by energizing relay X ₁
X ₁₄ closes to energize the volume setting timer TM ₁ , and normally open contact X ₁₅ closes to energize the timer contact.
During a predetermined period of time until the metering motor GM is energized via TM ₁₁ and the timer contact TM ₁₁ is opened, the tilting body 22 is moved between the second link 29 and the second link of the lifting mechanism 25 by the output shaft 28 of the metering motor GM. 1 link 27 and is driven downward. As a result, the volume of the space existing above the inclined body 22 in the quantitative box 21 is set.

On the other hand, at the same time as the relay X ₁ is energized, its normally open contact X ₁₆ is closed, and the screw rotation time setting timer TM ₄ is energized, and when the timer TM ₄ times up, its normally closed contact TM ₄₁ is opened. to,
Screw motor SM of drive device 16 (Fig. 1)
is energized to rotate the screw 14, and the ice in the stocker 5 is dropped into the quantitative box 21 whose volume is set as described above.

When timer TM ₄ times up, its normally open contact TM ₄₂ closes and energizes relay X ₄ , and the energized state of relay _{X 4 is} self-maintained via its normally open contact Ru.
In addition, by energizing relay X ₄ , its normally closed contact
By opening _X41 , relay _X1 is demagnetized, and volume setting timer _TM1 and screw rotation time setting timer _TM4 return to their initial states.
The metering motor GM starts operating again via its normally open contact _X44 by energizing the relay _X4 , and the tilting body 22 is driven further downward from the above-mentioned position by the lifting mechanism 31. The inclined body 22 has
Since the guide body 34 having the actuating rod 35 is integrally attached, the actuating rod 35 also moves downward as the inclined body 22 moves downward, and the actuating rod 35 engages the opening/closing mechanism 31.
When the link 32 engages with the horizontal portion 32a of the link 32, the link 32 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. The lid body 24 is separated from the groove 44 formed at the tip of the portion 32a.
The state is such that rotation is allowed. Therefore, when the downward movement of the inclined body 22 continues and the pressing of the link 32 by the operating rod 35 continues, the link 32 further rotates, and the "dog" shape formed at the upper end of the vertical portion 32b. The bent part of the slot 42 is the lid body 24.
Push the pin 39 provided in the left direction as seen in FIG. As a result, the lid 24 rotates clockwise around the support shaft 23 against the coil spring 40 (FIG. 3), and the lid 24 is opened.
In this way, ice is discharged from the open metering box 21.

At this time, since the ice discharge screw 14 has already stopped and is located above the open end of the upper part of the metering box 21 and extends across the ice discharge port 5b, the lid body 24 opens and the ice metering screw 14 is opened. Even if the ice in the box 21 is discharged, a relatively large amount of ice in the ice stocker 5 will push against each other at the entrance of the narrow ice discharge port 5b, and as a result of this reaction, it will become clogged directly above the ice discharge port 5b. There is virtually no possibility that the liquid will fall into the metering box 21.

After that, the metering motor GM continues to be driven, so after the tilting body 22 reaches its lowest position as the output shaft 28 rotates, the tilting body 22 starts moving upward and reaches its highest position. , the guide body 34 opens the metering motor stop switch SW to stop energizing the relay _X4 , and the metering motor GM returns to its initial state and stops.

[Effects of the invention] As described above, according to the invention, the volume selection device and the tilting body lifting mechanism are connected to and controlled by the control device, so that the volume selection device and the tilting body lifting mechanism are connected to and controlled by the control device. Even when a supplied product is sold to a user at a price commensurate with its quantity, it becomes possible to collect an appropriate fee according to the supplied quantity.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an ice cube vending machine equipped with a quantitative dispensing device according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the metered release device shown in FIG.
FIG. 4, a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line - in the figure, is an electrical circuit diagram with a volume selection device and a control device included in the metered dose delivery device of FIG. 1... Ice cube vending machine (ice grain supply device), 2...
...Ice making section, 5...Ice stocker, 5a...bottom,
5b...Ice discharge port, 14...Ice discharge screw,
20... fixed amount release device, 21... fixed amount box, 22...
... Inclination body, 24 ... Lid body, 25 ... Lifting mechanism, 3
1...Switching device, 32...Link (linkage mechanism),
33... Mounting plate (linkage mechanism), 34... Guide body (linkage mechanism), 39... Pin (linkage mechanism), 35...
...Operating member (linkage mechanism), 36... Coil spring (linkage mechanism), 38... Stopper (linkage mechanism), 4
5... Volume selection device, 46... Control device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] an ice stocker for storing ice grains made by an ice making section; an ice discharge screw disposed in the ice stocker so as to cross above an ice discharge port provided at a bottom thereof; a quantitative discharge device disposed below the ice discharge port and configured to cooperate with the ice discharge port and the ice discharge screw to discharge a fixed amount of ice particles, the quantitative discharge device disposed below the ice discharge port; a metering box arranged in line with the ice discharge port and having an open top end and a lid; and a metering box that can be raised and lowered between an uppermost position and a lowermost position within the metering box to adjust the volume of the metering box. an elevating mechanism connected to the incline to raise and lower the incline; an opening/closing mechanism connected to the lid to open and close the lid; a volume selection device electrically connected to the elevating mechanism to select an initial position of the tilted body; and a volume selection device that moves the tilted body to the initial position in response to the selection operation of the volume selection device; a control device electrically connected to the volume selection device and the lifting mechanism to move the lid downward toward the lowermost position, and opening the lid when the tilting body approaches the lowermost position. An ice particle supply device comprising: a linkage mechanism that causes the lifting mechanism and the opening/closing mechanism to cooperate with each other.