Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
  • G07F17/0064—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for processing of food articles
  • G07F17/0071—Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a cold condition, e.g. ice and ice cream
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
  • G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
  • G07F11/04—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
  • G07F11/16—Delivery means
  • G07F11/163—Delivery means characterised by blocking access to the output bins
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
  • G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
  • G07F11/28—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are inclined
  • G07F11/32—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are inclined two or magazines having a common delivery chute
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
  • G07F7/06—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by returnable containers, i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F9/00—Details other than those peculiar to special kinds or types of apparatus
  • G07F9/10—Casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling
  • G07F9/105—Heating or cooling means, for temperature and humidity control, for the conditioning of articles and their storage

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for dispensing rechargeable refrigerating elements, in particular of plates or sachets containing a substance formulated to accumulate frigories, comprising at least: an inlet and disinfection module for said refrigerating elements provided with an orifice inlet, an outlet orifice and a first means of transferring said elements between the two orifices, and a refrigeration and storage module for said refrigerant elements provided with an insulated box, a cold generating device arranged to charge in refrigeration said refrigerating elements, with an inlet orifice corresponding to the outlet orifice of said inlet and disinfection module, with an outlet orifice, said orifices passing through a wall of said insulated box and a second transfer means for transporting by gravity said refrigerating elements to be recycled inside said refridger module management and storage.
• the consumer can now place one or more cooling elements in their bag isotherm containing the frozen or fresh products he just bought.
• This or these refrigerating elements charged with frigories at -18 ° C diffuse the frigories inside the insulated bag. This maintains the temperature of the products, thus preventing the cold chain from breaking.
• a dispensing device as defined above and known by the publication FR-A-2 745 933, has been developed. It distributes and recycles these refrigerants. This dispenser is mainly found in department stores near the frozen food shelves. In the context of this application, the refrigeration temperature at -18 ° C is sufficient.
• This particularly simple, economical and non-polluting technology can be used upstream of distribution, in particular to eliminate the use of dry ice in the transport of frozen products.
• refrigerants having a larger volume as well as a much larger refrigerant charge.
• the refrigeration temperature inside the refrigeration and storage module should be lowered, for example, to -35 ° C.
• the dispensing device as it is known does not allow this objective to be achieved, in particular because of the losses of cold at the outlet orifice which is located in the lower part of the dispenser.
• the present invention aims to overcome this drawback by proposing a device for dispensing refrigerants with high refrigeration capacity making it possible to distribute and recycle refrigerants intended for be placed in particular in the transport boxes of frozen products in order to guarantee compliance with the cold chain from the distributor to the consumer's home, for example.
• the invention relates to a device for dispensing refrigerants as defined in the preamble and characterized in that the input and disinfection module is arranged above said refrigeration and storage module, in that the inlet and outlet ports of said refrigeration and storage module are located in the upper part of this module, and in that the refrigeration and storage module comprises a third transfer means arranged to raise said refrigerant elements towards the orifice Release.
• the inlet and outlet ports of the refrigeration and storage module are located substantially in the same plane.
• the first transfer means comprises an inclined ramp arranged to transfer by gravity the cooling elements from said inlet orifice to said outlet orifice.
• the input and disinfection module can advantageously include a cleaning device comprising two circular brushes arranged symmetrically with respect to said inclined ramp, on the path of said cooling elements, each brush being mounted on a turntable driven by a motorization.
• the inlet orifice may also include a presence detector arranged to transmit a signal to the motorization of the cleaning device when a cooling element is detected, this presence detector possibly comprising an articulated bent finger subjected to a return spring arranged for that its free end is located behind said inlet orifice on the path of the cooling elements and at least one microswitch.
• a presence detector arranged to transmit a signal to the motorization of the cleaning device when a cooling element is detected, this presence detector possibly comprising an articulated bent finger subjected to a return spring arranged for that its free end is located behind said inlet orifice on the path of the cooling elements and at least one microswitch.
• the inlet of the refrigeration and storage module comprises a sealed door made up of a flexible tongue arranged to open under the weight of a refrigerating element.
• the second transfer means consists of a helical rail extending inside the box of its inlet orifice in the upper part towards the lower part, this rail being arranged to receive said elements refrigerants in a substantially vertical position and arranged astride its upper generator.
• the inlet orifice of the storage and refrigeration module is arranged along a substantially vertical axis and the inclined ramp of the first transfer means forms an acute angle with the axis of this inlet orifice.
• the third transfer means comprises a guide tube extending inside the box, from its lower part to its outlet orifice in the upper part, and arranged to receive the cooling elements in a vertical position superimposed, the lower part of this guide tube comprising a window disposed facing the lower end of the rail as well as a lifting member arranged to lift said refrigerating elements superimposed inside said guide tube and to allow the addition of a new cooling element coming from said helical rail, the lower end of the helical rail being rectilinear and arranged substantially perpendicular to the window of said guide tube.
• the lifting member may include a retractable nose articulated at the end of a slide mounted in a support arranged in parallel and at the rear of the guide tube, this slide being driven by a reciprocating translational movement back and forth. between a low position and a high position, the nose being movable between two positions, an extended position where it projects the inside of the guide tube on the go and a retracted position where it is retracted inside the support on the return, and the lifting member comprising a stop arranged to limit the rotation of the articulated nose in its extended position.
• the articulated nose has a substantially triangular shape so that in the extended position its upper face is substantially horizontal and in the retracted position its lower face is substantially vertical, the two faces defining an angle between them acute.
• the outlet orifice comprises a watertight door arranged to open under the pressure of a refrigerating element stored in the guide tube, this watertight door being slidably mounted in an inclined support disposed outside said watertight box and comprising at its end closing said outlet orifice a beveled face arranged to generate a backward movement under the effect of the thrust of said cooling element.
• the outlet orifice is preferably arranged along a substantially vertical axis and the inclined support forms an acute angle with the axis of this outlet orifice.
• FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of the dispensing device according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a side view in section of the apparatus of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the input and disinfection module
• FIGS. 4A and 4B are detailed views of the inlet opening of the refrigeration and storage module, respectively closed and open,
• FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the storage rail in the refrigeration and storage module
• FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are detailed views of the third transfer means
• FIGS. 7A and 7B are detailed views of the outlet orifice of the refrigeration and storage module, respectively closed and open, and
• FIG. 8 shows a front view of the cooling element according to the invention.
• the dispensing device 1 arranged to dispense refrigerating elements 10 and recharge the refrigerating elements to be recycled with frigories, comprises the following two superimposed modules:
• an inlet and disinfection module 2 of said refrigerating elements provided with an inlet orifice 3, an outlet orifice 4 and a first transfer means 5 of said elements between the two orifices, and
• a refrigeration and storage module 6 of said refrigerating elements provided with an insulated box 60, a cold generating device (not shown) arranged to charge the said refrigerating elements 10 with frigories, an orifice d inlet 4 corresponding to the outlet orifice of said inlet and disinfection module 2, an outlet orifice 7, said orifices passing through a wall of said insulated box 60, of a second transfer means 8 for transporting said refrigerating elements 10 to be recycled inside said refrigeration and storage module 6 by gravity, and a third transfer means 9 arranged to reassemble said refrigerating elements 10 from the second transfer means 8 to the outlet 7.
• the refrigeration and storage module 6 rests on the ground by feet 61 and comprises a cold generating device (not shown) conventionally comprising a compressor, an evaporator, a condenser and a recovery tank .
• This module 6 receives above it the input and disinfection module 2, thereby forming a compact device.
• This input module 2 is faired by a folded sheet 20 defining on the front face a console 21.
• On this console 21 there is the inlet 3 in the top right, the outlet 7 in the middle part to the right and a control and communication panel 22, comprising for example the control buttons and the indicator lights for the operation of the dispensing device 1 and indicating for example the inlet 3 with an arrow and all the information useful for the use of said dispensing device 1.
• inlet 4 and outlet 7 of the refrigeration and storage module 6 are located substantially in the same plane and in the upper part. They pass through the upper wall 61 of the insulated box 60 along substantially vertical axes.
• the input and disinfection module 2 comprises a first transfer means 5 consisting of an inclined ramp 50 forming a U-shaped rail of width substantially equivalent to that of the elements refrigerants 10.
• This inclined ramp 50 extends from the inlet orifice 3 in the upper part to near the inlet orifice 4, in the lower part, and forms an acute angle, for example equal to 45 ° , with the axis of this orifice 4.
• the lower end of this inclined ramp 50 has two lateral cheeks 51 arranged to laterally guide the cooling elements 10 when they leave the inclined ramp 50 to enter the inlet orifice 4 and pass from an inclined position to a substantially vertical position by simple gravity.
• a cleaning and disinfection device 52 On the path of the cooling elements 10, along this inclined ramp 50, a cleaning and disinfection device 52 is provided.
• This device 52 comprises, in the example shown, two circular brushes 53 arranged symmetrically with respect to the inclined ramp 50, each brush 53 being mounted on a turntable 54 driven in synchronism by a motorization 55.
• the cooling elements 10 move along the inclined ramp 50, on the one hand, by gravity and, on the other hand, under the effect of the rotation of the brushes 53.
• a reservoir of disinfectant liquid 56 is also provided for spraying said cooling elements 10 by means of a nozzle 57, the jet of which is directed towards the brushes 53.
• any other cleaning mechanism and disinfection can be considered.
• the inlet 3 has an opening of cross section equivalent to the cross section of the cooling elements 10 introduced horizontally. Voluntarily, this cross section is not symmetrical with respect to the median axis of the refrigerating elements 10 so as to orient them correctly in the appliance 1.
• a presence detector 30 comprising a bent finger 31, articulated and arranged so that its free end is located in the path of the cooling elements 10, as well as at least one microswitch 32a arranged to transmit a signal to the actuating means of the slide of the lifting device described below, so as to exchange the cooling elements 10.
• the finger 31 is extended by an actuating rod 33 which triggers the microswitch 32a only when the finger 31 is pushed by a cooling element 10 according to the invention and disposed in the right direction, that is ie the forward U shape.
• actuating rod 33 which triggers the microswitch 32a only when the finger 31 is pushed by a cooling element 10 according to the invention and disposed in the right direction, that is ie the forward U shape.
• other detection means can be provided, such as for example optical detectors.
• a second microswitch 32b is also provided, arranged to transmit a signal to the motor 55 of the cleaning device 52 when a cooling element 10 is detected.
• the inlet orifice 4 of the refrigeration and storage module 6 comprises an airlock 40 of parallelepipedal shape mounted in an opening of corresponding shape provided in the upper wall 61 of the insulated box 60.
• This airlock 40 protrudes on either side of this wall 61 and includes a sealed door 41 disposed at its end located inside the insulated box 60.
• This sealed door 41 is constituted by a flexible tongue whose edge is secured to the airlock 40 and the opposite edge closes the airlock 40 in the rest position, represented by FIG. 4A.
• This flexible tongue 41 is inclined relative to the vertical axis of the airlock 40 by an acute angle, for example equal to 45 ° and is arranged to open under the weight of a cooling element 10 introduced into the airlock 40, shown by Figure 4B.
• a helical rail 80 forming the second transfer means 8 arranged to transport and store said refrigerating elements 10 inside the storage and refrigeration module 6
• This helical rail 80 of flat shape and with constant pitch extends inside the box from top to bottom, from its inlet orifice 4 towards the bottom of the insulated box 60.
• the turns which make up this helical rail 80 make an angle between approximately 18 ° and 25 ° with the horizontal.
• a support tube 82 is mounted in the insulated box 60 coaxially with said rail and carries spokes 83 fixed on the internal generator of the helical rail 80 for example every 90 degrees.
• the helical rail 80 is made of a metallic material and a defrosting system (not shown) can in some cases be installed inside to prevent the formation of frost
• the upper end of the helical rail 80 is straight and is located below the inlet orifice 4 so as to receive the cooling elements 10 which fall by gravity, are positioned astride the upper generator 81 of the rail and are guided laterally by the side walls of the airlock 40 which extend on either side of said rail 80.
• the lower end of the helical rail 80 is also rectilinear to correctly position the cooling elements 10 relative to the third transfer means 9 which will be described below.
• This helical rail 80 makes it possible to store the refrigerating elements 10 in a substantially vertical position, one behind the other, moving by gravity.
• FIG. 8 illustrates the cooling element 10, seen in plan. Its detailed description appears in publication FR-A-2 745 933. It takes the form of a substantially parallelepiped plate and comprises, in particular, a slot 11 delimiting two legs 12 and 13, this slot having a width substantially greater than the thickness of the helical rail 80 narrowing downwards. This slot 11 is located under a through hole 14 where the contact zone 15 with the upper generator 81 of the helical rail 80 is located.
• the particular construction form of the cooling elements 10 means that the center of gravity of the cooling element 10 located below this fulcrum 15 and is axially offset from the side of the widest and thickest tab 13 of the cooling element 10 so as to balance the distribution of the substance contained in the cooling element 10 between the legs 12 and 13.
• This substance is a eutectic mixture whose melting point is for example equal to -23 ° C. II
• the third transfer means 9 comprises a guide tube 90 extending inside the insulated box 60 from bottom to top, from the bottom of the insulated box to the outlet orifice 7 It defines an internal chute 91 of rectangular section whose dimensions correspond at least to the largest section of the refrigerating elements 10 and arranged to receive these elements in a vertical position superimposed on each other.
• the lower part of this guide tube 90 has a window 92 disposed perpendicularly to the lower end of the helical rail 80.
• This third transfer means 9 also includes a lifting member 93 arranged to lift said cooling elements 10 superimposed inside of the guide tube 90 and allow the addition of a new cooling element 10 coming from the helical rail 80 through the window 92.
• the lifting member 93 comprises a retractable nose 94 articulated at the end of a slide 95 mounted in a support 96 arranged in parallel and at the rear of the guide tube 90.
• This slide 95 is driven by a movement of reciprocating translation back and forth between a low position, represented by FIGS. 6A and 6C, and a high position, represented by FIG. 6B.
• the nose 94 is movable between two positions, an extended position, represented by FIGS. 6A and 6B, where it projects inside the guide tube 90 on the way out and a retracted position, represented by FIG. 6C, where it is retracted inside the support 96 on the return.
• a stop 97 consisting of a rod is mounted on the slide 95 at the rear of the nose 94 to limit its rotation in its extended position.
• This articulated nose 94 has a substantially triangular shape so that in the extended position, its upper face is substantially horizontal and, in the retracted position, its lower face is substantially vertical, the two faces defining between them an acute angle.
• the slide 95 is moved for example by a jack (not shown) or by any other equivalent means, controlled by a control member such as a push button or a sensitive button provided on the table 22 of the desk 21 or by the micro- switch 32a of the presence detector 30 in the context of an exchange of cooling elements 10.
• the outlet orifice 7 comprises an airlock 70 passing through the upper wall 61 of the watertight box 60 right through and a watertight door 71 arranged to open under the pressure of an element refrigerant 10 pushed by the other refrigerating elements stored in the guide tube 90 and lifted by the lifting member 93.
• the watertight door 71 is slidably mounted in an inclined support 72, disposed outside the watertight box 60. It comprises at its end closing the outlet orifice 7 a bevelled face 73 arranged to generate a backward movement of the door 71 under the effect of the thrust of the cooling element 10.
• the outlet orifice 7 is arranged along an axis substantially vertical and the inclined support 72 forms an acute angle with the axis of this outlet orifice 7.
• the refrigeration and storage module 6 is filled with refrigerating elements 10 loaded with frigories which can be stored beforehand on a pallet in freezers. Thanks to an access door (not shown), these cooling elements 10 can be placed directly on the helical rail 80 and in the guide tube 90.
• the dispensing device 1 automatically ejects one or more refrigerating elements 10 through the outlet orifice 7.
• the button or the control key sends signals to the jack which generates an alternating movement of the slide 95.
• the rest position (fig. 6A)
• the latter In the rest position (fig. 6A), the latter is in the low position.
• it executes a cycle comprising an upward movement followed by a backward movement to return to its rest position.
• its forward movement from its low position (fig. 6A) to its high position (fig.
• the nose 94 being protruding in the guide tube 90, it raises with it the column of refrigerating elements 10 contained in this tube by bringing out the top one through the outlet orifice 7. Simultaneously, the window 92 is cleared and can receive automatically and by gravity a new refrigerating element 10 coming from the helical rail 80 ( fig. 6B).
• This nose 94 is arranged so that it fits in the slot 11 of the cooling element 10 disposed in the window 92 of the guide tube 90. When lifting, the nose 94 is supported in the contact zone 15 of the through hole 14 of said cooling element 10. Its upper face is substantially horizontal to allow it to exert a lifting force in the axis of the guide tube 90.
• the position extended from this nose 94 is defined by the rod 97 which limits its rotation by forming a rear stop.
• the slide 95 arrives in the high position (fig. 6B), its movement is reversed and it goes back down in the low position.
• the underside of the nose 94 abuts against the cooling elements 10 contained in the guide tube 90 and automatically causes the rotation of the nose 94 in its retracted or retracted position inside the support 96 so as to release the nose from the guide tube 90.
• the slide 95 can, if necessary, carry out a new cycle to eject a new refrigerating element 10.
• This transfer means 9 being disposed in the refrigeration module and storage 6, the refrigerating elements 10 stored in the guide tube 90 remain at the same temperature.
• the user wants to recycle refrigerant elements 10 discharged into frigories, he introduces them into the inlet orifice 3 after having positioned them correctly.
• the refrigerating elements 10 descend one by one, by gravity, along the inclined ramp 50 to the outlet orifice 4.
• the presence detector 30, located behind the inlet orifice 3 automatically sends signals to the ram of the slide 95 to carry out the exchange of cooling elements 10 as well as to the motor 55 which controls the cleaning and disinfection mechanism, namely the rotation of the brushes 53 and, simultaneously, the spraying of '' a disinfectant liquid.
• the refrigerating elements 10 to be recycled are cleaned and disinfected before their introduction into the refrigeration and storage module 6 through the inlet orifice 4. This makes it possible to avoid any contamination with the refrigeration zone.
• the input and disinfection module 2 is completely separate and isolated from the refrigeration and storage module 6.
• the electrical and electronic equipment provided in this module can be standard equipment.
• cooling elements 10 When the cooling elements 10 pass from one module to another through the orifice 4, they fall directly by gravity straddling the helical rail 80 which makes it possible to store a large number of cooling elements 10 positioned one behind the other while they recharge in frigories.
• This transfer means 8 is advantageous because it does not require any drive device, the refrigerating elements 10 moving by simple gravity.
• the invention makes it possible to achieve all the goals set and, in particular, that the particular arrangement of the two modules 2 and 6 as well as the positioning of the inlet 4 and outlet 7 ports in the upper part of the insulated box 60 make it possible to considerably increase the cooling power.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)
• Apparatus For Disinfection Or Sterilisation (AREA)
• Gloves (AREA)
• Devices For Dispensing Beverages (AREA)
• Chutes (AREA)
• Stacking Of Articles And Auxiliary Devices (AREA)

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Publications (2)

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• 2000
  • 2000-03-29 FR FR0003934A patent/FR2807190B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-03-29 WO PCT/IB2001/000517 patent/WO2001073703A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2001-03-29 ES ES01914133T patent/ES2208572T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-03-29 CN CNB018074138A patent/CN1161717C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-03-29 CA CA002404637A patent/CA2404637C/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-03-29 PT PT01914133T patent/PT1269432E/pt unknown
  • 2001-03-29 AT AT01914133T patent/ATE250258T1/de active
  • 2001-03-29 JP JP2001571346A patent/JP4666870B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-03-29 US US10/239,935 patent/US6755320B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-03-29 DK DK01914133T patent/DK1269432T3/da active
  • 2001-03-29 DE DE60100805T patent/DE60100805T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-03-29 EP EP01914133A patent/EP1269432B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-03-29 BR BRPI0109652A patent/BRPI0109652B1/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-03-29 AU AU39509/01A patent/AU3950901A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-03-29 TR TR2003/02191T patent/TR200302191T4/xx unknown

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