Frozen product vending machine

Abstract

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.