JP6776606B2 - Cup vending machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention includes a stirrer that descends so as to enter the cup by an elevating mechanism of a beverage agitator and rises so as to exit the cup from the inside of the cup, and the beverage is agitated in the cup by the stirrer.・ Regarding in- cup mixing type cup-type vending machines that mix and adjust.

Cup-type vending machines that adjust instant coffee and sell it as cup beverages have many cups of different capacities (for example, large, medium, and small) in a cabinet with an open front. A cup supply device that stores stacks, a canister that stores various powder raw materials (for example, cream, coffee, sugar, etc.) by type, a cup transfer device that grips and conveys cups, and a stirrer that can move vertically by an elevating mechanism. Beverage agitator, bend stage (product sales port), hot water tank, cold water tank, ice machine, etc. are arranged, and the door that closes the opening of the cabinet has a product selection button for selecting beverages, and the concentration of raw materials is adjusted. Adjustment buttons to be used, product outlets facing the bend stage, etc. are arranged. The cup transfer device grasps the cup (large, medium, or small cup) supplied from the cup supply device and conveys it to the bend stage facing the product sales port via the canister and the beverage agitator. It is configured in. In addition, the cup transfer device is configured to stop once when the gripped cup reaches the position of the canister and the beverage agitator (beverage adjustment position), and at the canister position, powder raw materials such as cream, coffee, and sugar are injected into the cup. At the beverage adjustment position, hot water (when selling hot beverages) is injected into the cup from the hot water tank via the hot water supply nozzle, and the agitator is lowered by the beverage agitator to stir and mix the powder raw material and hot water. It is configured to adjust the coffee beverage. When selling regular coffee as a cup beverage, a coffee bean canister that stores coffee beans by type, a mill that grinds coffee beans carried out from the coffee bean canister into powder, crushed coffee beans and hot water supply from a hot water tank A coffee brewer that is injected through a nozzle and extracts regular coffee liquor using hot water is additionally equipped, and the regular coffee liquor extracted from the coffee brewer is injected into the cup, and if necessary, a stirrer is used with a beverage stirrer. After lowering, the powder raw material and the regular coffee liquid are stirred and mixed to prepare the coffee beverage.

The in-cup mixing type cup-type vending machine that adjusts beverages such as regular coffee and instant coffee containing sugar and cream in the cup is after the agitator of the beverage agitator is inserted into the cup at the beverage adjustment position. It is configured to stir and mix by rotating the beverage to generate a flow, stop the rotation of the stirrer after adjusting the beverage, and then raise the stirrer out of the cup by an elevating mechanism (for example). See Patent Document 1). Further, in a cup-type vending machine that sells coffee beverages such as cappuccino and cafe latte on which foamed forming cream is placed on coffee, a stirrer of a beverage agitator is inserted into the cup and then rotated to drink. It is configured to generate a foaming forming cream by taking in air to the coffee, stop the rotation of the stirrer after adjusting the beverage, and then raise the stirrer out of the cup by an elevating mechanism (for example, Patent Document). 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-251241 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-334374

The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above is excellent in that the stirrer of the beverage stirrer is allowed to enter the cup and then rotated to generate a flow in the beverage to stir and mix. However, when the beverage is agitated and mixed by the rotation of the stirrer, air is taken into the beverage to generate relatively large bubbles, and these bubbles are combined vertically and horizontally to form a mass of bubbles that rise like a mountain. It has a problem that it remains in a group (for example, a pattern of a mass of bubbles blown by a crab) and floats on the surface of a beverage, which impairs the visual impression (appearance). Further, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 is excellent in that a foaming forming cream is produced by injecting air into the beverage by rotating the stirrer of the beverage agitator after entering the agitator into the cup. However, when bubbles larger than the bubbles of the foamy milk foam are generated, they form a group of bubbles and remain in a manner of floating on the surface of the milk foam without being buried in the milk foam, giving a visual impression (appearance). It has the problem of damaging it. In addition, the stirrer disclosed in Patent Document 2 is suitable for producing forming cream because the wire rod wound in a coil shape is formed in an annular shape, but the raw material is easily stored in the gap between the coils. Due to the structure, there is a problem that it is difficult to wash away the stored raw materials when washing the stirrer.

In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to inject air after adjusting the beverage with a stirrer to eliminate the bubbles in a group, but in order to eliminate the bubbles, a new air injection device must be installed. However, there is a problem that the cost rise is unavoidable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its object is to solve the above problems, capable of preventing that the group of bubbles remaining on the surface of the beverage without adding equipped with new components cup type automatic It is to provide vending machines .

In the invention according to claim 1 in order to achieve the above object, the elevating mechanism of the beverage agitator lowers the beverage so as to enter the cup, and ascends the beverage from the inside of the cup to the outside of the cup. In a cup-type vending machine of an in-cup mixing type equipped with a stirrer for stirring, mixing and adjusting the beverage, the beverage agitator rotates the agitator in the cup to stir and mix the beverage for adjustment. It is characterized by comprising a defoaming step of extinguishing bubbles floating on the surface of the beverage with a stirrer after adjustment.

The invention according to claim 2 is the cup-type vending machine according to claim 1, wherein in the foam eliminating step, the stirrer is raised by a predetermined distance while the rotation of the stirrer is stopped after the beverage is adjusted. It is characterized in that the stirrer is rotated.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the cup-type vending machine according to claim 2, the rotation time of the stirrer in the foam eliminating step is shorter than the rotation time at the time of adjusting the beverage. To do.

The invention according to claim 4 is the cup-cup vending machine according to claim 1, wherein in the foam eliminating step, the rotation speed of the stirrer after the beverage adjustment is lower than the rotation speed at the time of the beverage adjustment. It is characterized in that the stirrer is moved up and down in the beverage at a low speed.

According to the cup-type vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, the elevating mechanism of the beverage agitator lowers the beverage so that it enters the cup, and then rises from the inside of the cup to the outside of the cup. In the cup-type vending machine of the in-cup mixing type equipped with a stirrer for stirring, mixing and adjusting the beverage, the beverage agitator rotates the stirrer in the cup to stir and mix the beverage for adjustment. By providing a foam eliminating step of eliminating bubbles floating on the surface of the beverage with a stirrer after adjusting the beverage, the beverage is generated at the time of adjusting the beverage by using a stirrer for adjusting by stirring and mixing the beverage in the cup. Since the group of bubbles floating on the surface can be eliminated, it is possible to eliminate the group of bubbles floating on the surface of the beverage without adding new parts, and the group of bubbles floats on the surface of the beverage. It has the effect of not remaining and impairing the visual impression (appearance).

It is a schematic diagram of the cup type vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a control block diagram which shows the control structure of the cup type vending machine of FIG. It is a block diagram of the beverage agitator of FIG. It is a perspective view of the stirrer and the rotating shaft of FIG. A part of the operation process of the beverage agitator is shown, FIG. 5 (a) is an operation explanatory diagram of a process of stirring and mixing the beverage in the cup with a stirrer at the time of adjusting the beverage, and FIG. 5 (b) is an operation explanatory diagram. It is an operation explanatory view of the defoaming process after adjusting a beverage by stirring and mixing the beverage in a cup with a stirrer. It is an operation explanatory view which shows the modification of the foam-eliminating process after adjusting a beverage by stirring and mixing the beverage in a cup with a stirrer.

Hereinafter, the cup-type vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cup-type vending machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the cup-type vending machine 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a raw material for various powders (for example, cream, coffee, sugar, etc.) supplied into the cup C while being transferred to the beverage adjusting position, or roasted coffee. An in-cup mixing method that adjusts the beverage by stirring and mixing the regular coffee beverage extracted from the beans and supplied into the cup transferred to the beverage adjustment position and the hot water discharged into the cup at the beverage adjustment position. Although it is a vending machine, the present invention is not limited to the cup-type vending machine of this embodiment.

The cup-type vending machine 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a water reservoir 1, an auger-type ice maker 2, a hot water storage tank 3, a coffee bean canister 4, and a powder raw material housed in a vending machine body (not shown) having an open front surface. It is equipped with a canister 5, a cup supply mechanism 6, a cup transfer mechanism 7, a beverage agitator 8, a powder tray 9, a waste liquid bucket 10, etc., and is provided on a door (not shown) that is openably attached to the front opening of the vending machine body. It is provided with an outlet 11 having an automatic opening / closing door.

The water reservoir 1 stores water supplied from a water pipe by opening and closing the water supply valve V1, and detects an abnormality with a water supply sensor S1 that detects the water level in conjunction with a float that moves up and down according to the stored water level. The sensor S2 is provided. The water supply sensor S1 includes a microswitch that detects the upper limit water level of the water stored in the water reservoir 1, and the actuator of the microswitch rotates against the urging force of the spring due to the rise in the water level stored in the water reservoir 1. When the switch is pressed, an on signal is output, and when the actuator of the micro switch is rotated by the urging force of a spring due to a drop in the water level stored in the water reservoir 1, an off signal is output when the actuator is separated from the switch. The abnormality detection sensor S2 includes a microswitch that detects the lower limit water level (abnormality) of the water stored in the water reservoir 1. When the water level stored in the water reservoir 1 drops to the lower limit water level, the actuator of the microswitch is spring-loaded. When it rotates against the force and presses the switch, an on signal is output, and when the water level stored in the water reservoir 1 rises above the lower limit water level, the actuator of the micro switch rotates due to the urging force of the spring and from the switch. When separated, an off signal is output. The water supply valve V1 is configured to control the opening and closing of the valve based on the on / off signal of the water supply sensor S1, opens the valve from the water supply sensor S1 by the off signal to start water supply, and turns on the water supply sensor S1. At the signal, the valve is closed and the water supply is stopped. By opening and closing the water supply valve V1 in this way, the water stored in the water reservoir 1 is maintained at the upper limit water level and within a predetermined range. The abnormality detection sensor S2 outputs an on signal when the water stored in the water reservoir 1 reaches the lower limit water level (abnormality) due to water outage or the like, and the auger type ice making described later is based on this on signal. The machine 2 is forcibly stopped.

The auger type ice maker 2 has an ice making section 21 having a heat insulating structure that makes ice pieces from water supplied from the water reservoir 1 via a pipe P1, and an ice storage part having a heat insulating structure that stores the ice pieces made on the ice cubes. It is composed of a part 22 and a part 22.

The ice making section 21 is provided on the inner wall surface of the ice making cylinder by an evaporation pipe forming a refrigerating cycle wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical ice making cylinder, while being arranged in the ice making cylinder and via a speed reducer. The ice that has landed on the inner wall surface of the ice-making cylinder is cut into flakes by an auger (screw-shaped rotary cutting blade) that is rotated by a drive motor connected to the ice, and pushed up, and an ice compression extrusion provided above the auger. After being compressed and solidified by the head, it is configured to be cut at the tip of the extrusion head to form chip-shaped ice, and by surrounding the evaporation pipe wound around the ice tray with a heat insulating material. It is formed as a heat insulating structure.

The ice storage section 22 arranged at the upper part of the ice making section 21 is formed by a heat insulating wall having a circular cross section for storing chip-shaped ice formed in the ice making section 21, and has a cage for placing ice pieces on the bottom. It has an ice storage chamber that is laid, and is arranged inside the ice storage chamber, and the ice is agitated by an ice agitator attached on the axis of the rotation axis that is coaxial with the auger, and the ice sticks to each other to form a large ice block. It is configured to prevent it from becoming. A drainage port for draining the melted water is provided at the bottom of the ice storage chamber, and the melted water is introduced from this drainage port to the lower part of the ice making section 21 via the pipe P2, and the pipe P1 and the pipe P2 pass through the pipe P3. It is connected to the water pump PMP. An ice outlet (not shown) is formed on the side wall of the ice storage chamber, and an ice carry-out door 23 that opens and closes the ice outlet is provided. The ice carry-out door 23 is controlled to open and close by a solenoid driven by an ice carry-out command output from the sales control unit 20a (see FIG. 2), which will be described later in conjunction with the sale operation, and the solenoid is driven to drive the ice carry-out door 23. When the 23 is opened, the ice agitated by the agitator is supplied to the cup C transferred to the beverage adjusting position via the hose H. An ice amount detection disk that moves up and down according to the displacement of the ice storage amount is provided in the ice storage chamber, and when the ice storage amount decreases and the ice amount detection disk drops to the lower limit position of the ice storage amount, an ice making start signal is output. It is provided with a start switch and an ice making stop switch that outputs an ice making stop signal when the ice making operation progresses and the ice amount detecting disk is pushed up to the ice storage amount upper limit position.

While the auger type ice maker 2 does not have a water level adjusting function by itself, the water level in the ice making section 21 is kept within an appropriate upper limit water level and lower limit water level in order to make good quality ice pieces. Because it is necessary, the water level in the ice making section 21 is installed side by side in the water reservoir 1 in the main body of the vending machine so that the water level in the water reservoir 1 is the same as the water level in the water reservoir 1.

The hot water storage tank 3 has a desired temperature, for example, by energizing the heater 31 based on the output of the temperature sensor S5 provided inside the water supplied from the water reservoir 1 via the pipe P4 by driving the water pump PMP. , 94 to 97 ° C. is heated and stored, and a water supply start sensor S3 and a water supply stop sensor S4 that detect the water level in conjunction with a float that moves up and down according to the stored water level are provided. The water supply start sensor S3 detects the lower limit water level of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3, while the water supply stop sensor S4 detects the upper limit water level of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3. The drive of the water pump PMP is controlled based on the on / off signals from the water supply start sensor S3 and the water supply stop sensor S4, and the water pump PMP is driven by the on signal of the water supply start sensor S3 to start water supply and supply water. The drive is stopped by the ON signal of the stop sensor S4 to stop the water supply. By controlling the drive of the water pump PMP, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3 is kept at a water level within a predetermined range. Further, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3 is poured into the cup C in a fixed amount each time the beverage is sold via the hot water supply valves V2 and V3 at the time of adjusting the beverage. The capacity of the hot water storage tank 3 varies depending on the specifications of the cup-type vending machine 100 (for example, about 500 ml to 10 L), but in this embodiment, 3 L of hot water can be stored. The water reservoir 1 is configured to be able to store 1 L of water.

The coffee bean canister 4 stores roasted coffee beans that are a raw material for regular coffee. The coffee mill 12 in which the coffee beans discharged from the coffee bean canister 4 are charged through a shooter (not shown) grinds the charged coffee beans into powdered coffee ground beans having a predetermined particle size with a crushing blade. Is what you do.

The coffee brewer 13 into which the ground coffee beans crushed by the coffee mill 12 is charged includes a cylindrical extraction container, a paper filter, a filter block, and a valve mechanism for opening and closing the upper end opening of the extraction container. Is provided with an air inlet for supplying air to the inside thereof. In order to extract coffee liquid with this coffee brewer 13, first, the extraction container is lowered, a filter block is attached to the lower end opening thereof via a paper filter, and then the upper end opening of the extraction container is opened by a valve mechanism. Then, the ground coffee beans are poured from the upper end opening of the extraction container, the hot water supply valve V3 of the hot water storage tank 3 is opened to supply a predetermined amount of hot water through the pipe P6, and then the upper end opening of the extraction container is closed by the valve mechanism. Then, when air is supplied from the lower air inlet of the extraction container and the mixed solution of ground coffee beans and hot water is stirred, the coffee solution containing the coffee component filtered by the paper filter is extracted, and the extracted coffee solution is extracted. , Is dispensed into the cup C transferred to the beverage adjusting position via the pipe P7. A slag bucket (not shown) is provided inside the vending machine body so that coffee slag and paper filters are discarded.

The powder raw material canister 5 includes a coffee canister 51 for storing powdered coffee raw material, a cream canister 52 for storing powdered cream raw material, and a sugar canister 53 for storing powdered sugar raw material. The powder raw material canister 5 is selected according to the preference of the user at the time of selling the beverage, and the powder raw material is discharged from each of the canisters 51 to 53 and thrown into the cup C transferred by the cup transport mechanism 7 described later. Is what you do.

The cup supply mechanism 6 stacks and stores a large number of cups of different capacities (for example, three types of large, medium, and small) for each type, and then stores cups having a capacity according to the user's choice at the time of selling beverages. It is thrown into the cup transport mechanism 7 shown.

The cup transport mechanism 7 includes an arm for gripping the cup ejected from the cup supply mechanism 6, and the cup gripped by the arm passes through a beverage adjusting position in which the powder raw material canister 5 and the beverage agitator 8 are arranged. The beverage is transferred to the bend stage of the sales port 11, and is configured to temporarily stop at the beverage adjustment position where the powder raw material canister 5 and the beverage agitator 8 are arranged.

The beverage agitator 8 arranged at the beverage adjusting position descends so as to enter the cup C by an elevating mechanism having an elevating motor 82 (see FIG. 3 described later), and also exits from the inside of the cup C to the outside of the cup. It is provided with a stirrer 80 having a rotary shaft 81 that rises as described above and is rotationally driven by a stirrer motor 84 (see FIG. 3). The beverage agitator 8 drives the elevating motor 82 to lower the agitator 80 into the cup C when the cup C is transferred to the beverage adjustment position by the cup transfer mechanism 7, while the hot water supply valve V2 from the hot water storage tank 3 When the hot water supplied via the above is discharged to the rotating shaft 81, the stirring tool 80 is rotated by driving the stirring motor 84 to stir and mix the beverage in the cup C. The configuration of the beverage agitator 8 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The powder tray 9 is a molded product of synthetic resin that prevents liquids such as powder raw materials and coffee beverages from falling to the lower part of the vending machine body. The powder tray 9 is composed of a shallow-bottomed tray main body 91 having an open top surface and a cup accommodating portion 92 connected to the tray main body 91, and the peripheral edge of the tray main body 91 is hung at a predetermined position in the vending machine main body. It is attached by a stopper or a screw. The tray main body 91 is formed so that its planar shape is one size larger than the area of the transfer range of the cup C transferred by the cup transfer mechanism 7, and its bottom surface is inclined toward the cup accommodating portion 92. The cup accommodating portion 92 is formed in a concave shape having a predetermined depth downward, and a waste liquid port 92a for discharging the liquid is provided at the bottom thereof. The cup accommodating portion 92 bends the cup C, which is left on the bend stage without being taken out from the outlet 11 at the time of selling the beverage, so as not to drop (dispose) on the powder tray 91 and miss the sales opportunity. It contains cup C and liquid, which are wastes discarded from the stage, and also contains liquid that spills from the beverage adjustment position. Although detailed description of the disposal of the cup C left on the bend stage is omitted, the cup C left on the bend stage is detached from the bend stage by using the cup transport mechanism 7 and dropped onto the powder tray 91. It is configured to let you. The waste liquid port 92a is connected to the waste liquid bucket 10 via the waste liquid tube 92b, and the liquid flowing into the cup accommodating portion 92 is collected in the waste liquid bucket 10 via the waste liquid port 92a and the waste liquid tube 92b.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram showing a control system of the cup-type vending machine 100 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cup-type vending machine 100 includes a control device 20 that collectively controls the cup-type vending machine 100. The control device 20 includes a sales control unit 20a, a water reservoir control unit 20b, an ice machine control unit 20c, a hot water storage tank control unit 20d, and a storage unit 20e. The control device 20 is connected to an input device (input means) 28 including a keyboard, a numeric keypad, and the like, and a display device 29 including a liquid crystal display and the like.

The sales control unit 20a has a bill insertion slot provided on the front surface of the door, a money insertion signal from the money insertion unit 24 having a coin insertion slot, a beverage selection signal from the beverage selection button 25, and a cup from the cup selection button 26. Based on the type selection signal, raw material selection signal from the powder raw material selection button 27, etc., auger type ice maker 2, coffee bean canister 4, powder raw material canister 5, coffee mill 12, coffee brewer 13, hot water supply valve V2, V3, cup supply The mechanism 6, the cup transfer mechanism 7, the ice carry-out door (norsoam) 23, the elevating motor 82 of the beverage agitator 8, and the agitation motor 84 are driven and controlled to control the adjustment and sale of the selected beverage.

The water reservoir control unit 20b monitors the on / off signal from the water supply sensor S1 and opens the water supply valve V1 when the on signal is input from the water supply sensor S1 to start water supply from the water pipe to the water reservoir 1. When the water supply to the water reservoir 1 progresses and an off signal is input from the water supply sensor S1, the water supply valve V1 is closed to control the water supply from the water pipe to the water reservoir 1 to be stopped. By controlling the water reservoir control unit 20b in this way, the water level stored in the water reservoir 1 is maintained at a constant water level.

The ice maker control unit 20c outputs an on / off signal from the ice making start switch SW1 for detecting the lower limit position of the ice storage amount and the ice making stop switch SW2 for detecting the lower limit position of the ice storage amount provided in the ice storage unit 22 of the auger type ice maker 2. When the on signal is input from the ice making start switch SW1 after monitoring, the compressor that constitutes the refrigeration cycle is driven to start ice making in the ice making section 21, and the motor is driven to rotate the auger to drive the ice pieces in the ice storage section 22. To save. When the ice making operation progresses and an on signal is input from the ice making stop switch SW2, the motor that drives the compressor and the auger of the refrigeration cycle is stopped to control the ice making operation to be interrupted. By controlling the ice maker control unit 20c in this way, the amount of ice stored in the ice storage unit 22 of the auger type ice maker 2 is kept within a predetermined range.

The hot water storage tank control unit 20d energizes and controls the heater 31 installed in the hot water storage tank 3 based on the hot water temperature measured by the temperature sensor S5 installed in the hot water storage tank 3, and stores the hot water in the hot water storage tank 3. Control is performed to heat and retain water at a desired hot water temperature. Further, the hot water storage tank control unit 20d monitors the water supply start sensor S3 and the water supply stop sensor S4, and when an on signal is input from the water supply start sensor S3, drives the water pump PMP to start water supply. When the water supply progresses and an on signal is input from the water supply stop sensor S4, the drive of the water pump PMP is stopped and the water supply is stopped. By controlling the drive of the water pump PMP, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3 is kept at a water level within a predetermined range.

The storage unit 20e includes a sales control unit 20a, a water reservoir control unit 20b, an ice machine control unit 20c, a memory storing a control program in the hot water storage tank control unit 20d, a water level of the water reservoir 1 and the hot water storage tank 3, and the inside of the storage tank 3. It is a memory that stores various data such as the control temperature of.

The input device 28 is an input means for changing various settings and inputting setting data. In addition, the display device 29 includes a sold-out lamp that displays the sold-out of a predetermined beverage, a countdown display (countdown display device) that counts down the time required to complete cooking of the beverage, and the like.

When an instant coffee beverage (containing powdered ingredients such as cream and sugar) that uses powdered coffee ingredients is selected as the coffee beverage (hot) in this cup vending machine, the sales operation is sent to the cup type selection sales signal. Based on this, the cup C having the corresponding capacity is thrown out from the cup supply mechanism 6 to the portion of the arm returning to the standby position in the cup transfer mechanism 7 located below the cup supply mechanism 6. The cup transport mechanism 7 grips the thrown cup C with an arm and starts transferring the cup C toward the lower side of the powder raw material canister 5, and the cup C reaches the lower part of the powder raw material canister 5. At that point, the transfer of the cup C is temporarily stopped. At this point, a fixed amount of instant coffee, cream and sugar powder raw materials are carried out from the coffee canister 51, cream canister 52 and sugar canister 53 of the powder raw material canister 5 and put into the cup C. When the powder raw material is charged into the cup C, the cup transport mechanism 7 restarts the transfer of the cup C toward the bend stage below the beverage agitator 8 which is the beverage agitation position, and the cup C is the beverage in the vicinity of the bend stage. When the adjustment position is reached, the transfer of the cup C is stopped again.

When the cup C reaches the beverage adjusting position near the bend stage and stops, the beverage agitator 8 lowers the agitator 80 so as to enter the cup C by driving the elevating motor 82. In parallel with the above operation, the hot water supply valve V2 connected to the hot water storage tank 3 is opened for a predetermined time. When the hot water supply valve V2 is opened, hot water in the hot water storage tank 3 is discharged toward the rotating shaft 81 of the stirring tool 80 that descends through the pipe P5, flows down along the rotating shaft 81, and flows down from the stirring tool 80 to the cup C. It is stored inside. Then, when the discharge of hot water is completed, the stirring motor 84 of the beverage stirring device 8 is driven to rotate the stirring tool 80 (for example, 5000 rpm), and the powder raw material (instant coffee, cream, sugar) charged into the cup C is charged. ) And hot water are stirred and mixed to prepare the beverage.

When the adjustment of the beverage is completed, the stirring motor 84 of the beverage stirring device 8 is stopped and the elevating motor 82 is reversed to raise the stirring tool 80 so as to come out of the cup C. At that time, the rotating shaft 81 and the stirrer 80 are washed by opening the hot water supply valve V2 and discharging hot water to the rotating shaft 81. After that, the cup transfer mechanism 7 transfers the cup C from the beverage adjusting position toward the bend stage of the outlet 11, provides the cup C to the purchaser, and then returns the arm to the standby position.

On the other hand, the regular coffee beverage sales operation is the same as the instant coffee beverage sales operation except that the following points are different from the instant coffee beverage sales operation. That is, in the sales operation of the instant coffee beverage, the powder raw material of the instant coffee is put into the cup C from the coffee canister 51 of the powder raw material canister 5, and the hot water (diluted liquid) from the hot water supply valve V2 is directly poured into the cup C. On the other hand, in the regular coffee beverage sales operation, hot water from the hot water supply valve V3 is discharged to the coffee brewer 13 and then the regular coffee beverage extracted by the coffee brewer 13 is poured into the cup C. Since it is the same as the sales operation of instant coffee beverages except that, the sales operation of regular coffee beverages is omitted here.

FIG. 3 shows a beverage agitator 8 arranged at the beverage adjustment position. The beverage agitator 8 includes a agitator 80 that agitates and mixes a beverage composed of the raw material in the cup C and hot water or a regular coffee liquid extracted from a coffee brewer, and a agitator motor 84 that rotationally drives the agitator 80. It includes a rotating shaft 81 that transmits the rotational force of the stirring motor 84 to the stirring tool 80, a lifting base 83 to which the stirring motor 84 is attached, and a lifting motor 82 that moves the lifting base 83 up and down. The stirrer 80 and the rotating shaft 81 are made of a non-resin material such as metal or ceramic. The structure of the stirrer 80 and the rotating shaft 81 will be described later in FIG. The elevating base 83 is movably attached to a plurality of shafts (not shown) extending in the vertical direction provided in the case of the beverage agitator 8 and is provided with a rack 830. Further, the rotation shaft of the elevating motor 82 is provided with a rotation speed conversion unit (gear mechanism) 85 for converting the rotation speed of the elevating motor 82, and is provided on the output shaft 850 of the rotation speed conversion unit (gear mechanism) 85. A spur gear (not shown) is configured to mesh with the rack 830 of the elevating base 83. Here, the elevating motor 82, the spur gear (not shown) provided on the output shaft 850 of the rotation speed conversion unit (gear mechanism) 85, and the rack 830 of the elevating base 83 constitute the elevating mechanism of the beverage agitator 8. A cup cover 14 that covers the opening of the cup C is provided at the lower part of the case of the beverage agitator 8. The cup cover 14 has a hot water nozzle 15 that discharges hot water supplied from the hot water storage tank 3 (see FIG. 1) via the hot water supply valve V2 to the cup C, and a regular coffee liquid extracted from the coffee brewer 13 is discharged to the cup C. A coffee nozzle 16 or the like is provided.

The structure of the stirrer 80 and the rotating shaft 81 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the stirrer 80 and the rotating shaft 81 are integrally molded products made of a non-resin material such as metal or ceramic. The stirrer 80 includes a main body 800 having a base end portion 801 and a body portion 802 to which a rotating shaft 81 extending in the vertical direction as a center of rotation is connected. The shape of the main body 800 is such that the plate with a rim is turned down. A plurality of through holes 801a are formed in the base end portion 801 of the main body 800 in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the rotating shaft 81. A plurality of slits 802a extending radially around the rotation shaft 81 are formed in the body portion 802 connected to the rotation shaft 81 by ribs 801b between the plurality of through holes 801a in the circumferential direction. The tips of the ribs 802b between the plurality of slits 802a are connected to each other so as to maintain the mechanical strength of the ribs 802b.

Here, the reason why a plurality of through holes 801a are formed in the base end portion 801 is as follows. That is, when the slit 802a formed in the body portion 802 is formed so as to extend to the rotating shaft 81, the slit width of the slit 802a near the rotating shaft 81 becomes extremely small, so that the raw material is clogged or the surface tension of the liquid is increased. May leave beverages behind. In this case, if the width of the slit 802a is increased, the clogging of the raw material can be solved, but the number of ribs 802b is reduced. The ribs 802b contribute to stirring and mixing the beverage at the time of adjusting the beverage, and it is necessary to secure a predetermined number of ribs 802b. In order to form the slit 802a while maintaining a balance with the number of ribs 802b, the end portion of the slit 802b near the rotation shaft 81 may be formed so as to be separated from the rotation shaft 81, while the slit 802b is closer to the rotation shaft 81. A flat base end portion 801 is formed along the outer periphery of the rotation shaft 81 when the end portion of the shaft 81 is formed separately from the rotation shaft 81, and hot water (adhered to the rotation shaft 81 and the stirrer 80) is formed on the base end portion 801. It causes a problem that the hot water discharged to wash away the beverage) remains. Therefore, a plurality of through holes 801a are formed in the base end portion 801 in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the rotating shaft 81, and hot water for cleaning the rotating shaft 81 and the stirrer 80 is formed in the base end portion 801 in the through holes 801a. It is configured to drip through the base end portion 801 to prevent it from remaining on the base end portion 801.

The beverage agitator 8 provided with the agitator 80 having such a configuration drives the elevating motor 82 when the cup C is transferred to the beverage adjustment position by the cup transfer mechanism 7 of FIG. 1 to move the agitator 80 into the cup C. Lower. When the stirrer 80 descends to the state indicated by the alternate long and short dash line (near the bottom surface of the cup C), hot water is discharged from the hot water nozzle 15 to the rotating shaft 81 of the stirrer 80, and flows down along the rotating shaft 81 from the stirrer 80. It is stored in cup C. When the discharge of hot water from the hot water nozzle 15 is completed, the stirrer 80 is rotated by driving the stirring motor 84 to stir the beverage in the cup C. After adjusting the beverage by stirring and mixing the raw material supplied to the cup C and hot water, the stirring motor 84 is stopped, the elevating motor 82 is reversed, and the stirrer 80 is raised to raise the standby position (solid line position). Return to. Hot water is also discharged from the hot water nozzle 15 when the stirrer 80 is raised, and the rotating shaft 81 and the stirrer 80 are washed by the hot water. In this case, since the through hole 801a is formed in the base end portion 801 of the stirrer 80, hot water does not remain in the base end portion 801.

By the way, when the beverage is agitated by the rotation of the stirrer 80, air is taken into the beverage to generate relatively large bubbles, and these bubbles are combined vertically and horizontally to form a group of bubbles that rise like a mountain. (For example, the pattern of a lump of bubbles blown by a crab) remains in a manner of floating on the surface of the beverage, which impairs the visual impression (appearance). Therefore, the beverage agitator of the cup vending machine according to this embodiment. Reference numeral 8 includes a foam eliminating step shown in FIG. 5 below in addition to the above-mentioned known beverage adjusting step.

FIG. 5 shows a part of the operation process of the beverage agitator 8, and FIG. 5 (a) is an operation explanatory view of the process of stirring and mixing the beverage in the cup C with the agitator 80 at the time of the beverage adjustment described above. FIG. 5B is an operation explanatory view of the foam eliminating step after the beverage in the cup C is stirred and mixed by the stirring tool 80 to prepare the beverage.

As shown in FIG. 5A, in the step of stirring and mixing the beverage in the cup C by the stirring tool 80, the stirring motor 84 is driven to rotate the stirring tool 80 to stir and mix the beverage. In this case, when the stirrer 80 is rotated, a spiral is formed around the position of the stirrer 80, and the peripheral portion of the beverage (the portion along the inner surface of the cup C) runs up, and the surface LT of the beverage when viewed in cross section. However, since the stirrer 80 is located near the bottom surface of the cup C, the beverage overflows from the cup C even if the stirrer 80 is rotated at high speed (for example, 5000 rpm). There is no. Therefore, the beverage can be stirred and mixed in a short time by the high-speed rotation of the stirrer 80. At the time of such beverage adjustment, when the beverage is stirred and mixed by the high-speed rotation of the stirrer 80, air is taken into the beverage to generate relatively large bubbles, and after the beverage adjustment shown in FIG. The bubbles are combined vertically and horizontally to form a group of lumps of bubbles (for example, a pattern of lumps of bubbles blown by crabs) that rise like a mountain and remain in a manner of floating on the surface of the beverage.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, after adjusting the beverage, the stirring motor 84 is stopped to stop the rotation of the stirring tool 80, and then the elevating motor 82 is reversed to move the stirring tool 80 to the beverage surface in the cup C. Raise it by a predetermined distance to LT and stop it temporarily. Then, the stirring motor 84 is driven to rotate the stirring tool 80 for about 1 second while the stirring tool 80 is located on the beverage surface LT. In this case, the beverage in the cup C continues to have a spiral flow in which the surface LT of the beverage draws a gentle conic section when viewed in cross section, but the stirrer 80 in a state where the rotation is stopped is While the liquid level LT becomes flat as it rises, a group of bubbles remaining on the surface of the beverage due to the spiral flow gathers in the center of the spiral. Therefore, when the stirrer 80 rotates, the group of bubbles is divided and the divided bubbles are destroyed and disappear. In this way, after adjusting the beverage, the stirring motor 84 is stopped and the rotation of the stirring tool 80 is stopped, and then the elevating motor 82 is reversed to raise the stirring tool 80 to the beverage surface LT in the cup C by a predetermined distance. By providing the foam eliminating step of driving the stirring motor 84 to rotate the stirring tool 80 after stopping, the foam remaining in the manner of floating on the surface LT of the beverage can be eliminated, so that the surface LT of the beverage can be eliminated. It is possible to prevent the visual impression (appearance) from being impaired by the bubbles remaining in the floating manner.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view showing a modified example of the defoaming step after adjusting the beverage by stirring and mixing the beverage in the cup C with the stirring tool 80. In the modified example shown in FIG. 6, the rotation speed of the stirring motor 84 is reduced from high speed to low speed after the beverage adjustment, and the rotation speed of the stirrer 80 is lower than the rotation speed at the time of beverage adjustment (for example, 5000 rpm). At a low speed of (for example, 2500 rpm), the elevating motor 82 is reversed to raise the stirrer 80 to the vicinity of the surface LT of the beverage, and then the elevating motor 82 is switched to normal rotation to lower the stirrer 80 (beverage). After moving the motor 82 to a position above the position at the time of adjustment), the lifting motor 82 is switched to reverse rotation again to raise the stirrer 80 to the vicinity of the surface LT of the beverage, and the reciprocating operation is repeated a plurality of times, that is, the lifting motor 82 The rotation direction is switched at predetermined time intervals, and the stirrer 80 is moved up and down a plurality of times in the beverage stored in the cup C. In this case, since the stirrer 80 is rotating at a low speed, the beverage in the cup C continues to have a spiral flow in which the surface LT of the beverage draws a gentle conic section when viewed in cross section. , A group of bubbles remaining on the surface of the beverage gathers in the center of the spiral. Then, when the stirrer 80 is lowered, the pressure on the back surface of the stirrer 80 is temporarily depressurized, and the beverage on the back surface of the stirrer 80 sneaks into the beverage in combination with this temporary decompression and the spiral flow of the beverage. A group of bubbles remaining on the surface LT of the beverage is drawn into the beverage. The group of bubbles drawn into the beverage is divided by water pressure and the divided bubbles are destroyed. In this way, by moving the stirrer 80 rotating at a low speed up and down a plurality of times in the beverage, the group of bubbles is divided and the bubbles are destroyed and disappear. In this way, after adjusting the beverage, the rotation speed of the stirrer 80 is set to a low speed lower than the rotation speed at the time of adjusting the beverage, and then the foam eliminating step of moving the stirring tool 80 up and down in the beverage is provided. Since the foam remaining on the surface of the beverage can be eliminated, it is possible to prevent the visual impression (appearance) from being impaired by the foam remaining on the surface of the beverage.

The stirrer 80 shown in FIG. 4 is suitable for adjusting coffee beverages such as cappuccino and latte on which foamed forming cream is placed on coffee, and as shown in FIG. 5A, a cup is used. When the stirrer of the beverage stirrer is made to enter the inside and then rotated, the stirrer 80 causes a spiral flow of the beverage, so that decompression is induced below the stirrer 80, and the main body 800 of the stirrer 80 is the beverage. When exposed from, air is taken into the beverage through the through hole 801a and the slit 802a, so that a foamed forming cream can be produced. Further, the stirrer 80 shown in FIG. 4 connects the tips of the ribs 802b between the plurality of slits 802a to each other to maintain the mechanical strength of the ribs 802b, but the material is selected or the ribs 802b are selected. It is not necessary to connect the tips of the ribs 802b whose mechanical strength is maintained by selecting the wall thickness.

As described above, according to the cup-type vending machine according to this embodiment, the elevating mechanism of the beverage agitator 8 lowers the beverage so as to enter the cup C and exits the cup C from the inside of the cup C. In an in-cup mixing type cup-type vending machine provided with a stirrer 80 for adjusting by stirring and mixing the beverage in the cup C, the beverage agitator 8 stirs the beverage in the cup C. After adjusting the beverage by rotating and stirring and mixing the beverage, the beverage is adjusted by stirring and mixing in the cup C by providing a foam eliminating step of eliminating bubbles floating on the surface of the beverage by the stirrer 80. Since the stirrer 80 can be used to eliminate the group of bubbles generated at the time of beverage adjustment and floating on the surface of the beverage, it is possible to eliminate the group of bubbles floating on the surface of the beverage without adding new parts. This makes it possible, and the effect is that the group of bubbles does not remain in a manner of floating on the surface of the beverage and the visual impression (appearance) is not impaired.

1 ... water reservoir, 2 ... auger type ice machine, 3 ... hot water storage tank, 4 ... coffee bean canister, 5 ... powder raw material canister, 6 ... cup supply mechanism, 7 ... cup transfer mechanism, 8 ... beverage agitator, 80 ... agitation Tool, 81 ... rotary shaft, 82 ... elevating motor, 84 ... stirring motor, 800 ... main body, 801 ... base end, 802 ... body, 801a ... through hole, 802a ... slit, 801b, 82b ... rib.

Claims (4)

A cup equipped with a stirrer that agitates and mixes the beverage in the cup by lowering it so as to enter the cup by the elevating mechanism of the beverage agitator and ascending it so as to go out of the cup from inside the cup. In the internal mixing type cup-type vending machine, the beverage agitator rotates the agitator in the cup to agitate and mix the beverage to adjust the beverage, and then the agitator eliminates the bubbles floating on the surface of the beverage. A cup-type vending machine characterized by having an erasing process. In the cup-type vending machine according to claim 1, the foam eliminating step is to rotate the stirrer after raising the stirrer by a predetermined distance in a state where the rotation of the stirrer is stopped after adjusting the beverage. A featured cup-type vending machine. The cup-type vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the rotation time of the stirrer in the foam eliminating step is shorter than the rotation time at the time of adjusting the beverage. In the cup-type vending machine according to claim 1, in the defoaming step, after adjusting the beverage, the rotation speed of the stirrer is set to a low speed lower than the rotation speed at the time of adjusting the beverage, and then the stirrer is in the beverage. A cup-type vending machine characterized in that it can be moved up and down.

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