JPH04332097A - Material feeder for automatic vending machine for regular coffee - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To vend always fresh and flavorous coffee by storing the small quantity of coffee beans in each of plural sealed containers, arranging respective containers in an automatic vending machine, opening each material container in accordance with the advancement of vending, and feeding coffee beans in the opened container to a mill. CONSTITUTION:When a material container 1 feeding coffee beans 2 to a hopper 4 connected to the coffee mill 3 on a material feeding position out of plural material containers 1 arranged on a material feeding stage 5 is emptied and coffee beans in the hopper 4 are sold out, the stage 5 is moved based upon a signal from a sellout detection sensor 13, the empty container 1 is receded and the succeeding container 5 filled with coffee beans 2 is moved to the material feeding position. Then a material injecting chuter 8 is lifted and breaks the cap (aluminum foil) of the container 1 and the coffee beans 2 in the container 1 are supplied to the hopper 4 of the mill 3. Consequently always fresh and flavorous coffee can be vended.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a raw material supply device for a regular coffee vending machine equipped with a built-in coffee mill, which automatically supplies coffee beans to the coffee mill from a raw material container installed inside the machine.

0002

[Prior technology] A regular coffee vending machine with a built-in coffee mill, which grinds roasted coffee beans into powder each time it is sold, supplies it to a beverage extractor called a brewer along with hot water to make coffee. There are many products on the market that extract it and put it in cups for sale. Such regular coffee vending machines with built-in mills have a superior flavor compared to coffee brewed from coffee beans that have been pre-ground into powder and stored in the machine, and are better stored in the bean state. It has been increasing in popularity in recent years, partly because it has a longer shelf life than when it is ground and stored.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventional regular coffee vending machines of this type store a large amount of coffee beans in bulk in a large material box installed inside the machine, and replenish the coffee grinder from there. produces and sells coffee. However, if roasted coffee beans are stored exposed to the outside air, they will not last long and will deteriorate and lose their flavor in a relatively short period of time. For this reason, when a large amount of coffee beans are stored in a raw material box in a vending machine as described above, the quality of the coffee sold deteriorates over time. Such points,
Although it is possible to replenish the raw material box with coffee beans little by little, this method requires frequent replenishment of raw materials, making maintenance management troublesome.

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and coffee beans are divided into small quantities in advance into a plurality of raw material containers, sealed and set in a vending machine, and the coffee beans are divided into small quantities in advance into a plurality of raw material containers, and the containers are set in a vending machine, and the coffee beans are divided into small quantities in advance into a plurality of raw material containers. To provide a raw material supply device for a regular coffee vending machine capable of maintaining the quality of sold coffee by opening raw material containers one by one and automatically replenishing coffee beans to a coffee mill.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the raw material supply device of the present invention comprises a plurality of bottle-shaped containers each containing coffee beans in small portions and closing the mouth of the container with a lid such as aluminum foil. a raw material supply stage on which raw material containers are mounted side by side in a downward position; a stage driving means for sequentially transferring the raw material containers mounted on the stage to a predetermined raw material supply position based on a command; A raw material inputting chute is provided which communicates with the mouths of the raw material containers lined up at the raw material supply position, and the raw material containers lined up on the raw material supply stage are sequentially moved to the raw material supply position, and then the coffee beans in the containers are poured into coffee through the chute. It is configured to supply to the mill hopper.

Further, as an embodiment of the above structure, an out-of-stock detection sensor is attached to the hopper of the coffee mill, and the raw material supply stage is moved based on the detection signal of the sensor to move the next raw material container to the raw material supply position. Configure to change. Furthermore, the raw material input chute is connected to the lifting drive mechanism, and when replenishing raw materials, the chute is raised and the tip of the chute is inserted through the mouth of the raw material container waiting at the raw material supply position, and during the process of transferring raw material containers, the chute is lowered. It can be configured to be operated and evacuated.

[0007]

[Function] According to the above structure, among the raw material containers lined up on the raw material supply stage, the raw material container that supplies coffee beans to the hopper of the coffee mill at the raw material supply position becomes empty, and the raw material in the hopper also becomes empty. When an out-of-stock condition occurs, the stage moves based on the signal from the out-of-stock detection sensor, evacuates each raw material container, and moves the next raw material container (filled with coffee beans) to the raw material supply position in its place. Next, the raw material input chute rises and breaks through the lid (aluminum foil) of the raw material container. As a result, the coffee beans in the raw material container are replenished into the hopper of the coffee mill.

[0008] In this way, coffee beans are stored in sealed raw material containers in small portions and stored in the machine, and as sales proceed, raw material containers are opened one by one and the coffee beans are replenished into the mill. Therefore, it is possible to minimize deterioration in the quality of coffee beans during storage onboard the aircraft, and to always provide fresh and flavorful coffee for sale.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, in Fig. 1, 1 is a sealed raw material container containing coffee beans 2 in fixed quantities, 3 is a coffee mill, 4 is an inlet side hopper connected to the top of the coffee mill 3, and 5 is a rotating disk shape. raw material supply stage, 6 is stage 5
, 7 is a drive belt, 8 is a nozzle-shaped raw material input chute that connects the hopper 5 and the raw material container 1 stopped at a predetermined raw material supply position, 9 is a motor 10,
12 is a detection switch for the raw material container 1 installed at the raw material supply position on the raw material supply stage; and 13 is an out-of-stock detection sensor attached to the hopper 4.

[0010] Here, the raw material container 1 is a bottle-shaped container, which houses coffee beans 2 and whose opening is sealed with a lid 1a (see FIG. 2) made of aluminum foil or the like. In addition, holes for loading raw material containers are opened at multiple locations along the circumference above the raw material supply stage 5, and the raw material container 1 is loaded and held in an inverted position with the mouth facing downward in each hole. ing. Also,
The out-of-stock detection sensor 13 is, for example, an optical sensor, and includes a light projecting element and a light receiving element arranged on both sides of the lower region of the hopper 4 made of a transparent material. Further, the upper end of the nozzle of the raw material input chute 8 is formed into an edge shape so as to break through the lid (aluminum foil) of the raw material container 1.

[0011] Next, the coffee bean replenishment operation according to the above configuration will be described. First, as a preparatory work, raw material containers 1 containing coffee beans are mounted on each position of the raw material supply stage 5, and with the raw material input chute 8 lowered, a command is given to a controller (not shown) to start the motor 6. Then, the stage 5 rotates, and when the raw material container 1 reaches a predetermined raw material supply position during the movement process, the detection switch 12 is operated and the drive motor 6 is stopped. Subsequently, the raw material input chute 8 is raised via the elevating drive mechanism 9, and the tip of the chute 8 is inserted into the mouth of the raw material container 1 by breaking through the lid (aluminum foil) of the raw material container 1 that is waiting at the raw material supply position. . As a result, the raw material container 1 is opened, and the coffee beans 2 contained in the container are thrown into the hopper 4 of the coffee mill 3 through the chute 8, and are now ready for sale.

When a sales command is given in this state, the coffee mill 3 takes in the coffee beans 2 from the hopper 4, grinds them into powder, supplies them to a beverage extractor (not shown), extracts the coffee, and then extracts the coffee. A series of sales operations are performed to supply and sell the cups carried out to the bending stage. Also,
When the raw material in the hopper 4 decreases, coffee beans are additionally supplied from the container to the hopper while the coffee beans 2 remain in the raw material container 1. As the sales progress, the raw material container 1 located at the raw material supply position becomes empty as shown in FIG. The out-of-stock detection sensor 13 is activated, and based on the detection signal, the raw material input chute 8 is lowered and removed from the empty raw material container 1 as shown in FIG. 2(b). Next, the drive motor 6 (see FIG. 1) is started, and the raw material supply stage 5 is rotated to move the empty raw material container away from the raw material supply position, and the next raw material container is moved as shown in FIG. 2(c). (Clogged with coffee beans) is transferred to the raw material supply position, the lifting drive mechanism 9 further operates to raise the raw material input chute 8. As a result, the tip of the chute 8 breaks through the mouth lid 1a of the raw material container 1 and enters the mouth of the container, as described above, and the coffee beans 2 contained in the container are replenished into the hopper 4 through the chute 8. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated, and each time the raw material container 1 stopped at the raw material supply position becomes empty and out of stock, the next raw material container 1 moves to the raw material supply position and the coffee beans are transferred to the hopper 4. automatically replenished.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the structure of the illustrated embodiment, and the elevating and lowering drive mechanisms for the raw material supply stage and the raw material input chute can be implemented in various forms.

[0014]

[Effects of the Invention] Since the raw material supply device of the present invention is constructed as described above, it achieves the following effects. That is, coffee beans are stored in small quantities in a plurality of sealed raw material containers and set inside the machine, and as sales progress, the raw material containers are opened one by one and the coffee beans are supplied to the mill. Therefore, it is possible to minimize deterioration in the quality of coffee beans during storage onboard the aircraft, and to always provide fresh and flavorful coffee for sale.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a raw material supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the raw material supply operation according to the embodiment of FIG.
Figures a) to (c) are diagrams showing different steps of raw material supply operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Raw material container 1a Palate (aluminum foil) 2. Coffee beans 3 Coffee mill 4 Hopper 5 Raw material supply stage 6 Drive motor 8 Raw material input shooter 9 Lifting drive mechanism 13 Out of stock detection sensor

Claims (3)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A raw material supply device for a regular coffee vending machine that grinds roasted coffee beans into powder and extracts coffee in the machine for each sale, which stores the coffee beans in small portions and which includes aluminum foil, etc. a raw material supply stage in which a plurality of bottle-shaped raw material containers with their mouths closed with their mouths are mounted in a downward facing position; and a stage in which the raw material containers loaded on the stage are sequentially transferred to predetermined raw material supply positions based on instructions. The coffee grinder includes a drive means and a raw material input chute that links the hopper of the coffee mill with the mouths of the raw material containers lined up at the raw material supply position on the stage, and moves the raw material containers lined up on the raw material supply stage to the raw material supply position in order. A raw material supply device for a regular coffee vending machine, characterized in that the coffee beans in the container are then supplied to a hopper of a coffee mill through the chute. 2. In the raw material supply device according to claim 1, an out-of-stock detection sensor is attached to the hopper of the coffee mill, and the raw material supply stage is moved and operated based on the detection signal of the sensor to supply the next raw material container. A raw material supply device for a regular coffee vending machine, which is characterized by being able to be transferred to a different position. 3. In the raw material supply device according to claim 1, the raw material inputting chute is connected to an elevating drive mechanism, and when replenishing the raw material, the chute is raised and the chute is lifted through the mouth of the raw material container waiting at the raw material supply position. A raw material supply device for a regular coffee vending machine, characterized in that the tip is inserted and the chute is moved down and retracted during the process of transferring raw material containers.