CN113808327B

CN113808327B - Automatic beverage vending machine

Info

Publication number: CN113808327B
Application number: CN202110660210.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 神基; 柏原启三; 中岛将太; 山中匠
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-17
Filing date: 2021-06-15
Publication date: 2024-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-15
Also published as: CN113808327A

Abstract

Provided is an automatic beverage vending machine capable of suppressing a reading device from reading a recording medium of a container arranged at a position different from a position at which a beverage can be supplied. To this end, a beverage vending machine (1) for supplying a beverage to a container provided with a communicable recording medium is provided, the beverage vending machine comprising: a setting part for setting the container; a transmitting/receiving unit which is provided below the setting unit and transmits/receives information to/from the recording medium; and a shielding section that shields communication between the recording medium disposed at a position deviated from the setting section and the transmitting/receiving section.

Description

Automatic beverage vending machine

Technical Field

The present invention relates to automatic beverage vending machines (dispensers).

Background

Conventionally, there is known an automatic beverage vending machine including a beverage discharge unit for discharging a beverage, a transmission/reception unit for reading information recorded on a recording medium such as an electronic tag using radio waves, electromagnetic waves, or the like, and supplying the beverage to a predetermined container provided with the recording medium. In this automatic beverage vending machine, information recorded in a recording medium defining a container is read by a transmitting/receiving unit, and a beverage is discharged from a beverage discharge unit based on the information, whereby the beverage is supplied to the container (for example, see patent literature 1). In such an automatic beverage vending machine, the beverage is supplied by disposing the container at a predetermined position where the beverage discharged from the beverage discharge unit can be injected. The transmitting/receiving unit is provided at a position where the recording medium of the container disposed at the predetermined position can be read.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2016-529976

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the conventional automatic beverage vending machine, since electromagnetic waves, radio waves, and the like used by the transmitting/receiving unit to read information of the recording medium are transmitted while being diffused, there is a concern that the transmitting/receiving unit may read the recording medium of the container even when the container is disposed at a position different from a predetermined position.

The invention provides an automatic beverage vending machine capable of preventing a transmitting and receiving part from reading a recording medium of a container arranged at a position different from a position capable of supplying beverage.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention is an automatic beverage vending machine for supplying beverage to a container provided with a communicable recording medium, comprising: a setting part provided with the container; a transmitting/receiving unit which is provided below the setting unit and transmits and receives information to and from the recording medium; and a shielding unit that shields communication between the recording medium disposed at a position deviated from the setting unit and the transmitting/receiving unit.

Thus, when the container is disposed at a position deviated from the installation portion, the shielding member can shield the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the transmitting/receiving portion, and shield the radio wave or electromagnetic wave from affecting the container side.

Therefore, in the beverage vending machine, it is possible to suppress information of the recording medium from being read when the container is arranged at a position deviated from the setting portion.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, the transmitting/receiving unit can be prevented from reading the recording medium of the container disposed at a position different from the position at which the beverage can be supplied.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing the structure of an automatic beverage vending machine according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the beverage vending machine.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the reader.

Fig. 4 is a section IV-IV of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the tray unit.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the beverage supply system.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a modification of the shielding member.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of an automatic beverage vending machine according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the beverage vending machine.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the periphery of the beverage supply nozzle and the tray unit.

Fig. 11 (a) is a perspective view from the upper surface side, and (B) is a perspective view from the lower surface side.

Fig. 12 (a) is a top view, (B) is a bottom view, and (C) is a rear view.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the beverage supply system.

Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing a modification of the beverage dispenser.

Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of the periphery of the beverage supply nozzle and the tray unit in the modification.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 200, 300 beverage automatic vending machine

2. Main unit of the device (Main unit)

3. Beverage supply nozzle (beverage discharge part)

4. Discharge outlet

20. 220,320 drip tray (tray)

26. 224, 324 cover

27. 227, 327 top

28. 228, 328 inclined plane

30. Mounting plate

34. 159 drain (setting part)

36. Setting part

40. 240, 340 reader (transmitter/receiver)

42. 242, 342 device antenna

44. 244, 344 processor

50. 150, 350 shielding parts (shielding part)

56. 156 opening

70. Beverage container (Container)

72. Information label (recording medium)

76. Planar antenna

80. Information terminal

90. Communication network

100. Beverage supply system

251. Top surface (Shielding part)

252. Inner side (shielding part)

253. Inclined plane (reflection part, shielding part)

255. Metal foil (shielding part, reflecting part)

256. 356 shield opening

257. Shielding sheet (Shielding part)

353. Reflection part

355. Reflection member

100. 400 beverage supply system

V1, V3, V5 storage space

V2, V4, V6 accommodation spaces

Detailed Description

The 1 st invention is as follows: a beverage automatic vending machine that supplies a beverage to a container provided with a communicable recording medium, comprising: a setting part provided with the container; a transmitting/receiving unit provided below the setting unit and configured to transmit and receive information to and from the recording medium; and a shielding section for shielding communication between the recording medium disposed at a position deviated from the setting section and the transmitting/receiving section.

Thus, when the container is disposed at a position deviated from the position where the beverage is supplied, the shielding member shields the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reader, and the container side can be shielded from the radio wave or electromagnetic wave.

Therefore, the beverage automatic vending machine can suppress information of the recording medium from being read when the container is arranged at a position deviated from the predetermined position.

The 2 nd invention is as follows: the beverage dispenser includes a beverage discharge unit for discharging beverage into the container, and an opening for communicating the beverage discharge unit side with the transmitting/receiving unit side is provided in the shielding member.

Thus, the opening of the shielding member can transmit electric waves or electromagnetic waves of the intensity at which the information of the recording medium can be read by the reader from the reader side to the container side. Further, the automatic beverage dispenser can discharge the beverage by reading the information on the recording medium by the reading device without touching the recording medium by the user.

Therefore, the beverage automatic vending machine can read the information of the recording medium when the container is arranged at the predetermined position, and can provide the beverage to the user more reliably and without contact.

The 3 rd invention is as follows: the opening is provided in a portion of the shielding member located directly below the beverage discharge portion.

Thus, the automatic beverage dispenser can read the information of the recording medium by the short-range wireless communication when the container is arranged right under the beverage discharge unit.

Thus, the beverage automatic vending machine can more reliably inject the beverage into the container.

The 4 th invention is as follows: the opening is formed to have a size equal to or larger than the recording medium.

Thus, the reader can easily transmit the radio wave or electromagnetic wave having the intensity of information of the readable recording medium from the reader side to the container side through the opening.

Therefore, the reader can read the information of the recording medium by the short-range wireless communication more reliably without shielding the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reader when the container is placed at the predetermined position.

The 5 th invention is as follows: a plurality of openings are provided in the shielding member.

Thereby, the shielding member can shield communication of the recording medium with the reading device, and can be used to set the container. Therefore, the number of components of the beverage vending machine can be suppressed.

The 6 th invention is as follows: the recording medium is disposed at the bottom of the container.

Thus, when the container is provided in the setting portion, the recording medium is disposed above the opening. Therefore, the reading device can read the information of the recording medium by short-range wireless communication without shielding the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reading device when the container is disposed at the predetermined position.

The 7 th invention is as follows: the shielding member is formed of a material including a metal.

Thus, the shielding member can reliably shield the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reading device.

Therefore, the shielding member can shield the container side from the electric wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reading device.

The 8 th invention is as follows: the beverage dispenser includes a tray disposed between the shielding member and the transmitting/receiving unit, for receiving the beverage flowing out of the container, a cover unit protruding upward from a bottom of the tray to cover the transmitting/receiving unit, and an inclined surface provided on an upper surface of the cover unit.

Thus, the liquid such as beverage dropped onto the upper surface of the cover portion flows toward the bottom of the tray along the inclination of the inclined surface. Therefore, liquid such as beverage can be prevented from being retained between the recording medium and the reading device, and reading of the recording medium by the reading device can be prevented.

The 9 th invention is as follows: an automatic beverage vending machine for supplying a predetermined supply to a container provided with a communicable recording medium, comprising: a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving information to/from the recording medium; and a reflection unit that reflects radio waves or electromagnetic waves emitted from the transmission/reception unit or the recording medium, and communicates the transmission/reception unit with the recording medium.

This makes it possible to communicate between the transmitting/receiving unit and the recording medium without disposing the recording medium and the transmitting/receiving unit in opposition to each other.

Therefore, the transmitting/receiving unit can be disposed in a position that is easy to protect, and maintenance of the beverage vending machine can be improved.

The 10 th invention is as follows: comprising the following steps: a setting part provided with the container; and a shielding section that shields communication between the recording medium disposed at a position deviated from the setting section and the transmitting/receiving section.

Thus, the electromagnetic wave or the radio wave emitted from the transmitting/receiving section is shielded by the shielding section, and the upper surface side of the installation section can be shielded from the electromagnetic wave or the radio wave.

Therefore, the automatic beverage vending machine can restrain the transmitting/receiving unit from reading information of the recording medium of the container arranged at a position deviated from the predetermined position.

The 11 th invention is as follows: an automatic beverage vending machine for supplying a predetermined supply to a container having a communicable recording medium provided at a bottom thereof, comprising: a setting part provided with the container; a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving information to/from the recording medium; and a reflection unit disposed below the setting unit, for reflecting an electric wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the transmitting/receiving unit or the recording medium, and for causing the transmitting/receiving unit to communicate with the recording medium.

This makes it possible to mount the container on the installation unit of the beverage vending machine without defining the position of the container in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the user U can place the container on the beverage vending machine without confirming the arrangement of the container in the circumferential direction.

The transmitter/receiver is not limited to being provided below the setting unit, and may be provided at any position.

The 12 th invention is as follows: the tray is arranged below the arrangement part and receives the supplies flowing out of the container, the reflection part is arranged below the tray, the tray protrudes upwards through the bottom of the tray and is provided with a covering part for covering the reflection part, and the upper surface of the covering part is provided with an inclined surface.

Thus, the liquid such as beverage dropped onto the upper surface of the cover portion flows toward the bottom of the tray along the inclination of the inclined surface. Therefore, it is possible to suppress liquid such as beverage from being retained between the recording medium and the transmitting/receiving unit, and prevent the reading of the recording medium by the transmitting/receiving unit.

The 13 th invention is: the tray is provided in a detachable manner from the main body.

This makes it easy to discard the beverage or the like stored in the tray and clean the tray. Therefore, the transmitting/receiving unit can be protected and the tray can be easily managed.

The 14 th invention is as follows: the transmitting/receiving section reads information recorded on the recording medium or writes information to the recording medium.

Thus, the beverage vending machine receives and transmits information from and to the recording medium via the reading device 40. Accordingly, the beverage vending machine can supply the supply to the container based on the information of the recording medium or update the information recorded on the recording medium according to the operation of the beverage vending machine.

(embodiment 1)

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view showing the structure of a beverage vending machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The automatic beverage dispenser 1 of the present embodiment is a so-called beverage supply device installed in a store such as a convenience store, a restaurant, or a water bar, and more specifically, a device that extracts a coffee beverage or the like and injects the coffee beverage into a predetermined container such as a cup. In the automatic beverage dispenser 1 of the present embodiment, the beverage container 70 is used as a dedicated container for injecting beverage.

As shown in fig. 1, the beverage vending machine 1 includes a device main body 2 and a tray unit 10.

The apparatus main body 2 is a box-shaped case in which various mechanisms for supplying beverages are housed. The apparatus main body 2 of the present embodiment houses therein various extraction mechanisms for extracting coffee beverages and the like, such as a drive motor, a grinder, a filter, a cylinder, and a hot water tank, various supply mechanisms for supplying extracted coffee beverages and the like, such as a pump and/or a supply pipe, and a control device 11 (fig. 6) for controlling these extraction mechanisms and supply mechanisms, or for communicating with an external server and the like.

These extraction means and supply means are substantially the same as coffee beverage extraction means and supply means known as beverage vending machines.

A beverage supply nozzle 3 is provided at substantially the center of the front surface (front surface) of the apparatus main body 2. The beverage supply nozzle 3 functions as a beverage discharge unit for discharging the beverage extracted in the device main body 2, and the beverage supply nozzle 3 is connected to a supply pipe of a supply mechanism housed in the device main body 2. A discharge port 4 is formed at the lower end of the beverage supply nozzle 3. In the beverage vending machine 1, the extracted beverage passes through the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3 in the up-down direction of the apparatus main body 2 and is discharged downward.

A discharge button 5 is provided above the beverage supply nozzle 3 on the front surface of the apparatus main body 2. When the discharge button 5 is pressed, the beverage extracted by the extraction mechanism is discharged downward through the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3.

A display panel 6 is provided above the discharge button 5 on the front surface of the apparatus main body 2. The display panel 6 functions as a display unit for displaying information on the state of the beverage dispenser 1, menus that the beverage dispenser 1 can provide, information read from the beverage container 70, and the like.

The display panel 6 may be a touch panel. In this case, the display panel 6 may be configured to be capable of performing a touch operation for discharging the extracted beverage from the beverage supply nozzle 3. In this case, the discharge button 5 is not necessarily a physical button.

In addition, for example, the display panel 6 may be replaced with a communication terminal capable of communicating with the beverage vending machine 1. In this case, the beverage vending machine 1 may be operated via the communication terminal without physical buttons such as the discharge button 5 and/or the display panel 6.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the beverage vending machine 1.

As shown in fig. 2, a reader housing 7 is provided below the beverage supply nozzle 3 on the front surface of the device body 2. The reader housing portion 7 is formed in a box shape with an upper surface opened, and is provided so that a longitudinal direction thereof extends forward from a front surface of the device main body 2 in a front-rear direction of the device main body 2. The reader housing 7 is disposed at a substantially central position in the width direction of the front surface of the device main body 2.

The reader housing 7 of the present embodiment is provided at the lower end of the front surface of the device main body 2, and the bottom surface is formed continuously with the bottom surface of the device main body 2. That is, the bottom surface of the reader housing portion 7 is in contact with the mounting surface of the mounting device body 2. The reader housing 7 is also located directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the reader 40.

The reader housing 7 houses a reader 40.

The reader 40 is a device including a contactless reader mechanism for reading information recorded on a recording medium, which records predetermined information, from an electronic tag such as an NFC tag or an RFID tag, or a recording medium called an IC tag. The reading device 40 performs short-range wireless communication with a recording medium according to a predetermined standard, and reads information from the recording medium. The reading device 40 transmits the read information to the control device 11 housed in the device main body 2. That is, the reader 40 functions as a transmitting/receiving unit.

As shown in fig. 3, the reader 40 of the present embodiment includes a reader body 41 formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape and a cover member 49 covering the reader body 41.

A processor 44 including a CPU, an MPU, and the like is housed in the reader main body 41. The processor 44 functions as a control unit that performs various controls of the reading device 40.

Each reading device 40 is provided with a device antenna 42, and the device antenna 42 is a planar antenna formed to be planar along any upper surface. The device antenna 42 emits radio waves or electromagnetic waves for communication (for reading information). The device antenna 42 is not limited to a planar antenna, and may be a coil.

A lead wire 46 extends from the end of the reader body 41, and the lead wire 46 is connected to the controller 11.

The reader 40 may not have the cover member 49. In this case, the reader main body 41 is directly stored in the reader storage unit 7.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view IV-IV of fig. 1, and fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the tray unit 10.

As shown in fig. 4, the tray unit 10 is mounted on the front surface of the apparatus main body 2 and is disposed at a position below the beverage supply nozzle 3. As shown in fig. 5, the tray unit 10 includes a drip tray 20 formed in a substantially groove shape, a flat plate-like mounting plate 30 covering the upper surface of the drip tray 20, and a shielding member 50 covering the upper surface of the mounting plate 30 and the front surface of the drip tray 20, and is formed as a box as a whole.

In the present embodiment, the drip tray 20 and the mounting plate 30 are both formed of resin, and the shielding member 50 is formed of a metal material.

The mounting plate 30 is a flat plate-like member having a longitudinal dimension substantially equal to a width dimension of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2 and covering the entire upper surface of the drip tray 20. A drain hole 32 is provided in the substantially center of the mounting plate 30, and a mesh-shaped drain portion 34 is provided around the drain hole 32. The drain 34 is located directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3. In the present embodiment, the drain hole 32 is located immediately below the discharge port 4.

In a state where the tray unit 10 is attached to the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, the drain hole 32 and the drain portion 34 are arranged immediately below the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3.

In the present embodiment, when the beverage is injected from the beverage vending machine 1, the beverage container 70 is placed on the upper surface of the drain portion 34.

The drip tray 20 is a member for receiving and storing beverage flowing out from the beverage container 70 and scattered beverage when the beverage is injected from the beverage dispenser 1 into the beverage container 70. The drip tray 20 is provided with a storage space V1 therein, and is formed in a groove shape with an open upper surface.

The drip tray 20 is formed to have a longitudinal dimension substantially equal to a width dimension of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, like the mounting plate 30. The drip tray 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 such that one side wall 21 formed along the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 20 is in contact with the lower end of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2.

In the drip tray 20, a cover portion 26 is provided at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction, and the cover portion 26 is formed so that the bottom portion 24 protrudes toward the storage space V1 side in a manner of protruding by a predetermined height dimension.

The cover portion 26 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the cover portion 26 is connected to the side wall 21 and the other end portion is disposed at a position close to the side wall 25 disposed opposite to the side wall 21.

A pair of inclined surfaces 28 are provided on the upper surface of the cover portion 26, and inclined from the top portion 27, which is located at the substantially center in the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 20 and is provided over the entire longitudinal direction thereof, toward the bottom portion 24 along both sides in the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 20. The inclined surface 28 is inclined downward from the top 27 along the up-down direction (depth direction of the storage space V1) of the drip tray 20. These inclined surfaces 28 are formed throughout the entire longitudinal direction of the cover 26.

That is, the upper surface of the cover 26 is formed into a so-called gable roof shape having a pair of inclined surfaces 28 connected to the top 27.

The upper surface of the cover portion 26 composed of the top portion 27 and the pair of inclined surfaces 28 is preferably water-repellent coated or water-repellent processed.

The cover 26 is formed to have a height dimension such that the top 27 thereof does not contact the mounting plate 30 in the storage space V1.

Since the bottom 24 protrudes upward to form the cover 26, a storage space V2 is formed below the cover 26. The storage space V2 is covered by the cover 26 at the upper side and opened at the lower side.

The side wall 21 is provided with an opening 23 having substantially the same shape as the cross section of the storage space V2. As described above, one end of the cover 26 in the longitudinal direction is connected to the side wall 21, and thus one side of the storage space V2 in the longitudinal direction communicates with the opening 23. Therefore, the storage space V2 communicates with the outside of the apparatus main body 2 side through the opening 23.

As described above, the tray unit 10 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 2 such that one side wall 21 formed along the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 20 contacts the lower end of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2. The bottom surface of the drip tray 20 attached to the apparatus body 2 is provided so as to be in contact with a mounting surface on which the apparatus body 2 is mounted.

At this time, the reader housing section 7 and the reader 40 are both housed in the housing space V2 in a state where the upper surface is covered with the covering section 26. In this case, the device antenna 42 of the reader 40 is disposed parallel to the mounting board 30.

The reader housing section 7 and the reader 40 are housed in the housing space V2 through the insertion opening section 23. The reading device housing 7 and the reading device 40 can be separated from the housing space V2 by passing them through the opening 23.

As described above, the reading device housing section 7 and the reading device 40 can be moved into and out of the housing space V2 through the opening 23, and therefore, the tray unit 10 can be detached from the device main body 2 by being pulled out in the front-rear direction of the device main body 2.

As shown in fig. 5, the shielding member 50 is formed by bending a metal plate in a substantially L-shape in side view, and functions as a shielding portion.

As described above, the shielding member 50 has the flat plate-shaped upper plate portion 52 covering the upper surface of the mounting plate 30 and the flat plate-shaped front plate portion 54 constituting the front surface of the drip tray 20 and covering the entire side wall 25.

Therefore, the shielding member 50 constitutes the upper surface and the front surface of the tray unit 10 in a state of being mounted to the apparatus main body 2.

An opening 56 is provided at a substantially central position of the upper plate portion 52.

The opening 56 is located directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3. In the present embodiment, the center of the opening 56 is located directly below the discharge port 4. Therefore, when the shielding member 50 covers the mounting plate 30, a predetermined portion of the upper surface of the drain portion 34 is exposed from the opening 56, as shown in fig. 1 and 3. Hereinafter, a predetermined portion of the upper surface of the drain portion 34 exposed from the opening 56 is referred to as the installation portion 36. The setting portion 36 is located directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3.

The opening 56 of the present embodiment is formed in a substantially circular shape having a predetermined inner diameter when viewed from the upper surface. The inner diameter of the opening 56 is, for example, larger than or substantially the same as the size of the opening 56 in the bottom surface 74 of the beverage container 70. Therefore, when the beverage container 70 is filled with the beverage from the beverage vending machine 1, the bottom of the beverage container 70 is placed on the mounting portion 36 of the mounting plate 30 through the opening 56.

The beverage container 70 is a predetermined container for injecting a beverage from the beverage vending machine 1, and the beverage container 70 is, for example, a flat bottom cup (tumbler), a portable mug, a water kettle, a disposable cup, a thermos cup, or the like. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, 2, and 4, the beverage container 70 is configured as a so-called flat bottom cup.

As shown in fig. 1, 2, and 4, an information tag 72 is provided at the bottom of the beverage container 70. The information tag 72 is an electronic tag such as an NFC tag or an RFID tag, or a recording medium having predetermined information recorded therein, which is called an IC tag. In the present embodiment, the information tag 72 forms a bottom surface 74 of the beverage container 70. The bottom surface 74 of the present embodiment is formed to be substantially circular in a plan view, and the diameter of the bottom surface 74 is formed to be smaller than the inner diameter of the opening 56.

The information tag 72 includes a planar antenna 76. The planar antenna 76 is formed in a flat plate shape and functions as a communication unit for receiving or transmitting radio waves, electromagnetic waves, and the like. The planar antenna 76 is disposed parallel to the bottom surface of the beverage container 70.

As described above, the device antenna 42 included in the reader 40 is arranged parallel to the mounting board 30.

Therefore, when the beverage container 70 is placed on the mounting portion 36, the planar antenna 76 of the information tag 72 is disposed substantially parallel to the device antenna 42 of the reader 40.

The upper surface of the planar antenna 76 is formed to be smaller than the bottom surface 74. The information tag 72 is not limited to the planar antenna 76 as the communication unit, and may include a coil, for example.

In the beverage container 70 of the present embodiment, for example, a serial number corresponding to the information tag 72 is recorded on the peripheral surface or the like. The serial number is not limited to the serial number, and may be, for example, a two-dimensional code.

The beverage container 70 of the present embodiment is a resin cup. The beverage container 70 may be formed of various materials such as paper, ceramic, glass, metal, and the like.

In the case where the beverage container 70 is formed of metal, it is preferable that the information tag 72 is provided at the bottom of the beverage container 70 with a distance of about several millimeters (mm) from the metal surface of the beverage container 70 using a rubber material. Alternatively, a metal-applicable label may be used for the information label 72.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the beverage supply system 100.

Next, the beverage supply system 100 will be described as an example of a system used in the beverage vending machine 1 of the present embodiment.

The beverage supply system 100 of the present embodiment is a system capable of appropriately supplying a beverage to the user U. As shown in fig. 6, the beverage supply system 100 includes a beverage automatic vending machine 1, a server 60, a beverage container 70, and an information terminal 80. In the present embodiment, the case where 1 beverage vending machine 1, the server 60, and the like are provided, respectively, is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a plurality of devices may be provided in the beverage supply system 100.

As described above, the beverage vending machine 1 includes the control device 11. The control device 11 includes a computer having a processor such as a CPU and an MPU and a storage device such as a ROM and a RAM. The control device 11 includes a device control unit 8 and an overall control unit 9.

The device control unit 8 controls driving of various apparatus mechanisms such as the extracting mechanism and the supplying mechanism housed in the apparatus main body 2.

The overall control unit 9 acquires information read by the reader 40, transmits and receives various information to and from the server 60 via the communication network 90, controls the display of the display panel 6, controls the device control unit 8, and the like.

The server 60 has a database for identifying the beverage containers 70 recorded therein, and receives and transmits information of the database from and to the beverage vending machine 1 and the information terminal 80 via the communication network 90.

The server 60 may be integrally provided with the beverage vending machine 1.

The information terminal 80 is a portable terminal held by a user U who can communicate with the server 60 and perform reception and transmission of predetermined information, and the information terminal 80 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or the like. The information terminal 80 can execute a predetermined application program of the beverage supply system 100.

The communication network 90 connects the respective devices included in the beverage supply system 100 such as the beverage vending machine 1, the server 60, the information terminal 80, and the like so as to be capable of data communication with each other. The communication network 90 is a communication line including a private line, a public line network, a mobile radio communication network, a LAN (Local Area Network ) line, and the like, and may include a router, a wireless communication access point, and the like. The connection of the various devices included in the beverage delivery system 100 to the communication network 90 may be either wireless or wired.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

In the beverage supply system 100 of the present embodiment, first, the user U prepares the beverage container 70, operates a predetermined application program executed by the information terminal 80, and accesses the server 60. Then, the user U registers the information of the user U together with the serial number recorded in the beverage container 70. Next, the user U operates the application program and purchases the desired beverage from the menu point. The purchase contents are transmitted to the server 60 and stored in the server 60.

After that, the user U sets the beverage container 70 in the beverage vending machine 1 at the location where the beverage vending machine 1 is set. Specifically, the beverage container 70 is placed on the mounting portion 36 of the mounting plate 30. At this time, the bottom of the beverage container 70 is inserted into the opening 56.

Thereby, the beverage container 70 is arranged below the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3.

As described above, when the beverage container 70 is placed on the setting unit 36, the planar antenna 76 of the information tag 72 is arranged substantially parallel to the device antenna 42 of the reader 40. Therefore, the user U can place the beverage container 70 on the installation unit 36 without specifying the position of the beverage container 70 in the circumferential direction. That is, the user U can place the beverage container 70 on the installation unit 36 without taking unnecessary action without intending to orient the side surface of the beverage container 70.

The opening 56 functions as a mark for facilitating the user U to dispose the beverage container 70 directly below the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3.

When the beverage container 70 is placed on the placement unit 36 as described above, the reader 40 located substantially immediately below the beverage container 70 communicates with the information tag 72, and reads information recorded on the information tag 72. The read information is acquired by the overall control unit 9, and the overall control unit 9 transmits the information to the server 60.

The server 60 associates the information with the serial number according to the database and transmits the order content to the beverage automatic vending machine 1.

The overall control unit 9 that has received the purchase contents displays the purchase contents on the display panel 6. The user U confirms the purchase contents on the display panel 6, and presses the discharge button 5 if the purchase contents are the same as those purchased through the information terminal 80. When the discharge button 5 is pressed, the device control section 8 drives the extraction mechanism and the supply mechanism, thereby discharging the beverage from the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3 and injecting the beverage container 70.

However, in this control flow, the step of the user U pressing the discharge button 5 may be omitted. That is, the entire control unit 9 may be controlled so as to discharge the beverage at the time point when the purchase content is received from the server 60. In addition, in this control flow, automatic checkout of beverage vending may also be implemented.

In this case, since the communication between the reader 40 and the information tag 72 is established, the beverage container 70 is reliably placed below the beverage supply nozzle 3. Therefore, even if the user U does not wait for the discharge button 5 to be pressed to discharge the beverage, the beverage is surely injected into the beverage container 70, and the tray unit 10 and the periphery thereof are not stained.

As described above, in the beverage supply system 100, the user U can easily obtain the beverage supply by performing the operation of placing the beverage container 70 in the beverage vending machine 1 without performing various operations related to purchasing and paying in the store.

As described above, in the beverage supply system 100, the step of pressing the discharge button 5 can be omitted. In this case, the user U performs only the operation of placing the beverage container 70 in the beverage automatic vending machine 1, and can obtain the beverage without touching the beverage automatic vending machine 1 with a hand. That is, in the beverage supply system 100, the user U can instruct the beverage supply to the beverage automatic vending machine 1 without contact.

When the beverage is injected into the beverage container 70 from the beverage vending machine 1, the beverage discharged from the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3 may flow out of the beverage container 70. The discharged beverage flows into the storage space V1 of the drip tray 20 through the drain hole 32 and the drain portion 34.

As described above, the reading device 40 is accommodated in the accommodation space V2 below the drip tray 20. The reading device 40 reads information of the information tag 72 by short-range wireless communication. Therefore, if a liquid such as a beverage exists between the information tag 72 and the reader 40, there is a concern that the reader 40 cannot acquire predetermined information because radio waves or electromagnetic waves of the short-range wireless communication between the reader 40 and the information tag 72 are attenuated by the liquid.

In the present embodiment, the cover 26 that covers the reader 40 has an upper surface formed in a so-called gable roof shape in which a pair of inclined surfaces 28 are connected to the top 27.

Thus, the liquid such as beverage flowing into the upper surface of the cover 26 flows along the inclined surface 28 toward the bottom 24 of the drip tray 20. Therefore, liquid such as beverage can be prevented from being retained between the information tag 72 and the reading device 40. Further, it is possible to suppress the information tag 72 from being read by the reader 40.

In the present embodiment, the liquid such as the beverage that may exist between the information tag 72 and the reader 40 includes, in addition to the beverage itself, the liquid (mainly, rinse liquid) used for cleaning each part of the beverage vending machine 1, particularly the beverage supply nozzle 3 and the like, and the wash water remaining after the drip tray 20 is removed and cleaned.

As described above, the reader 40 is stored in the storage space V2 below the drip tray 20, and reads information of the information tag 72 by short-range wireless communication.

The reader 40 emits radio waves or electromagnetic waves for communication (for information reading) upward from the device antenna 42. The radio wave or electromagnetic wave is transmitted upward while being diffused from the device antenna 42 as a transmission point. Therefore, there is a concern that the beverage container 70 is read even when it is disposed at a position deviated from the lower side of the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3.

In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the mounting plate 30 is covered with the upper plate portion 52 of the shielding member 50, and thus, the electromagnetic wave or the electric wave emitted from the reading device 40 is shielded by the shielding member 50. That is, the shielding member 50 shields the upper surface side of the mounting plate 30 from the electric wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reading device 40.

As described above, the upper plate portion 52 is provided with the opening 56. The opening 56 is preferably formed such that the size of the opening 56 is greater than or equal to the size of the bottom surface 74 of the beverage container 70. I.e., opening 56, is preferably sized above planar antenna 76 of information tag 72. Thus, the opening 56 can more reliably transmit electric waves or electromagnetic waves of the intensity at which the information tag 72 can be read by the reader 40 from the reader 40 side to the upper surface side of the upper plate portion 52.

In this way, the electromagnetic wave or the electric wave emitted from the reader 40 passes through the opening 56, and is thereby transmitted from the reader 40 side to the upper surface side of the upper plate 52. The reading device 40 is then able to read the information of the information tag 72 by short-range wireless communication via the opening 56. That is, in the bottom surface 74 of the beverage container 70, more specifically, when the planar antenna 76 of the information tag 72 is disposed inside the opening 56, the reader 40 can read the information of the information tag 72.

Thus, the reading device 40 can read the information of the information tag 72 only when the beverage container 70 is disposed directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3.

Therefore, the beverage vending machine 1 can be prevented from supplying the beverage when the beverage container 70 is arranged at a position deviated from the position immediately below the beverage supply nozzle 3. That is, the beverage vending machine 1 can more reliably inject the beverage into the beverage container 70.

Further, the front surface of the drip tray 20 is covered by the front plate portion 54 of the shielding member 50. Thereby, the electric wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reading device 40 toward the front surface side of the drip tray 20 is shielded. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the information of the information tag 72 from being read by the reading device 40 when the beverage container 70 is positioned in front of the drip tray 20 and the tray unit 10.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the beverage vending machine 1 includes the apparatus main body 2 and the reading apparatus 40, and the reading apparatus 40 is provided below the position where the beverage container 70 is arranged when the beverage is supplied, for reading the information recorded in the information tag 72. The beverage vending machine 1 is configured to include a shielding member 50, and the shielding member 50 is disposed between a position where the beverage container 70 is disposed when the beverage is supplied and the reader 40, and is provided with an opening 56 for communicating the beverage container 70 side with the reader 40 side, and shields communication between the information tag 72 and the reader 40.

Accordingly, the electromagnetic wave or the radio wave emitted from the reader 40 can be shielded by the shielding member 50, and the upper surface side of the mounting plate 30 can be shielded from the electromagnetic wave or the radio wave. The opening 56 of the shielding member 50 allows the reader 40 to transmit electric waves or electromagnetic waves of the intensity at which the information of the information tag 72 can be read, from the reader 40 side to the upper surface side of the upper plate portion 52.

Accordingly, when the beverage container 70 is placed at the predetermined position, the beverage vending machine 1 can read the information of the information tag 72 by the short-range wireless communication.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the apparatus main body 2 includes the beverage supply nozzle 3 that discharges the beverage to the beverage container 70, and the opening 56 is provided at a position located immediately below the beverage supply nozzle 3 of the shielding member 50.

Thus, the beverage vending machine 1 can read the information of the information tag 72 by short-range wireless communication when the beverage container 70 is arranged directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3. In addition, in the case where the pressing of the discharge button 5 is omitted, the beverage automatic vending machine 1 can discharge the beverage by reading the information of the information tag 72 through the short-range wireless communication without touching by the user U with the hand. The beverage vending machine 1 can inject the beverage into the beverage container 70 without the user U touching with the hand.

Thus, the beverage vending machine 1 can more reliably and contactlessly provide the beverage to the user U.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the information tag 72 includes the planar antenna 76 for transmitting and receiving information between the information tag 72 and the reader 40, and the planar antenna 76 is provided at the bottom of the beverage container 70.

Thus, when the beverage container 70 is placed on the drain portion 34, the planar antenna 76 of the information tag 72 is disposed inside the opening 56. Accordingly, when the beverage container 70 is placed at a predetermined position, the reader 40 can read the information of the information tag 72 by short-range wireless communication so that the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reader 40 is not blocked.

In the present embodiment, the size of the opening 56 is at least equal to or larger than the size of the planar antenna 76.

Thus, the reader 40 can more reliably transmit the radio wave or electromagnetic wave having the intensity of the information of the readable information tag 72 from the reader 40 to the upper surface side of the upper plate 52 through the opening 56.

Therefore, when the beverage container 70 is disposed at a predetermined position, the reader 40 can read the information of the information tag 72 by the short-range wireless communication more reliably so as not to block the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reader 40.

Further, according to the present embodiment, a structure in which the shielding member 50 is formed of a metal material is adopted.

Thereby, the shielding member 50 can reliably shield the electric wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reading device 40.

Therefore, the shielding member 50 can shield the upper surface side of the mounting plate 30 from the electric wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reading device 40.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the drip tray 20 is provided with the cover portion 26 that covers the reading device 40 and is formed by projecting the bottom portion 24 upward, and the inclined surface 28 is provided on the upper surface of the cover portion 26.

Thereby, the liquid such as the beverage dropped onto the upper surface of the cover portion 26 flows toward the bottom 24 of the drip tray 20 along the inclination of the inclined surface 28. Therefore, it is possible to prevent liquid such as beverage from being retained between the information tag 72 and the reader 40, and to prevent the reader 40 from reading the information tag 72.

(modification of embodiment 1)

Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a shielding member 150 according to a modification of the present embodiment.

The beverage vending machine 1 of the present embodiment may include a shielding member 150 as shown in fig. 7 instead of the shielding member 50. The shielding member 150 has substantially the same shape as the shielding member 50 described above. The shield member 150 is a plate-like member made of a metal material, and includes a flat upper plate portion 152 covering the entire upper surface of the mounting plate 30, and a flat front plate portion 154 covering the entire side wall 25 constituting the front surface of the drip tray 20, as in the shield member 50.

A drain portion 159 is provided at a substantially central position of the upper plate portion 52 of the shielding member 150. The drain portion 159 is formed by providing a mesh member 158 made of a plurality of wires in a through hole 155 formed to have substantially the same size and substantially the same shape as the opening 56. A plurality of openings 156 are provided in the drain portion 159.

The drain 159 is located directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3. In the present embodiment, the center of the opening 56 is located directly below the discharge port 4.

The draining portion 159 has strength enough to support the beverage container 70 placed on the upper surface.

When beverage is injected into the beverage container 70 from the beverage dispenser 1, the beverage container 70 is placed on the upper surface of the drain portion 159 of the shielding member 50.

The electric wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reading device 40 passes through the plurality of openings 156, and is thereby transmitted from the reading device 40 side to the upper surface side of the upper plate portion 52. The reading device 40 is capable of reading information of the information tag 72 by short-range wireless communication via the plurality of openings 156.

That is, in the present modification, the drain portion 159 functions as an installation portion, and a portion of the shielding member 150 that is offset from the drain portion 159 functions as a shielding portion.

Thereby, the beverage vending machine 1 can supply the beverage to the beverage container 70.

As described above, the reading device 40 can read the information of the information tag 72 when the beverage container 70 is disposed directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3, and the beverage vending machine 1 can suppress the supply of the beverage when the beverage container 70 is disposed at a position deviated from directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3. That is, the beverage vending machine 1 can more reliably inject the beverage into the beverage container 70.

In the present modification, the shielding member 150 integrally includes the drain 159. Thereby, the shielding member 50 can be used to set the beverage container 70 while shielding the communication of the information tag 72 with the reading device 40. Therefore, the number of components of the beverage vending machine 1 can be suppressed.

In the case where the beverage vending machine 1 includes the shielding member 150, the mounting plate 30 may not be provided.

The drain portion 159 is formed by providing a metal mesh or a metal wire net as in the mesh member 158, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed by densely providing a plurality of openings formed by punching, for example. In this case, the plurality of openings are preferably formed in a slit shape so as to be easy for a radio wave or an electromagnetic wave, which is a plane wave, to pass through.

The above-described embodiment is an example of one embodiment of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the shielding member 50 has the upper plate portion 52 and the front plate portion 54, but is not limited thereto, and may be constituted only by the upper plate portion 52. In this case, the shielding member 50 may be attached to the lower surface side of the mounting plate 30.

In this case, the shielding member 50 may be provided by being housed inside the mounting plate 30. That is, the mounting plate 30 may be formed by insert molding in which the shielding member 50 is sandwiched.

Further, for example, the shielding member 50 may be formed by metal coating the surface of a resin material or the like.

For example, the shielding member 50 is not limited to the front plate portion 54 covering the front surface of the drip tray 20, and may include plate portions covering other respective side surfaces of the drip tray 20.

For example, the inside diameter of the opening 56 may be slightly smaller than the beverage container 70, and the beverage container 70 may be supported by the upper surface of the shielding member 50 around the opening 56. In this case, the region immediately below the beverage supply nozzle 3 of the shielding member 50 functions as a mounting portion. Further, in this case, the mounting plate 30 may be omitted.

For example, the inner diameter of the opening 56 may be slightly larger than the beverage container 70, and the opening 56 may be fitted to the side surface of the beverage container 70. In this case, the opening 56 functions as a mounting portion.

In the above embodiment, the shielding member 50 is formed of a metal material, for example, but not limited to this, and may be formed of a plate-like member in which a gel-like liquid is enclosed.

In the above embodiment, for example, the information tag 72 is provided at the bottom of the beverage container 70, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be provided on a side surface.

For example, in the above embodiment, the drain holes 32 and the drain portion 34 are provided in the mounting plate 30, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and any shape may be formed as long as the liquid such as the beverage flowing out to the upper surface of the mounting plate 30 can move toward the drip tray 20.

For example, the control device 11 may include a communication unit that receives control signals from outside such as various communication lines and outputs information to outside.

In the above embodiment, the beverage vending machine 1 is a device for supplying a coffee beverage, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a device for supplying a beverage such as fruit juice, ice cream, ice shaving, fruit juice, milk shake, mineral water, or the like, or a food similar thereto. In this case, the mechanism stored in the apparatus main body 2 is a mechanism corresponding to the supplied beverage or food.

(embodiment 2)

In this embodiment, a beverage vending machine capable of improving maintainability will be described.

In detail, a beverage vending machine is known in the related art, which includes a discharge unit for discharging a supply of a beverage, food, or the like, and a transmission/reception unit for reading information recorded on a recording medium such as an electronic tag using radio waves, electromagnetic waves, or the like, and supplies the supply to a predetermined container in which the recording medium is provided. In this automatic beverage vending machine, a transmitting/receiving unit reads information recorded on a recording medium of a predetermined container, and supplies a supply to the container by discharging the supply from a discharge unit based on the information (for example, refer to japanese patent application laid-open No. 2010-67185).

In such an automatic beverage vending machine, the transmitting/receiving unit is provided at a position where a recording medium of a container disposed at a predetermined position can be read.

However, in the conventional automatic beverage vending machine, the transmitting/receiving unit needs to be disposed at a position where information recorded in the electronic tag can be read, and there is a concern that maintainability of the automatic beverage vending machine is lowered due to the disposed position of the transmitting/receiving unit.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of the beverage dispenser 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the vertical direction of each part of the beverage dispenser 200 is the vertical direction of the beverage dispenser 200 in a state where the beverage dispenser 200 is installed on the installation surface.

The beverage vending machine 200 of the present embodiment is a so-called beverage vending machine installed in a store such as a convenience store, a restaurant or a water bar, and more specifically, is a device for extracting coffee beverage or the like and injecting the coffee beverage into a predetermined container such as a cup. The beverage automatic vending machine 200 of the present embodiment uses the beverage container 70 as a dedicated container for injecting beverage.

As shown in fig. 8, the beverage dispenser 200 includes a device body 2 and a tray unit 210.

The apparatus main body 2 is a box-shaped case in which various mechanisms for supplying beverages are housed. The apparatus main body 2 of the present embodiment houses therein various extraction mechanisms for extracting coffee beverages and the like, such as a drive motor, a grinder, a filter, a cylinder, a warm water tank, and the like, various supply mechanisms for supplying extracted coffee beverages and the like, such as a pump and/or a supply pipe, and a control device 11 (fig. 12) for controlling these extraction mechanisms and supply mechanisms, or for communicating with an external server and the like.

The beverage supply nozzle 3 is provided at a substantially central position of a front surface panel 205 constituting the front surface (front surface) of the apparatus main body 2. The beverage supply nozzle 3 functions as a beverage discharge unit for discharging the beverage extracted in the device main body 2, and the beverage supply nozzle 3 is connected to a supply pipe of a supply mechanism housed in the device main body 2. A discharge port 4 is formed at the lower end of the beverage supply nozzle 3. In the beverage vending machine 200, the extracted beverage is discharged downward through the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3 in the up-down direction of the apparatus main body 2.

A display panel 6 is provided above the beverage supply nozzle 3 on the front surface of the apparatus main body 2. The display panel 6 functions as a display unit for displaying information on the status of the beverage dispenser 200, menus that the beverage dispenser 200 can provide, information read from the beverage containers 70, and the like.

The display panel 6 may be a touch panel. In this case, the display panel 6 may be configured to be capable of performing a touch operation for discharging the extracted beverage from the beverage supply nozzle 3.

In addition, for example, the display panel 6 may be replaced with a communication terminal capable of communicating with the beverage vending machine 200. In this case, the display panel 6 may be omitted, and the beverage vending machine 200 may be operated via the communication terminal.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the beverage vending machine 200.

As shown in fig. 9, a reading device 240 is provided below the beverage supply nozzle 3 on the front surface of the device main body 2. The reading device 240 is disposed at a substantially central position in the width direction of the front surface of the device body 2, similarly to the beverage supply nozzle 3.

The reader 240 is a device including a contactless reader mechanism for reading information recorded on a recording medium, which records predetermined information, from an electronic tag such as an NFC tag or an RFID tag, or a recording medium called an IC tag. The reading device 240 performs short-range wireless communication with a recording medium according to a predetermined standard, and reads information from the recording medium. The reading device 240 transmits the read information to the control device 11 housed in the device main body 2.

The reading device 240 may also have a function of writing information to various recording media. That is, the reader 240 functions as a transmitting/receiving unit.

A processor 244 (fig. 10) including a CPU, an MPU, and the like is housed in the reader main body 240. The processor 244 functions as a control unit that performs various controls of the reader 240.

The reader 240 is provided with a device antenna 242, and the device antenna 242 is a planar antenna formed to be planar along one upper surface. The device antenna 242 emits radio waves or electromagnetic waves for communication (for reading information). The device antenna 242 is not limited to a planar antenna, and may be a coil.

The reader 240 is housed inside the apparatus main body 2. Specifically, the device antenna 242 is disposed along the back surface of the front surface panel 205.

The reading device 240 is electrically connected to the control device 11 by wire or wirelessly.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tray unit 210 and the periphery of the beverage supply nozzle 3 of the beverage automatic vending machine 200.

As shown in fig. 8 and 10, the tray unit 210 is detachably attached to the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, and is disposed at a position below the beverage supply nozzle 3. As shown in fig. 9, the tray unit 210 includes a drip tray 220 formed in a substantially groove shape and a flat plate-like mounting plate 30 covering the upper surface of the drip tray 220, and is integrally formed as a box.

In the present embodiment, the drip tray 220 and the mounting plate 30 are both formed of resin.

The mounting plate 30 is formed to have a length in the longitudinal direction substantially equal to a width in the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, and is a flat plate-like member covering the entire upper surface of the drip tray 220. A drain hole 32 is provided in the substantially center of the mounting plate 30, and a mesh-shaped drain portion 34 is provided around the drain hole 32.

In a state where the tray unit 210 is attached to the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, the draining portion 34 is located immediately below the beverage supply nozzle 3. In the present embodiment, the drain hole 32 is located immediately below the discharge port 4.

In the present embodiment, when the beverage is poured from the beverage dispenser 200, the beverage container 70 is placed on the upper surface of the drain portion 34. That is, the drain portion 34 functions as an installation portion for installing the beverage container 70 into which the beverage is injected from the beverage vending machine 200.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the drip tray 220, fig. 11 (a) is a perspective view from the upper surface side, and fig. 11 (B) is a perspective view from the lower surface side.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a structure of the drip tray 220, fig. 12 (a) is a plan view, fig. 12 (B) is a bottom view, and fig. 12 (C) is a rear view. In fig. 11 and 12, for convenience of explanation, the portions where the metal foil 255 is provided are hatched.

The drip tray 220 is a member for receiving and storing beverage flowing out from the beverage container 70 and scattered beverage when the beverage is injected from the beverage dispenser 200 into the beverage container 70. The drip tray 220 is formed in a groove shape having an opened upper surface, in which a storage space V3 is provided.

The drip tray 220 is formed to have a length in the longitudinal direction substantially equal to a width of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, similarly to the mounting plate 30. The drip tray 220 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 such that one side wall 221 formed along the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 220 is in contact with the lower end of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2.

A cover 224 is provided at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 220, and the cover 224 is formed so that a bottom 323 protrudes toward the storage space V3 side in a manner of protruding by a predetermined height dimension.

The cover 224 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the cover 224 is connected to the side wall 221, and the other end portion is disposed near the side wall 222 disposed opposite to the side wall 221.

The bottom 323 protrudes upward to form a cover 224, and a storage space V4 is formed below the cover 224. The storage space V4 is a rectangular space with an upper side covered by the cover 224 and a lower side opened.

In detail, the accommodation space V4 is surrounded by the top surface 251, the pair of inner side surfaces 252, and the inclined surface 253.

The top surface 251 is a surface that covers the upper side of the storage space V4, and is substantially parallel to the mounting plate 30.

The pair of inner side surfaces 252 are side surfaces located in the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 220.

The inclined surface 253 is a surface provided at a position close to the side wall 222, and the inclined surface 253 is inclined at a predetermined angle so as to gradually approach the side wall 221 from above to below. Thus, the inclined surface 253 is opposite to the top surface 251 and the side wall 221.

The side wall 221 is provided with an opening 250 having substantially the same shape as the cross section of the storage space V4. One end portion of the cover 224 in the longitudinal direction is connected to the opening 250. Thereby, one of the storage spaces V4 in the longitudinal direction communicates with the opening 250. Therefore, the storage space V4 communicates with the outside of the apparatus main body 2 side through the opening 250.

Further, the opening 250 faces the inclined surface 253.

As described above, the tray unit 210 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 2 so that one side wall 221 formed along the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 220 comes into contact with the lower end of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2.

The opening 250 is disposed so as to face the device antenna 242 of the reader 240 through the front surface panel 205 in a state where the tray unit 210 is attached to the front surface of the device main body 2. That is, the device antenna 242 is disposed opposite the inclined surface 253.

In the present embodiment, the device antenna 242 and the opening 250 are formed to have substantially the same shape.

A metal foil 255 is provided on the top surface 251, the pair of inner side surfaces 252, and the upper surface of the inclined surface 253. The metal foil 255 is a thin metal material formed of, for example, an aluminum tape or the like, which can reflect electric waves or electromagnetic waves. In addition, not limited to this, for example, a thin metal plate or a metal paint may be provided on the upper surfaces of the top surface 251, the pair of inner side surfaces 252, and the inclined surface 253.

A shield opening 256 is provided in the top surface 251 at a position facing the inclined surface 253. The shield opening 256 is a portion where the metal foil 255 is not provided on the top surface 251, and is formed in a rectangular shape in the present embodiment.

The shield opening 256 is located immediately below the drain portion 34 and the beverage supply nozzle 3 in a state where the tray unit 210 is attached to the front surface of the apparatus main body 2.

In the present embodiment, the top surface 251 is recessed upward at a portion where the shield opening 256 is provided.

A plurality of inclined surfaces 228 inclined from the top 227 to the corners of the drip tray 220 are provided on the upper surface of the cover 224 above the inclined surface 253. The inclined surface 228 is inclined downward from the top 227 along the up-down direction (depth direction of the storage space V3) of the drip tray 220. The top 227 is located generally above the shield opening 256.

The cover 224 is formed to have a height dimension such that the top 227 thereof does not contact the mounting plate 30 in the storage space V3.

Further, it is preferable to apply a waterproof coating or a waterproof processing to the top surface of the top portion 227 and the upper surface of the cover portion 224 constituted by the pair of inclined surfaces 228.

The bottom surface of the drip tray 220, i.e., the lower surface of the bottom 323 is entirely covered with a shielding sheet 257 formed of a thin metal material. The shielding piece 257 covers the storage space V4 from the lower side.

The shielding piece 257 is in contact with a mounting surface on which the apparatus main body 2 is mounted in a state where the tray unit 210 is mounted on the front surface of the apparatus main body 2.

In addition, when the mounting surface on which the apparatus main body 2 is mounted is formed of a metal material, the shielding piece 257 may not be provided.

The beverage container 70 is a predetermined container into which a beverage is filled from the beverage vending machine 200, and the beverage container 70 is, for example, a flat bottom cup (tumbler), a portable mug, a water jug, a disposable cup, a thermos cup, or the like. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 8, 9, and 11, the beverage container 70 is configured as a so-called flat bottom cup.

As shown in fig. 8, 9, and 11, an information tag 72 is provided at the bottom of the beverage container 70. The information tag 72 is an electronic tag such as an NFC tag or an RFID tag, or a recording medium having predetermined information recorded therein, which is called an IC tag. In the present embodiment, the information tag 72 forms the bottom surface of the beverage container 70.

The upper surface of the planar antenna 76 is formed to be smaller than the bottom surface. The information tag 72 is not limited to the planar antenna 76 as the communication unit, and may include a coil, for example.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the beverage supply system 400.

Next, the beverage supply system 400 will be described as an example of a system used in the beverage vending machine 200 according to the present embodiment.

The beverage supply system 400 of the present embodiment is a system capable of appropriately supplying a beverage to the user U. As shown in fig. 13, the beverage supply system 400 includes the beverage automatic vending machine 200, the server 60, the beverage container 70, and the information terminal 80. In the present embodiment, the description is given of the case where 1 beverage vending machine 200, the server 60, and the like are provided, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a plurality of devices may be provided in the beverage supply system 400.

As described above, the beverage automatic vending machine 200 includes the control device 11. The control device 11 includes a computer having a processor such as a CPU and an MPU and a storage device such as a ROM and a RAM. The control device 11 includes a main body communication unit 207, a device control unit 8, and an overall control unit 9.

The main body communication unit 207 functions as a communication unit that receives control signals from outside such as various communication lines and outputs information to the outside.

The overall control unit 9 performs acquisition of information read by the reader 240, control of outputting various control signals and communicating by the main body communication unit 207, display control of the display panel 6, control of the device control unit 8, and the like.

The server 60 stores a database for identifying the beverage containers 70, and receives and transmits information of the database from and to the beverage vending machine 200 and the information terminal 80 via the communication network 90.

The server 60 may be integrally provided with the beverage vending machine 200.

The information terminal 80 is a portable terminal held by a user U who can communicate with the server 60 and perform reception and transmission of predetermined information, and the information terminal 80 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or the like. The information terminal 80 can execute a predetermined application program of the beverage supply system 400.

The communication network 90 connects the respective devices included in the beverage supply system 400 such as the beverage vending machine 200, the server 60, the information terminal 80, and the like so as to be capable of data communication with each other. The communication network 90 is a communication line including a private line, a public line network, a mobile radio communication network, a LAN (Local Area Network ) line, and the like, and may include a router, a wireless communication access point, and the like. The connection of the devices included in the beverage delivery system 400 to the communication network 90 may be either wireless or wired.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

In the beverage supply system 400 of the present embodiment, first, the user U prepares the beverage container 70, and accesses the server 60 by operating a predetermined application program process executed by the information terminal 80. Then, the user U registers the information of the user U together with the serial number recorded in the beverage container 70. Next, the user U operates the application program and purchases the desired beverage from the menu point. The purchase contents are transmitted to the server 60 and stored in the server 60.

After that, the user U sets the beverage container 70 in the beverage vending machine 200 at the location where the beverage vending machine 200 is set. Specifically, the beverage container 70 is placed on the draining portion 34 of the placement plate 30. At this time, the drain portion 34 functions as a mark for facilitating the user U to dispose the beverage container 70 immediately below the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3.

When the beverage container 70 is placed on the drain portion 34, the planar antenna 76 of the information tag 72 is disposed substantially parallel to the placement plate 30.

As described above, the top surface 251 is a surface substantially parallel to the mounting plate 30, and the inclined surface 253 is opposite to the top surface 251. That is, when the beverage container 70 is placed on the drain portion 34, the planar antenna 76 of the information tag 72 is disposed so as to face the inclined surface 253.

The inclined surface 253 faces the device antenna 242 of the reader 240 through the opening 250.

The inclined surface 253 is further provided with a metal foil 255 capable of reflecting radio waves or electromagnetic waves.

As a result, the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the device antenna 242 can be reflected by the inclined surface 253, pass through the shield opening 256, and be received by the planar antenna 76 toward the planar antenna 76.

Similarly, the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the planar antenna 76 passes through the shield opening 256 and is reflected at the inclined surface 253, and is received by the device antenna 242 toward the device antenna 242.

As described above, the inclined surface 253 functions as a reflecting portion that reflects radio waves or electromagnetic waves emitted from the reader 240 or the information tag 72, and communicates the reader 240 with the information tag 72.

Therefore, when the beverage container 70 is placed on the upper surface of the mounting plate 30, the reader 240 stored in the device body 2 communicates with the information tag 72 via the inclined surface 253, and reads information recorded in the information tag 72. The overall control unit 9 acquires the read information, and transmits the information to the server 60 via the main body communication unit 207.

The server 60 associates the information with the serial number based on the database, and transmits the purchase contents corresponding to the serial number to the beverage automatic vending machine 200.

The overall control unit 9 acquires the purchase contents received by the main body communication unit 207, and the overall control unit 9 displays the purchase contents on the display panel 6. The user U confirms the contents purchased on the display panel 6, and if the contents purchased through the information terminal 80 are the same, the device control section 8 drives the extraction mechanism and the supply mechanism, thereby discharging the beverage from the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3 and injecting the beverage container 70.

In addition, in this control flow, automatic checkout of beverage vending may also be implemented.

In this case, since the communication between the reader 240 and the information tag 72 is established, the beverage container 70 is reliably placed below the beverage supply nozzle 3. Accordingly, the discharged beverage is reliably injected into the beverage container 70 without contaminating the tray unit 210 and its periphery.

As described above, in the beverage supply system 400, the user U can easily obtain the beverage supply by merely performing the operation of placing the beverage container 70 in the beverage vending machine 200 without performing various operations related to purchasing and paying in the store.

That is, in the beverage supply system 400, the user U can indicate the beverage supply to the beverage automatic vending machine 200 without contact.

When the beverage is injected into the beverage container 70 from the beverage dispenser 200, the beverage discharged from the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3 may flow out of the beverage container 70. The discharged beverage flows into the storage space V3 of the drip tray 220 through the drain hole 32 and the drain portion 34.

As described above, the inclined surface 253 is accommodated in the accommodation space V4 below the drip tray 220. The reader 240 reads information of the information tag 72 by short-range wireless communication via the inclined surface 253. Therefore, if there is a liquid such as a beverage between the information tag 72 and the inclined surface 253 and between the reader 240 and the inclined surface 253, there is a concern that the radio wave or electromagnetic wave of the short-range wireless communication between the reader 240 and the information tag 72 is attenuated by the liquid, and the reader 240 cannot acquire predetermined information.

In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the covering portion 224 covering the inclined surface 253 is formed in a so-called pyramid shape in which a plurality of inclined surfaces 228 are connected to the top portion 227.

Thus, the liquid such as beverage flowing into the upper surface of the cover 224 flows along the inclined surface 228 toward the bottom 323 of the drip tray 220. Therefore, liquid such as beverage can be prevented from being retained between the information tag 72 and the inclined surface 253, and between the reading device 240 and the inclined surface 253. Further, it is possible to suppress the information tag 72 from being read by the reader 240.

In the present embodiment, there may be a liquid such as a beverage that exists between the information tag 72 and the reader 240, in addition to the beverage itself, a liquid (mainly a rinse liquid) used for cleaning each part of the beverage vending machine 200, particularly the beverage supply nozzle 3 and the like, a washing water remaining after the drip tray 220 is removed and cleaned, and the like.

As described above, the reader 240 is housed in the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, and reads information of the information tag 72 by short-range wireless communication via the inclined surface 253.

The reader 240 emits radio waves or electromagnetic waves for communication (for reading information) from the device antenna 242 to the front of the device main body 2. The radio wave or electromagnetic wave propagates forward while being diffused from the device antenna 242 as a transmission point. Therefore, there is a concern that the beverage container 70 is read even when it is disposed at a position deviated from the lower side of the discharge port 4 of the beverage supply nozzle 3.

In the present embodiment, the device antenna 242 faces the opening 250 having substantially the same shape. The opening 250 is an opening through which the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the device antenna 242 can transmit, and the opening 250 allows the radio wave or electromagnetic wave having the intensity at which the information tag 72 can be read by the reader 240 to pass from the device antenna 242 to the inclined surface 253.

The radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the device antenna 242 enters the storage space V4 through the opening 250.

The accommodation space V4 as the interior of the opening 250 is surrounded by the top surface 251, the pair of inner side surfaces 252, the inclined surface 253, and the shielding piece 257.

A metal foil 255 capable of reflecting radio waves or electromagnetic waves is provided on the top surface 251, the pair of inner side surfaces 252, and the inclined surface 253, and the shielding sheet 257 is a member capable of reflecting radio waves or electromagnetic waves.

Thus, of the radio waves or electromagnetic waves emitted from the device antenna 242, the radio waves or electromagnetic waves from the inclined surface 253 are shielded by the metal foil 255 and the shielding sheet 257 provided on each surface, and remain in the storage space V4. That is, the metal foil 255 and the shielding sheet 257 provided on the top surface 251, the pair of inner side surfaces 252, and the inclined surface 253 function as a shielding portion for shielding electric waves or electromagnetic waves.

When the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the device antenna 242 passes through the storage space V4 and reaches the inclined surface 253, the radio wave or electromagnetic wave is reflected by the inclined surface 253.

As described above, the top surface 251 is provided with the shield opening 256 at a position opposed to the inclined surface 253. The shielding portion opening 256 is not provided with the metal foil 255, and functions as an opening through which radio waves or electromagnetic waves can transmit. That is, the shielding portion opening 256 transmits radio waves or electromagnetic waves having the intensity at which the reader 240 can read information of the information tag 72, from the inclined surface 253 side to the planar antenna 76 side.

Thus, the radio wave or electromagnetic wave reflected by the inclined surface 253 passes through the shield opening 256 and goes upward.

As described above, the planar antenna 76 of the beverage container 70 placed on the drain portion 34 is disposed above the shield opening 256. Thereby, the electric wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reader 240 is transmitted to the information tag 72. That is, the storage space V4 functions as a transmission line capable of transmitting radio waves or electromagnetic waves.

Accordingly, the reading device 240 can read the information of the information tag 72 by the short-range wireless communication. That is, the reader 240 can read the information of the information tag 72 when the planar antenna 76 of the information tag 72 is disposed on the draining portion 34 on the bottom surface of the beverage container 70.

Thus, the reader 240 can read the information of the information tag 72 only when the beverage container 70 is disposed directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3.

Therefore, when the beverage container 70 is disposed at a position deviated from the position immediately below the beverage supply nozzle 3, the behavior of the beverage vending machine 200 for supplying beverages is suppressed. That is, the beverage dispenser 200 can more reliably inject the beverage into the beverage container 70.

In the case where information is transferred from the information tag 72 to the reader 240, the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the planar antenna 76 on the transmission line goes in the opposite direction.

As described above, the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the device antenna 242 is left in the storage space V4. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the information of the information tag 72 from being read by the reading device 240 when the beverage container 70 is positioned in front of the drip tray 220 and the tray unit 210.

As described above, the reader 240 and the information tag 72 of the present embodiment communicate via the inclined surface 253.

Thus, when the device antenna 242 and the planar antenna 76 are disposed so as to face the inclined surface 253, the reader 240 can communicate with the information tag 72 even when the device antenna 242 is disposed at a position having a predetermined angle without facing the planar antenna 76.

Therefore, in the beverage vending machine 200, the reader 240 can be provided in the apparatus main body 2 so as to avoid the drip tray 220 that needs to be treated at a higher frequency. Also, the drip tray 220 can be easily handled and the reading device 240 can be protected.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the beverage vending machine 200 is configured to supply beverages to the beverage containers 70 provided with the communicable information tags 72, and includes the reader 240 for receiving and transmitting information from and to the information tags 72, and the inclined surface 253 for reflecting radio waves or electromagnetic waves emitted from the reader 240 or the information tags 72 to cause the reader 240 to communicate with the information tags 72.

Thus, when the device antenna 242 and the planar antenna 76 are disposed so as to face the inclined surface 253, the reader 240 can communicate with the information tag 72 without disposing the device antenna 242 so as to face the planar antenna 76.

Therefore, the reader 240 can be provided in the apparatus main body 2, so that the handling of the drip tray 220 is facilitated, and the reader 240 can be protected, thereby improving the maintainability of the beverage vending machine 200.

Further, according to the present embodiment, a structure including the drain portion 34 provided with the beverage container 70, the metal foil 255 shielding communication between the information tag 72 disposed at a position deviated from the drain portion 34 and the reader 240, and the shielding piece 257 is adopted.

Thus, the electromagnetic wave or the electric wave emitted from the reader 240 is shielded by the metal foil 255 and the shielding sheet 257, and the upper surface side of the mounting board 30 can be shielded from the electromagnetic wave or the electric wave.

Therefore, the beverage vending machine 200 can suppress the reading device 240 from reading the information of the information tag 72 of the beverage container 70 disposed at a position deviated from the predetermined position.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the beverage vending machine 200 is a beverage vending machine that supplies a beverage to the beverage container 70 in which the communication-possible information tag 72 is provided at the bottom. The automatic beverage dispenser 200 includes a drain portion 34 provided with a beverage container 70 and a reader 240 for receiving and transmitting information from and to the information tag 72. The automatic beverage dispenser 200 has a configuration including an inclined surface 253, and the inclined surface 253 is disposed below the draining portion 34, and reflects radio waves or electromagnetic waves emitted from the reader 240 or the information tag 72 to communicate the reader 240 with the information tag 72.

This makes it possible to place the beverage container 70 on the placement plate 30 of the beverage vending machine 200 without defining the position of the beverage container 70 in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the user U can place the beverage container 70 on the beverage vending machine 200 without confirming the arrangement (the orientation of the side surface of the beverage container 70) of the beverage container 70 in the circumferential direction.

Further, in the beverage vending machine 200, the reader 240 is not limited to being provided at the bottom of the beverage container 70, and may be provided at any position.

Accordingly, in the automatic beverage dispenser 200, the reading device 240 can be disposed at a position away from the drip tray 220 storing water such as beverage that absorbs radio waves or electromagnetic waves, and information can be received and transmitted from the reading device 240 and the information tag 72.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the metal foil 255 has a structure in which an opening 250 through which electric waves or electromagnetic waves are transmitted is provided at a portion between the reader 240 and the inclined surface 253.

This enables the device to be used. Accordingly, the beverage dispenser 200 can read the information of the information tag 72 by the short-range wireless communication when the beverage container 70 is placed at a predetermined position.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the beverage dispenser 200 includes a drip tray 220 provided below the drip 34 and receiving the beverage flowing out to the outside of the beverage container 70. Further, an inclined surface 253 is provided below the drip tray 220. The drip tray 220 has a cover portion 224 provided with a cover inclined surface 253 protruding upward from the bottom of the drip tray 220, and an inclined surface is provided on the upper surface of the cover portion 224.

Thus, the liquid such as the beverage dropped onto the upper surface of the cover 224 flows toward the bottom 323 of the drip tray 220 along the inclination of the inclined surface 228. Therefore, it is possible to prevent liquid such as beverage from being retained between the information tag 72 and the reader 240, and to prevent the reader 240 from reading the information tag 72.

Further, according to the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the apparatus main body 2 having a mechanism for supplying a beverage is provided, the reader 240 is provided to the apparatus main body 2, and the drip tray 220 is provided so as to be detachable from the apparatus main body 2.

This makes it easy to discard the beverage or the like stored in the drip tray 220 and to clean the drip tray 220. Therefore, the handling of the drip tray 220 can be easily performed while protecting the reading device 240.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the information recorded in the information tag 72 provided to the beverage container 70 is read by the reading device 240.

Thus, the beverage vending machine 200 can read information of the information tag 72 provided to the beverage container 70 via the reading device 240. Accordingly, the beverage dispenser 200 can supply the beverage based on the information of the information tag 72.

(modification of embodiment 2)

Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described.

Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a beverage vending machine 200 according to a modification of the present embodiment. Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of the periphery of the beverage supply nozzle 3 and the tray unit 300 in the modification. In fig. 14 and 15, the same parts as those in fig. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

The beverage vending machine 200 of the present embodiment may include a tray unit 300 as shown in fig. 14 instead of the tray unit 210.

The tray unit 300 includes a loading plate 30, a drip tray 320, a shielding sheet 257, and a shielding member 350.

The drip tray 320 is a member for receiving and storing beverage flowing out from a predetermined container and scattered beverage when the beverage is injected from the beverage dispenser 200, similarly to the drip tray 220. As described above, the drip tray 320 is formed in a groove shape with an opened upper surface, in which the storage space V5 is provided.

The drip tray 320 is formed to have a length in the longitudinal direction substantially equal to a width of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, similarly to the drip tray 220. The drip tray 320 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 such that one side wall 321 formed along the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 320 contacts the lower end of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2.

In the drip tray 320, a cover portion 324 is provided at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction, and the cover portion 324 is formed so that a bottom portion 323 protrudes toward the storage space V5 side so as to protrude by a predetermined height dimension.

The cover portion 324 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the cover portion 324 is connected to the side wall 321 and the other end portion is disposed near the side wall 322 disposed opposite to the side wall 321.

A pair of inclined surfaces 328 are provided on the upper surface of the cover 324, and the inclined surfaces 328 are located at the substantially center in the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 320, and are inclined from the top 327 provided throughout the longitudinal direction toward the bottom 323 along both sides in the longitudinal direction of the drip tray 320. The inclined surface 328 is inclined downward from the top 327 along the up-down direction (depth direction of the storage space V5) of the drip tray 220. These inclined surfaces 328 are formed throughout the entire longitudinal direction of the cover 324.

That is, the upper surface of the cover 324 is formed into a so-called gable roof shape having a pair of inclined surfaces 328 connected to the top 327.

As shown in fig. 15, the bottom 323 protrudes upward to form a cover 324, and thus a storage space V6 is formed below the cover 324. The storage space V6 is covered by the cover 324 at the upper side and opened at the lower side.

The reflecting member 355 is accommodated in the accommodation space V6. The reflecting member 355 is formed by bending a flat plate-shaped metal member.

The reflecting member 355 is provided with a reflecting portion 353. The reflecting portion 353 is a flat plate portion disposed in the storage space V6 at a position close to the side wall 322. The reflecting portion 353 is inclined at a predetermined angle so as to gradually approach the side wall 321 from above to below. Thus, the reflecting portion 353 faces the mounting plate 30 and the side wall 321.

The shielding member 350 is substantially the same as the shielding member 50 described in embodiment 2. The shielding member 350 is formed by bending a metal plate, and covers the entire upper surface of the mounting plate 30, the side walls 322 of the drip tray 320, and the pair of side walls 329 located in the longitudinal direction.

The shielding member 350 has: a flat upper plate portion 352 covering the upper surface of the mounting plate 30; and a flat plate-like Zhou Banbu 354 covering the side wall 322 of the drip tray 220 and the pair of side walls 329 in the longitudinal direction.

A shield opening 356 is provided at a substantially central position of the upper plate portion 352.

The shield opening 356 is located directly below the beverage supply nozzle 3. In the present embodiment, the center of the shield opening 356 is located directly below the discharge port 4. Therefore, when the shielding member 350 covers the mounting plate 30, the upper surface of the drain portion 34 is exposed from the shielding portion opening 356.

The shielding portion opening 356 is located above the reflecting portion 353.

The shield opening 356 of the present embodiment is formed in a substantially circular shape having a predetermined inner diameter when viewed from the top surface. The inner diameter of the shield opening 356 is larger than or approximately the same size as the bottom surface of the beverage container 70 in the size of the shield opening 356. Therefore, when the beverage container 70 is filled with the beverage from the beverage dispenser 200, the bottom of the beverage container 70 is placed on the drain portion 34 of the mounting plate 30 by being inserted into the shield portion opening 356.

The shielding member 350 is provided with an opening 357 over the front surface at a portion facing the front surface panel 205.

The portion of the shielding member 350 corresponding to the bottom surface of the drip tray 320 is open over the front surface.

A reading device 340 is provided below the beverage supply nozzle 3 on the front surface of the device body 2. The reading device 340 is disposed at a substantially central position in the width direction of the front surface of the device body 2, similarly to the beverage supply nozzle 3.

The reading device 340 has substantially the same structure as the reading device 340. The processor 344 is housed in the reader 340, and a device antenna 342 is provided as a planar antenna formed to be planar along one upper surface. The device antenna 342 is disposed at a position facing the reflecting portion 353. The height of the device antenna 342 in this modification is substantially the same as the height of the opening 357 of the shielding member 350.

When the beverage is injected into the beverage container 70 from the beverage dispenser 200, the beverage container 70 is placed on the upper surface of the drain portion 34. At this time, the bottom of the beverage container 70 is inserted into the inside of the shielding portion opening 356.

The electromagnetic wave or the electric wave emitted from the reading device 340 passes through the opening 357, and is transmitted from the reading device 340 to the inside of the shielding member 350. The radio wave or electromagnetic wave incident on the reflecting portion 353 is reflected, and a part thereof is directed to the draining portion 34 facing the reflecting portion 353. Since the shielding opening 356 is provided above the reflecting portion 353, the radio wave or electromagnetic wave reflected by the reflecting portion 353 passes through the shielding opening 356 and reaches the planar antenna 76.

Thus, the radio wave or electromagnetic wave emitted from the reader 340 is transmitted to the information tag 72.

The tray unit 210 may also include a shielding member 350. In this case, the metal foil 255 may be provided only on the inclined surface 253.

For example, in the above embodiment, the metal foil 255 is provided on the inner side surface of the cover 224, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the metal foil 255 may be provided on the outer surface of the cover 224.

For example, the cover 224 may be formed by insert molding with the metal foil 255 interposed therebetween.

For example, gel-like liquid may be enclosed in each side surface of the cover 224. In this case, the metal foil 255 may not be provided.

Similarly, in the tray unit 300, the shielding member 350 may be provided so as to contact each inner surface of the drip tray 220 and/or the bottom surface side of the mounting plate 30. In the tray unit 300, a metal plate may be insert-molded on each surface of the drip tray 220 and inside the mounting plate 30.

In the above embodiment, for example, the beverage container 70 is mounted on the mounting plate 30, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be held by a bracket or the like provided in the apparatus main body 2, for example, and may be provided in another type of installation portion.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the cover 224 and/or the upper surface of the cover 224 is formed in a so-called pyramid shape or a so-called gable roof shape. However, the shape is not limited to this, and any shape may be formed on the upper surface of the cover 224 or the cover 224 as long as the bottom 323 or the inclined surface is formed such that the liquid flows toward the bottom 323.

For example, in the above embodiment, the drain holes 32 and the drain portion 34 are provided in the mounting plate 30, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and any shape may be used as long as the liquid such as beverage flowing out to the upper surface of the mounting plate 30 can move toward the drip tray 220.

For example, the storage spaces V4 and V6 may be filled with a resin material that is the same as or different from the drip trays 220 and 320.

In the above embodiment, the shielding portion openings 256 and 356 are 1 through hole, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, a plurality of openings may be densely provided. In this case, the plurality of openings are preferably formed in a slit shape so as to be easy for a radio wave or an electromagnetic wave, which is a plane wave, to pass through.

In the case where the shielding member 350 is densely provided with the plurality of shielding portion openings 356 in this way, or in the case where the shielding portion openings 356 are smaller than the bottom and/or the outer diameter of the beverage container 70 so that the shielding member 350 can support or hold the beverage container 70, the mounting plate 30 may be omitted from the tray unit 300.

In the above embodiment, for example, the beverage vending machine 200 is a device for supplying a coffee beverage, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a device for supplying a beverage such as fruit juice, ice cream, shaved ice, fruit juice, milk shake, mineral water, or a product such as food similar thereto. In this case, the mechanism stored in the apparatus main body 2 is a mechanism corresponding to the supplied beverage or food.

For example, a button for discharging the beverage may be provided in the beverage vending machine 200, and a physical button for causing the beverage vending machine 200 to perform an operation corresponding to the signal may be provided by the user U pressing the button to send various signals to the control device 11.

Embodiments 1 and 2 described above exemplify an embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this, but can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like are made. The components described in embodiments 1 and 2 can be combined to form a new embodiment.

Industrial applicability

As described above, the automatic beverage vending machine according to the present invention is suitably used in an automatic beverage vending machine including a reading device for reading information recorded on a recording medium and supplying a predetermined supply to a container provided with the recording medium on which predetermined information is recorded.

Claims

1. An automatic beverage vending machine for supplying a beverage to a container provided with a communicable recording medium, comprising:

a beverage discharge unit for discharging the beverage to the container;

a setting part for setting the container, which is arranged below the beverage discharging part;

A drip tray provided below the setting part for storing the beverage;

a transmitting/receiving unit which is provided below the setting unit and transmits and receives information to and from the recording medium; and

a shielding section that shields communication between the recording medium disposed at a position deviated from the setting section and the transmitting/receiving section,

the setting part has a shape in which the beverage can move from the setting part to the drip tray,

the drip tray is provided with a storage space and a cover part, wherein the cover part protrudes from the bottom to the storage space side by a mode of swelling with a prescribed height dimension, so that a storage space is formed below the cover part,

the transmitting/receiving section is accommodated in the accommodating space in a state of being covered by the covering section,

the shielding part has a shielding part opening at a position opposite to the covering part.

2. The beverage vending machine of claim 1, wherein:

the shielding part is provided with a 1 st opening which communicates the beverage discharge part side with the transmitting and receiving part side,

the 1 st opening is arranged at a position of the shielding part which is positioned right below the beverage discharging part,

The setting portion is exposed from the 1 st opening.

3. The beverage vending machine of claim 2, wherein:

an inclined surface inclined downward is provided above the transmitting/receiving unit to allow the beverage to flow.

4. A beverage vending machine as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein:

the 1 st opening is formed to have a size equal to or larger than the recording medium.

5. A beverage vending machine as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein:

the shielding portion is provided with a plurality of openings different from the 1 st opening.

6. The beverage vending machine of claim 2, wherein:

the recording medium is disposed at the bottom of the container.

7. The beverage vending machine of claim 1, wherein:

the shield portion is formed of a material including a metal.

8. The beverage vending machine of claim 1, wherein:

an inclined surface is provided on the upper surface of the cover.

9. An automatic beverage vending machine for supplying a beverage to a container having a communicable recording medium provided at a bottom thereof, comprising:

A beverage discharge unit for discharging the beverage;

a drip tray disposed below the disposition portion for receiving the beverage flowing out of the container;

a transmission/reception unit that transmits/receives information to/from the recording medium;

a reflection unit disposed below the setting unit and configured to reflect radio waves or electromagnetic waves emitted from the transmission/reception unit or the recording medium, thereby causing the transmission/reception unit to communicate with the recording medium; and

the reflecting part is accommodated in the accommodating space in a state of being covered by the covering part,

10. The beverage vending machine of claim 9, wherein:

The drip tray has: an inclined surface inclined downward from the upper surface of the storage space; and a storage space for receiving and storing the beverage.

11. The beverage vending machine of claim 10, wherein:

comprising a body having means for supplying said beverage,

the transmitting and receiving part is arranged on the main body,

the drip tray is detachably provided from the main body.

12. The beverage vending machine of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein:

the transmitting/receiving unit reads information recorded on the recording medium or writes information to the recording medium.