EP3960695A2 - Pivoting station for drinking vessel and method of operating same - Google Patents

Abstract

So that the bar waiter does not have to hold a glass the whole time while it is being filled, the glass (G) is placed in a pivoting station (1) and automatically controlled by this, lifted and held at an angle under the outlet opening of the dispensing station until it is filled and is automatically switched off again. Such a pivoting station (1) can be further automated by an automatic feed unit (30).

Description

I. Field of application

The invention relates to serving cold drinks in restaurants.

II . Technical background

This is usually done by a so-called bar waiter, but in the case of very small restaurants that are currently not very busy, sometimes the waitress who delivers the drinks does it himself. In this case, a dispensing system is used which has several dispensing taps side by side, each with a dispensing lever, and each of the dispensing taps is connected to a storage container such as a barrel or container for a cold drink.

The bar waiter usually takes a specific glass intended for the specific beverage from a cupboard behind him or above the dispensing system, holds it under the outlet opening of the dispensing tap and activates it, usually by pulling the swiveling dispensing lever forward.

In the case of foamy drinks with foam that remains constant over a long period of time, such as beer, especially wheat beer, he holds the glass at an angle to avoid excessive foam formation by letting the drink run down the inner wall of the glass in a thin layer. At the beginning of pouring, he usually even lets the tap protrude into the glass in order to reduce the free fall distance, and then pulls the glass a little further as the filling level increases away from the bottom so that the drink, especially the foam that forms on it in the case of beer, does not reach the tap and cannot get dirty.

The bar waiter cannot pour some drinks all at once because of the foam formation, but only in two or three stages, and has to put the partially filled glass aside in between and then pick it up again, which further increases the effort.

Depending on the desired amount of foam, the bar waiter can also move the tap backwards with most manual tap systems, which means that air is added to the drink, usually beer, and foam comes out of the tap. On the one hand, beer can be tapped with the desired amount of foam in the glass, and on the other hand, the majority of the tapping process can initially be carried out with little foam formation and therefore quickly, and the desired amount of foam can only be added at the end. However, this requires a practiced Schanckeller for a quick implementation.

Then the waiter puts the filled glass on a transfer area, from which the waiter picks it up.

Instead of a manually operated dispensing lever, modern, partially controlled dispensing systems also have control buttons that dispense a precisely defined quantity of the corresponding drink from an outlet opening, and often with a mass flow that is defined and changes during the filling of a glass, so that at a suitable glass placed underneath, this can be placed vertically under the outlet opening and only the button for dispensing the drink has to be pressed. Each outlet opening is usually assigned its own control panel with control buttons.

For this purpose, however, the use of a specific glass in terms of shape and size is required for each drink stored in the controller, to which the controlled mass flow is based.

However, the pure filling time is usually longer than with a glass that is initially tilted and, in particular, with manual filling by a very experienced bar waiter.

The operation of such partially controlled dispensing systems is regularly only possible with identification of the ordering operator or the ordering bar waiter, on whose account the withdrawal of the drink takes place, usually by the ordering person having to insert an identification plug into the dispensing system.

This makes it easier to bill for the drinks that have been dispensed, and it also saves time because the glass only has to be placed vertically under the outlet opening and then the filling has to be started by pressing the corresponding control button and - at least for most drinks - the glass does not have to be left empty during the filling Pouring must be done by hand, which is often necessary with heavily foaming drinks, such as wheat beer, even with these controlled dispensing systems.

Since personnel costs are also one of the main cost factors in gastronomy, and this is also on the rise, and the availability of bar staff is also becoming increasingly difficult, there are already solutions to further increase the efficiency of bar staff.

For example, dispensing systems for large throughputs are known, in which mostly one and the same drink and thus filled into the same type of glasses are served several times next to each other by placing the glasses next to each other in a handling trough at a distance from the outlet openings of the taps and placing this in the dispensing system is set, all glasses are filled at the same time and then the entire handling trough is removed from the dispensing system and fitted with a new handling trough filled with glasses.

However, this also requires manual work, namely putting in and removing the handling troughs, but it already reduces the working time and, above all, allows this working time to be shifted by loading a larger number of handling troughs with glasses before serving time, which This is particularly possible without problems when the "glasses" are low-quality cardboard cups or plastic cups that can be kept in large numbers in the catering trade or are only intended for single use anyway.

This is used in particular to be able to offer many similar drinks in drinks containers in a short time, for example during the short breaks in sporting events in stadium catering or the like.

• Entweder können auf diese Art und Weise nur gering schaumbildende Getränke eingeschenkt werden
• oder das Glas muss relativ zum einzubringenden Volumen stark überdimensioniert sein, um auch starke Schaumbildung noch mit aufnehmen zu können
• oder der Einschenk-Vorgang wird vor allen gegen Ende der Füllung des Glases verlangsamt, um die Schaumbildung nicht weiter ansteigen zu lassen.

However, even with these multiple tapping devices, boundary conditions must be observed in order to be able to use them:

• Either only slightly foaming drinks can be poured in this way
• or the glass must be greatly oversized relative to the volume to be introduced in order to be able to absorb strong foam formation
• or the pouring process is slowed down, especially towards the end of the filling of the glass, so as not to allow the formation of foam to continue.

However, these boundary conditions contradict a fully flexible serving of drinks with high cycle times, i.e. low pouring time per glass.

III. Presentation of the invention a) Technical task

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a partially automated, controlled, individual beverage dispenser for different beverages enable and to provide a suitable swivel unit and dispensing station.

b) Solution of the task

This object is solved by the features of claims 1, 13 and 14. Advantageous embodiments result from the dependent claims.

First of all, it should be made clear that within the scope of the present description, a tap with an outlet opening is also spoken of when the tap does not have the typical, manually operated blocking element such as a pivoting tap lever, but only an operating button or a button to be operated Control panel, which is not mechanically but only electronically coupled to the blocking element located in the supply line to the outlet opening, the dispensing valve.

In this respect, the assembly that contains the outlet opening for the beverage to be poured and the controlled blocking element is generally referred to as a tap in the context of the present description.

With regard to the method for filling a glass with a liquid, such as a drink, which flows out of an outlet opening, for example a tap, this object is achieved in that first the glass is moved from a starting position, in which it is located under the outlet opening, by means of the storage -Base on which it stands is automatically raised until the top edge of the glass is at a set elevation.

In this case, the outlet opening in this starting position does not necessarily have to be located within the peripheral contour of the upper opening of the glass when viewed from above, but can also be offset thereto.

The glass is preferably vertical in this starting position. During or after lifting, the glass is pivoted in such a way that the axial direction, i.e. the axis of symmetry of its rotationally symmetrical parts, is at an angle to the vertical, but the outlet opening is located above the upper end area of the inner peripheral surface of the wall of the glass, i.e. above the one lying below Peripheral area of the inner surface of the wall, preferably vertically above it or, in the case of an obliquely directed outlet opening in the outlet direction, offset in the transverse direction thereto.

The outlet opening can be located inside the glass, or outside, above the glass. Depending on the outflow direction of the liquid from the outlet opening, the liquid impinges on the inner surface of the wall at a more or less large but acute angle, which keeps the formation of foam to a minimum.

At the latest from the start of pivoting, the glass is supported from the outside on its side surface pointing downwards in the pivoted state, so that it cannot fall off the storage base.

The glass support used for this can be designed to be movable and can be moved, in particular pivoted, between a supporting, active position and a non-supporting, inactive position, which is particularly useful when supporting is necessary on the side facing away from the operator there, however, the glasses are to be brought into the swivel unit by means of an automatic feed unit.

The glass is filled in this filling position, with the glass optionally being swung back and/or lowered against the lifting direction during the filling process, among other things to prevent the outlet opening from coming into contact with the liquid in the glass or the foam formed on it.

For this purpose, the fill level in the glass, in particular the height of the upper side of the foam, can be detected and, depending on this, the glass can be lowered and/or pivoted back.

After the glass has been filled with the intended amount, it is automatically returned to its starting position, from where it can be removed - manually or automatically.

For this purpose, before the start of the entire process, the operator preferably enters the type of drink in an input unit, ie both with regard to the type of liquid and the amount of liquid.

A specific target height of the glass after lifting can be approached in different ways:
In a first option , a glass that is defined at least in terms of height is stored with each type of drink that can be selected on the operating unit, and preferably also the target height of the glass after it is raised, so that after the type of drink has been selected, the controller knows to what height the support base on which the glass stands must be raised.

It is also possible to use a sensor to monitor when the target height is reached, that is to say to detect, in particular whether the parking base is approaching and/or reaching the target height.

A second possibility consists in preferably not specifying the target height of the parking base, but rather defining the reaching of a target height by the upper edge of the glass as a parameter to be monitored.

This makes it possible, for example, to provide a mechanical upper stop for the upper edge of the glass, which can also be designed as a sensor, and to carry out the pivoting process once the stop has been reached.

Especially if lifting and pivoting is carried out with the help of a pulling element, in particular one and the same pulling element, such as a belt, after the upper edge of the glass has been lifted and rests against the stop, the lifting movement can automatically change into a pivoting movement if the tightening element is pulled further. so that only one drive motor is required for lifting and swivelling.

In addition - even with the same glasses used - due to the introduction of different drinks in it, each selected drink can have a different, defined target height and/or other pivoting, both with regard to the maximum pivoting angle and the timing of the pivoting, and/or a different movement path during of the filling process can be specified by the controller.

In a further development of this invention - after the desired drink and the glass to be used have been selected - the glass can be automatically transported from a supply to the pivoting station by a feed unit and automatically and controlled placed on the correct parking base, over which The liquid drink is then dispensed from the outlet opening above it.

Likewise and/or instead, after the glass has been filled and returned to its initial position, the glass can be automatically removed from the pivoting unit, i.e. from its storage base, by a removal unit and taken to a desired destination, for example a transfer area to the operator.

This is possible in that the glass is transported from the supply unit and/or discharge unit standing on a storage plate and the storage plate is placed on the storage base of the pivoting unit and is placed on this.

With regard to the pivoting station , this generically usually comprises a plurality of pivoting units, each of which is assigned to an outlet opening, and a controller for controlling at least all moving components of the pivoting station.

Each pivoting unit is preferably assigned only one outlet opening, with closely adjacent outlet openings for different liquids, such as beer on the one hand and non-alcoholic beverages on the other hand, being able to be regarded as a common outlet opening since they can be assigned to one and the same pivoting unit.

However, a pivoting unit is preferably always assigned only one outlet opening for a specific type of liquid, ie not several outlet openings for the same liquid.

One, in particular each, of the swivel units according to the invention comprises a storage base on which a glass can be placed, as well as a lifting and tilting device with which the glass standing on it is automatically and controlled raised, tilted and then put back into the Starting position can be lowered.

The lifting and tipping device consists on the one hand of a tilting base, in relation to which a lifting and tilting part can be tilted about a horizontal tilting axis. The lifting and tipping part in turn includes a guide along which the storage base can be moved and thus raised in a lifting direction when the guide is upright.

For this purpose, the lifting and tipping device includes a drive unit with at least one motor.

The support base may include a support panel that is detachably attached to the support base and on which the glass is supported.

Such a separate storage plate is preferably designed and matched to the storage base so that after parking the storage plate in the storage base by lifting it with storage base, the storage plate automatically attaches to the storage base and thus the hub - the tilting device is fixed, in particular fixed in a form-fitting manner, at least in a form-fitting manner against a relative movement in one of the directions of the main plane of the storage shelf, i.e. its upper storage surface for the glass, but preferably also against a relative movement transversely, in particular perpendicular to this main plane.

The storage plate does not have to be a continuously closed plate, but any structure that offers a storage surface for the glass to be placed on it is sufficient.

The separate storage plate offers the possibility of supplying a desired glass standing on such a storage plate with a supply unit or automatically removing it again with a discharge unit.

In order to prevent the glass from slipping off the storage base, in particular the storage plate, when the glass is in an inclined position, that is to say in a pivoted state, a support is necessary.

Such a glass support is arranged in such a way that, when the tilting part is in the tilted state, it supports a glass standing on the storage base on the outer peripheral surface of the glass, which then points downwards.

The glass support can be activated and deactivated, with the adjustment between the two positions being able to be effected automatically by means of the lifting and tilting device or the storage base by lifting the storage base.

Viewed in cross-section, the glass support preferably consists of two support parts which, when viewed from above, are opposite to one another in relation to the vertical center plane of the support unit in which its pivoting movement takes place lie so that a glass lying against it is automatically centered between them.

In the deactivated position, one of the two support parts, in particular both support parts, is further away from the vertical center plane than in its activated position, with the glass support preferably being pivoted between the deactivated and the activated position.

The movable arrangement has the advantage that, in the deactivated state, there is free space after deactivation from the direction in which the glass support is in the activated position, ie a glass can be fed in, for example.

In the deactivated position, the glass support is therefore preferably located at a sufficient distance from the upright center plane so that a glass can be fed to the storage base from the rear side facing away from the operator.

The one or two guides of the lifting and tipping part for the parking base are also preferably located laterally next to and at a distance from the center plane of the lifting and tipping device, preferably on the same side thereof.

Since there are high hygiene requirements in the catering sector, an important aspect is easy cleaning and repair options.

For this purpose, each pivoting unit can preferably be dismantled from a base frame and/or each lifting and tipping device from the rest of the pivoting unit as a group that can be handled together quickly and easily, i.e. preferably without tools and in less than 20 seconds. In particular, they can simply be pulled off and put back on for assembly.

For the same reason, the drive motor or the multiple drive motors of the lifting and tipping device can be assembled and disassembled in a simple manner.

The pivoting unit, in particular its lifting and tilting device, will generally have several drives, in particular motors, namely on the one hand for the lifting movement and on the other hand for the pivoting movement.

The lift motor is then operatively connected to the storage base and to either the lift member or its base, while the swing motor is operatively connected to the lift member and is preferably attached to the swing unit or its base.

In order for the lifting movement to end at the desired height of the upper edge of the glass, a height detector can be present, which detects this and reports this to the control, or the control is designed in such a way that it can be selected for each on the control Drink variant a specific glass, in particular at least the height is stored and thus a specific lifting distance that the lifting device must cover controlled.

The pan motor engages the lift member, specifically either the stand base or the guide or even the glass support, even if it is movable between an activated and a deactivated position, since operating the pan -Movement is also only carried out when the glass support is activated.

In particular, the swivel drive includes a slide that is directed approximately horizontally against the rear side of the lifting and tilting part or the guide or even on the glass support and engages with it. Alternatively, a swivel motor can be arranged on the swivel axis and swivel the lifting part in a controlled manner by a defined swivel angle.

In order to keep the complexity of the construction and also the costs low, in a first variant the lifting and tilting device and thus the entire swiveling unit can also be operated with just a single drive motor and hardly any sensors which performs both the lifting movement and the pivoting movement.

This can be achieved, for example, by attaching the storage base to the end of a tension element, which can be subjected to tension by means of the drive motor, in particular the single drive motor, for example by the other end of the tension element - if it is a finite tension element is - can be wound up on a winding roll which can be rotated by the drive motor.

An endless circulating traction element such as a belt can also be used.

In addition, there is a mechanical stop for the upper edge of the glass standing on the storage base, so that once the stop has been reached, the lifting movement can no longer be continued, but the pulling element is arranged in such a way that further pulling on the pulling Element thereby initiated the pivoting movement, which is why the pulling element in a direction running obliquely to the lifting direction, from the side into which the storage base is to be pivoted, and/or away from the guides on the storage -base must attack.

For reasons of hygiene, the motor is preferably arranged behind the pivot axis, and the pulling element is diverted in said direction around a deflection surface, such as a deflection roller, arranged above and/or in front of the pivot axis of the lifting and tipping device.

This lifting stop is preferably attached to the lifting and tilting part and can therefore pivot with it and therefore does not have to be on the tilting axis.

Preferably, the lifting stop, viewed from above, is above the area of the storage base that is remote from the pivot axis, in particular the storage surface for the glass, which has the advantage that when the glass is filled in an inclined position, the liquid or the foam on it generally does not reach the glass rim contacting the lifting stop and thus the lifting stop is rarely or not at all contaminated.

Furthermore, a pivoting sensor, in particular in the form of a mechanical pivoting stop, can be present in order to detect and end the pivoting in the maximum permissible pivoting position, preferably by means of the control of the pivoting motor.

As a result, both movements, ie lifting and pivoting, can be controlled independently of one another if separate drives are available for this, since separate detection options are available for this.

A much more complex, but also extremely flexible form of lifting and tipping device is a robot as a lifting and tipping device:
The robot is mounted with its robot base on the base frame, and the storage base to be moved is attached to the free end of the robot arm—usually consisting of several arm parts connected in series and articulated to one another.

Depending on the number of degrees of freedom of the robotic arm, it can move the parking base in many different ways than with the lifting and tipping devices described above.

The individual pivoting unit can preferably also include a level sensor, which is coupled to the controller and, when the liquid level in the glass or the foam standing on it reaches a certain level, relative, in particular to a reference point on the base body or the tilt -Base causes the lowering and/or pivoting back of the parking base, preferably depending on the changing filling level.

For the optional further automation of the pivoting station, a supply unit and/or discharge unit, which can also be functionally combined, can be provided, which automatically delivers the correct glass from a glass store to the correct lifting and tipping device or picks it up. transported from there including parking or pick-up at/from the parking base.

Preferably, the respective glass is supplied on one of the storage trays that match and are inserted into the storage base.

For this purpose, the storage base, as the lowest part of the swivel station, is either in the lowered state standing up on the worktop or floating at a low height above the worktop, with the latter having the advantage that after swiveling up or raising the storage base the worktop underneath can be easily cleaned. In the lower starting position, however, the storage base must be arranged so low that a storage plate sitting on the worktop can be retracted or pushed into the storage base of the lifting and tipping device.

This can be done from the front of the pivoting station where the operator is located, but preferably should be possible from the rear, which is possible when the movable glass support is in the deactivated state, allowing access to the storage base not obstructed from the rear by being positioned at a sufficiently wide lateral distance from the upright median plane of the lifting and tipping device in the deactivated state.

With regard to the dispensing station, which includes a dispensing station with mostly several dispensing units and the pivoting station with mostly several pivoting units, the existing task is solved in that the pivoting station is designed as described above.

c) exemplary embodiments

Figur 1a, b:

mit einem großen Becher in verschiedenen Betriebszuständen,

Figur 1c:

in der Aufsicht von oben auf Abstell-Basis und Hub-Kipp-Teil,

Figur 2a - c:

in der Seitenansicht mit einem kleinen Becher in verschiedenen Betriebszuständen ,

Figur 3a - c:

in der Seitenansicht in verschiedenen Betriebszuständen,

Figur 3d:

in der Aufsicht auf die Abstell-Basis,

Figur 3e:

in der Aufsicht auf das "Halteteil".

Embodiments according to the invention are described in more detail below by way of example. Show a swivel unit:

Figure 1a, b:

with a large cup in different operating states,

Figure 1c:

viewed from above on the storage base and lifting and tipping part,

Figure 2a - c:

in the side view with a small cup in different operating states,

Figure 3a - c:

in the side view in different operating states,

Figure 3d:

in supervision of the parking base,

Figure 3e:

in the supervision of the "holding part".

All side views show a dispensing station 200, usually consisting of several one behind the other in the viewing direction, but in this side view only one visible dispensing unit 100.1, 100.2 and a pivoting unit 1.1 arranged under each dispensing unit 100.1 .

In this case, each dispensing unit 100.1 comprises not only one outlet opening for a liquid F such as a beverage, but two closely adjacent outlet openings, eg 103.1a for non-alcoholic beverages, which are diagonally forward—the left one is forward in these side views Side on which the operator normally stands - and a vertically downwardly directed outlet opening 103.1b, which also usually has a larger cross section, for beer.

Each such dispensing unit 100.1 is assigned a pivoting unit 1.1 in the sense that a glass G standing in the pivoting unit 1.1 moves below the one or more from the vertical position and from the transverse direction Outlet openings 103 or 103.1a , 103.1b is that the beverage F flowing out of them flows into the glass G at least in the dispensing position--in which the vessel G is placed at an angle and usually also raised.

It also agrees that each pivoting unit, i.e. here the first pivoting unit 1.1 shown in each case from a plurality of pivoting units one behind the other in the direction of view, comprises on the one hand a pivoting base 5b , which is usually attached to the dispensing station 200 , and on the other hand the hub -Tipping part 5a is pivotable about a pivot axis 5' which runs horizontally, the lifting-tilting part 5a extending downwards from the pivot axis 5' .

The lifting and tipping part 5a can be pivoted from the starting position in which the lifting and tipping part 5a mostly extends vertically downwards ( Figures 1a , 2a , 3a ) to a lower end forward, toward the operator side, pivoted position.

The lifting base 5b is part of a base body 2 and is firmly connected to it, in particular in one piece, with the base body 2 preferably comprising a closed housing in which the drive unit 3 with the one or more motors 6 and the controller 1 * are sheltered.

The lifting and tilting part 5a comprises on the one hand one or more guides 7, the upper end of which is attached to the tilting base 5b so that it can pivot about the pivot axis 5' , and a storage base 4 for the glass G, which can be of the drive unit 3 can be moved between a lowered, lower loading position and a raised filling position along the at least one guide.

In this case, the storage base 4 is L-shaped when viewed from the side, with a leg 4.1 that projects vertically upwards, which is guided along the at least one guide 7 and a leg that protrudes horizontally forwards at its lower end in the starting position Leg 4.2, the top of which forms the storage area 4a for storing the glass G on it.

The vertical leg is guided on the guide 7 via two guide shoes 4.1a, b , which are spaced apart in height and are connected to one another, on which on both sides of the vertical main plane 4", the vertical middle plane 5" - as in Figure 1c visible - one of two in the direction of the side views of the Figures 1a , 2a , 3a support rods 13a, b lying one behind the other and spaced apart from one another in this direction are clamped by means of clamping screws 16, which preferably pass over the height of the two guide shoes 4.1a, b .

The support rods 13a, b are designed as guide plates that are inclined to the central plane 4" , which form an open prism in the direction of projection of the horizontal leg 4.2, i.e. towards a glass G standing on it, and in the swiveled-up state a glass G resting against this glass support 13 center on the median plane 4" .

From the first design according to the Figures 1a - 2c show the Figure 2a the initial position, in which the guide 7 is vertical and the horizontal leg of the parking base 4 either rests on the ground, for example the top of a bar, or is only a small distance above it.

The outlet openings 103.1a and 103.1b are relatively far apart above the upper rim Go of the glass G, which is open at the top, since in this case it is a small glass G —here in the form of a beaker—with, for example, a filling volume of 0.3 liters .

Starting from this initial position, the glass is moved upwards using the storage base 4a until according to Figure 2b the outlet opening is only just above the upper edge Go of the glass G or even dips into the glass G.

In the present case, the lower outlet opening 103.1b is already immersed in the glass G , the higher outlet opening 103.1a is still above it.

In this raised position, the guide 7 is still vertical and the glass G has not yet been pivoted or tilted, so that the glass direction G' coincides with the vertical 10 .

A pivoted or tilted filling position shows Figure 2c , whereby the vertically downward, lower-lying outlet opening 103.1b for beer almost touches the low-lying area of the inner peripheral surface of the wall of the glass, while the outlet opening 103.1a , which is directed higher and diagonally downward forward, roughly extends its jet against the inner peripheral wall whose half height would judge.

In this position, the glass G is filled, with a level sensor monitoring the fill level with liquid and/or foam, depending on the design of the sensor, and then the pivoting movement and lifting movement are carried out in reverse until the filled glass G back in the starting position according to Figure 2a located for removal, for example, by the bar waiter.

how Figure 2c shows, the glass G in the pivoted or tilted position would slide off the storage surface 4a if it were not supported by a glass support 13 against this.

The glass support 13 can - how better in Figure 1c recognizable - be part of the guide 7 and be functionally combined with it, especially if the glass support 13 consists of two support rods 13a, b spaced apart in the viewing direction of the side views, on which the glass G is guided at its widest point - usually the upper edge Go - and then between them is also centered according to the median plane 5" of the lifting and tipping part 5a.

Preferably, at least one, or better with respect to the longitudinal center plane 4" two opposite, lower glass supports in the form of a respective shoulder 4a1 also protrude from the storage surface 4a , which can also be connected to form a single shoulder, which prevents too strong an approach of the lower end of the glass G against the glass supports 13 , which usually extend over the entire height of the guide 7 , is prevented.

If there is only one guide 7 , a glass support 13 is preferably fastened to it on both sides, in particular here in the form of support rods 13a, b arranged at an angle to one another in the form of a prism, which also cause the glass G to be centered on the longitudinal central plane 4" .

This longitudinal center plane 4" is the plane in which, when the lifting and tilting part 5a is pivoted, a point of the lifting and tilting part 5a that is away from the pivot axis 5' moves, with this longitudinal center plane 4", which thus stands vertically, is positioned in the middle between possibly two support rods 13a, b , so that a glass G supported by it is automatically centered with respect to this longitudinal center plane 4" .

the Figures 1a , b show the same initial position with regard to the vessel G analogously to Figure 2a and in the form of the Figure 1b raised and tilted filling position according to Figure 2c , but a significantly larger cup-shaped glass G, for example for 0.5 liter content, is used.

Accordingly, the lifting distance is small or - for the largest glasses G to be used in the swiveling station - not available at all, because simply by swiveling, the lower-lying outlet opening 103.1b already protrudes into the glass G and ends in it just before the inner peripheral wall upper area.

In the Figures 1a , b the housing of the base body 2 is shown open so that the components contained therein are visible.

From this it can be seen that the lifting and tipping device 5 consists of a lifting device 5.1 on the one hand and a tipping device 5.2 on the other hand, which are not mechanically operatively connected to one another.

The lifting device 5.1 comprises a flexible tension element 9, which is attached with its one, the lower, end to the parking base 4, here one of the two guide shoes 4.1a, b of its vertical leg and the other, upper end to a Winding drum 15 is attached, which is controlled by a controller 1* - which is located in the housing of the base body 2 - is rotated by means of a lifting motor 6.1 in the winding direction until the lifting and tipping part 5a is in the correct axial position Regarding the guide 7 is located.

This is detected by a height sensor 8.1 , which is mounted at the corresponding height on the base body 2 and which hits the upper edge Go of the glass G when this height is reached, whereupon the controller 1* stops the lifting motor 6.1 .

The winding drum 15 is also located in the housing of the base body 2, which is why the flexible tension element 9 runs obliquely downwards.

The tipping device 5.2 comprises a slide 17, which protrudes forwards from the base body 2 and can be extended further from it and with its front end below the tipping axis 5' against the lifting and tipping part 5a, preferably its guide 7, presses and deflects it about the tilting axis 5' .

The slide 17 is part of a threaded spindle unit - i.e. either its threaded spindle 21 or its spindle nut 19 - which in turn is set in motion by a tilting motor 6.2 , controlled by the controller 1* , until the desired pivoting position of the horn tilting part 5a.

Since lifting drive 5.1 on the one hand and tilting drive 5.2 on the other hand are mechanically independent of one another, these two movements can also be carried out simultaneously or with a time overlap.

Figure 1c has already been linked to the figures 2a - c explained.

the Figures 3a - 3c show a second design according to the invention, which differs from the first design in that the drive unit 3 includes only a single drive motor 6 , with the help of which both the lifting movement and the tilting movement is carried out, the then run mechanically coupled to each other.

Accordingly, there is also no height sensor for, in particular, non-contact scanning of the correct height position of the glass G , but this is implemented via a mechanical height stop 8.2 as a stop for the upper edge Go of the glass G.

Although the drive motor 6 and the winding drum 15 driven by it are also present here with the flexible tension element 9 that can be wound up and is connected to the storage base 4 , the tension element 9 is guided over a deflection roller 14 , which is in front of , ie shifted towards the operator side, with respect to the tilting axis 5' .

This deflection roller 14 is part of an upper stop part 18 which contains the mechanically acting glass stop 8.2 and can be rotated about an axis 14' .

With the winding roller 15 driven in the winding direction, the storage base 4 is thus pulled up along the guides 7, two of which - albeit spaced apart in the depth direction 12 of the pivoting unit 1, i.e. to the rear as seen from the operator side, i.e. in Figure 3a and 3d from left to right - on only one side viewed in the depth direction 12 , according to FIG Figure 3d the right side, are present until the glass G resting on it hits the glass stop 8.2 .

If the tension element 9 is still pulled by means of the winding roller 15 , then the entire lift-and-tilt part 5a, which now also includes the stop part 18 in addition to the guide 7 and the parking base 4 - which is shown in the plan view from above in Figure 3e is shown - includes, upwards around the tilting axis 5 ' until either the stop part 18 reaches a swivel stop, not shown, or by means of the control, not shown, the drive motor 6 is stopped, and in this filling position according to Figure 3c the drink F - in this case probably wheat beer due to the wheat beer glass used - is introduced into the glass G.

Applicable to both designs described is in the figures 3a e shows a storage plate 20 that can be easily detached from the storage base 4 , the upper side of which represents the storage surface 4a on which the glass G is placed. u

When the storage base 4 is lowered into the starting position, the storage plate 20 with the glass G standing on it can move horizontally into it - for example from the back to the front in the direction of the operator side - and thus the swivel unit 1.1, in particular automatically, with it fill a glass G.

Such a storage plate 20 can be moved up to the top of a bar table 99 with empty glass G standing on it by means of a feed unit 30, and then in the filled state also moved out in the same way, for example forwards out of the storage base 4 and transported to a transfer point for service.

REFERENCE LIST

1

swivel station

1*

steering

1.1, 1.2

swivel unit

2

body

3

drive unit

4

storage base

4.1

vertical leg

4.2

horizontal leg

4a

storage area

4a1

shoulder

4'

stroke direction

4"

main level

5

lifting tipping device

5'

tilt axis

5"

vertical midplane

5a

lift-tilt part

5b

tilting base

6

drive motor

6a

motor shaft

7

radially protruding guide

8th

glass stop

8.1

first sensor

8.2

mechanical stop

8.3

level sensor

9

tension element

10

vertical

11

first horizontal transverse direction, in 5"

12

second horizontal transverse direction

13

glass prop

13a, b

support rod

14

pulley

14'

axis

14a

deflection surface

15

winding roll

16

clamping screw

17

slider

18

stop part

19

spindle nut

20

storage plate

20a

adjustable foot

21

lead screw

22

groove

30

feeding unit

99

bar

100

pump station

100.1, 100.2

Tap unit, tap

f

liquid, liquid drink

G

vessel, glass

Go

top edge of the glass

G'

glass direction

Claims (18)

Swivel station (1) with - at least one, preferably several, swivel units (1.1, 1.2) for the automatic, respectively controlled, lifting and tilting of a vessel (G), in particular a glass (G), which is open at the top, - in particular under one, in particular one each, outlet opening (103.1, 103.2) of a dispensing unit (100.1, 100.2), in particular a dispensing tap (100.1, 100.2) of a dispensing station (100), full - a base body (2), - a controller (1*) for controlling at least all moving components of the pivoting station (1), characterized in that
which, in particular each, swivel unit (1.1, 1.2). - a storage base (4) for placing a glass (G) on it, - a lifting and tilting device (5) for the controlled automatic raising, tilting and lowering again of the storage base (4) with a storage surface (4a), in particular with glass (G) located thereon, - at least one drive unit (3) with at least one motor (6) for driving the lifting and tipping device (5), especially
comprises the lifting and tipping device (5). - a lifting part (5a) which can be tilted about a tilting axis (5') relative to a tilting base (5b), - the storage base (4) which can be moved along a guide (7) of the lifting part (5a) in a lifting direction (4'). (Separate shelf 4:) Pivoting station according to claim 1,
characterized in that - The storage base (4) comprises a storage plate (4.1) which is detachably arranged on the storage base (4), in particular - the storage plate (4.1) and the lifting and tipping device (5) are designed and coordinated in such a way that the storage plate (4.1) is automatically attached to the lifting and tipping device (5) by lifting it, in particular is attached in a form-fitting manner, - at least against a relative movement along a main plane (4a") of the storage plate (4.1) parallel to the storage surface (4a) - in particular also against a relative movement transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the main plane (4a"),
and or - the storage plate (4.1) has a shoulder (4a1) on its upper storage surface (4a) as a stop for the lower part of a glass standing on it, in particular when the storage plate (4.1) is tilted, - the shoulder (4a1) is present at least on the side of the shelf (4a) that points downwards in the tilted state, - preferably the shoulder (4a1) is a shoulder (4a1) surrounding the storage area (4a) in a ring shape. (Support glass on the side:) Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - on the storage base (4), in particular the storage plate (4), or the lifting and tilting device (5), in particular the guide (7), a lateral glass support (13) for when the storage base (4 ) there is a downward-facing peripheral surface of a glass (G) standing on the storage base (4), in particular the storage plate (4), - Preferably, the glass support (13) can be activated and deactivated, in particular - the movable glass support (13) is arranged in the deactivated state to the side of the vertical center plane (5") of the lifting and tilting device (5), especially - the adjustment of the glass support (13) between the activated and the deactivated position when lifting the storage base (4), in particular the separate storage plate (4), by means of the lifting and tilting device (5) or the storage base (4 ) is effected. Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - the glass support (13), viewed in cross-section, has two support parts (13a, b) lying opposite one another with respect to the vertical central plane (5") projecting upwards from the shelf (4). - at least one of the two, in particular both, support parts (13a, b) can be displaced, in particular pivoted, between a deactivated position far removed from the vertical central plane (5") and an activated position further closer to this
and or - the lifting and tilting device (5) has an upper stop (8) for the upper edge (Go) of a glass (G) raised from the storage base (4), in particular storage plate (4.1). (Solvability:) Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that
each lifting and tipping device (5), in particular each pivoting unit (1.1, 1.2), - can be assembled and disassembled from the base body (2) quickly and easily as a group that can be handled together, in particular without tools,
and or - the drive motor (6) of the lifting and tipping device (5) can be easily removed from the rest of the lifting and tipping device (5) and mounted on it, in particular without tools, - The drive motor (6) can be plugged on, in particular in relation to the rest of the lifting and tipping device (5), in particular in a first horizontal transverse direction (11). (clamp the glass at the top:)
(Lifting and tipping device 5 with multiple drives :) Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - Either each lifting and tipping device (5) comprises only a single drive motor (6).
or - there is a lift motor (6.1) operatively connected to the parking base (4) and a swivel motor (6.2) operatively connected to the lift part (5a), - There is in particular a height detector (8), in particular a mechanical stop (8.2) or a first sensor (8.1) that works without contact, which detects when the upper edge (Go) of the glass (G) has reached a target height and is operatively connected to the controller (1*) for the drive motor (6). (Lifting and tipping device 5 with only one drive :) Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - the storage base (4) is attached to one end of a tension element (9), which can be subjected to tension by means of the drive motor (6), - there is a height detector (8) in the form of a mechanical stop (8.2) against which the upper edge (Go) of the glass (G) strikes when it is lifted, - the pulling element (9) is arranged in such a way that after the upper edge (Go) of the lens (G) has reached the mechanical stop (8.2), the lifting part (5a) rotates around the tilting axis (5') when the pulling element (9) is subjected to further pulling ) is tilted. Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - the tension element (9) is guided over a deflection surface (14a), in particular a peripheral area of a deflection roller (14), which is located on the side in particular with respect to the tilting axis (5') and/or points to this side to which towards which the storage base (4) is to be pivoted,
and or - The tension element (9) can be wound up on a winding roller (15) to the circumference of which the other end of the tension element (9) is fastened. Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - A pivoting sensor, in particular a mechanical pivoting stop, is arranged on the tilting base (5b), which detects the maximum permissible pivoting position and is operatively connected to the controller (1*) of the single motor (6), in particular - the mechanical lift stop (8.2) is attached to the lift/tilt part (5a),
and or - the mechanical lifting stop (8.2) is arranged above the area of the parking base (4) remote from the pivot axis (5'). (Robot as lifting and tilting device:) Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - The lifting and tipping device (5) is a robot (5) with a robot base (5.1) and a robot arm (5.2) projecting therefrom with a plurality of arm parts (5.2a, 5.2b) articulated one behind the other, wherein - the robot base (5.1) is attached to the base body (2) of the swivel station (1). - the free end of the robot arm (5.2) is the parking base (4). (level sensor:) Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - There is a fill level sensor (8.3) which is coupled to the controller (1*) and - Upon reaching a predetermined minimum distance between the top of the filling in the glass (G) and a reference point on the base body (2) or on the lifting and tipping device (5), in particular its tipping base (5b), moving the storage base ( 4) in a downward direction, especially when the parking base (4) is in the tilted state. (feed unit) Pivoting station according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that - the pivoting station (1) is designed to interact with a feed unit (30) for automatically feeding and retracting the correct storage tray (4.1), in particular with the empty glass (G) standing on it, into the storage base (4) the swivel station (1) and automatic Driving out and removing the storage plate (4.1), in particular with the full glass (G) standing on it, from the storage base (4) of the pivoting station (1),
and or - the pivoting station (1) is arranged at such a height above a worktop, in particular a bar counter, that its storage base (4) in the fully lowered, non-tilted initial state either rests on the worktop or, in particular, at such a low height above the worktop is positioned such that a storage plate (4.1) sitting on the worktop can be retracted or pushed into the storage base (4) of the lifting and tipping device (5). Dispensing station (200) for filling a glass (G) with a mostly cold, liquid beverage (F). - a dispensing station (100), with at least one dispensing unit (100.1, 100.2), in particular a dispensing tap (100.1, 100.2), each having an outlet opening (103.1, 103.2), - a pivoting station (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, with at least one, preferably several, pivoting units (1.1, 1.2) for the respectively controlled lifting and tilting of a glass (G) under the outlet opening (103.1, 103.2), characterized in that
the pivoting station (1) is designed according to one of the preceding claims. Method for filling a glass (G) with a mostly cold, liquid beverage (F) flowing out of at least one outlet opening (103.1, 103.2) pointing downwards, in particular a tap (100.1, 100.2), in particular by means of a dispensing station (200). claim 21,
characterized in that
the glass (G) automatically before filling - is lifted from this initial position by a parking base (4) below the outlet opening (103.1, 103.2), - During or after the lifting, the glass (G) is pivoted into a filling position in such a way that the axial direction (G') of the glass (G) is at an angle to the vertical (10) and - That in particular the upper end area of the peripheral area of the inner surface of the wall of the glass (G) which is now lying underneath is below the outlet opening (103.1, 103.2). Method according to one of the preceding method claims,
characterized in that - the lifting takes place until the parking base (4) and/or the upper edge (Go) of the glass (G) is in a predetermined target height, - In particular, reaching the target altitude is detected
and or - the type of drink (F) in terms of the type of liquid (F) and the amount of liquid is entered by the operator, - A specific shape and size of a glass (G) and/or a specific target height is stored in the controller (1*) for each beverage (F). (Sway:) Pivoting station according to one of the preceding method claims,
characterized in that - once the target height has been reached, the controller (1*) carries out a defined pivoting of the parking base (4), in particular a different one for each drink (F), - the pivoting, in particular to the drive motor (6), is specified by a defined further angle of rotation of the motor shaft (6a), especially - A mechanical glass stop (8) for the upper edge (Go) of the glass (G) detects that the upper edge (Go) of the glass (G) has reached the desired height and - In particular, purely mechanically, without additional control, by means of the glass stop (8) from lifting to pivoting. Method according to one of the preceding method claims,
characterized in that - The vessel (G), in particular the empty glass (G), standing on a storage plate (4.1) is automatically transported by the feed unit (30) and to the correct pivoting unit (1.1, 1.2) and transferred to it
and or - both the raising/lowering and the pivoting of the storage base (4) are carried out by means of a pulling element (9), in particular by means of the same pulling element (9) and/or the same drive motor (6), - In particular, when the target height is reached, a defined further train distance is initiated on the tension element (9), which is connected to the storage base (4). (feeder:) Method according to one of the preceding claims
characterized in that
the vessel (G), in particular the glass (G), - is automatically transported by a feed unit (30), - is automatically placed on the correct parking base (4) by a feed unit (30), - is supported on one of its sides before being pivoted, - is then automatically removed from the storage base (4) in the filled state by the feed unit (30), - Is transported away by the feed unit (30).

Images