JP2001101523A - Cup feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cup feeding device which can accurately detect the presence/absence of cups regardless of the size of the cups without requiring he adjusting work of a cup detecting mechanism even when the size of the cups is changed. SOLUTION: A cup detecting member 24 having a notched section 24A is set up at the position corresponding to a prescribed inserting amount into a housing section 16A. When cups run out and no cup exists at the detecting position of the detecting member 24, the member 24 is turned by means of a coil spring 26 until the notched section 24A comes to the position of an optical switch 25. Consequently, the light emitted from a light receiving section 25A is received by means of a light receiving section 25B through the notched section 24A and the runout of the cups is detected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cup dispenser provided in a beverage dispenser such as a vending machine, and more particularly, to the presence or absence of a cup accommodated without changing a cup size and adjusting a cup detecting mechanism. The present invention relates to a cup supply device that can accurately detect the cup.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional beverage supply apparatus for selling cup-type beverages, a beverage selected by a purchaser is supplied to a cup having a predetermined cup size and sold from a sales outlet.

FIG. 6 shows a conventional apparatus for producing a coffee beverage which sells a cup-type beverage. A cup supply device 16 supplies a cup 17 to a cup receiving stand 18 and a roasted coffee bean is supplied from a supply port 1A. Bean input port 3 through chute 2
A and coffee bean canister 1 to be supplied to A
A coffee mill 3 that crushes the coffee beans supplied to the crushing blade to a predetermined particle size with a crushing blade to form ground beans.
And a mill motor 4 for rotating a crushing blade of the hot water, and a ground bean crushed in a coffee mill 3 by hot water supplied from a hot water valve 21 of a hot water tank 20 via a tube 22 to be extracted by a paper filter supplied from a roll 8. Coffee brewing machine 9 for filtering and supplying coffee beverage, coffee brewing machine 9
A coffee bucket 10 receiving coffee powder after extraction from
Sugar canister 12 that supplies sugar from supply port 12A
And the cream canister 13 for supplying the cream from the supply port 13A, the sugar canister 12 or the sugar or the cream supplied from the cream canister 13, or both of them via the powder chute 14, and the tube 23 from the coffee extractor 9 It has a mixer 15 for mixing with the coffee beverage supplied via the mixer, a supply pipe 15A for supplying the coffee beverage from the mixer 15 to the cup 17, and a drainage bucket 19 for receiving spills and the like from the cup 17.

As a conventional cup supply device, for example, there is one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. 2570193. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the cup supply device is accommodated in a cylindrical housing portion 16A for vertically stacking and housing the cups 17, and is located below the housing portion 16A. A guide member 16B for guiding the cup 17 to a predetermined position of a cup unloading mechanism described later, and a guide member 16B provided to be in contact with the cup 17 housed in the housing portion 16A;
A cup detecting member 16C rotatably supported by a rotating shaft described later, a switch 16D for generating a cup detecting signal by being turned on based on the rotation of the cup detecting member 16C, and a predetermined position by a guide member 16B. Has a cup unloading mechanism 16F that unloads the lowermost cup 17 disposed below the camera 17E based on the rotation of a cam 16E driven by a motor (not shown).

FIG. 7 (b) shows a detecting portion of the cup 17 from above in the cup stacking direction.
The cup 16 is rotatably supported by the cup dispenser main body by a rotating shaft 16H, and is turned on by being pressed via a spring member 16G attached to a switch 16D. As a result, it is detected that the cup 17 is inside the housing portion 16A.

FIG. 7C shows a state in which there is no cup in the accommodating portion 16A.
D by a spring member 16G attached to
It is turned off by being urged inward of A. Thus, it is detected that there is no cup in the housing 16A.

[0007]

However, according to the conventional cup supply device, the switch is turned ON / OFF according to the magnitude of the rotation angle of the cup detecting member about the fulcrum, so that the cup size is changed. If the rotation angle of the cup detection member exceeds a certain value, it will take time to adjust the mounting positions of these switches. If the adjustment is not performed properly, not only the presence or absence of the cup cannot be detected accurately, but also the switch May be damaged. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cup supply device that does not require adjustment of a cup detection mechanism even when the cup size is changed, and that can accurately detect the presence or absence of a cup regardless of the cup size. .

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cup supply apparatus which stores a cup made of a material such as paper in a storage section and feeds the cup from the lower portion of the storage section. A straight line passing through the center of the cup or parallel to the straight line depending on the size of the cup and the sold-out state of the cup, the tip having a tip portion elastically in contact with the cup through a side wall of the housing portion. A cup detecting member that displaces along a straight line, and a sold-out detecting unit that detects a displacement amount of the cup detecting member along the straight line and outputs a sold-out signal of the cup.

In the above-mentioned cup supply device, the sold-out detecting means is a sensor for detecting a change in the shape of an optical mark provided on the cup detecting member or a slit formed on the cup detecting member in a non-contact manner. Alternatively, a sensor that contacts the cup detection member with the amount of displacement to detect a change in the shape may be used.

According to the above-described cup supply device, since the cup detecting member is displaced along an arbitrary straight line passing through the center of the cup or a straight line parallel to the straight line, the sold-out detecting means is provided near this straight line. The displacement of the cup detecting member can be detected. This makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of a cup regardless of the size of the cup accommodated in the accommodation section.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a cup supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A shows a cup supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side of the cup. The cup supply device is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft (described later), and a sold-out detection position. A
A cup detecting member 24 is provided so as to be in contact with the cup 17, and an optical switch 25 for optically detecting the notch 24A of the cup detecting member 24. The housing unit 16A is
By selectively attaching the guide member 16B of a size corresponding to the cup size, or by adjusting the outer diameter of the guide member 16B according to the outer diameter of the cup, for example,
A cup 17 having a cup size of 6.5 oz (hereinafter, referred to as a small cup), 9 oz (hereinafter, referred to as a medium cup), or 12 oz (hereinafter, referred to as a large cup) can be accommodated. Other parts having the same configuration and function as those of the cup supply device described in the related art are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 1B shows the detecting portion of the cup 17 from above in the stacking direction of the cups.
A portion from the tip contacting the cup 17 to the detection portion of the optical switch 25 is rotatably supported by the cup supply device 16 by the rotating shaft 27 and is formed in an arc shape. It is formed to match. The tip of the cup detecting member 24 is inserted through the side wall of the housing 16A based on the tension of a coil spring 26 stretched between the cup detecting member 24 and the main body of the cup supplying device 16, and the cup is pressed with a predetermined pressing force. 17. The optical switch 25 is connected to the cup 17 housed in the housing 16A.
The light receiving unit 25B straight line L ₂ passing through the straight line L ₁ and the rotary shaft 27 passing through the center of the light receiving are disposed in a position intersecting the vertical, and the light emitting portion 25A such as a light emitting diode, the light emitted from the light emitting portion 25A Having.

FIG. 2A shows a state in which the remaining amount of the cup 17 is lower than the sold-out detection position A from the side of the cup.
A moves inward of A. As a result, the notch 24A of the cup detecting member 24 is arranged at the position of the optical switch 25.

FIG. 2B shows a state in which the remaining amount of the cup 17 is lower than the sold-out detection position A in the stacking direction of the cups, and the cup detecting member 24 is located at the illustrated position inside the accommodating portion 16A. Light emitting unit 25 based on
Light emitted from A is received by the light receiving unit 25B. As a result, it is detected that the cup 17 has reached the level below the sold-out detection position A.

FIG. 2 (c) shows a state in which a small-sized cup 17 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 16A. Even if the small-diameter cup 17 is shown in FIG. tip allows detection by contact with the side surface of the cup 17 between the straight line L _'1 and the straight line L _"1 along the line L _1.

FIG. 3A shows the operation of the optical switch 25 when the cup size is changed in the present embodiment. A cup detecting member formed in an arc shape and rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 27. Since the amount of insertion into the accommodation portion 16A can be increased by the use of 24, a large cup to a small cup can be detected.

FIG. 3B shows, as a comparative example, the operation of the switch 16D by the conventional cup supply device described with reference to FIG. 7, and if it is possible to detect a large cup (12 oz) as shown in FIG. A smaller cup cannot be detected. Further, when the mounting position of the switch 16D is changed so that a small cup (6.5 oz) can be detected, the switch 16D is crushed by the cup detecting member 16C when the large cup is placed in the housing portion 16A.

According to the above-described configuration, even if the size of the cup 17 accommodated in the accommodating portion 16A changes due to the cup detecting member 24 in which the portion inserted into the accommodating portion 16A is formed in an arc shape, operations such as adjustment are performed. It is possible to bring the tip into contact with a predetermined area on the side surface of the cup without requiring the above.
Further, when the cup 17 is stored above the sold-out detection position A of the housing portion 16A, the optical switch 25 is shielded regardless of the cup size, and the remaining amount of the cup 17 is lower than the sold-out detection position A. And the notch 24A releases the light from the optical switch 25.
5 is not damaged or deteriorated. In the first embodiment, the optical switch 25 that optically detects the cutout portion 24A of the cup detecting member 24 is used, but a contact-type sensor may be used.

FIG. 4A shows a cup supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side of the cup, and a protrusion 28C provided near the cup housing 16A and protruding in the cup direction. A plate-shaped cup detecting member 28 that contacts the side surface of the cup 17 and a rotating shaft 2 that rotatably supports the cup detecting member 28 in a direction perpendicular to the cup stacking direction.
7, a switch pressing member 29 that contacts the bottom of the cup detecting member 28, and a switch 30 such as a micro switch pressed by the switch pressing member 29. The cup detecting member 28
It is urged to come into contact with. The other parts having the same configuration and function as those of the cup supply device described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

The bottom of the cup detecting member 28 has a rotating shaft 2
7 has a circular arc portion 28A having a rotation center 7 and a linear portion 28B formed continuously with the circular arc portion 28A. The cup 17 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 16A. When the cup 28 is in contact with the portion 28C, the switch pressing member 2 is formed by the arc portion 28A.
9 is pressed in the switch-on direction, whereby the switch 30 is turned on.

FIG. 4B shows a state in which the remaining amount of the cup 17 is lower than the sold-out detection position A, and the cup detecting member 28 rotates counterclockwise about the rotating shaft 27 as an axis. Is arranged at the position shown in FIG.
B is located at the position of the switch pressing member 29. In this state, since the switch is not pressed based on the contact state between the linear portion 28B and the switch pressing member 29, the switch 30 is opened, and as a result, the cup 1
7 is detected to be below the sold-out detection position A.

In the case of the plate-shaped cup detecting member 28, the remaining amount of the cup at the time of sold-out detection differs depending on the cup size of the cup 17 accommodated in the accommodating portion 16A. this is,
This is due to the difference in the cup diameter for each cup size, and the sold-out detection position A increases as the cup size becomes smaller (the cup diameter becomes smaller).

According to the above configuration, the cup detecting member 28 abutting on the side surface of the cup 17 by the protruding portion 28C requires an operation such as adjustment even if the size of the cup 17 accommodated in the accommodating portion 16A changes. Without protruding part 28
C can be brought into contact with a predetermined area on the side surface of the cup. When the cup 17 is accommodated above the sold-out detection position A of the accommodating portion 16A, the switch 30 is pressed by a predetermined amount regardless of the cup size.
When the remaining amount is below the sold-out detection position A, the pressing of the switch 30 is released by the linear portion 28B, so that the switch 30 is not broken by crushing or the like. In the second embodiment, a contact-type switch such as a microswitch that operates according to the amount of rotation of the cup detecting member 28 is used. It is also possible to use a non-contact type sensor such as an optical switch that operates accordingly.

FIG. 5 (a) shows a cup supply device according to a third embodiment of the present invention viewed from the side of the cup. The cup supply device is formed in a rod shape and is urged by a coil spring 24B to detect a sold-out detection position A. Detecting member 24 provided so as to be in contact with the cup 17, and the notch 2 of the cup detecting member 24.
An optical switch 25 for optically detecting 4A is provided. The other parts having the same configuration and function as those of the cup supply device described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 5B shows the detecting portion of the cup 17 from above in the stacking direction of the cups.
Are arranged on a straight line L ₁ passing through the center of the cup 17,
The light emitting section 25A and the light receiving section 25B of the optical switch 25 are located to face each other via the cup detecting member 24.

According to the above-described configuration, by using the cup detecting member 24 formed in a rod shape, the configuration can be simplified and the positioning operation with the optical switch 25 can be easily performed. Even if the size of the cup 17 to be accommodated changes, the protrusion 28C can be brought into contact with a predetermined range on the side surface of the cup without requiring any operation such as adjustment.

The above-described cup supply apparatus can automatically prepare a cooking device such as a popcorn maker that automatically supplies a cup and a container other than a cup in a stacked state, in addition to the beverage vending machine described in the embodiment. It can also be applied as a cup supply device of a vending machine supplying to a vending machine.

[0029]

As described above, according to the cup supply device of the present invention, the cup supply device has a tip portion that elastically contacts the cup through the side wall of the housing portion, and is adapted to the size of the cup and the sold-out state of the cup. A cup detecting member displaced along an arbitrary straight line passing through the center of the cup or a straight line parallel to the straight line; and sold-out detecting means for detecting a displacement amount of the cup detecting member along the straight line and outputting a sold-out signal of the cup. With this configuration, even if the cup size is changed, adjustment of the cup detecting mechanism is not required, and the presence or absence of the cup can be accurately detected regardless of the cup size.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a side view illustrating a cup supply device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a plan view illustrating a cup detection unit according to the first embodiment.

2A is a side view showing a cup detecting operation according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2B is a plan view showing a cup detecting operation according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a small-diameter cup detecting operation according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of an optical switch based on a difference in cup size. FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the switch based on a difference in cup size in a conventional configuration.

FIG. 4A is a side view illustrating a cup supply device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4B is a side view illustrating a cup detection operation according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a side view illustrating a cup supply device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 5B is a plan view illustrating a cup detection unit according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus for supplying a cup-type beverage.

FIG. 7A is a side view showing a conventional cup dispenser. FIG. 7B is a plan view showing a cup detecting unit. FIG. 7C is a plan view showing a state where no cup is provided.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 coffee bean canister 1A supply port 2 chute 3 coffee mill 3A bean input port 4 mill motor 8 roll 9 coffee extractor 10 refuse bucket 12 sugar canister 12A supply port 13 cream canister 13A supply port 14 powder chute 15 mixer 15A supply pipe 16 cup Supply device 16A Housing 16B Guiding member 16C Cup detecting member 16D switch 16E Cam 16F Cup unloading mechanism 16G Spring member 16H Rotating shaft 17 Cup 18 Cup receiving stand 19 Drain bucket 20 Hot water tank 21 Hot water valve 22 Tube 23 Tube 24 Cup detecting member 24A Notch 24B Coil spring 25 Optical switch 25A Light receiving unit 25B Light receiving unit 26 Coil spring 27 Rotation axis 28 Cup detecting member 28A Arc part 28B Linear part 28C Projection part 29 Switch The pressing member 30 switch

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cup supply device in which cups made of a material such as paper are stacked and accommodated in an accommodating portion, and are supplied by being discharged from a lower portion of the accommodating portion. A cup detecting member having a tip portion that contacts with a straight line that passes through the center of the cup or a straight line parallel to the straight line according to the size of the cup and the sold-out state of the cup; A cup detecting device for detecting a displacement amount of the cup detecting member along the line and outputting a sold-out signal of the cup. 2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein said sold-out detecting means is a sensor for detecting the amount of displacement in a non-contact manner by detecting a change in shape of an optical mark provided on the cup detecting member or a slit formed on the cup detecting member. The cup supply device according to claim 1. 3. The cup supply device according to claim 1, wherein said sold-out detecting means is a sensor for detecting the change in shape by contacting said displacement amount with said cup detecting member.