JP2001250161A - Automatic drink dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic drink dispenser which can securely prevent a wrong article or miscooked article from being vended and omit previous setting operation for cooking data. SOLUTION: Bar codes having identification data and cooking data are given to raw material containers 1 by their kinds and the bar code of a raw material container 1 from which drink is extracted in vending operation is read by a bar code reader 70 before the drink is extracted to specify the kind of the raw material container 1 and decides whether or not the raw material container 1 is of the kind that a user has selected. When the kind is different, the vending operation is quit, the raw material container 1 is put in a container storage part, and vending operation is redone later. When the kind is the same, hot water is supplied into the raw material container 1 according to the cooking data and sugar, milk, etc., are added to prepare drink.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beverage vending machine for extracting a beverage from a raw material container containing powdered raw materials such as coffee powder, cocoa powder and tea powder and selling the beverage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a powdery raw material for one drink is sealed in a raw material container having a filter function called a cartridge or a package in advance, and hot water or water is supplied into the raw material container through a nozzle to supply the beverage. 2. Description of the Related Art A cup-type beverage vending machine that extracts and sells the beverage in a cup is known. Such a beverage vending machine has a plurality of cylindrical container storages that store a large number of raw material containers by type, that is, a plurality of cylindrical container storages that are stacked and stored in a row for each type of stored powder raw material, and a beverage extraction unit provided with the nozzle. A container transport mechanism for transporting one raw material container unloaded from one container storage to the beverage extraction unit during a selling operation, wherein the container transport mechanism is movable to hold the raw material container unloaded from the container storage. It has a body and is configured to transport the raw material container through the movable body.

Prior to sale, each container storage and each type of raw material container to be stored in each container storage are associated one-to-one with a plurality of product selection buttons provided on the vending machine front panel. The association data is stored in the memory of the control unit via the operation panel or the like, and a predetermined type of raw material container is loaded into each container storage according to the association. Also, for various raw material containers, for example, hot water supply amount, water supply amount, steaming time between primary hot water supply and secondary hot water supply,
The cooking method such as the amount of added sugar and cream is finely set for each type, and this cooking method is also associated with each type of raw material container as cooking data, and is input and set by the operator in the memory of the control unit.

When the user presses one product selection button, the movable body is transported immediately below one container storage corresponding to the product selection signal, and the lowest raw material container in the container storage becomes the movable body. The raw material container is delivered and held, and then the raw material container is transported to the beverage extracting unit, where the beverage is prepared according to a predetermined cooking method.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional beverage vending machine, an erroneous product or an erroneously cooked product is sold to a user due to an erroneous loading of an ingredient container or an erroneous setting of cooking data by an operator. There is a problem that the setting work of the cooking data of the type of the container is very troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage vending machine which can surely prevent the sale of erroneous products and erroneously cooked products and can omit the work of setting cooking data in advance. It is in.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention according to claim 1 uses a plurality of types of raw material containers for accommodating a plurality of types of powdery raw materials, and uses one type of raw material container during a sales operation. In a beverage vending machine for extracting a beverage by supplying hot water or water therein, the type of the raw material container from which the beverage is to be extracted during the selling operation is identified, and whether the type of the raw material container is selected by the user is determined. Container identification means for judging whether the identification information is added to the raw material container and an identification information reading device for reading the identification information.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, before the beverage is extracted, the container identifying means determines whether or not the type of the raw material container from which the beverage is to be extracted matches the type of the raw material container selected by the user. Since it is possible to confirm, if the two do not match, the selling operation is stopped, and the sale of the wrong product to the user can be reliably prevented.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the identification information includes cooking data of the type of the raw material container. According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the identification data of the type of the raw material container, the cooking data of the type of the raw material container is included in the identification information, and this is transmitted through the identification information reading device when the type of the raw material container is identified and determined. By doing so, it is possible to reliably prevent erroneously cooked products from being sold due to cooking data setting errors, and to omit cooking data setting work.

In the present invention according to claim 3, in the present invention according to claim 1 or 2, the container identifying means includes:
A container storage unit for storing a raw material container determined to be not the selected type is provided. Claim 3
According to the present invention, when the type of the raw material container from which the beverage is to be extracted does not match the type of the raw material container selected by the user, the raw material container is stored in the container storage unit, Can later be offered for sale again.

In the present invention according to claim 4, claims 1 to 3 are provided.
In the present invention according to any one of the above, a container transport mechanism that transports the raw material container via a movable body that holds a raw material container from which a beverage is to be extracted during a selling operation is provided, and the identification information reading device is attached to the movable body. It is characterized by being attached. According to the present invention according to claim 4, before the raw material container from which the beverage is to be extracted during the selling operation is held on the movable body, that is, before the raw material container is unloaded from the container storage section in which the raw material container is stored. The identification information of the material container can be read by an identification information reading device attached to the movable body, and the type of the material container can be identified and determined.

[0012]

1 to 7 schematically show an embodiment of a beverage vending machine according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a raw material container from below, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part in the automatic beverage machine, FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system,
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the selling operation, and FIG. 7 is a process explanatory diagram of the selling operation.

The beverage vending machine 10 according to the present embodiment comprises:
As an example of the powder raw material, a beverage is prepared and sold using six types of raw material containers 1 in which six types of coffee powder and the like are accommodated for each type of beverage. At the center of the bottom of the raw material container 1, as shown in FIG. 1, a bar code 3 as identification information is printed by type, and the bar code 3 has the identification data of the type of the raw material container 1 and the raw material container 1. And cooking data of each type.

As shown in FIG. 2, the beverage vending machine 10 includes a vending machine main body 10a and a door 10b for opening and closing the front portion of the vending machine main body 10a. , As one example, six types of product samples 11, one-to-one correspondence with each product sample 11, a product selection button 12 pressed by a user to select a desired product, and a user taking out a cupped beverage as a product A product outlet 13 with a shutter is provided.

Inside the vending machine main body 10a, FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, a container storage unit 20 for storing a large number of raw material containers 1 and a beverage extracting unit 30 for extracting hot water or hot water from one raw material container 1 through a nozzle 31.
And a container disposal unit 40 for disposing of the raw material container 1 after extracting the beverage.
A container transport mechanism 50 that transports one raw material container 1 unloaded from the container storage unit 20 during the selling operation to the beverage extraction unit 30 via the movable body 51 and then to the container disposal unit 40, and a container transport mechanism 50 And a control unit 60 (see FIG. 5) having a microcomputer configuration for performing control and the like. A bar code reader 70 as an identification information reading device is installed between the container storage unit 20 and the beverage extraction unit 30 so as to be directed upward. Furthermore, a container storage unit 8 for temporarily storing a raw material container 1 determined to be not of a predetermined type by identification and determination of the type of the raw material container 1 described later.
0 is provided in place.

The container storage section 20 has, for example, six cylindrical storage tubes 21 as container storages, and the raw material containers 1 are stacked and stored in a row in each storage tube 21 in a vertical direction. . As shown in FIG. 7, each storage cylinder 21 is also raised by a movable member 51 and a locking member 22 for locking the lowest raw material container 1 via its flange 2 (see FIG. 1). An elevating member 23 for temporarily releasing the locking of the stop member 22 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the beverage extracting section 30, the nozzle 31 is communicated with a hot water tank 32 and a cold water source 33 via a hot water pipe 34.
Are connected to the nozzle 31 after merging on the downstream side.
Although not shown, an electromagnetic valve, a liquid pump, and the like are interposed in the hot and cold water pipe 34.

The container disposal section 40 is composed of a container having an open top, and the container storage section 80 is also composed of a container having a smaller volume than the container of the container disposal section 40.

The container transport mechanism 50 opens the raw material container 1 into the opening 5.
2 basically comprises the above-described movable body 51 to be received and held by the X-ray transport body 53, an X-direction transport body 53, a Y-direction transport body 54, and a Z-direction transport body 55 for moving the movable body 51 in the horizontal and vertical directions. Have been. The Z-direction transport body 55 includes a box-shaped Z-direction main body 55 a, a well-known cam mechanism (not shown) disposed in the Z-direction main body 55 a, and the cam mechanism based on a drive command from the control unit 60. Drive motor 5 that drives the movable body 51 up and down with respect to the Z-direction main body 55a.
5b (see FIG. 5). Y direction carrier 54
Is based on a Y-direction frame body 54a elongated in the Y-direction, a well-known belt mechanism (not shown) provided in the Y-direction frame body 54a, Drive to move the Z-direction main body 55a and the movable body 51 to Y
And a Y-direction drive motor 54b (see FIG. 5) for transporting the frame in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the direction frame 54a. The X-direction transport body 53 has substantially the same configuration as the Y-direction transport body 54, is elongated in the X direction, and is a vending machine main body 10a.
An X-direction frame body 53a fixed in place in the inside, a well-known belt mechanism (not shown) arranged in the X-direction frame body 53a, and the belt mechanism are controlled based on a drive command of the control unit 60. An X-direction drive motor 53b (see FIG. 5) that drives the Y-direction frame body 54a, the Z-direction main body 55a, and the movable body 51 along the longitudinal direction (X-direction) of the X-direction frame body 54a. I have.

Next, the selling operation of the beverage vending machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. Prior to the sale, data for associating each product selection button 12 with each type of storage tube 21 and raw material container 1 is stored in the memory of the control unit 60.

When the user presses any product selection button 12 from the sales standby state (S1) (S2), a product selection signal is sent to the control unit 60. As a result, the control unit 60
By driving the direction drive motor 53b and the Y-direction drive motor 54b, the movable body 51 at the sales standby position is stored in a storage cylinder (hereinafter, referred to as a “selection storage cylinder”) 21 corresponding to a product selection signal.
(S3). Next, select storage cylinder 2
One raw material container 1 is unloaded as follows (S
4). That is, the control unit 60 drives the Z-direction drive motor 55b to raise the movable body 51 immediately below the selected storage cylinder 21. The lifting member 23 (FIG. 7)
) Rises, and the lowermost raw material container 1 is temporarily stopped from being locked by the locking member 23.
Falls, is received and held in the opening 52 of the movable body 51. Thereafter, the movable body 51 is lowered.

Next, the movable body 51 is connected to the bar code reader 7.
The raw material container 1 is transported to a position immediately above zero, where the type of the raw material container 1 is identified and determined (S5) as follows. That is, the barcode reader 70 reads the barcode 3 at the bottom of the raw material container 1, and the read signal is sent to the control unit 60. The control unit 60 decodes the identification data of the barcode 3 to specify the type of the raw material container 1 and determines whether or not the specified type is selected by the user. If the types do not match, the movable body 51 is
Then, the raw material container 1 is discharged and dropped into the container storage unit 80 (S7). At the same time, the sale is stopped (S8), whereby the fee is returned to the user, and the sold out display is lit on the product selection button 12. The movable body 51 is returned from the container storage section 80 to the sales standby position. The raw material container 1 in the container storage section 80 is later taken out and is again sold. Although not shown, the movable body 51 is composed of a pair of half-pieces, and the opening 52 is enlarged by separating the respective half-pieces through the operation of the cam mechanism of the Z-direction transport body 55, so that the raw material is removed. The container 1 can be discharged.

On the other hand, if it is determined in the identification and determination of (S5) that the raw material container 1 is of the type selected by the user, the movable body 51 is horizontally conveyed to the beverage extraction section 30 and then rises. As a result, the tip of the nozzle 31 enters the raw material container 1 in an airtight manner. Next, the control unit 60
Is based on the cooking data obtained from the barcode 3 via the barcode reader 70 at the time of the above identification / determination, and the hot water or / and the hot water (hot water and cold water are simultaneously supplied at a predetermined ratio in the raw material container 1 via the nozzle 31). May be supplied), and a beverage is extracted (S9). Such an extracted beverage,
Paper cup 90 transported and set directly below the raw material container 1
(See FIG. 7). At this time, sugar, cream, foamed milk, crushed ice and the like are appropriately added to the cup 90 according to the cooking data to prepare a predetermined beverage. This cup-filled beverage is the product outlet 1
3 and provided to the user. On the other hand, the movable body 51
After being lowered, it is transported onto the container discarding section 40, where the raw material container 1 containing the slag after the beverage is extracted is discharged and discarded (S10).

In the above embodiment, the identification and
Although the raw material container 1 determined to be inconsistent with the selected type by the determination (S5) is stored in the container storage unit 80, such a raw material container 1 may be disposed in the container disposal unit 40. In addition, the acquisition form of the identification information including the cooking data of the raw material container 1 is not limited to the barcode 3-barcode reader 70. For example, a code using a symbol, a number, or the like is attached to the raw material container 1, Optically read by an optical sensor, image sensor, etc.
(Radio Frequency IDentification; non-contact automatic identification technology using radio frequency) A chip may be built-in and operated by a reader / writer to read predetermined information.

In the above embodiment, the type is identified and determined after the raw material container 1 is carried out of the storage cylinder 21. However, by attaching the bar code reader 70 to the movable body 51, Immediately after the raw material container 1 is conveyed to the selective storage cylinder 21 to receive it, the selective storage cylinder 21
By reading the barcode 3 of the raw material container 1 at the lowest position, the type of the raw material container 1 before carrying out the storage cylinder 21 can be identified and determined.

[0026]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the type of the raw material container from which the beverage is to be extracted matches the type of the raw material container selected by the user by the container identifying means. If the two do not match, the sales operation should be stopped to prevent the wrong product from being sold due to incorrect loading of the raw material container, etc. Can be.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the identification data of the type of the raw material container, the cooking data of the type of the raw material container is included in the identification information, and the identification information is read when the type of the raw material container is identified and determined. By obtaining the information via the apparatus, it is possible to reliably prevent the sale of erroneously cooked products due to cooking data setting errors, and to omit troublesome cooking data setting operations.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the type of the raw material container from which the beverage is to be extracted does not match the type of the raw material container selected by the user, the raw material container is temporarily stored in the container storage unit. By storing the raw material container, the raw material container can be provided for sale again later.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, before the raw material container from which the beverage is to be extracted during the selling operation is held on the movable body, that is, the raw material container is unloaded from the container storage section in which the raw material container is stored. Prior to this, the identification information of the raw material container can be read by an identification information reading device attached to the movable body, and the type of the raw material container can be identified and determined.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a raw material container from below.

FIG. 2 is an overall schematic perspective view of a beverage vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a perspective explanatory view schematically showing a main part in a vending machine main body.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a selling operation.

FIG. 7 is a schematic process explanatory view of a selling operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Raw material container, 3 ... Bar code, 10 ... Beverage vending machine, 12 ... Product selection button, 20 ... Container storage part, 21 ...
Storage cylinder, 30: beverage extraction unit, 31: nozzle, 50: container transport mechanism, 51: movable body, 53: X-direction transport body, 54 ...
Y-direction carrier, 55: Z-direction carrier, 60: controller, 7
0: bar code reader, 80: container disposal section

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takao Matsuo 20 Kotobukicho, Isesaki-shi, Gunma F-term in Sanden Co., Ltd. (reference) 3E047 AA02 BA01 BA02 DA02 DA07 DA09 DB05 DB09 GA03

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A beverage vending machine which uses a plurality of types of raw material containers for accommodating a plurality of types of powdered raw materials and supplies hot water or water in one raw material container during a selling operation to extract a beverage. Identifying the type of the raw material container from which the beverage is to be extracted, comprising container identifying means for determining whether the type of the raw material container is selected by the user, wherein the container identifying means is added to the raw material container A beverage vending machine comprising identification information and an identification information reading device for reading the identification information. 2. The beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the identification information includes cooking data of a type of the raw material container. 3. The beverage vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a container storage unit for storing a raw material container determined to be not the selected type by the container identification unit. 4. A container transport mechanism for transporting a raw material container via a movable body for holding a raw material container from which a beverage is to be extracted during a selling operation, wherein the identification information reading device is attached to the movable body. The beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine is a beverage vending machine.