JP2002133505A - Automatic thawing vending machine for frozen food, medium, and information aggregate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily provide an abundant menus of foods excellent in a degree of freedom for selection without impairing tastes of the foods, by heatingly thawing the plural kinds of frozen foods different in heating-thawing conditions, respectively, under their optimum conditions. SOLUTION: This machine is provided with an operation part 1 for selecting at least one kind or more of food species by assigning its kind and/or its number, a storage chamber 3 for storing freezingly the plural kinds of food species and taking out the frozen-storage food species in response to the selection, a thawing chamber 4 for heating-thawing the taken-out food species, and the operation part 1 for calculating a charge exactly in response to the selection. The thawed food species are stored in a vessel collectively to be provided as the foods.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic thawing / sales apparatus for heating and thawing frozen food for sale, a medium and an information aggregate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic defrosting and selling apparatus for supplying food or drink to be heated and kept warm or cooled or frozen by selecting a variety by inputting bills or coins, for example, a metal can, a glass bottle, a plastic bottle or the like. Are already used in a variety of beverages stored in containers and packaged frozen desserts. Also, as a device for heating and automatically selling food stored or refrigerated at room temperature, it is practically used for cooked foods such as hamburgers and hot dogs. In addition, as a method of heating and thawing and supplying frozen food, it has been put to practical use in a frozen lunch box provided by heating at a store.

[0003]

In the above conventional method,
All foods and beverages to be provided were in a fixed food form, and the user had no freedom of choice. That is, as well as single drinks such as various drinks, frozen desserts, and hamburgers,
Even in frozen lunches, the ingredients have been prepared and the distribution of ingredients has been completed, and although it is possible to select from several prepared menus, it is not possible to arbitrarily specify the variety and quantity of prepared dishes. there were. In addition, at the time of heating and thawing, an adjustment is made so that the whole can be appropriately thawed by performing a designated heating operation, and there is a restriction that foods having a partial heat load cannot be used. For example, frozen food lunches cannot use foods with high water content (vegetables, pickles, potato salads, etc.) that can be concentratedly heated by microwave heating, or microwaves do not reach the center of large hamburgers. Because of insufficient heating, there were restrictions on materials, shapes, arrangements, and quantities, such as the necessity to make small divided shapes.

[0004] That is, in the conventional automatic thawing and selling apparatus,
There is a problem (first problem) that the food form of the food or drink to be provided is fixed, and the user has no flexibility in selecting.

[0005] In addition, the conventional automatic defrosting and selling apparatus has a problem (second problem) that the kind, shape, arrangement, quantity, etc., of the food materials that can be provided are limited.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic thawing / sales apparatus capable of providing food in an optimal heating / thawing state in accordance with a user's preference and required amount in consideration of the first problem. is there.

Further, the present invention has been made in consideration of the second problem, and has as its object to provide an automatic defrosting vending apparatus, a medium, and an information aggregate with less restrictions on the types, shapes, arrangements, and quantities of food materials that can be provided. It is the purpose.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 1) is to specify at least one or more food types by specifying their types and / or numbers. Operating means to select, freeze storage of a plurality of types of food, storage means to retrieve the food species stored frozen according to the selection, heating and thawing means to heat and defrost the retrieved food species, Comprising billing settlement means for billing according to the selection, wherein the heat-thawed food type is
An apparatus for automatically defrosting and selling frozen food, which is provided as a food packaged in a container.

Further, the second invention (corresponding to claim 2)
The automatic storage device according to the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising: a control unit that operates the storage unit and the heating and thawing unit in an interlocking manner so as to perform optimal heating and thawing for each food type according to the selection. It is a thawing sales device.

Further, the third invention (corresponding to claim 3)
Comprises packing means for storing the food type taken out by the storage means in the container after being heated and defrosted, and the packing means stores the food type in the container according to the selection under the control of the control means. The second characterized by storing
Of the present invention.

A fourth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 4)
Comprises packing means for storing the food type taken out by the storage means in the container before being heated and defrosted, and the packing means places the food type in the container according to the selection under the control of the control means. The second is characterized by storing
Of the present invention.

Further, the fifth invention (corresponding to claim 5)
The fourth aspect of the present invention is the automatic thawing / selling apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the heating / thawing means partially heats the stored food species.

A sixth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 6)
Comprises food type temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the food type stored in the container, wherein the heating and thawing means determines the position of the partial concentrated heating according to the detected temperature of the food type. An automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention.

A seventh aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 7)
Wherein the heating and thawing means partially heats the stored food type based on information on the position of the food type stored in the container in the container. It is an automatic defrosting vending device according to the invention.

An eighth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 8)
Comprises storage temperature detection means for detecting the temperature inside the storage means, wherein the control means controls the temperature of the storage means and / or the heating of the heating and thawing means in accordance with the detected temperature inside the storage means. The automatic thawing / sales apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, characterized by controlling conditions.

The ninth invention (corresponding to claim 9)
The foods stored frozen in the storage means,
The automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, which is individually packaged.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 10), the package is provided with a member for amplifying or reducing a heating amount. The automatic thawing and selling device described in 1.

The eleventh invention (corresponding to claim 11) provides a function of all or a part of all or some means of the automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth inventions. Is a medium that carries a program and / or data for causing a computer to execute the program, and that can be processed by the computer.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 12) provides all or some of the functions of all or some of the means of the automatic thawing and selling apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects of the present invention. Is an information aggregate, which is a program and / or data for causing a computer to execute.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the practice of the present invention, a refrigeration unit equipped with a compressor, a microwave or electric heating unit, and a moving conveyance unit using a method such as self-weight drop or belt conveyance are used. This means is used in various types of refrigeration equipment, vending machines, and cooking devices, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view showing an embodiment of an automatic decompression / sales apparatus according to the present invention.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an operation unit for inputting bills, coins and the like and selecting a desired food type and quantity, 2 denotes a control unit for performing operation control such as selection, movement, and cooking of food, and payment of a fee; This is a storage for frozen storage of frozen foods. The storage is divided into a number corresponding to the type of food. Reference numeral 4 denotes a thawing storage provided in communication with the storage 3 and has a built-in heating means using microwaves. Reference numeral 5 denotes a container storage for storing a container for storing the thawed food, which is divided into a plurality of containers corresponding to the type and quantity of the food and stores containers having different sizes and shapes. Reference numeral 6 denotes a packing room for storing the food after heating and thawing in a container, 7 denotes a take-out port, and 8 denotes a refund port for returning change and receipts after settlement. Here, from the control unit 2, the storage 3,
A control signal (shown by a broken line in the figure) connected to the thawing box 4, the packing room 5, the take-out port 7, and the refund port 8 is sent.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described.

FIG. 2 shows an actual operation example in this configuration.
A 1,000-yen bill is inserted into the operation unit 1, and food A (unit price 200
Assuming that two items (yen) and one food item B (300 yen unit price) are selected (operation 11), the control unit 2 determines from this selection condition that the heating and thawing time of the food item A is 3 minutes, and the heating of the food item B is performed. The thawing time is set to 2 minutes, and the optimal size container for storing these is container b, at the same time the fee is 700 yen,
The change is calculated to be 300 yen, and a signal for controlling each is issued (operation 21).

In accordance with this control signal, first, two foods A are taken out of the storage 3 and sent to the thawing 4 (operation 31).

The thawing cabinet 4 is controlled so as to heat the designated optimal heating and thawing time (3 minutes) (operation 41), and the food A after thawing is separately selected from the container cabinet 5 and supplied to the packing room 6. (Operation 51) It is stored in the container b.

Subsequently, one food B is taken out of the storage 3 and sent to the thawing chamber 4 (operation 32), and after being heated and defrosted for a specified time (2 minutes) (operation 42), (Operation 62).

The container b containing the foods A and B thus defrosted by heating is sent to the outlet 7 (operation 7).
1) At the same time, the changed liquidation of 300 yen is returned and supplied to the refund port 8 (operation 81).

As described above, even if the type and number of frozen ingredients are arbitrarily selected by the user, the heating is sequentially performed under the optimal heating and thawing conditions based on the data on the optimal heating conditions of the prepared ingredients. It is possible to easily supply abundant cooked food without being restricted by a limited menu or a limited food material. If you add rice to the ingredients stored and stored in the storage 3, you can also provide a lunch box with your favorite prepared dishes, salads with significantly different heating conditions, thick hamburgers, etc.
It is possible to provide a menu that could not be supplied by conventional simultaneous heating.

The means for delivering the fee used for the operation unit 1 may use a recording medium in cooperation with a clearing means such as a prepaid card, a cash card, an IC card, etc. in addition to generally used bills and coins. It is also possible to use a billing and settlement system linked in.

In addition, when a single food species is selected in a large amount,
There is no corresponding number data of the optimal heating conditions, it cannot be stored in the thawing chamber 4 at the same time,
There is a case where the food cannot be completely stored in the container prepared in this case, but in this case, the food can be provided without deteriorating the effects of the present invention by dividing the number of pieces and operating sequentially.

Depending on the type of food, the optimum conditions for frozen storage may differ. In order to prevent quality deterioration during storage in the storage 3, the temperature of frozen storage must be changed for each food type. For example, individual temperature control such as -18 ° C for meat dishes and -15 ° C for fish dishes is also possible. On the other hand, the optimal heating and thawing conditions are slightly changed even when the storage temperature in the storage 3 is different, and may be affected by the difference in the outdoor temperature or the time lapse after the addition of new foodstuffs. If a temperature detecting means is provided in 3 and used as the data for correcting the heating and thawing conditions in the thawing cabinet 4 at the same time as controlling the temperature in the refrigerator, more appropriate heating and thawing can be controlled, and the flavor and texture of the ingredients are impaired. It is possible to provide without.

The operating section 1 of the present embodiment is an example of the operating means of the present invention, and the storage 3 of the present embodiment is an example of the storing means of the present invention. Reference numeral 4 denotes an example of the heating and thawing means of the present invention.
Is also an example of the control means of the present invention, and the food A and the food B of the present embodiment are each a food type of the present invention. The food A and the food B stored in the container b of the present embodiment are examples of the food of the present invention.

(Embodiment 2) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the basic components and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment,
The difference is that the packing room 6 is arranged at the preceding stage, and the food is stored in the container and then heated and defrosted in the defroster 4. Therefore, the present embodiment will be described focusing on this difference.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the present embodiment. In FIG. 3, the frozen food selectively carried out from the storage 3 is stored in the container 6 selectively supplied from the container 5 in accordance with the type and the number thereof, and then sent to the thawing chamber 4. .

In the thawing chamber 4, heating conditions are selected in consideration of the total amount of types and numbers of foods, and heating and thawing are performed. For the same type or similar types (especially, foods having similar water content and dielectric constant), simple thawing is performed. Although it is possible to cope with the optimal control of the heating time, when foods having different properties coexist (for example, cooked rice and fish meat), uneven heating and thawing occurs. The ease of heating and thawing with food is already known, and which food is placed and stored can be specified and controlled at the time of storing operation in the packing room 6, so that thawing is performed. It becomes possible to intensively heat the position where the difficult food exists.

For example, it is possible to control the whole body to be optimally heated, for example, by using a microwave for heating the whole body, and heating the part which is difficult to thaw in a spot shape by using radiation heating together.

Here, in order to make the operation more reliable,
A temperature detecting section 9 having a pyroelectric radiation thermometer capable of detecting the temperature distribution of the entire inside of the thawing chamber 4 is arranged in the thawing chamber 4, and the spot heating (details not shown) is controlled in accordance with the data. The heating adjustment unit 10 to be performed is connected and installed.

With this configuration, a portion of the thawing cabinet 4 that is underheated is detected (a portion that is preferably at a low temperature, such as a salad, is excluded, and a portion that should be heated at a high temperature but is at a low temperature) is detected. Concentrated heating can be performed. As means for concentrated heating, in addition to the method using radiation heating as described above, a member for reflecting microwaves is rotatably installed in the thawing chamber 4, and the microwave heating action is performed by the rotating operation. There is also a method of controlling a portion where the waves are concentrated (a concentration position of the standing wave), and the means is not limited.

Thus, even in a state in which an arbitrary type and number of foods are stored in the container in advance, the respective foods are optimally heated and defrosted, so that foods according to taste and need can be easily provided. .

The temperature detecting section 9 of the present embodiment is an example of the food temperature detecting section of the present invention, and the thawing cabinet 4 and the heating adjusting section 10 of the present embodiment are examples of the heating and thawing means of the present invention. is there.

(Embodiment 3) A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment has the same overall configuration as the first or second embodiment, but is characterized by a container of frozen food frozen and stored in the storage 3. explain.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part configuration showing the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, the frozen food 35 is individually packaged by being sandwiched between an upper lid 36 and a saucer 37 as shown in FIG. 4A or FIG. 4B, or is stored in a cup-shaped tray 37 as shown in FIG. These are stacked and stored frozen in the storage 3. Frozen food 35 as in (a) or (b)
When the whole is wrapped, since the evaporation of water is avoided when heated in the thawing chamber 4 and the drying state is avoided, the flavor and texture of the frozen food 35 are not impaired. , The taste can be ensured.

Here, if a heat collecting sheet 38 made of a material having a large dielectric constant (for example, a tin oxide thin film) is attached to the receiving tray 37, the frozen food 35 can be made of a hamburger or other food with a low heating efficiency by microwaves. Even if heat is generated here, heat is generated intensively, and sufficient heating can be obtained even when heating is performed after being housed in a container in advance as in the second embodiment. Heat collecting sheet 3 according to the heating characteristics and heat capacity of frozen food 35
It is also possible to change the area and capacity of 8 and, on the other hand, in the case of ingredients that are intensively heated such as vegetables and salads, cover part of the top cover 36 with aluminum foil to concentrate microwaves. Can be performed, which is an effective means for assisting the optimal heating and thawing of the frozen food 35.

The upper lid 36 and the receiving pan 37 do not necessarily have to wrap the whole frozen food 35, and are stored in the form of the receiving pan 37 alone when the storage 3 is stored as shown in FIG.
When heating in the thawing cabinet 4, turn it upside down and
7 can cover the upper surface of the frozen food 35,
And the bottom surface of the thawing cabinet 4 or the bottom surface of the container supplied from the container cabinet 5 can be substantially sealed, and the same effect as described above can be obtained. Thus, improvement in heating efficiency and food quality can be realized.

As described above, according to the automatic defrosting and selling apparatus of the present embodiment, an arbitrary type and number of frozen foods are selected from a plurality of types of frozen foods stored and stored, and the selected types are sequentially heated and thawed for each food type. Or, by providing intensive heating means according to the characteristics of the food type, each individual food can be provided in the optimal heating state, and the deliciousness is maintained without impairing the flavor and texture of the food In addition to this, there is no restriction on food types and sizes unsuitable for simultaneous heating, and it is possible to provide abundant and flexible menus according to the preferences of each user.

A medium carrying a program and / or data for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the functions of all or a part of the automatic decompression / sales apparatus of the present invention, which can be processed by the computer The medium characterized by the above also belongs to the present invention.

Further, an information aggregate characterized by being a program and / or data for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the functions of all or part of the automatic decompression / sales apparatus of the present invention is also described. Belongs to the invention.

Further, the present invention is a medium carrying a program and / or data for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the functions of all or a part of the above-mentioned automatic defrosting and selling apparatus of the present invention. A medium readable by a computer, and the program and / or data read by the computer execute the function in cooperation with the computer.

Further, the present invention provides an information aggregate which is a program and / or data for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the functions of all or a part of the above-described automatic defrosting and selling apparatus of the present invention. A program and / or data which is readable by a computer and which executes the functions in cooperation with the computer.

Further, the data of the present invention includes a data structure, a data format, a type of data, and the like.

Further, the medium of the present invention includes a recording medium such as a ROM, a transmission medium such as the Internet, and a transmission medium such as light, radio waves, and sound waves.

Further, the carried medium of the present invention includes, for example, a recording medium on which a program and / or data is recorded, a transmission medium for transmitting the program and / or data, and the like.

Further, processing by the computer of the present invention means that the recording medium such as a ROM can be read by a computer, and if it is a transmission medium, it can be transmitted. Including that the program and / or data can be handled by a computer as a result of the transmission.

Further, the information aggregate of the present invention includes, for example, software such as programs and / or data.

Further, as described above, the configuration of the present invention may be realized by software or hardware.

[0056]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention can provide an automatic thawing / selling apparatus that can provide foods in an optimal heating / thawing state according to the user's taste and required amount.

The present invention also relates to the types of foodstuffs that can be provided,
It is possible to provide an automatic defrosting vending apparatus, a medium, and an information aggregate with less restrictions on shape, arrangement, quantity, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a first embodiment of an automatic thawing and selling apparatus for frozen food according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second embodiment of an automatic thawing / selling device for frozen food according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part configuration showing a third embodiment of an automatic thawing / selling apparatus for frozen food according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation part 2 Control part 3 Preservation storage 4 Thaw storage 5 Container storage 6 Packing room 7 Take-out opening 8 Reimbursement opening 9 Temperature detection part 10 Heat control part 35 Frozen food 36 Top lid 37 Receiving tray 38 Heat collecting sheet

Claims (12)

[Claims] An operation means for designating at least one kind of food species by designating the kind and / or number thereof, storing a plurality of kinds of food species in a frozen state, and storing the frozen food kinds in accordance with the selection. Storage means for taking out the food species, heating / thawing means for heating and thawing the taken food species, and billing settlement means for billing and accounting according to the selection, wherein the heated and thawed food species are collected in a container. An automatic thawing and selling device for frozen food, which is stored and provided as food. 2. The automatic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for interlocking the storage means and the heating and thawing means so as to perform optimal heating and thawing for each food type in accordance with the selection. Thaw sales equipment. 3. A packaging means for storing the food type taken out by the storage means in the container after being heated and defrosted, wherein the packaging means stores the food type in the container according to the selection under the control of the control means. 3. The automatic thawing / sales apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a food type is stored. 4. A packaging means for storing the food type taken out by the storage means in the container before being heated and defrosted, wherein the packaging means stores the food type in the container according to the selection under the control of the control means. The automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the food type is stored. 5. The automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the heating and thawing means heats the stored food species in a partially concentrated manner. 6. A food type temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the food type stored in the container, wherein the heating and thawing means performs the partial concentrated heating according to the detected temperature of the food type. 6. The automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the position is determined. 7. The heating and thawing means, based on information on the position of the food type contained in the container in the container,
6. The automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the stored food type is partially concentratedly heated. 8. A storage temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature inside the storage means, wherein the control means controls the temperature of the storage means and / or the heat thawing according to the detected temperature inside the storage means. The heating conditions of the means are controlled.
7. The automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to any one of 7. 9. The automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foods frozen and stored in the storage means are individually packaged. 10. The automatic defrosting vending apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a member for amplifying or reducing the amount of heating is attached to the package. 11. A medium carrying a program and / or data for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the functions of all or a part of the automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to claim 1. A medium which can be processed by a computer. 12. A program and / or data for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the functions of all or a part of the automatic defrosting and selling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Information aggregate to be characterized.