JP2002279520A - Cup type automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance reliability of opening/closing control of an article takeout port door by accurately detecting arrival and takeout of a cup containing a beverage and loaded in a cup transfer mechanism without false detection caused by the beverage, wetting with rinse water, dirt, the transparent cup or the like. SOLUTION: The cup type automatic vending machine has the automatic opening takeout port door 7 mounted at an article takeout port, waits for the cup 14 containing the beverage and loaded in its cup transfer mechanism 8 to arrive before opening the takeout port door and closes the takeout port door after the cup containing the beverage is taken out of the machine. The machine is provided with a microswitch 21 for detecting the presence of the cup based on the weight of the cup containing the beverage and mounted on a cup pedestal 8d of the cup transfer mechanism, and a limit switch 23 for detecting the arrival of the cup transfer mechanism behind the article takeout port. A signal detected by each switch is routed to a door controller 18 for opening/closing control of the takeout port door.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cup-type vending machine of a cup mixing type, and more particularly to a control system for opening and closing an automatic door of a product outlet in accordance with the transport and removal of a cup containing a beverage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art First, an outline of a cup-type beverage vending machine described above will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 3, 1 is a vending machine cabinet, 2 is a front door, 3 is a product nameplate,
4 is a selection push button, 5 is a sales operation unit, and 6 is a product outlet provided with an automatic opening / closing type outlet door 7. Also, as is well known, a cup supply mechanism, a powdered beverage raw material canister, a syrup container, a hot water tank, a cooling water tank, an ice maker, and a cooking mechanism (a stirring mechanism for the raw material supplied to the cup) are provided in the cabinet 1 as is well known. In addition, a cup transport mechanism 8 shown in FIG. 4 is provided, and a beverage is prepared by sequentially supplying raw materials and hot and cold water to the cup dispensed from the cup supply mechanism on the transport route, and then a beverage-containing cup is taken out. Conveying to the bend stage leading to the exit, waiting for the beverage cup to reach the bend stage, automatically opening the outlet door 7, and closing the outlet door when the customer removes the beverage cup from the machine. Like that.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, a cup transport mechanism 8 includes an X-axis section 8a having a built-in chain drive mechanism, a Y-axis section 8b moving left and right along the X-axis section, and a Y-axis section. Part 8c that moves in the front-rear direction along with a vertically movable cup holder 8d and a cup hand 8e provided on the hand part.
And a Z-axis portion 8f for raising and lowering the cup stand 8d. The cup receiving stand 8d is moved along a predetermined transport route by controlling a stepping motor for driving each shaft based on a command. After the supply of the cup, the supply of the syrup, the supply of the powdery raw material and the hot water and the stirring of the raw material are performed on the route, the beverage-containing cup is finally conveyed to a bend stage inside the refrigerator which leads to the product outlet 6.

[0004] Also, an outlet door 7 provided in the product outlet 6
Is connected to the drive motor 11 via the rack 9 and the pinion 10 as shown in FIG. 5, and moves to the open / close position by the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 11. Note that 12
Is a door open position detection switch, and 13 is a closed position detection switch. Further, as a means for detecting that the beverage-containing cup 14 mounted on the cup transport mechanism 8 has reached the bend stage 15 inside the refrigerator that leads to the product outlet and that the cup has been taken out, the conventional vending machine uses a method as shown in FIG. As shown, the light emitting element 16 and the light receiving element 17 of the light detection sensor are arranged on both sides of the bend stage 15 with the bend stage 15 interposed therebetween, and the door is taken out via the door control unit 18 and the drive motor 11 based on the light receiving signal of the light receiving element 17. The door 7 is controlled to open and close.

[0005] With such a configuration, at the time of standby for sales, the outlet door 7
Is in the closed position of FIG. 5 (a) and closes the product outlet.
Here, when the beverage containing cup 14 mounted on the cup transport mechanism 8 reaches the bend stage behind the product outlet at the time of selling the beverage, the optical path of the light detection sensor described in FIG. The door control unit 18 starts the drive motor 11 based on the detection signal of (1), moves the outlet door 7 from the closed position to the open position, and opens the product outlet. Then, when the hand is inserted into the product outlet and the cup 14 containing the beverage is taken out of the machine as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the light detection sensor detects the absence of the cup, and based on this, the drive motor 11 is rotated in the reverse direction. Then, the takeout door 7 is moved to the closed position to close the product takeout door.

[0006]

However, the conventional system for detecting the arrival and removal of the beverage cup using the light detection sensor as described above has the following problems in terms of reliability. That is, in the cup-type vending machine, when the beverage-containing cup is taken out from the product outlet, the beverage spilled from the cup or rinsing water for washing the cooking mechanism in the machine scatters around and the light-emitting element 16 of the light detection sensor. In this case, the function of the light detection sensor may be hindered and malfunction may occur. In addition, when selling a colorless and transparent beverage using a transparent cup, it is not possible to respond because the light passes through the cup, and therefore, the outlet door of the product outlet is set according to the selling operation. Sales troubles such as not opening and closing properly may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a beverage-containing cup without fear of wetting by a beverage, rinsing water, dirt, and erroneous detection by a transparent cup. An object of the present invention is to provide a cup-type vending machine in which arrival and removal are accurately detected, and an exit door of a product exit is opened and closed.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a beverage is prepared by sequentially supplying raw materials and hot and cold water to a cup on a transport route of a cup transport mechanism provided in the machine. A cup-type vending machine that sends out a beverage cup to a product outlet and sells it.Equipped with an automatic opening / closing door at the product outlet, the door is opened after the beverage cup arrives. In a system in which the outlet door is closed after the beverage-containing cup is taken out of the machine, the control system of the outlet door determines whether or not there is a cup based on the weight of the beverage-containing cup placed on the cup holder of the cup transport mechanism. It is provided with a cup detector for detecting, and a limit switch for detecting that the cup transport mechanism has reached the position of the product outlet, and the opening and closing of the outlet door is controlled based on the detection signal. 1 .

The cup detector uses a microswitch responsive to the weight of the beverage-containing cup placed on the cup holder of the cup transport mechanism (claim 2), or the cup receiver of the cup transport mechanism. A weight sensor for detecting the weight of the beverage-containing cup placed on the table can be used (claim 3). In the above configuration, when the cup transport mechanism equipped with the beverage containing cup arrives behind the product outlet at the time of selling the beverage, this is detected, and the limit switch responds. Then, based on this switch signal, after opening the take-out door of the product take-out port, the beverage-containing cup placed on the cup holder of the cup transport mechanism is taken out of the machine, and the weight of the beverage-containing cup is lost. Since the micro switch or the weight sensor as a detector detects the absence of the cup, the outlet door is closed based on this signal.

[0010] In this case, the limit switch, the microswitch, and the weight sensor may be liable to be wet, stained, or erroneously detected by the transparent cup, as in the conventional detection method using an optical detection sensor. Without
Since the arrival of the cup supply mechanism to the product outlet and the removal of the beverage in the cup from the machine can be accurately detected, the reliability of the opening / closing control of the outlet door based on this detection signal is improved.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. In the drawings of each embodiment, members corresponding to those in FIGS. 3 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. [Embodiment 1] In FIG. 1, a rear end of a cup receiving stand 8d of a cup transport mechanism 8 is supported by a hand portion 8c via a support shaft 19 so as to be vertically swingable, and is urged upward by a spring 20. A micro switch 21 is provided as a cup detector in the case of the hand portion 8c so as to face the lower surface of the cup receiving stand 8a. When the beverage cup 14 is placed on the cup holder 8d, the weight of the cup holder 8d is lowered to the solid line position shown in the drawing, and the microswitch 21 is turned on. Here, when the cup 14 is removed, the cup holder 8d springs up to the position shown by the dashed line in FIG.
Is turned off by the inversion operation. The spring 8c may be provided on the support shaft 19 as a torsion coil spring.

A limit switch 22 for detecting that the cup receiving stand 8d has reached this position is disposed behind the product outlet provided with the outlet door 7, and is further opposed to the limit switch 22. A dog (contact plate) 23 is attached to the lower surface of the hand portion 8c of the cup transport mechanism 8. With such a configuration, at the time of beverage sales, based on the operation signals of the micro switch 21 and the limit switch 22,
The opening / closing of the outlet door 7 is controlled via the door control unit 18 as follows.

That is, when a beverage is prepared by sequentially supplying raw materials and hot and cold water to the cup 14 placed on the cup receiving table 8d of the cup transport mechanism 8, the cup receiving table 8d is tilted downward by its weight and tilted downward. Is turned on. Then, when the cup transport mechanism 8 equipped with the beverage-containing cup 14 arrives behind the product outlet, the dog 23 hits the limit switch 22 and turns on the limit switch 22. Accordingly, the door control unit 18 determines from the detection signals of the limit switch 22 and the micro switch 21 that the cup transport mechanism 8 equipped with the beverage-containing cup 14 has reached behind the product outlet, and rotates the drive motor 11 forward. Then, the door 7 is opened. Here, when the customer inserts his hand into the product outlet and takes out the beverage cup 14 from the cup receiving tray 8d outside the machine, the weight applied to the cup receiving tray 8d so far is lost, and the cup receiving tray 8d becomes as shown in the figure. Ascends to the dashed line position, and the
Is reversed, and the door control unit 18 determines that the cup has been taken out from the switch signal, and the drive motor 1
1 is reversed and the outlet door 7 is closed.

As can be seen from the above detection operation,
The micro switch 21 and the limit switch 23 are not affected by the spilled beverage and rinsing water from the cup 14 and are not affected by dirt, and the micro switch 21 detects the presence or absence of the cup by weight, so that the beverage sales using a transparent cup. And the micro switch 2 as shown in the illustrated example.
By installing 1 in the case of the hand portion 8c, waterproofness can be ensured.

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment corresponding to claim 3 of the present invention. In this embodiment, a cup detector is replaced by a weight instead of the microswitch 21 in the first embodiment. Using the sensor 24, the weight sensor 24 is attached to the cup receiving table 8d of the cup transport mechanism 8 to directly detect the weight of the beverage containing cup 14 placed thereon, and the detection signal is sent to the door controller 18. I try to give.

In the above-described configuration, the weight sensor 24 detects the presence or absence of the beverage cup 14 placed on the cup receiving table 8d of the cup transport mechanism 8, and controls the opening and closing of the outlet door 7 as in the first embodiment. I do. In this embodiment, the structure is simplified because the cup receiving table 8d of the cup transport mechanism 8 does not need to be of a tilting type as in the first embodiment.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, as a means for detecting that the beverage-containing cup mounted on the cup transport mechanism has reached the product outlet and that the cup has been removed from the product outlet, In place of the light detection sensor described above, beverages are sold by adopting a limit switch that directly detects the movement of the cup transport mechanism and a micro switch or a weight sensor that responds to the weight of the beverage cup as the means for detecting the presence or absence of the cup. In addition to being able to accurately detect the arrival of the cup transport mechanism and the presence or absence of a cup with a drink, there is no fear of erroneous detection due to wet or dirty water or rinse water spilled from the cup, and a transparent cup is used for the cup. As a cup-type vending machine, the reliability of opening / closing control of the product exit door is improved, as it can be used for beverage sales. To.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main part configuration diagram of a cup-type vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a main part configuration diagram of a cup-type vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a cup-type vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a cup transport mechanism provided in the cup-type vending machine shown in FIG. 3;

5 (a) and 5 (b) are explanatory views of the operation of an outlet door provided at the product outlet of the cup-type vending machine of FIG. 3, wherein (a) and (b) show the closed and open states of the outlet door, respectively.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a control system of a light detection type cup detection sensor and an outlet door in a conventional cup type vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 6 Product take-out 7 Take-out door 8 Cup supply mechanism 8d Cup holder 14 Drinking cup 18 Door controller 21 Micro switch (cup detector) 22 Limit switch 24 Weight sensor (cup detector)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cup-type automatic vending machine in which a beverage is prepared by sequentially supplying raw materials and hot and cold water to a cup on a transport route of a cup transport mechanism provided in the machine, and a beverage-containing cup is sent to a product outlet for sale. The product is equipped with an automatic opening / closing door at the product outlet, opening the door after waiting for the beverage cup to arrive, and closing the outlet door after removing the beverage cup from the machine. A cup detector that detects the presence or absence of a cup based on the weight of the beverage-containing cup placed on the cup holder of the cup transport mechanism, and a limit switch that detects that the cup transport mechanism has reached the position of the product outlet. A cup-type vending machine characterized in that the opening / closing of an outlet door is controlled based on the detection signal. 2. A cup-type vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the cup detector is a microswitch that operates in response to the weight of the beverage-containing cup placed on the cup receiving table of the cup transport mechanism. Cup-type vending machine. 3. The cup-type vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the cup detector is a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the beverage-containing cup placed on the cup holder of the cup transport mechanism. Cup-type vending machine.