JP2016150788A - Discharging device for beverage raw material - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a discharging device for beverage raw material capable of preventing the raw material from leaking out of a bag container when the bag container with an open upper end part is vertically inverted.SOLUTION: A discharging device for beverage raw material opens an upper end part of a slender bag container B containing the beverage raw material, held upright at the time of preparation of beverage, and vertically inverts the bag container around a horizontal axis line 33a, to discharge the raw material downward through the open part, which is a part opened in the bag container. The discharging device for beverage raw material comprises a folding guide part 120, which includes an arc guide surface 120a which is a predetermined distance away from the horizontal axis line and with which the end part on the open side of the bag container contacts to be folded to prevent the raw material from leaking out of the open part while the bag container is vertically inverted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

  The present invention is applied to a cup-type vending machine, a beverage dispenser, and the like, and relates to a beverage raw material dispensing apparatus that opens a slender bag container in which a raw material for one cup of beverage is enclosed, and dispenses the raw material from the bag container. .

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of beverage material dispensing device, a device disclosed in Patent Document 1 and applied to a beverage dispenser is known. In this beverage dispenser, an elongated stick-like bag container in which a beverage raw material such as chocolate paste or coffee powder is enclosed is used. When supplying a beverage, an operator of the beverage dispenser first opens the beverage dispenser by rotating the set door, and sets the bag container on the set block on the back side of the set door. Specifically, the locking hole at one end of the bag container is passed through the locking pin on the set block, and the other end of the bag container is positioned between the left and right guide pins. Thereafter, the bag container is suspended from the locking pin by rotating and closing the set door, and the lower end is moved back and forth by the set block and the pressing block biased by the spring. It will be in a pressed state.

  After the bag container is set, when the operator presses the start button of the beverage dispenser, the cutter slides forward and cuts the lower end of the bag container, specifically the lower side pressed by the holding block. . Thereby, the lower end part of a bag container is opened. Next, the pressing roller descends from the upper end to the lower end of the bag container while pressing the bag container with the set block. Thereby, the raw material in the bag container is squeezed out through the opening portion at the lower end of the bag container while pushing away the holding block, and is supplied to the lower mixing bowl. And a raw material is stirred with the warm water supplied to a mixing bowl, a drink is cooked and the drink is poured into the cup set just under the drink nozzle of a drink dispenser.

JP 2003-285900 A

  In said drink dispenser, when opening a bag container, the lower end part is cut | disconnected with the cutter. For this reason, when cutting the bag container, the raw material in the bag container tends to adhere to the cutter, and the cutting condition of the cutter may be reduced in a short period of time. Therefore, for example, by holding the bag container in an upright position and securing the space part without the raw material in the upper part in the bag container, the upper end part of the bag container is opened by cutting with a cutter, so that the cutter It is possible to avoid adhesion of raw materials to the surface. However, in this case, it is necessary to turn the bag container upside down in order to discharge the raw material downward from the opening part which is the opened part of the upper end part of the bag container.

  However, for example, when the raw material is in powder form, the raw material may leak from the opening portion during the inversion of the bag container. In particular, when the opening of the opening portion is directed downward from the horizontal, the raw material tends to leak from the opening of the opening portion due to its own weight, and as a result, the surroundings are contaminated by the scattered raw material.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and can prevent a raw material from leaking from a bag container while the bag container whose upper end is opened is turned upside down. An object is to provide a raw material dispensing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that, at the time of cooking a beverage, an elongate bag container in which beverage ingredients are enclosed is held in an upright position, and its upper end is opened, and the bag is opened. A beverage ingredient dispensing device that dispenses ingredients downward from an opened portion, which is an opened portion of a bag container, by rotating the container upside down by rotating it about a horizontal axis, and is predetermined from the horizontal axis. An arc-shaped guide surface that is separated by a distance, and in order to prevent the raw material from leaking from the opening portion during the upside down of the bag container, the opening side end portion of the bag container is in sliding contact with the guide surface It is characterized by comprising a bending guide portion that can be bent accordingly.

  According to this structure, the upper end part is opened in the state by which the elongate bag container with which the raw material for drinks was enclosed was hold | maintained in the standing posture. The bag container is turned upside down by being rotated about the horizontal axis, and the opening part is positioned on the lower side of the bag container, whereby the raw material is discharged downward from the opening part. Further, in this case, the bag container is folded by the end portion on the unsealing side of the bag container being in sliding contact with the guide surface of the folding guide section while the bag container is turned upside down. Thereby, since the edge part by the side of opening of a bag container will be in the closed state in the bent site | part, it can prevent that a raw material leaks from an opening part in the middle of the bag container upside down.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the beverage ingredient dispensing device according to the first aspect, the folding guide part is in the middle of the bag container being turned upside down and in a predetermined angular range centered on the horizontal axis. The bag container is configured such that the end portion on the unsealing side is in sliding contact with the guide surface.

  According to this configuration, the end portion on the unsealing side of the bag container is in sliding contact with the guide surface of the bending guide portion in a predetermined angle range in the middle of the bag container being turned upside down. When the bag container with the upper end opened is turned upside down, the opening part located on the upper side of the bag container before the start of the reversal moves to the side of the bag container and further to the lower side of the bag container as the reversal proceeds. To do. In this case, when the opening portion moves from the upper side of the bag container to the side, it is difficult for the raw material to leak from the opening portion, but when the opening portion moves from the side to the lower side of the bag container, the raw material is It becomes easy to move to the opening portion side by its own weight and centrifugal force, and the leakage of the raw material from the opening portion is likely to occur.

  Therefore, as the predetermined angle range, an angle range when the unsealing portion moves from the side to the lower side of the bag container is set, and in this angle range, the end portion of the unsealing side of the bag container is in sliding contact with the guide surface. Thus, it is preferable to constitute the bending guide part. Thereby, it is possible to effectively prevent the raw material from leaking from the opening part during the upside down of the bag container, and in addition, for example, the end part on the opening side of the bag container guides the whole process of turning the bag container upside down. The folding guide portion can be configured more compactly than in the case where the bending guide portion is configured to be in sliding contact with the surface.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the beverage raw material dispensing apparatus according to the second aspect, the folding guide portion is configured such that when the bag container is turned upside down, the end portion on the unsealing side of the bag container is a guide surface. It is comprised so that it may leave | separate from.

  According to this configuration, when the bag container is turned upside down, the opening-side end is separated from the guide surface, so that the folding of the bag container by the folding guide part is released, and the raw material is discharged from the opening part. Is possible.

1 is a perspective view showing a raw material dispensing apparatus to which a beverage raw material dispensing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a raw material discharge | emission apparatus. It is a figure which shows a bag container, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a figure which shows the inside of a bag container. It is a perspective view which shows an opening slider, (a) shows the state when it sees from diagonally upward, (b) shows the state when it sees from diagonally below. It is the top view and sectional view for explaining operation of an opening slider, (a) and (b) show the state located in a standby position, and (c) and (d) show the state located in a cutting position. . It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of a raw material dispensing apparatus, (a) shows a state when it sees from the front side, (b) shows a state when it sees from the back side. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows an upside down apparatus. It is sectional drawing of an upside down apparatus, (a) shows the state when cut | disconnected by the horizontal surface which passes along the center of a rotating shaft, (b) shows the state when cut | disconnected by the perpendicular plane orthogonal to a rotating shaft. It is a perspective view which shows an opening apparatus. It is a top view which shows an opening apparatus, (a) is a standby state, (b) shows the state expanded. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating in order the raw material discharge | payout operation | movement by operation | movement of the accommodation holder of an upside down apparatus. It is explanatory drawing following FIG. It is explanatory drawing following FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating in order the opening operation of a bag container. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the opening operation | movement of a bag container in order.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a raw material dispensing apparatus to which a beverage raw material dispensing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The raw material dispensing device 1 is incorporated in a cup-type vending machine, a beverage dispenser, and the like, and is for dispensing a beverage raw material enclosed in a predetermined bag container from the bag container when cooking a beverage. .

  FIG. 3A shows a bag container used in the raw material dispensing apparatus 1. This bag container B is made of a plastic film or the like and is formed in an elongated stick shape having a predetermined length and width. Sealing portions F and F at both ends (upper and lower ends in FIG. 3) are sealed by pressure bonding. ing. The bag container B is filled with a predetermined amount (for example, 12 g) of a powdery raw material G required for cooking a predetermined amount of beverage (for example, coffee, cafe au lait, cocoa, matcha tea). Yes. As shown in the figure (c), in the state where the bag container B is erected, the raw material G is present in the lower half of the bag container B due to its own weight, while the upper part in the bag container B is There is a space S where there is no raw material G. As will be described later, when the bag container B is opened, the predetermined position P of the bag container B is cut so as to cross the space portion S. In the following description, the stick-shaped bag container B in which the raw material is sealed is referred to as “raw material stick B”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the raw material dispensing apparatus 1 includes an outer case and a vertical partition in a state where three cases of an upper case 2, an intermediate case 3, and a lower case 4 are stacked in order from the top. 5 is installed. The pedestal 5 is formed in a U shape having a predetermined height and opened downward by bending a metal plate having a predetermined shape. In addition, in the pedestal 5, rectangular openings 6 a and 7 a are formed in the front and rear vertical side plates 6 and 7, respectively, and a predetermined shape opening 8 a is formed in the top plate 8.

  In the upper case 2, a material inlet B 11 is formed at the center, and a drive box 12 for driving an opening slider 22 described later is installed on the rear side. The insertion port 11 penetrates the upper case 2 in the up-down direction, has a planar shape that is slightly larger than the cross section of the raw material stick B, and is formed vertically long in the front-rear direction.

  Although detailed illustration of the drive box 12 is omitted, the drive box 12 includes a motor and a plurality of gears for transmitting power, and in addition, rotates around a vertical axis, A drive cam 13 (see FIG. 5) that engages with the opening slider 22 is provided. When the raw material stick B is opened, the drive cam 13 is rotated once by operating the motor.

  The middle case 3 is formed in a box shape whose bottom surface is opened, and the lower case 4 is formed in a box shape whose top surface is opened. The top plate 21 of the middle case 3 is formed with an opening 21 a that matches the inlet 11 of the upper case 2 in the center of the front half thereof. On the other hand, the bottom plate of the lower case 4 is formed with an opening having substantially the same shape and size as the opening 8 a of the top plate 8 of the base 5. An opening slider 22 is provided on the top plate 21 of the middle case 3 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the opening slider 22 is provided with a slider main body 23 and a slide slider 23 provided on the slider main body 23 so as to be freely slidable. The pressure slider 24 includes two compression springs 25 and 25 that urge the pressing slider 24 in a predetermined direction, and a cutting blade 26 that is attached to the slider body 23 and cuts the upper end portion of the raw material stick B.

  The slider body 23 is formed in a substantially square shape in plan view, and is formed so as to extend forward from a cam engagement portion 27 that engages with the drive cam 13 and a left half portion of the front surface of the cam engagement portion 27. The slider 24 has a pressing slider support portion 28 that supports the slider 24 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction in a mounted state. The cam engagement portion 27 is formed with an engagement groove 27a that opens upward and extends in the front-rear direction by a predetermined length. The engagement protrusion 13a of the drive cam 13 slides in the engagement groove 27a. Engage freely.

  On the other hand, one end portion of each compression spring 25 is locked to the left side wall 28a of the pressing slider support portion 28, and the lower end portion of the left side wall 28a is engaged with the rear end portion of the pressing slider 24 passing therethrough. An opening 28b is formed. A cutting blade 26 is screwed to the right end portion of the pressing slider support portion 28. The cutting blade 26 protrudes rightward toward the rear side of the blade 26a so that the blade 26a is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the left-right direction which is the sliding direction of the slider body 23. The pressing slider support 28 is attached.

  The pressing slider 24 has a pressing portion 24a having a predetermined thickness and slightly longer than the lateral width of the raw material stick B at the right end thereof. Further, on the upper side of the pressing portion 24 a of the pressing slider 24, a right side wall 24 b that locks one end portion of each compression spring 25 is provided. Further, the left end portion of the pressing slider 24 passes through the opening 28b of the pressing slider support portion 28 and engages with the lower edge portion of the opening 28b, thereby further sliding the pressing slider 24 to the right. A stopper 24c for blocking is provided.

  In the unsealed slider 22 configured in this way, the drive cam 13 rotates once by the operation of the motor in the drive box 12, so that the slider main body 23 is moved to the standby position shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b). Slid so as to reciprocate in the left-right direction between the cutting positions shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the slider main body 23 is located at the standby position, most of the cutting blade 26 is covered with the pressing slider 24.

  Further, when the slider body 23 moves rightward toward the cutting position, the pressing slider 24 is moved to the lower end portion of the right wall 11a of the inlet 11 of the upper case 2 via the pressing portion 24a. Abutting with the upper end of the stick B pressed, further movement is prevented. (See FIG. 14B) After that, when the slider body 23 moves further to the right, the pressing slider 24 is urged more strongly against the right side wall 11a of the insertion port 11 by both compression springs 25, 25. Between the pressing portion 24a of the pressing slider 24 and the right side wall 11a of the insertion port 11, the upper end portion of the raw material stick B, more specifically, a portion slightly above the predetermined position P is firmly sandwiched. . Then, as the slider body 23 further moves to the right, the cutting blade 26 fixed to the slider body 23 moves to the right from the pressing portion 24a of the pressing slider 24, while the predetermined position of the upper end of the raw material stick B is reached. Cut P. As a result, the raw material stick B is opened, and the cut end Be at the upper end is completely separated (see FIG. 14C).

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, an upside down device 31 that is housed in the middle case 3 and the lower case 4 and that flips the material stick B up and down will be described.

  The vertical reversing device 31 is open upward and includes a box-shaped storage holder 32 for storing the raw material stick B, and a horizontal axis extending through the storage holder 32 in the front-rear direction through the vicinity of the center in the vertical and horizontal directions. , And a torque limiter mechanism 34 for restricting the rotation of the upper right holder part 50 and the lower left holder part 60, which will be described later, of the accommodation holder 32.

  As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8B, the storage holder 32 is disposed so as to be centered on later-described support shafts 33a and 34a that are concentric with the horizontal axis, and the lower right half and the bottom of the storage holder 32. The lower right holder part 40 constituting the upper right half part, the upper left holder part 60 constituting the lower left half part, the upper left holder part 70 constituting the upper left half part, and the upper left holder part And a driving flapper 80 for driving 70. All of these holder portions 40, 50, 60, 70 and the drive flapper 80 are formed of a plastic molded product. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, in the storage holder 32 in the standby state, the lower right holder part 40 and the lower left holder part 60 face each other substantially parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction, and above them The arranged upper right holder part 50 and upper left holder part 70 are also opposed substantially parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lower right holder portion 40 includes a main body wall 41 that constitutes the main body and has a horizontally long front shape, and a bottom wall that is bent at a right angle from the lower end portion and extends to the left by a predetermined length. 42 and a front wall 43 and a rear wall 44 which are bent at right angles from the front end portion and the rear end portion of the main body wall 41 and extend to the left by a predetermined length. A plurality of convex portions 41a (see FIG. 8B) are provided at the lower end portion of the main body wall 41 so as to protrude toward the opposed lower left holder portion 60 side. Further, a stopper 42a (see FIG. 8B) is provided at the left end of the bottom wall 42. Furthermore, an engaging recess 43a is formed at the upper end of the front wall 43, which is engaged with the support shaft 34a of the torque limiter mechanism 34 and is rotatable relative to the support shaft 34a. On the other hand, the upper end portion of the rear wall 44 is formed with a shaft hole 44a through which the support shaft 33a of the storage holder drive mechanism 33 passes and which can rotate integrally with the support shaft 33a. In addition, the rear wall 44 is provided with an engaging convex portion 44b that engages with a drive shaft 93 (to be described later) of the storage holder drive mechanism 33, immediately below the shaft hole 44a.

  The upper right holder portion 50 comprises a main body wall 51 that constitutes the main body and has a horizontally long front shape, a front wall 52 and a rear wall that are bent at a right angle from the front end portion and the rear end portion and extend to the left by a predetermined length. A wall 53 is used. An anti-slip plate 54 for preventing slipping when the raw material stick B is sandwiched is attached to the upper end of the inner surface of the main body wall 51. Further, an arm driving portion 55 for driving a front opening arm 111 described later is provided at the upper front end of the main body wall 51. Further, a shaft hole 52a through which the support shaft 34a of the torque limiter mechanism 34 passes is formed at the lower end portion of the front wall 52. The shaft hole 52a extends above the shaft hole 52a by a predetermined length and protrudes forward. An engagement rib 52b that engages with a front torque limiter 101, which will be described later, via a connecting member 103 is provided. A shaft hole 53a (see FIG. 8A) through which the support shaft 33a of the accommodation holder drive mechanism 33 passes is formed at the lower end of the rear wall 53.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the lower left holder portion 60 includes a main body wall 61 that forms the main body and has a horizontally long front shape, and is bent at right angles from the front end portion and the rear end portion thereof to the right. It consists of a front wall 62 and a rear wall 63 extending a predetermined length. An anti-slip plate 64 similar to the anti-slip plate 54 of the upper right holder 50 is attached to the lower end of the inner surface of the main body wall 61. A shaft hole 62 a through which the support shaft 34 a of the torque limiter mechanism 34 passes is formed at the upper end portion of the front wall 62. A torque limiter engaging portion 62b that engages with a rear torque limiter 102 (described later) of the torque limiter mechanism 34 is provided on the front surface of the front wall 62 outside the shaft hole 62a. Further, an engagement recess 63a (see FIG. 8A) that engages with the support shaft 33a of the accommodation holder drive mechanism 33 and is rotatable relative to the support shaft 33a is formed at the upper end portion of the rear wall 63. Has been.

  The upper left holder portion 70 comprises a main body wall 71 that constitutes the main body and has a horizontally long front shape, an upper wall 72 that is bent at a right angle from its upper end portion and extends to the left by a predetermined length, and an upper surface of the main body wall 71. The front wall 73 and the rear wall 74 are connected to the half portion and the upper wall 72. At the lower end of the main body wall 71, there are provided two front and rear engaging convex portions 71a and 71a that protrude forward and rearward and engage with the drive flapper 80 in a freely rotatable manner. Further, the upper wall 72 protrudes upward at the front end portion and the rear end portion, respectively, and comes into contact with a later-described stopper 4b formed on the bottom plate of the lower case 4 when the accommodation holder 32 is turned upside down. Protrusions 72a and 72a are provided. Further, the front wall 73 and the rear wall 74 are provided with engaging convex portions 73 a and 74 a that engage with a front wall 82 and a rear wall 83 (to be described later) of the drive flapper 80. Further, the end portions of the front wall 73 and the rear wall 74 opposite to the main body wall 71 (left end portion in FIG. 7) are respectively provided with spring locking portions 73b for locking one end portions of tension coil springs 86 and 87 described later. 74b.

  The drive flapper 80 is disposed obliquely on the back side (left side in FIG. 7) of the main body wall 71 of the upper left holder section 70, and extends from the horizontally long main body wall 81, and the front end portion and the rear end portion of the main body wall 81. It consists of a front wall 82 and a rear wall 83 that are bent at a right angle. A lower wall 81 a that protrudes below the lower end of the main body wall 71 of the upper left holder portion 70 is provided at the lower end portion of the main body wall 81. Further, the front wall 82 is formed with a shaft hole 82a through which the support shaft 34a of the torque limiter mechanism 34 penetrates at the lower end portion thereof, and in front of the lower end of the upper left holder portion 70 diagonally to the left of the shaft hole 82a. A support hole 82b for rotatably supporting the engaging projection 71a is formed. In addition, a spring locking portion 82 c that locks one end portion of the tension coil spring 86 is provided on the upper portion of the front wall 82.

  On the other hand, the rear wall 83 is formed with a shaft hole 83a through which the support shaft 33a of the accommodation holder drive mechanism 33 passes and rotates integrally with the support shaft 33a. A support hole 83b that rotatably supports the engaging convex portion 71a at the rear end of the lower left end of the upper left holder portion 70 is formed diagonally to the left. A spring locking portion 83 c that locks one end portion of the tension coil spring 87 is provided on the upper portion of the rear wall 83. Further, the rear wall 83 is provided with a stopper 83 d that extends rightward and is formed so as to go around the back surface (right surface) of the main body wall 51 of the upper right holder part 50. The rear wall 83 is provided with an engaging projection 83e that engages with a driving shaft 93 (to be described later) of the storage holder driving mechanism 33 above the shaft hole 83a.

  In the upper left holder portion 70 and the drive flapper 80, two tension coil springs 86 and 87 are provided between the front spring locking portions 73b and 82c and between the rear spring locking portions 74b and 83c, respectively. . Therefore, the upper left holder part 70 is biased by the springs 86 and 87 toward the upper right holder part 50 facing the center with the engaging convex part 71a at the lower end.

  Further, in the housing holder 32 configured as described above, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A, the front of the lower left holder part 60, the upper right holder part 50, the drive flapper 80, and the lower right holder part 40, respectively. The walls 62, 52, 82, and 43 overlap in order from the front side to the rear side, and the shaft holes 62 a, 52 a, and 82 a of the front walls that match each other, and the support recesses of the torque limiter mechanism 34 in the engagement recesses 43 a. 34a is inserted.

  In addition, the rear walls 44, 83, 53, and 63 of the lower right holder part 40, the drive flapper 80, the upper right holder part 50, and the lower left holder part 60 overlap in order from the rear side to the front side and match each other. The support shaft 33a of the accommodation holder drive mechanism 33 is inserted through the shaft holes 44a, 83a and 53a and the engaging recess 63a of each rear wall.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the accommodation holder drive mechanism 33 is horizontally connected to an output shaft (not shown) of the motor 91, a gear box 92 that transmits the power, and a gear box 92 that transmits the power. The drive shaft 93 is attached in a state of being inserted concentrically with the drive shaft 93, and the support shaft is inserted through the shaft holes 44a, 83a and 53a on the rear side of the housing holder 32 and the engaging recess 63a. 33a and the like.

  The drive shaft 93 is made of a plastic molded product, and has a shaft main body 94 having a predetermined diameter and length, a diameter-enlarging portion 95 connected to the rear end and having a larger diameter than the shaft main body 94, and a shaft main body. 94 has two engaging recesses 96 and 97 which are provided at the front end portion 94 and engage with the lower right holder portion 40 and the driving flapper 80, respectively. The shaft body 94 is opened forward and has an insertion hole 94a having a D-shaped cross section. The support shaft 33a is inserted into the insertion hole 94a. Accordingly, when the drive shaft 93 rotates, the support shaft 33a also rotates integrally therewith.

  The enlarged diameter portion 95 is formed with a fitting recess 95 a that opens rearward and fits into the output shaft of the gear box 92. Further, two detection convex portions 95 b and 95 b for detecting the rotational angle position of the drive shaft 93 are provided at predetermined positions on the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portion 95. These detection convex portions 95b and 95b turn on / off the micro switches 98 and 98 disposed on the upper side and the right side near the enlarged diameter portion 95, respectively, thereby detecting the rotational angular position of the drive shaft 93.

  Further, the engagement concave portions 96 and 97 at the front end portion of the shaft main body 94 are immovable in the rotation direction of the drive shaft 93 with respect to the engagement convex portion 44b of the lower right holder portion 40 and the engagement convex portion 83e of the drive flapper 80, respectively. Engaged in a state. Accordingly, when the drive shaft 93 rotates, the lower right holder part 40 and the drive flapper 80 rotate integrally with the drive shaft 93 while maintaining a predetermined relative angle.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the torque limiter mechanism 34 includes the support shaft 34a and two front and rear torque limiters attached in a state of being inserted through the support shaft 34a (hereinafter referred to as “front torque limiter 101” as appropriate). And a “rear torque limiter 102”), a cylindrical connecting member 103 connected to the front torque limiter 101, and the like. The support shaft 34a is fixed to the lower case 4 via a fixing pin 104 orthogonal to the front end portion thereof (see FIG. 2). That is, the support shaft 34a is not rotatable.

  Further, although detailed illustrations of the front and rear torque limiters 101 and 102 are omitted, both of them are an inner ring that rotates integrally with the support shaft 34a, a housing on the outside thereof, and an intermediate ring between these inner rings and the housing. And a friction mechanism for generating a predetermined frictional force. In such torque limiters 101 and 102, even if a torque less than a predetermined magnitude acts on the housing against the inner ring that is immovably supported by the support shaft 34a, the housing does not move in the same manner as the inner ring. When a torque greater than a predetermined magnitude acts on the housing, the housing slips and becomes rotatable. Thus, in both the torque limiters 101 and 102, the housing is held immovably unless a torque of a predetermined magnitude or larger is applied.

  In the front torque limiter 101, the housing is connected to the connecting member 103, and the connecting member 103 is engaged with the engaging rib 52 b of the upper right holder part 50. That is, the housing of the front torque limiter 101 is connected to the upper right holder part 50 through the connecting member 103. On the other hand, the rear torque limiter 102 is arranged in a state of being accommodated inside the connecting member 103, and the housing is connected to the lower left holder part 60 at the torque limiter engaging part 62b.

  As described above, the upper right holder portion 50 and the lower left holder portion 60 to which the front and rear torque limiters 101 and 102 are connected respectively rotate in the direction in which the torque acts when a torque of a predetermined magnitude or larger is applied. On the other hand, at other times, the position is maintained at that time.

  The motor in the drive box 12 that drives the opening slider 22 and the motor 91 of the accommodation holder drive mechanism 33 in the upside down device 31 are controlled by a control device having a microcomputer (not shown).

  FIG. 9 shows an opening device 110 that forcibly opens the opening portion that is the opened portion when the opened raw material stick B is turned upside down. The opening device 110 is disposed on the bottom plate of the lower case 4 and below the housing holder 32 (see FIG. 6). The opening device 110 includes two front and rear opening arms (hereinafter referred to as “front opening arms”). 111 ”and“ rear opening arm 112 ”) and a torsion spring 113 that biases both opening arms 111 and 112 in the closing direction. Both the open arms 111 and 112 are each formed in a substantially horizontally long planar shape, and support shafts 4 a and 4 a erected on the bottom plate of the lower case 4 are inserted from below at the left end thereof. Thereby, both the opening arms 111 and 112 are supported rotatably about the corresponding support shaft 4a. Further, the front and rear opening arms 111 and 112 are provided with contact portions 111a and 112a which are in contact with each other in a state where they overlap each other in the left-right direction between the both support shafts 4a and 4a.

  Further, when the accommodation holder 32 is turned upside down, the arm driving portion 55 of the upper right holder portion 50 abuts the right front end portion of the front opening arm 111 so that both the opening arms 111 and 112 are opened. A portion 111b is provided. The torsion spring 113 is attached to the support shaft 4a of the rear opening arm 112, and urges the rear opening arm 112 in the clockwise direction.

  When the opening device 110 configured as described above is in a standby state, as shown in FIG. 10A, the right side portions of both the opening arms 111 and 112 extend in parallel in the left-right direction with a predetermined interval therebetween. Closed. On the other hand, when the storage holder 32 is turned upside down, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the arm driving portion 55 of the upper right holder portion 50 comes into contact with the opening convex portion 111 b of the front opening arm 111. The front opening arm 111 is rotated clockwise in FIG. Accordingly, the contact portion 111a of the front opening arm 111 presses the contact portion 112a of the rear opening arm 112 to the right against the biasing force of the torsion spring 113, so that the rear opening arm 112 is counteracted. Rotate clockwise. As a result, the right portions of both the opening arms 111 and 112 are in an open state in which the distance gradually increases toward the right.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, when the raw material stick B whose upper end is opened is turned upside down in the lower case 4 at a predetermined position on the right side of the storage holder 32, the raw material stick B is provided. A guide member 120 (bending guide portion) is provided for guiding the opening portion. The guide member 120 has an arcuate guide surface 120a that is a predetermined distance away from the rotation axis when the storage holder 32 is turned upside down. Further, the predetermined distance is set to a predetermined length such that when the opened raw material stick B is turned upside down, the end on the opening side is bent.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 11 to FIG. 15, a material G dispensing operation from the material stick B by the material dispensing apparatus 1 will be described. In the standby state of the raw material dispensing apparatus 1, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 described above, the accommodation holder 32 of the upside down apparatus 31 is in a state of opening upward just below the input port 11 of the upper case 2. Is retained. In the following description, the rotation direction of each part of the raw material dispensing apparatus 1 will be described in a state when the raw material dispensing apparatus 1 is viewed from the front.

  First, when the raw material stick B is introduced into the inlet 11 from above the raw material dispensing apparatus 1, the raw material stick B falls into the raw material dispensing apparatus 1, and as shown in FIG. It is accommodated in the accommodation holder 32 in a state of being held in a standing posture extending along.

  Next, the motor in the drive box 12 is operated, and the drive cam 13 located at the standby position is rotated halfway. As a result, the opening slider 22 moves to the right, and the predetermined position P of the upper end portion of the raw material stick B is cut and opened as follows.

  FIG. 14 sequentially shows the opening operation of the raw material stick B by the opening slider 22. When the opening slider 22 moves to the right from the standby position shown in FIG. 5A, first, the pressing portion 24a of the pressing slider 24 seals the upper side of the raw material stick B as shown in FIG. In the state where the vicinity of the portion is pressed against the lower end portion of the right side wall 11a of the insertion port 11, it abuts on this. In this case, only the slider body 23 of the unsealed slider 22 can be moved further to the right, while the pressing slider 24 is prevented from further movement.

  In this state, when the slider body 23 of the unsealing slider 22 further moves to the right, the pressing slider 24 is urged more strongly to the right by the two compression springs 25, 25, whereby the right side wall 11 a of the insertion port 11. The upper end of the raw material stick B is firmly sandwiched between the two. And as shown in FIG.14 (c), when the slider main body 23 of the opening slider 22 further moves to the cutting position of the right side, the cutting blade 26 integral with this cuts the predetermined position P of the raw material stick B. . Thereby, the upper end part of the raw material stick B is opened. The cut piece Be cut off from the raw material stick B remains sandwiched between the right side wall 11a of the insertion port 11 and the pressing slider 24 of the opening slider 22 until the opening slider 22 returns to the left standby position. And held in the inlet 11.

  After unsealing the raw material stick B as described above, the motor 91 of the accommodation holder drive mechanism 33 is operated, and the drive shaft 93 rotates about 200 degrees in the clockwise direction. Accordingly, the accommodation holder 32 also rotates about the drive shaft 93 (support shafts 33a and 34a) at the same angle as the center, thereby reversing the raw material stick B whose upper end is opened upside down. Thus, the raw material G is dispensed downward from the raw material stick B (see FIG. 12B).

  Here, the operation of each holder part 40, 50, 60 and 70 and the drive flapper 80 when the accommodation holder 32 rotates will be specifically described. First, when the drive shaft 93 rotates clockwise by about 20 degrees from the standby position shown in FIG. 11A, as shown in FIG. The flapper 80 also rotates about 20 degrees in the clockwise direction. Further, in this case, as the drive flapper 80 rotates, the upper left holder part 70 connected to the drive flapper 80 via the two tension coil springs 86 and 87 also rotates about 20 degrees in the clockwise direction.

  However, in this case, the upper right holder part 50 and the lower left holder part 60 are held in the standby position. As described above, the upper right holder part 50 and the lower left holder part 60 are connected to the front torque limiter 101 and the rear torque limiter 102 of the torque limiter mechanism 34, respectively, and the drive shaft 93 is about 20 degrees from the standby position. This is because the torque acting on the upper right holder portion 50 and the upper left holder portion 60 is not so large before the rotation.

  Therefore, when the drive shaft 93 rotates about 20 degrees clockwise from the standby position, the upper end portion of the main body wall 71 of the upper left holder portion 70 comes into contact with the upper end portion of the main body wall 51 of the upper right holder portion 50, and thereby the raw material stick The upper end portion of B is sandwiched between the upper left holder portion 70 and the upper right holder portion 50. In addition, the convex portion 41a of the main body wall 41 of the lower right holder portion 40 abuts on the lower end portion of the main body wall 61 of the lower left holder portion 60, whereby the lower end portion of the raw material stick B, specifically, the raw material stick B The lower sealing portion F is sandwiched between the lower right holder portion 40 and the lower left holder portion 60.

  When the drive shaft 93 further rotates in the clockwise direction from the above state, the accommodation holder 32 rotates in the clockwise direction integrally with the drive shaft 93 while holding the upper and lower ends of the raw material stick B. In this case, the upper right holder unit 50 and the lower left holder unit 60 connected to the front and rear torque limiters 101 and 102 are respectively set to a predetermined size by the upper left holder unit 70 and the lower right holder unit 40 that rotate together with the drive shaft 93. It is pressed with more torque. For this reason, the upper right holder part 50 and the lower left holder part 60 rotate clockwise together with the upper left holder part 70, the drive flapper 80, and the lower right holder part 40.

  Further, the raw material stick B accommodated / clamped by the accommodation holder 32 while the accommodation holder 32 is rotated as described above has an upper end at the guide member in the lower case 4 as shown in FIG. Guided by 120. More specifically, the storage holder 32 is guided in an angle range (predetermined angle range) in which the storage holder 32 rotates about 90 to 150 degrees clockwise from the standby position. In this case, as shown in the figure, the upper end portion of the raw material stick B, that is, the end portion on the unsealing side, is guided in a bent state by slidingly contacting the guide surface 120a of the guide member 120. Thereby, when the raw material stick B is turned upside down, the raw material G can be prevented from splashing from the opened portion of the raw material stick B.

  FIG. 12A shows a state in which the drive shaft 93 is rotated about 180 degrees clockwise from the standby position, and accordingly, the housing holder 32 is also rotated about 180 degrees clockwise from the standby position. In this case, as shown in the figure, the front and rear contact protrusions 72a and 72a of the upper left holder part 70 are in contact with the front and rear stoppers 4b and 4b (only one is shown in the figure). Thereby, even if the drive shaft 93 further rotates clockwise from the above state, the upper left holder part 70 is prevented from further rotation.

  From this state, when the drive shaft 93 further rotates about 20 degrees in the clockwise direction, the lower right holder part 40 and the drive flapper 80 also rotate about 20 degrees in the clockwise direction. Since the lower left holder part 60 rotates integrally with the lower right holder part 40 while being pressed, the sealing part F of the raw material stick B is held between the lower right holder part 40 and the lower left holder part 60. Kept. On the other hand, the lower right holder 50 rotates integrally with the drive flapper 80 while being pressed through the front wall 82 and the rear wall 83 thereof.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 12B, the upper right holder part 50 is separated from the upper left holder part 70, and the holding of the end part on the unsealing side of the raw material stick B by these holder parts 50 and 70 is released. As a result, the raw material G in the raw material stick B is dispensed downward by its own weight and supplied to the cup C or the like below. The cup C is transported in advance to a predetermined position inside the pedestal 5 by a cup transport device (not shown), and transported to a hot water supply position where hot water is supplied after the supply of the raw material G is completed.

  Further, when the storage holder 32 rotates as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B described above, an opening device 110 disposed below the storage holder 32 causes the end of the raw material stick B to be opened. The part is forcibly opened.

  FIG. 15 shows the opening operation of the raw material stick B by the opening device 110 in order. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the storage holder 32 is rotated about 180 degrees from the standby position, and the upper right holder part 50 approaches the opening device 110. In this case, the opening side end portion of the raw material stick B is sandwiched between the upper right holder portion 50 and the upper left holder portion 70, and the inner surface is closely contacted and closed by the guide in the bent state by the guide member 120. May be in a state. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15A, the distance W between the right end portions of the front opening arm 111 and the rear opening arm 112 of the opening device 110 is equal to the opening side end portion of the raw material stick B in the closed state. It is smaller than the lateral width (length in the vertical direction in the figure) Bw.

  When the upper right holder part 50 moves to the left in accordance with the further clockwise rotation of the storage holder 32 from the above state, the arm drive part 55 of the upper right holder part 50 moves forward as shown in FIG. It contacts the opening convex portion 111b of the opening arm 111 and presses it forward (downward in FIG. 15). As a result, the front opening arm 111 rotates in the clockwise direction with the corresponding support shaft 4a on the left as a fulcrum. In this case, the contact portion 111 a of the front opening arm 111 presses the contact portion 112 a of the rear opening arm 112 to the right against the urging force of the torsion spring 113. As a result, the rear opening arm 112 rotates counterclockwise with the corresponding support shaft 4a as a fulcrum. As a result, the front opening arm 111 and the rear opening arm 112 are opened so that the distance W between the right ends is larger than the lateral width Bw of the raw material stick B. Thereby, even if the width of the opening side of the raw material stick B is widened by closing the opening side end of the raw material stick B, the opening side end portion of the raw material stick B is between the right end portions of the front opening arm 111 and the rear opening arm 112. And move as it is.

  When the upper right holder portion 50 further moves to the left as the accommodation holder 32 is further rotated in the clockwise direction from the above state, the arm driving portion 55 is moved to the front opening arm as shown in FIG. 11 is released from the opening convex portion 111b. As a result, the opened front opening arm 111 and rear opening arm 112 are rotated in the opposite direction to the opened state by the urging force of the torsion spring 113 and return to the original standby position. In this case, the opening side end of the raw material stick B is pressed by both the opening arms 111 and 112 from both sides in the width direction. Thereby, even if the opening side end of the raw material stick B is closed, it is forcibly opened. As a result, the raw material in the raw material stick B is smoothly discharged from the opened opening.

  As described above, after all the raw materials G are dispensed from the raw material stick B and the cup C supplied with the raw materials G is conveyed from the inside of the base 5 to another place (for example, hot water supply position), In the following manner, the empty raw material stick B is discarded from the storage holder 32, and the storage holder 32 is returned to the original standby position.

  Specifically, first, in the state shown in FIG. 12B, the motor 91 of the storage holder drive mechanism 33 rotates in the opposite direction to that of the above-described reverse rotation of the storage holder 32, thereby causing the storage holder 32 to rotate counterclockwise. Rotate in the direction.

  FIG. 12C shows a state in which the drive shaft 93 is rotated about 20 degrees counterclockwise in the state shown in FIG. In this case, along with the rotation of the drive shaft 93, the lower right holder part 40 and the drive flapper 80 integrally rotate about 20 degrees counterclockwise, while the upper right holder part 50 and the lower left holder part 60 The stationary state is maintained by the action of the limiter 101 and the rear torque limiter 102. Thereby, the holding of the raw material stick B by the main body walls 41 and 61 of the lower right holder part 40 and the lower left holder part 60 is released. As a result, the empty raw material stick B after the raw material G is dispensed falls by its own weight and is disposed below the storage holder 32.

  Thereafter, the drive shaft 93 further rotates about 200 degrees in the counterclockwise direction, so that the housing holder 32 also moves from the state shown in FIG. 12C to the state shown in FIG. Rotate degrees. In this case, the lower right holder part 40, the upper left holder part 70 and the drive flapper 80 of the storage holder 32 rotate integrally with the drive shaft 93. On the other hand, the lower left holder part 60 is engaged with the lower right holder part 40 and the drive flapper 80 by engagement with the stopper 42a of the lower right holder part 40, and the upper right holder part 50 is engaged with the stopper 83d of the drive flapper 80. Rotates together.

  In this state, the motor of the drive box 12 that drives the opening slider 22 for opening the raw material stick B is actuated again, and the drive cam 13 that has been half-rotated from the standby position is again half-rotated to return to the standby position. . Accordingly, the opening slider 22 returns from the state shown in FIG. 14C to the standby position shown in FIG. Further, in this case, the cut end Be of the raw material stick B held in the insertion port 11 is the right side surface (the main body wall 51 of the upper right holder portion 50 and the lower right holder portion 40) of the accommodation holder 32 shown in FIG. , 41, 41, 41, 41, 41, 41, 41, 41, 41, and the like, as well as the empty raw material stick B that has already been discarded.

  Thus, after discarding the cut end Be, the drive shaft 93 is rotated about 40 degrees in the clockwise direction. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 13B, the lower right holder part 40, the upper left holder part 70 and the drive flapper 80 of the storage holder 32 rotate about 40 degrees in the clockwise direction integrally with the drive shaft 93.

  On the other hand, the lower left holder part 60 and the upper right holder part 50 are kept stationary by the action of the front torque limiter 101 and the rear torque limiter 102 until the lower right holder part 40 and the drive flapper 80 rotate 20 degrees clockwise. Maintained. Then, when the lower right holder part 40 and the upper left holder part 70 are further rotated 20 degrees in the clockwise direction, the lower left holder part 60 and the upper right holder part 50 are pressed by these holder parts 40 and 70, and FIG. ) To the state shown in FIG. 5B, that is, the main body walls 51 and 61 of the upper right holder part 50 and the lower left holder part 60 are in a substantially vertical posture.

  Thereafter, the drive shaft 93 is rotated about 20 degrees counterclockwise. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13C, the lower right holder part 40 and the upper left holder part 70 integrally rotate with the drive shaft 93 about 20 times in the counterclockwise direction and return to the standby position.

  As described in detail above, according to the raw material dispensing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the raw material stick B introduced from the insertion port 11 is held in the standing posture by being accommodated in the accommodation holder 32 and is opened at the time of opening. Since the upper space portion S is cut by the cutting blade 26 of the opening slider 22, it is possible to prevent the raw material G from adhering to the cutting blade 26. Thereby, unlike the conventional case where the cutting condition of the cutter is reduced due to the adhesion of the raw material, it is possible to ensure a good cutting condition of the cutting blade 26 over a long period of time, thereby stabilizing the raw material G from the raw material stick B. Can be paid out.

  Further, when the raw material stick B whose upper end is opened is turned upside down, the space portion S is sandwiched between the upper right holder part 50 and the upper left holder part 70, so that the raw material G is fed into the raw material stick during the turnover. Leakage from B can be suppressed. In addition, when the opened raw material stick B is turned upside down, the end on the opening side is guided in a bent state by the guide member 120, so that the raw material G from the opened portion of the raw material stick B during reversal Spattering can be prevented.

  In addition, this invention can be implemented in various aspects, without being limited to the said embodiment described. In the embodiment, a guide member 120 that guides the opening portion is installed in the lower case 4 while the raw material stick B is turned upside down, and the angle range when the opening portion moves from the side next to the raw material stick B to the lower side is set. The opening portion is guided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a guide member similar to the guide member 120 is installed in the middle case 2 and immediately after starting the upside down of the raw material stick B. It is also possible to guide the opening part.

  Further, the detailed configuration of the raw material dispensing apparatus 1 and the guide member 120 shown in the embodiment are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Raw material dispensing apparatus 22 Opening slider 31 Upside down apparatus 32 Storage holder 33 Storage holder drive mechanism 33a Support axis (horizontal axis) of storage holder drive mechanism
120 Guide member (Bending guide part)
120a Guide surface B Raw material stick (bag container)
S Space part G Raw material

Claims (3)

When cooking a beverage, with the elongated bag container filled with beverage ingredients held in an upright position, the upper end is opened, and the bag container is turned upside down by rotating about the horizontal axis. According to the present invention, a beverage material dispensing device that dispenses the raw material downward from an opening portion that is an unsealed portion of the bag container,
It has an arcuate guide surface that is a predetermined distance away from the horizontal axis, and in order to prevent the raw material from leaking out of the opening portion during the upside down of the bag container, An apparatus for dispensing beverage ingredients, characterized in that an end portion is provided with a bending guide portion that is bent by sliding contact with the guide surface.   The folding guide portion is in the middle of turning the bag container upside down so that the opening side end of the bag container is in sliding contact with the guide surface in a predetermined angle range centering on the horizontal axis. It is comprised, The dispensing apparatus of the raw material for drinks of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The said bending guide part is comprised so that the edge part by the side of the opening of the said bag container may leave | separate from the said guide surface when the upside down of the said bag container is complete | finished. Beverage ingredient dispensing device.

Images