JP2021036971A - Beverage supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce a risk of aspiration by clarifying presence or absence of selection of a thickening component.SOLUTION: There is provided a beverage supply device for preparing a beverage from beverage raw material and beverage raw water put in a container C, and supplying the beverage put in the container C, the beverage raw material including a thickening component for improving the viscosity of the beverage. The beverage supply device includes: a beverage selection unit 111 for selecting a type of beverage; a thickening component selection unit 112 for selecting presence or absence of a thickening component; and a control unit 20 for preparing a beverage when presence or absence of the thickening component is selected by the thickening component selection unit 112 after the type of beverage is selected by the beverage selection unit 111. It is preferable that the thickening component selection unit 112 can select not only presence or absence of the thickening component, but also an amount of the thickening component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage supply device, and more particularly to a beverage supply device that supplies a beverage in a container such as a cup.

Conventionally, as a beverage supply device that supplies a beverage in a container such as a cup, a beverage material such as a powder raw material and a beverage raw water such as hot water or water are charged into the container transported by the transport mechanism. There is a method of supplying a cooked beverage by stirring with a stirring mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this type of beverage supply device, first, a container is transported to a position of a canister containing a beverage raw material by a transport mechanism, and the beverage raw material is charged into the inside of the container. Next, the container is transported to the cooking position by the transport mechanism, the drinking raw water is put into the container, and the drinking raw material and the drinking raw water inside the container are stirred and mixed by the stirring mechanism. After that, the beverage is supplied by transporting the container to the providing position by the transport mechanism.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-309679

In such a beverage supply device, it is known that a beverage raw material contains a thickening component that improves the viscosity of the beverage. Beverages prepared with such a thickening component as a beverage raw material are useful from the viewpoint of preventing aspiration for some elderly people with dysphagia because the viscosity is improved.

Therefore, it is convenient to provide a selection button for a beverage containing a thickening component in the same manner as other beverages, and to supply a beverage containing a thickening component when the corresponding selection button is pressed and selected. It is preferable from the viewpoint of sex.

However, if a beverage can be selected by pressing the selection button once in this way, a user such as a person with dysphagia who tries to select a beverage containing a thickening component (for example, a green tea beverage having a thickening component) , There is a risk of accidentally selecting the same type of beverage (green tea beverage) that does not contain a thickening component, and as a result, there is a risk of causing a risk of aspiration.

An object of the present invention is to provide a beverage supply device capable of reducing the risk of aspiration by clarifying the presence or absence of selection of a thickening component in view of the above circumstances.

In order to achieve the above object, the beverage supply device according to the present invention is a beverage supply device that cooks a beverage from a beverage raw material and a beverage raw water charged in a container and supplies the beverage in a state of being charged in the container. , The beverage raw material contains a thickening component that improves the viscosity of the beverage, and a beverage selecting means for selecting the type of the beverage, a thickening component selecting means for selecting the presence or absence of the thickening component, and the beverage selection. The beverage is provided with a control means for cooking the beverage when the presence or absence of the thickening component is selected by the thickening component selecting means after the type of the beverage is selected by the means.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the beverage supply device, the thickening component selecting means can select not only the presence or absence of the thickening component but also the amount of the thickening component.

According to the present invention, when the control means cooks the beverage when the type of the beverage is selected by the beverage selection means and then the presence or absence of the thickening component is selected by the thickening component selecting means, the presence or absence of the thickening component is determined. It is possible to select it as a confirmation item, and by clarifying whether or not the thickening component is selected, the risk of aspiration can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an external configuration of a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the selection unit shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an installation example of a component detection unit constituting the thickening component supply unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a link valve storage portion in which the storage detection unit shown in FIG. 2 is installed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a rinse valve to be stored in the rinse valve accommodating portion shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a link valve accommodating portion in which the retractable detection unit shown in FIG. 2 is installed. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the beverage cooking control process carried out by the control unit shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the beverage supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 show a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively, FIG. 1 is a front view showing an external configuration, and FIG. 2 schematically shows a characteristic control system. It is a block diagram shown in. The beverage supply device illustrated here is installed in, for example, a store, a nursing care facility, or the like, and includes a main body cabinet 1.

The main body cabinet 1 has a substantially rectangular shape having an opening (hereinafter, also referred to as a front opening) not shown on the front surface. The front opening of the main body cabinet 1 is opened and closed by a front door 2 oscillating around the central axis of the shaft portion extending in the vertical direction at the right side edge portion on the front side of the main body cabinet 1. ..

The front door 2 has an opening / closing door 3. The opening / closing door 3 is a door body that opens / closes the opening 4 formed in the front door 2, and is made of a translucent material such as a transparent resin. The left end of the opening / closing door 3 is pivotally supported by the front door 2 and can swing along the front-rear direction. That is, the opening / closing door 3 can close the opening 4 when swinging backward, and can open the opening 4 when swinging forward.

Such a beverage supply device includes a selection unit 11, a display unit 12, a transport mechanism 13, a beverage raw material supply unit 14, a thickening component supply unit 15, a beverage raw water supply unit 16, a stirring mechanism 17, a door opening / closing lock mechanism 18, and storage detection. A unit (storage detecting means) 19 and a control unit (control means) 20 are provided.

The selection unit 11 is provided on the upper side of the opening 4 in the front door 2, and has a beverage selection unit (beverage selection means) 111 and a thickening component selection unit (thickening component selecting means) 112. As shown in FIG. 3, the beverage selection unit 111 selects the type of beverage (for example, “green tea”, “hojicha”, “hot water”), and has a plurality of beverage selection buttons 111a. When the beverage selection button 111a is pressed, the beverage selection button 111a gives the control unit 20 that the pressing operation has been performed as a selection signal. In the present embodiment, a total of a beverage selection button 111a for selecting a cold beverage (“tsumetai”) and a beverage selection button 111a for selecting a hot beverage (“warm”) for each type of beverage. There are six.

As shown in FIG. 3, the thickening component selection unit 112 selects the presence or absence of the thickening component (for example, “without thickening” and “with thickening”), and has a plurality of thickening component selection buttons 112a. .. When the thickening component selection button 112a is pressed, the thickening component selection button 112a gives the control unit 20 the fact that the pressing operation has been performed as a selection signal. In the present embodiment, three thickening component selection buttons 112a (for example, "thin", "intermediate", and "dark") are provided according to the concentration of the thickening component.

The display unit 12 is provided below the selection unit 11 in the front door 2 and to the right of the opening 4. The display unit 12 displays various information in response to a command given from the control unit 20.

The transfer mechanism 13 receives a container C (see FIG. 4) such as a cup from the container storage unit by driving a transfer motor (not shown), which is a drive source, by a command given from the control unit 20. It is transported along a predetermined route.

The beverage raw material supply unit 14 includes a raw material canister 141 and a raw material supply drive unit 142. A plurality of raw material canisters 141 are provided, and they are installed so as to be arranged side by side. These raw material canisters 141 are storage boxes for storing different types of powder raw materials (for example, "green tea" and "hojicha").

A plurality of raw material supply drive units 142 are provided, and are provided corresponding to the raw material canister 141. These raw material supply drive units 142 are driven by a command given from the control unit 20, and when driven, a predetermined amount of powder raw material is discharged from the corresponding raw material canister 141 and conveyed through a raw material shooter (not shown). It is paid out to the container C transported by the mechanism 13.

The thickening component supply unit 15 includes a thickening component canister 151, a thickening component supply driving unit 152, and a component detecting unit (component detecting means) 153. The thickening component canister 151 is installed on the right side of the raw material canister 141. The thickening component canister 151 is a storage box for storing a thickening component in a powder state such as starch for improving the viscosity of a beverage.

The thickening component supply driving unit 152 is provided corresponding to the thickening component canister 151. The thickening component supply driving unit 152 is driven by a command given from the control unit 20, and when driving, a predetermined amount of thickening component is discharged from the thickening component canister 151, and the thickening component shooter 154 (see FIG. 4). ) To the container C transported by the transport mechanism 13.

As shown in FIG. 4, the component detection unit 153 is installed in the vicinity of the thickening component shooter 154, and by detecting the passage of the thickening component in the thickening component shooter 154, the thickening component is charged into the container C. It detects whether or not it is. The component detection unit 153 gives the detection result to the control unit 20 as a detection signal.

The drinking raw water supply unit 16 is for supplying drinking raw water such as hot water and water, and includes a water supply valve 161 and a hot water supply valve 162. The water supply valve 161 is a valve body that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 20. When the water supply valve 161 is in the open state, the water in the water tank 163 for storing the water is sent out to the discharge main body (not shown) installed at a predetermined cooking position. When it is closed, it regulates the delivery of water. The hot water supply valve 162 is a valve body that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 20. When the hot water supply valve 162 is in the open state, the hot water in the hot water tank 164 for storing the hot water is sent out toward the discharge main body, and when the hot water supply valve 162 is in the closed state, the hot water delivery is restricted. Is what you do.

The stirring mechanism 17 is installed in the discharge main body portion, and includes a paddle member 171 and a paddle drive portion 172. The paddle member 171 is a conventionally known one in which a stirring blade is attached to a lower end portion of a rod extending in the vertical direction. The paddle drive unit 172 is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 20, and when driven, the paddle member 171 is displaced downward and then rotated around the central axis of the rod. ..

The door opening / closing lock mechanism 18 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 4. The door opening / closing lock mechanism 18 has a lock state in which the opening / closing door 3 that closes the opening 4 is held in a closed state and the opening / closing door 3 is restricted from swinging forward, and the opening / closing door. It is possible to selectively switch between the release state and the release state in which 3 is allowed to swing forward. The switching of the door opening / closing lock mechanism 18 is performed in response to a command given from the control unit 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the storage detection unit 19 is provided in the rinse valve storage unit 22. The rinse valve storage portion 22 is provided at a predetermined storage location inside the main body cabinet 1, and is intended to store the rinse valve 23 as shown in FIG. The rinse valve 23 is attached to the tip portion of the flexible tubular body 24 connected to the hot water tank 164, and when the operating lever 231 provided in the rinse valve 23 is operated to open the hot water, the hot water is washed. It is a washing water discharge member that discharges as. Such a rinse valve 23 is for cleaning dirt generated in the cooking process of a beverage, which will be described later.

The rinse valve storage unit 22 includes a storage unit main body 221 formed by processing a sheet metal or the like, and a cover 222 that is swingably provided so as to be separated from the storage unit main body 221 in close proximity to the storage unit main body 221. The storage unit main body 221 is stored by locking and holding the rinse valve 23 that enters after swinging the cover 222 in a manner that separates it from the storage unit main body 221 (see FIG. 7).

A detection lever 221a is provided on the storage unit main body 221. When the rinse valve 23 is not stored, the detection lever 221a is in a reference posture extending along the vertical direction, while the rinse valve 23 is stored as shown in FIG. In that case, the holding posture is such that the inclination is extended. The storage detection unit 19 is provided in the storage unit main body 221 and is pressed by the detection lever 221a which is in the holding posture to detect that the rinse valve 23 is stored in the rinse valve storage unit 22. Then, the detection result is given to the control unit 20. On the other hand, when the detection lever 221a is in the reference posture, the storage detection unit 19 detects that the rinse valve 23 is not stored in the rinse valve storage unit 22 without being pressed by the detection lever 221a. The detection result is given to the control unit 20.

The control unit 20 includes the selection unit 11, the display unit 12, the transport mechanism 13, the beverage raw material supply unit 14, the thickening component supply unit 15, the beverage raw water supply unit 16, the stirring mechanism 17, the door opening / closing lock mechanism 18, and the storage detection unit. It is electrically connected to 19 and controls the operation of each of these units in an integrated manner according to the programs and data stored in the storage unit 21 which is also electrically connected. The control unit 20 may, for example, have a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, that is, may be realized by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, it may be realized by using software and hardware together.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the beverage cooking control process carried out by the control unit 20 shown in FIG. The operation of the beverage supply device will be described while explaining the beverage cooking control process. As a premise of the explanation, it is assumed that the door opening / closing lock mechanism 18 is in the locked state.

In this beverage cooking control process, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the storage detection unit 19 has detected the storage of the rinse valve 23 (step S101). When the storage detection unit 19 does not detect the storage of the rinse valve 23 (step S101: No), the control unit 20 invalidates the selection unit 11 (step S102). The invalidation of the selection unit 11 is to bring the selection signal into a state in which the control unit 20 does not accept the selection signal even if either the beverage selection button 111a or the thickening component selection button 112a is pressed.

The control unit 20 in which the selection unit 11 is invalidated in this way displays an error code or the like indicating that the rinse valve 23 is not stored in the display unit 12 (step S103), and then returns the procedure to this time. End the process.

According to this, it is possible to make the manager of the beverage supply device recognize that the rinse valve 23 is not stored in the predetermined storage location.

On the other hand, when the storage detection unit 19 detects the storage of the rinse valve 23 (step S101: Yes), the control unit 20 activates the selection unit 11 (step S104), and one of the beverage selection buttons 111a is pressed. It is determined whether or not the selection signal has been input based on the presence or absence of input of the selection signal (step S105). If it cannot be determined that the beverage selection button 111a has been pressed (step S105: No), the control unit 20 repeats the process and waits for the beverage selection button 111a to be pressed.

When it is determined that any of the beverage selection buttons 111a has been pressed (step S105: Yes), the control unit 20 has pressed the thickening component selection button 112a by the elapse of a predetermined time. Whether or not it is input is determined by the presence or absence of input of the selection signal (step S106, step S107).

When a predetermined time elapses without determining that the thickening component selection button 112a has been pressed (step S106: No, step S107: Yes), the control unit 20 does not perform the process described later, but thereafter. Return the procedure and end this process.

When it is determined that the thickening component selection button 112a has been pressed by the elapse of the predetermined time (step S106: Yes, step S107: No), the control unit 20 cooks the beverage (step S108). Beverages are cooked as follows. In step S105, it is assumed that the beverage selection button 111a for the hot green tea beverage is pressed, and in step S106, the thickening component selection button 112a (“intermediate”) is pressed.

The control unit 20 drives the transport mechanism 13 to transport the container C received from the container storage unit to the lower region of the raw material canister 141 that stores the green tea beverage raw material. The control unit 20 drives the corresponding raw material supply drive unit 142 to charge a predetermined amount of the beverage raw material into the container C. Next, the control unit 20 drives the transport mechanism 13 to transport the container C to the lower region of the thickening component canister 151. The control unit 20 drives the thickening component supply driving unit 152 to charge a predetermined amount of the thickening component into the container C.

When the thickening component is charged into the container C, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the thickening component has been charged into the container C depending on whether or not the detection signal is input from the component detecting unit 153. When it is determined that the thickening component is not charged into the container C, the control unit 20 stops cooking the beverage and causes the display unit 12 to display an error code or the like indicating that the thickening component is not charged.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the thickening component is charged into the container C, the control unit 20 drives the transport mechanism 13 to transport the container C to the lower region of the discharge main body. The control unit 20 drives the paddle drive unit 172 to displace the paddle member 171 downward, arranges the stirring blades inside the container C, and opens the hot water supply valve 162 for a predetermined time. Add raw water (hot water). The control unit 20 charged with the raw water drives the paddle driving unit 172 to rotate the paddle member 171 to agitate the powder raw material, the thickening component, and the raw water charged into the container C. After that, the control unit 20 drives the paddle drive unit 172 to displace the paddle member 171 upward, drives the transport mechanism 13 to move the container C to the provided position, and finishes cooking the beverage.

The control unit 20 that has cooked the beverage in this way unlocks the closed state of the opening / closing door 3 by the door opening / closing lock mechanism 18 (step S109), and then returns the procedure to end the present time.

According to this, the beverage can be supplied to the user who swings the opening / closing door 3 forward in a state where the beverage is charged into the container C.

As described above, according to the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the component detection unit 153 detects whether or not the thickening component has been put into the container C, so that the beverage containing the thickening component is selected. In this case, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the beverage to be supplied does not contain a thickening component, and it is possible to reduce the risk of aspiration.

According to the beverage supply device, the control unit 20 cooks the beverage when the beverage selection unit 111 selects the type of beverage and then the thickening component selection unit 112 selects the presence or absence of the thickening component. The presence or absence of a component can be selected as a confirmation item, and the risk of aspiration can be reduced by clarifying the presence or absence of a thickening component.

According to the beverage supply device, when the storage detection unit 19 does not detect that the rinse valve 23 is stored in the rinse valve storage unit 22, the control unit 20 displays a notification to that effect on the display unit 12. Therefore, it is possible to make the manager of the beverage supply device recognize that the rinse valve 23 is not stored in the predetermined storage location, and the rinse valve 23 is not stored in the predetermined storage location. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects. In particular, when the storage detection unit 19 does not detect that the rinse valve 23 is stored in the rinse valve storage unit 22, the control unit 20 invalidates the selection unit 11 to regulate the cooking of the beverage. It is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of a defect due to the valve 23 not being stored in the predetermined storage location.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, the component detection unit 153 is installed in the vicinity of the thickening component shooter 154, and the thickening component is charged into the container C by detecting the passage of the thickening component in the thickening component shooter 154. However, in the present invention, the component detecting means is not limited to this, and it may be detected whether or not the thickening component is added by the resistance value at the time of stirring the paddle member. .. That is, the method is not particularly limited as long as it can detect whether or not the thickening component has been put into the container.

In the above-described embodiment, the storage detection unit 19 is pressed by the detection lever 221a in the holding posture to detect that the rinse valve 23 is stored in the rinse valve storage unit 22. In the present invention, the storage detecting means is not limited to this, and it may be possible to detect whether or not the washing water discharge member is stored in a predetermined storage location by being configured by, for example, an optical sensor or the like. That is, the method is not particularly limited as long as it can detect whether or not the washing water discharge member is stored in the storage location.

1 ... Main body cabinet, 2 ... Front door, 3 ... Opening and closing door, 4 ... Opening, 11 ... Selection unit, 111 ... Beverage selection unit, 112 ... Thickening component selection unit, 12 ... Display unit, 13 ... Conveyance mechanism, 14 ... Beverage raw material supply unit, 15 ... Thick component supply unit, 153 ... Component detection unit, 16 ... Beverage raw water supply unit, 17 ... Stirring mechanism, 18 ... Door open / close lock mechanism, 19 ... Storage detection unit, 20 ... Control unit, 22 ... Rinse valve storage, 221a ... detection lever, C ... container.

Claims (2)

A beverage supply device that cooks a beverage from the beverage raw material and the beverage raw water charged in the container and supplies the beverage in the state of being charged in the container.
The beverage raw material contains a thickening component that improves the viscosity of the beverage.
Beverage selection means for selecting the type of beverage and
When the presence or absence of the thickening component is selected, the thickening component selecting means and
A beverage supply device including a control means for cooking the beverage when the presence or absence of the thickening component is selected by the thickening component selecting means after the type of the beverage is selected by the beverage selecting means. .. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the thickening component selecting means can select not only the presence or absence of the thickening component but also the amount of the thickening component.

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