JP2023165486A - Raw material delivery device - Google Patents

Abstract

To preferably deliver a predetermined amount of bean-shape raw material while preventing the bean-shape raw material from being caught between a transport route and a blade part.SOLUTION: A raw material box 30 accommodates and stores coffee beans and delivers the coffee beans from a delivery port 33 with the drive of a transport drive part 40 built in the box. The transport drive part 40 includes a transport auger 40a that includes: a cylindrical shaft part 41 penetrating a hollow cylindrical transport route 34 communicated to the delivery port 33 in a fashion being in the vicinity of the delivery port 33; and a blade part 42 extending helically in a fashion protruding to the outside in a radial direction of the shaft part 41 in an outer peripheral part of the shaft part 41, and that rotates about a central axis of the shaft part 41 to deliver coffee beans from the delivery port 33 while transporting coffee beans toward the delivery port 33. The transport route 34 has a shortest distance L between an upper edge part and the blade part 42 in a direction orthogonal to a center axis direction of the shaft part 41 which has a size allowing coffee beans to pass therethrough.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a raw material dispensing device, and more particularly to a raw material dispensing device applied to a coffee machine or the like installed in a store such as a convenience store.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, beverage supply devices such as coffee machines have been installed in stores such as convenience stores. This beverage supply device is a container placed in the beverage supply section that generates a beverage by performing, for example, coffee bean grinding and dripping extraction processing in the beverage production section when a beverage is selected by the user. The beverage is supplied to the cup by being discharged from a nozzle that constitutes the beverage supply section.

Such a beverage supply device is provided with a raw material box that accommodates and stores coffee beans, and the raw material box is driven by a built-in unloading drive unit to supply the amount of coffee beans necessary for producing the beverage. is delivered to the beverage production section (for example, see FIG. 1).

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of a conventional raw material box applied to a beverage supply device. The raw material box 70 shown in FIG. 7 has an input port 71 formed on its top surface that is closed by a lid 72, and has a discharge port 73 at its lower rear end. In addition, a hollow cylindrical delivery path 74 is formed in the raw material box 70 in a manner that communicates with the delivery port 73, and a delivery auger 80 is disposed passing through the delivery path 74 in a manner close to the delivery port 73. ing.

The carry-out auger 80 constitutes the above-mentioned carry-out drive unit, and includes a cylindrical shaft portion 81 extending along the front-rear direction, and a shaft portion 81 that protrudes outward in the radial direction of the shaft portion 81 on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 81. It has a blade portion 82 that extends in a spiral manner. The carry-out auger 80 as described above rotates around the central axis of the shaft portion 81 to carry out the coffee beans toward the outlet 73 while discharging the coffee beans from the outlet 73.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-045119

By the way, the carrying out auger 80 has a vertical cross-sectional shape of the carrying out route 74, that is, a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the shaft part 81, in order to carry out and discharge the powder raw material restrained between the front and rear pitches of the blade part 82. has a circular cross-sectional shape that is concentric with the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the carry-out auger 80, and the upper edge of the carry-out path 74 and the blade part 82 of the carry-out auger 80 extend in the direction of the central axis of the shaft 81. The shortest distance M in orthogonal directions was formed to be very small.

Since the shortest distance M was formed to be very small in this way, when coffee beans instead of powdered raw materials were stored in the raw material box 70, the coffee beans entering the carry-out route 74 would not touch the upper edge of the carry-out route 74. There is a risk that the coffee beans may become caught between the blade portion 82 and obstruct the rotation of the carry-out auger 80, or the caught coffee beans may be crushed, making it impossible to dispense a predetermined amount of coffee beans.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention provides a raw material dispensing device that can prevent the bean-shaped raw material from being caught between the carry-out path and the blade and can efficiently dispense a predetermined amount of bean-shaped raw material. The purpose is to

In order to achieve the above object, the raw material dispensing device according to the present invention is a raw material dispensing device that accommodates and stores bean-shaped raw materials and discharges the bean-shaped raw materials from a dispensing port by driving a built-in unloading drive unit. The unloading drive unit includes a cylindrical shaft portion that passes through a hollow cylindrical unloading path that communicates with the dispensing port in a manner close to the dispensing port, and a cylindrical shaft portion that extends in the radial direction of the shaft portion on the outer periphery of the shaft portion. It has a blade part that extends spirally in a manner that projects outside, and by rotating around the central axis of the shaft part, the bean-shaped raw material is carried out toward the dispensing port and the bean-shaped raw material is removed from the dispensing port. A carry-out auger is provided for discharging the raw material, and the carry-out path is such that the shortest distance between the upper edge of the carry-out auger and the blade of the carry-out auger in a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction of the shaft is such that the bean-shaped raw material is It is characterized by having a size that allows passage.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the raw material dispensing device, the discharge path has an elliptical longitudinal cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction of the shaft portion.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the raw material dispensing device, the bean-shaped raw material is a coffee bean.

According to the present invention, the carrying-out path has a size that allows the shortest distance between the upper edge of the carrying-out path and the blade of the carrying-out auger in a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction of the shaft to allow the bean-shaped raw material to pass through. This prevents the bean-shaped raw material entering the carry-out route from being caught between the upper edge of the carry-out route and the blade, which prevents the rotation of the carry-out auger from being blocked due to locking, etc. It is possible to prevent the raw material from being crushed, and by rotating the delivery auger for a predetermined period of time, a predetermined amount of bean-shaped raw material can be discharged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bean-shaped raw material from being caught between the carry-out path and the blade portion, and to advantageously discharge a predetermined amount of the bean-shaped raw material.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a beverage supply device to which a raw material dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of a beverage supply device to which a raw material dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the beverage supply control process executed by the control section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of one raw material box shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of one raw material box shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional front view of the unloading path and unloading auger shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of a conventional raw material box applied to a beverage supply device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a raw material dispensing device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Beverage supply device configuration overview>
1 and 2 show a beverage supply device to which a raw material dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, respectively. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration, and FIG. 2 shows characteristic features. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system.

The beverage supply device illustrated here is, for example, a coffee machine installed in a store such as a convenience store, and performs, for example, coffee bean grinding and dripping extraction processing, and supplies beverages such as coffee to a cup C, which is a container. It is something to do. Such a beverage supply device includes a device main body 1.

The device main body 1 includes a main body cabinet 10 and a front door 20. The main body cabinet 10 has a substantially rectangular shape with an opening on the front surface. This main body cabinet 10 is provided with a raw material box (raw material dispensing device) 30 and a beverage production section 50.

The raw material boxes 30 accommodate and store coffee beans, which are raw materials for beverages, and four raw material boxes 30 are provided in this embodiment. Each of these raw material boxes 30 has a built-in unloading drive unit 40. The carry-out drive unit 40 includes a carry-out auger 40a and a carry-out motor 40b that drives the carry-out auger 40a, and discharges a predetermined amount of coffee beans to the beverage production unit 50. Details of the unloading drive unit 40 will be described later.

The beverage production unit 50 produces coffee using coffee beans discharged from the raw material box 30 and hot water supplied from a hot water storage unit (not shown) that stores hot water. To explain in more detail, the beverage production section 50 grinds the coffee beans discharged from the raw material box 30, and extracts and produces coffee using the ground beans and hot water from the hot water storage section.

The front door 20 is a door body having a size sufficient to close the front opening of the main cabinet 10. The front door 20 is provided at one edge of the front side of the main body cabinet 10 so as to be swingable around the central axis of a shaft portion (not shown) extending along the vertical direction. It is possible to open and close the opening.

The front surface of the front door 20 constitutes a customer service surface, and is provided with a display section 21, a beverage supply section 22, and an opening/closing door 23. The display unit 21 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel, and has an input unit 21a that displays various information and allows input operations such as touch operations.

The beverage supply section 22 is provided below the display section 21 and includes a nozzle 22a and a stage 22b. The nozzle 22a discharges the beverage produced by the beverage production section 50 downward. The stage 22b is provided in a region below the nozzle 22a. This stage 22b is for placing the cup C, and is provided with an arcuate stopper 22c.

The opening/closing door 23 is made of a translucent material such as transparent resin, and has a size sufficient to cover the entrance 22d of the beverage supply section 22. The opening/closing door 23 has a left end portion pivotally supported by the front door 20 and is swingable in the front-rear direction. In other words, the opening/closing door 23 is swingable in the front-rear direction in a manner approaching and away from the beverage supply section 22, and when swinging backward in a manner approaching the beverage supply section 22, the opening/closing door 23 can swing at the entrance of the beverage supply section 22. 22d can be closed and the inlet 22d of the beverage supply 22 can be opened when swinging forward away from the beverage supply 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the beverage supply device includes a container detection section 24, a door opening/closing detection section 25, a door opening/closing locking mechanism 26, and a control section 60.

The container detection section 24 is constituted by, for example, an optical sensor, and detects whether or not the cup C is placed in the beverage supply section 22, that is, whether the cup C is placed on the stage 22b. The container detection section 24 provides the detection result of the presence or absence of the cup C to the control section 60.

The door opening/closing detection section 25 is provided near the entrance 22d of the beverage supply section 22, and is composed of, for example, an optical sensor. The door opening/closing detection unit 25 detects whether the entrance 22d is opened or closed by the opening/closing door 23, and more specifically, it detects whether the entrance 22d is closed, that is, the opening/closing door 23 is closed. be. The door opening/closing detection section 25 provides the control section 60 with a detection result as to whether or not the opening/closing door 23 is closed.

The door opening/closing locking mechanism 26 is provided near the entrance 22d of the beverage supply section 22. This door opening/closing locking mechanism 26 has two states: a locked state in which the opening/closing door 23 that closes the entrance 22d is held in a closed state and restricts the opening/closing door 23 from swinging forward; It is possible to selectively switch between a release state and a release state in which the lever is allowed to swing forward. Such switching of the door opening/closing locking mechanism 26 is performed according to a command given from the control section 60.

The control unit 60 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned raw material box 30, beverage production unit 50, display unit 21, container detection unit 24, door opening/closing detection unit 25, and door opening/closing locking mechanism 26, and is also electrically connected to The operation of each of these parts is centrally controlled according to the programs and data stored in the storage part 61. The storage unit 61 also stores recipe data for drinks that can be supplied.

The control unit 60 may be realized by, for example, causing a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, it may be realized using a combination of software and hardware.

<Overview of operation of beverage supply device>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the beverage supply control process performed by the control unit 60 shown in FIG. 2. The operation of the beverage supply device will be explained while explaining the contents of the beverage supply control process.

In this beverage supply control process, the control unit 60 determines whether the container detection unit 24 has detected that the cup C is in the beverage supply unit 22 (step S101). That is, the container detection unit 24 detects whether the cup C is placed on the stage 22b. If the presence of the cup C is not detected (step S101: No), the control unit 60 repeats the determination process of step S101.

If it is detected that the cup C is present (step S101: Yes), the control unit 60 determines whether the opening/closing door 23 is closed based on the detection result of the door opening/closing detection unit 25 (step S102). ), if the opening/closing door 23 is not closed (step S102: No), the determination process of step S102 is repeated.

On the other hand, when the opening/closing door 23 is closed (step S102: Yes), the control unit 60 locks the opening/closing door 23 in a closed state using the door opening/closing locking mechanism 26 (step S103).

Then, the control unit 60 displays, on the display unit 21, the drinks that can be supplied and a guidance display that guides the touch of the input unit 21a (step S104).

After that, the control unit 60 determines whether the input unit 21a is touched (step S105). If the input unit 21a is not touched (step S105: No), the control unit 60 repeats the determination process of step S105.

On the other hand, if the input unit 21a is touched (step S105: Yes), the control unit 60 assumes that a beverage supply command has been given and that the control unit 60 supplies the raw materials for producing the beverage selected by the touch of the input unit 21a. A payout is made (step S106). That is, the control unit 60 drives the carry-out drive unit 40 of the corresponding raw material box 30 to dispense a predetermined amount of raw material to the beverage production unit 50.

After dispensing the raw materials, the control unit 60 causes the beverage generation unit 50 to generate and supply the beverage to be supplied (step S107). After that, the control unit 60 determines whether or not the beverage supply by the beverage generation unit 50 has ended (step S108). If the beverage supply has not been completed (step S108: No), the control unit 60 returns to step S107 and continues the beverage generation and supply process. On the other hand, when the beverage supply has ended (step S108: Yes), the control unit 60 unlocks the closed state of the opening/closing door 23 by the door opening/closing locking mechanism 26 (step S109), and then returns the procedure. This process ends.

<Configuration of raw material box 30>
4 and 5 are cross-sectional views showing the internal structure of one raw material box 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. As described above, a plurality of raw material boxes 30 (four in the illustrated example) are provided, and are arranged in parallel with other raw material boxes 30. These raw material boxes 30 may contain different types of raw materials, or may contain a plurality of raw materials of the same type and some of them may contain different types of raw materials. Since these raw material boxes 30 each have the same configuration, the configuration of one raw material box 30 will be described below, and the description of the configurations of the other raw material boxes 30 will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the raw material box 30 has an input port 31 formed on the top surface thereof that is closed by a lid 32, and a discharge port 33 at the lower rear end. Such a raw material box 30 is formed so that its cross-sectional area gradually decreases as it goes downward from the input port 31, and a hollow cylindrical discharge path 34 is formed in a manner that communicates with the dispensing port 33. There is.

A carry-out auger 40a constituting a carry-out drive unit 40 is built inside the raw material box 30. The carry-out auger 40a includes a shaft portion 41 and a blade portion 42.

The shaft portion 41 extends along the front-rear direction in a manner approaching the dispensing port 33 and passes through the dispensing path 34 . This shaft portion 41 has a cylindrical shape whose outer diameter gradually decreases toward the rear, that is, as it approaches the dispensing port 33.

The front end portion of the shaft portion 41 is linked via a linking member to a carry-out motor 40b that constitutes the carry-out drive unit 40 together with the carry-out auger 40a, and as a result, the shaft portion 41 is driven by the carry-out motor 40b to rotate its center. It rotates around an axis.

The blade portion 42 extends spirally along the central axis direction of the shaft portion 41 in a manner that projects radially outward from the shaft portion 41 at the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 41 .

Such a conveyance auger 40a rotates around the central axis of the shaft portion 41, thereby conveying the coffee beans restrained between the pitches of the blade portions 42 toward the dispensing port 33 and removing the coffee beans from the dispensing port 33. It is something to be paid out.

In such a raw material box 30, as shown in FIG. 6, the discharge path 34 has an elliptical longitudinal cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction of the shaft portion 41. The carry-out path 34 has a size in which the shortest distance L between the upper edge and the blade part 42 of the carry-out auger 40a in a direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the central axis direction of the shaft part 41 allows coffee beans to pass through. have.

In the raw material box 30 having the above configuration, the carry-out path 34 in the raw material box 30 is the shortest distance L between the upper edge and the blade part 42 of the carry-out auger 40a in the direction perpendicular to the central axis direction of the shaft part 41. has a size that allows the coffee beans to pass through, so when the carry-out auger 40a rotates around the central axis of the shaft portion 41 due to the drive of the carry-out motor 40b, the coffee beans entering the carry-out path 34 are removed. Being caught between the upper edge of the path 34 and the blade portion 42 can be suppressed. Since the coffee beans can be prevented from being caught between the upper edge of the carry-out path 34 and the blade part 42 in this way, the rotation of the carry-out auger 40a is prevented from being blocked or the coffee beans are crushed. This can be prevented, and a predetermined amount of coffee beans can be delivered by rotating the carry-out auger 40a for a predetermined period of time.

Therefore, according to the raw material box 30, the coffee beans can be prevented from being caught between the carry-out path 34 and the blade part 42, and a predetermined amount of coffee beans can be efficiently delivered to the beverage production section 50.

Moreover, since the raw material box 30 can dispense a predetermined amount of coffee beans to the beverage production section 50 in this way, the beverage supply device can supply a beverage of desired quality to the cup C.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes can be made.

In the embodiment described above, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the carrying-out route 34 in the direction orthogonal to the central axis direction of the shaft portion 41 is elliptical, but in the present invention, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the carrying-out route is elliptical. It is not necessary that the shortest distance between the upper edge and the blade in the direction perpendicular to the central axis of the shaft is large enough to allow coffee beans to pass through. .

In the embodiment described above, coffee beans have been described as an example of the bean-shaped raw material, but beans other than coffee beans may be used as the bean-shaped raw material of the present invention.

30... Raw material box, 31... Input port, 32... Lid, 33... Output port, 34... Carrying out route, 40... Carrying out drive section, 40a... Carrying out auger, 40b... Carrying out motor, 41... Shaft part, 42... Blade part.

Claims (3)

A raw material dispensing device that accommodates and stores bean-shaped raw materials and discharges the bean-shaped raw materials from a dispensing port by driving a built-in unloading drive unit,
The unloading drive unit includes a cylindrical shaft portion passing through a hollow cylindrical unloading path that communicates with the dispensing port in a manner close to the dispensing port, and a cylindrical shaft portion extending from the outside in the radial direction of the shaft portion on the outer periphery of the shaft portion. The bean-shaped raw material is conveyed toward the dispensing port by rotating around the central axis of the shaft, and the bean-shaped raw material is discharged from the dispensing port. Equipped with an unloading auger,
The carry-out path has a size such that the shortest distance in a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction of the shaft between its upper edge and the blade of the carry-out auger allows passage of the bean-shaped raw material. A raw material dispensing device characterized by: The raw material dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the discharging route has an elliptical longitudinal cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the central axis direction of the shaft portion. The raw material dispensing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bean-shaped raw material is a coffee bean.

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