JP2636346B2 - Product heating equipment for vending machines for canned goods - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is directed to a vending machine for canned goods such as coffee, which stores goods stored in the machine at low temperature, normal temperature or in a preheated state. The present invention relates to a product heating device of a can product vending machine which is heated to a selling temperature in a short time while being carried out from a department to a product outlet and is sold as a hot product.

[Conventional technology]

As a product heating device described above, a high-frequency induction heating device is provided near the product outlet, and when a hot product is selected at the time of sale, can products taken out of the product storage section in the machine are guided to the high-frequency induction heating device. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 54-699 discloses a method in which the product is heated and then sent out to the product outlet.
It is known as

Such a product heating device is composed of a cylindrical heating container having a vertical axis made of a ferromagnetic metal material, and an induction heating coil wound around the outer periphery of the heating container. The can product rolled and carried out in the above is changed from the inverted position to the vertical position by another handling mechanism and guided into the heating vessel, where a high-frequency current is applied to the induction heating coil. As a result, the heating container itself is induction-heated, and the heat indirectly heats and warms the can goods stored in the container. In addition, a part of magnetic flux (leakage magnetic flux) generated by energization of the induction heating coil is directly linked with the can product and induction-heats the can itself.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

By the way, as described above, in the conventional product heating apparatus, as a heating mode of the product, first, the tubular heating container itself arranged on the vertical axis is heated by energizing the induction heating coil, and the heat is stored in the heating container. Indirect heating, which heats the contents of the beverage by transferring heat to the main body, and at the same time, induction heating of the canned product itself is adopted. Disadvantages. (1) Since the indirect heating mode is mainly used, a large heat transfer resistance is applied between the heating container and the canned product via an air layer, thereby lowering the heating efficiency and keeping the content beverage at an appropriate temperature. It takes a long time to heat for heating.

(2) The size (diameter) of a can product conforming to the diameter of the cylindrical heating container is uniquely determined, and a can product of a larger size cannot be accommodated in the heating container, and The same product heating device cannot be used for can products of various sizes, for example, the size of a can product having a large size (air space) between the can and the heating container reduces the heating effect.

(3) In order to load the rolling product from the product storage section inside the machine into the product heating device, a handling mechanism for changing the posture of the can product from the inverted position to the vertical position and introducing the product into the heating container. Is required, and the mechanism and operation are complicated.

(4) Since the induction heating coil is wound around the outer periphery of the cylindrical heating container, the magnetic lines of force interlinking with the can products contained in the heating container pass in the direction of the can axis. Therefore, the eddy current flowing in the can itself due to the electromotive force due to the linkage with the magnetic field lines flows along this loop with the periphery of the can being a closed loop. On the other hand, the can structure of a can product is a structure in which a can lid is connected to both ends or one side of the can body, and between the can body and the can lid, and in the case of cans other than the drawn can body, the periphery of the can body. There are seams on the surface. By the way, this seam is folded and folded in a can material, and furthermore, it is sealed in a liquid-tight manner with an adhesive or brazing. In terms of conductivity, the electric resistance of this seam is higher than that of other parts. .

For this reason, when eddy current flows along the circumference of the can by interlinkage with the magnetic field lines passing in the can axis direction, the seam is locally abnormally heated by the eddy current, and the seam is peeled off depending on the situation. Or Also, with the overheating occurring at the can lid joint, the air enclosed in the residual space at the top of the can is overheated and the pressure inside the can rises abnormally, and as a result, the can itself was punctured. Trouble may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and solves the above-described problems in the conventional product heating apparatus, can efficiently and directly heat products of various sizes, and requires a special handling mechanism. It is an object of the present invention to provide a product heating apparatus which can load and heat a product on a product heating apparatus in a product delivery path while keeping the product in an unloading position without performing the above.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, in the product heating device of the present invention, a gutter-shaped product receiving tray made of a non-magnetic material that receives and holds can products in an inverted posture, and this product receiving tray is An induction heating coil which is independently configured and installed on the lower surface side of the product receiving stand, wherein the longitudinal dimension of the induction heating coil is selected to be shorter than the axial length of the can product, and the can product is placed in an inverted posture. It is assumed that the can product is induction-heated in a state where the seam portion between the can body and the can lid at both ends of the can is located outside the region of the induction heating coil.

Further, it is preferable that the above-mentioned induction heating coil is selected such that its longitudinal dimension is shorter than the axial length of the can product.

[Action]

In the above configuration, the product heating device is disposed, for example, at the bottom of the product outlet. Here, when a can product taken out of the product storage section of the machine by the sales order is rolled and carried out to the product exit via the unloading shooter, the product first falls onto the product receiving tray of the product heating device and is placed in the inverted position. Accepted and held as is. This process does not require any special handling mechanism. Here, if the products are refrigerated in the product storage section, when the hot products are not selected, the customer can take out the cold can products directly from the receiving stand through the product outlet.

On the other hand, if a hot product is selected, the induction heating coil is supplied with power from a high-frequency power supply and energized according to a command from the controller, and the magnetic field lines of the coil generated thereby are linked to the can product in a direction perpendicular to the can axis. As a result, the eddy current generated in the can does not flow through the entire circumference of the can as a closed loop, but flows through the surface of the can in a small local loop, and directly inductively heats the can with the Joule heat. If the can material is made of a magnetic material such as a tin can, heating due to hysteresis loss due to linkage of lines of magnetic force is also added. Here, the size of the induction heating coil is selected to be slightly smaller than the axial length of the can product in advance, so that the seam between the can body and the can lid is directly subjected to induction heating and locally abnormally heated. Never be.

Furthermore, since the can product is placed in the inverted position and is subjected to induction heating, the remaining space in the can moves to the upper surface side of the can body opposite to the heating surface. Therefore, the heat generated in the can is efficiently transferred to the liquid beverage contained in the can, so that the liquid beverage can be heated to an appropriate temperature in a very short time, and the air in the remaining space in the can is also opposite to the induction heating surface. As a result, there is no direct heat transfer, thereby avoiding the occurrence of an unexpected trouble such as a puncture of the can itself where the pressure in the can has risen to a dangerous state.

When the heating is completed, the customer can directly take out the can goods placed on the goods receiving stand of the heating device through the goods take-out port, and in this process, there is no need for a handling mechanism. In addition, since a method is adopted in which can products are received and held in the product receiving stand in the inverted position, by selecting the gutter diameter of the product receiving stand sufficiently large in advance, can products of various sizes (diameters) can be manufactured. Can also be supported.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a product heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the heating operation, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine incorporating the product heating device of FIG.

First, in FIG. 1, 1 is a product heating device, and 2 is a can product loaded in the product heating device 1. Here, the product heating device 1 is configured by combining a product receiving table 11 and an induction heating coil 12, and the product receiving table 11 is a semicircular gutter-like body having an open upper surface. Made of magnetic, non-conductive material. On the other hand, the induction heating coil 12 is formed as a saddle-shaped air-core coil mounted at the center of the lower surface of the commodity receiving table 11, and is connected to a high-frequency power source (not shown).
The longitudinal dimension A of the induction heating coil 12 is selected to be shorter than the axial length dimension B of the can product 2 by a dimension C from both left and right ends.

In addition, the illustrated can product 2 shows a tin can,
In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a can body, 22 denotes an upper lid, 23 denotes a lower lid, 24 denotes a liquid beverage contained in the can, and 25 denotes a remaining space in the can filled with sealed air.

With such a configuration, when the canned product 2 is placed on the product receiving stand 11 in an inverted posture, and a high-frequency current is applied to the induction heating coil 12 in this state, the magnetic force lines φ are formed around the coil as shown in FIG.
Is generated. The lines of magnetic force φ penetrate the non-magnetic material receiving table 11 and interlink with the can product 2 in a direction orthogonal to the central axis (longitudinal direction) of the can body 21. Here, if the can product 2 is a tin can as described above, since tin (a mild steel plate subjected to tin plating) is a magnetic material, most of the lines of magnetic force φ are as shown in the figure. Concentrate through the inside along the 21 walls. As a result, an electromotive force is induced inside the can body 21 to cause an eddy current of a small loop to flow as shown by the symbol i, and this eddy current generates Joule heat, and at the same time, hysteresis due to linkage with the magnetic field line φ. Heat due to the loss is also added, and the heat generated here is transferred from the can wall of the can body 21 to the liquid beverage 24 contained in the can, thereby heating the liquid beverage. When the product can is made of a non-magnetic material such as an aluminum can, the distribution of the lines of magnetic force φ with the can body changes slightly, and there is no heating due to hysteresis loss.
An eddy current of a small loop similar to the above flows and is heated by the Joule heat.

Moreover, in this case, the can 2 is placed in the inverted position,
11, the remaining space 25 in the can has moved to the upper surface side of the can body 21 on the side opposite to the induction heating surface, and the upper surface side of the can body 21 from the direction of linkage of the magnetic force lines φ. No eddy current flows, so that the air sealed in the remaining space 25 is not unnecessarily heated and the pressure in the can is not excessively increased. Similarly, since the longitudinal dimension A of the induction heating coil 12 is shorter and smaller than the axial length dimension B of the can product 2, the can body 21 at both ends of the can is provided.
There is no danger that the joint between the can and the can lids 22 and 23 will be locally abnormally heated.

Also, regarding the seam (tin can) on the peripheral surface of the can body 21, if the seam of the can body 21 is displaced from the induction heating surface in a state where the can product 2 is placed on the product receiving tray 11, the line of magnetic force φ , No eddy current is generated in this joint portion, and no local abnormal heating occurs.

From the evaluation based on the results of the actual machine test conducted by the inventor, it was found that the heating efficiency can be greatly improved as compared with the conventional product heating method, and that problems such as peeling due to local heating of the seam portion of the can product, can puncture, etc. It has been confirmed that there is no occurrence.

Next, the operation of the commodity heating apparatus related to the vending operation of the vending machine will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, 3 is a vending machine cabinet, 4 is a product storage section housed in the machine, 5 is a cooler for cooling the inside of the refrigerator, 6 is a front door of the cabinet, 7 is a product outlet opening to the front door 6, Reference numeral 8 denotes a product take-out door provided in the product take-out port 7, 9 denotes a product take-out shooter, and the above-described product heating device 1 is provided at the bottom of the product take-out port 7.

Here, in the sales standby state, the canned product 2 is kept cool. On the other hand, when the can product 2 is unloaded from the product storage unit 4 in accordance with the sales command, the can product 2 rolls on the unloading shooter 9 toward the product outlet 7 in the inverted position, and the product heating device 1
Is dropped and received and held on the product receiving stand 11 of the first embodiment. In this case, if a hot product is not selected, the customer can open the product take-out door 8 and directly take out the cold can product 2 from the product receiving stand 11. If you select a hot product,
By the selection, a high-frequency current is supplied to the induction heating coil 12 of the product heating apparatus 1 for a predetermined time by a command from a controller (not shown). Thereby, as already explained in FIG. 2, the canned product 2 is directly induction-heated. Then, when the heating is completed, the end of the heating is notified to the customer by a sign. Thus, the customer can open the product take-out door 7 and take out the hot canned product 2. In order to prevent the hand from accidentally touching the product heating device 1 during heating, for example, it is preferable to lock the product take-out door 8 to the closed position by an appropriate lock mechanism during heating.

〔The invention's effect〕

Since the commodity heating device of the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, a gutter-shaped product receiving tray made of a non-magnetic material for receiving and holding a can product in an inverted posture and receiving and holding the product, and an air-core induction heating coil arranged on the lower surface side of the product receiving device, a product heating device. In addition, the size of the induction heating coil is selected to be shorter than the axial length of the can product. (1) The can product can be heated by the direct induction heating method, and the heating efficiency is higher than that of the indirect heating method. Improvement and shortening of heating time can be achieved.

(2) Due to the arrangement of the induction heating coil and the selection of its dimensions, the seam portion of the can product is not abnormally heated locally or the air sealed in the can is not heated. In this case, it is possible to prevent occurrence of unexpected troubles such as peeling of a joint portion and puncturing of a can.

(3) Without needing any handling mechanism, it is possible to load the product on the product heating device and take out the product after heating on the way of the product delivery path while keeping the can product unloaded from the product storage unit in the inverted position. The handling is easy, and the material handling property in the machine can be improved as compared with the conventional device.

(4) The same product heating device can handle can products of various sizes.

(5) Since the product cradle and the induction heating coil are configured independently, when the product cradle is damaged by, for example, a can product, only the product cradle can be replaced.

As a product heating device incorporated in a vending machine for use, excellent effects can be obtained in terms of a heating function and product handling.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the structure of a commodity heating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the heating operation of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an in-machine constitution of a vending machine incorporating the commodity heating apparatus of FIG. FIG. In the figure, 1: product heating device, 11: product tray, 12: induction heating coil, 2:
Canned product, 4: Product storage section, 5: Cooler, 7: Product outlet, φ:
Lines of magnetic force, i: eddy current, A: longitudinal dimension of induction heating coil, B: axial length of can product.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yukio Kimura 1-1-1, Tanabe-Shinda, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-63-132395 (JP, A) JP-A-53-100898 (JP, A) JP-A-53-76097 (JP, A) JP-A-55-45199 (JP, U) JP-A-55-44375 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] Claims: 1. A product heating device for a can product vending machine for heating can products carried out from a product storage section in the machine to a product outlet on a carry-out path, wherein the can products are received in an inverted posture. A trough-shaped non-magnetic material receiving tray for receiving and holding the product, and an induction heating coil which is configured independently of the product receiving tray and is installed on the lower surface side of the product receiving tray. The size is selected to be shorter than the axial length of the can product, the can product is received in the inverted position, and the joint between the can body and the can lid at both ends of the can is located outside the induction heating coil area A product heating device for a can product vending machine, characterized in that a can product is induction-heated by a can.