JP3234863B2 - Cup-type beverage vending machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for preparing a predetermined beverage by mixing various powdery or liquid raw materials such as coffee, cocoa, black tea or syrup with hot water, water and ice chips.
The present invention relates to a cup-type beverage vending machine that sells this beverage via a cup.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a beverage vending machine of this kind, a cup supplying device in which cups of various sizes are accommodated, a raw material supplying device for supplying raw materials of various powders, and hot water for dilution Water and hot water supply device, ice chip supply device to supply ice chips, stirrer to stir raw materials and hot water, bend stage leading to product outlet, cup, holding and circulating to predetermined positions while holding cup Transfer devices and the like are densely arranged.

The body of a vending machine is formed in a box shape with an open front, and an opening / closing door is provided on the front of the body. The opening / closing door is provided in a lateral opening type with one side edge rotatably attached to one side edge of the front surface of the body via a hinge.

[0004] The bend stage is provided substantially at the center of the front open portion of the body, and a product outlet is formed in the opening / closing door corresponding to the bend stage. It is arranged to face the bend stage.

[0005] Fig. 8 schematically shows the relationship of the arrangement of each member in a vending machine, wherein 1 is a body of the vending machine, and 2 is rotatable on one side edge of the front surface of the body 1. It is a horizontally openable door that is pivotally mounted, and a raw material supply device 3 is provided in the upper part of the fuselage 1 at a position nearer to one side, and a bend stage 4 is provided substantially in the center of the front open part of the fuselage 1. I have.

Below the front side of the raw material supply device 3, a transfer device 6 for circulating the cup holding unit 5 to each position is provided.
The cup supply device 7 is disposed in a space in front of the raw material supply device 3 and above the transfer device 6 when the door 2 is closed, and the space is opened with the opening of the door 2. From the front of the fuselage 1.

At the time of selling a beverage, the cup holding unit 5 is first conveyed below the cup supplying device 7 via the conveying device 6, and a cup of a predetermined size is discharged from the cup supplying device 7 to the cup holding unit 5 at this position. The cup is held by the cup holding unit 5.

Next, the cup holding unit 5 is transported together with the cup to a position below the predetermined raw material supply device 3, and the predetermined raw material is supplied into the cup at this position. Thereafter, the cup holding unit 5 is conveyed to the inside of the bend stage 4 together with the cup, and hot water, water or ice chips are supplied into the cup at this position, and further stirred and mixed by the stirring device 8 to prepare a predetermined beverage. Is done. Then, a user of the vending machine takes out the cup through the product outlet 9 of the opening / closing door 2.

[0009]

By the way, at the time of replenishment of the raw material to the raw material supply device 3 or at the time of replenishment of the cup to the cup supply device 7, the raw material supply device 3 or the transfer device 6
At the time of cleaning and maintenance of the surroundings, the opening / closing door 2 is pivotally opened toward the front side of the body 1 as shown in FIG. When the opening and closing door 2 is opened, the cup supply device 7 and the space in front of the material supply device 3 are opened integrally with the opening and closing door 2, so that the material is supplied to the material supply device 3 through this space, Alternatively, cleaning and maintenance are performed on the raw material supply device 3, the transfer device 6, and the peripheral portion thereof, and cups are supplied to the cup supply device 7 exposed on the front side of the machine body 1.

Here, there is no particular problem as long as the opening / closing door 2 can be rotated and opened to a large angle exceeding 90 ° with respect to the front surface of the body 1, but there is no problem on the left and right sides of the body 1 of the vending machine. In many cases, an airframe of another vending machine or a wall surface of a building is arranged adjacent to the airframe 1.
Can be opened only at an angle of about 90 ° with respect to the front of the body 1.

In such a case, a cup supplying device 7 having a large outer shape is attached to the inner surface of the opening / closing door 2 and the body 1
The bend stage 4 is disposed almost at the center of the front open portion of the container, so that the cup supply device 7 and the bend stage 4 become obstacles. It is difficult to get in, and the work of replenishing raw materials or cleaning and maintenance becomes troublesome and troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point. It is an object of the present invention to secure a sufficient space in the front part of the body when the opening / closing door is opened and to supply the inside of the body. An object of the present invention is to provide a cup-type beverage vending machine which can easily and efficiently supply the apparatus and clean and maintain its peripheral portion.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided a box-shaped body having an open front, and
An opening / closing door pivotally attached to one side edge of the front surface of the machine body, and a supply device or a cup supply of a raw material accompanied by a human replenishment operation in a deep portion near one side of the machine body; One of the supply devices is provided, and the other supply device is disposed in a space inside the body on the front side of the supply device, and is provided at an open portion on the front of the body, near the center of the open portion. The other supply device is rotatably attached to the support via a hinge, and is disposed in a space in the body on the front side of the one supply device by the rotation of the other supply device. The other supply device can be drawn out to the front side of the fuselage.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external appearance of the vending machine, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal configuration of the vending machine, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the vending machine.

The body 11 of this vending machine has a box shape with an open front, and an opening / closing door 13 is rotatably pivoted via a hinge 12 to one side edge of the body 11, for example, on the left side. The opening on the front of the body 11 is opened and closed by the opening / closing door 13.

At the front of the opening / closing door 13, an insertion slot 14 for inserting coins for purchase, and a return slot 1 for returning change.
5, a plurality of selection buttons 16 for selecting the type and content of the beverage to be purchased, a product outlet 17 for taking out the purchased beverage in a cup, and the like.

A column 20 extending substantially vertically extends from a ceiling portion to a bottom plate portion of the open portion on the front surface of the body 11 at a position closer to the center from the right side. A bend stage 21 is attached to a substantially middle portion of the column 20 at the top and bottom. The bend stage 21 is attached to the left side of the support column 20, and the product outlet 17 faces the front end of the bend stage 21 when the opening and closing door 13 is closed.

Inside the body 11, a plurality of canisters 22 as a raw material supply device are provided side by side in the upper part on the left side of the column 20 as a boundary. And coffee, cocoa, in each canister 22 ...
Various powder raw materials such as tea, sugar, cream and the like are stored respectively.

In the space below the front side of each of the canisters 22, a cup holding unit 23 and a transfer device 24 for moving the cup holding unit 23 in the horizontal XY directions to convey the circuit cyclically to predetermined positions. Is provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transfer device 24
A pair of fixed rails 25, 25 along the left-right direction of the body 11
And a movable rail 26 spanned between the fixed rails 25, 25 and moved along the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the fixed rails 25, 25, and the cup holding unit 23 is placed on the movable rail 26. The cup holding unit 23 is provided to move along the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the movable rail 26.

The cup holding unit 23 has a case 30 in which a driving device (not shown) is housed.
A pair of hand arms 31, 31 and a cup stage 32 protrude from the front surface of the cup. When a cup is supplied from above the hand arms 31, 31, the bottom of the cup is supported by the cup stage 32, and The pair of hand arms 31, 31 is opened and closed by driving by the driving device, and is held between both sides of the upper portion of the cup.

A cup supply device 36 is attached to the upper portion of the column 20 via a hinge 35, and a number of cups of various sizes are stored in the cup supply device 36. The cup supply device 36 is supported so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis with a hinge 35 as a fulcrum. With this rotation operation, the cup supply device 36 is positioned in front of each canister 22 in the body 11 and at the transfer device 24. 3 in which the cup supply device 36 is disposed in a space above the space 11 and a drawn state shown in FIG. 4 in which the cup supply device 36 is pulled out to the front of the body 11 and disposed. It has become. A plurality of canisters 37 are attached to the back of the cup supply device 36, and a powder material is accommodated in the canisters 37.

As shown in FIG. 2, a drain pan 38 is provided horizontally below the transfer device 24, and a cooling water tank 39 is provided below the drain pan 38. A syrup tank 40 is provided in the cooling water tank 39. And a syrup stock solution is stored in the syrup tank 40. Further, a carbon dioxide cylinder 41 is disposed in an open portion on the front of the body 11.

An ice maker 42 for producing ice pieces is provided substantially at the center of the upper part of the body 11 at the rear, and a hot water tank 43 is provided at the right end of the upper part of the body 11 at the back.
Further, a regular coffee production device 48 is provided in a space on the right side of the support 20 in the body 11.

An apparatus 48 for producing regular coffee includes a pair of canisters 49, 49, and a pair of canisters 49, 49.
A coffee mill 50 is disposed below the coffee mill 50 and a brewer 51 is disposed below the coffee mill 50. Different coffee beans are accommodated in the canisters 49, 49. Then, based on a predetermined signal, the coffee beans in either one of the canisters 49 are supplied into the coffee mill 50 via the chute 52, and the coffee beans are ground by the coffee mill 50 into ground powder. Is supplied into the brewer 51.

Further, hot water is supplied into the brewer 51 from the hot water tank 43, and the ground water is brewed into coffee liquid by the hot water, and the coffee liquid is extracted through a paper filter 53.

The paper filter 53 is wound in a roll shape, and is used by being sequentially pulled out by a necessary length, and the used portion is sequentially discarded in a bucket 54 disposed below the brewer 51. It is supposed to be.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bend stage 21 attached to the support 20 has a box shape with open front and rear surfaces. Holding unit 23
A substantially U-shaped cutout 59 corresponding to the cup stage 32 is formed.

When the cup holding unit 23 is transferred to the bend position on the back of the bend stage 21 by the transfer device 24, the cup stage 32 of the cup holding unit 23 enters the notch portion 59 and matches. The cup on the cup stage 32 is arranged inside the bend stage 21.

A stirrer 60 is provided above the bend stage 21, and the stirrer 60 is attached to the column 20. The stirring device 60 includes a case 61 having an open lower end and a first case 61 provided in the case 61.
, An endless belt 63 that is driven and rotated by the first motor 62, a second motor 64 that moves up and down in conjunction with the endless belt 63, and is attached to the second motor 64. The impeller shaft 65 includes a vertically long impeller shaft 65 and an impeller 66 integrally provided at a lower end of the impeller shaft 65.

At the lower end of the case 61, a nozzle mounting plate 69 is provided.
And an ice hopper 70, and a supply port 71 is formed on a side surface of the ice hopper 70.
A hose 72 led out from the ice maker 42 is connected to the ice maker 42.

The lower end of the ice hopper 70 projects from the upper surface of the bend stage 21 to the inside thereof, and faces the opening at the upper end of the cup arranged in the bend stage 21. When the impeller shaft 65 of the stirring device 60 is lowered integrally with the second motor 64, the impeller 66 at the lower end passes through the inside of the ice hopper 70 and is placed in the cup arranged on the bend stage 21. Upon entering, the impeller 66 is driven and rotated by the second motor 64, and the rotation causes the contents in the cup to be stirred.

The hot water nozzle 74 connected to the hot water tank 43 via a hose 73 is connected to the nozzle mounting plate 69.
A cold water nozzle 76 communicating with a water source (not shown) via a hose 75, and a hose 77 connected to the syrup tank 40.
And a coffee nozzle 80 communicating with the brewer 51 via a hose 79.
Are attached. These nozzles 74, 7
6, 78, 80 project obliquely toward the inside of the bend stage 21, and the direction thereof is
It is supported to face the opening of the cup inside.

An operation panel 83 having a relatively small thickness is provided above the inner surface of the opening / closing door 13, and a control section 84 having a microcomputer (not shown) is provided in the operation panel 83.

Next, the operation of the cup type vending machine will be described. 2 and 3, the cup holding unit 23 is disposed at the bend position on the back of the bend stage 21 when the drink is on standby for sale. Therefore, the opening on the back side of the bend stage 21 is closed by the case 30 of the cup holding unit 23, so that the passage from the product outlet 17 to the inside of the machine body 11 is blocked. External mischief can be prevented.

When the user of the vending machine selects and operates the selection button 16 corresponding to the desired beverage, the cup holding unit 23 is transferred to the cup receiving position below the cup supply device 36 via the transfer device 26. You. Then, a cup of a predetermined size in the cup supply device 36 is supplied to the cup holding unit 23, and the cup is supported on the cup stage 32, and both upper sides thereof are sandwiched and held by the pair of hand arms 31, 31. Is done.

Next, the cup holding unit 23 is conveyed to a position below the canisters 22 in which the predetermined beverage ingredients are stored, and at this position, the predetermined powdery beverage ingredients are supplied into the cup. , The cup holding unit 23 is transported to the bend position on the back of the bend stage 21, the cup stage 32 of the cup holding unit 23 is fitted into the cutout 59 of the bend stage 21, and the cup is placed inside the bend stage 21. .

Next, hot water in the hot water tank 43 is placed in a cup disposed on the bend stage 21 by a hot water nozzle 74.
Or cold water from a water source is injected through a cold water nozzle 76, or carbonic acid-containing cold water generated based on carbon dioxide in the carbon dioxide cylinder 41 is injected through a cold water nozzle 76, or Ice pieces produced by the ice maker 42 are supplied through an ice hopper 71.

At this time, the first motor 62 of the stirring device 60 is driven to lower the impeller shaft 65, the impeller 66 at the lower end thereof enters the cup, and the impeller 66 is driven by the second motor 64. Is rotated, and the contents in the cup are stirred by the rotation, and a predetermined beverage is prepared by the stirring. Then, after the preparation of the beverage is completed, the impeller shaft 65 rises and returns to the initial position.

Thereafter, the user of the vending machine opens the door 13
The user inserts his hand into the product outlet 17 to take out the cup. When the regular coffee is selected, the regular coffee is extracted by the brewer 51 and the regular coffee is extracted from the coffee nozzle 8.
0 into the cup. When a syrup is selected, the syrup stock solution in the syrup tank 40 is injected into the cup through the syrup nozzle 78, and cold water or cold water containing carbonic acid is injected through the cold water nozzle 76. Then, the contents in the cup are stirred by the impeller 66 of the stirring device 60 to prepare a syrup beverage.

On the other hand, when replenishing raw materials to the canisters 22 arranged in the inner part of the machine body 11, replenishing cups to the cup supply device 36, cleaning the canisters 22,... At the time of maintenance, as shown in FIG. 4, first, the opening / closing door 13 is pivotally opened to the front left of the body 11 with the hinge 12 as a fulcrum.

Next, the cup supply device 36 disposed in the space in front of each canister 22... Is pivotally pulled out to the front right side of the machine body 11 with the hinge 35 attached to the column 20 as a fulcrum. The drawer opens the space in front of each canister 22.

The column 20 supporting the cup supply device 36 via the hinge 35 is located near the center of the front surface of the body 11, and therefore, the cup supply device 36 pulled out to the front side of the body 11 is positioned at the position of the column 20. Can be arranged further away from the right side. The inner surface of the opening / closing door 13 is substantially flat, and the cup supply device 36 is obliquely disposed on the opposite side of the opening / closing door 13. A large enough space is secured, so that an operator enters into this space, and each canister 22 ...
It is possible to easily supply powdered materials into the inside, and to easily perform cleaning and maintenance of the surroundings.

Further, by pulling out the cup supply device 36 to the front side of the body 11, the periphery thereof is opened, so that cup supply to the cup supply device 36 can be easily performed. Particularly, in this case, since the front and rear surfaces of the cup supply device 36 are opened, there is an advantage that the cup can be replenished separately to the front side and the rear side.

The column 20 supporting the cup supply device 36 is located near the center of the front of the
There is an advantage that the body 11 is reinforced by the support pillars 20 and becomes strong.

In the above embodiment, the raw material supply device is provided in the upper rear portion of the body, and the cup supply device is rotatably attached to the support column via the hinge. , A supply device for the cup may be provided, the supply device for the raw material may be rotatably attached to the support via a hinge, and the supply device for the raw material may be drawn out to the front side of the body.

[0047]

As explained above, according to the present invention,
At the back of the fuselage, either a supply device for raw materials or a supply device for cups, which involves human replenishment work, is provided.The supply device is located at the open part on the front of the fuselage near the center of the open part. Since a support is provided, and the other supply device is rotatably attached to the support via a hinge,
When the door is opened and the other supply device is turned around the hinge as a fulcrum and pulled out to the front of the body, the door and the other supply device are arranged on the opposite sides to each other, and A sufficient space is ensured, so that replenishment of the one supply device in the machine body and cleaning and maintenance of its peripheral portion can be easily and efficiently performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal structure of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration inside the body of the vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where an opening / closing door of the vending machine is opened and a cup supply device is pulled out.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a transfer device of a cup holding unit in the vending machine.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which a cup holding unit is connected to a bend stage in the vending machine.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a bend stage and a stirring device in the vending machine.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the internal structure of a conventional vending machine.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state where an opening / closing door of the vending machine is opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Machine body 13 ... Opening / closing door 20 ... Prop 21 ... Bend stage 22 ... Canister (raw material supply device) 23 ... Cup holding unit 24 ... Conveying device 35 ... Hinge 36 ... Cup supply device 48 ... Regular coffee production device 49 ... Canister 50 ... Mill 51 ... Brewer

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-57-17094 (JP, A) JP-A-4-248697 (JP, A) JP-A-7-37157 (JP, A) JP-A-7-234969 (JP) , A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 60-65881 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 59-187868 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Hei 2-149490 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model 2-126282 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07F 13/00-15/12 G07F 5/00-9/10 102 B67D 1/00-3/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A box-shaped body having an open front, and an opening / closing door rotatably pivotally attached to one side edge of the front of the body. Either a supply device for a raw material or a supply device for a cup accompanied by a human replenishment operation is provided, and the other supply device is disposed in a space in the body on the front side of the supply device,
A support is provided at an open portion on the front surface of the body at a position near the center of the open portion, and the other supply device is rotatably attached to this support via a hinge, and the turning operation is performed by the turning operation. A cup-type beverage vending machine, characterized in that the other supply device disposed in a space inside the machine on the front side of one supply device can be drawn out to the front side of the machine. 2. A canister containing coffee beans and a mill for grinding the coffee beans, which constitute a regular coffee maker, are provided in a space in the body on the opposite side of the supply device from the support column. 2. A brewer for extracting a coffee liquid with ground coffee beans ground by a mill is provided vertically.
4. A drink-type beverage vending machine according to claim 1. 3. A bend stage and a stirrer are mounted on the support, and a cup holding unit for holding a cup and the cup holding unit at predetermined positions are provided below the respective supply devices in the body. A transport device for circulating transport is provided, and the cup holding unit is transported to a position below the cup supply device by the transport device, and the cup is supplied to the cup holding unit at this position. It is conveyed to a lower position of the supply device, at which the powdered raw material of the predetermined beverage is supplied into the cup,
Thereafter, the cup holding unit is transported to the bend stage, hot water or cold water is injected into the cup at the position of the bend stage, and the content in the cup is stirred by the stirring device, and a predetermined beverage is discharged. The cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine is prepared.