JP3575137B2 - Canned product heating device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a canned product heating apparatus for heating canned products such as canned beverages and canned products using a heating action based on an electromagnetic induction action.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Although canned beverages such as tea and coffee are sold after being cooled or warmed according to the season and customer preference, it is preferable that the internal beverage is at the temperature at which the customer drinks, which is the reason for the increase in sales. It is also the key. For this reason, a vending machine is provided with a heating device including a heater inside, and circulates and blows heated air to a storage section for storing canned beverages to heat the canned beverages. In convenience stores and the like, a heating device is provided in a showcase to heat canned beverages. In general, when heating canned beverages at home individually, the beverages are heated with hot water.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, conventionally, it has not been easy to heat the canned beverage in accordance with the temperature at which each person who drinks and drinks can drink.
[0004]
First, in a microwave oven, the inside cannot be heated because electromagnetic waves do not pass through a canned beverage covered with an outer shell made of iron or aluminum. There is a danger of boiling, and there has been no device for appropriately heating only one canned beverage. For this reason, at convenience stores, refrigerated goods (such as bento) are served with a microwave oven, but for canned beverages that are not covered, a special showcase is provided near the cashier counter, It is heated with canned beverages and heated products that are not in cans. Therefore, since the individual canned drinks are not heated so as to heat the lunch box or the like in the microwave oven, there is no service for providing the canned drinks at a temperature according to the taste of the customer.
[0005]
Second, vending machines are similarly heated to the same internal temperature as set by the seller, and therefore cannot be set to the temperature desired by the customer. In vending machines that store short canned beverages, there is a concern that canned beverages that are not sufficiently heated may be sold. In addition, personal warming at home with hot water involves the danger of burns and the like, and it is not easy to reach the desired temperature, and preparation and time are required.
[0006]
Third, in a showcase or a vending machine, there is a risk that the quality of a canned beverage may be deteriorated by heating a canned beverage having a long sales cycle for a long time.
[0007]
The above problems are not limited to canned beverages, but also apply to canned products to be heated such as canned products.
[0008]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a can product heating apparatus that is safe and heats a can product to a desired temperature.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 has an opening / closing lid for opening / closing an opening for charging / discharging a can product, disposing an induction coil to store the can product, and discharging the can product by a discharging mechanism; An electromagnetic heating unit for heating a can product by applying a high-frequency current to the coil, and a control unit for controlling the can storage unit and the electromagnetic heating unit, so as to heat the can product to a desired temperature of a user. In addition, the control unit outputs a signal for closing the open / close lid when detecting the storage of the can product in the can storage unit, and outputs a storage notification. A heating condition setting unit that specifies a shape, sets a heating condition from the specified shape of the can product and the set temperature and outputs a notification of the setting of the heating condition, Output a signal to energize the section according to the heating conditions, and And heating control means for outputting an outgoing notification, in which so as to output a signal that there is a discharge notification close lid is opened, it is provided a discharge control means for outputting a signal for driving the ejection mechanism. With the above configuration, the canned goods are stored, heated, and discharged when the heating is completed. Therefore, each can product can be heated to a desired temperature. Further, the stored can products are heated according to the heating conditions and discharged. Therefore, a can product having a desired temperature for the user can be obtained safely without manual intervention.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 2 is the can-product heating device according to claim 1, wherein the can storage case for storing the can product, an opening / closing lid provided on an upper portion of the can storage case that opens when discharging and closes when heating. A can storage section provided with an induction coil provided around the can storage case and a discharge mechanism for discharging can products to the outside of the opening / closing lid upon discharging, and an auxiliary roller for holding the can products stored in the can storage case. And a rotation mechanism section comprising a driving roller for rotating the sandwiched can product. With the above configuration, when the can product is stored, the open / close lid is closed, and when opened, the open / close lid is opened, the can product can be discharged, and the can product can be held and rotated during heating. Therefore, when the can product is heated, each operation of storing and discharging the can product and rotating the can product can be performed safely without manual operation.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a tabletop can-only heating device showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a tabletop can-only heating device, and the tabletop can-only heating device 1 has an outer shell. The cover 2 is entirely covered with a cover 2. The cover 2 forms a round inlet / outlet 3 for feeding / discharging canned beverages on an upper inclined surface 2a, and is heated to a temperature desired by the user. The mounting holes 7 to 9 are formed so as to protrude the temperature setting button 4 of “slim”, the temperature setting button 5 of “normal”, and the temperature setting button 6 of “atsume”, respectively. A viewing window 10 is provided in the elliptical cutout on the front surface 2b so that the user can see the internal state. The cover 2 is attached to a bottom base 11 at the bottom, so that maintenance and the like can be appropriately performed. Therefore it is removable.
[0014]
FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing the inside of FIG. 1, and reference numeral 12 denotes a mounting housing (indicated by a dashed line) for mounting each member inside the desktop can-only heating device 1. Is mounted on the bottom base 11 as a base base, and is appropriately fixed upward to the mounting case 12, fixed at the bottom at the bottom, opened at the top, and has a partially transparent notched cylindrical can storage case 13 in the axial direction. Is mounted to be slightly oblique from the vertical direction.
[0015]
The can storage case 13 has an opening 13a in the upper part, and an induction coil 14 is wound around a cylindrical mounting piece 13b formed along the peripheral surface of the body, and the driving housing 13 is mounted on the mounting housing 12. The tip of the driving roller 16 that communicates with the roller driving mechanism 15 projects into an opening 13c formed inside the mounting piece 13b. On the other hand, a temperature sensor 17 mounted on the mounting housing 12 is provided in an opening 13d of the can storage case 13 on a side opposite to the mounting piece 13b, and a rotation detection sensor 18 is disposed in an opening 13e at the bottom of the can storage case 13. A can-drink discharging arm drive mechanism 20 is attached to the mounting housing 12 such that the root of the can-drink discharging arm 19 rises and falls in a long notch (not shown) formed in the axial direction of the can storage case 13. ing. Here, the can storage case 13 is made of a material having excellent heat resistance and transmitting electromagnetic waves, for example, a polycarbonate resin.
[0016]
Reference numeral 21 denotes a transparent automatic opening / closing lid which is an opening / closing lid for opening / closing the opening 13 a of the can storage case 13. An open / close switch sensor 22 for detecting the opening / closing of the automatic opening / closing lid 21 and a bottom provided inside the bottom of the can storage case 13. Based on the switch sensor 23, when the canned beverage 24 is stored inside, it is closed by the drive of the automatic opening / closing lid drive mechanism 25 attached to the mounting housing 12, and is opened when the canned beverage 24 is discharged. ing. The above-mentioned can storage case 13, the induction coil 14, the automatic opening / closing lid 21, the can beverage discharge arm 19 and the can beverage discharge arm drive mechanism 20 which are discharge mechanisms constitute a can storage section.
[0017]
Auxiliary rollers 26 are provided at a total of four locations, two axial locations on the back side of the drawing, opposite to the two upper and lower locations in the axial direction inside the can storage case 13. Is added to form a rotation mechanism, and the can beverage 24 held in the can storage case 13 by the thickness direction confirmation sensor 28 connected to the auxiliary roller drive mechanism 27 while nipping the can beverage 24 in the can storage case 13 24 is checked. Further, at the upper inside of the can storage case 13, two longitudinal shape confirmation sensors 29 for checking the length of the canned beverage 24 stored in the can storage case 13 are provided.
[0018]
Reference numeral 30 denotes an electromagnetic heating unit serving as a power supply unit for supplying a high-frequency current to the induction coil 14 wound around the mounting piece 13b of the can storage case 13, and converts an AC power supply described later into a high-frequency current by a switching transistor. The shield circuit 31 includes a converter circuit and an inverter circuit, and is connected to the induction coil 14 by a cable (not shown).
[0019]
Reference numeral 33 denotes a control unit, which will be described later, including an input / output interface that executes arithmetic processing in accordance with a predetermined control program based on information obtained by each of the above-described sensors, a microprocessor, and the like. The drive unit is connected to the control unit 33, and the control unit 33 is entirely covered by the shielding unit 32. Reference numeral 53 denotes a mounting screw for attaching the cover 2 to the base 11.
[0020]
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 33 includes a storage control unit 34, a heating condition setting unit 35, a heating control unit 36, and a discharge control unit 37, and the processing will be sequentially described below.
[0021]
First, the processing of the storage control means 34 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In a standby state before the user puts in the canned beverage 24, the automatic opening / closing lid 21 is in an open state. First, the user inputs the canned beverage 24 through the opening 13a of the charging / discharging port 3. Then, the canned beverage 24 is slid down into the can storage case 13 and disposed on the bottom. For example, it touches and presses a bottom switch sensor 23 such as a microswitch to detect storage of the canned beverage 24 (decision 1).
[0022]
Subsequently, when the storage of the canned beverage 24 is detected, a closing signal for closing the automatic opening / closing lid 21 is output to the automatic opening / closing lid driving mechanism 25, and the automatic opening / closing lid 21 is closed by the automatic opening / closing lid driving mechanism 25. It is said. Along with this, the closing of the automatic opening / closing lid 21 is detected by the opening / closing switch sensor 22 (Process 2, Judgment 3). Then, when a closing signal is input from the open / close switch sensor 22, the storage control means 34 outputs a storage notification of the canned beverage 24 to the discharge control means 37 and activates the discharge control means 37 (processing 4, processing 5).
[0023]
Next, the heating condition setting means 35 executes the processing shown in FIG. 5 and receives a storage notification from the storage control means 34. Here, the user selects any one of "slimy", "normal", and "atsume" shown in FIG. When the temperature setting buttons 4 to 6, which are the desired temperatures, are pressed, a temperature setting signal is captured (judgment 11, judgment 12). In this process, a length signal is captured by two upper and lower longitudinal shape confirmation sensors 29 disposed inside the upper portion of the can storage case 13 (process 13). The longitudinal direction shape confirmation sensor 29 has a distal end portion urged inward by a spring or the like. When the distal end portion is pressed by the peripheral wall of the canned beverage 24, a micro switch or the like is provided depending on the position of an arm that contacts the distal end portion. Switches open and close to output a length signal. As the length signal, (1) when both the upper and lower stages are open (length below the lower stage), (2) when the lower stage is closed and the upper stage is open (length between the upper and lower stages), (3) ) When both the upper stage and the lower stage are closed (a three-stage length signal longer than the upper stage is output).
[0024]
Further, a thickness signal is received from a thickness direction shape confirmation sensor 28 composed of a micro switch or the like that opens and closes with a lever or the like that moves according to the position of the auxiliary roller 26 (Process 15). When the two auxiliary rollers 26 sandwich the peripheral wall of the body of the canned beverage 24, the thickness direction shape confirmation sensor 28 changes the thickness from the open / closed state of a plurality of switches that operate according to the movement position of each lever and the like. Is configured to output a thickness signal for determining Then, a pattern is created from the combination of the length signal and the thickness signal, and it is determined whether the input canned beverage 24 is normal or abnormal (decision 16). In this determination, when the pattern of the canned beverage 24 is determined to be abnormal, that is, when it is determined that the foreign matter has a shape other than a predetermined shape, a discharge notification is output to the discharge control means 37 and the discharge control means 37 is described later. The can beverage 24 is discharged from the can storage case 13 by the processing of (determination 16, processing 17). This can prevent the abnormal object from being heated.
[0025]
On the other hand, when it is determined that the pattern of the canned beverage 24 is normal, the surface temperature of the canned beverage 24 is read from the temperature sensor 17 (process 18). As the temperature sensor 17, for example, a non-contact infrared radiation thermometer is used. Thus, the heating condition setting means 35 sets the heating time as the heating condition by a predetermined arithmetic expression based on the can temperature signal of the temperature sensor 17 and the temperature setting signals from the temperature setting buttons 4 to 6 (processing 19). ).
[0026]
Next, the process of the heating control means 36 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. When the heating condition setting means 35 receives a setting notification of the heating condition, first, an operation signal is output to the driving roller driving mechanism 15 and the driving roller 16 Starts rotation (decision 21, processing 22). Subsequently, when a signal from the rotation detection sensor 18 is received and rotation of the driving roller 16 is recognized, an energization signal is output to the electromagnetic heating unit 30 (decision 24, processing 25). An energization signal is output to the electromagnetic heating unit 30, and the electromagnetic heating unit 30, which will be described later, passes a high-frequency current to the induction coil 14. As a result, the high-frequency magnetic flux is applied to the can storage case 13 through the can storage case 13, an eddy current is generated in the can portion of the can storage case 13, and Joule heat is generated by the resistance of the can portion. The beverage inside is gradually heated.
[0027]
Returning to the description of the processing shown in FIG. 6, next, the timer is started, and it is determined whether or not the temperature signal from the temperature sensor 17 is abnormal heating accompanied by rapid heating (determination 27). The abnormal heating corresponds to an object other than an empty can or a canned beverage 24. Further, it is determined whether or not the temperature signal from the temperature sensor 17 has risen above a specified value. An example of this case is a case where the thickness direction shape confirmation sensor 28 and the length direction shape confirmation sensor 29 misidentify the shapes due to deformation of the canned beverage 24 or the like, and set the heating time incorrectly. Further, it is determined whether or not the rotation is abnormal due to a decrease or stop of the rotation speed based on a signal from the rotation detection sensor 18 (decision 28). For example, when rotation is not possible due to deformation of the canned beverage 24, rotation is also determined to be abnormal when rotation is impossible due to the dew on the surface of the canned beverage 24 or an object other than the canned beverage 24.
[0028]
In the case of such a temperature abnormality or rotation abnormality, an energization stop signal is immediately output to the electromagnetic heating unit 30, a stop signal is output to the driving roller drive mechanism 15, and a discharge notification is sent to the discharge control unit 37 (processing 29 to processing). 31). If the above abnormality is not determined, that is, if the abnormality is normal, the canned beverage 24 is heated until a preset heating time is reached, and when the time is up, an energization stop signal is output to the electromagnetic heating unit 30 and the drive roller driving mechanism 15 is stopped. A signal is output, and a discharge notification is output to the discharge control means 37.
[0029]
Here, as shown in the principle diagram of FIG. 7, the electromagnetic heating unit 30 receives an AC 100 V power supply from an outlet 38 input to a rectifier 45 including four rectifying elements 41 to 44 via a switch 39 and a capacitor 40. Rectified and converted to DC. The DC voltage output from the rectifier 45 is smoothed by the capacitor 46 and the reactor 47, and the DC voltage is applied to the switching transistor 49 and the induction coil 14 controlled by the control circuit 48.
[0030]
That is, when the control circuit 48 turns the switching transistor 49 on and off at a high cycle, a high-frequency current flows through the induction coil 14 by the charging voltage of the capacitor 46. For this reason, a high-frequency magnetic field is generated from the induction coil 14, passes through the can housing case 13, and a magnetic flux 52 is formed in the illustrated direction. As a result, an eddy current is generated in the metal of aluminum or iron plate, which is the can portion of the adjacent canned beverage 24, by electromagnetic induction, and Joule heat is generated by the resistance of the metal. In this case, the canned beverage 24 is rotated by the driving roller 16, and an eddy current uniformly flows through the body of the can portion of the canned beverage 24 to generate heat, thereby heating the content beverage 54. 50 is a rectifying element for preventing backflow, and 51 is a capacitor.
[0031]
Next, the processing of the discharge control means 37 shown in FIG. 8 will be described. First, when there is a discharge notification from the heating condition setting means 35 or the heating control means 36, a stop signal is output to the auxiliary roller drive mechanism 27 and the can beverage 24 Is released from the auxiliary roller 26 (decision 41, processing 42). Subsequently, an open signal is output to the automatic opening / closing lid driving mechanism 25 to open the automatic opening / closing lid 21 (step 44). When the opening operation of the automatic opening / closing lid 21 is determined based on the signal from the opening / closing switch sensor 22, a driving signal is output to the canned beverage discharging arm driving mechanism 20 (Step 45).
[0032]
In the canned beverage discharging arm drive mechanism 20, the canned beverage discharging arm 19 is pushed upward, and the bottom of the canned beverage 24 abutting on the canned beverage discharging arm 19 is pushed upward in the axial direction of the can storage case 13. Accordingly, the upper head portion of the canned beverage 24 projects from the cover 2 as shown in FIG. When the user picks up the head of the canned beverage 24, the discharge of the canned beverage 24 is determined based on signals from the thickness direction shape confirmation sensor 28 and the length direction shape confirmation sensor 29 (decision 46). Further, a stop signal is output to the canned beverage discharging arm drive mechanism 20, and the canned beverage discharging arm 19 returns to the position of the bottom of the can storage case 13 (process 47). Then, an activation signal is output to the storage control means 34, and the storage control means 34 enters a standby state (process 48).
[0033]
Here, a simple example of the canned beverage discharge arm drive mechanism 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The canned beverage discharge arm drive mechanism 20 includes a can that penetrates a notch 13 g formed in the can storage case 13 at a lower portion. A female screw mechanism 56 connected to the beverage discharging arm 19, a rod-shaped male screw mechanism 57 having a male screw 57 a meshing with the female screw 56 a of the female screw mechanism 56, and a motor in which the upper end of the male screw mechanism 57 is fixed to the support plate 58 It is connected to 59 rotating shafts. When a drive signal is input from the control unit 33 to the can-drink discharging arm drive mechanism 20, the male screw mechanism 57 is rotated by the rotation of the rotation shaft of the motor 59, and the female screw 56a meshing with the male screw 57a moves up the female screw mechanism 56. Move in the direction. As a result, the canned beverage discharging arm 19 connected to the female screw mechanism 56 pushes up the bottom of the canned beverage 24 so that the canned beverage 24 projects the upper head portion from the cover 2 as shown in FIG. When a stop signal is input from the control unit 33 to the canned beverage discharging arm drive mechanism 20, the male screw mechanism 57 is rotated in reverse by the reverse rotation of the rotation shaft of the motor 59, and the female screw 56a meshing with the male screw 57a becomes female screw. The mechanism 56 is moved downward.
[0034]
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a compact desktop-only device can be placed anywhere, and a user's favorite temperature can be set, so that a canned beverage at a temperature suitable for drinking can be obtained. When the temperature is not around, the same canned beverage can be heated many times. In addition, the internal status can be checked from the transparent automatic opening / closing lid and the viewing window, so that the user can use it with peace of mind, and the entire cover can be removed, making maintenance of the interior easy and cleaning the interior easy. .
[0035]
The present invention can be implemented as follows. First, as shown in the embodiment, the canned beverage warming apparatus may be incorporated in an apparatus such as a vending machine instead of being exclusively used for a tabletop. Second, as shown in the embodiment, the canned beverage heating device does not require the entire cover to be detachable from the main body, but a part of the cover, the back cover may be detachable, and the can storage case itself is detachable. A configuration may be used. Thirdly, the temperature setting button has three levels of "slim", "normal", and "atsume", but the temperature may be set numerically. Fourth, the heating condition may be based on the magnitude of the high-frequency current in addition to the heating time. Fifth, the present invention can be applied not only to canned beverages but also to canned products which are heated by canning or the like.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above , according to the first aspect of the present invention, the can products are stored, and the can products are heated and discharged when the heating is completed. Therefore, the individual can products are separately heated to a desired temperature. it can. Therefore, the temperature of the can product does not become uniform as in the conventional art, and the can product having the temperature desired by the user can be obtained. Furthermore, since the stored canned goods are heated according to the heating conditions and controlled to be discharged after the heating, canned goods having the desired temperature of the user can be obtained safely without manual intervention.
[0037]
The invention of claim 2 is to close the open / close lid after storing the can goods, open the open / close lid at the time of discharge, to enable the discharge of the can goods, and to pinch and rotate the can goods at the time of heating. Each operation can be performed without human intervention and can be performed safely.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a tabletop can-only heating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic internal side view of the tabletop can dedicated heating device shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a control unit provided in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of storage control means provided in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a heating condition setting means provided in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a heating control unit provided in FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a principle view showing an electromagnetic heating unit provided in FIG. 2;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a discharge control unit provided in FIG. 3;
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing an example of a canned beverage discharge arm drive mechanism provided in FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heating apparatus only for tabletop cans 2 Cover 3 Inlet / eject opening 10 Viewing window 12 Mounting housing 13 Can storage case 14 Induction coil 15 Driving roller drive mechanism 16 Driving roller 17 Temperature sensor 18 Rotation detection sensor 19 Canned beverage discharging arm Reference Signs List 20 can beverage discharge arm drive mechanism 21 automatic opening / closing lid 22 opening / closing switch sensor 23 bottom switch sensor 24 can beverage 25 automatic opening / closing lid driving mechanism 26 auxiliary roller 27 auxiliary roller driving mechanism 28 thickness direction shape confirmation sensor 29 length direction shape confirmation sensor Reference Signs List 30 electromagnetic heating unit 33 control unit 34 storage control means 35 heating condition setting means 36 heating control means 37 discharge control means

Claims (2)

A can storage unit for opening and closing an opening for charging and discharging the can product, disposing an induction coil and storing the can product, and discharging the can product by a discharge mechanism; and a high-frequency current to the induction coil. and an electromagnetic heating section for heating the canister product by energizing, before the a Kikan housing section and a control section for controlling the electromagnetic heating unit, so as to warm the canister product to a desired temperature of a user When the storage unit detects storage of the can product in the can storage unit, the control unit outputs a signal to close the opening / closing lid and outputs a storage notification, and the storage notification includes the storage notification. A heating condition setting unit that specifies the shape of the stored can product, sets a heating condition from the specified shape of the can product and the set temperature, and outputs a setting notification of the heating condition, and When there is a setting notification, the heating conditions are sent to the electromagnetic heating unit. Therefore, a heating control unit that outputs a signal to energize and outputs a discharge notification after the end of the power supply, outputs a signal to open the opening / closing lid when there is the discharge notification, and outputs a signal to drive the discharge mechanism. Discharge control means and a can product warming device characterized by the above-mentioned. A can storage case for storing can products, an opening / closing lid provided at an upper portion of the can storage case which is opened at the time of discharge and closed at the time of heating, the induction coil provided around the can storage case, and the can product at the time of discharge Storage unit provided with a discharge mechanism for discharging the cans to the outside of the opening / closing lid, an auxiliary roller for holding the can products stored in the can storage case, and a driving roller for rotating the held can products 2. The apparatus for heating canned cans according to claim 1, further comprising: a rotating mechanism comprising:

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