JP7069669B2 - Beverage supply equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage supply device, and more particularly to a beverage supply device that supplies a beverage extracted inside the device body to a beverage container placed on a beverage supply unit on the customer service side of the device body. Is.

Conventionally, a cup-type beverage vending machine is known as a beverage supply device that supplies a beverage extracted inside the apparatus main body to a beverage container placed on a beverage providing portion on the customer service surface of the apparatus main body.

This cup-type beverage vending machine extracts beverages from beverage ingredients and hot water inside the main body of the device, supplies the extracted beverages to the cup, and places the cup on the beverage supply section on the front of the main body of the device. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

In such a cup-type vending machine, it is general that each part of an extraction unit for extracting a beverage such as a coffee beverage is individually installed inside the main body of the apparatus.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-190238

By the way, in recent years, due to the diversification of installation locations of beverage supply devices, installation in stores such as convenience stores is required. It is difficult to secure a sufficient installation space for a beverage supply device in such a store as in a large facility such as a so-called suburban supermarket or a commercial building, and there is a demand for miniaturization of the beverage supply device.

However, in the cup-type vending machine as described above, since each part of the extraction unit is individually installed inside the main body of the device, it is necessary that the internal dimensions of the main body of the device have a sufficient size. As a result, it was difficult to reduce the size.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage supply device capable of downsizing the entire device.

In order to achieve the above object, the beverage supply device according to the present invention supplies a beverage extracted from the inside of the device body to a beverage container placed on the beverage supply unit on the customer service side of the device body. In the supply device, the extraction unit for extracting the beverage is characterized by being attached to a mounting metal detachably provided with respect to the device main body.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the beverage supply device, the extraction unit is attached to the attachment metal so as to be arranged in the vertical direction.

Further, according to the present invention, in the beverage supply device, a storage box for accommodating an extraction slag generated by extraction of a beverage by the extraction unit, a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the arrangement of the storage box, and the storage box by the detection means. It is characterized by providing a control means for regulating the supply of the beverage when the arrangement of the beverage is not detected.

Further, according to the present invention, in the beverage supply device, the extraction unit includes a filter storage unit that stores a paper filter used for extracting a beverage in a wound state, and a paper filter stored in the filter storage unit. The filter guide section is provided with a filter guide section for guiding the extraction container, and the filter guide section is characterized in that an operation opening for performing a feeding operation of the paper filter is formed on the front surface.

According to the present invention, since the extraction unit for extracting the beverage is attached to the mounting metal provided detachably from the device main body, the mounting metal can be attached to the device main body even if the width dimension of the device main body is sufficiently small. It only needs to be installed, and it has the effect of reducing the size of the entire device.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the internal structure of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the relationship between each component of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the attachment of the mounting bracket to the main body cabinet shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a mounting bracket is attached to the main body cabinet shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main part of the extraction unit shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a main part of the extraction unit shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the beverage supply device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a main part of the front door shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the pre-beverage supply control process carried out by the control unit shown in FIG.

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

1 to 4 show a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing an internal structure. , FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the relationship of each component, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system. The beverage supply device exemplified here is a vending machine for supplying coffee beverages installed in a store such as a convenience store, and is configured to include a device main body 10 and a control unit (control means) 70.

The apparatus main body 10 includes a main body cabinet 11 and a front door 12. The main body cabinet 11 has a substantially rectangular shape having an opening (hereinafter, also referred to as a front opening) 11a on the front surface. As shown in FIG. 2, a beverage generation unit 20 and a storage box 40 are installed inside the main body cabinet 11.

The beverage generation unit 20 includes a water tank 21, a hot water tank 22, and an extraction unit 30. The water tank 21 temporarily stores, for example, tap water. The water tank 21 is installed at the lower left side of the main body cabinet 11.

The hot water tank 22 heats the water supplied from the water tank 21 and stores it as hot water. The hot water tank 22 is installed in the upper area of the water tank 21 inside the main body cabinet 11.

The extraction unit 30 extracts a coffee beverage from a coffee raw material which is a beverage raw material and hot water sent from a hot water tank 22, and includes a raw material canister 31, a mill 32, an extraction container 33, and a filter box 34. It is configured.

The raw material canister 31 stores coffee beans, which are raw materials for beverages. The mill 32 crushes the coffee beans discharged from the raw material canister 31. The extraction container 33 extracts the beverage from the ground coffee beans charged from the mill 32 and the hot water charged from the hot water tank 22.

The filter box 34 has a filter storage unit 341 that stores the paper filter PF in a wound state, and a brewer 331 and a filter block 332 that constitute the extraction container 33 and the paper filter PF drawn out from the filter storage unit 341. It is configured to include a filter guide unit 342 for guiding between them.

As shown in FIG. 5, such an extraction unit 30 is attached along the vertical direction to a mounting metal 13 formed of, for example, a steel plate having a U-shaped cross-sectional shape. More specifically, the extraction unit 30 is attached to the mounting metal 13 in the order of the raw material canister 31, the mill 32, the extraction container 33, and the filter box 34 from the top. The mounting metal 13 is detachably provided on the back surface 14 inside the main body cabinet 11, and as shown in FIG. 6, by mounting on the back surface 14 of the main body cabinet 11, the extraction unit 30 can be attached to the main body cabinet. It is inside the 11 and is stored on the right side of the hot water tank 22.

As shown in FIG. 7, the filter guide portion 342 of the filter box 34 has a guide path 343 that extends upward from the filter accommodating portion 341 and then curves forward. The filter guide portion 342 has a rectangular operating opening 344 formed in front of the filter guide portion 342 in such a manner that a part of the guide path 343 is exposed forward, and the operating roller 345 is formed in such a manner that the filter guide portion 342 passes through the operating opening 344. Is rotatably provided around the central axis of the shaft portion 345a extending along the left-right direction. The operation roller 345 is provided at a position where a part of the outer peripheral portion thereof can press the paper filter PF, which is extended close to the rear wall surface of the guide path 343, against the rear wall surface. Further, the wall surface constituting the guide path 343 has a corrugated shape in order to reduce the contact area of the paper filter PF passing through the guide path 343.

In such a filter guide unit 342, the paper filter PF is fed out from the filter storage section 341, the fed-out tip portion is guided to the guide path 343, and the operation roller 345 rotates as shown by the arrow in FIG. By being allowed to move, the drawn paper filter PF passes through the guide path 343 and is guided between the brewer 331 and the filter block 332 constituting the extraction container 33.

In such a beverage generation unit 20, the coffee beans discharged from the raw material canister 31 are crushed by the mill 32 to obtain coffee ground beans, and the coffee ground beans are put into the brewer 331 and stored in the hot water tank 22. Pour hot water into the brewer 331. In the brewer 331, the coffee ground beans are steamed with the added coffee ground beans and hot water, and then stirred with hot water to cook. Then, the ground coffee beans are filtered by the paper filter PF to extract the coffee beverage in the filter block 332. Then, the coffee beverage extracted in the filter block 332 is sent to the nozzle 51, which will be described later.

The storage box 40 is arranged in the lower region of the extraction container 33 constituting the extraction unit 30. The storage box 40 stores the extraction slag (not shown) generated by the extraction of the beverage by the beverage generation unit 20 together with the paper filter PF.

At the bottom of the main body cabinet 11, a front wall portion 15 whose left and right end portions are connected to the left and right side surfaces of the main body cabinet 11 is erected in the front portion thereof, whereby the lower region of the beverage generation portion 20 is erected. A weir 16 is formed in the wall. The weir 16 temporarily stores the liquid and prevents the liquid from overflowing to the outside of the main body cabinet 11.

The front door 12 has a size sufficient to close the front opening 11a of the main body cabinet 11. The front door 12 is provided so as to be swingable around the central axis of a shaft portion (not shown) extending in the vertical direction at the front side edge portion of the main body cabinet 11, and is provided on the front surface of the main body cabinet 11. It is possible to open and close the opening 11a.

The front door 12 is provided with a supply instruction button 41, a coin insertion unit 42, and a beverage providing unit 50 on the front surface, while a drainage container 60 is arranged on the rear surface as shown in FIG. That is, the front surface of the front door 12 constitutes the customer service surface of the apparatus main body 10.

The supply instruction button 41 is an input unit for instructing the beverage supply. The supply instruction button 41 gives a signal to the control unit 70 when the pressing operation is performed. The coin insertion section 42 is an opening into which coins are inserted.

The beverage serving unit 50 is provided in the lower region of the supply instruction button 41, and includes a nozzle 51, a mounting table 52, and an opening / closing door 53.

The nozzle 51 is connected to the extraction container 33 (filter block 332) of the extraction unit 30 through the extraction tube 36, and discharges the delivered coffee beverage downward.

The mounting table 52 is provided in a region below the nozzle 51, and forms a coffee beverage serving area E together with the nozzle 51. A beverage container C such as a cup is placed on the mounting table 52.

The opening / closing door 53 is made of a translucent material such as a transparent resin, and has a size sufficient to cover the providing area E. The left end of the opening / closing door 53 is pivotally supported by the front door 12, and can swing along the front-rear direction. That is, the opening / closing door 53 can swing along the front-rear direction in a manner of approaching and separating from the provision area E, and may block the provision area E when swinging backward in a manner of approaching the provision area E. It is possible, and it is possible to open the providing area E when swinging forward in a manner of separating from the providing area E.

The drainage container 60 is detachably provided in the lower region of the beverage serving portion 50 on the rear surface of the front door 12. The drainage container 60 stores drainage from the beverage providing unit 50. Such wastewater is washing water generated when washing the extraction unit 30 constituting the beverage generation unit 20. Therefore, the drainage container 60 stores the washing water discharged from the nozzle 51 as drainage via the beverage providing unit 50.

As shown in FIG. 10, the drainage container 60 is provided with a gutter 61 at the upper opening edge. In the gutter 61, when the water surface of the drainage stored in the drainage container 60 reaches a predetermined height, that is, when the amount of drainage stored in the drainage container 60 exceeds the predetermined amount, a part of the drainage is partially used in the main body cabinet 11. It guides to the dam 16 formed at the bottom.

The control unit 70 comprehensively controls each unit of the beverage supply device according to the programs and data stored in the storage unit 71, and in addition to the beverage generation unit 20 and the supply instruction button 41, the money processing unit 81, It is connected to the storage box detection unit 82, the drainage container detection unit 83, the door open / close detection unit 84, and the container detection unit 85.

The money processing unit 81 performs settlement processing such as authenticity and amount of coins inserted from the coin insertion unit 42. The storage box detection unit 82 is installed in the vicinity of the storage box 40, and is a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the placement of the storage box 40, for example, by the difference in reflection by the optical sensor. The drainage container detection unit 83 is installed in the vicinity of the drainage container 60, and is a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the arrangement of the drainage container 60, for example, by the difference in reflection by the optical sensor. The door open / close detection unit 84 is installed in the provision area E, and detects the closed state of the open / close door 53. The container detection unit 85 is installed in the provision area E, and detects the presence or absence of the beverage container C on the mounting table 52, for example, by the difference in reflection by the optical sensor.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the pre-beverage supply control process carried out by the control unit 70 shown in FIG. Although the pre-beverage control process will be described, the operation of the beverage supply device will be described.

In this pre-beverage supply control process, the control unit 70 determines whether or not the storage box detection unit 82 has detected that the storage box 40 is present (step S101). If it is not detected that the storage box 40 is present (step S101: No), the control unit 70 invalidates the supply instruction button 41 (step S102), then returns the procedure and ends the current process.

That is, the control unit 70 invalidates the pressing operation of the supply instruction button 41 by not inputting the signal given from the supply instruction button 41. According to this, the supply of the beverage to the beverage container C through the beverage generation unit 20 is restricted.

When it is detected that the storage box 40 is present (step S101: Yes), the control unit 70 determines whether or not the drainage container detection unit 83 has detected that the drainage container 60 is present (step S103). If it is not detected that the drainage container 60 is present (step S103: No), the control unit 70 carries out the process of step S102 described above, and then returns the procedure to end the current process.

When it is detected that the drainage container 60 is present (step S103: Yes), the control unit 70 determines whether or not the container detection unit 85 has detected that the beverage container C is present (step S104). Then, when it is detected that the beverage container C is present (step S104: Yes), the control unit 70 determines whether or not the opening / closing door 53 is closed based on the detection result of the door opening / closing detection unit 84. (Step S105). When it is not detected that the opening / closing door 53 is closed (step S105: No), the control unit 70 executes the process of step S102 described above, and then returns the procedure to end the present process.

When it is detected that the opening / closing door 53 is closed (step S105: Yes), the control unit 70 activates the supply instruction button 41 (step S106), and then returns the procedure to end the current process. .. That is, the control unit 70 enables the input of the signal given from the supply instruction button 41 to enable the pressing operation of the supply instruction button 41.

After the supply instruction button 41 is activated in this way, the supply instruction button 41 is pressed and the coins inserted from the coin insertion unit 42 are settled by the money processing unit 81, so that the control unit 70 gives a beverage supply command to the beverage generation unit 20.

As a result, the beverage generation unit 20 sends the coffee beverage extracted in the filter block 332 constituting the extraction container 33 to the nozzle 51 through the extraction tube 36, and the coffee beverage is supplied from the nozzle 51 to the beverage container C and provided. Will be done.

According to the beverage supply device having the above configuration, the extraction unit 30 for extracting the beverage is attached to the attachment metal 13 detachably provided with respect to the main body cabinet 11 (device main body 10). Even if the width dimension of the main body 10 is sufficiently small, the extraction unit 30 can be installed only by installing the mounting metal 13 on the device main body 10, and the entire device can be miniaturized.

In particular, since the extraction unit 30 is attached to the attachment metal 13 detachably provided with respect to the device main body 10, the attachment metal 13 is detached from the device main body 10 even after the beverage supply device is installed in a store or the like. Then, the extraction unit 30 can be removed from the main body 10 of the apparatus, and the maintenance work of the extraction unit 30 can be facilitated.

According to the beverage supply device, the drainage container 60 for storing the drainage from the beverage supply unit 50 is detachably provided on the rear surface of the front door 12 constituting the device main body 10, so that the main body cabinet of the device main body 10 is provided. It is no longer necessary to secure an installation space for the drainage container 60 in 11, and as a result, the size of the entire device can be reduced.

According to the beverage supply device, when the control unit 70 does not detect the arrangement of the storage box 40 by the storage box detection unit 82, or when the arrangement of the drainage container 60 is not detected by the drainage container detection unit 83, a supply instruction is given. Since the button 41 is invalidated to regulate the supply of beverages, it is possible to prevent the supply of beverages in a state where store employees or the like have forgotten to install the storage box 40 or the drainage container 60, thereby preventing the supply of beverages. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of water leakage to the outside.

According to the beverage supply device, the filter guide portion 342 constituting the filter box 34 has an operation opening 344 for performing a feeding operation of the paper filter PF formed on the front surface, so that the entire device is miniaturized. However, the paper filter PF can be easily fed out from the front through the operation opening 344, and the paper filter PF can be easily replaced.

According to the above-mentioned beverage supply device, the drainage container 60 is provided with a gutter 61 that guides a part of the drainage to the main body cabinet 11 when the amount of drainage to be stored exceeds a predetermined amount, and moreover, the bottom of the main body cabinet 11 Since a dam 16 for temporarily storing the drainage guided from the drainage container 60 is formed in, even if a store employee or the like forgets to replace the drainage container 60, the outside of the device main body 10 is immediately formed. It is possible to prevent water leakage to the water.

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

In the above-described embodiment, the operation roller 344 is formed in the filter guide portion 342 and the operation roller 345 is provided so as to pass through the operation opening 344. However, in the present invention, the operation roller is provided. May not be provided. In this case, it is possible for a store employee or the like to insert a finger into the guide path from the operation opening and perform the paper filter feeding operation.

In the above-described embodiment, the vending machine installed in the store is exemplified and described as the beverage supply device, but in the present invention, the beverage supply device may be applied to a beverage dispenser or the like.

10 Equipment main body 11 Main body cabinet 12 Front door 13 Mounting metal 16 Dam 20 Beverage generator 21 Water tank 22 Hot water tank 30 Extraction unit 31 Raw material canister 32 Mill 33 Extraction container 331 Bruer 332 Filter block 34 Filter box 341 Filter storage 342 Filter guide Part 343 Guideway 344 Operation opening 40 Storage box 41 Supply instruction button 50 Beverage supply part 51 Nozzle 52 Mounting stand 53 Opening and closing door 60 Drainage container 61 Gutter 70 Control part 71 Storage part 81 Money processing part 82 Storage box detection part 83 Drainage container Detection unit 84 Door open / close detection unit 85 Container detection unit C Beverage container E Service area PF Paper filter

Claims (3)

In the beverage supply device that supplies the beverage extracted inside the device body to the beverage container placed on the beverage supply unit on the customer service side of the device body.
The extraction unit for extracting the beverage is
With a raw material canister that stores beverage raw materials,
A mill that crushes the beverage raw material discharged from the raw material canister, and
An extraction container for extracting beverages from the crushed beverage raw material charged from the mill and the hot water charged from the hot water tank for storing hot water.
A filter box having a filter storage unit that stores a paper filter used for extracting a beverage in a wound state, and a filter guide unit that guides the paper filter stored in the filter storage unit to the extraction container.
Equipped with
The raw material canister, the mill, the extraction container, and the filter box are placed in this order from the top on the back surface and the left and right side surfaces of the mounting metal having a U-shaped cross-sectional shape that is detachably provided to the main body of the device. A beverage supply device characterized by being mounted so as to line up in a direction . A storage box for accommodating the extraction slag generated by the extraction of the beverage by the extraction unit, and
A detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the arrangement of the storage box, and
The beverage supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising a control means for restricting the supply of the beverage when the arrangement of the storage box is not detected by the detection means. The extraction unit is
A filter storage unit that stores the paper filter used for extracting beverages in a wound state,
A filter guide unit for guiding the paper filter stored in the filter storage unit to the beverage extraction container is provided.
The beverage supply device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the filter guide unit is provided with an operation opening for performing a feeding operation of the paper filter on the front surface.

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