JP7234689B2 - beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beverage supply device, and more particularly to a beverage supply device for supplying beverage to a container such as a cup.

Conventionally, as a beverage supply device for supplying a beverage to a container such as a cup, for example, a beverage raw material such as a powder raw material and raw water such as hot water or water are put into the container conveyed by a conveying mechanism. US Pat. No. 5,400,003 discloses a method for dispensing cooked beverages by stirring with a stirring mechanism.

In this type of beverage supply apparatus, first, the conveying mechanism conveys the container to the position of the canister containing the raw material, and the raw material is put into the inside of the container. Next, the container is transported to the position of the bend stage by the transport mechanism, the raw water is put into the container, and the raw water and the raw material inside the container are stirred and mixed by the stirring mechanism. After that, the beverage is supplied by transporting the container to a predetermined serving position by the transport mechanism.

JP 2005-309679 A

By the way, in the above beverage supply apparatus, the material and raw water are introduced into the container and stirred while the container is being conveyed by the conveying mechanism. A sensor or the like for detecting is required, and the increase in the number of parts has led to an increase in manufacturing costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage supply apparatus capable of supplying beverages satisfactorily while reducing the overall size of the apparatus and the manufacturing cost.

To achieve the above object, a beverage supply apparatus according to the present invention comprises a beverage cooking section in which a container is arranged, and supplies a beverage to the container arranged in the beverage cooking section. , a raw material supply unit for supplying the raw material of the beverage to the container; a raw water supply unit for supplying raw water for the beverage to the container; a stirring mechanism having a paddle member for producing the beverage; a first position provided in the beverage cooking unit and allowing the raw material and the raw water to be supplied to the container and allowing stirring by the paddle member; and a container holding part that holds the container movably between a second position that allows cleaning of the paddle member.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above beverage supply device, the container holding section moves the container to the first position after cleaning the paddle member.

Further, in the beverage supply device of the present invention, a thickening component supplying unit for supplying a thickening component for improving the viscosity of the beverage to the container is provided, and the container holding unit is positioned at the first position. and allowing the supply of the thickening component to the container.

According to the present invention, the container holding section provided in the beverage cooking section has a first position that allows the raw material and raw water to be supplied to the container and agitation by the paddle member, and a first position that allows the paddle member to be washed. Since the container is movably held between the two positions, it is not necessary to feed the raw material and raw water into the container and to stir the container while the container is being conveyed by the conveying mechanism, and the container is stopped at the stop position. There is no need for a sensor or the like for detecting such. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily supply the beverage while miniaturizing the entire device and reducing the manufacturing cost.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing some components of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention separated. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the invention. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the main body cabinet shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the stirring mechanism shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the discharge body shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and its peripheral structure. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the discharge body shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and its peripheral structure. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the container holding portion shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 9A and 9B are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the container holding portion shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the contents of the beverage supply process performed by the control unit shown in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the charging of the powder raw material and the thickening component. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the input of raw water. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining stirring by the stirring mechanism. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the cleaning operation of the paddle member of the stirring mechanism. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the cleaning operation of the paddle member of the stirring mechanism. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the cleaning operation of the paddle member of the stirring mechanism. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the stirring mechanism after the paddle member is cleaned.

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

1 to 3 each show a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system.

The beverage supply device exemplified here is installed, for example, in a store, nursing care facility, or the like, and includes a device main body 1 .

The apparatus main body 1 comprises a main body cabinet 2 and a front door 3 . As shown in FIG. 4, the main body cabinet 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an opening (hereinafter also referred to as a front opening) 2a on the front. The main body cabinet 2 is provided with a beverage cooking section 10 , a raw material supply section 20 , a thickening component supply section 30 , a raw water supply section 40 , a stirring mechanism 50 and a container holding section 60 .

The beverage cooking section 10 is provided in the lower front portion of the main body cabinet 2 and has a stage 11 . The stage 11 is the bottom of an area where a container C such as a cup is placed. At the bottom of the stage 11, although not shown in the drawing, a drainage tray for storing drainage such as beverages is installed. Above the stage 11, a discharge body portion 70 is provided. The discharge main body 70 is attached to the main body cabinet 2 via the support member 4, the structure of which will be described later.

The raw material supply unit 20 includes a raw material canister 21 and a raw material supply driving unit 22 . A plurality of raw material canisters 21 (two in the illustrated example) are provided and arranged side by side. These raw material canisters 21 store powdered raw materials that are raw materials for different types of beverages.

A plurality of raw material supply drive units 22 (two in the illustrated example) are provided in correspondence with the raw material canisters 21 . These raw material supply drive units 22 are driven by commands given from a control unit 90 which will be described later. It pays out to the main unit 70 . Here, the raw material shooter 23 is made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity, such as metal.

The thickening component supply unit 30 includes a thickening canister 31 and a thickening component supply driving unit 32 . The thickening canister 31 is installed on the left side of the raw material canister 21 . The thickening canister 31 stores a powdery thickening component such as starch for improving the viscosity of the beverage.

The thickening component supply drive unit 32 is provided corresponding to the thickening canister 31 . The thickening component supply drive unit 32 is driven by a command given from the control unit 90, and when driven, feeds out a predetermined amount of the thickening component from the thickening canister 31, and passes through the thickening component shooter 33 to the discharge main unit. It pays out to 70. Here, the thickening component shooter 33 is made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity such as metal.

The raw water supply unit 40 is for supplying raw water for drinking such as hot water and cold water, and includes a water supply valve 41 and a hot water supply valve 42 . The water supply valve 41 is a valve element that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 90. When the water supply valve 41 is in an open state, a water tank (not shown) stores water through a water supply line (not shown). of water toward the discharge main body 70, and when it is closed, it regulates the delivery of water. The hot water supply valve 42 is a valve element that opens and closes according to a command given from the control unit 90. When the hot water supply valve 42 is in an open state, a hot water tank (not shown) stores hot water through a hot water supply line (not shown). The hot water is delivered toward the discharge main body 70, and when it is closed, the delivery of hot water is restricted.

By the way, the heat from the heat source for heating the water put into the hot water tank is transferred to the raw material chute 23 and the thickening component chute 33 via the heat transfer member 43 . As a result, the raw material shooter 23 and the thickening component shooter 33 are heated.

The stirring mechanism 50 is installed in the upper region of the discharge main body 70, and includes a paddle member 51, a paddle rotating portion 52, and a paddle driving portion 53, as shown in FIG.

The paddle member 51 is an elongated member in which a stirring blade 51b is attached to the lower end of a rod 51a extending along the vertical direction. The paddle rotating section 52 is driven according to a command given from the control section 90, and rotates the paddle member 51 around the central axis of the rod 51a when driven. The paddle driving section 53 is driven in accordance with a command given from the control section 90. When driven, the paddle drive transmission member 53a, of which a part of the peripheral surface meshes with the gear 52a of the paddle rotating section 52, is the central axis. It rotates clockwise or counterclockwise. More specifically, when the paddle drive transmission member 53a is rotated forward, the paddle drive section 53 moves the paddle member 51 and the paddle rotation section 52 downward while rotating the paddle drive transmission member 53a in the reverse direction. In this case, the paddle member 51 and the paddle rotating portion 52 are moved upward. In other words, the paddle driving section 53 moves the paddle member 51 and the paddle rotating section 52 along the vertical direction when it is driven.

6 and 7 are perspective views showing the discharge main body 70 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and its peripheral structure. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the discharge main body 70 is made of, for example, a resin material, and has a paddle penetration portion 71, a raw material discharge portion 72, and a thickening component discharge portion 73. As shown in FIGS.

The paddle penetrating portion 71 is composed of a cylindrical portion formed substantially in the central region of the discharge body portion 70, and allows the paddle member 51 to pass therethrough. A portion of the wall surface of this cylindrical portion is notched, and the raw water supply nozzle 74 is provided in the notched portion. The raw water supply nozzle 74 faces the paddle penetrating portion 71 at its distal end, and is connected to the water supply line and the hot water supply line at its base end.

There are a plurality (two in the illustrated example) of the raw material discharge portions 72 , each of which is formed of a square tubular portion formed on the right side of the paddle through portion 71 . The lower ends of the raw material shooters 23 are inserted into the upper ends of these rectangular tubular portions. That is, the raw material discharge section 72 communicates with the corresponding raw material shooter 23 .

The thickening component discharge portion 73 is configured by a square tubular portion formed on the left side of the paddle penetration portion 71 . A lower end portion of a thickening component shooter 33 is inserted into the upper end portion of the rectangular tubular portion. That is, the thickening component discharge section 73 communicates with the thickening component shooter 33 .

Incidentally, reference numeral 75 in FIGS. 6 and 7 denotes an exhaust hose. One end of the exhaust hose 75 is connected to the discharge main body 70 so as to face the inside of the discharge main body 70, and the other end is connected to a fan box 76 (see FIG. 9). The exhaust hose 75 is for sucking the atmosphere inside the discharge main body 70 when the fan built in the fan box 76 is driven.

The container holding section 60 is for holding the container C arranged in the beverage cooking section 10 , and includes a holding member 61 , a movement driving section 62 and a position detection section 63 . As shown in FIG. 8, the holding member 61 is for holding the container C by placing it on the holding bottom portion 61a and sandwiching the container C between the holding arms 61b.

The movement drive unit 62 is driven in accordance with a command given from the control unit 90, and when driven, rotates around the central axis of the container drive transmission member 62a, part of the peripheral surface of which meshes with the gear 61c of the holding member 61. It rotates forward or backward. More specifically, when the container drive transmission member 62a is rotated forward, the movement drive unit 62 moves to the cooking position (first position) A, which is the area directly below the discharge main body 70, as shown in FIG. When the holding member 61 is moved rightward to a retracted position (second position) B out of the area directly below the discharge main body 70, and the container drive transmission member 62a is reversely rotated, is to move the holding member 61 from the retracted position B to the cooking position A on the left.

The position detection section 63 detects the position of the holding member 61 and provides the detection result to the control section 90 .

Thus, the container holding part 60 holds the container C between the cooking position A and the retracted position B so as to be movable. In addition, the container holding part 60 arranges the holding member 61 in the cooking position in the normal state.

The front door 3 is a door body that opens and closes the front opening 2a of the main body cabinet 2, and is swingable around the central axis of the shaft portion extending along the vertical direction at the front left edge portion of the main body cabinet 2. is provided in

The front door 3 has an input portion 5 , an opening portion 6 and an opening/closing door 7 . The input unit 5 is provided with an input button 5a for selecting a beverage. The input section 5 gives a predetermined signal to the control section 90 when any of the input buttons 5a is pressed.

The opening 6 is provided below the input section 5 and exposes the beverage cooking section 10 forward. The opening/closing door 7 is made of, for example, a translucent material such as transparent resin, and is large enough to cover the opening 6 . The opening/closing door 7 has a left end pivotally supported by the front door 3 and is swingable in the front-rear direction. That is, the opening/closing door 7 can swing in the front-rear direction in a manner to move toward and away from the beverage cooking section 10 , and when it swings backward in a manner to approach the beverage cooking section 10 , the opening 6 is opened. It is possible to close it, and it is possible to open the opening 6 when it swings forward in a manner away from the beverage preparation part 10 .

The beverage supply apparatus includes a container detection section 81, a door opening/closing detection section 82, a door opening/closing lock mechanism 83, and a control section 90 in addition to the above configuration.

The container detection unit 81 is composed of, for example, an optical sensor or the like, and detects whether or not the container C is arranged in the beverage cooking unit 10 , that is, whether or not the container C is held by the holding member 61 . The container detection unit 81 provides the control unit 90 with the detection result of the presence or absence of the container C. As shown in FIG.

The door open/close detector 82 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 6 and is composed of, for example, an optical sensor. The door opening/closing detection unit 82 detects opening/closing of the opening 6 by the opening/closing door 7. More specifically, it detects whether the opening 6 is closed, that is, whether the opening/closing door 7 is closed. It is. The door opening/closing detection unit 82 provides the control unit 90 with a detection result as to whether or not the opening/closing door 7 is closed.

The door opening/closing lock mechanism 83 is provided near the opening 6 . The door opening/closing lock mechanism 83 has a locked state in which the opening/closing door 7 that closes the opening 6 is held in a closed state to prevent the opening/closing door 7 from swinging forward; It is possible to switch alternatively between a released state in which 7 is allowed to swing forward. Such switching of the door opening/closing lock mechanism 83 is performed according to a command given from the control section 90 .

The control unit 90 controls the above-described raw material supply unit 20 (raw material supply drive unit 22), thickening component supply unit 30 (thickening component supply drive unit 32), raw water supply unit 40 (water supply valve 41, hot water supply valve 42), stirring Mechanism 50 (paddle rotation section 52, paddle drive section 53), container holding section 60 (movement drive section 62, position detection section 63), input section 5, container detection section 81, door open/close detection section 82, door open/close lock mechanism 83 , and controls the operations of these sections in accordance with the programs and data stored in the storage section 91, which is also electrically connected. The storage unit 91 stores recipe information of beverages.

Note that the control unit 90 may be implemented by software, for example, by causing a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, or may be implemented by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, software and hardware may be used together.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the contents of the beverage supply process performed by the controller 90 shown in FIG. The operation of the beverage supply device will be explained while explaining the contents of the beverage supply process.

In this beverage supply process, the control unit 90 determines whether or not the container detection unit 81 has detected that there is a container C in the beverage cooking unit 10 (step S101). That is, the container detector 81 detects whether or not the container C is held by the holding member 61 . If the presence of the container C is not detected (step S101: No), the control unit 90 repeats the determination process of step S101.

When it is detected that there is a container C (step S101: Yes), the control unit 90 determines whether the opening/closing door 7 is closed based on the detection result of the door opening/closing detection unit 82 (step S102). ). If the opening/closing door 7 is not closed (step S102: No), the determination process of step S102 is repeated. On the other hand, when the open/close door 7 is closed (step S102: Yes), the control unit 90 locks the open/close door 7 in the closed state using the door open/close lock mechanism 83 (step S103).

Then, the control unit 90 enters an operation waiting state for waiting for the user to press the input button 5a of the input unit 5 (step S104). When the input unit 5 is operated by pressing the input button 5a (step S104: Yes), the control unit 90 retrieves the recipe information of the beverage assigned to the pressed input button 5a from the storage unit 91. Read out and perform the following processing. Here, for example, it is assumed that a hot beverage containing a thickening component is selected.

The control unit 90 drives the raw material supply drive unit 22 and the thickening component supply drive unit 32 for a predetermined period of time, thereby charging a predetermined amount of the raw material powder and a predetermined amount of the thickening component into the container C (step S105).

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, a predetermined amount of raw material powder is discharged from the raw material chute 23 and then discharged from the raw material discharging unit 72 to be charged into the container C. After being dispensed by the shooter 33, it is discharged from the thickening component discharge part 73 and put into the container C. - 特許庁

The control unit 90, which has charged the raw powder material and the thickening component, charges a predetermined amount of raw water into the container C (step S106). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 90 drives the paddle drive unit 53 (forward rotation drive) to move the paddle member 51 downward while keeping the hot water supply valve 42 open for a predetermined time. Then, pour in the raw water (hot water).

As shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 90 that has introduced the raw water rotates the paddle member 51 by driving the paddle rotating unit 52 for a predetermined period of time to rotate the powder raw material, the thickening component, and the raw water that have been introduced into the container C. Stir (step S107).

The control unit 90 that stirs the raw material powder etc. in this manner cleans the paddle member 51 (step S108). This cleaning will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 90 drives the paddle driving unit 53 (reverse rotation driving) while stopping the driving of the paddle rotating unit 52 to move the paddle member 51 upward. Then, the control unit 90 drives the movement driving unit 62 until the position detection unit 63 detects that the holding member 61 (container C) arranged in the cooking position A is arranged in the retracted position B. move. After that, as shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 90 drives the paddle drive unit 53 (forward rotation drive) to move the paddle member 51 downward, and opens the hot water supply valve 42 to supply hot water. Let As a result, the hot water flows on the surface of the paddle member 51 and cleans the paddle member 51 . The hot water dropped from the paddle member 51 passes through the stage 11 and is stored in the drainage tray.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the control unit 90 closes the hot water supply valve 42 and then drives the paddle drive unit 53 (reverse rotation drive) to move the paddle member 51 upward and rotate the paddle. By driving the portion 52 for a predetermined period of time, the paddle member 51 is rotated (idled) at the paddle penetrating portion 71, and the hot water used for cleaning is released from the paddle member 51, thus completing the cleaning.

After cleaning the paddle member 51, the control unit 90 drives the movement driving unit 62 to move the holding member 61 (container C) from the retracted position B to the cooking position A, as shown in FIG. It is moved until it is detected by the position detector 63 (step S109).

After cleaning the paddle member 51 in this manner, the control unit 90 unlocks the closed state of the open/close door 7 by the door open/close lock mechanism 83 (step S110), and then returns to the procedure to supply the beverage this time. End the process.

In the above-described beverage supply device, when the container C is placed at the cooking position A, the powder raw material and the thickening component are put into the container C, and the raw water is put into the container C, and the powder raw material, the thickening component, and the raw water are put into the container C. Agitation is used to cook the beverage. Then, when the container C is arranged at the retracted position B, the paddle member 51 is washed.

That is, the container holding portion 60 has a cooking position A that allows raw material (powder raw material) and raw water to be supplied to the container C and agitation by the paddle members 51, and a retracted position B that allows cleaning of the paddle members 51. A container C is movably held between them.

As described above, according to the beverage supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the container holding part 60 allows the supply of the raw powder material, the thickening component, and the raw water to the container C, and allows the stirring by the paddle member 51. Since the container C is movably held between the cooking position A, where the paddle member 51 is allowed to wash, and the retracted position B, where the paddle member 51 is allowed to wash, the raw material can be transferred to the container while being transferred by the transfer mechanism as in the conventional art. In addition, there is no need to add raw water or stir, and furthermore, no sensor or the like for detecting the stop position of the container is required. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily supply the beverage while miniaturizing the entire device and reducing the manufacturing cost.

Moreover, according to the beverage supply device, since the paddle member 51 is washed each time the beverage is cooked, it can be made excellent in terms of hygiene. Therefore, even when a beverage to which a thickening component is added is cooked, the thickening component adhering to the paddle member 51 can be washed away satisfactorily.

According to the above-described beverage supply device, since the raw material shooter 23 and the thickening component shooter 33 are heated, adhesion of the raw material powder and the thickening component to the inside of the raw material shooter 23 and the thickening component shooter 33 can be suppressed. can be done. Moreover, since part of the heat of the heat source that generates the hot water is used, a new heat source for heating the raw material chute 23 and the like is not required, and an increase in power consumption can be suppressed.

According to the above-described beverage supply device, the paddle penetrating portion 71 is configured by a cylindrical portion in the discharge main body portion 70, and the paddle member 51 is idly rotated in the paddle penetrating portion 71. It is possible to prevent the hot water (hot water used for washing) from adhering to the lower part of the raw material discharge part 72 or the lower part of the thickening component discharge part 73 and giving an adverse effect.

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 beverage is cooked by adding the thickening component, but in the present invention, the beverage may be cooked without adding the thickening component.

In the above-described embodiment, the container holder 60 moves the container C (holding member 61) from the retracted position B to the cooking position A after the paddle member 51 is washed. , the container need not be moved from the second position to the first position after cleaning the paddle member.

Reference Signs List 1 device main body 2 main body cabinet 3 front door 5 input section 6 opening 7 open/close door 10 beverage cooking section 20 raw material supply section 21 raw material canister 22 raw material supply drive section 23 raw material shooter 30 thickening component supply section 31 thickening canister 32 thickening component supply drive Part 33 Thickening component shooter 40 Raw water supply part 41 Water supply valve 42 Hot water supply valve 50 Stirring mechanism 51 Paddle member 52 Paddle rotation part 53 Paddle driving part 60 Container holding part 61 Holding member 62 Movement driving part 63 Position detection part 70 Discharge body part 81 container detector 82 door open/close detector 83 door open/close lock mechanism 90 control unit 91 storage unit C container

Claims (3)

A beverage supply device comprising a beverage cooking section in which a container is arranged, and supplying a beverage to the container arranged in the beverage cooking section,
a raw material supply unit that supplies the raw material of the beverage to the container;
a raw water supply unit that supplies raw water for the beverage to the container;
a stirring mechanism having a paddle member for stirring the raw material and the raw water supplied to the container to produce the beverage;
Between a first position provided in the beverage cooking section and allowing the supply of the raw material and the raw water to the container and allowing agitation by the paddle member and a second position allowing washing of the paddle member and a container holding part that movably holds the container with. 2. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container holding section moves the container to the first position after cleaning the paddle member. A thickening component supply unit for supplying the container with a thickening component that improves the viscosity of the beverage,
3. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container holding portion allows the thickening component to be supplied to the container at the first position.

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