JP7268361B2 - beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a beverage supply device, and more particularly to a beverage supply device such as a coffee machine installed in a store such as a convenience store.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a beverage supply device such as a coffee machine is installed in a store such as a convenience store. When a user selects a beverage, the beverage supply device performs, for example, grinding coffee beans and extraction processing such as dripping to generate the beverage, and supplies the beverage to a cup arranged in the beverage supply unit. It is.

In such a beverage supply device, it has been proposed to detect whether or not a cup is placed in the beverage supply unit, and to supply the beverage only when the cup is detected (for example, patent Reference 1).

JP 2009-274767 A

By the way, some recent beverage supply apparatuses change the type of cup to be used according to the type of beverage to be supplied. For example, when supplying a hot beverage, a paper cup is used, and when supplying a cold beverage, a transparent resin cup containing ice is used. be.

In such a beverage supply device, it is desirable to configure not to supply the beverage if the type of the cup arranged in the beverage supply section and the type of the beverage instructed to be supplied are not in an appropriate combination. In other words, if it has a function to determine the type of cup placed in the beverage supply unit, it can prevent a situation in which a beverage extracted for cold beverages is accidentally supplied to a paper cup. be able to

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage supply device capable of determining the type of cup well.

In order to achieve the above object, a beverage supply device according to the present invention is a beverage supply device that supplies a beverage produced by a beverage production section to a cup arranged in the beverage supply section, wherein heating means for heating the detection area of the cup, temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the detection area heated by the heating means, and determination means for determining the type of the cup from the detection result of the temperature detection means. It is characterized by having

Further, according to the present invention, in the above beverage supply apparatus, the heating means sends air controlled at a predetermined temperature to the detection area.

Further, according to the present invention, in the beverage supply device described above, the temperature detection means detects the temperature of the detection area in a non-contact manner.

In the present invention, the heating means heats a predetermined detection area of the cup, the temperature detection means detects the temperature of the detection area heated by the heating means, and the determination means detects the temperature of the cup based on the detection result of the temperature detection means. determines the type. By heating the detection area in this way, if the cup is made of paper exclusively for hot beverages, it is easily heated. is inserted, the temperature in the detection area is still around 0° C., and the temperature difference in the detection area can be increased depending on the type of cup. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to satisfactorily determine the type of cup.

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 block diagram schematically showing the control system of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement example of components of the heating section and the temperature detection section shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the contents of a beverage supply control process performed by the controller shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the processing contents of the cup type determination processing in FIG.

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

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a beverage supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system. is.

The beverage supply apparatus illustrated here is, for example, a coffee machine installed in a store such as a convenience store, for example, grinds coffee beans and performs extraction processing such as dripping, and supplies a beverage such as coffee to a cup C, for example. is. Such a beverage supply device comprises a device body 1. As shown in FIG.

Here, as the cup C, there are those dedicated to cold beverages and those dedicated to hot beverages. The cup C exclusively for cold beverages is made of colorless and transparent transparent resin, and is filled with ice in advance before the beverage is supplied. This cup C exclusively for cold beverages is stored frozen inside a freezer so that the ice inside does not melt. The cup C exclusively for hot beverages is made of white and opaque paper, and has substantially the same shape and size as the cup C exclusively for cold beverages. The cup C exclusively for hot beverages is stored at room temperature in an empty state.

The apparatus main body 1 has a main body cabinet 10 and a front door 20 . The main body cabinet 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open front surface. Inside the main body cabinet 10, a beverage producing section 11 for producing a beverage (for example, coffee) is provided.

The front door 20 is a door body large enough to close the front opening of the main body cabinet 10 . The front door 20 is provided at one edge on the front side of the main body cabinet 10 so as to be able to swing around the central axis of a shaft portion (not shown) extending along the vertical direction. It is possible to open and close the opening.

The front surface of the front door 20 constitutes a customer service surface, and is provided with a display section 21, a beverage supply section 22, and an opening/closing door 23. As shown in FIG. The display unit 21 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel, and has an input unit 21a that displays various information and enables input operations such as touch operations.

The beverage supply section 22 is provided below the display section 21 and has a nozzle 22a and a stage 22b. The nozzle 22a discharges the beverage produced by the beverage production unit 11 downward. The stage 22b is provided in the area below the nozzle 22a. This stage 22b is for placing the cup C, and is provided with an arcuate stopper 22c.

The opening/closing door 23 is made of, for example, a translucent material such as transparent resin, and has a size sufficient to cover the entrance 22 d of the beverage supply section 22 . The open/close door 23 has a left end pivotally supported by the front door 20 and is swingable in the front-rear direction. That is, the opening/closing door 23 can swing along the front-rear direction in a manner to approach and separate from the beverage supply section 22 , and when it swings backward in a manner to approach the beverage supply section 22 , the opening and closing door 23 of the beverage supply section 22 is closed. 22 d can be closed and inlet 22 d can be opened when swinging forward away from beverage supply 22 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the beverage supply device includes a cup detection unit 24, a heating unit (heating means) 25, a temperature detection unit (temperature detection unit) 26, a door opening/closing detection unit 27, a door opening/closing lock mechanism 28, and a control unit 30. It has

The cup detection section 24 is composed of, for example, an optical sensor or the like, and detects whether or not the cup C is placed in the beverage supply section 22, that is, whether or not the cup C is placed on the stage 22b. The cup detection section 24 provides the control section 30 with the detection result of the presence or absence of the cup C. As shown in FIG.

The heating unit 25, as shown in FIG. is sent to a predetermined detection area M for a predetermined time (for example, about 5 seconds) to heat the detection area M.

The temperature detection part 26 is arranged on the back surface part 22e similarly to the heating part 25, and detects the temperature of the detection area M of the cup C in a non-contact manner. The temperature detector 26 outputs detected temperature information to the controller 30 .

The door opening/closing detection unit 27 is provided near the entrance 22d of the beverage supply unit 22, and is composed of, for example, an optical sensor. The door opening/closing detection unit 27 detects opening/closing of the entrance 22d by the opening/closing door 23. More specifically, it detects whether the entrance 22d is closed, that is, whether the opening/closing door 23 is closed. be. The door open/close detection unit 27 provides the control unit 30 with a detection result as to whether or not the open/close door 23 is closed.

The door opening/closing lock mechanism 28 is provided near the entrance 22 d of the beverage supply section 22 . The door opening/closing lock mechanism 28 has a locked state in which the opening/closing door 23 that closes the entrance 22d is kept closed to prevent the opening/closing door 23 from swinging forward. It is possible to switch alternatively between a released state in which it is allowed to swing forward. Such switching of the door opening/closing lock mechanism 28 is performed according to a command given from the control section 30 .

The control unit 30 is electrically connected to the beverage production unit 11, the display unit 21, the cup detection unit 24, the heating unit 25, the temperature detection unit 26, the door opening/closing detection unit 27, and the door opening/closing lock mechanism 28 described above. In accordance with the programs and data stored in the storage section 31 which is also electrically connected, the operations of these sections are collectively controlled. The control unit 30 has a determination processing unit (determination means) 30a that performs a cup type determination process, which will be described later.

Note that the control unit 30 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. 4 is a flow chart showing the contents of the beverage supply control process performed by the controller 30 shown in FIG. The operation of the beverage supply device will be explained while explaining the contents of the beverage supply control process.

In this beverage supply control process, the control unit 30 determines whether or not the cup detection unit 24 has detected that the cup C is in the beverage supply unit 22 (step S110). That is, the cup detector 24 detects whether or not the cup C is placed on the stage 22b.

When it is detected that there is a cup C (step S110: Yes), the control unit 30 performs cup type determination processing through the determination processing unit 30a (step S120). On the other hand, if it is not detected that there is a cup C (step S110: No), the control unit 30 repeats the determination process of step S110.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the contents of the cup type determination process in FIG. In this cup type determination process, the determination processing unit 30a of the control unit 30 determines whether or not the temperature detection unit 26 has detected the temperature of the detection area M of the cup C (step S121).

When the temperature of the detection area M is detected (step S121: Yes), the determination processing unit 30a of the control unit 30 determines whether or not the detected temperature is lower than a reference temperature (for example, about 5° C.) (step S122). . On the other hand, when the temperature of the detection area M is not detected (step S121: No), the control unit 30 repeats the determination process of step S121.

If the determination processing unit 30a determines that the detected temperature is not less than the reference temperature (step S122: No), that is, if the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the cup C of the beverage supply unit 22 is made of paper exclusively for hot beverages. (step S123), and then the procedure is returned to end the current cup type determination processing.

When the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, it is determined that the cup C is made of paper exclusively for hot beverages. This is because it is not conceivable that the detection region M of the temperature rises above the reference temperature.

If the determination processing unit 30a determines that the detected temperature is lower than the reference temperature (step S122: Yes), it drives the heating unit 25 (step S124). As a result, air controlled at a predetermined temperature is sent to the detection area M from the heating unit 25 . After driving the heating unit 25 in this manner, the determination processing unit 30a waits for a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) to elapse (step S125). It is stopped (step S126).

Then, the determination processing unit 30a determines whether or not the temperature detection unit 26 has detected the temperature of the detection area M of the cup C (step S127). When the temperature of the detection region M is detected (step S127: Yes), the determination processing unit 30a of the control unit 30 determines whether or not the detected temperature is lower than the reference temperature (for example, about 5° C.) (step S128). . On the other hand, when the temperature of the detection area M is not detected (step S127: No), the control unit 30 repeats the determination process of step S127.

If the determination processing unit 30a determines that the detected temperature is not less than the reference temperature (step S128: No), that is, if the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the reference temperature, the cup C of the beverage supply unit 22 is made of paper exclusively for hot beverages. (step S123), and then the procedure is returned to end the current cup type determination processing.

On the other hand, if the determination processing unit 30a determines that the detected temperature is less than the reference temperature (step S128: Yes), it determines that the cup C of the beverage supply unit 22 is made of transparent resin exclusively for cold beverages (step S129 ), and then the procedure is returned to end the current cup type determination processing.

After performing the cup type determination process in this manner, the control unit 30 determines whether the opening/closing door 23 is closed based on the detection result of the door opening/closing detection unit 27 (step S130). If the opening/closing door 23 is not closed (step S130: No), the determination process of step S130 is repeated. On the other hand, when the open/close door 23 is closed (step S130: Yes), the control unit 30 locks the open/close door 23 in the closed state using the door open/close lock mechanism 28 (step S140).

Then, the control unit 30 causes the display unit 21 to display the beverage corresponding to the type of the cup C determined in step S120, that is, the beverage to be supplied (cold beverage or hot beverage) and a message for confirmation. A guidance display for guiding the touch of the input unit 21a is performed (step S150).

After that, the control unit 30 determines whether or not the input unit 21a is touched (step S160). If the input unit 21a is not touched (step S160: No), the control unit 30 repeats the determination process of step S160. On the other hand, when the input unit 21a is touched (step S160: Yes), the control unit 30 causes the beverage production unit 11 to perform processing for producing and supplying the beverage to be supplied (step S170).

After that, the control unit 30 determines whether or not the beverage supply by the beverage production unit 11 has ended (step S180). If the supply of the beverage has not ended (step S180: No), the controller 30 returns to step S170 to continue the process of producing and supplying the beverage. On the other hand, when the supply of the beverage has ended (step S180: Yes), the control unit 30 unlocks the closed state of the open/close door 23 by the door open/close lock mechanism 28 (step S190), and then returns the procedure. to terminate this process.

As described above, in the beverage supply device, the heating unit 25 heats the detection region M of the cup C, the temperature detection unit 26 detects the temperature of the detection region M heated by the heating unit 25, A determination processing unit 30 a of the control unit 30 determines the type of the cup C based on the detection result of the temperature detection unit 26 . By heating the detection area M in this way, if the cup C is made of paper exclusively for hot beverages, it is easily heated. On the other hand, if the cup C is made of transparent resin exclusively for cold beverages, the temperature in the detection area M is still around 0°C because ice is put inside, and depending on the type of the cup C, the temperature in the detection area M is temperature difference can be increased. Therefore, even if the temperature of the atmosphere around the beverage supply unit 22 is, for example, about 0° C., the type of the cup C (whether it is dedicated to hot beverages or dedicated to cold beverages) can be determined satisfactorily. can be done.

Further, according to the beverage supply device, the type of the cup C is determined after the cup detection unit 24 determines that the cup C is present in the beverage supply unit 22. Therefore, the timing of determination is uniquely determined. , erroneous determination can be prevented.

Moreover, before the opening/closing door 23 is closed, that is, before the entrance 22d of the beverage supply section 22 is closed, the type of the cup C is determined, thereby shortening the time required to supply the beverage. can be done.

According to the beverage supply device, the open/close door 23 is locked while the beverage is being supplied by the beverage production unit 11, so that the user can be prevented from being burned.

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 heating unit 25 sends air controlled at a predetermined temperature (for example, 40 to 60° C., preferably about 50° C.) to the detection region M of the cup C for a predetermined time (for example, about 5 seconds). However, in the present invention, the heating means may irradiate the detection area of the cup with infrared rays to heat it. Further, the heating means may heat the cup by sending steam generated in a hot water tank constituting the beverage producing section, ie, a tank for producing and storing hot water, to the detection area of the cup.

1 Device Main Body 10 Main Body Cabinet 11 Beverage Production Section 20 Front Door 21 Display Section 22 Beverage Supply Section 22a Nozzle 22b Stage 22c Stopper 22d Entrance 23 Opening/Closing Door 24 Cup Detection Section 25 Heating Section 26 Temperature Detection Section 27 Door Opening/Closing Detection Section 28 Door Opening/Closing Lock Mechanism 30 Control Unit 30a Determination Processing Unit 31 Storage Unit C Cup M Detection Area

Claims (3)

A beverage supply device that supplies a beverage produced by a beverage production unit to a cup arranged in the beverage supply unit,
heating means for heating a predetermined detection area of the cup;
a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the detection area heated by the heating means;
determining means for determining the type of the cup from the result of detection by the temperature detecting means ;
The determining means determines that the type of the cup is exclusive for cold beverages when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is less than a predetermined reference temperature, and the determining means determines that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is the reference temperature. A beverage supply device characterized by determining that the type of the cup is dedicated to hot beverages in the above cases . 2. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said heating means sends air controlled at a predetermined temperature to said detection area. 3. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature detection means detects the temperature of the detection area in a non-contact manner.

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