JP7424398B2 - beverage dispensing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage dispensing device, and more particularly, to an improvement of a beverage dispensing device such as a coffee machine installed in a store such as a convenience store.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, beverage supply devices such as coffee machines have been installed in stores such as convenience stores. The beverage supply device generates a beverage by performing processes such as grinding coffee beans and extracting drippings, and supplies the beverage to a cup, which is a container.

Such a beverage supply device includes an imaging section such as a camera that takes an image of the placed cup, and the image of the cup is determined based on the image information obtained by taking an image with the imaging section and the information about the cup stored in the memory. Determining the type.

In such a beverage dispensing device, if the type of cup cannot be determined from the image information acquired by capturing an image with the imaging unit, in order to prevent an erroneous determination from occurring, an instruction is provided to place the cup in a predetermined area. A placement change display is displayed on the display to prompt the cup placement change, and when this placement change display is performed a predetermined number of times in a row, a call to call the administrator is displayed on the display. Display is performed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-195364 Publication

By the way, in the beverage supply device proposed in Patent Document 1, a layout change display is performed when the type of cup cannot be determined, and when such a layout change display is performed a predetermined number of times in succession, the display section Since a call display indicating that a manager is to be called is displayed at the same time, maintenance work by the manager is required, resulting in a problem in that opportunities for supplying beverages (sales opportunities) are lost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage supply device that can suppress the loss of a beverage supply opportunity even when the type of cup cannot be determined.

In order to achieve the above object, the beverage supply device according to the present invention includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information about a cup placed in a beverage supply unit, and a type of the cup that determines the type of the cup from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit. and a control unit that causes a display unit to display a supplied beverage, which is one beverage corresponding to the determined cup type, on a display unit when the cup type is determined by the cup determining unit, When a beverage is selected, the control unit causes the beverage generation unit to generate the supplied beverage and supply it to the cup, wherein the control unit causes the cup determination unit to determine whether the supply beverage is in the cup or not. If the number of consecutive failures in which the type cannot be continuously determined is less than a predetermined number of times, a placement change display indicating that the cup is to be placed in a predetermined information acquisition area in the beverage supply section is displayed on the display section. When the number of consecutive non-judgments is equal to or greater than the set number of times, a plurality of drinks that can be supplied are displayed on the display section.

The present invention also provides the above-mentioned beverage supply device, wherein the control unit selects each of the plurality of types of cups that are candidates in the determination process by the cup determination means when the number of consecutive non-judgments is equal to or greater than the set number of times. A plurality of corresponding candidate beverages are displayed on the display section, and a list display selection section is displayed on the display section for transitioning to a list display displaying all types of drinks that can be supplied.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the beverage supply device, the control section causes the display section to display all types of drinks that can be supplied when the list display selection section is selected.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned beverage supply device, the control section causes the display section to display all types of drinks that can be supplied when the number of consecutive non-judgments is equal to or greater than the set number of times. .

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned beverage supply device, the information acquisition means acquires characteristic information about the size, color, and image of the cup.

Further, the present invention provides the above-mentioned beverage supply device, further comprising a cup detection section that detects that the cup is placed in the beverage supply section, and the cup determination means detects that the cup detection section detects the placement of the cup. In this case, the type of the cup is determined.

According to the present invention, when the number of consecutive failures in which the type of cup cannot be continuously determined by the cup determining means is less than a predetermined number of times, the control section can obtain predetermined information about the cup in the beverage supply section. While displaying a placement change indication indicating that the beverages will be placed in the area, if the number of consecutive non-judgments exceeds the set number, multiple drinks that can be supplied are displayed on the display, so the user (purchaser) It is possible to make the user recognize the repositioning of the cup and encourage the user to place the cup in an area where information can be obtained.This will ensure that the information obtained from the cup is good, prevents misjudgment, and improves the accuracy of the cup type. It is possible to improve the accuracy of determination, and even when the type of cup cannot be determined, it is possible to suppress the loss of an opportunity to supply a beverage.

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 a control system of a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the beverage supply control process executed by the control section shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the details of the determination display process shown in FIG. (a) to (d) of FIG. 5 are explanatory diagrams showing examples of display on the display unit in the determination display process shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a beverage supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 each show a beverage supply device that is 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 the control system. It is.

The beverage supply device 1 illustrated here is, for example, a coffee machine installed in a store such as a convenience store, and performs, for example, coffee bean grinding and dripping extraction processing, and dispenses a beverage such as coffee into a cup C, which is a container. supply. Such a beverage supply device 1 includes a main body cabinet 10 and a front door 20.

The main body cabinet 10 has a substantially rectangular shape with an open front. Inside the main body cabinet 10, a beverage production section 11 for producing a beverage (for example, coffee) is provided.

The front door 20 is a door body having a size sufficient to close the front opening of the main cabinet 10. The front door 20 is provided at one edge of the front side of the main body cabinet 10 so as to be swingable 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. The display unit 21 is configured of, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel, and has an input unit 21a that displays various information and allows input operations such as touch operations.

The beverage supply section 22 is provided below the display section 21 and includes a nozzle 22a and a stage 22b. The nozzle 22a discharges the beverage produced by the beverage production section 11 downward.

The stage 22b is provided below the nozzle 22a. This stage 22b is for placing the cup C, and is provided with an arcuate stopper 22c. The stopper 22c constitutes a predetermined information acquisition area S where the beverage discharged from the nozzle 22a can be well received and an information acquisition section 25, which will be described later, can satisfactorily acquire information about the cup C. .

The opening/closing door 23 is made of a translucent material such as transparent resin, and has a size sufficient to cover the entrance 22d of the beverage supply section 22. The opening/closing door 23 has a left end portion pivotally supported by the front door 20 and is swingable in the front-rear direction.

That is, the opening/closing door 23 is swingable along the front-rear direction in a manner approaching and away from the beverage supply section 22, and when swinging backward in a manner approaching the beverage supply section 22, the opening/closing door 23 is able to swing toward and away from the beverage supply section 22. 22d can be closed and the inlet 22d of the beverage supply 22 can be opened when swinging forward away from the beverage supply 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the beverage supply device 1 includes a cup detection section 24, an information acquisition section (information acquisition means) 25, a door opening/closing detection section 26, a door opening/closing locking mechanism 27, and a control section 30.

The cup detection section 24 is constituted by, for example, an optical sensor, 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 sends the detection result of the presence or absence of the cup C to the control section 30 as a signal.

The information acquisition unit 25 is provided in the beverage supply unit 22. The information acquisition unit 25 includes, for example, an optical sensor, an RGB sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, etc., and acquires information on the size (height), color, and image of the cup C. . The information acquisition unit 25 sends the acquired information to the control unit 30 as a signal.

The door opening/closing detection section 26 is provided near the entrance 22d of the beverage supply section 22, and is composed of, for example, an optical sensor. This door opening/closing detection section 26 detects whether the entrance 22d is opened or closed by the opening/closing door 23, and more specifically, it detects whether the entrance 22d is closed, that is, whether the opening/closing door 23 is closed. be. The door opening/closing detection section 26 sends a detection result of whether or not the opening/closing door 23 is closed to the control section 30 as a signal.

The door opening/closing locking mechanism 27 is provided near the entrance 22d of the beverage supply section 22. This door opening/closing locking mechanism 27 has two states: a locked state in which the opening/closing door 23 that closes the entrance 22d is held in a closed state and restricts the opening/closing door 23 from swinging forward; It is possible to selectively switch between a release state in which the lever is allowed to swing forward. Such switching of the door opening/closing locking mechanism 27 is performed according to a command given from the control section 30.

The control unit 30 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned beverage production unit 11, display unit 21, cup detection unit 24, information acquisition unit 25, door opening/closing detection unit 26, and door opening/closing locking mechanism 27, and is also electrically The operation of each of these sections is controlled in an integrated manner according to programs and data stored in the connected storage section 31. The control section 30 has a cup determination processing section (cup determination means) 30a that determines the type of cup C in a determination display process to be described later.

Note that the control unit 30 may be realized by, for example, causing a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, it may be realized using a combination of software and hardware.

The storage unit 31 also stores a correspondence table 31a that stores the relationship between the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 25 and the type of cup C.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the beverage supply control process executed by the control unit 30 shown in FIG. The operation of the beverage supply device 1 will be explained while explaining the contents of the beverage supply control process.

In this beverage supply control process, the control unit 30 performs a determination display process (step S110).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the details of the determination display process shown in FIG. In this determination display process, the control unit 30 determines whether the cup detection unit 24 has detected that the cup C is in the beverage supply unit 22 (step S111). That is, the cup detection unit 24 detects whether the cup C is placed on the stage 22b. If it is not detected that there is a cup C (step S111: No), the control unit 30 repeats the determination process of step S111.

On the other hand, if it is detected that there is a cup C (step S111: Yes), the control unit 30 acquires information about the cup C through the information acquisition unit 25 (step S112).

Then, the cup determination processing unit 30a of the control unit 30 reads the correspondence table 31a from the storage unit 31 (step S113), and determines the type of cup C based on the information acquired in step S112 and the correspondence table 31a (step S114). .

When the type of cup C is determined (step S114: Yes), the control unit 30 displays one beverage corresponding to the determined type of cup C on the display unit 21, as shown in (a) of FIG. Displays the supplied beverage (for example, "Hot Coffee Regular") and displays touch guidance on the input section 21a, displaying, for example, the word "Press" (step S115), and then returns the procedure to the current process. end.

On the other hand, if the type of cup C cannot be determined (step S114: No), the control unit 30 counts the number of consecutive non-determinations, which is the number of times the type of cup C could not be determined consecutively in step S114 (step S114). S116).

The control unit 30 that has counted the number of continuous non-determinations in this way reads out the predetermined set number of times information from the storage unit 31 and determines whether the number of consecutive non-determinations is equal to or greater than the set number of times included in the set number of times information. A judgment is made (step S117).

If the number of consecutive non-judgments is not equal to or greater than the set number (step S117: No), the control unit 30 displays a placement change display ( ) indicating that the cup C is placed in the information acquisition area S, as shown in FIG. 5(b). For example, "please replace the cup") is displayed on the display unit 21 (step S118), the procedure moves to step S111, and the processes from step S111 described above are repeated.

On the other hand, if the number of consecutive non-determinations is equal to or greater than the set number (step S117: Yes), the control unit 30 displays the cup determination in step S114 described above on the display unit 21 as shown in FIG. 5(c). A plurality of candidate drinks (for example, "Hot Coffee Regular", "Hot Coffee Large", "Iced Coffee Regular") corresponding to each of the plurality of types of cups C that have become candidates in the determination process by the processing section 30a are input to the input section 21a. A list display selection section (for example, "list display") that transitions to a list display displaying all types of drinks that can be supplied is displayed as the input section 21a, and a touch guidance display for these input sections 21a is displayed. (For example, "Please select a product") (step S119).

The control unit 30 that has displayed the candidate drinks and the like in this manner determines whether or not the list display selection unit, which is one of the input units 21a, has been touched (step S120). If the list display selection section (input section 21a) is not touched (step S120: No), the control section 30 continues displaying candidate drinks, etc., and then returns the procedure to end the current process.

On the other hand, when the list display selection section (input section 21a) is touched (step S120: Yes), the control section 30 displays all the information that can be supplied to the display section 21 as shown in (d) of FIG. The type of beverage (for example, "Hot Coffee Regular", "Hot Coffee Large", "Iced Coffee Regular", "Iced Coffee Large") is displayed as the input section 21a, and a touch guidance display for these input sections 21a (for example, "Please select a product") (step S121), and then the procedure returns to end the current process.

The control unit 30 that has performed such a determination display process displays on the display unit 21 the supplied drinks, etc. (display in step S115), the candidate drinks, etc. (display in step S119 above), or the list display (display in step S121 above). It is determined whether or not the input unit 21a is touched in a state where the display) is being performed (step S130). If the input unit 21a is not touched (step S130: No), the control unit 30 repeats the determination process of step S130.

On the other hand, when the input unit 21a is touched (step S130: Yes), 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 26 (step S130: Yes). S150). If the opening/closing door 23 is not closed (step S150: No), the determination process of step S150 is repeated.

When the opening/closing door 23 is closed (step S150: Yes), the control unit 30 locks the opening/closing door 23 in the closed state using the door opening/closing locking mechanism 27 (step S170), and controls the beverage producing unit 11. Then, the process of generating and supplying the beverage touched in step S130 is performed (step S190).

After that, the control unit 30 determines whether or not the beverage supply by the beverage production unit 11 has ended (step S210). If the beverage supply has not been completed (step S210: No), the control unit 30 continues the beverage generation and supply process.

On the other hand, when the beverage supply is finished (step S210: Yes), the control unit 30 unlocks the closed state of the opening/closing door 23 by the door opening/closing locking mechanism 27 (step S230), and then returns the procedure. This ends the current beverage supply control process. According to this, it is possible to provide the user (purchaser) with a drink corresponding to the purchased cup C.

As described above, according to the beverage supply device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 30 displays the arrangement change display when the number of consecutive non-determinations by the cup determination processing unit 30a is less than the set number of times. 21, it is possible to make the user aware of the repositioning of the cup C and to prompt the user to place the cup C in the information acquisition area S. As a result, the information acquired from the cup C becomes good, and it is possible to prevent erroneous determination from occurring and improve the accuracy of determining the type of cup C. Then, when the number of consecutive non-determinations exceeds the set number, the control unit 30 causes the display unit 21 to display a list of candidate beverages and the like to display a plurality of drinks that can be supplied. Beverage can be supplied even when cup C cannot be determined, thereby suppressing the loss of a beverage supply opportunity even when cup C cannot be determined.

In particular, when the number of consecutive non-determinations exceeds the set number, the control unit 30 displays a plurality of candidate drinks on the display unit 21 corresponding to each of the plurality of types of cups C that have become candidates in the determination process by the cup determination processing unit 30a. At the same time, the display section 21 displays a list display selection section that transitions to a list display that displays all types of drinks that can be supplied, so the number of products to be selected can be minimized, and the user can It is possible to save as much time and effort as possible when selecting a product, thereby improving convenience for the user.

Moreover, since the control unit 30 causes the display unit 21 to display all types of drinks that can be supplied when the list display selection unit is selected, even if the determination of the type of cup C is uncertain, The user can receive a beverage corresponding to the type of cup C purchased, and the unmanned supply of beverages can be ensured.

Furthermore, according to the beverage supply device 1, the type of cup C is determined after the cup detection section 24 determines that the cup C is present in the beverage supply section 22, so the timing for making the determination is uniquely determined. Therefore, it is possible to prevent misjudgment.

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

According to the beverage supply device 1, the opening/closing door 23 is locked while the beverage production unit 11 is supplying the beverage, so it is possible to prevent the user from getting burnt. .

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes can be made.

In the embodiment described above, when the number of consecutive non-judgments is equal to or greater than the set number, the control unit 30 selects a plurality of cups C corresponding to each of the plurality of types of cups C that have become candidates in the determination process by the cup determination processing unit 30a. Although candidate drinks and a list display selection section were displayed on the display section 21, in the present invention, when the number of consecutive non-judgments exceeds a set number of times, all types of drinks that can be supplied are displayed on the display section. You may also do so. This also makes it possible to prevent a loss of opportunity to supply beverages even when the type of cup cannot be determined.

In the embodiment described above, one nozzle 22a was provided in the beverage supply section 22, but in the present invention, the nozzles are provided in a manner that they are spaced apart from each other to the left and right, and different types of beverages are dispensed from each nozzle. It may be configured to be discharged.

In the embodiment described above, the type of cup C is determined after the cup detection section 24 determines that the cup C is in the beverage supply section 22, but in the present invention, the type of cup C is determined after the cup detection section 24 determines that the cup C is in the beverage supply section 22. The type of cup may be determined from

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Beverage supply device, 10... Main body cabinet, 11... Beverage production part, 20... Front door, 21... Display part, 21a... Input part, 22... Beverage supply part, 22a... Nozzle, 22b... Stage, 22c... Stopper, 22d...Entrance, 23...Opening/closing door, 24...Cup detection section, 25...Information acquisition section, 26...Door opening/closing detection section, 27...Door opening/closing locking mechanism, 30...Control section, 30a...Cup determination processing section, 31...Storage Section 31a...correspondence table, C...cup, S...information acquisition area.

Claims (6)

Information acquisition means for acquiring information about a cup placed in the beverage supply section;
cup determining means for determining the type of the cup from the information acquired by the information acquiring means;
and a control unit that causes a display unit to display, when the type of cup is determined by the cup determining means, a supplied beverage that is one beverage corresponding to the determined type of cup,
When the supplied beverage is selected, the control unit causes the beverage generation unit to generate the supplied beverage and supply it to the cup,
The control unit is configured to place the cup in a predetermined information acquisition area in the beverage supply unit when the number of consecutive failures in which the type of the cup cannot be continuously determined by the cup determination unit is less than a predetermined number of times. The display unit is characterized by displaying on the display unit a layout change display indicating that the beverages are to be arranged in the same place, and displaying a plurality of drinks that can be supplied on the display unit when the number of consecutive non-judgments is equal to or greater than the set number of times. Beverage dispensing equipment. The control unit displays a plurality of candidate drinks corresponding to each of a plurality of types of cups that have become candidates in a determination process by the cup determination means on the display unit when the number of consecutive non-judgments is equal to or greater than the set number of times. 2. The beverage dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the display section displays a list display selection section that displays a list display that displays all types of drinks that can be supplied. 3. The beverage supply device according to claim 2, wherein the control section causes the display section to display all types of drinks that can be supplied when the list display selection section is selected. 2. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes a display unit to display all types of drinks that can be supplied when the number of consecutive non-judgments is equal to or greater than the set number of times. The beverage supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information acquisition means acquires characteristic information about the size, color, and image of the cup. comprising a cup detection unit that detects that the cup is placed in the beverage supply unit,
The beverage supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cup determining means determines the type of the cup when the cup detecting section detects the arrangement of the cup.

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