JPH03100797A - Intra-cup material agitating device for drink vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an agitating device having a small number of constituting part and a narrow installation area by providing a drink supply nozzle, a needle moved in the nozzle, and a driving means which moves the needle. CONSTITUTION:A drink supply nozzle 11 placed above the upper edge of a cup 12, a needle 24 which is moved in the nozzle to change the aperture area of the nozzle, and a driving means 26 which moves the needle are provided, and the needle 11 is conical and has the front end pointed and is moved from the position, where it projects out from the aperture face, to the position where it is stored inward. When the needle 24 is placed on the outside of the aperture of the nozzle 11, a drink discharged from the aperture strikes against the needle 24 and is scattered around and is supplied to a cup like shower, and powdery materials are soaked in the drink. Thereafter, the front end of the needle 24 is put into the nozzle 11 to most narrow the aperture by the conical part of the needle 24, and the drink is sprayed into the cup. Thus, material are surely agitated by the drink, and the number of constituting parts is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a beverage vending machine that provides hot or cold beverages by supplying hot or cold water to cups filled with various powdered raw materials such as coffee cocoa or black tea. This invention relates to an in-cup raw material stirring device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, as the demand for cup-type vending machines has increased, there has been a need to solve hygienic problems with powder raw materials and their mixing parts.

As a conventional technique, a technique has been proposed in which raw materials are stirred in a cup as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-30997.

This conventional structure will be explained below with reference to FIG.

A flat spray nozzle 1 is connected to a pressurized hot water hose 2a and a cold water hose 2b for supplying pressurized hot water. Then, pressurized hot or cold water is sprayed into a cup 3a placed below the flat spray nozzle 1 and filled with the powder raw material 3 in advance.

Further, the flat spray nozzle 1 is caused to swing in the direction of an arrow E by a drive device 4.

Reference numeral 5 designates a nozzle fixed toward the inside of the cup 3a, connected to a hot water supply hose 6, and supplies unpressurized hot water to the cup 8a. 7 is an ice chute that supplies ice into the cup 3a when producing a cold beverage.

In the in-cup raw material stirring device configured as described above, when the cup 3a supplied with powdered raw material is set according to a sales command, the flat spray nozzle 1 is swung by the drive device 4, and at the same time, the pressurized hot water supply hose The liquid is injected from 2a through the flat spray nozzle 1. As a result, the powdered raw material 3 in the cup 3a is stirred by the water flow, mixed with the beverage, and dissolved into the beverage. After the stirring is completed, the pressurized injection is stopped and dilution is subsequently performed, and hot water is supplied when producing a hot beverage. Normal pressure hot water is supplied from the hose 6 through the fixed nozzle 5 into the cup 3a, and when a predetermined amount is reached, the supply is stopped and the preparation of the beverage is completed. In addition, when producing cold beverages, after the pressurized groove injection from the flat spray nozzle 1 is stopped, cold water is supplied into the cup 3a through the cold water hose 2b, and ice is supplied from the ice chute 7 to reach a predetermined amount. After that, the supply is stopped and cold beverage preparation is completed.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the above configuration requires a large number of components because it is necessary to provide the fixed nozzle 5 separately from the flat spray nozzle 1 for stirring and mixing. Furthermore, since the flat spray nozzle 1t is oscillated in order to perform optimal stirring, the installation location of the fixed nozzle 5 is limited.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an in-cup raw material stirring device for a beverage vending machine that has fewer components and a smaller installation area.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a nozzle for dispensing a beverage located above the upper edge of the cup, and a nozzle that moves within the nozzle to change the opening area of the nozzle to discharge the beverage. and a driving means for moving the needle, the needle having at least a conical shape, the tip of which is pointed, and is housed inward from a position protruding outward from the opening surface. This is done by moving it to the desired position.

According to the present invention, the opening of the nozzle is changed by the needle according to the above-described configuration, so that when the needle is located outside the opening of the nozzle, the beverage discharged from the opening hits the needle and scatters around, forming a shower. is supplied to the cup. That is, it hits the rim of the cup and moves toward the bottom, soaking the powdered material into the beverage. Thereafter, when the tip of the needle enters the nozzle, the conical portion of the needle becomes the most constricted opening, and the beverage is injected into the cup. As a result, the powder raw material and the beverage are mixed and stirred. Furthermore, when the tip of the needle enters the nozzle, the opening area of the nozzle becomes wider and
Beverage is steeped along the cone, providing a larger amount of beverage towards the center of the cup.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

11 is a nozzle body, and the opening 11a is connected to the upper edge 1 of the cup 12.
It is located above 2a. A powder raw material 13 is filled into the cup 12 at a position facing the nozzle 11 before the beverage is supplied.

This force 12 is filled with the powder raw material 13 into the cup 12.
2 may be filled in advance, or may be filled after the cup 12 is supplied.

A hollow cap 14 made of synthetic resin is attached to the opening 11a of the nozzle 11.

This cap 14 has a hollow portion 14 inside the nozzle 11.
A taper 15 is formed that converges toward a.

This nozzle 11 is composed of a straight part 11b and a branch part 11c, and 18 hot water tanks are connected to the branch part 11c via a valve 16 and a pump 17. It is also connected to the cold water tank 19 via a valve 20 and a pump 21 . 22 is an ice making machine connected to an ice chute 23 having an opening located near the nozzle 11 on the upper surface of the cup 12. Further, a needle 24 is arranged in the straight portion 11b and extends upward from the opening lid on the opposite side of the opening 11a. A seal 25 is provided between this frontage lid and the needle 24. The upper end of the needle 24 is connected to a driving means 26 consisting of a motor, and is attached so that the needle 24 can move in the vertical direction. Further, the tip of the needle 24 has a conical shape 27 with a sharp tip, and also has a smooth surface 28 on the opposite side.

Reference numeral 29 denotes selection detection means for determining whether the selection switch operated by the purchaser requests hot 29a or cold 29b.

30 indicates the drive hand a26, the valve 16.20, or the pump 17.2 when a hot request is made and when a cold request is made.
1 and the operation timing of the ice making machine 22 are stored therein. Based on the signal from this selection detection means 29, the corresponding operation procedure is read from the operation procedure memory hand a30, and the hot water supply means 3
1. Through the cold water supply means 32, the ice supply means 33, and the reversible control means 34, each drive means 26 and valves 16, 20,
It is provided with a storage/arithmetic means 35 for operating the pump 17, 21 and the ice maker 22.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail.

1) When supplying hot beverages, first, the selection detection means 29 detects that the purchaser requests hot drinks 29a (step 1), and the memory calculation means 8
Send a signal to 5. Upon receiving this signal, the memory calculation means 35
reads the operation procedure corresponding to hot from the operation procedure storage means 30 and stores it (step 2), operates the valve 16 and pump 17 via the hot water supply means 31 according to this operation procedure (step 3), and , reversible control means 3
operating the drive means 26 via 4 (step 4);
This state continues from to and tl for a certain period of time (step 5
), hot water is supplied to the cup 12.

At this time, since the needle 24 is located outside the opening 11a of the nozzle 11, the hot water discharged from the hollow part 14a of the kip 14 attached to the opening 11a hits the smooth surface 28 of the needle 24 and scatters around. The water is then supplied to the cup 12 in the form of a shower. In other words, the powder material 1 hits the green of the cup 12 and moves toward the bottom.
3 is immersed in the beverage (the state shown in FIG. 4a). In this state, the powder raw material 13 is immersed in hot water. After that, when the tip of the needle 24 enters the nozzle 11, the conical part 27 of the needle 24 becomes the most constricted opening (the state shown in Figure 4), and hot water is injected into the cup. Become. By this, powder raw material 1
3 and warm water are mixed and stirred. Furthermore, when the tip of the needle 24 enters the nozzle 11, the opening area of the nozzle 11 becomes wider, and hot water flows along the taper 15 and conical part 27 of the cap 14, and a large amount of water flows toward the center of the cup 13. Hot water is supplied (state shown in Figure 4C). From the state where the needle 24 protrudes from the nozzle 11, the nozzle 1
1 and the state shown in FIG. 6), the driving means 2 is also controlled by the reversible control means 34.
6 is reversed (step 7), and the needle 24 is operated for another 11 hours in order to move from the top dead center to the bottom dead center (step 8).

2) When cold drinks are supplied, the selection detection means 29 detects that the purchaser requests cold beverages 29b (step 1) and sends a signal to the storage calculation means 35. Upon receiving this signal, the memory calculation means 35 reads out the operation procedure corresponding to cold from the operation procedure storage means 3o and stores it (step 9).According to this operation procedure, the valve 16 and the pump 17 are operated via the hot water supply means 31. (step 10), and the reversible control means 34 rotates the motor forward (step 11). This operation time is then continued from to to t2 (step 12).

At this time, t2 is a shorter time than tl. and,
At t2, the reversible control means stops (step 1
8), L/ Therefore, since the needle 24 is located outside the opening 11a of the nozzle 11, the hot water discharged from the hollow part 14a of the cap 14 attached to the opening 11a flows onto the smooth surface 28 of the needle 24. 1, which hits and scatters around, forms a shower, and is supplied to the cup 12;
That is, since it hits the edge of the cup 12 and moves toward the bottom, the powdered raw material 13 is immersed in the beverage (the state shown in FIG. 4a).

In this state, the powder raw material 13 is immersed in warm water. After that, the tip of the needle 24 is connected to the nozzle 1.
1, the conical portion 27 of the needle 24 makes the opening the most constricted (the state shown in Figure 4), and hot water is sprayed into the cup. As a result, the powder raw material 13 and the hot water are mixed and stirred. In this state, the reversible control means 34 is stopped from t2 to t3. Between t2 and t3, the ice maker 22 operates and ice is introduced into the cup 12 (the state shown in FIG. Then, the needle 24 is moved downward (toward the bottom dead center side) and moved outward from the opening 11a of the nozzle 11 from t3 to t4 (the state shown in FIG. 4e) (step 15), and then,
The valve 20 and pump 21 are operated (step 16), whereby the cold water hits the smooth surface 28 of the needle 24 located outside the opening 11a of the nozzle 11, scatters around, and forms a shower in the cup. 12.

By supplying cold water from t4 to tl,
Cold beverages can be provided (step 17).

In this way, when supplying a hot beverage, the powder raw material 13 filled in the cup 12 is first moistened by the movement of the needle 24, and then mixed and stirred to improve the mixing effect.

In addition, when serving a cold beverage, the movement of the needle 24 is reversed midway through, and at the time of this reversal, ice is supplied into the cup 12 and cold water is showered and moved along the edge of the cup 12 to the bottom side of the cup 12. By enclosing the ice, the cold water is less likely to hit the ice and scatter, and mixing is promoted.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, the present invention has a nozzle for dispensing a beverage located above the upper edge of a cup, and a nozzle that moves within the nozzle to change the opening area of the nozzle to dispense the beverage. A needle that changes its state and a driving means that moves the needle, the needle having at least a conical shape and having a pointed tip from a position where it projects outwardly from the opening surface to a position where it is stored inwardly. Since the nozzle is moved, the opening of the nozzle is changed by the needle, so when the needle is positioned outward from the opening of the nozzle, the beverage discharged from the opening hits the needle and scatters around, creating a shower. is supplied to the cup. That is, it hits the rim of the cup and moves toward the bottom, soaking the powdered material into the beverage. After that, when the tip of the needle enters the nozzle, the conical part of the needle makes the opening the most constricted, and the beverage is injected into the cup, so that the beverage can be stirred more reliably. In addition, when the tip of the needle enters the nozzle, the opening area of the nozzle becomes wider, and the beverage flows along the conical part, and a large amount of beverage is supplied toward the center of the cup, reducing splashing to the surroundings. Become. Furthermore, since the mixture is stirred within the cup, there is no need to clean the stirring part as in the conventional case.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an in-cup raw material stirring device of a beverage vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1, FIG. 8 is a timing chart of FIG. 1, and FIG. Figure 4a
From Figure 4, the eclipse is a cross-sectional view explaining the operating state of Figure 2,
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional beverage vending machine in-cup raw material stirring device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Nozzle, 12... Cup, 13... Powder raw material, 24... Needle, 26... Drive means, 27
...Conical part.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a device that supplies drinking water to powdered raw materials filled in a cup and mixes the mixture within the cup, a beverage supply nozzle located above the upper edge of the cup and a beverage supply nozzle that moves within the nozzle are provided. a needle for changing the state of the discharged beverage by changing the opening area of the nozzle; and a driving means for moving the needle, the needle having at least a conical shape and a pointed tip extending outward from the opening surface. An in-cup raw material stirring device for a beverage vending machine, which is characterized by moving from a protruding position to an inwardly stored position. (2) The in-cup raw material stirring device for a beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle is connected to a hot water tank and a cold water tank via a valve.