JPH03100800A - Intra-cup material agitating device for drink vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an agitating device which has a small number of constituting parts and a narrow installation area by providing a needle which changes the aperture area of a nozzle, a driving means which moves the needle, and a controller which supplies hot water in accordance with the movement time of the needle. CONSTITUTION:A needle 24 which is moved from the outside to the inside of a nozzle 11 to change the aperture area of the nozzle and has a conical part in the front end, a driving means 26 which moves the needle, and the controller which supplies hot water in accordance with movement of the front end of the needle 24 from the outside to the inside of the nozzle 11 are provided. Consequently, when the needle 24 is placed on the outside of the aperture of the nozzle 11, the 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. When the front end of the needle 24 is inserted into the nozzle 11 thereafter, the aperture is most narrowed by the conical part of the needle 24 to spray the drink into the cup 12. Thus, agitation is surely performed by the drink, and supply of the drink is terminated in a short time, and the number of constituting parts is reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to stirring of raw materials in a cup of a beverage vending machine that supplies hot water to a cup filled with various powdered raw materials such as coffee cocoa and black tea to provide hot beverages. Regarding equipment.

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

A nozzle 5 is fixed toward the inside of the cup aa, and is connected to a hot water supply water source 6 to supply unpressurized hot water to the cup 3a. 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 then performed. During hot beverage production, normal pressure hot water is supplied from the hot water supply hose 6 through the fixed nozzle 5 into the cup 3a, and when a predetermined amount is reached, the hot water is stopped and the beverage preparation is completed. In addition, when producing a cold beverage, after the pressurized water 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 1 is oscillated to achieve 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 provides a hot water tank having a beverage supply nozzle located above the upper edge of the cup, a valve connected to the nozzle, and a hot water tank having a valve connected to the nozzle. A needle having a conical portion at the tip that moves from the outside to the inside to change the opening area of the nozzle, a driving means for moving the needle, and a movement time for the tip of the needle to move from the outside to the inside of the nozzle. and a control device for supplying the hot water.

Further, the control device of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. The control device of the present invention includes a selection detecting means 29 for determining that the selection switch operated by the purchaser requests the hot Based on the signal from the operation procedure storage means 30 which stores the timing of the request and the operation timing of the driver F326, the valve 16 or the pump 17, and the selection detection means 29, the corresponding operation procedure storage means 30 is stored. After reading the operating procedure, each driving means 26 and valve 1 are activated via the leakage supply means 31 and the reversible control means 34 according to the timing.
6 or is equipped with a storage calculation means 35 for operating the pump 17.

According to the present invention, the opening of the nozzle is changed by the needle according to the above-described structure, 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, causing 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 powdered 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 the beverage flows along the conical portion, supplying a large amount of beverage toward the center of the cup.

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

11? The opening 11ae of the nozzle body is located above the upper edge 12a of the cup 12. A powder raw material 13 is filled into the cup 12 at a position facing the nozzle 11 before the beverage is supplied.

The filling of powder raw material 13 into this cup 12 is carried out by filling the cup 12 with
The cup 12 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.

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

This nozzle 11 is composed of a straight section 11b and a branch section 11C, and the branch section 11C is connected to a hot water tank 18 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 is sharpened with a conical portion 27, 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 29& or cold 29b.

30 indicates the driving means 26, 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 the selection detection means 29, the corresponding operation procedure is read from the operation procedure storage means 30, and the hot water supply means 3
1. Memory and calculation means 3574 for operating each drive means 26, valve 16, 20, pump 17, 21, and ice maker 22 via the cold water supply means 32, ice supply means 33, and reversible control means 34.

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 stage 7-80 and stores it (step 2). According to this operating procedure, the valve 16 and pump 17 are connected to the hot water supply means 31.
(step 3), and the drive means 26 is operated via the reversible control means 34 (step 4).
), and by continuing this state for a certain period of time from 10 to tl (step 5), hot water is supplied to the cup 12.

At this time, since the needle 24 is positioned 0 outward from 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 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. That is, as it hits the edge of the cup 12 and moves toward the bottom, the powdered raw material 18 is immersed in the beverage (the state shown in Figure 4a). In this state, the powdered raw material 13 is immersed in hot water. be. 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. As a result, the powder raw material 13 and the hot water are mixed and stirred. Furthermore, the needle 24
When the tip of the cap enters the nozzle 11, the opening area of the nozzle 11 becomes wider and the hot water flows through the taper 15 of the cap 14.
A large amount of hot water flows along the conical portion 27 and is supplied toward the center of the cup 13 (state shown in FIG. 4C). Assuming that the time from the state in which the needle 24 protrudes from the nozzle 11 to the state shown in FIG. is stopped via the hot water supply means 31 (
Step 6), and the drive means 26 is reversed by the reversible control means 34 (Step 7), and the needle 24 is operated for an additional t1 time 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 30 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. At the same time, the reversible control means 34 causes the motor to rotate forward (step 11), and this operating time is continued from to to t2 (step 12).

At this time, t2 is a shorter time than tl.

Then, at t2, the reversible control means stops (step 13), so that the needle 24 is connected to the nozzle 11.
Since the hot water discharged from the hollow part 14a of the cap 14 attached to the opening 11a hits the smooth surface 28 of the needle 24, it scatters around the cup 12 in a shower shape. supplied to That is, as 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 Figure 4a). In this state, the powdered raw material 18 is immersed in hot water. be. 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. As a result, the powder raw material 13 and the hot water are mixed and stirred. In this state, the reversible control means 84 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).
), then operate the valve 20 and pump 21 (step 16), whereby the cold water flows through the opening 1 of the nozzle 11.
Smooth surface 28 of needle 24 located outward from 1a
It hits and scatters around, forming a shower and forming cup 1.
2. By supplying cold water from t4 to tl, a cold beverage can be provided (step 17).

In this manner, when a hot beverage is supplied, 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. There is a method that wraps around the ice to reduce splashing of cold water when it hits the ice and promotes mixing.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, the present invention includes a beverage supply nozzle located above the upper edge of a cup, a hot water tank having a valve connected to the nozzle, and a hot water tank having a valve connected to the nozzle. a needle having a conical portion at the tip that moves to change the opening area of the nozzle; a driving means for moving the needle; Since the nozzle opening is changed by the needle, when the needle is located outside the nozzle opening, the beverage discharged from the opening hits the needle and scatters to the surroundings. It is supplied to the cup in the form of a shower.

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. Furthermore, since the supply of the beverage is completed while the needle moves from the outside to the inside of the nozzle, the return time of the needle does not confuse the purchaser, and the supply of the beverage is completed in a short time.

[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. 4 Figures a to 4e are cross-sectional views explaining the operating states of Figure 2, Figure 5 is a flowchart of Figure 1, and Figure 6 shows a conventional beverage vending machine in-cup raw material stirring device. There is a cross-sectional view f. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Nozzle, 12... Cup, 13... Powder raw material, 24... Needle, 26... Drive means, 27
...Conical part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A device that supplies drinking water to powdered raw materials filled in a cup and mixes the mixture within the cup, which has a beverage supply nozzle located above the upper edge of the cup and a valve connected to the nozzle. a hot water tank; a needle having a conical tip at its tip that moves from outside to inside the nozzle to change the opening area of the nozzle; a driving means for moving the needle; and a needle whose tip moves from outside to inside the nozzle. and a control device for supplying the hot water in accordance with the travel time of the beverage vending machine.