RU2737695C1 - Robotic complex for beverages preparation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: food industry.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to automated production lines for preparation of food products, particularly beverages, and can be used in public places for optimization of human labour or replacement of personnel. Robot complex comprises a housing, an industrial robot representing a manipulator with a working element, a system for dispensing containers for ready beverages, at least one device for dispensing ingredients and a system for automatic control of a robotic complex. At that, the working element represents a shaker in the form of a cup with a magnetic ring on the upper base and a magnetic cover. Barrel is equipped with a container grip for the ready beverage. Robotic complex housing is equipped with holder for magnetic cover and support for arrangement of container for ready beverage.EFFECT: invention allows optimizing operation of the automated beverage preparation system.8 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to automated production lines for the preparation of food products, in particular drinks, and can be used in public places to optimize human labor or replace personnel.

A device is known in the art for automatically assembling fluid materials into a container for delivery to a selected location. The apparatus includes a plurality of spaced-apart means for dispensing fluid material, a plurality of spaced-apart means for storing vessels, and a plurality of spaced-apart locations for delivering vessels. The robotic arm is designed to receive, support and transport vessels. The device includes a computer adapted for the robot arm to select a container in one of the container storage means, transport it to more than one of the flowable material dosing means in a predetermined sequence, and deliver the container with a set of fluid materials in it to a predetermined one. from places of delivery [Patent for invention No. US4628974, publication date 12/16/1986].

The disadvantage of this solution is that the manipulator is made without the possibility of mixing the ingredients in the container by shaking or shaking, as well as the complexity of mounting the device indoors due to the large dimensions of the proposed system.

It is also known a fully automatic device for preparing drinks, containing a robotic arm, a quick-change connection, a rotating shaft, a fixed frame, a shaker cup, a cylinder seat, an air cylinder, a hinge rod, a sealing cap and a filter. The sealing cap is movably connected to the filter and the shaker glass. An O-ring is provided on the sealing cover and on the filter [Application for invention No. CN109259603, publication date 01/25/2019].

The closest analogue of the claimed invention is an interactive station for preparing drinks, containing a user input interface for ordering drinks, a robotic station designed for collecting ingredients based on an order, mixing ingredients and pouring a drink into an open top container, a sampling zone in which the user receives the specified container from robotic station, and a control unit for automatic control of the robotic station based on input data from the input interface to ensure the preparation of a drink in accordance with the order; the robotic station also contains at least one robotic arm containing a working tool for collecting ingredients and performing at least one from bartender operations involving shaking and / or stirring and / or mixing and / or straining. The working tool has a lower part for receiving ingredients and a drive lid, controlled by a control unit for waterproof closing of the lower part.

In the implementation of the proposed invention contains three robotic arms. One manipulator, which occupies an intermediate position between the other two, is designed to receive a disposable open-top liquid container and to make it accessible to two other manipulators. Two manipulators located on both sides of the central manipulator contain a working tool in the form of a bartender's shaker. This tool is made of three parts: the bottom part, which receives the ingredients, a mechanically operated lid that provides a waterproof closure, and a metal filter located between them, allowing the drink to be strained while pouring. Two lateral manipulators dispense drinks into a container fed by a central manipulator. The automated line with the bar counter lid is also made with a conveyor belt on which the central manipulator places a container filled with a drink and delivers it to the user [Invention Patent No. RU2672971, publication date 05/15/2017].

The disadvantage of these solutions, including the closest analogue, is the insufficient tightness of the closed state of the shaker cup and the complex organization of automatic control of the shaker closing lid. At the same time, in order to implement the complete process for the production and transfer of the finished drink to the user, the technical solution corresponding to the closest analogue assumes the presence of several manipulators; the patent for the invention does not disclose an embodiment of an interactive station for preparing drinks with one manipulator.

The technical problem to be solved by the claimed invention is to reduce the number and simplify the work units of the automated system for preparing drinks.

The technical result consists in optimizing the operation of an automated system for preparing drinks.

The essence of the claimed invention

The robotic complex for preparing drinks contains a body, an industrial robot, which is a manipulator with a working body, a system for dispensing containers for ready-made drinks, at least one device for dispensing ingredients and an automatic control system for the robotic complex. Unlike the closest analogue, the working body is a shaker in the form of a glass with a magnetic ring on the upper base and a magnetic lid, while the glass is equipped with a grip for the container for the finished drink; The body of the robotic complex is equipped with a holder for a magnetic lid and a stand for placing a container for a finished drink.

The body of the robotic complex is made of at least three parts: the main area, the vertical area and the upper area. The vertical zone is a frame that serves as a connecting function for the main and upper zones. In the main area there is a manipulator and a stand for dispensing ready-made drinks. Additionally, the main area may contain a surface for dispensing finished drinks. A stand for placing a container for a ready-made beverage can be located on the surface for dispensing ready-made drinks and provided with an opening for receiving a container for a ready-made beverage. The stand additionally prevents the container from falling during the filling of the finished drink. Additionally, in the main area around the manipulator, a barrier with a window can be located for dispensing ready-made drinks to prevent injury to the user.

The system for dispensing containers for ready-made drinks is located in a vertical zone, it can be made in any way known from the prior art, for example, in the form of at least one dispenser. The dispenser can be made by any method known from the prior art, for example, in the form of a rotating drum with several vertical tubes, in each of which the containers are stacked one above the other and drop out one by one by triggering the scrolling mechanism. Additionally, the robotic complex may contain a system of sensors to determine the presence of containers for finished drinks. If it is necessary to use containers of different types and volumes, the robotic complex can be equipped with several types of dispensers, according to the number of types of containers.

Ingredient dispensers can be designed as ingredient containers with mechanical dispensers and can be fixed in the upper area. Mechanical dispensers are set in motion by pressing on them by the working body of the manipulator, thereby simplifying the process of making drinks by a robotic complex. Additional containers with ingredients can be located in the vertical zone.

Additionally, the robotic complex for preparing drinks may contain an ice-making system located in the vertical zone and representing an icemaker with an ice dispensing branch pipe. Also, a system of sensors can be installed in the branch pipe to determine the amount of ice produced by the icemaker.

Additionally, a robotic complex for preparing drinks may comprise a system for washing the working body with a high-pressure nozzle located in the vertical zone, and a water filtration system for an icemaker with at least one reservoir and a storage tank for clean water and at least one reservoir for waste water, located in the main area. In the main zone of the robotic complex, a pump can be located to ensure optimal water pressure in the working body washing system and a pump to ensure optimal water pressure in the water filtration system for the ice maker.

The automatic control system of a robotic complex is a software and hardware complex that contains a module for controlling a manipulator and a module for interacting with a user. The user interaction module can contain a touch display, or is made in the form of a touch tablet or candy bar. The automatic control system of the robotic complex may additionally contain a control module for auxiliary equipment, with the help of which the system for making ice, the system for dispensing containers for ready-made drinks, the system for washing the working body, and the water filtration system is controlled. Preferably, the firmware and control computer are located in the main area.

The working body of the manipulator in the form of a glass with a gripper performs the function of a shaker for preparing drinks, with the help of which the collection, mixing, collection of the container for the finished drink and its filling, as well as the delivery of the finished drink to the user are carried out. The magnetic ring and the magnetic lid are equipped with magnets of sufficient strength to ensure a tight seal when the cup is closed. When the glass is open, the lid is located on a holder fixed to the body, for example, in the upper zone of the robotic complex or in the vertical zone, preferably above the system for dispensing containers for finished drinks.

The holder for the magnetic cover can be made in any way known from the prior art, for example, in the form of a magnetically sensitive plate, or in the form of a hook, or L-shaped or T-shaped, or U-shaped cross-section with a longitudinal groove on the lower base. The holder can be located directly above the system for rinsing the working body of the manipulator, thereby further optimizing the beverage preparation process by reducing the number of manipulator movements. In this case, the lid can be equipped with a loop-shaped handle or a handle in the form of a T-shaped or I-profile for fastening in the holder groove.

The gripper of the container for ready-made drinks is intended for taking the container out of the system for dispensing containers for ready-made drinks and can be made in the form of an open rim fixed on the cylindrical surface of the glass or on its lower base. The gripper can be made of any size, depending on the size of the containers for ready-made drinks used in the complex, and provides the ability to move the container for the drink from the container dispensing system to the surface for dispensing ready-made drinks, and if there is a protective barrier, directly to the window for dispensing the finished drink to the user.

Thus, the inventive complex has properties previously unknown from open sources of information, consisting in the possibility of performing all the actions necessary for preparing drinks: collecting all the necessary ingredients in a glass of a working tool, receiving ice from a system for making ice, receiving a container for drinks from a system for issuing containers , move the container for ready-made drinks for dispensing to the user, mix the ingredients inside the glass, and also pour the resulting drink into the container for ready-made drinks. Thus, due to the implementation of the working body of the manipulator in the form of a glass with a grip of containers for finished drinks, the number of working units of the robotic complex for preparing drinks is reduced, which ensures the optimization of the operation of the automated complex. Due to the design of the glass with a magnetic ring and a magnetic lid, as well as the supply of the automated complex with a holder for the magnetic lid, the design of the working body is simplified and, as a consequence, the probability of its failure is reduced, which also ensures the optimization of the operation of the robotic complex for preparing drinks. The above-described essential features are new and do not explicitly follow from the prior art, which ensures that the claimed invention meets the criteria of patentability of "novelty" and "inventive step".

The claimed invention can be made by known methods from known materials, which ensures its compliance with the criterion of patentability "industrial applicability".

The essence of the claimed invention is illustrated by the following drawings:

Figure 1 - Schematic side view of a robotic complex for preparing drinks.

Fig. 2 - Schematic view of a robotic complex for preparing drinks with a manipulator, front view.

Fig. 3 - Isometric view of a robotic complex for preparing drinks;

4 is a schematic front view of a robotic complex for preparing drinks.

Fig. 5 - A glass of the working body of the manipulator with a gripper, a magnetic ring and a magnetic lid, a schematic isometric view.

Fig. 6 - Dispensing system for containers for finished drinks, schematic perspective view.

The robotic complex for making drinks contains an automatic control system based on a software and hardware complex consisting of a manipulator control module 1, an auxiliary equipment control module 2 and a user interaction module 3. User interaction module 3 is made in the form of a touchpad 3 with a user interface. The body of the robotic complex contains a surface 4 for dispensing finished drinks with a stand 31 and a barrier 5 with a window 6 for dispensing drinks to the user and consists of three parts: the main zone 7, the vertical zone 8 and the upper zone 9. In the main zone 7 there is a manipulator 10, a module controls the manipulator 1 and the sensor tablet 3. The manipulator 10 contains a working body made in the form of a glass 11 with a grip 12 of a container for ready-made drinks. The glass 11 is equipped with a magnetic ring 13 on its upper base and a magnetic lid 14. The magnetic lid 14 contains a loop-shaped element 15 for fixing on a holder 16 located in the upper zone 9 of the robotic complex. In the main zone 7 of the robotic complex there are a reservoir 17 for clean water, reservoirs 18 for waste water, a storage tank 19 for clean water, a water filtration system 20, a pump 21 to ensure optimal water pressure in the washing system 22 of the working body of the manipulator, a pump 23 to provide optimal water pressure in the water filtration system 20. The upper zone 9 contains devices for dispensing ingredients made in the form of containers 24 with ingredients and mechanical dispensers 25. The vertical zone 8 of the robotic complex contains a control module for auxiliary equipment 2, a dispensing system 26 for containers 27 for ready-made drinks, a system for making ice 28, which is an icemaker (not shown in the drawings) with an ice outlet (not shown in the drawings). Also, the robotic complex contains a system of sensors 29 for detecting the presence of containers 27 in the dispensing system 26 of containers 27 for ready-made drinks, a system of sensors for determining the amount of ice dispensed by the icemaker (not shown in the drawings) and a system for washing 22 the working body of the manipulator with a high-pressure nozzle 30.

The principle of operation of the claimed invention is as follows.

After the command is sent from the automatic control system of the robotic complex to the manipulator 10 to produce the beverage selected by the user, the manipulator 10 is sent to the dispensing system 26 of containers 27 for ready-made drinks. The gripper 12 of the ready-to-drink containers of the glass 11 receives the container 27 from the dispensing system 26 of the containers 27 for the finished drinks. After that, the manipulator 10 sets the empty container 27 on the stand 31 on the surface 4 for dispensing finished drinks in the window 6 for dispensing the finished drink to the user.

After that, the manipulator 10 is directed to the ice-making system 28, the icemaker (not shown in the drawings) produces the required amount of ice, which enters the open glass 11 of the working body.

Manipulator 10 is directed to devices for dispensing ingredients. The data on the required ingredients and their amount from the user interaction module 2 through the manipulator control module 1 are transmitted to the manipulator 10. The manipulator 10 with the lid 14 of the cup 11 open activates the dispensers 25 of the device 24 for dispensing ingredients by pressing them and receives the required amount of ingredients. Next, the manipulator 10 brings the glass 11 to the holder 16 of the magnetic cover 14, the magnetic cover 14 is attached to the magnetic ring 13 of the glass 11, the ingredients are mixed by means of the corresponding movements of the manipulator 10 with the working body. After the mixing process, the manipulator 10 returns the magnetic cover 14 to the holder 16, where it is detached from the glass 11.

After that, the manipulator 10 with the finished mixture of ingredients in the glass 11 pours the ingredients in an oblique motion into the previously installed container 27 for the finished drink. At the final stage, the manipulator 10 moves the glass 11 to the flushing system 22, presses the high pressure nozzle 30, thereby flushing the manipulator working member. Then the manipulator 10 returns to its original position to accept a new order from the user.

Claims (8)

1. A robotic complex for preparing drinks, containing a body, an industrial robot, which is a manipulator with a working body, a system for dispensing containers for ready-made drinks, at least one device for dispensing ingredients and an automatic control system for a robotic complex, characterized in that the working body is is a shaker in the form of a glass with a magnetic ring on the upper base and a magnetic lid, while the glass is equipped with a grip for a container for a ready-made drink, the body of the robotic complex is equipped with a holder for a magnetic lid and a stand for placing a container for a ready-made drink. 2. A robotic complex for preparing drinks according to claim 1, characterized in that the stand is provided with an opening for accommodating a container for a finished drink. 3. The robotic complex for preparing drinks according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a barrier around the manipulator with a window for dispensing finished drinks. 4. A robotic complex for preparing drinks according to claim 1, characterized in that the devices for dispensing ingredients are made in the form of containers for ingredients with mechanical dispensers. 5. The robotic complex for preparing drinks according to claim 1, characterized in that the holder for the magnetic lid is made T-shaped. 6. The robotic complex for preparing drinks according to claim 5, characterized in that the magnetic cover of the glass of the working body contains a loop-shaped handle. 7. A robotic complex for preparing drinks according to claim 1, characterized in that the holder for the magnetic cover is made of a U-shaped cross-section with a longitudinal groove on the lower base. 8. The robotic complex for preparing drinks according to claim 7, characterized in that the magnetic cover of the glass of the working body contains a handle of a T-shaped cross section.

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