JP7627864B2 - Beverage supply equipment - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a beverage supply device and a beverage supply method.

Conventionally, devices for supplying beverages to containers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The beverage supply device described in Patent Document 1 includes a fixed nozzle support part that supports a coffee nozzle and a hot and cold water nozzle, and a movable nozzle support part that supports a milk nozzle. The movable nozzle support part is configured to be able to swing between a standby position and a supply position relative to the fixed nozzle support part.

A nozzle below tray is disposed between the cup station, where the cups are placed, and the fixed nozzle support and movable nozzle support. The nozzle below tray has a dish portion that receives dripping from the milk nozzle, and an outlet for discharging the milk received by the dish portion. The dish portion is formed with a hole for supplying liquid extracted from the coffee nozzle and the hot and cold water nozzle to the cup, and a hole for supplying milk extracted from the milk nozzle to the cup when the movable nozzle support portion is located in the supply position. The dish portion is also provided below the milk nozzle when the movable nozzle support portion is located in the standby position, and is configured to be able to receive dripping from the milk nozzle in the standby position.

JP 2018-193110 A

In recent years, beverage dispensers that sell coffee and milk have been able to sell a wide variety of beverages by adding powdered beverage menus such as cocoa. In the case of such beverage dispensers, not only the dripping of milk but also the dripping of powdered beverages can cause contamination. However, while the beverage dispenser described in Patent Document 1 can prevent contamination of milk, it cannot prevent contamination of beverages other than milk when the number of beverages that can be sold increases.

The present disclosure aims to provide a beverage supplying device and a beverage supplying method that can prevent contamination of beverages even when the number of types of beverages that can be supplied is increased, and that can supply beverages without spilling even when the cup or container into which the beverage is to be supplied has a small diameter.

The beverage supply device of the present disclosure comprises a container holding section for holding a container, a nozzle holding section for holding a plurality of nozzles for supplying a beverage to the container, a supply path for supplying the beverage ejected from the nozzles to the container, a tray having a receiving section for receiving droplets dripping from the nozzles, and a guide section for guiding the nozzle holding section to position some or all of the plurality of nozzles above the supply path , and further comprises a nozzle moving section for moving the nozzle holding section relative to the guide section, the plurality of nozzles being at least one coffee nozzle for supplying coffee, at least one milk nozzle for supplying milk, and at least one nozzle for dispensing powder or granules with water or hot water. and at least one powder drink nozzle for supplying a diluted powder drink to be mixed with the milk, wherein the nozzle holding part holds the multiple nozzles so that the coffee nozzle, the milk nozzle and the powder drink nozzle are arranged in that order along the movement direction of the nozzle holding part, and the nozzle moving part moves the nozzle holding part so that only the coffee nozzle, only the coffee nozzle and the milk nozzle, only the milk nozzle, only the milk nozzle and the powder drink nozzle, or only the powder drink nozzle is positioned above the supply path.

The beverage supply method disclosed herein is a beverage supply method performed by a beverage supply device that includes a container holding section that holds a container, a plurality of nozzles that supply beverage to the container, a supply path for supplying the beverage ejected from the nozzles to the container, and a tray having a receiving section for receiving droplets dripping from the nozzles, and the beverage supply device guides the plurality of nozzles to position some or all of the plurality of nozzles above the supply path.

The beverage supply device and beverage supply method disclosed herein can prevent contamination of beverages even when the number of types of beverages that can be supplied is increased, and can supply beverages without spilling even when the cup or container into which the beverage is to be supplied has a small diameter.

Front view of the beverage dispenser FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container installation section and the beverage supply section as viewed from the front and diagonally upward right side; Left side view of the container installation section and beverage supply section FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the beverage supply unit as viewed from the front and diagonally above to the right; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the beverage supply unit as viewed from the rear and diagonally upward left side; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the beverage supply unit as viewed from the front and diagonally upward left side; 1 is a bottom view showing the positional relationship between the nozzle, the supply hole, and the beverage through hole when the nozzle holding portion is located at different supply positions. Block diagram of beverage supply device Flowchart of beverage serving process Flowchart of beverage serving process Beverage supply process flow chart Beverage supply process flow chart

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

<Configuration of beverage supply device>
First, the configuration of the beverage dispenser will be described. Fig. 1 is a front view of the beverage dispenser. The front side is the side that the user of the beverage dispenser faces, and the rear side is the opposite side to the front side. The right side is the right side as seen by the user, and the left side is the opposite side to the right side. The upper side is the upper side when the beverage dispenser is installed on a horizontal plane, and the lower side is the opposite side to the upper side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the beverage supply device 1 includes a housing 10, an operation display unit 20, a container installation unit 30, and a beverage supply unit 40. The beverage supply device 1 supplies a beverage selected by a user operating the operation display unit 20 to a container C. Examples of the container C include a cup prepared by an employee or manager (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "employee, etc.") of a store or facility in which the beverage supply device 1 is installed, or a tumbler, water bottle, or cup brought in by a user of the beverage supply device.

A container loading/unloading opening 10A for loading and unloading a container C into and from the housing 10 is formed on the front surface of the housing 10. Also, a loading/unloading opening door 11 for opening and closing the container loading/unloading opening 10A is disposed on the front surface of the housing 10. The loading/unloading opening door 11 is disposed so as to be rotatable, for example, around the left end portion.

The operation display unit 20 is located at the upper part on the front surface of the housing 10. The operation display unit 20 is used to select a beverage. The operation display unit 20 is configured with a touch panel. The operation display unit 20 displays selection buttons for selecting a beverage that can be served, and when a user presses an area corresponding to a specific selection button, outputs a beverage specification signal that specifies the pressed area to the control unit 73 (see FIG. 8) described below. Note that instead of the operation display unit 20, physical buttons for selecting a beverage that can be served may be arranged on the housing 10.

The container installation section 30 is disposed on the lower side inside the housing 10. The container C is installed in the container installation section 30. A detailed description of the container installation section 30 will be given later.

The beverage supply unit 40 is disposed mainly on the upper side inside the housing 10. The beverage supply unit 40 supplies the beverage selected by the user to a container C installed in the container installation unit 30. A detailed description of the beverage supply unit 40 will be given later.

Next, the detailed configuration of the container installation section 30 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, which is a perspective view of the container installation section 30 and the beverage supply section 40 as viewed from the front and diagonally from above to the right, the container installation section 30 includes a container lifting chamber 31.

The container lifting chamber 31 is formed in the shape of a vertically long rectangular box with an open front. The interior of the container lifting chamber 31 forms a lifting space through which the container C lifts and lowers. A beverage through hole 312 is formed in the left-right center of the top plate 311 that forms the container lifting chamber 31. Beverage supplied from the beverage supply unit 40 passes through the beverage through hole 312 and is supplied to the container C in the container lifting chamber 31. A rack through hole 313 is formed in the left side of the top plate 311. The rack through hole 313 forms an opening through which the lifting rack unit 61 described below passes.

The container installation section 30 further includes a container holding section 32. The container holding section 32 holds the container C in the container lifting chamber 31 and lifts and lowers the container C within the container lifting chamber 31. The container holding section 32 includes a placement section 33 and an adjustment section 34.

The mounting section 33 is formed in a box shape with openings on the front and top. The mounting section 33 is arranged so that it can rise and fall within the container lifting chamber 31. A container C is placed on the bottom plate section 331 of the mounting section 33. A lifting rack section 61 is provided on the left side plate 332 of the mounting section 33, extending from the lower end of the left side plate 332 to a position above the left side plate 332. The lifting rack section 61 is provided so that it can pass through the rack through hole 313 when the mounting section 33 rises. The lifting rack section 61 constitutes the relative movement section 60, which will be described later.

The adjustment unit 34 adjusts the horizontal position of the container C by moving the container C horizontally in synchronization with the movement of the placement unit 33. The adjustment unit 34 includes a pair of abutment members 341 and an interlocking control unit (not shown).

The pair of abutment members 341 are formed in a shape that extends in the front-rear direction, and are arranged to sandwich the container C from the left and right. The interlocking control unit moves the pair of abutment members 341 in a direction approaching each other in synchronization with the rise of the mounting unit 33. The interlocking control unit is configured so that if the pair of abutment members 341 come into contact with the container C during the rise of the mounting unit 33, the interlocking control unit will not move the pair of abutment members 341 in a direction approaching each other even if the mounting unit 33 rises further. In addition, the interlocking control unit moves the pair of abutment members 341 in a direction away from each other in synchronization with the descent of the mounting unit 33.

The beverage supply device 1 further includes a relative moving unit 60 that raises and lowers the container holding unit 32. The relative moving unit 60 includes the above-described lifting rack unit 61 and lifting motor 62. As shown in FIG. 3, which is a left side view of the container installation unit 30 and the beverage supply unit 40, a rack groove 611 is formed on almost the entire left main surface of the lifting rack unit 61. Note that FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of the rack groove 611. The lifting motor 62 is, for example, a servo motor. A drive gear 621 is disposed on the rotation shaft of the lifting motor 62. The lifting motor 62 is disposed so that a portion of the drive gear 621 is located inside the container lifting chamber 31 through a gear through hole formed in the left side plate 314 that constitutes the container lifting chamber 31 and engages with the rack groove 611. The container holding unit 32 is raised and lowered by driving the lifting motor 62.

Next, the detailed configuration of the beverage supply unit 40 will be described. The beverage supply unit 40 supplies a beverage selected by a user to a container C installed in the container installation unit 30. The beverage supply unit 40 includes a beverage production unit 41 (see FIG. 8) that produces a beverage. The beverage production unit 41 includes, for example, a mechanism for extracting coffee from coffee beans, a mechanism for producing a powder beverage by diluting powder or granules with water or hot water, a mechanism for supplying milk, etc.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the main parts of the beverage supply unit 40 as seen from the front and diagonally above to the right. As shown in Figure 4, the beverage supply unit 40 further includes a plurality of nozzles 42 (six in this embodiment), a nozzle holding unit 43, a guide unit 44, and a nozzle moving unit 45.

Each nozzle 42 is connected to the beverage generating unit 41 via a pipe (not shown) and discharges the beverage generated by the beverage generating unit 41 into the container C. The six nozzles 42 are composed of two coffee nozzles 42A, one milk nozzle 42B, and three powdered beverage nozzles 42C. For example, one of the two coffee nozzles 42A discharges espresso extracted from coffee beans, and the other coffee nozzle 42A discharges drip-flavored coffee extracted from coffee beans (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "drip coffee"). The milk nozzle 42B discharges milk. The three powdered beverage nozzles 42C each discharge a different powdered beverage. Examples of powdered beverages include cocoa, black tea, matcha, and coffee. In addition, the nozzles 42 may discharge hot water, water, or carbonated water.

In addition, at least one of the coffee dispensed from the two coffee nozzles 42A and the powdered beverage dispensed from the three powdered beverage nozzles 42C is sold in combination with milk.

The nozzle holding portion 43 holds the nozzle 42. The nozzle holding portion 43 includes a main body portion 431, a holding portion 432, and a cover 433.

The main body 431 is formed in a rectangular box shape. Guide rails 431A extending forward and backward are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the main body 431. A forward and backward rack portion 431B is formed on the left side of the top surface of the main body 431, extending forward and backward. A switch operation protrusion 431C is formed on the right side and rear portion of the top surface of the main body 431.

The holding portion 432 is arranged so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the main body portion 431 in the shape of a rectangular plate. The holding portion 432 holds the six nozzles 42 so that the upper ends of the nozzles 42 are located above the holding portion 432 and the lower ends are located below the holding portion 432. Specifically, the holding portion 432 holds the six nozzles 42 so that two coffee nozzles 42A are lined up on the left and right at the very front, one milk nozzle 42B is located behind the two coffee nozzles 42A, and three powdered beverage nozzles 42C are lined up on the left and right behind the one milk nozzle 42B. In other words, the holding portion 432 holds the six nozzles 42 so that they are lined up in three rows from front to back. Locking holes 432A are formed on both the left and right ends of the upper surface of the holding portion 432.

The cover 433 is detachably fixed to the nozzle holding portion 43 in a state where it covers from below the lower surface of the holding portion 432, that is, the portion of the nozzle holding portion 43 that holds each nozzle 42. The cover 433 has a function of preventing liquid splashed from the container C when dispensing a beverage from adhering to the lower surface of the holding portion 432. The cover 433 includes a box-shaped cover body 433A with openings on the rear and top, and an attachment portion 433B that extends upward in a plate shape from both left and right side edges of the cover body 433A. The cover body 433A is formed with six insertion holes 433C through which the six nozzles 42 are respectively inserted. The attachment portion 433B is configured to be elastically deformable. A locking claw 433D is formed at the tip of the attachment portion 433B.

The cover 433 having the above configuration can be attached to the nozzle holding part 43 as shown in FIG. 2 by an employee engaging the locking claws 433D with the periphery of the locking hole 432A. The cover 433 is attached to the nozzle holding part 43 so that the cover body 433A covers the lower surface of the holding part 432 and the tip of each nozzle 42 protrudes below the cover body 433A or is exposed below the cover 433 through each insertion hole 433C. In addition, an employee can remove the cover 433 from the nozzle holding part 43 as shown in FIG. 4 by elastically deforming the mounting part 433B to release the locking claws 433D and the locking hole 432A. By making the cover 433 detachable from the nozzle holding part 43 in this way, the cover 433 with liquid attached thereto can be easily washed, and the nozzle holding part 43 can be kept clean.

The nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holder 43 in the forward and backward directions relative to the guide unit 44. The nozzle moving unit 45 includes the forward and backward rack unit 431B and the forward and backward motor 451 described above.

The advance/retract motor 451 is composed of, for example, a servo motor. A drive gear 452 is disposed on the rotation shaft of the advance/retract motor 451. The advance/retract motor 451 is fixed to the left rear side wall 474 of the frame 47, which will be described later, so that the drive gear 452 meshes with the advance/retract rack portion 431B. When the advance/retract motor 451 is driven, the nozzle holder 43 moves back and forth.

A nozzle movement amount detection unit 46 is attached to the advance/retract motor 451. The nozzle movement amount detection unit 46 detects the amount of movement of the nozzle holder 43 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "nozzle holder movement amount"). The nozzle movement amount detection unit 46 is composed of an encoder that detects the rotation angle of the advance/retract motor 451 and outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the detected rotation angle to the control unit 73.

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the beverage supply unit 40 when viewed from the rear and diagonally upward left. As shown in Figure 5, the guide unit 44 includes a frame 47, a fixing magnet 48, a pair of guide members 49, and a tray storage unit 50.

The frame 47 includes a front frame 47A and a rear frame 47B. The front frame 47A includes a rectangular plate-shaped front bottom wall 471. A pair of front side walls 472 extending upward in a plate shape are provided on both left and right side edges of the front bottom wall 471. The rear frame 47B includes a rectangular plate-shaped rear bottom wall 473. The width dimension (left-right dimension) of the rear frame 47B is the same as the width dimension of the front bottom wall 471. A pair of rear side walls 474 extending upward in a plate shape are provided on both left and right side edges of the rear bottom wall 473. A magnet support part 475 extending downward in a plate shape is provided on the right side part of the front end edge of the rear bottom wall 473. A horizontally elongated rectangular through hole (not shown) is formed in the magnet support part 475.

The front frame 47A and the rear frame 47B are arranged to sandwich a plate-shaped support member (not shown) and are supported by the support member. The support member has an upper opening, a lower right opening, and a lower left opening. The upper opening is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape. The width dimension of the upper opening is approximately the same as the width dimension of the rear bottom wall 473. The height dimension of the upper opening is longer than the height dimension of the rear side wall 474. The lower right opening is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape on the right side of the lower part of the upper opening. The lower right opening is formed in a shape slightly larger than the through hole of the magnet support part 475. The lower left opening is formed in a vertically long rectangular shape on the left side of the lower right opening. The lower right opening is formed in a shape that allows the discharge part 525 described later to be inserted. The rear frame 47B is attached to the rear main surface of the support member so that the rear bottom wall 473 is located at approximately the same height as the lower edge of the upper opening, the left and right rear side walls 474 are located outside the left and right side edges of the upper opening, and the through hole of the magnet support part 475 is located inside the right lower opening. The front frame 47A is attached to the front main surface of the support member so that the upper end of the front side wall 472 is located at approximately the same height as the upper end of the rear side wall 474.

The fixing magnet 48 is fixed to the magnet support part 475. The fixing magnet 48 is fixed so that a part of it is exposed to the front side of the support member through the through hole and the lower right opening of the magnet support part 475.

One of the pair of guide members 49 is disposed from the front side wall 472 to the rear side wall 474 on the left side. The other guide member 49 is disposed from the front side wall 472 to the rear side wall 474 on the right side. In other words, the pair of guide members 49 are disposed so that their front portions are located forward of the support member and their rear portions are located rearward of the support member. Guide grooves 491 extending in the front-rear direction are formed on the opposing surfaces of the pair of guide members 49. By fitting the guide rail 431A of the nozzle holding portion 43 into the guide groove 491, the guide portion 44 can guide the nozzle holding portion 43 in the front-rear direction.

The tray storage section 50 stores a tray 52 (see FIG. 6) described below below the nozzle holding section 43. The tray storage section 50 is composed of a front bottom wall 471 and the lower portions of a pair of front side walls 472.

A nozzle origin switch 51 is disposed on the rear side wall 474 on the right side of the frame 47. The nozzle origin switch 51 detects that all six nozzles 42 are located behind the supply holes 521 (see FIG. 6) of the tray 52, which will be described later. In the following, when all six nozzles 42 are not located above the supply holes 521 (located above the receiving portion 523, which will be described later) (see FIG. 2), it may be said that the nozzle holder 43 is located at the nozzle origin position. The nozzle origin switch 51 includes a leaf spring (not shown) and a contact 511 disposed at the tip of the leaf spring. The nozzle origin switch 51 is fixed so that the contact 511 can be located above the switch operation protrusion 431C of the nozzle holder 43.

When the nozzle holding part 43 is located at the nozzle origin position, the contact 511 of the nozzle origin switch 51 is pushed upward by the switch operation protrusion 431C, so that the operator is also pushed and a nozzle origin detection signal is output (nozzle origin switch 51 is on). On the other hand, when the nozzle holding part 43 is located forward of the nozzle origin position, the switch operation protrusion 431C is located forward of the contact 511 of the nozzle origin switch 51, and the contact 511 is not pushed upward by the switch operation protrusion 431C, so that the operator is not pushed either and the nozzle origin detection signal is not output (nozzle origin switch 51 is off).

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the beverage supply unit 40 when viewed from the front and diagonally upward to the left. As shown in Figure 6, the beverage supply unit 40 further includes a tray 52. The tray 52 is formed in a rectangular box shape with an open top. A rectangular supply hole 521 is formed in a portion of the tray 52 forward of the center in the front-to-rear direction. The supply hole 521 is an example of a supply path of the present disclosure. The supply hole 521, which will be described in detail later, is formed in a shape that exposes one row or two rows of nozzles 42 arranged in the front-to-rear direction below the tray 52, among the three rows of nozzles 42 arranged in the front-to-rear direction, while not exposing the nozzles 42 in the remaining rows below the tray 52.

On the upper surface of the bottom wall constituting the tray 52, a cylindrical portion 522 is formed that protrudes in a square cylindrical shape from the outer edge of the supply hole 521. The cylindrical portion 522 is formed so that its upper end is located lower than the upper ends of the four side walls (front wall, rear wall, left and right side walls) constituting the tray 52. The bottom wall, side walls and cylindrical portion 522 of the tray 52 constitute a receiving portion 523 for receiving droplets dripping from the nozzle 42 and cleaning liquid used for the nozzle 42 by the cleaning unit 70 described later. In the following, when the droplets and cleaning liquid received by the receiving portion 523 are not distinguished from each other, at least one of the droplets and cleaning liquid received by the receiving portion 523 may be referred to as waste liquid. A discharge inclined surface 524 that descends toward the rear left side is formed in a portion of the bottom surface of the receiving portion 523 behind the cylindrical portion 522.

A discharge portion 525 that protrudes rearward is formed on the left side of the rear wall of the tray 52. A discharge groove 526 is formed in the discharge portion 525 to discharge the liquid received by the receiver 523 from the tip surface of the discharge portion 525. By forming the discharge portion 525 at a position corresponding to the very bottom end of the discharge inclined surface 524 in this way, it is possible to easily guide the waste liquid to the discharge portion 525. As shown in FIG. 5, a magnet receiver 527 is disposed on the right side of the rear wall of the tray 52.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tray 52 having the above configuration is stored in the tray storage section 50 so that the supply hole 521 protrudes forward from the tray storage section 50. In this stored state, the tray 52 is fixed to the guide section 44 by the magnet receiver 527 being attracted to the fixing magnet 48. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the tray 52 is pulled forward relative to the guide section 44, and the attraction of the magnet receiver 527 by the fixing magnet 48 is released, and the tray 52 is removed from the guide section 44. In this way, by making the tray 52 detachable from the guide section 44, the tray 52 with waste liquid attached can be easily washed, and the tray 52 can be kept clean.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the tray 52 is fixed to the guide section 44 by the attraction of the fixing magnet 48, the discharge section 525 is inserted into the lower right opening of the support member and protrudes rearward from the support member. By connecting the discharge section 525 protruding rearward in this manner to a waste liquid recovery section (not shown) via a discharge pipe (not shown), the waste liquid received by the receiving section 523 can be recovered by the waste liquid recovery section. This makes it possible to prevent waste liquid from accumulating in the discharge section 525.

2, the guide unit 44 provided with the nozzle holding unit 43, the nozzle moving unit 45, and the tray 52 is fixed on the top plate 311 of the container lifting chamber 31 in a state in which the supply hole 521 of the tray 52 is located inside the beverage through hole 312 in a plan view. The nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holding unit 43 relative to the tray 52 so that, based on the type of beverage to be supplied to the container C, one row or two rows of nozzles 42 arranged in a front-to-back direction are positioned above the supply hole 521, while the remaining rows of nozzles 42 are not positioned above the supply hole 521. In other words, the nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holding unit 43 to a supply position where some of the multiple nozzles 42 are positioned above the supply hole 521 of the tray 52, while the remaining of the multiple nozzles 42 are positioned above the receiving portion 523 of the tray 52. That is, the nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holding unit 43 to a supply position where, of the N nozzles 42 (N is an integer of 2 or more), at least 1 but less than N nozzles 42 are positioned above the supply holes 521 of the tray 52, while the remaining nozzles 42 are positioned above the receiving portions 523 of the tray 52. In this embodiment, the nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holding unit 43 to five different supply positions. The positional relationship between the nozzles 42, the supply holes 521, and the beverage through holes 312 when the nozzle holding unit 43 is positioned at the different supply positions will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 7, which is a bottom view showing the positional relationship.

When the beverage to be dispensed is coffee that is not mixed with milk (e.g., espresso or drip coffee (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "coffee without milk")), as shown in the top left diagram of Figure 7, the nozzle moving part 45 moves the nozzle holding part 43 to a supply position where only the coffee nozzle 42A is exposed below the top plate 311 (through the supply hole 521 and the beverage through hole 312).

When the beverage to be dispensed is coffee mixed with milk (e.g., caffe latte or cafe au lait (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "coffee with milk")), the nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holding unit 43 to a dispensing position where only the coffee nozzle 42A and the milk nozzle 42B are exposed below the top plate 311, as shown in the top center diagram of Figure 7.

When the beverage to be dispensed is milk, the nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holding unit 43 to a dispensing position where only the milk nozzle 42B is exposed below the top plate 311, as shown in the upper right diagram of Figure 7.

In addition, when the beverage to be dispensed is a powdered beverage mixed with milk (for example, milk cocoa, milk tea, matcha latte, matcha au lait, caffe latte, or cafe au lait (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "powdered beverage with milk")), the nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holding unit 43 to a dispensing position where only the milk nozzle 42B and the powdered beverage nozzle 42C are exposed below the top plate 311, as shown in the lower left diagram of Figure 7.

In addition, when the beverage to be dispensed is a powdered beverage that is not mixed with milk (for example, cocoa, straight tea, matcha, coffee (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "powdered beverage without milk")), the nozzle moving unit 45 moves the nozzle holding unit 43 to a dispensing position where only the nozzle 42C for the powdered beverage is exposed below the top plate 311, as shown in the diagram on the lower right side of Figure 7.

Furthermore, when the beverage to be dispensed is a product called cafe mocha, the nozzle holder 43 can be moved as shown in the top left diagram of FIG. 7 to dispense a milk-free coffee beverage (first beverage) extracted from coffee beans from the coffee nozzle 42A (first nozzle) into the container C, and then the nozzle holder 43 can be moved as shown in the bottom right diagram of FIG. 7 to dispense a cocoa powder beverage (second beverage) from the powder beverage nozzle 42C (second nozzle) into the container C. In other words, the nozzle holder 43 can be moved multiple times to dispense one product.

In other words, the movement amount of the nozzle holder 43 based on the nozzle origin position (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "beverage-corresponding movement amount") is set to gradually increase in the order of coffee without milk, coffee with milk, milk, powdered drink with milk, and powdered drink without milk.

With the above configuration, when a beverage is supplied to the container C from at least one nozzle 42 of the 1 to N nozzles 42 located above the supply hole 521, even if liquid drips from the remaining nozzles 42 located above the receiving portion 523, the dripping liquid can be prevented from entering the container C. For example, as shown in the top left diagram of Figure 7, when supplying coffee without milk, even if milk drips from the milk nozzle 42B or powdered beverage drips from the powdered beverage nozzle 42C, the dripping milk and powdered beverage are received by the receiving portion 523 and therefore can be prevented from entering the container C. Therefore, contamination of the beverage can be prevented even if the number of types of beverages that can be supplied is increased.

In addition, because the tray 52 is fixed and the nozzle holding portion 43 is movable, the beverage can be supplied to a position vertically below the supply hole 521 in the container C regardless of the position of the nozzle 42 in the nozzle holding portion 43. In other words, even if the diameter (caliber) of the opening of the container C is small, the nozzle 42 that dispenses the beverage can be positioned near the center of the opening of the container C by moving the nozzle holding portion 43, so the beverage can be supplied to the container C without spilling.

In addition, the coffee nozzle 42A, milk nozzle 42B, and powdered beverage nozzle 42C are arranged in the order along the movement direction (front-back direction) of the nozzle holder 43, so that coffee or powdered beverage with milk, coffee or powdered beverage without milk, or milk can be provided with a simple configuration of just moving the nozzle holder 43 back and forth.

Figure 8 is a block diagram of the beverage supply device 1. As shown in Figure 8, the beverage supply device 1 further includes a cleaning unit 70, a detection unit 71, a memory unit 72, and a control unit 73.

The cleaning unit 70 cleans the nozzle 42 by flowing a cleaning liquid through the nozzle 42.

The detection unit 71 includes a container origin switch 711, a container detection unit 712, a top position detection unit 713, the nozzle movement amount detection unit 46, and the nozzle origin switch 51 described above.

The container origin switch 711 detects that the container holding unit 32 is located at the bottom of the range of movement of the container holding unit 32. In the following, the bottom position of the range of movement of the container holding unit 32 may be referred to as the "container origin position."

The container detection unit 712 detects the presence of container C in the container holding unit 32 located at the container origin position.

The top position detection unit 713 detects that the container C placed on the container holder 32 is at a preset top position. The top position is the position where the container C is located when the distance from the top end of the container C to the bottom end of the nozzle 42 becomes the set distance.

The container origin switch 711, container detection unit 712, and top position detection unit 713 can be configured in a known manner having the above-mentioned functions.

The storage unit 72 is configured to be able to transmit and receive various data to and from the control unit 73. The storage unit 72 stores various data for controlling the beverage supply device 1. The storage unit 72 also stores supply control information that associates multiple (five in this embodiment) different beverage-compatible movement amounts with the types of beverages that correspond to the multiple beverage-compatible movement amounts.

The control unit 73 is configured to be able to transmit and receive various signals between the operation display unit 20, the beverage preparation unit 41, the forward/backward motor 451, the lift motor 62, the cleaning unit 70, and the detection unit 71. The control unit 73 controls the entire beverage supply device 1. The control performed by the control unit 73 will be described later.

<Operation of the beverage dispenser>
Next, the operation of the beverage supplying device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12 which are flowcharts of the beverage supplying process.

First, when the container holding unit 32 is waiting at the container origin position, the control unit 73 determines whether or not a container C is present in the container holding unit 32 located at the container origin position, that is, whether or not a container C has been placed on the container holding unit 32, based on the detection result of the container detection unit 712 as shown in FIG. 9 (step S1). If the control unit 73 determines that a container C is not present (step S1: NO), it performs the process of step S1 again. On the other hand, if the control unit 73 determines that a container C has been placed on the container holding unit 32 (step S1: YES), it determines whether or not a beverage has been selected based on the output state of the beverage specification signal from the operation display unit 20 (step S2). If the control unit 73 determines that a beverage has not been selected (step S2: NO), it performs the process of step S2 again.

On the other hand, when the control unit 73 determines that a beverage has been selected (step S2: YES), it determines whether or not the container C is in the top position based on the detection result of the top position detection unit 713 (step S3). In this step S3, it is determined that the container C is not in the top position when the container C is a relatively low-height cup or the like, and it is determined that the container C is in the top position when the container C is a relatively high-height tumbler or water bottle or the like. When the control unit 73 determines that the container C is not in the top position (step S3: NO), it controls the lift motor 62 to start lifting the container holding unit 32 (step S4). When the container holding unit 32 starts to lift, the container origin switch 711 switches from on to off. Also, when the container holding unit 32 starts to lift, the pair of abutting members 341 move in a direction approaching each other, and when they come into contact with the container C, they stop in a state of gripping the container C.

The control unit 73 determines whether or not the container C is in the top position based on the detection result of the top position detection unit 713 (step S5). If the control unit 73 determines that the container C is not in the top position (step S5: NO), it performs the process of step S5 again. On the other hand, if the control unit 73 determines that the upper end of the container C is in the top position (step S5: YES), it controls the lift motor 62 so that the lift of the container holding unit 32 ends (step S6). By the process of step S6, the container holding unit 32 stops at a position where the distance from the upper end of the container C to the lower end of the nozzle 42 is the set distance.

After performing the process of step S6, the control unit 73 performs a beverage supply process (step S7) by controlling the beverage supply unit 40 to supply the beverage selected by the user to the container C, as shown in FIG. 10. The details of the beverage supply process will be described later. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, if the control unit 73 determines that the container C is in the uppermost position after the process of step S2 (step S3: YES), it performs the beverage supply process of step S7 shown in FIG. 10.

When the beverage supply process of step S7 is completed, the control unit 73 determines whether or not the container C that was in the top position is still present, that is, whether or not the container C has been removed from the beverage supply device 1, based on the detection result of the top position detection unit 713 (step S8). If the control unit 73 determines that the container C has not been removed (step S8: NO), it performs the process of step S8 again.

On the other hand, when the control unit 73 determines that the container C has been removed (step S8: YES), it controls the lift motor 62 to start the descent of the container holding unit 32 (step S9). The control unit 73 determines whether the container holding unit 32 has reached the container origin position based on the on/off state of the container origin switch 711 (step S10). When the control unit 73 determines that the container holding unit 32 has not reached the container origin position (step S10: NO), it performs the process of step S10 again. On the other hand, when the control unit 73 determines that the container holding unit 32 has reached the container origin position (step S10: YES), it controls the lift motor 62 to end the descent of the container holding unit 32 (step S11). This ends the beverage serving process.

Next, the details of the beverage supply process in step S7 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 73 determines the amount of beverage to be supplied (step S21). For example, the control unit 73 may determine the amount of supply based on the amount of movement of the container holding unit 32 from the container origin position to a position where the distance from the top end of the container C to the bottom end of the nozzle 42 is a set distance (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "container holding unit movement amount"). In this case, the control unit 73 increases the amount of supply as the container holding unit movement amount is shorter, that is, the container C is higher and has a larger capacity. Examples of methods for detecting the container holding unit movement amount include a method of detecting based on the rotation angle of the lift motor 62, and a method of detecting based on the rising speed of the container holding unit 32 and the time from the start of the rise to the end of the rise.

Next, the control unit 73 determines the beverage-corresponding movement amount (step S22). Specifically, the control unit 73 searches the storage unit 72 for supply control information related to the type of beverage selected by the user, and performs a process of obtaining the beverage-corresponding movement amount included in the searched supply control information as a process of determining the beverage-corresponding movement amount. Thereafter, the control unit 73 controls the advance/retract motor 451 to start advancing the nozzle holding unit 43 (step S23). When the nozzle holding unit 43 starts advancing, the nozzle movement amount detection unit 46 also starts a process of detecting the rotation angle of the advance/retract motor 451 as the nozzle holding unit movement amount, that is, a process of outputting a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation angle. When the nozzle holding unit 43 starts advancing, the nozzle origin switch 51 switches from on to off.

The control unit 73 judges whether the nozzle holding unit movement amount based on the pulse signal from the nozzle movement amount detection unit 46 has reached the beverage-compatible movement amount (step S24). When the control unit 73 judges that the nozzle holding unit movement amount has not reached the beverage-compatible movement amount (step S24: NO), it executes the process of step S24 again. On the other hand, when the control unit 73 judges that the nozzle holding unit movement amount has reached the beverage-compatible movement amount (step S24: YES), it controls the forward/backward motor 451 so that the forward movement of the nozzle holding unit 43 ends (step S25). When the process of step S25 ends, the exposure state of the nozzle 42 through the supply hole 521 and the beverage through hole 312 becomes a state shown in any one of the five figures shown in FIG. 7, that is, a state in which coffee without milk, coffee with milk, milk, a powdered drink with milk, or a powdered drink without milk can be supplied.

After that, as shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 73 controls the beverage production unit 41 to supply the beverage selected by the user to the container C in the amount determined in step S21 (step S26). When supplying coffee without milk or coffee with milk, the beverage production unit 41 ejects coffee from only one of the two coffee nozzles 42A that corresponds to the type of coffee selected by the user. When supplying a powdered beverage with milk or a powdered beverage without milk, the beverage production unit 41 ejects the powdered beverage from only one of the three powdered beverage nozzles 42C that corresponds to the type of powdered beverage selected by the user.

When the beverage supply process is completed, the control unit 73 controls the advance/retract motor 451 to start retracting the nozzle holder 43 (step S27). When the nozzle holder 43 starts retracting, the nozzle movement amount detection unit 46 starts a process of detecting the rotation angle of the advance/retract motor 451 as the nozzle holder movement amount. However, the nozzle holder movement amount detected at this time is not used for control in the control unit 73. The control unit 73 determines whether the nozzle holder 43 has reached the nozzle origin position based on the on/off state of the nozzle origin switch 51 (step S28).

When the control unit 73 determines that the nozzle origin switch 51 is off and that the nozzle holding unit 43 has not reached the nozzle origin position (step S28: NO), it performs the process of step S28 again. On the other hand, when the control unit 73 determines that the nozzle origin switch 51 has switched from off to on and that the nozzle holding unit 43 has reached the nozzle origin position (step S28: YES), it controls the forward/backward motor 451 to end the movement of the nozzle holding unit 43 (step S29).

Then, the control unit 73 controls the cleaning unit 70 to clean the nozzles 42 (step S30). At this time, the cleaning unit 70 may direct the cleaning liquid only to the nozzle 42 that was previously supplied with the beverage, or may direct the cleaning liquid only to all the nozzles 42. In this way, by configuring the nozzles 42 to be cleaned while the nozzle holding unit 43 is positioned at the nozzle origin position, that is, while all the nozzles 42 are positioned above the receiving portion 523, all the nozzles 42 can be cleaned simultaneously. This completes the beverage serving process.

If the next beverage serving is not started even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the beverage serving process ended, or if the set time has arrived, the control unit 73 may perform a cleaning process of the nozzle 42 similar to step S30.

[Modification]
Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the supply hole 521 of the tray 52 is illustrated as an example of a supply path of the present disclosure, but the following supply paths may also be applied. For example, instead of the tray 52, a tray having a size such that the front end does not protrude forward from the tray storage section 50, does not have a supply hole, and has a receiving portion may be stored in the tray storage section 50, and the supply path may be formed by the space in front of the tray. Also, multiple trays having no supply holes and receiving portions may be arranged horizontally, and the supply path may be formed by the space between the multiple trays.

In the above embodiment, the nozzle holder 43 is moved by driving the nozzle moving unit 45, but the nozzle holder 43 may also be moved manually by an employee or the like. Such a configuration in which an employee or the like moves the nozzle holder 43 can be used in cases where an employee or the like is always near the beverage dispenser 1, such as when selling on the street using the beverage dispenser 1. The nozzle holder 43 may also be moved in two axial directions (for example, forward/backward and left/right).

Before the supply of beverage from the nozzle 42 to the container C begins, or after the supply has ended, and when the nozzle holder 43 is at the nozzle origin position, ice, topping powder, topping syrup, sugar, thickening powder (powder that increases the viscosity of the beverage), etc. may be poured into the container C to which the beverage has been supplied from a feed portion fixed above the beverage through hole 312.

It is also possible to not provide a discharge section 525 on the tray 52, and have an employee or the like remove the tray 52 and discard the waste liquid when a certain amount of waste liquid has accumulated in the receiving section 523.

The beverage dispenser 1 is configured so that the nozzle holder 43 can be positioned at the nozzle origin position, but it may be configured so that it cannot be positioned at the nozzle origin position. For example, after the supply of a beverage is completed, the nozzle holder 43 does not need to be moved until the supply of the next beverage is started.

Although the configuration in which N nozzles 42 are arranged in three rows from front to back has been exemplified, it may be arranged in one row, two rows, or four or more rows. Also, four or more nozzles 42 may be arranged from left to right. Also, the configuration in which the milk nozzle 42B is arranged between the coffee nozzle 42A and the powdered beverage nozzle 42C has been exemplified, for example, they may be arranged in the order of the milk nozzle 42B, the coffee nozzle 42A, and the powdered beverage nozzle 42C from the front. Also, it may be arranged so that only one or two types of nozzles are arranged among the coffee nozzle 42A, the milk nozzle 42B, and the powdered beverage nozzle 42C, or a nozzle for supplying beverages extracted from tea leaves such as black tea, green tea, or oolong tea may be further provided.

Screws may be used to removably fasten the tray 52 to the guide portion 44. The tray 52 and the guide portion 44 may also be formed integrally.

As the nozzle movement amount detection unit 46, an encoder that outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation angle of the advance/retract motor 451 has been exemplified, but for example, a configuration may be applied that detects the nozzle holding unit movement amount based on the advance speed of the nozzle holding unit 43 and the time from the start of advancement to the end of advancement. Also, a stepping motor may be applied as the advance/retract motor 451, and a configuration may be applied that detects the nozzle holding unit movement amount based on the number of drive pulses of the stepping motor as the nozzle movement amount detection unit 46.

The beverage dispenser 1 does not need to be provided with a cleaning unit 70. The nozzle holder 43 does not need to be provided with a cover 433.

This disclosure can be applied to beverage supply devices and beverage supply methods.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage supply device 10 Housing 10A Container insertion/removal opening 11 Insertion/removal opening door 20 Operation display unit 30 Container installation unit 31 Container lifting chamber 32 Container holding unit 33 Placement unit 34 Adjustment unit 40 Beverage supply unit 41 Beverage preparation unit 42 Nozzle 42A Coffee nozzle 42B Milk nozzle 42C Powdered beverage nozzle 43 Nozzle holding unit 44 Guide unit 45 Nozzle movement unit 46 Nozzle movement amount detection unit 47 Frame 47A Front frame 47B Rear frame 48 Fixing magnet 49 Guide member 50 Tray storage unit 51 Nozzle origin switch 52 Tray 60 Relative movement unit 61 Lifting rack unit 62 Lifting motor 70 Cleaning unit 71 Detection unit 72 Memory unit 73 Control unit 311 Top plate 312 Beverage through hole 313 Rack through hole 314 Left side plate 331 Bottom plate portion 332 Left side plate 341 Abutment member 431 Main body portion 431A Guide rail 431B Advance/retreat rack portion 431C Switch operation protrusion 432 Holding portion 432A Locking hole 433 Cover 433A Cover main body 433B Mounting portion 433C Insertion hole 433D Locking claw 451 Advance/retreat motor 452 Drive gear 471 Front bottom wall 472 Front side wall 473 Rear bottom wall 474 Rear side wall 475 Magnet support portion 491 Guide groove 511 Contact 521 Supply hole 522 Cylinder portion 523 Receiving portion 524 Discharge inclined surface 525 Discharge portion 526 Discharge groove 527 Magnet holder 611 Rack groove 621 Drive gear 711 Container origin switch 712 Container detection portion 713 Top position detection portion C Container

Claims (6)

A container holding portion that holds a container;
a nozzle holder for holding a plurality of nozzles for supplying beverages to the container;
a supply passage for supplying the beverage discharged from the nozzle to the container;
a tray having a receiving portion for receiving droplets dripping from the nozzle;
a guide portion that guides the nozzle holding portion to position some or all of the plurality of nozzles above the supply path ,
a nozzle moving unit that moves the nozzle holding unit relative to the guide unit,
The plurality of nozzles include
at least one coffee nozzle for dispensing coffee;
at least one milk nozzle for supplying milk;
A powder drink made by diluting powder or granules with water or hot water, and at least one nozzle for supplying the powder drink to be mixed with the milk;
the nozzle holding portion holds the plurality of nozzles so that the coffee nozzle, the milk nozzle, and the powdered beverage nozzle are arranged in this order along a moving direction of the nozzle holding portion;
The nozzle moving unit includes:
Only the coffee nozzle,
Only the coffee nozzle and the milk nozzle,
The milk nozzle only,
or only the milk nozzle and the powdered beverage nozzle;
The nozzle holder is moved so that only the powder beverage nozzle is positioned above the supply path.
Beverage supply equipment. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the supply passage is a supply hole formed in the tray for supplying the beverage dispensed from the nozzle to the container. The receiving portion is formed with a discharge portion for discharging the liquid received in the receiving portion.
3. A beverage supply device according to claim 1 or 2. The nozzle moving unit includes:
moving the nozzle holding portion to an origin position where all of the plurality of nozzles are positioned above the receiving portion;
A beverage dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . a cleaning unit that cleans the nozzle when the nozzle holding unit is located at the origin position,
5. The beverage dispenser of claim 4 . The tray is removably fixed to the guide portion.
A beverage dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .