JP7448951B2 - Automatic door for food and drink transport equipment and food and drink transport equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic door for a food and drink transport device and a food and drink transport device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, food and drinks have been provided in restaurants using conveyance devices (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP2017-189211A

Mechanical systems for transporting food and drink include, for example, systems in which food and drink plates are placed on a belt conveyor from the kitchen to the audience seats, and food and drink plates are placed on carts that shuttle between the kitchen and the audience seats. There are those that transport plates of food and drink on a circulation path that circulates around the store. However, in both systems, food and drinks are transported along a transport path that runs along multiple customer seats, so if the transport path is not covered with a cover, other customers may mistakenly take the food and drinks that are being transported. there is a possibility. Therefore, it is conceivable to install an automatically opening/closing type gate near the customer seats, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, to prevent other customers from mistakenly taking the ordered food or drink while it is being transported.

However, in the case of such a gate, it is not possible to isolate the space on the passenger seat side from the space on the transport path side. Therefore, for example, such a gate cannot be used when it is desired to hide the conveyance path from the audience seats from the viewpoint of aesthetics or hygiene such as prevention of splashing. Therefore, instead of such a gate, for example, it is possible to install a sliding door, but it is necessary to secure installation space for the door pocket and sliding mechanism to store the opened door, so it is limited. This becomes an obstacle when you want to properly arrange audience seats in the space. Therefore, for example, when it is desired to transport food and drinks on trays, it is extremely difficult to install a door with a large opening between the audience seats and the transport path.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to install a large-opening door between the audience seats and the conveyance path even in a limited space.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a banner that can be rolled up in the vertical direction by an electric winding device is provided between the food and drink conveyance path and the audience seats along the conveyance path.

Specifically, the present invention relates to an automatic door for a food and drink conveyance device installed along a food and drink conveyance path, which includes a banner hanging down between the conveyance path and a guest seat along the conveyance path, and an upper part of the banner. The present invention includes an electric winding device that can wind up the banner in the vertical direction, and a control device that operates the winding device when food and drinks arrive at the audience seats.

When talking about a door that interrupts the food and drink transport route and the audience seats, we usually think of a sliding door with a rigid structure, but the present invention departs from this fixed concept and uses a banner as a door. That's what I decided to do. If the banner is rolled up and down in the vertical direction, there is no need for installation space for, for example, a door pocket for storing an open door such as a sliding door, or a sliding mechanism. Therefore,
Even in a limited space, it is possible to install a large-opening door between the audience seats and the conveyance path.

Note that the banner may have a detachable portion at the upper end that allows it to be attached to and detached from the winding device. If the banner is removable, maintenance of the banner is easy.

Moreover, the above-mentioned automatic door for a food and drink transport device may further include a rod-shaped lower end weight attached to the lower end of the banner. With such a bottom weight, the banner can be pulled in the direction of gravity by the weight of the bottom weight.

Furthermore, the automatic door for the food and drink conveying device described above includes a columnar part that forms both sides of the opening that is opened and closed by the banner, and a guide rail that is provided on the columnar part and extends along the hanging direction of the banner. Furthermore, both ends of the lower end weight may be engaged with the guide rail. If both ends of the lower end weight are engaged with the guide rails, it is possible to prevent the lower end of the banner 21 from swinging in the front-rear direction of the automatic door.

Further, the banner may have a cylindrical part at the lower end through which the lower end weight can be inserted, and the lower end weight may have a finger hook part at the end for pulling it out from the cylindrical part. If the lower end weight is provided in this manner, it is easy to remove the lower end weight from the banner.

Moreover, the present invention can also be understood from the side of a food and drink conveying device. For example, the present invention relates to a food and drink conveyance device that conveys food and drink, and includes a conveyance mechanism that forms a conveyance path along a plurality of seats, and a food and beverage conveyance device according to any one of the above, which is provided at each of the customer seats along the conveyance path. An automatic door for an object conveyance device may also be provided.

With the automatic door for a food and drink conveyance device and the food and drink conveyance device described above, a door with a large opening can be installed between the audience seats and the conveyance path even in a limited space.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an ordered food and drink conveyance device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the audience seats. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the automatic door. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the conveyance state of food and drink. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the banner is removed from the winding rod. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how an image is projected onto a banner.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The embodiment shown below is one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The embodiments and modifications described below are suitable for restaurants that serve various foods and drinks, such as sushi, drinks, rice bowl dishes such as soba and udon, fried chicken, tempura, and yakiniku, for example.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an ordered food and drink conveying device 1 according to an embodiment. The ordered food and drink conveying device 1 is a device that conveys food and drink F prepared in response to a customer's order from the kitchen 5 of the restaurant to the customer seats 3, and as shown in FIG. It is located in The ordered food and drink transport device 1 transports the food and drink F by a belt conveyor 11 that extends from the kitchen 5 side of the restaurant to the customer seats 3. In addition, in FIG. 1, the conveyance path from the kitchen 5 side to the audience seats 3 is formed by one belt conveyor 11, but the conveyance path may be formed by a combination of a plurality of belt conveyors. When the conveyance path is formed by a combination of a plurality of belt conveyors, if the belt conveyor on the kitchen 5 side is stopped when the food and drink F is transferred to the belt conveyor on the downstream side, the belt conveyor on the downstream side can be Even if it is in an operating state, it becomes possible to place food F to be transported next. Moreover, the conveyance path is not limited to a form formed in a straight line, and may have a corner portion or the like, for example, by a combination of a plurality of belt conveyors. In addition, in FIG. 1, the belt conveyor 11 has a width that allows food and drink F to be placed on a tray on which tableware is placed, but the belt conveyor 11 has a width that is small enough to place small plates such as sushi plates. It's okay. Further, the ordered food and drink conveying device 1 may be one in which a plurality of belt conveyors 11 are provided in parallel.

The belt conveyor 11 has a width that allows the food F to be loaded thereon. The belt conveyor 11 is provided with a rotationally controllable drive motor, supporting rollers, sensors, and the like. The drive motor is connected to a control device (not shown), and is controlled based on operation details input to the operation panel and signals from each sensor.

Further, the ordered food and drink transport device 1 is provided with an automatic door 2. The automatic door 2 is installed between the conveyance path formed by the belt conveyor 11 and each passenger seat 3. The belt conveyor 11 is a device that blocks a door between the conveyance path formed by the belt conveyor 11 and the customer seats 3, and automatically opens and closes the door in conjunction with the control device of the ordered food and drink conveyance device 1.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the audience seats 3. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the automatic door 2 is arranged between the conveyance path formed by the belt conveyor 11 and each passenger seat 3. Then, the ordered food and drink conveying device 1 accepts an order via an order terminal etc. installed in the customer seat 3, and when the food and drink F prepared in the kitchen 5 is conveyed by the belt conveyor 11, the customer in the customer seat 3 can eat and drink. An automatic door 2 installed at a take-out part for putting a hand in and out when taking out an object F from a belt conveyor 11 is operated to automatically open and close the door.

In addition, in FIG. 2, the shelf board 4 on which tea cups, seasonings, menus, etc. are placed is shown above the automatic door 2, but the ordered food and drink conveyance device 1 is not limited to this type of configuration. do not have. The ordered food/drink conveying device 1 may be one in which the shelf board 4 is omitted. Furthermore, although FIG. 2 shows box-type seats 3, the seats 3 may be, for example, counter seats.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the automatic door 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic door 2 includes a banner 21 constituting the door, a lower end weight 22 attached to the lower end of the banner 21, a winding bar 23 for winding up the banner 21, and a winding bar 23 that hangs down from the winding bar 23. A roller 24 for defining the hanging position of the banner 21, a guide rail 25 for guiding both longitudinal ends of the lower end weight 22 to prevent the lower end of the banner 21 from swinging back and forth, and a guide rail 25 for rotating the winding rod 23. It has a motor 26 and a drive belt 27. The banner 21 is connected to a winding rod 23 via a removable fastener 28.

The banner 21 may be a non-transparent sheet or a transparent sheet. The banner 21 may be printed with a trade name or may be colored in various other ways. If the banner 21 is a non-transparent white sheet, various images can be projected onto the banner 21 as described later.

The lower end weight 22 is a metal bar slightly longer than the width of the banner 21. The lower end weight 22 is inserted into a cylindrical portion formed by folding back and welding the lower end of the sheet forming the banner 21. Further, both ends of the lower end weight 22 fit into the guide rail 25. Therefore, the lower end of the banner 21 does not swing in the longitudinal direction of the automatic door 2. By pulling the lower end of the banner 21 in the direction of gravity by its own weight, the lower end of the banner 21 is prevented from swinging. Also, banner 21
This prevents the banner 21 from being rolled up when the banner 21 is lowered.

The winding rod 23 is a round rod for winding up the banner 21, and has an outer diameter that allows the motor 26 to satisfy the opening/closing speed required for the automatic door 2. The winding rod 23 is rotated by the rotational force of a motor 26 that is transmitted via a drive belt 27 to a pulley provided at one end in the longitudinal direction.

The guide rails 25 are linear guides that extend in the vertical direction on both sides of the opening where the automatic door 2 opens and closes. The guide rail 25 is a member having a U-shape in cross section and engages with both ends of the lower end weight 22 so as to surround the automatic door 2 from both the front side and the back side. Thereby, the end portion of the lower end weight 22 is limited to a movement range along the vertical guide path formed by the guide rail 25. Further, the sliding surface of the guide rail 25 with which the end of the lower end weight 22 comes into contact is made of resin with excellent smoothness and a low coefficient of friction. Therefore, when the automatic door 2 opens and closes, almost no contact noise or sliding noise is generated due to the end of the lower end weight 22 coming into contact with the guide rail 25.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the conveyance state of the food and drink F. As shown in FIG. 4(A), when food F is placed on the belt conveyor 11 of the ordered food and drink transport device 1 in the kitchen 5 and a transport start operation is performed, the belt conveyor 11 is activated. When the belt conveyor 11 is activated, the food and drinks F placed on the belt conveyor 11 start moving from the kitchen 5 toward the audience seats 3, as shown in FIG. 4(B). Then, as shown in FIG. 4(C), when the food F arrives at the designated delivery destination audience seat 3, the automatic door 2 is activated to open the door. Then, when the customer in the passenger seat 3 removes the food and drink F from the belt conveyor 11, the automatic door 2 is activated to close the door. These operations in the ordered food and drink conveyance device 1 are performed by a control device of the ordered food and drink conveyance device 1 that issues control signals based on signals from an optical sensor (not shown) provided in the ordered food and drink conveyance device 1. This is realized by operating various electric parts such as a motor and a solenoid provided in the food and drink conveying device 1. The ordered food/beverage conveyance device 1 may notify the customer of the arrival of the food/beverage F by sound or light, for example, when the food/beverage F arrives at a designated destination and opens the automatic door 2.

If such an automatic door 2 is provided in the ordered food and drink transport device 1, the banner 21 can block off the space on the customer seat 3 side and the space on the transport path side formed by the belt conveyor 11. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to cover the conveyance path of the belt conveyor 11 from the audience seats 3 based on the aesthetic point of view or the hygiene point of view. In addition, in the case of an automatic door 2 in which the banner 21 is rolled up using the winding rod 23 at the top, it is necessary to secure installation space for a door pocket and a sliding mechanism for storing the opened door, such as a sliding door, for example. Therefore, there is no obstacle to appropriately arranging the customer seats 3 in the limited space inside the store. Therefore, with such an automatic door 2, it is possible to install a door with a large opening between the audience seats 3 and the conveyance path of the belt conveyor 11 even in a limited space. In addition, the size of the opening of the automatic door 2 can be changed by simply changing the width of the banner 21 and the length of the winding rod 23 as appropriate, so automatic doors 2 with openings of various sizes can be manufactured for each store. It is also easy to do.

In addition, since the automatic door 2 described above employs a mechanism in which the banner 21 hangs down due to the weight of the lower end weight 22, even if a customer in the passenger seat 3 gets his or her hand caught in the door, the lower end of the banner 21 will It stops when it rests on your hand. Therefore, there is no possibility that a hand caught in the door will continue to receive power from the motor, and the weight of a door with a rigid structure will not be concentrated on the hand, as is the case with sliding doors, for example.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the automatic door 2 is installed in the ordered food and drink conveyance device 1 that conveys the ordered food and drink on the belt conveyor 11. It may be installed in a conveyance type food and drink conveyance device or a device in which food and drink are conveyed using a cart that runs on a conveyance path instead of a belt conveyor. When an automatic door 2 is installed in a food and beverage conveyance device using a circulation conveyance method, the automatic door 2 may be configured to open when the ordered food or drink arrives at a designated destination; Alternatively, the automatic door 2 may be opened by a customer seated at the seating area 3 by operating a button or the like when he or she learns that food and drinks not ordered are approaching. The automatic door 2 can also be additionally installed on the existing ordered food and drink transport device 1.

By the way, the banner 21 of the above embodiment can be maintained as follows. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the banner 21 is removed from the winding rod 23. The banner 21 is connected to a winding rod 23 via a removable fastener 28. Therefore, when it is desired to clean or replace the banner 21, the banner 21 can be removed from the winding rod 23 using the detachable fastener 28. When it is desired to remove the banner 21 from the winding rod 23, first lower the banner 21 and close the automatic door 2, as shown in FIG. 5(A). Next, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the detachable fastener 28 is opened by sliding it, and the upper end portion of the banner 21 is removed from the winding rod 23. Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, one end of the lower end weight 22 is raised to tilt the lower end weight 22, and the lower end weight 22 is removed from the guide rail 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 5(D), the lower end weight 22 is pulled out from the cylindrical portion at the lower end of the banner 21. This completes the removal of the banner 21. When attaching the banner 21, the series of steps are performed in reverse order. Note that if a hole for hanging a finger is provided at the end of the lower end weight 22, it can be easily pulled out.

In this way, the automatic door 2 can easily remove the hanging curtain 21 using the detachable fastener 28. Therefore, even if the banner 21 is soiled with food or drink, for example, maintenance such as cleaning or replacement of the banner 21 can be easily performed. Note that instead of the detachable fastener 28, for example, a hook-and-loop fastener, a snap button, or other various attachment/detachment means may be applied.

By the way, the banner 21 of the above embodiment can also be used as a screen on which various images are projected. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which an image is projected onto the banner 21. If the banner 21 is made of a white sheet and the projector 6 is installed at a position where an image can be projected onto the banner 21, the projector 6 can project an image onto the banner 21. Although the projector 6 is installed above the audience seats 3 in FIG. 6, it may be installed above the automatic door 2, for example. In this case, the projector 6 is preferably a short focus projector. If an image is projected onto the banner 21 by such a projector 6, the customers in the seating area 3 will be able to wait for the ordered food and drink F to arrive at the seating area 3, and from the time they finish eating and drinking to the time they pay the bill. In each scene, such as during waiting time or during conversations between customers, it is possible to provide topics through video, provide entertainment, and increase purchasing desire by introducing products.

Note that the images displayed on the banner 21 by the projector 6 include, for example, products sold at a restaurant. If such a product is displayed on the banner 21, the banner 21 will lose the appeal of the product that the product flowing along the conveyance path of the belt conveyor 11 used to give to the customers in the seating area 3, which is lost due to the installation of the automatic door 2. This can be supplemented by images of the displayed products.

By the way, the automatic door 2 automatically opens and closes the banner 21 every time the food and drink F transported by the ordered food and drink transport device 1 arrives at the audience seats 3. Therefore, if the image continues to be projected on the banner 21, when the automatic door 2 opens the banner 21, the light of the image emitted by the projector 6 will be irradiated onto the belt conveyor 11 and the food and drink F. When the food F is irradiated with the light emitted by the projector 6, the original color of the food F is lost and the food F appears discolored. If the food and drink F appears discolored, it may affect the appetite of the customers sitting in the customer seat 3. Therefore, when projecting an image onto the banner 21 with the projector 6, the control device of the ordered food and drink conveyance device 1 sends a control signal to the automatic door 2 to open and close the banner 21, and at the same time, temporarily stops the projection to the projector 6. Alternatively, a control signal may be sent to the projector 6.

When the projection of the projector 6 is temporarily stopped in conjunction with the opening and closing of the automatic door 2, the content of the image projected by the projector 6 may be made to be synchronized with the opening and closing of the automatic door 2. For example, while the automatic door 2 is transporting the food and drink F from the kitchen 5 to the audience seats 3, the projector 6 projects an image on the banner 21 that reminds the user that the food and drink F is approaching. Then, after the projector 6 projects an image on the banner 21 that reminds the user that the food F has arrived just before the automatic door 2 opens, an effect may be performed in which the automatic door 2 opens.

F. Food and drink 1. Ordered food and drink transport device 2. Automatic door 3. Audience seats 4. Shelf board 5. Kitchen 6. Projector 11. Belt conveyor 21. Banner 22. Lower end weight 23.・・Take-up rod 24 ・・Roller 25 ・・Guide rail 26 ・・Motor 27 ・・Drive belt 28 ・・Removable fastener

Claims (6)

An automatic door for a food and drink conveyance device installed along a food and drink conveyance path,
a banner hanging between the conveyance path and audience seats along the conveyance path;
an electric winding device capable of vertically winding the banner above the banner;
and a control device that operates the winding device upon arrival of the food and drinks at the customer seats.
Automatic door for food and drink conveyance equipment. The banner has a detachable part at the upper end that allows it to be attached to and detached from the winding device.
The automatic door for a food and drink transport device according to claim 1. further comprising a rod-shaped lower end weight attached to the lower end of the banner;
The automatic door for a food and drink transport device according to claim 1 or 2. a columnar portion forming both sides of an opening portion opened and closed by the banner;
Further comprising a guide rail provided on the columnar part and extending along the hanging direction of the banner,
Both ends of the lower end weight are engaged with the guide rail.
The automatic door for a food and drink transport device according to claim 3. The banner has a cylindrical part at the lower end through which the lower end weight can be inserted,
The lower end weight has a finger hook at an end for pulling it out from the cylindrical part.
The automatic door for a food and drink transport device according to claim 3 or 4. A food and drink transport device that transports food and drink,
a conveyance mechanism that forms the conveyance path along a plurality of audience seats;
An automatic door for a food and beverage conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 provided at each passenger seat portion along the conveyance path.
Food and drink conveyance equipment.

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