JPH071506B2 - Raw material mixing device for cup-type beverage vending machine - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a raw material agitating device for a cup-type beverage vending machine which puts hot or cold beverage prepared by adding hot or cold water and ice to various powder raw materials such as coffee, cocoa and tea into a cup for sale.

[Prior art and its problems]

First, the conventional general structure of the above-mentioned cup type beverage vending machine will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, 1 is a powder raw material box for storing various powder raw materials by type, 2 is a hot water tank, 3 is a cold water tank, 4 is an ice maker, 5 is a cup supply mechanism that stores a large number of cups 6, and 7 is a product outlet. It is a bend stage that communicates, and a cup type beverage vending machine is configured by arranging these main parts in a cabinet. When a sales command is given in such a configuration, first, the cup 6 addressed to one is delivered from the cup supply mechanism 5 to the bend stage 7 via the cup shooter 5a. Then, from the powder raw material box 1 of the selected type, a predetermined amount of powder raw material is fed into the raw material shooter 1a.
Through to the mixing bowl as a raw material stirring mechanism shown by reference numeral 8, at the same time, in the case of selecting a hot beverage, the hot water supply valve 2a of the hot water tank 2 is opened, and hot water is supplied into the mixing bowl 8 through the hot water supply hose 2b. Here, the powdered raw material and hot water are stirred to prepare a hot beverage. Further, the beverage mixed with stirring is poured into the cup 6 by flowing down the hose 9 from the mixing bowl 8. When a cold beverage is selected, the powder raw material and a small amount of hot water necessary for melting the raw material are supplied into the mixing bowl 8, where the powder raw material is dissolved in the hot water by stirring, and a slight delay occurs. The water supply valve 3b of the cold water hose 3a drawn out from the cold water tank 3 is opened at a timing to additionally supply cold water to the raw material stirring mechanism 8 to prepare a cold beverage.
In addition, 3c is a water feed pump interposed in a cold water hose 3a, 3b is a water cooling coil, and the water cooling coil 3d is immersed in a cooling water tank 11 cooled by a refrigerator 10. At the same time that the raw materials are unloaded, ice is unloaded from the ice storage chamber of the ice making machine 4,
It is directly supplied into the cup 6 through the ice shooter 4a. By the way, in the conventional cup-type beverage vending machine that mixes beverages with the powder raw material as the raw material as described above, the cup 6 is taken out of the bend stage and made to stand by in response to the sales instruction, and the powder raw material and the hot and cold water are mixed in the raw material stirring mechanism at different positions. It is composed by adopting a method in which it is supplied to a mixing bowl of No. 1 and stirred and mixed to prepare a beverage, and this beverage is poured from a raw material stirring mechanism through a beverage hose into a cup carried to a bend stage for sale. ing. However, such a cup-type drink vending machine has the following problems. In other words, during the process of preparing and supplying the beverage, the unmelted residue of the beverage remains inside the mixing bowl of the raw material stirring mechanism and the beverage hose that follows it, so if the sales standby time is long, this beverage will increase over time. Bacteria are generated and proliferate in the slag, and this causes a sanitary problem that the bacteria mix with the beverage at the time of the next beverage sale. In particular, when selling viscous beverages such as soup, or miso soup with ingredients, the amount of adhered residue in the system increases because the beverage does not flow easily and the beverage runs out poorly. For this reason, in the past, the above problems have been dealt with by frequently cleaning the raw material stirring mechanism and the beverage hose, but this cleaning work is time-consuming, time-consuming and troublesome. There was a problem in sales management, such as having to give up selling because of the large amount of adhered residue. On the other hand, as a sales method that solves the above problems, a powder raw material cup in which the powder raw material is previously stored in the cup is stored in the cup supply mechanism, and the powder raw material is carried out from the cup supply mechanism to the bend stage according to the sales instruction. A selling method in which hot water is directly injected into the containing cup and the powder raw material and hot water are mixed by stirring with the raw material stirring means to prepare a drink, or the cup taken out from the cup supply mechanism is received and the product outlet Equipped with a cup transport mechanism to transport the powder raw material and hot water directly into the cup in the course of the cup transport process, and then the powder raw material and hot water are stirred and mixed in the cup in the same manner as the above method. There is proposed a sales system in which the above is mixed. According to this sales method, since the raw materials are directly stirred in the cup, the mixing bowl shown in Fig. 7 and the beverage hose following it are not required, and therefore, the sanitary problem due to the remaining residue of the beverage residue is eliminated. In addition, it will be possible to sell soups, miso soup with ingredients, etc. without restrictions on the beverages sold. By the way, as a raw material stirring device used in the above sales method,
Conventionally, the stirring blade that has been retracted to the standby position in the standby state is put into the cup in the raw material stirring process, and then the blade is rotationally driven to stir the raw material. There is used a combination of an assembly of a stirring motor and stirring blades that is pulled up to the standby position and held at the standby position until the next sale, and a lifting mechanism for the assembly. However, as in the above-mentioned raw material stirring device, the raw material is agitated by advancing it into the cup when the beverage is mixed, then pulled out of the cup and held in the standby position until the next sale, as shown in FIG. The problem of hygiene similar to the mixing method of raw materials by the mixing bowl shown in (4) remains. In other words, the stirring blades drawn out from the cup after stirring the raw materials naturally have beverages, raw material residues, etc. adhering to and remaining on the blade surface. It becomes hygienic, and it is not possible to take full advantage of the sales method by stirring the raw materials in the cup, which eliminates the need for mixing balls and beverage hoses.

[Object of the Invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and targets the raw material stirring device of the cup type beverage vending machine by the above-mentioned raw material stirring method in the cup, and improves the conventional device to improve the hygiene problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a raw material stirring device capable of solving the above problems.

[Points of the Invention]

According to the present invention, a cleaning cover that surrounds the stirring blade at the cleaning position of the stirring blade that has been drawn out of the cup after stirring the raw materials and an opening in the cover that directs the cleaning water toward the stirring blade are provided. And a washing water nozzle for supplying, and after stirring the raw material, the stirring blade is pulled out of the cup and the stirring blade is washed in the washing cover with the washing water supplied from the washing water nozzle. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the wash water nozzle also serves as a hot water supply nozzle for beverages. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning cover is an elevating type cover that also functions as a cup cover that covers the cup at the time of stirring the raw materials and prevents the escape of the beverage. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning cover has a heating / drying means for forcibly heating and drying the stirring blade after cleaning the stirring blade. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the heating / drying means is a warm air blower for blowing warm air into the cleaning cover. According to a further different embodiment of the present invention, the heating / drying means is an electric heater attached to the cleaning cover.

Examples of the invention

1 to 3 and 6 are configuration diagrams of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are operation operations of the raw material stirring device corresponding to selection of hot beverage and cold beverage of the raw material stirring device. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing
The same members corresponding to the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals. First, referring to FIG. 1, an explanation will be given of the overall constitution of a cup type beverage vending machine of a raw material stirring system in a cup incorporating a raw material stirring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The product outlet 7 is opened on the door. On the other hand, a powder raw material box 1 containing various raw materials 1, a hot water tank 2, a cold water tank 3, an ice making machine 4 and a cup supply mechanism 5 are installed side by side as shown in the figure above the cabinet 12 and a water cooling tank 11 is provided. Is installed in the lower part of the refrigerator together with the refrigerator 10. Further, a cup transfer mechanism 13 which is a horizontally movable conveyor is arranged inside the storage box connecting the cup unloading end of the cup supply mechanism 5 to the product outlet 7, and the movement path of this cup transfer mechanism 13 is arranged. Along with the above-mentioned cup supply mechanism 5 and various powder raw material boxes 1
The raw material agitating device indicated by 14 is arranged in order. When a sales instruction is given in such a configuration, first, one cup 6 is carried out from the cup supply mechanism 5 to a point A on the conveyor of the cup transport mechanism 13. Subsequently, the cup supply mechanism 13 is started to transfer the cup 6 to a point B defined immediately below the raw material shooter 1a and temporarily stop, and the powder raw material of the beverage selected at this position is carried out from the powder raw material box 1. Raw material shooter 1a
Pour into the cup 6 through. Then the cup transport mechanism
When 13 transfers the cup 6 to the point C, the hot water supply valve 2a of the hot water tank 2 is opened first, and the hot water of the amount necessary for melting the powder raw material is injected into the cup 6 through the hot water supply hose 2b. At the same time, the above-mentioned raw material stirring device 14 starts to operate, and as described in detail later, the stirring blade is inserted into the cup and then rotationally driven to stir and mix the powder raw material and the hot water, and the powder raw material is stored in the cup. Melt in hot water. Further, hot or cold water and ice are additionally supplied to the cup 6 according to the selection of hot beverage and cold beverage, and at the same time, stirring is performed to prepare a prescribed amount of beverage. When the beverage preparation is completed in this way, the cup transport mechanism 13 starts moving again, and the cup 6 containing the beverage is placed in the product outlet 7.
Transfer to the desired point D and stop, and the sales operation is completed. The series of sales operations are program-controlled by a command from a controller (not shown). Next, the detailed structure of the above-mentioned raw material stirring device will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, the raw material stirring device 14 basically comprises a stirring motor 15 and a stirring blade 1 attached to the tip of the drive shaft of the motor.
6, and an elevating mechanism 17 for elevating and lowering the stirring motor 15 together with the stirring blades 16. Further, this basic structure is combined with the following stirring blade cleaning means and stirring blade heating / drying means. Here, the stirring blade cleaning means is for cleaning the stirring blade 16 pulled up from the cup 6 after the completion of the raw material stirring step with cleaning water to wash away the beverage adhering to the blade surface. Is provided with a cleaning cover 18 which is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism 17 in conjunction with the elevating operation of the stirring motor 15, and a cleaning water nozzle 19 which opens to the upper part inside the cleaning cover. In the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning cover 18 also serves as a cup cover that covers the upper surface of the cup 6 during the raw material stirring step to prevent the escape of the beverage accompanying the raw material stirring.
Further, the wash water nozzle 19 also functions as a hot water supply nozzle for supplying hot water to the cup, and the hot water supply hose 2b and the cold water hose 3a drawn from the hot water tank and the cold water tank are connected thereto. Further, an ice shooter 4a, which is juxtaposed with the nozzle 19 and communicates with the ice making machine, is open-connected to the cleaning cover 18. On the other hand, the heating / drying means of the agitation blade described above is formed as a warm air blower 20 for blowing warm air into the cleaning cover 18, and a blower fan 22 having a heater 21 incorporated therein.
The tip of the warm air nozzle 23 connected to is opened inside the cleaning cover 18. Next, FIG. 4 shows the operation of the raw material agitator having the above structure.
Referring to the time charts for hot beverages and cold beverages shown in FIG. 5, the hot beverage is first selected, and when the powder-containing raw material cup 6 reaches the point C in FIG. 1, a controller command is issued. The agitating motor 15 and the cleaning cover 18, which are on standby in the ascending position of the elevating mechanism 17, are lowered to allow the agitating blades 16 to enter the cup 6 from above as shown in FIG. Cover the top. At the same time, the hot water supply hose 2b and nozzle 19 from the hot water supply tank
A fixed amount of hot water is poured into the cup through the stirring motor 15, and the stirring motor 15 is started at a slight delay timing to rotate the stirring blades 16 to stir and mix the powder raw material and the hot water in the cup to melt the powder raw material into the hot water. . Then, while rotating the stirring blade 16,
Furthermore, hot water is additionally injected to prepare a drink. When this raw material stirring step is completed, the stirring motor 15 is once stopped, and then the washing cover 18 is raised together with the stirring motor 15 to the washing position shown in FIG. In this state, the stirring blade 16 is pulled up from the cup 6 and set in the cleaning cover 18. Then, the process proceeds to the washing step of the stirring blade, and a small amount of hot water as washing water is supplied from the warm water tank into the washing cover through the nozzle 19, and at the same time, the stirring motor 15 is operated again to rotate the stirring blade 16. As a result, the hot water poured from the nozzle 19 into the cleaning cover 18 flushes the stirring blade 16, and the beverage adhering to the blade surface is washed away to clean the stirring blade 16. Further, the washing water is blown off by the centrifugal force of rotation of the blades, flows along the inner wall surface of the washing cover 18, and flows down into the cup 6. As a result, the drink is prepared by supplying a specified amount of hot water into the cup, including the amount of water to be washed and poured. Here, the prepared beverage-filled cup 6 is transferred to the point D leading to the product outlet 7 by riding on the cup transport mechanism as described in FIG. On the other hand, in the raw material stirring device 14, the warm air blower 20 is started to blow heated air into the cleaning cover 18 to forcibly heat and dry the stirring blade 16. By this heating and drying step, the stirring blade 16 is forcibly dried and the generation and propagation of bacteria are suppressed. The time chart when cold drink is selected is as shown in Fig. 5. Compared with the time chart in Fig. 4, cold water and ice are supplied into the cup instead of the second hot water supply in the latter half of the raw material stirring process. It is the same as the time chart for the hot beverage shown in FIG. 4 except that the cold beverage is prepared. In this case, cold water may be supplied as the wash water instead of hot water. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the warm air blower 20 is incorporated as the heating / drying means for the stirring blades 16 to cover the warm air in the heating / drying process.
Although a method of blowing into the inside of the cleaning chamber 18 has been shown, an electric heater 24 is attached to the wall surface of the cleaning cover 18 as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to install the above, and forcibly heat and dry the stirring blade 16 by controlling the energization of the heater 24 in the heating and drying process. Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning cover 18 is fixedly arranged as a cleaning exclusive cover so as to surround the stirring blade 16 at the raising position of the stirring blade.

【The invention's effect】

According to the present invention, a cleaning cover that surrounds the stirring blade at the cleaning position of the stirring blade that has been drawn out of the cup after stirring the raw material, and a cleaning water nozzle that opens in the cover and supplies cleaning water toward the stirring blade. Since the stirring blade is pulled out of the cup after stirring the raw material and the stirring blade is washed with the washing water supplied from the washing water nozzle in the washing cover, the beverage adhered to the stirring blade in the raw material stirring step in each sales operation. In the subsequent stirring blade washing step, it can be washed away with washing water to be cleaned, and thereby a raw material stirring device can be provided which can fully utilize the hygienic advantage of the raw material stirring method in the cup. By the way, when washing water is sprayed onto the stirring blade, splashes of washing water are scattered from the stirring blade. If it is left as it is, the spray of cleaning water stains the inside of the vending machine, which is not preferable for hygiene. However, in the present invention, since the stirring blade is cleaned in the cleaning cover, the cleaning water droplets from the stirring blade hit the cleaning cover and then flow down into the cup, so that the cleaning water droplets contaminate the inside of the vending machine. There is no.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an internal configuration diagram of an entire cup-type beverage vending machine incorporating a raw material stirring device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
Fig. 3 and Fig. 3 show the operating conditions of the raw material stirring and the stirring blade cleaning process, respectively, and the detailed structure diagram of the raw material stirring device in Fig. 1, and Figs. 4 and 5 correspond to the selection of hot beverage and cold beverage, respectively. FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operation of the raw material agitating device, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a different embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an in-machine beverage system diagram of a conventional cup-type beverage vending machine. In each figure, 1: powder raw material box, 1a: raw material shooter, 2: hot water tank, 2a: hot water supply valve, 2b: hot water supply hose, 3: cold water tank, 3a: cold water hose, 3b: water supply valve, 4: ice machine, 4a: Ice shooter, 5: Cup supply mechanism,
6: Cup, 14: Raw material stirring device, 15: Stirring motor, 16: Stirring blade, 17: Lifting mechanism, 18: Washing cover, 19: Washing water nozzle, 20: Hot air fan, 24: Heater.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A beverage containing a powdered raw material in which hot water is poured into the cup so that the stirring blade is inserted into the cup from above and the stirring blade is rotated to stir the raw material and hot water in the cup. In a raw material agitator for a cup-type beverage vending machine to be prepared, a washing cover that surrounds the agitating blade at the washing position of the agitating blade that is drawn out of the cup after agitating the raw material, and the washing water that opens in this cover A cup-type beverage automatic equipped with a washing water nozzle to be supplied toward the cup-type beverage, which is characterized in that after stirring the raw materials, the stirring blade is pulled out of the cup and the stirring blade is washed in the washing cover with the washing water supplied from the washing water nozzle. Raw material stirring device for vending machines. 2. A raw material agitating device for a cup type beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the washing water nozzle also serves as a hot and cold water supply nozzle for the beverage. 3. The raw material agitating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cleaning cover is an elevating type cover which also functions as a cup cover for covering the cup and preventing the escape of the beverage when the raw material is agitated. A raw material stirring device for a cup-type beverage vending machine, which is characterized in that 4. The raw material stirring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning cover has a heating / drying means for forcibly heating and drying the stirring blade after cleaning the stirring blade. A raw material stirring device for a cup-type beverage vending machine, which is characterized in that 5. The raw material stirring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the heating / drying means is a hot air blower for blowing hot air into the washing cover. apparatus. 6. The raw material agitating device for a cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 4, wherein the heating and drying means is an electric heater attached to a cleaning cover.