Edible oil supply device and edible oil supply method

Abstract

To provide an edible oil supply device and an edible oil supply method capable of accurately providing an amount of edible oil required by a purchaser in a fresh state.SOLUTION: An oil server 1, 1A, 1B that automatically supplies the amount of edible oil requested by a purchaser into a bottle X comprises: an oil flow control valve 15 that controls a flow of the edible oil made to flow from an outflow port 13 into the bottle X; a bottle sensor 2, 2A that detects that the bottle X is placed on a placing stand 12; a touch panel 3 for entering the amount of oil requested by the purchaser; and a controller 4, 4A, 4B that controls the oil flow control valve 15. The controller 4, 4A, 4B acquires a placement detection signal output from the bottle sensor 2, 2A and a requested oil amount output from the touch panel 3, generates an oil amount control signal according to the acquired requested oil amount, and outputs the generated oil amount control signal to the oil flow control valve 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an edible oil supplying device and an edible oil supplying method for automatically supplying edible oil into a container. [Background technology]

[0002] Cooking oils such as rapeseed oil, sesame oil, and olive oil are generally sold in supermarkets and other food retailers individually packed in bottles of a specified volume determined by the manufacturer. Therefore, if the bottle is large in volume, the purchaser may not be able to use up the cooking oil and may end up throwing it away.

[0003] In recent years, efforts have been made to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted at the United Nations Summit on September 25, 2015, hereafter referred to as "SDGs"). In line with this, in order to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns, retailers have appeared that sell small portions of cooking oil in the amount requested by the purchaser, with the aim of preventing waste generation, reducing waste, and significantly reducing waste generation by recycling and reusing products.

[0004] In such retail stores, edible oils sold in small portions are stored in large-capacity storage containers (oil servers).As an example of a storage container, Patent Document 1 discloses one that includes a cylindrical container body with a bottom in which edible oil such as olive oil is stored, a lid that closes and seals the upper opening of the cylindrical container body, and an edible oil outlet provided at the bottom of the cylindrical container body, and an air blocking mechanism that blocks air from flowing into the cylindrical container body is provided on the cylindrical container body or the lid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-226431 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when cooking oil is sold in portions from the storage container described in Patent Document 1, the store salesperson or the purchaser himself / herself must open the outlet and pour the cooking oil in the cylindrical container body into the bottle for portioning, making it difficult to accurately pour the amount of cooking oil requested by the purchaser. Therefore, the amount of cooking oil poured into the bottle for portioning may be more or less than the amount requested by the purchaser. In addition, since the cooking oil starts to oxidize as soon as it is poured into the bottle for portioning, it is difficult to maintain the cooking oil in the bottle for portioning in a fresh state.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an edible oil supplying device and an edible oil supplying method capable of supplying the amount of edible oil requested by a purchaser accurately and in a fresh state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] [1] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an edible oil supplying device for automatically supplying an amount of edible oil required by a purchaser into a container, the device comprising: an oil tank for storing the edible oil; a mounting base on which the container is mounted; an oil outlet port for discharging the edible oil into the container mounted on the mounting base; an oil outlet pipe connecting the oil tank and the oil outlet port and guiding the edible oil in the oil tank to the oil outlet port; an oil flow control valve provided in the oil outlet pipe for controlling the flow rate of the edible oil discharged from the oil outlet port; The system comprises a container sensor which detects that the container is placed on the placement table, an input terminal for inputting a requested amount of oil, which is the amount of edible oil requested by the purchaser, and a controller which controls the oil flow control valve, wherein the controller acquires a placement detection signal output from the container sensor and the requested amount of oil output from the input terminal, generates an oil amount control signal in accordance with the acquired requested amount of oil, and outputs the generated oil amount control signal to the oil flow control valve.

[0009] [2] Preferably, the edible oil supplying device according to [1] above further comprises a nitrogen tank for storing nitrogen to be filled into the container, a nitrogen filling port for filling the container with the nitrogen, a nitrogen outlet pipe connecting the nitrogen tank and the nitrogen filling port and directing the nitrogen in the nitrogen tank to the nitrogen filling port, and a nitrogen flow control valve provided in the nitrogen outlet pipe for controlling the flow rate of the nitrogen sprayed from the nitrogen filling port, wherein the controller calculates a nitrogen filling amount, which is the flow rate of the nitrogen to be filled into the container, based on the acquired required oil amount, generates a nitrogen filling amount control signal according to the calculated nitrogen filling amount, outputs the oil amount control signal to the oil flow control valve, and then outputs the generated nitrogen filling amount control signal to the nitrogen flow control valve.

[0010] [3] Preferably, in the edible oil supplying device described in [2], the container sensor detects the capacity of the container placed on the mounting table, and the controller acquires the capacity of the container detected by the container sensor and the required amount of oil output from the input terminal, and calculates the nitrogen filling amount by subtracting the required amount of oil from the acquired capacity of the container.

[0011] [4] Preferably, the edible oil supplying device according to [1] or [2] further comprises a lid accommodating chamber for accommodating a lid that closes an opening of the container, and an attachment device for attaching the lid accommodated in the lid accommodating chamber to the opening of the container, wherein the controller outputs the oil quantity control signal to the oil flow control valve and then outputs a command signal regarding the attachment of the lid to the opening of the container to the attachment device.

[0012] [5] The present invention also provides a method for automatically supplying an amount of edible oil requested by a purchaser into a container, the method comprising: an oil tank for storing the edible oil; a mounting stand on which the container is mounted; an oil outlet for discharging the edible oil into the container mounted on the mounting stand; an oil outlet pipe connecting the oil tank and the oil outlet and directing the edible oil in the oil tank to the oil outlet; an oil flow control valve provided in the oil outlet pipe for controlling the flow rate of the edible oil discharged from the oil outlet; a container sensor for detecting that the container is mounted on the mounting stand; and a requested oil quantity which is the amount of edible oil requested by the purchaser. The cooking oil supplying device is equipped with an input terminal for inputting an amount of oil, and a controller for controlling the oil flow control valve, and includes a data acquisition step in which the controller acquires a placement detection signal output from the container sensor and the required oil amount output from the input terminal, a control signal generation step in which the controller generates an oil amount control signal in accordance with the required oil amount acquired in the data acquisition step, and a signal output step in which the controller outputs the oil amount control signal generated in the control signal generation step to the oil flow control valve.

[0013] [6] Preferably, the edible oil supplying method according to [5] above further includes a nitrogen filling amount calculation step in which the controller calculates a nitrogen filling amount, which is a flow rate of nitrogen to be filled into the container, based on the required oil amount acquired in the data acquisition step, and the edible oil supplying device further includes a nitrogen tank for storing the nitrogen to be filled into the container, a nitrogen filling port for filling the nitrogen into the container, a nitrogen outlet pipe connecting the nitrogen tank and the nitrogen filling port and leading the nitrogen in the nitrogen tank to the nitrogen filling port, and a nitrogen flow control valve provided in the nitrogen outlet pipe and controlling the flow rate of the nitrogen injected from the nitrogen filling port, and in the control signal generation step, the controller further generates a nitrogen filling amount control signal in accordance with the nitrogen filling amount calculated in the nitrogen filling amount calculation step, and in the signal output step, the controller outputs the oil amount control signal generated in the control signal generation step to the oil flow control valve, and then further outputs the nitrogen filling amount control signal generated in the control signal generation step to the nitrogen flow control valve.

[0014] [7] Preferably, in the edible oil supply method described in [6], the container sensor detects the capacity of the container placed on the placement table, and in the data acquisition step, the controller acquires the capacity of the container detected by the container sensor and the required oil amount output from the input terminal, and in the nitrogen filling amount calculation step, the controller calculates the nitrogen filling amount by subtracting the required oil amount from the capacity of the container acquired in the data acquisition step.

[0015] [8] Preferably, the edible oil supplying method according to [5] or [6] is characterized in that the edible oil supplying device further includes a lid accommodating chamber for accommodating a lid that closes the opening of the container, and an attachment device for attaching the lid accommodated in the lid accommodating chamber to the opening of the container, and in the signal output step, the controller outputs the oil volume control signal to the oil flow control valve, and then further outputs a command signal regarding the attachment of the lid to the opening of the container to the attachment device. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to supply the amount of edible oil requested by the purchaser accurately and in a fresh state. Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1A] 1 is an external view showing a configuration example of an oil server according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 1B] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an oil server. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a controller. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions of a controller. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by a controller. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an oil server according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing functions of a controller according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by a controller according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing functions of a controller according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9]13 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by a controller according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] In the following, in each embodiment of the present invention, an oil server will be described as one aspect of an edible oil supplying device that automatically supplies the amount of edible oil requested by a purchaser into a container. The oil server is installed in each retail store, such as a supermarket, and fills an empty bottle with the amount of edible oil requested by a customer and provides it to the customer.

[0019] [First embodiment] An oil server 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2 to 4.

[0020] (Overall configuration of Oil Server 1) First, the overall configuration of the oil server 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1A and 1B.

[0021] Fig. 1A is an external view showing an example of the configuration of an oil server 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1B is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the oil server 1.

[0022] The oil server 1 includes an oil tank 11 for storing edible oil, a mounting base 12 on which a bottle X is placed, an oil outlet 13 for discharging edible oil into the bottle X placed on the mounting base 12, an oil outlet pipe 14 for directing the edible oil in the oil tank 11 to the oil outlet 13, an oil flow control valve 15 for controlling the flow rate of the edible oil flowing out from the oil outlet 13, a bottle sensor 2 (container sensor) for detecting that the bottle X is placed on the mounting base 12, a touch panel 3 as an input terminal for inputting the requested oil amount which is the amount of edible oil requested by a customer, a controller 4 for controlling the oil flow control valve 15, and a rectangular parallelepiped housing 101 for accommodating these therein.

[0023] In the housing 101, temperature and humidity are thoroughly controlled so that the cooking oil is always supplied to the bottle X in a fresh state. Also, since cooking oil starts to oxidize when it comes into contact with air, measures are taken in each place in the housing 101 to prevent the cooking oil from coming into contact with air as much as possible.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1A, a supply area 102 having an opening 102A on the front side is formed in a housing 101. In this supply area 102, a mounting table 12 is disposed on the bottom and an oil outlet 13 is disposed on the ceiling. A transparent door 103 having a handle 103A is attached to the opening 102A of the supply area 102. This makes it possible to prevent external dust and dirt from entering the supply area 102. Furthermore, since the door 103 is transparent, a purchaser can check whether or not a bottle X is present in the supply area 102 without opening the door 103.

[0025] The edible oil supplied by the oil server 1 is edible oil that can be used in ordinary households, such as rapeseed oil, sesame oil, olive oil, etc. The oil tank 11 may store one specific type of edible oil, or may store several types of edible oil in a state where they do not mix with each other. In the latter case, the customer can use the touch panel 3 to freely select the type of edible oil he or she desires from several types of edible oil.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1B, the controller 4, the oil flow control valve 15, the bottle sensor 2, and the touch panel 3 are each communicatively connected directly or indirectly via a communication network such as an Internet line.

[0027] The bottle sensor 2 is attached to the mounting table 12 and determines whether or not the bottle X is placed on the mounting table 12, for example, by measuring the load applied to the mounting table 12. When the bottle sensor 2 detects that the bottle X is placed on the mounting table 12, it outputs a placement detection signal to the controller 4.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1A, the touch panel 3 is provided on the front part of the housing 101, and displays information related to the operation of the oil server 1 and information related to the operating status of the oil server 1 on the display. The customer touches the display of the touch panel 3 to input the specific amount of cooking oil they wish to purchase, i.e., the requested amount of oil. When the requested amount of oil is input, the touch panel 3 outputs the data to the controller 4.

[0029] When the bottle sensor 2 detects that the bottle X has been placed on the mounting table 12 and the required oil volume is input to the touch panel 3, the controller 4 generates an oil volume control signal in accordance with the required oil volume input to the touch panel 3 and outputs it to the oil flow control valve 15.

[0030] 1B, the oil outlet pipe 14 is a pipe that connects the oil tank 11 and the oil outlet 13. The oil flow control valve 15 is provided on the oil outlet pipe 14, and the valve opening is adjusted based on an oil amount control signal output from the controller 4. The flow rate of the edible oil led from the oil tank 11 to the oil outlet 13 via the oil outlet pipe 14 is controlled according to the valve opening of the oil flow control valve 15.

[0031] When purchasing cooking oil, a customer first places an empty bottle X on the placement table 12 of the oil server 1. Next, the customer operates the touch panel 3 to input the desired amount of oil. Based on the oil amount control signal output from the controller 4, the oil server 1 pours the desired amount of cooking oil from the oil outlet 13 into the bottle X. Then, when the supply of cooking oil into the bottle X is completed, the oil server 1 notifies the customer that the supply of cooking oil into the bottle X is completed, for example, by using a voice or an alarm.

[0032] (Hardware configuration to realize the functions of Controller 4) Next, the hardware configuration for realizing the functions of the controller 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the controller 4. As shown in FIG.

[0034] The computer that realizes the functions of the controller 4 includes, as hardware components, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 40A, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 40B, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 40C, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 40D, and an I / F (Interface) 40E. These components are connected to each other via a common bus 40F.

[0035] The CPU 40A is a calculation means and controls the overall operation of the controller 4.

[0036] The RAM 40B is a volatile storage medium that allows high speed reading and writing of information, and is used, for example, as a working area when the CPU 40A processes management information.

[0037] The ROM 40C is a read-only non-volatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware.

[0038] The HDD 40D is a non-volatile storage medium that is capable of reading and writing information and has a large storage capacity, and stores an OS (Operating System), control programs for executing various information processes (described later), and application programs.

[0039] The HDD 40D may be replaced by any type of device, such as a solid state drive (SSD), as long as it is a non-volatile storage medium that can store and manage information.

[0040] The I / F 40E is a connection interface with a communication network, and is connected to the bottle sensor 2, the touch panel 3, and the oil flow control valve.

[0041] The controller 4 having such a hardware configuration is an information processing device that realizes processing functions by using the arithmetic functions of the CPU 40A to process control programs stored in the ROM 40C and control programs and application programs loaded from a storage medium such as the HDD 40D to the RAM 40B.

[0042] Execution of these information processes configures a software control unit including various functional modules in the controller 4. A functional block that realizes the functions of the controller 4 is configured by combining the software control unit configured in this manner with hardware resources including the above configuration.

[0043] (Controller 4 functional configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the controller 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the controller 4.

[0045] The controller 4 includes a data acquisition unit 41 , a control signal generation unit 42 , and a signal output unit 43 .

[0046] The data acquisition unit 41 receives a placement detection signal output from the bottle sensor 2 and a touch panel The required oil volume output from 3 is obtained.

[0047] The control signal generating unit 42 generates an oil amount control signal according to the required oil amount acquired by the data acquiring unit 41 .

[0048] The signal output unit 43 outputs the oil amount control signal generated by the control signal generation unit 42 to the oil flow rate control valve 15 .

[0049] (Processing executed in controller 4) Next, the flow of processing executed within the controller 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0050] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process executed by the controller 4.

[0051] In the controller 4, first, the data acquisition unit 41 acquires the placement detection signal output from the bottle sensor 2 (step S401 / YES; data acquisition step), and then the data acquisition unit 41 acquires the required oil volume Vd output from the touch panel 3 (step S402; data acquisition step).

[0052] Next, the control signal generating unit 42 generates a fluid amount control signal in accordance with the required fluid amount Vd acquired in step S402 (step S403; control signal generating step).

[0053] Then, the signal output unit 43 outputs the oil amount control signal generated in step S403 to the oil flow rate control valve 15 (step S404; signal output step), and the processing in the controller 4 ends.

[0054] In addition, if the data acquisition unit 41 has not acquired the placement detection signal output from the bottle sensor 2 in step S401, i.e., if the bottle X is not placed on the placement table 12 and the bottle sensor 2 has not detected the bottle X (step S401 / NO), the controller 4 does not proceed to the next step until the data acquisition unit 41 acquires the placement detection signal output from the bottle sensor 2.

[0055] In this way, by using the oil server 1 in which the amount of cooking oil filled into the bottle X is controlled by the controller 4, a store selling cooking oil can provide the amount of cooking oil requested by the purchaser with greater precision than if the store's salesperson or the purchaser poured the cooking oil into the bottle X without using the oil server 1. Furthermore, by using the oil server 1, the store can always supply fresh cooking oil to the bottle X.

[0056] [Second embodiment] Next, an oil server 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 7. In the following, components common to those described for the oil server 1 according to the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. This also applies to the third embodiment.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an oil server 1A according to the second embodiment.

[0058] The oil server 1A of this embodiment further includes a nitrogen tank 16 for storing the nitrogen to be filled into the bottle X, a nitrogen filling port 17 for filling the bottle X with nitrogen, a nitrogen outlet pipe 18 for directing the nitrogen in the nitrogen tank 16 to the nitrogen filling port 17, and a nitrogen flow control valve 19 for controlling the flow rate of nitrogen sprayed from the nitrogen filling port 17.

[0059] In this embodiment, the oil server 1A further fills the bottle X containing cooking oil with nitrogen to prevent oxidation of the cooking oil in the bottle X and keep the oil fresh. Therefore, the controller 4A controls the oil flow control valve 15 and the nitrogen flow control valve 19.

[0060] When a required oil volume is input to the touch panel 3, the controller 4A calculates a nitrogen filling volume, which is the flow rate of nitrogen to be filled into the bottle X, based on the required oil volume. Then, the controller 4A not only outputs an oil volume control signal according to the required oil volume to the oil flow control valve 15, but also generates a nitrogen filling volume control signal according to the calculated nitrogen filling volume and outputs it to the nitrogen flow control valve 19.

[0061] 5, the nitrogen outlet pipe 18 is a pipe that connects the nitrogen tank 16 and the nitrogen filling port 17. The nitrogen flow control valve 19 is provided on the nitrogen outlet pipe 18, and the valve opening is adjusted based on a nitrogen filling amount control signal output from the controller 4. The flow rate of nitrogen introduced from the nitrogen tank 16 to the nitrogen filling port 17 via the nitrogen outlet pipe 18 is controlled according to the valve opening of the nitrogen flow control valve 19.

[0062] In this embodiment, the oil server 1A pours the required amount of edible oil into the bottle X from the oil outlet 13 based on the oil amount control signal output from the controller 4A, and then injects nitrogen into the bottle X from the nitrogen filling port 17 based on the nitrogen filling amount control signal output from the controller 4A. Then, when filling of the bottle X with nitrogen is completed, the oil server 1A notifies the customer that the supply of edible oil into the bottle X is completed, for example, by using a voice or an alarm.

[0063] Next, the functional configuration of the controller 4A will be described with reference to FIG.

[0064] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing functions of a controller 4A according to the second embodiment.

[0065] The controller 4A according to this embodiment includes a nitrogen filling amount calculation section 44 in addition to a data acquisition section 41A, a control signal generation section 42A, and a signal output section 43A.

[0066] The data acquisition unit 41A acquires the placement detection signal from the bottle sensor 2A and also acquires the body volume Vc of the bottle X (hereinafter simply referred to as the "bottle volume Vc"). This "body volume Vc of the bottle X" is the volume of the bottle X placed on the placement table 12 in an empty state.

[0067] The nitrogen fill amount calculation unit 44 calculates the nitrogen fill amount Vf to be filled into the bottle X based on the bottle volume Vc and the required oil volume acquired by the data acquisition unit 41. More specifically, the nitrogen fill amount calculation unit 44 calculates the nitrogen fill amount Vf by subtracting the required oil volume Vd from the body volume Vc of the bottle X (Vf=Vc-Vd).

[0068] The control signal generating unit 42A generates an oil volume control signal according to the required oil volume acquired by the data acquiring unit 41, and also generates a nitrogen filling volume control signal according to the nitrogen filling volume Vf calculated by the nitrogen filling volume calculating unit 44.

[0069] The signal output unit 43A outputs the oil volume control signal generated by the control signal generating unit 42A to the oil flow control valve 15, and then outputs the nitrogen filling volume control signal generated by the control signal generating unit 42A to the nitrogen flow control valve 19.

[0070] Next, the flow of processing executed within the controller 4A will be described with reference to FIG.

[0071] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the controller 4A according to the second embodiment.

[0072] In the controller 4A according to this embodiment, when a placement detection signal is acquired in step S401 and it is determined that the bottle X has been placed on the placement table 12 (step S401 / YES), the data acquisition unit 41A then acquires the required oil volume Vd output from the touch panel 3 and the bottle volume Vc output from the bottle sensor 2A (step S402A; data acquisition step).

[0073] Next, in the controller 4A, in parallel with the process proceeding to step S403, the nitrogen fill amount calculation unit 44 calculates the nitrogen fill amount Vf by subtracting the required oil amount Vd from the bottle volume Vc acquired in step S402A (step S411; nitrogen fill amount calculation step).

[0074] Next, the control signal generating unit 42A generates a nitrogen filling amount control signal in accordance with the nitrogen filling amount Vf calculated in step S411 (step S412; control signal generating step).

[0075] Then, the signal output unit 43A outputs the oil volume control signal to the oil flow control valve 15 in step S404, and then outputs the nitrogen filling volume control signal generated in step S412 to the nitrogen flow control valve 19 (step S413; signal output step), and the processing in the controller 4A ends.

[0076] In this way, in the oil server 1A according to this embodiment, nitrogen is filled into the bottle X after the required amount of cooking oil is supplied, so that the cooking oil supplied into the bottle X can be kept fresh.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the oil server 1A fills the bottle X with nitrogen in an amount equal to the bottle capacity Vc minus the required oil amount Vd, so the air in the bottle X is expelled and the bottle is filled with nitrogen. This allows the edible oil supplied to the bottle X to be kept fresher since it does not come into contact with air.

[0078] In addition, the oil server 1A does not necessarily need to be filled with nitrogen in an amount equal to the bottle capacity Vc minus the required oil amount Vd. If nitrogen is filled at least after the edible oil is supplied, the edible oil supplied to the bottle X can be kept fresh compared to a case in which nitrogen is not filled.

[0079] [Third embodiment] Next, an oil server 1B according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0080] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an oil server 1B according to the third embodiment.

[0081] The oil server 1B of this embodiment further includes a lid accommodating chamber 51 that accommodates a lid (cap) that closes the opening of the bottle X, and an attachment device 52 that attaches the lid accommodated in the lid accommodating chamber 51 to the opening of the bottle X.

[0082] In this embodiment, the oil server 1B prevents oxidation of the cooking oil supplied into the bottle X by attaching a lid to close the opening of the bottle X within the device, and also prevents foreign matter (such as dust) from entering the bottle X.

[0083] Therefore, the controller 4B controls the attachment device 52 in addition to the oil flow control valve 15 and the nitrogen flow control valve 19. Note that the method of attaching the lid to the opening of the bottle X by the attachment device 52 is to be an attachment method using known technology.

[0084] The oil server 1B injects nitrogen into the bottle X from the nitrogen filling port 17 based on the nitrogen filling amount control signal output from the controller 4B, and then attaches a lid to the opening of the bottle X using the attachment device 52. Then, when the attachment of the lid to the opening of the bottle X is completed, the oil server 1B notifies the customer by using, for example, a voice or an alarm, that the supply of cooking oil into the bottle X is completed.

[0085] Next, the flow of processing executed in the controller 4B will be described with reference to FIG.

[0086] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the controller 4B according to the third embodiment.

[0087] The controller 4B of this embodiment is similar to the controller 4A of the second embodiment in the processing up to step S413, but after the nitrogen filling amount control signal is output to the nitrogen flow control valve 19 in step S413, a command signal for attaching the lid to the opening of the bottle X is output to the attachment device 52 (step S414), and then the processing is terminated.

[0088] In the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, a case is described in which the configuration relating to attaching the lid to the opening of the bottle X is combined with the second embodiment, but this is not limiting and the configuration may be combined with the first embodiment.

[0089] In this way, in the oil server 1B of this embodiment, the lid is attached to the opening of the bottle X by the attachment device 52, making it possible to provide the edible oil supplied in the bottle X to customers in a fresher state.

[0090] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modified examples are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of this embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of this embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of this embodiment with another configuration.

[0091] For example, in the above embodiment, the bottle X is given as an example of one form of container into which edible oil is supplied, but it does not necessarily have to be the bottle X, and there is no particular restriction on the form of the container as long as it is capable of storing edible oil.

[0092] In addition, in the above embodiment, the oil servers 1, 1A, 1B installed in each store such as a supermarket were described as one form of cooking oil supplying device, but this is not limited to this, and the device does not have to be limited to being installed in a store as long as it is in an environment where proper hygiene management is performed.

[0093] In addition, in the above embodiment, a touch-operable touch panel 3 was given as an example of one form of input terminal, but the terminal does not necessarily have to be a touch-operable terminal, and there are no particular restrictions on its form as long as it is a terminal that can input the required oil volume. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1, 1A, 1B: Oil server (edible oil supply device) 2, 2A: Bottle sensor (container sensor) 3: Touch panel (input device) 4, 4A, 4B: Controller 11: Oil tank 12: Placement table 13: Oil outlet 14:Oil outlet pipe 15: Oil flow control valve 16: Nitrogen tank 17: Nitrogen filling port 18: Nitrogen outlet pipe 19: Nitrogen flow control valve 51: Lid Containment Room 52: Mounting device X: Bottle (container)

Claims

1. An edible oil supplying device that automatically supplies an amount of edible oil required by a purchaser into a container, An oil tank for storing the edible oil; A mounting table on which the container is placed; an oil outlet through which the edible oil flows into the container placed on the placement table; an oil outlet pipe that connects the oil tank and the oil outlet and guides the edible oil in the oil tank to the oil outlet; an oil flow control valve provided in the oil outlet pipe for controlling the flow rate of the edible oil flowing out from the oil outlet; a container sensor for detecting that the container is placed on the placement table; an input terminal for inputting a requested amount of oil, which is the amount of the edible oil requested by the purchaser; A controller for controlling the oil flow control valve, The controller: acquiring a placement detection signal output from the container sensor and the required oil amount output from the input terminal; generating an oil amount control signal according to the acquired required oil amount; The generated oil amount control signal is output to the oil flow control valve. An edible oil supplying device comprising:

2. The edible oil supplying device according to claim 1, A nitrogen tank for storing the nitrogen to be filled in the container; a nitrogen filling port for filling the container with nitrogen; a nitrogen outlet pipe that connects the nitrogen tank and the nitrogen filling port and leads the nitrogen in the nitrogen tank to the nitrogen filling port; a nitrogen flow control valve provided in the nitrogen outlet pipe to control the flow rate of the nitrogen injected from the nitrogen filling port; The controller: Calculating a nitrogen filling amount, which is a flow rate of the nitrogen to be filled into the container, based on the acquired required oil amount; generating a nitrogen fill amount control signal according to the calculated nitrogen fill amount; After outputting the oil amount control signal to the oil flow control valve, the generated nitrogen filling amount control signal is output to the nitrogen flow control valve. An edible oil supplying device comprising:

3. The edible oil supplying device according to claim 2, The container sensor includes: Detecting the volume of the container placed on the placement table; The controller: Acquire the volume of the container detected by the container sensor and the required oil amount output from the input terminal, The nitrogen filling amount is calculated by subtracting the required oil amount from the obtained volume of the container. An edible oil supplying device comprising:

4. The edible oil supplying device according to claim 1 or 2, a lid receiving chamber for receiving a lid that closes an opening of the container; and an attachment device that attaches the lid accommodated in the lid accommodating chamber to the opening of the container, The controller: After outputting the oil amount control signal to the oil flow control valve, a command signal relating to attachment of the lid to the opening of the container is output to the attachment device. An edible oil supplying device comprising:

5. A method for automatically supplying edible oil into a container in an amount required by a purchaser, comprising: An oil tank for storing the edible oil; A mounting table on which the container is placed; an oil outlet through which the edible oil flows into the container placed on the placement table; an oil outlet pipe that connects the oil tank and the oil outlet and guides the edible oil in the oil tank to the oil outlet; an oil flow control valve provided in the oil outlet pipe for controlling the flow rate of the edible oil flowing out from the oil outlet; a container sensor for detecting that the container is placed on the table; an input terminal for inputting a requested amount of oil, which is the amount of the edible oil requested by the purchaser; A controller for controlling the oil flow control valve; Using an edible oil supplying device equipped with a data acquisition step in which the controller acquires a placement detection signal output from the container sensor and the required oil amount output from the input terminal; a control signal generating step in which the controller generates a fluid amount control signal according to the required fluid amount acquired in the data acquiring step; a signal output step in which the controller outputs the oil amount control signal generated in the control signal generation step to the oil flow control valve. A method for supplying edible oil comprising the steps of:

6. 6. The edible oil supply method according to claim 5, The controller further includes a nitrogen filling amount calculation step of calculating a nitrogen filling amount, which is a flow rate of nitrogen to be filled into the container, based on the required oil amount acquired in the data acquisition step, The edible oil supply device comprises: a nitrogen tank for storing the nitrogen filled in the container; a nitrogen filling port for filling the container with nitrogen; a nitrogen outlet pipe that connects the nitrogen tank and the nitrogen filling port and leads the nitrogen in the nitrogen tank to the nitrogen filling port; a nitrogen flow control valve provided in the nitrogen outlet pipe to control the flow rate of the nitrogen injected from the nitrogen filling port; In the control signal generating step, The controller further generates a nitrogen fill amount control signal according to the nitrogen fill amount calculated in the nitrogen fill amount calculation step, In the signal output step, The controller outputs the oil amount control signal generated in the control signal generating step to the oil flow control valve, and then outputs the nitrogen filling amount control signal generated in the control signal generating step to the nitrogen flow control valve. A method for supplying edible oil comprising the steps of:

7. 7. The edible oil supply method according to claim 6, The container sensor includes: Detecting the volume of the container placed on the placement table; In the data acquisition step, The controller acquires the volume of the container detected by the container sensor and the required amount of oil output from the input terminal, In the nitrogen filling amount calculation step, The controller calculates the nitrogen filling amount by subtracting the required oil amount from the volume of the container acquired in the data acquisition step. A method for supplying edible oil comprising the steps of:

8. 7. The edible oil supply method according to claim 5 or 6, The edible oil supply device comprises: a lid receiving chamber for receiving a lid that closes an opening of the container; and an attachment device that attaches the lid accommodated in the lid accommodating chamber to the opening of the container, In the signal output step, The controller outputs the oil amount control signal to the oil flow control valve, and then outputs a command signal related to the attachment of the lid to the opening of the container to the attachment device. A method for supplying edible oil comprising the steps of:

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