Kitchen lane system

Abstract

To realize the throw-in of merchandise corresponding to the using conditions of a circulation lane and an order lane by selecting a position where the merchandise is thrown in the circulation lane.SOLUTION: A kitchen lane system includes a circulation lane which is laid in a kitchen and circulates along a predetermined conveyance path to convey a commodity, an input device which inputs at least one commodity prepared according to an order from a customer to the circulation lane, and a control device which controls the input device. The circulation lane includes a first conveyance area in which a product is conveyed in a first direction, and a second conveyance area in which a product is conveyed in a second direction different from the first direction, the second conveyance area being located farther away from an order lane installed in the restaurant than the first conveyance area. The control device is configured to control the loading device to load at least one product into both the first conveyance area and the second conveyance area of the circulation lane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a kitchen lane system. [Background technology]

[0002] In the kitchens of restaurants such as conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, there are known circulation lanes that circulate ordered items and deliver them to the order lane at a predetermined timing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In restaurants equipped with such circulation lanes, items can be circulated on the circulation lane depending on the usage status of the order lane. For example, if the order lane to which an item is to be delivered is in use, an employee can circulate the cooked items on the circulation lane, allowing them to prepare other items, thereby achieving efficient operation.

[0003] In the circulation lane system of Patent Document 1, the circulation lane has a first conveying path closer to the order lane and a second conveying path further from the order lane, which are generally parallel and convey in opposite directions. Furthermore, a cooking (preparation) space for employees is provided in the kitchen on the side of the circulation lane that is further from the order lane. A supply conveyor is provided in each space, and prepared products are placed on the supply conveyor, which then feeds the products from the conveyor into the second conveying path of the circulation lane. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-107301 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the circulation lane system of Patent Document 1, products are always fed from the supply conveyor onto the second conveyance path. Because the second conveyance path is located away from the order lane, there is the drawback that the product has to travel a long distance to reach the destination order lane. In addition, because the feeding point of the circulation lane is fixed to the second conveyance path, it is not possible to flexibly feed products according to the usage status of the circulation lane.

[0006] A typical object of the present disclosure is to enable selection of a position at which to insert a product into a circulation lane, thereby enabling insertion of products according to the usage status of the circulation lane and the order lane. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of a kitchen lane system provided by a typical embodiment of the present disclosure is a kitchen lane system installed in a kitchen of a restaurant, comprising: a circulation lane installed in the kitchen and circulating along a predetermined transport path to transport products; an input device that inputs at least one product prepared in response to a customer order into the circulation lane; and a control device that controls the input device. The circulation lane comprises a first transport area that transports products in a first direction, and a second transport area that is located farther away from an order lane installed in the restaurant than the first transport area and that transports products in a second direction different from the first direction. The control device controls the input device to configure the circulation lane so that at least one product can be input into both the first transport area and the second transport area.

[0008] A second aspect of a kitchen lane system provided by a typical embodiment of the present disclosure is a kitchen lane system installed in a kitchen of a restaurant, the kitchen lane system comprising: a circulation lane installed in the kitchen and circulating along a predetermined transport path to transport products; a plurality of order lanes extending from different positions on the circulation lane into the restaurant and transporting products delivered from the circulation lane into the restaurant; delivery devices installed corresponding to each of the plurality of order lanes and delivering products delivered by the circulation lane to the corresponding order lane; a plurality of input devices installed at different positions on the circulation lane and inputting at least one product prepared in response to an order from a customer into the circulation lane; kitchen devices used in the kitchen; and a control device that controls the kitchen lane system, Along each of the multiple order lanes, there is a dining space where customers can eat and drink, and one or more input devices from the multiple input devices are associated with each of the multiple order lanes as priority input devices in order of the shortest transport path to the corresponding order lane, and when an order is input from a customer, the control device performs a first output process to output the order details to the kitchen device, using the priority input device from the multiple input devices that has been previously associated with the order lane of the customer who input the order as the input device that will prioritize inputting the ordered item, and a delivery process to deliver the ordered item to the order lane by the delivery device at the time the ordered item is transported by the circulation lane to the order lane of the customer who input the order.

[0009] A third aspect of a kitchen lane system provided by a typical embodiment of the present disclosure is a kitchen lane system installed in a kitchen of a restaurant, the kitchen lane system comprising: a circulation lane laid in the kitchen and circulating along a predetermined transport path to transport products; a plurality of order lanes extending from different positions on the circulation lane into the restaurant and transporting products handed over from the circulation lane into the restaurant; delivery devices provided corresponding to each of the plurality of order lanes and handing over products transported on the circulation lane to the corresponding order lane; a plurality of feeding devices provided at different positions on the circulation lane and feeding at least one product prepared in response to an order from a customer into the circulation lane; kitchen equipment used in the kitchen; and a control device that controls the kitchen lane system, wherein the circulation lane has a first transport area that transports the products in a first direction, and a second transport area that is located farther away from the plurality of order lanes than the first transport area and in a direction different from the first direction. and a second transport area for transporting the products in a direction away from the customer, and further comprising a transport device for transporting the products between the first transport area and the second transport area on the circulation lane. Along each of the plurality of order lanes, there is provided an eating and drinking space where customers can eat and drink. When an order is input from a customer, the control device stores the input order details in association with the eating and drinking space of the customer who input the order, and outputs the input order details to the kitchen device. When a product prepared according to the order details is input into the circulation lane by one of the plurality of input devices, the control device controls the drive of the transport device and the delivery device, thereby performing a shortest transport process to transport the product to the eating and drinking space via a transport route that is the shortest length from the input device that input the product to the eating and drinking space of the customer who input the order, among all transport routes including the transport route of the circulation lane and the transport route of the transport device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the entire restaurant. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the circulation lane. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a first transport area and a second transport area of ​​a circulation lane. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an order image displayed on a kitchen terminal device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing partitioned area information at a certain time. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the device configuration of the kitchen lane system. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a throw-in process. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a delivery process. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing shortcut processing. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the state of product transportation when explaining shortcut processing. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a throw-in process. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the state of transport of products when explaining the detouring process. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the entire restaurant according to a first modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the kitchen lane system according to a first modified example. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing shortcut processing in Modification Example 1. [Figure 18] 10 is a diagram showing an order image displayed on a kitchen terminal device according to a second modified example. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing divided area information according to a modification example 3. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing the entire restaurant according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 21]FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a priority input device correspondence table according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart of an ordered product providing process executed by the kitchen lane system 200 according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of order contents displayed on kitchen terminal device 22A when all feeding devices are in use. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of order contents displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22A when the second feeding device 133C is not in use. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing the entire restaurant according to Modification Example 5. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a priority input device / priority transport route correspondence table according to Modification Example 5. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a shortest path correspondence table according to a fifth modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] <Summary> The kitchen lane system exemplified in the present disclosure is installed in a restaurant kitchen. The circulation lane is installed in the kitchen and circulates along a predetermined transport path to transport products. The input device inputs at least one product prepared in response to a customer order into the circulation lane. The control device controls the input device. The circulation lane includes a first transport area that transports products in a first direction, and a second transport area that is located farther away from the order lane installed in the restaurant than the first transport area and that transports products in a second direction different from the first direction. The control device controls the input device to be able to input at least one product into either the first transport area or the second transport area in the circulation lane.

[0012] As described above, the kitchen lane system includes a feeding device that feeds at least one product prepared in response to a customer order into the circulation lane. This feeding device can feed the product into either the first transport area, which is closer to the order lane, or the second transport area, which is farther from the order lane. Therefore, the product can be fed into the optimal position on the circulation lane depending on the status of the order lane and the circulation lane. As a result, for example, by feeding the product into the first transport area, the product arrives at the order lane earlier, allowing the product to be served to the customer promptly. On the other hand, if the order lane is in use, the product can be placed in the second transport area, delaying the arrival of the product at the order lane.

[0013] Here, the feeding device is controlled by the control device and includes a first feeding conveyance path that feeds at least one product into the first conveyance area of ​​the kitchen lane.

[0014] In this way, since the insertion device is provided with the first insertion conveying path, the control device can control the first insertion conveying path to insert the product into the first conveying area.

[0015] The first input conveying path is controlled by the control device and is provided between the first conveying area and the second conveying area so as not to interfere with at least one product being conveyed between both areas.

[0016] In this way, the first input conveying path is arranged between the first and second conveying areas so as not to interfere with the products being conveyed therebetween, thereby preventing the first input conveying path from interfering with the products on the circulation lane.

[0017] The feeding device may further include a second feeding conveyance path for feeding at least one product into the second conveyance area of ​​the kitchen lane.

[0018] In this way, since the insertion device is provided with the second insertion conveying path, the control device can control the second insertion conveying path to insert the product into the second conveying area.

[0019] The second input conveying path may be arranged between the first conveying area and the second conveying area so as not to interfere with at least one product being conveyed through both areas, or may be arranged on the opposite side of the order lane in the second conveying area so as not to interfere with at least one product being conveyed through the second conveying area.

[0020] The second input conveyance path is provided between the first and second conveyance areas or on the opposite side of the second conveyance area from the order lane so as not to interfere with products, thereby preventing the second input conveyance path from interfering with products on the circulation lane.

[0021] Here, the first input conveying path and the second input conveying path each include an input conveyor that conveys products parallel to the first direction, and an input port through which products are input into the circulation lane.

[0022] In this way, each input conveying path is equipped with an input conveyor and an input port, so that products can be reliably input into the circulation lane.

[0023] The first and second input conveyance paths may each further include a guide section for guiding the products toward the circulation lane. An input opening is provided at the downstream end of the guide section.

[0024] In this way, the first input conveying path and the second input conveying path are equipped with a guide section, and the input opening is open downstream of the guide section, so that products can be properly input from the input opening into the circulation lane via the guide section.

[0025] However, the input conveyance path does not necessarily have to include a guide portion. For example, the input conveyance path may be configured to be connected substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the circulation lane.

[0026] A terminal device may be provided in the kitchen that displays the products ordered by customers and the order lanes corresponding to the customers who placed the orders, and that receives input indicating that the products prepared in accordance with the orders have been placed on the first input conveyor path or the second input conveyor path.The control device then controls the first input conveyor path and the second input conveyor path based on the information input to the terminal device.

[0027] In this way, the control device can recognize via the terminal device that the prepared product has been set on the first input conveyor path or the second input conveyor path. This allows the control device to identify which input conveyor path the product has been set on. As a result, the first input conveyor path and the second input conveyor path can be controlled at an appropriate timing, taking into account the situation in the order lane and the kitchen. The terminal device may be installed in the kitchen or may be a mobile terminal carried by an employee.

[0028] The terminal device may be provided on each of the first input conveyance path and the second input conveyance path.

[0029] In this way, since a terminal device is provided corresponding to each input conveyance path, employees can intuitively use the terminal device corresponding to the input conveyance path into which they input the product. Therefore, employees can perform their work accurately and efficiently without being confused about which terminal device to use. Moreover, since a terminal device is also provided for the first input conveyance path, they can reliably use the corresponding terminal device even if they input the product into the first input conveyance path that is closer to the order lane.

[0030] The multiple order lanes may extend into the store from different positions on the circulation lane. The kitchen lane system may further include multiple delivery devices. A terminal device may be provided corresponding to each of the multiple input conveyance paths, including the first input conveyance path and the second input conveyance path. An eating space where customers can eat and drink may be provided along each of the multiple order lanes. For each of the multiple order lanes, one or more input conveyance paths may be associated as priority input devices from among the multiple input conveyance paths in order of the shortest conveyance path to the corresponding order lane. When an order is input from a customer, the control device may execute a first output process to output the order details to a terminal device provided on a priority input device that is pre-associated with the order lane of the customer who input the order from among the multiple input conveyance paths. The control device may execute a delivery process to deliver the ordered item to the order lane by a delivery device at the time the ordered item is transported by the circulation lane to the order lane of the customer who input the order.

[0031] In this case, each of the multiple order lanes is associated in advance with an input conveying path (priority input device) that prioritizes the input of products. Of the multiple input conveying paths, one or more input conveying paths are associated as priority input devices in order of the shortest conveying path to the corresponding order lane. The details of orders from customers are output and displayed on a terminal device provided at the priority input device. Therefore, by having the ordered products input into the circulation lane by the priority input device, it becomes easier to provide the products to customers in a shorter time.

[0032] The system may further include a transfer device that transfers products transported on the circulation lane from the circulation lane to the order lane. The inlet of the first input transport path is located near the upstream side of the transport path of the transfer device.

[0033] In this way, the inlet of the first input conveying path is located upstream of the delivery device, so that products input from the first input conveying path can quickly arrive at the order lane.

[0034] As mentioned above, it is also possible to associate a priority insertion device with each of multiple order lanes. Here, if a first insertion conveyance path is located upstream of a specific order lane in the conveyance direction in the first conveyance area, at least the first insertion conveyance path located closest to the specific order lane in the conveyance direction in the first conveyance area may be associated as the priority insertion device. In this case, the conveyance time from the priority insertion device to the specific order lane is appropriately shortened.

[0035] The system may further include a transfer device that transfers products transported in the circulation lane from the circulation lane to the order lane, and a shortcut device located between the first transport area and the second transport area that transfers at least one product from the second transport area to the first transport area.The inlet of the first input transport path is located in the first transport area downstream of the transport path in the shortcut device and upstream of the transport path in the transfer device.

[0036] In this way, the opening of the first input conveyance path is located downstream of the shortcut device and upstream of the delivery device. Therefore, even if the shortcut device is in use, products can be input from the first input conveyance path, allowing the products to arrive quickly at the order lane.

[0037] As mentioned above, it is also possible to associate a priority input device with each of multiple order lanes. Here, if a first input conveyance path exists upstream of a specific order lane in the conveyance direction in the first conveyance area and downstream of a shortcut device in the conveyance direction in the first conveyance area, this first input conveyance path may be associated with the specific order lane as a priority input device. In this case, the conveyance time from the priority input device to the specific order lane is appropriately shortened.

[0038] Another aspect of the problem that the kitchen lane system of the present disclosure aims to solve will now be described. In the circulation lane system of Patent Document 1, the items of products that each chef is responsible for cooking are limited. As a result, the position where the product is inserted into the circulation lane changes depending on the item. Therefore, depending on the item ordered by the customer, there is a drawback in that the product prepared in accordance with the order has to travel a long distance from the insertion position to the order lane where it is to be transported.

[0039] Another aspect of the kitchen lane system according to the present disclosure is a kitchen lane system installed in a kitchen of a restaurant, the kitchen lane system including a circulation lane, multiple order lanes, a delivery device, multiple feeding devices, kitchen equipment, and a control device. The circulation lane is installed in the kitchen and circulates along a predetermined transport route to transport products. The multiple order lanes extend from different positions on the circulation lane into the restaurant and transport products handed over from the circulation lane into the restaurant. The delivery device is provided corresponding to each of the multiple order lanes and delivers products transported by the circulation lane to the corresponding order lane. The multiple feeding devices are provided at different positions on the circulation lane and feed at least one product prepared in response to an order from a customer into the circulation lane. The kitchen equipment is used in the kitchen. The control device controls the kitchen lane system. A dining space where customers can eat and drink is provided along each of the multiple order lanes. For each of the multiple order lanes, one or more feeding devices are assigned as priority feeding devices from among the multiple feeding devices in order of the shortest transport route to the corresponding order lane. When an order is input from a customer, the control device executes a first output process to output the order details to a kitchen device, selecting a priority input device from among the multiple input devices that is previously associated with the order lane of the customer who input the order as the input device that will preferentially input the ordered items. The control device executes a delivery process to deliver the ordered items to the order lane by a delivery device at the timing when the ordered items are transported by the circulation lane to the order lane of the customer who input the order.

[0040] In this case, the priority supply device supplies the prepared products to the circulation lane, thereby shortening the time it takes for the products to reach the destination order lane, thereby facilitating smoother operation of the restaurant.

[0041] The method by which the control device identifies the order lane of the customer who inputted the order (e.g., the order lane where the eating space of the customer who inputted the order is located) can be selected as appropriate. For example, the kitchen lane system may further include multiple in-store terminal devices. The in-store terminal devices are provided in the eating spaces arranged along each of the multiple order lanes and accept order inputs from customers. The control device may identify the order lane of the customer who inputted the order based on the in-store terminal device where the order was input by the customer. Furthermore, when the order is input via a customer terminal (e.g., a smartphone) owned by the customer, the control device may obtain information for identifying the customer's eating space by operating the customer terminal or by reading an identifier using the customer terminal. Even in this case, the control device can appropriately identify the order lane of the customer who inputted the order.

[0042] The circulation lane may include a first transport area and a second transport area. The first transport area transports products in a first direction. The second transport area is located farther away from the multiple order lanes than the first transport area and transports products in a second direction different from the first direction. The feeding device may include a first feeding device that is controlled by the control device to feed at least one product into the first transport area of ​​the kitchen lane. If a first feeding device is located upstream of a specific order lane in the transport direction in the first transport area, at least the nearest first feeding device located upstream in the transport direction in the first transport area may be associated with the specific order lane as a priority feeding device. In this case, the transport time from the priority feeding device to the specific order lane is appropriately shortened.

[0043] The feeding device may further include a second feeding device that feeds at least one product into a second transport area of ​​the kitchen lane. If there is no first feeding device upstream of a specific order lane in the transport direction in the first transport area, at least the nearest second feeding device located downstream of the specific order lane in the transport direction in the second transport area may be associated with the specific order lane as a priority feeding device. In this case, the transport time from the priority feeding device to the specific order lane is appropriately shortened.

[0044] The multiple order lanes may include a pair of adjacent order lanes extending adjacent to each other within the store. The pair of adjacent order lanes may be associated with the same input device as a priority input device. In this case, the product transport time is appropriately reduced regardless of which of the pair of adjacent order lanes the product is transported to.

[0045] The kitchen device may include a kitchen terminal device that displays the products ordered by the customer and accepts input that the products prepared in accordance with the order have been placed in the feeding device. In the first output process, the control device may output and display the order details only to one of the multiple kitchen terminal devices, a kitchen terminal device provided in a priority feeding device that is pre-associated with the order lane of the customer who input the order. The control device may control the feeding device based on the information input to the kitchen terminal device to feed the products into the circulation lane.

[0046] In this case, the employee in charge of placing the products on the feeding device simply processes the order displayed on their assigned kitchen terminal device, and the products are delivered to the customer quickly and efficiently. Also, unlike when orders from the same customer are output to kitchen terminal devices installed on feeding devices other than the priority feeding device, the same order is prevented from being processed by multiple employees in duplicate.

[0047] The control device may acquire information indicating whether each of the plurality of feeding devices is in use. When an order is input from a customer, if the priority feeding device previously associated with the order lane of the customer who input the order is not in use, the control device may output and display the order contents to a kitchen terminal device, among the plurality of kitchen terminal devices, that is provided for a feeding device other than the priority feeding device.

[0048] In this case, even if at least one of the multiple input devices is not in use, the ordered product will be appropriately input into the circulation lane by an input device other than the priority input device. Therefore, even if, for example, the employee in charge of the input device is on break or if a malfunction occurs in one of the input devices, the ordered product will be appropriately delivered to the customer.

[0049] The method by which the control device acquires information indicating whether each of the multiple feeding devices is in use can also be selected appropriately. For example, information indicating whether an feeding device is in use can be input to the kitchen terminal device by an employee. In this case, the kitchen terminal device can display buttons such as "on break" and "break ended" and output information indicating whether the feeding device is in use to the control device in response to the operation of the displayed button.

[0050] In the second output process, when the priority input device is not in use, the control device may output and display the order details on the kitchen terminal device of at least the input device with the next shortest transport route to the corresponding order lane after the priority input device. In this case, even when at least one of the multiple input devices is not in use, the ordered products are transported to the customer in the shortest possible time.

[0051] The kitchen devices may include a kitchen terminal device that displays the products ordered by the customer and accepts input that the products prepared in accordance with the order have been placed in the feeding device. In the first output process, the control device may output and display information indicating a priority feeding device that is pre-associated with the order lane of the customer who input the order, along with the order details, to the multiple kitchen terminal devices. The control device may control the feeding devices based on the information input to the kitchen terminal device to feed the products into the circulation lane.

[0052] In this case, if the employee in charge of setting products on the insertion device processes the orders that have been designated as the priority insertion device, the products can be delivered to the customer efficiently in a short time. Also, for example, if there is a high concentration of orders for a specific employee, or if a specific employee is on break, other employees can process the orders that have been designated as the priority insertion device at an insertion device that they are not responsible for. This makes it easier to carry out work more efficiently.

[0053] The specific method for displaying information indicating the priority feeding device on the kitchen terminal device can be selected as appropriate. For example, information indicating the priority feeding device itself (e.g., at least one of a number and a color) may be displayed together with the order details. Also, the number and color indicating the order lane associated with the priority feeding device may be displayed together with the order details.

[0054] The circulation lane may include a first transport area and a second transport area. The first transport area transports products in a first direction. The second transport area is located farther away from the multiple order lanes than the first transport area and transports products in a second direction different from the first direction. The kitchen lane system may further include a transport device that transports products between the first transport area and the second transport area in the circulation lane. One or more feeding devices may be associated with each of the multiple order lanes as priority feeding devices in order of the shortest transport path to the corresponding order lane out of all transport paths including the transport path of the circulation lane and the transport path of the transport device.

[0055] In this case, the priority insertion device is associated with the order lane to minimize the length of the path, taking into consideration not only the path of the circulation lane but also the path of the product when it is transported by the transport device. This reduces the time it takes for the product inserted into the priority insertion device to reach the destination order lane.

[0056] The kitchen device may include a kitchen terminal device that displays the items ordered by the customer and accepts input that the items prepared in accordance with the order have been placed in the feeding device. The kitchen terminal device may be provided corresponding to each of the multiple feeding devices. The control device may accept input of an instruction to execute an item restriction mode that restricts the feeding devices responsible for feeding a specific item to some of the multiple feeding devices. When an order from a customer is input during the item restriction mode, the control device may execute a third output process that outputs and displays the order details on a kitchen terminal device provided in a feeding device that is responsible for the ordered item among the multiple feeding devices. In other words, the control device may switch between executing the first output process and the third output process.

[0057] In this case, the kitchen lane system can appropriately shorten the time it takes for products placed in the circulation lane to be delivered to customers by executing the first output process. On the other hand, the kitchen lane system can limit the employees responsible for placing specific items to a select number of employees by executing the third output process, thereby improving employee work efficiency. This makes it easier for restaurants to operate more smoothly depending on the situation within the store.

[0058] Another aspect of the kitchen lane system according to the present disclosure is a kitchen lane system installed in a kitchen of a restaurant, comprising a circulation lane, multiple order lanes, a delivery device, multiple feeding devices, kitchen equipment, and a control device. The circulation lane is installed in the kitchen and circulates along a predetermined transport path to transport products. The multiple order lanes extend from different positions on the circulation lane into the restaurant and transport products handed over from the circulation lane into the restaurant. The delivery device is provided corresponding to each of the multiple order lanes and delivers products transported by the circulation lane to the corresponding order lane. The multiple feeding devices are provided at different positions on the circulation lane and feed at least one product prepared in response to an order from a customer into the circulation lane. The kitchen equipment is used in the kitchen. The control device controls the kitchen lane system. The circulation lane comprises a first transport area that transports products in a first direction, and a second transport area that is located farther away from the multiple order lanes than the first transport area and transports products in a second direction different from the first direction. The kitchen lane system further includes a transport device that transports products between the first transport area and the second transport area in the circulation lane. Dining spaces where customers eat and drink are provided along each of the multiple order lanes. The control device executes order processing and shortest transport processing. In the order processing, when an order is input from a customer, the control device stores the input order details in association with the eating space of the customer who input the order, and outputs the input order details to the kitchen device. In the shortest transport processing, when products prepared according to the order details are input into the circulation lane by one of the multiple input devices, the control device controls the drive of the transport device and the delivery device, thereby transporting the products to the eating space via the shortest transport route from the input device that input the product to the eating space of the customer who input the order, among all transport routes including the transport route of the circulation lane and the transport route of the transport device.

[0059] In another aspect of the kitchen lane system, an item inserted into the circulation lane by one of a plurality of insertion devices is transported to the eating space of the customer who placed the order via the shortest transport route among a plurality of transport routes formed by the circulation lane and the transport device, thereby facilitating smoother operation of the restaurant.

[0060] <Embodiment> Next, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0061] (Overall composition) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an entire restaurant including a kitchen 14 in which a kitchen lane system 10 according to this embodiment is installed. In this embodiment, a so-called conveyor belt sushi restaurant will be used as an example of the restaurant. As shown in FIG. 1, the restaurant is broadly divided into an interior 12 where customers eat and drink, and a kitchen 14 where food and drink (such as sushi in this embodiment) are cooked and prepared. Note that the restaurant in which this kitchen lane system 10 is used may be a restaurant of other business type or industry. Furthermore, it does not matter whether the product 5 provided to the customer is provided free of charge or for a fee.

[0062] In this embodiment, the product 5 is, for example, food or drink such as sushi. For example, it may be a dish such as nigiri sushi or hand-rolled sushi, or other dishes. The food or drink may also include beverages, sweets, containerized foods, packaged foods, etc. The product 5 may also include valuable items other than food or drink.

[0063] In the restaurant of this embodiment, customers can order products 5 at each seat. The restaurant of this embodiment also has multiple order lanes 16 that deliver products 5 to customers' seats according to their orders. The kitchen lane system (store system) 10 of this embodiment has multiple plates, and food such as sushi is served to customers on the plates.

[0064] Here, a seat is a concept meaning a seat 18 or table 18 used by a customer to whom the product 5 is provided. One seat corresponds, for example, to a customer group of one or more customers (a customer group includes one or more customers and may be a single customer) who purchase the product 5. For example, when a customer group consisting of multiple customers visits a restaurant and the customer group is shown to a table 18 within the restaurant, the table 18 corresponds to a seat. Also, for example, when a single customer visits a restaurant and the customer is shown to a counter seat within the restaurant, the counter seat corresponds to a seat. Note that a seat is not limited to an actual seat or table 18. A seat may also correspond to a group consisting of one or more customers and indicate a purchaser, orderer, recipient, etc. of the product 5 by the group. Such a seat may be real or virtual. In other words, a seat is a concept indicating a recipient of the product 5 and a unit for charging the price of the product 5. In the following description, the seats corresponding to such customers (customer groups) may be simply referred to as customers, tables, or dining spaces. In other words, the provision of product 5 to seats corresponding to customers (customer groups) may be simply expressed as product 5 being provided to customers, tables, or dining spaces.

[0065] The restaurant includes, for example, an interior 12 where customers eat and drink, and a kitchen 14 where products 5 are cooked and prepared. Inside 12, for example, tables 18 for customers to eat and drink at and seats 20 are provided. Tables 18 may be counter tables that allow customers to eat and drink while sitting in a line.

[0066] (About 12 in the store) The in-store terminal devices 20 provided in the store 12 are, for example, reception terminals provided corresponding to each seat. One in-store terminal device 20 may be shared by two or more seats. Also, two or more in-store terminal devices 20 may be associated with one seat.

[0067] In this embodiment, a group of customers can place orders for products 5, etc., using an in-store terminal device 20 having a screen such as a touch panel, which is installed corresponding to the seats they will be using.

[0068] In the figure, a tablet-type information terminal device is shown as the in-store terminal device 20, but a mobile information terminal device, a personal computer (PC), or the like may also be used as the in-store terminal device 20.

[0069] In the restaurant of this embodiment, customers at the corresponding seats can use a so-called electronic menu displayed on an in-store terminal device 20 to place orders for products 5, etc. For example, a main control device 24 (described later) accepts orders from each seat based on the customer's ordering operation on the in-store terminal device 20 corresponding to each seat. The main control device 24 then transfers the order details to a kitchen terminal device (described later) 22 provided in the kitchen 14, which enables the preparation and serving of the products 5 in accordance with the order.

[0070] In this embodiment, devices that can communicate with each other can communicate with each other via a network such as a local area network or the Internet, but this is not limiting.

[0071] In this embodiment, there is an order lane 16 that transports ordered products 5 to specific seats / tables 18, and a regular lane (not shown) that transports the products 5 in a circulating manner. The order lane 16 is provided above the regular lane. However, the positional relationship between the order lane 16 and the regular lane is not limited to this. The order lane 16 may be located below the regular lane. Also, a pair of order lanes 16 may be arranged running parallel one above the other. Therefore, the kitchen lane system 10 of the present disclosure can be applied even if there is an order lane 16 below the regular lane. Also, the kitchen lane system 10 of the present disclosure can be applied even if there is a configuration in which two order lanes 16 are arranged one above the other.

[0072] The normal lane is always in operation, constantly transporting plates of sushi and other items. On the other hand, the order lane 16 is only operated when an ordered item 5 is to be delivered to a specific table or seat 18.

[0073] Plates carrying products 5 such as food and drink can be placed on the order lanes 16. A plurality of order lanes 16 (three in this embodiment) are installed inside the store 12 so that plates can be transported near each table 18. The order lanes 16 are configured using, for example, a belt on which plates and the like can be placed, but may also be configured to move a platform on which plates can be placed in the transport direction.

[0074] The order lane 16 is configured to transport plates in a predetermined transport direction and deliver the products 5 to each seat or table 18 within the store 12. In a plan view, the order lane 16 is arranged to pass between seats arranged on either side of the order lane 16, but this is not limited to this. Multiple order lanes 16, each consisting of a set of transport paths, may be provided. One end of each order lane 16 is located in the kitchen 14.

[0075] The order lane 16 is driven by a main controller 24. Specifically, the main controller 24 controls a drive source (not shown), such as a motor, for driving the order lane 16.

[0076] The order lane 16 is driven by the main control device 24 to transport plates carrying products 5 such as sushi from the kitchen 14 to the store interior 12. In other words, the order lane 16 transports plates carrying products 5 such as sushi from upstream to downstream. The order lane 16 may extend in a straight line or a curved line.

[0077] In this embodiment, the order lane 16 can provide the product 5 by specifying the table / seat 18 to which the product 5 is to be delivered. In other words, the order lane 16 is configured to be able to deliver the product 5 to the specified destination. When delivering the product 5 to the destination, the order lane 16 is controlled to deliver the product 5 from upstream toward the destination and stop delivery when the product 5 arrives at the destination. This allows the customer to reach out and pick up the product 5 stopped on the order lane 16 from their seat at the destination.

[0078] It is desirable to provide the products 5 via the order lane 16 quickly, and the conveying speed of the order lane 16 is higher than the conveying speed of the normal lane. For example, the order lane 16 may provide the products 5 mainly in response to orders from customers at their seats. On the other hand, the normal lane may provide the products 5 regardless of whether or not a customer has ordered them. This allows, for example, customers to purchase products 5 as they are conveyed by the normal lane and passing by their seats at any time, and, if they desire a specific product 5, to place an order and purchase the product 5 being conveyed by the order lane 16.

[0079] In this embodiment, the restaurant is provided with multiple monitoring devices 26 within the restaurant 12. These monitoring devices 26 are, for example, sensors such as cameras, and are provided along the order lanes 16. The monitoring devices 26 monitor whether an item 5 transported by the order lane 16 is removed from the order lane 16. That is, even if an ordered item 5 is transported to the destination table / seat 18 by the order lane 16, the customer may not immediately remove the item 5. In such a case, even if the next item 5 needs to be served, the same order lane 16 cannot be operated. Therefore, the monitoring device 26 monitors whether an item 5 is removed from the order lane 16 and determines whether the order lane 16 is in use. If an item 5 is removed from the order lane 16 and is available for the next delivery, the monitoring device 26 determines that the order lane 16 is "stopped." On the other hand, if the order lane 16 is in transit, or if the product 5 has arrived at its destination but is still on the order lane 16, the monitoring device 26 determines that the order lane 16 is "in use." The monitoring device 26 transmits these determination results to the main control device 24 as needed.

[0080] (About Kitchen 14) As shown in FIG. 1 , a kitchen 14 of a restaurant forms a long space along the direction in which multiple order lanes 16 are lined up, and a kitchen lane system 10 is installed within this kitchen 14. Furthermore, in this kitchen 14, multiple employees (two in this embodiment) are each assigned a position to prepare products 5 in response to orders from customers. The kitchen lane system 10 according to this embodiment includes a circulation lane 28, a transfer device 30, an input device 32, a delivery device 34, and a main control device 24. The main control device 24 controls the entire kitchen lane system 10 and also controls the order lanes 16 and the like. The kitchen lane system 10 also includes multiple kitchen terminal devices 22 installed within the kitchen 14.

[0081] In the following description, for convenience, the three order lanes 16 in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the first to third order lanes 16 from the left. The transfer devices 34 provided corresponding to each order lane 16 may also be referred to as the first to third transfer devices 34 from the left in FIG. 1. Furthermore, two employees may be referred to as employee A and employee B, and the input device 32 used by employee A may be referred to as the first input device 32A. The input device 32 used by employee B may be referred to as the second input device 32B. The reference symbols for these components may be appended with "A" and "B" to distinguish them from one another. Furthermore, the transfer device 30 located on the left side of FIG. 1 may be referred to as the first transfer device 30A, and the transfer device 30 located on the right side may be referred to as the second transfer device 30B. The reference symbols for these components may be appended with "A" and "B," respectively.

[0082] (Regarding Circulation Lane 28) The circulation lane 28 is laid in a long loop in the restaurant kitchen 14 along the direction in which the multiple order lanes 16 are lined up (hereinafter referred to as the longitudinal direction). The circulation lane 28 is connected to the upstream ends of the multiple order lanes 16 via a transfer device 34. The circulation lane 28 transports products 5 prepared in response to customer orders to the corresponding order lane 16. The circulation lane 28 operates to circulate at all times, and its transport speed is constant. Also, for example, when an order lane 16 transporting an ordered product 5 is operating (e.g., when another product 5 is being transported), the circulation lane 28 can circulate the product 5 within the kitchen 14, allowing the order lane 16 to wait until it becomes available. In this embodiment, the transport direction of the circulation lane 28 is counterclockwise, but it may also circulate clockwise. In the following description, the path along which the circulation lane 28 extends is referred to as the transport path.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 2 , the circulation lane 28 is configured, for example, by a crescent chain conveyor, in which multiple plates 36 are connected along a conveying path. Multiple partitioned areas 40 are defined along the conveying path in the circulation lane 28. More specifically, each partitioned area 40 is defined by a predetermined number of plates 36 (e.g., eight plates 36). Therefore, for example, if the circulation lane 28 is configured with 80 plates 36, 10 partitioned areas 40 are defined. Each partitioned area 40 is provided with an identifier 42 for identifying the partitioned area 40. For example, an IC tag is used as the identifier 42, but other identifiers 42 may also be used. For example, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code may also be used as the identifier 42. Identification information for the partitioned area 40 is recorded in the identifier 42. The identifier 42 is attached to the plate 36 located at the head of each partitioned area 40 (the most upstream in the conveying direction). In this embodiment, the identifier 42 is provided on the top surface of the plate 36 located at the head of the partitioned area 40, at the center of the plate 36 in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction). 2, the identifier 42a may be provided on the underside of the plate 36, or the identifier 42b may be provided on the side of the plate 36. When the identifier 42a is provided on the underside of the plate 36 in this way, a reader 44 for the identifier 42a, which will be described later, is provided below the circulation lane 28. On the other hand, when the identifier 42b is provided on the side of the plate 36, the reader 44 is provided to the side of the circulation lane 28. By providing the identifiers 42a and 42b on the underside or side of the plate 36, the identifiers are less likely to be affected by the products 5 (plates) placed on the plate 36, and the reader 44 can reliably recognize the identifiers 42a and 42b.

[0084] The circulation lane 28 is also provided with a reader (detector) 44 that reads the identifier 42 to obtain the identification information of the sectioned area 40. For example, an RFID reader that reads information from an IC tag is used as this reader 44. However, any other device may be used as long as it is capable of reading the identification information recorded in the identifier 42. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of readers 44 are installed along the conveyance route of the circulation lane 28. The detailed installation locations of the readers 44 will be described later. The identification information of each sectioned area 40 read by the reader 44 is transmitted to the main control device 24 each time.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 3 , the circulation lane 28 according to this embodiment has a generally parallelogram shape, consisting of two parallel regions extending linearly along the longitudinal direction and two parallel regions connecting the two regions. Of these two longitudinal regions, the one closest to the order lanes 16 is defined as a first conveyance area 46. Of these two longitudinal regions, the one farther away from the order lanes 16 is defined as a second conveyance area 48. In the first conveyance area 46 and the second conveyance area 48, the circulation lane 28 conveys products 5 in opposite directions. In the following description, the conveyance direction of the circulation lane 28 in the first conveyance area 46 (from right to left in FIG. 3 ) is referred to as the “first direction,” and the conveyance direction of the circulation lane 28 in the second conveyance area 48 (from left to right in FIG. 3 ) is referred to as the “second direction.”

[0086] (Regarding the transfer device 30) The circulation lane 28 is provided with a transfer device 30 spanning the first transfer area 46 and the second transfer area 48. In this embodiment, two transfer devices 30 (a first transfer device 30A and a second transfer device 30B) are provided spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 4, each transfer device 30 is composed of a pair of a shortcut device 50 that transfers (shortcuts) products 5 being transported through the second transfer area 48 to the first transfer area 46, and a detour device 52 that transfers (detours) products 5 being transported through the first transfer area 46 to the second transfer area 48.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 4 , the shortcut device 50 includes a shortcut conveyor 50a, a first guide 50b, and a second guide 50c. The shortcut conveyor 50a is installed in the circulation lane 28 so as to span between the first transfer area 46 and the second transfer area 48. In this embodiment, the shortcut conveyor 50a transports products 5 from the second transfer area 48 to the first transfer area 46. The shortcut conveyor 50a may be, for example, a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor, as long as it is capable of transporting the products 5. The shortcut conveyor 50a is driven by a drive source such as a motor (not shown). The operation of the drive source is controlled by the main control device 24 and is normally stopped. When the drive source is driven by the main control device 24 at a predetermined timing, the shortcut conveyor 50a transports the products 5 from the second transfer area 48 to the first transfer area 46. In other words, the shortcut conveyor 50a has the function of transporting (shortcutting) the product 5 in the second transport area 48 to the first transport area 46, thereby accelerating the timing at which the product 5 arrives at the order lane 16.

[0088] The first guide 50b and the second guide 50c are both rod-shaped guide walls that are rotatable about a shaft on the circulation lane 28. The first guide 50b and the second guide 50c are rotated by a drive source, such as a motor (not shown). The drive sources of the first guide 50b and the second guide 50c are each controlled and driven by the main control device 24. The second guide 50c is attached to the second conveying area 48 of the circulation lane 28 at a position spaced apart from the order lanes 16. The second guide 50c is normally positioned in a non-interference position extending downstream from the shaft in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the circulation lane 28. When positioned in the non-interference position, the second guide 50c deviates from the conveying path so as not to interfere with the products 5 on the circulation lane 28. When the main control device 24 drives the drive source at a predetermined timing, the second guide 50c is displaced (rotated) to an interference position where it enters the conveyance path of the circulation lane 28. When the second guide 50c is positioned at the interference position, the second guide 50c diagonally crosses the circulation lane 28 downstream from the shaft in the second conveyance area 48. When a product 5 reaches the second guide 50c positioned at the interference position, the second guide 50c guides the product 5 toward the shortcut conveyor 50a. When all of the products 5 in the partitioned area 40 have been transferred from the second conveyance area 48 to the shortcut conveyor 50a, the second guide 50c returns to the non-interference position.

[0089] The first guide 50b is attached to a position adjacent to the multiple order lanes 16 in the first conveying area 46 of the circulation lane 28. The first guide 50b is normally positioned in a non-interference position extending from the shaft portion toward the upstream side of the first conveying area 46 in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the circulation lane 28. In other words, the first guide 50b positioned in the non-interference position deviates from the conveying path so as not to interfere with the products 5 on the circulation lane 28. When the main control device 24 drives the drive source at a predetermined timing, the first guide 50b is displaced (rotated) to an interference position where it enters the conveying path of the circulation lane 28. When the first guide 50b is positioned in the interference position, the first guide 50b is in a state in which it diagonally crosses the circulation lane 28 from the shaft portion toward the upstream side in the first conveying area 46 of the circulation lane 28. The products 5 transported by the shortcut conveyor 50a are then guided by the first guide 50b in the interference position and transferred into one partitioned area 40 located in the first transport area 46 of the circulation lane 28. Then, when all of the products 5 in one partitioned area 40 in the second transport area 48 have moved into one partitioned area 40 in the first transport area 46, the first guide 50b returns to the non-interference position.

[0090] The detouring device 52 has a structure substantially similar to that of the shortcut device 50, but has the opposite function to that of the shortcut device 50 (i.e., the function of diverting products 5 from the order lane 16). The detouring device 52 includes a detouring conveyor 52a, a third guide 52b, and a fourth guide 52c. The detouring conveyor 52a is installed between the first conveying area 46 and the second conveying area 48 in the circulation lane 28, and transports products 5 from the first conveying area 46 to the second conveying area 48. As with the shortcut conveyor 50a, the detouring conveyor 52a may be, for example, a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor, as long as it is capable of transporting products 5. The detouring conveyor 52a is driven by a drive source such as a motor (not shown). The operation of the drive source is controlled by the main control device 24, and is normally stopped. When the drive source is driven by the main control device 24 at a predetermined timing, the detouring conveyor 52a transfers the product 5 from the first transfer area 46 to the second transfer area 48. In other words, the detouring conveyor 52a has the function of transferring (detouring) the product 5 in the first transfer area 46 to the second transfer area 48, thereby delaying the timing at which the product arrives at the order lane 16.

[0091] The third guide 52b and the fourth guide 52c are basically similar in configuration to the first guide 50b and the second guide 50c. Therefore, in the following description, only the differences from the first guide 50b and the second guide 50c are described, and the same configurations are omitted. The third guide 52b is attached to a position adjacent to the multiple order lanes 16 in the first conveying area 46 of the circulation lane 28. The third guide 52b is always positioned in a non-interference position extending downstream from the shaft in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the circulation lane 28. In other words, when the third guide 52b is in the non-interference position, it deviates from the conveying path so as not to interfere with the products 5 on the circulation lane 28. When the main control device 24 drives the drive source at a predetermined timing, the third guide 52b is displaced (rotated) to an interference position where it enters the conveying path of the circulation lane 28. When the third guide 52b is positioned at the interference position, the third guide 52b diagonally crosses the circulation lane 28 downstream from the shaft in the first transport area 46. When a product 5 reaches the third guide 52b positioned at the interference position, the third guide 52b guides the product 5 toward the detour conveyor 52a. When all of the products 5 in a certain partitioned area 40 have moved from the first transport area 46 to the detour conveyor 52a, the third guide 52b returns to the non-interference position.

[0092] The fourth guide 52c is attached at a position spaced apart from the plurality of order lanes 16 in the second conveying area 48 of the circulation lane 28. The fourth guide 52c is normally positioned at a non-interference position extending from the shaft toward the upstream side of the second conveying area 48 in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the circulation lane 28. That is, the fourth guide 52c in the non-interference position deviates from the conveying path so as not to interfere with the products 5 on the circulation lane 28. When the main control device 24 drives the drive source at a predetermined timing, the fourth guide 52c is displaced (rotated) to an interference position where it enters the conveying path of the circulation lane 28. When the fourth guide 52c is positioned at the interference position, the fourth guide 52c is in a state in the second conveying area 48 where it diagonally crosses the circulation lane 28 from the shaft toward the upstream side. The products 5 transported by the bypass conveyor 52a are then guided by the fourth guide 52c, which is in the interference position, and transferred into one partitioned area 40 located in the second transport area 48 of the circulation lane 28. When all of the products 5 in a specific partitioned area 40 in the first transport area 46 have been transferred into one partitioned area 40 located in the second transport area 48, the fourth guide 52c returns to the non-interference position.

[0093] (Regarding the delivery device 34) The transfer devices 34 transfer products 5 from the circulation lane 28 to the order lane 16, and one transfer device 34 is provided for each of the order lanes 16. Similar to the first to fourth guides 50b, 50c, 52b, and 52c described above, the transfer devices 34 are rod-shaped guide walls. As shown in FIG. 5, each transfer device 34 is rotatably mounted via a shaft at the connection between the circulation lane 28 and the order lane 16. Each transfer device 34 is driven by a drive source such as a motor (not shown). The operation of the drive source is controlled by the main controller 24 and is normally stopped. When the drive source is driven by the main controller 24 at a predetermined timing, the transfer device 34 transfers the product 5 from the circulation lane 28 to the corresponding order lane 16.

[0094] More specifically, the transfer device 34 is pivotally supported in the first transport area 46 at a position spaced apart from the order lane 16 of the circulation lane 28. The transfer device 34 is normally positioned at a non-interference position extending from the shaft toward the downstream side of the first transport area 46 parallel to the transport path of the circulation lane 28. In other words, the transfer device 34 in the non-interference position deviates from the transport path so as not to interfere with the products 5 on the circulation lane 28. When the main control device 24 drives the drive source at a predetermined timing, the transfer device 34 moves (rotates) to an interference position where it enters the transport path of the circulation lane 28. When the transfer device 34 is positioned at the interference position, the transfer device 34 diagonally crosses the transport path of the circulation lane 28 from the shaft toward the corresponding order lane 16 in the first transport area 46. As a result, the products 5 that arrive at the transfer device 34 are guided by the transfer device 34 and transferred to the corresponding order lane 16. Then, when all the products 5 in the partitioned area 40 have been transferred from the circulation lane 28 to the corresponding order lane 16, the transfer device 34 returns to the non-interfering position.

[0095] (Regarding the insertion device 32) Next, the input device 32 will be described. As described above, a plurality of input devices 32 (two in this embodiment, a first input device 32A and a second input device 32B) are installed corresponding to each of a plurality of employees. Each input device 32 is equipped with a first input conveyance path 60 for inputting products 5 into the first conveyance area 46 of the circulation lane 28, and a second input conveyance path 62 for inputting products 5 into the second conveyance area 48. In this embodiment, both the first input conveyance path 60 and the second input conveyance path 62 are provided in the circulation lane 28 between the first conveyance area 46 and the second conveyance area 48.

[0096] The first input conveying path 60 includes an input conveyor 60a that conveys the products 5 parallel to the first direction of the first conveying area 46, a guide section 63, and an input port 64. The input conveyor 60a is capable of conveying multiple products 5 (e.g., 6) at a time. The input conveyor 60a may be a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, or the like, similar to the shortcut conveyor 50a and the detour conveyor 52a described above. The input conveyor 60a is driven by a drive source such as a motor (not shown). The drive of this drive source is controlled by the main control device 24. The input conveyor 60a is normally stopped. When the main control device 24 drives the drive source at a predetermined timing, the input conveyor 60a begins operating.

[0097] The guide section 63 is a guide wall that extends in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the input conveyor 60a toward the first conveying area 46, and guides the products 5 conveyed by the input conveyor toward the first conveying area 46. The input opening 64 opens toward the first conveying area 46 at the downstream end of the guide section 63, and the products 5 guided by the guide section 63 are input into the first conveying area 46 from the input opening 64.

[0098] The second input conveyance path 62 has a configuration basically similar to that of the first input conveyance path 60. Therefore, in the following explanation, only the differences between the second input conveyance path 62 and the first input conveyance path 60 will be described, and the same configuration will be omitted. The second input conveyance path 62 comprises an input conveyor 62a, a guide unit 63, and an input opening 64. The input conveyor 62a of the second input conveyance path 62 transports products 5 parallel to the second direction of the second transport area 48. The second input conveyance path 62 also comprises a guide unit 63 and an input opening 64. The guide unit 63 of the second input conveyance path 62 is a guide wall that extends in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the input conveyor 62a toward the second transport area 48. The guide unit 63 guides products 5 transported by the input conveyor 60a toward the second transport area 48. The second input conveying path 62 has an input opening 64 that opens toward the second conveying area 48 at the downstream end of the guide section 63. The product 5 guided by the guide section 63 is inserted from the input opening 64 into the second conveying area 48.

[0099] Here, the first input conveying path 60 and the second input conveying path 62 are both arranged so as not to interfere with the products 5 being transported through the circulation lane 28. That is, the first input conveying path 60 and the second input conveying path 62 are arranged between the first transport area 46 and the second transport area 48, and each input conveyor 60a extends between the two transport areas. The input openings 64, 64 of each input conveying path 60, 62 open toward the transport path from a position deviating from the transport path of the circulation lane 28. Therefore, the system is designed so that the products 5 being transported through the first transport area 46 or the second transport area 48 do not come into contact with the first input conveying path 60 and the second input conveying path 62. Moreover, the first input conveying path 60 and the second input conveying path 62 are both arranged between the first transport area 46 and the second transport area 48. Therefore, by effectively utilizing the 28 empty spaces in the circulation lane, it is possible to ensure ample working space for employees.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 1 , two input devices 32 (first input device 32A and second input device 32B) are disposed between the three order lanes 16. The two transfer devices 30 (first transfer device 30A and second transfer device 30B) are also positioned between the three order lanes 16. The first input conveyance path 60A of the first input device 32A, which is positioned between the first and second order lanes 16, is provided close to the first order lane 16. The first input conveyance path 60B of the second input device 32B, which is positioned between the second and third order lanes 16, is provided close to the second order lane 16. The input opening 64A of the first input conveyance path 60A is located near the upstream side of the first order lane 16, and the input opening 64B of the first input conveyance path 60B is located near the upstream side of the second order lane 16. Furthermore, the insertion opening 64A of the first input conveying path 60A is located downstream of the shortcut device 50A, and the insertion opening 64B of the first input conveying path 60B is located downstream of the shortcut device 50B. That is, the insertion opening 64A of the first input conveying path 60A is located downstream of the shortcut device 50A and upstream of the first delivery device 34. Also, the insertion opening 64B of the first input conveying path 60B is located downstream of the shortcut device 50B and near the upstream side of the second delivery device 34.

[0101] (Regarding kitchen terminal device 22) A plurality of kitchen terminal devices 22 are provided in the restaurant kitchen 14. These kitchen terminal devices 22 are provided corresponding to the first input conveying path 60 and the second input conveying path 62 of each input device 32. That is, in this embodiment, four kitchen terminal devices 22 are provided. For ease of explanation, the four kitchen terminal devices 22 shown in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the first to fourth kitchen terminal devices 22, from left to right. The first and second kitchen terminal devices 22 correspond to the first and second input conveying paths 60A and 62A of the first input device 32A, respectively, and the third and fourth kitchen terminal devices 22 correspond to the first and second input conveying paths 60B and 62B of the second input device 32B, respectively. The first and second kitchen terminal devices 22 are primarily used by employee A, who is in charge of the first input device 32A. On the other hand, the third and fourth kitchen terminal devices 22 are mainly used by employee B who is in charge of the second feeding device 32B.

[0102] Each kitchen terminal device 22 is, for example, a tablet-type display terminal with a touch panel display screen. Alternatively, a personal computer such as a laptop computer may be used as the kitchen terminal device 22. Each kitchen terminal device 22 is communicatively connected to the main control device 24, and an order for a product 5 input via the in-store terminal device 20 is transmitted from the main control device 24 to each kitchen terminal device 22. At this time, the main control device 24 transmits at least the type and quantity of the ordered product 5, as well as the identification information of the order lane 16 corresponding to the customer who placed the order. Upon receiving this information (hereinafter referred to as order output information) from the main control device 24, the kitchen terminal device 22 displays an image (hereinafter referred to as order image 66) corresponding to the order output information on its display screen.

[0103] FIG. 6 shows an example of an order image 66 displayed on the display screen of a kitchen terminal device 22. Note that, in this embodiment, all kitchen terminal devices 22 are configured to display the same display screen. In the example of FIG. 6, an order image 66 related to the second order lane 16 and an order image 66 related to the first order lane 16 are displayed. That is, the example of FIG. 6 shows a state in which an order related to the second order lane 16 (Order No. 1) is placed first, followed by an order related to the first order lane 16 (Order No. 2). The order image 66 for Order No. 1 displays the ordered product (tuna), the quantity (3 plates), and the corresponding order lane 16 (second lane). The order image 66 for Order No. 2 displays the ordered product (shrimp), the quantity (2 plates), and the corresponding order lane 16 (first lane). Note that a single order may include multiple types of products 5 (e.g., squid, shrimp, and 5 plates).

[0104] The order image 66 also displays a placement completion button 68 that is operated by the employee when the employee places the prepared product 5 on the input conveying paths 60, 62. For example, assume that employee B places the prepared product for order No. 1 (tuna: three plates) on the first input conveying path 60B corresponding to the third kitchen terminal device 22. In this case, employee B operates (touches) the placement completion button 68 displayed on the order image 66 for order No. 1 on the display screen of the third kitchen terminal device 22. This causes the third kitchen terminal device 22 to transmit information (placement completion information) to the main control device 24 indicating that the product 5 for order No. 1 has been placed on the corresponding first input conveying path 60. Based on the received placement completion information, the main control device 24 can determine in which partitioned area 40 of the circulation lane 28 the placed product 5 should be placed.

[0105] In the example described above, the order image 66 is displayed in the same manner on all kitchen terminal devices 22. However, the order image 66 displayed on each kitchen terminal device 22 may be displayed in different formats and contents. For example, the order image 66 displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22 may differ depending on the order lane 16 corresponding to the ordered product 5. Specifically, for example, the order image 66 related to an order from the first order lane 16 (left side of FIG. 1) may be displayed only on the first kitchen terminal device 22 and the second kitchen terminal device 22 (the two on the left side of FIG. 1). On the other hand, the order image 66 related to an order from the third order lane 16 (right side of FIG. 1) may be displayed only on the third kitchen terminal device 22 and the fourth kitchen terminal device 22 (the two on the right side of FIG. 1).

[0106] Furthermore, the manner in which the order image 66 is displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22 may be changed depending on the order lane 16 corresponding to the ordered product 5. Specifically, for example, assume that there are two orders, one for the first order lane 16 and one for the third order lane 16. In this case, the order images 66 for all the orders may be displayed on each kitchen terminal device 22, and the order image 66 for the order from the first order lane 16 may be highlighted on the first kitchen terminal device 22 and the second kitchen terminal device 22. On the other hand, the order image 66 for the order from the third order lane 16 may be highlighted on the third kitchen terminal device 22 and the fourth kitchen terminal device 22. Examples of highlighting include flashing the order image 66 or enlarging it.

[0107] (Installation location of reader 44) Next, the installation positions of the readers 44 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, a plurality of readers 44 are installed along the conveyance path of the circulation lane 28. The installation positions of the readers 44 are set to at least (1) near the upstream side of the input port 64 of each input device 32 (see FIG. 5), (2) near the upstream side of the second guide 50c of the shortcut device 50 (see FIG. 4), (3) near the upstream side of the third guide 52b of the detour device 52 (see FIG. 4), and (4) near the upstream side of the delivery device 34 (see FIG. 1). However, in addition to these installation locations, the readers 44 may also be installed near the downstream side of the first guide 50b of the shortcut device 50 or near the downstream side of the fourth guide 52c of the detour device 52, for example.

[0108] In this way, by providing multiple readers 44, the identifiers 42 provided on the plates 36 are identified at different positions. In other words, the sectional areas 40 of the circulation lane 28 can be identified at multiple locations, allowing the positions of the sectional areas 40 to be accurately recognized. Furthermore, by providing the reader 44 near the upstream side of the insertion port 64 of the insertion device 32, it is possible to detect whether the sectional area 40 into which the product 5 set in the insertion device 32 is inserted (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the insertion destination sectional area 40) has arrived at the insertion port 64. Furthermore, by installing the reader 44 near the upstream side of the second guide 50c, it is possible to detect whether the sectional area 40 in which the product 5 to be shortcut is located (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the transfer source sectional area 40) has arrived at the second guide 50c. Furthermore, by installing a reader 44 near the upstream side of the third guide 52b, it is possible to detect whether the partitioned area 40 in which the product 5 to be diverted is located (hereinafter, may be referred to as the partitioned area 40 from which the product 5 is diverted or from which the product 5 is transferred) has arrived at the third guide 52b. Furthermore, by installing the reader 44 near the upstream side of the transfer device 34, it is possible to detect that the specified partitioned area 40 (i.e., the product 5) has arrived at the order lane 16 (transfer device 34) to which the product 5 is to be transferred.

[0109] As described above, in this embodiment, the positions of multiple defined areas 40 are determined by installing multiple readers 44 at various locations. However, the number and locations of the readers 44 are not limited to the example described above. For example, a single reader 44 may be installed in any one of the circulation lanes 28, and the reader 44 may read the identifiers 42 of each defined area 40. In this way, even when a single reader 44 is installed, the main control device 24 can estimate the positions of all defined areas 40. In other words, because the length and conveying speed of the circulation lane 28 are constant, the main control device 24 can estimate the positions of all defined areas 40 from the detection signals of the defined areas 40 detected by a single reader 44.

[0110] (Regarding the main control device 24) Next, the main control device 24 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the main control device 24 is communicably connected to each device on the inside of the store 12 side and the kitchen 14 side, and controls these devices in an integrated manner. The main control device 24 can be realized by a computer equipped with a processor 70, memory 72, etc. The processing procedures of the main control device 24 are usually realized by software (computer program code), and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, some or all of the processing may also be realized by hardware (dedicated circuitry).

[0111] In this disclosure, the term "processor" refers to one or more hardware processors configured to execute program code (i.e., one or more instructions constituting the program) included in a program. In other words, "processor 70" is a hardware device capable of executing one or more programmed processes. For example, a "processor" may be a general-purpose or special-purpose processor, such as a CPU, a microprocessor, a GPU, and a DFP (Data Flow Processor), but is not limited to these.

[0112] In this disclosure, the term "memory" refers to one or more hardware memories that are non-transitory tangible recording media configured to store computer program code and / or data accessible to the processor 70. The "memory" may be implemented using memory technologies such as SRAM, SDRAM, non-volatile flash memory, or other types of memory. Computer program code constituting a program may be stored in the memory and executed by the processor to cause the main controller 24 to perform various functions.

[0113] 8, the main control device 24 is communicatively connected to the in-store terminal device 20, the order lane 16 (drive unit), and the monitoring device 26, which are devices on the inside of the store 12 side. The main control device 24 is also communicatively connected to the input device 32, the reader 44, the transport device 30, the delivery device 34, and the kitchen terminal device 22, which are devices on the kitchen 14 side. The main control device 24 is connected to these devices via wired or wireless communication lines.

[0114] The main control device 24 receives information regarding orders for products 5 (hereinafter referred to as order input information) from the in-store terminal devices 20. The order input information includes the type and quantity of the products 5, as well as the identification information of the table / seat 18 for which the order has been placed, and the identification information of the order lane 16 corresponding to that table / seat 18. Upon receiving the order input information, the main control device 24 assigns an order number to the order and transmits it to each kitchen terminal device 22 as the above-mentioned order output information. The main control device 24 also receives the above-mentioned placement completion information from each kitchen terminal device 22. This allows the main control device 24 to recognize which input conveyor path 60, 62 has been set with which product 5 with which order number.

[0115] Furthermore, the identification information of each sectioned area 40 detected by the reader 44 is transmitted to the main control device 24 as needed, along with the identification information of the reader 44. The main control device 24 stores the installation positions of all readers 44 in advance. This allows the main control device 24 to constantly grasp the positions of all sectioned areas 40 in the circulation lane 28 based on information from the readers 44. In this way, by constantly grasping the position of each sectioned area 40, the main control device 24 can accurately predict the timing at which a sectioned area 40 will reach the order lane 16. Note that the position of a sectioned area 40 can be, for example, determined as a reference position at a predetermined position in the circulation lane 28, and the distance in the conveying direction from the reference position to the leading plate 36 in that sectioned area 40 can be used.

[0116] The main control device 24 constantly receives information about the status of the order lane 16 from the monitoring device 26. That is, information indicating the usage status of the order lane 16 (information indicating whether the order lane 16 is in use or stopped) is sent from the monitoring device 26 to the main control device 24. This allows the main control device 24 to constantly grasp the status of the order lane 16 at the delivery destination.

[0117] In this way, the main control device 24 grasps the positions of all the partitioned areas 40 in the circulation lane 28 and the contents of the products 5 placed in each partitioned area 40. Furthermore, the main control device 24 grasps the usage status of the order lanes 16. This information (hereinafter referred to as partitioned area information) is stored in the partitioned area information storage unit 72a of the memory 72. FIG. 7 shows the partitioned area information stored in the partitioned area information storage unit at a certain time. In the example of FIG. 7, the partitioned area information stored includes the identification information of the partitioned areas 40 (e.g., if there are 10 partitioned areas 40, the identification numbers are 1 to 10), the position of the partitioned areas 40 (distance from the reference position), whether or not there are products 5, the order number, the contents of the products 5 (type, number of plates), the destination order lane 16 (the identification number of the order lane 16), the usage status of the destination order lane 16 (in use or stopped), the estimated arrival time (seconds) to the destination order lane 16, and the like. The positions of the partitioned areas 40 are updated as needed based on information from the reader 44. In addition, the partition area information is updated when (1) a new product 5 is put into the circulation lane 28, (2) a product 5 is handed over to the order lane 16, (3) a shortcut is taken for the product 5, and (4) a detour is taken for the product 5.

[0118] Next, we will explain the various control processes executed by the main control device 24. The main control device 24 executes the following input process, delivery process, shortcut process, and detour process by having the processor 70 read various control programs stored in the memory 72.

[0119] (About input processing) Next, the input process executed by the main control device 24 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 9. The input process is initiated when an employee places a product 5 on one of the input conveyance paths and operates the placement completion button 68 displayed on the corresponding kitchen terminal device 22. The following description assumes that the product 5 for order No. 2 (product 5: shrimp, quantity: 2 plates) has been placed on the first input conveyance path 60A corresponding to the first kitchen terminal device 22. When the input process is initiated, placement completion information is received from the first kitchen terminal device 22 (step S10). The main control device 24 recognizes from the placement completion information that the product 5 for order No. 2 has been placed on the first input conveyance path 60A corresponding to the first kitchen terminal device 22.

[0120] Upon receiving the placement completion information, the main control device 24 accesses the sectional area information storage unit 72a and references the sectional area information (step S12). Then, based on the sectional area information and the usage status of the circulation lane 28 and the order lane 16 of the destination, the main control device 24 determines the sectional area 40 in which to place the product 5 (step S14). In this way, the main control device 24 can grasp the usage status of the circulation lane 28 and the order lane 16 based on the sectional area information that is updated as needed. Therefore, it can select the optimal sectional area 40 depending on the usage status of the circulation lane 28 and the order lane 16.

[0121] For example, if no product 5 is placed in the partitioned area 40 closest to the first input conveying path 60A on which the product 5 is set, the main control device 24 can determine that partitioned area 40 as the partitioned area 40 into which the product 5 should be placed. On the other hand, if a product 5 is placed in the partitioned area 40 closest to the first input conveying path 60A and no product 5 is placed in the next partitioned area 40, the main control device 24 can determine that next partitioned area 40 as the partitioned area 40 into which the product 5 should be placed. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the partitioned area 40 with identification number 8 is determined to be the partitioned area into which the product 5 should be placed.

[0122] Next, the main control device 24 determines whether the reader 44 (see FIG. 5) provided near the first input conveying path 60A has detected the destination compartment 40 (i.e., the compartment 40 with identification number 8) (step S16). If the reader 44 detects the destination compartment 40 (step S16: YES), the main control device 24 drives the first input conveying path 60A (step S18). As a result, the product 5 set on the first input conveying path 60A is transported by the input conveyor 60a and guided by the guide unit 63 toward the circulation lane 28. The product 5 is then inserted into the destination compartment 40 through the input port 64.

[0123] Next, the main control unit 24 determines whether the reader 44 has detected the next sectioned area 40 after the sectioned area 40 where the product is to be inserted (i.e., the sectioned area 40 with the identification number 9) (step S20). When the reader 44 detects the next sectioned area 40, the main control unit 24 stops driving the first input conveying path 60A. In this manner, in this embodiment, multiple sectioned areas 40 in which multiple products 5 can be placed are defined in the circulation lane 28, and the multiple products 5 inserted into each sectioned area 40 are managed on a sectioned area 40 basis. This makes it possible to accurately identify the multiple products 5 within a sectioned area 40 and realize appropriate transport and delivery of the products 5 according to the usage status of the circulation lane 28 and the order lane 16. Furthermore, the first input conveying path 60 is driven from the time the reader 44 detects the sectioned area 40 where the product is to be inserted until the time the reader 44 detects the next sectioned area 40. In other words, the first input conveying path 60 is driven from the time the sectioned area 40 where the product is to be inserted arrives until it passes through. Therefore, even if multiple products 5 are set on the first input conveying path 60, all of the products 5 can be reliably inserted into the compartmented area 40 to which they are to be inserted. The time for driving the input conveying paths 60, 62 is not limited to that described above. For example, the main control device 24 knows the number of products 5 set, and may therefore drive the input conveying paths 60, 62 for a time period corresponding to the number of products 5. Furthermore, for example, the main control device 24 may pre-store the time required to insert all of the maximum number of products 5 (e.g., six) that can be set on the input conveying paths 60, 62. Furthermore, the input conveying paths 60, 62 (input conveyors 60a, 62a) may be driven for the pre-stored time period.

[0124] When the main control device 24 stops driving the first input conveying path 60 (step S22), it updates the sectional area information (step S24). That is, it updates the information related to the sectional area information for the input destination sectional area 40. In this example, since the product with order No. 2 was input into the sectional area 40 with identification number 8, the information related to the sectional area 40 with identification number 8 is updated as shown in FIG. 7. Then, the main control device 24 ends the input process.

[0125] Here, the input device 32 is installed between the first conveyance area 46 and the second conveyance area 48 and is configured not to interfere with the products 5 being conveyed through the circulation lane 28. In particular, the input port 64 of the first input conveyance path 60 is located near the upstream side of the first order lane 16 and the second order lane 16. Therefore, when an order for a product 5 is placed for the first order lane 16, the product 5 can be quickly conveyed to the first order lane 16A by placing the product 5 on the first input conveyance path 60A close to the first order lane 16. In this way, by placing the product 5 on the first input conveyance path 60 closest to the destination order lane 16, the employee can intuitively determine the input conveyance path to which the product 5 should be placed. Therefore, even an inexperienced employee can easily determine the input conveyance path 60, 62 into which the product 5 should be placed.

[0126] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the first input conveyance path 60, a second input conveyance path 62 is used. Therefore, for example, an employee can deliberately input the product 5 into the second conveyance area 48, which is farther away from the order lane 16, in consideration of the usage status of the circulation lane 28 and the order lane 16. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 , in the restaurant of this embodiment, by using the second input conveyance path 62B, the product 5 can reach the rightmost order lane 16 as quickly as possible. In this way, by providing the input conveyance paths 60, 62 in each of the first conveyance area 46 and the second conveyance area 48, the product 5 can be flexibly input according to the specifications of the restaurant.

[0127] Furthermore, the insertion opening 64 of the first insertion conveying path 60 is located downstream of the shortcut device 50 and upstream of the order lane 16. By positioning the insertion opening 64 in this way, even if the shortcut device 50 is being used, it is possible to insert products 5 using the first insertion conveying path 60. In other words, while the shortcut device 50 is in use, the circulation lane 28 is blocked from transport by the first and second guides 50b, 50c, but by locating the insertion opening 64 downstream of these guides, it is possible to insert products 5 even when the shortcut device 50 is being used.

[0128] (Regarding delivery processing) Next, the delivery process will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 10. The delivery process will be explained using an example of the situation assumed in the above-mentioned insertion process after the insertion process has been completed. That is, it is assumed that the product 5 has been inserted from the first insertion conveyor path 60A into the partitioned area 40 with identification number 8.

[0129] When the product 5 is inserted, the main control unit 24 determines whether the reader 44 provided corresponding to the first order lane 16 has detected the partitioned area 40 in which the product 5 is placed (hereinafter referred to as the source partitioned area 40) (step S100). If the reader 44 has not detected the source partitioned area 40 (step S100: NO), the main control unit 24 repeats the steps. On the other hand, if the reader 44 detects the source partitioned area 40 (step S100: YES), the main control unit 24 determines the usage status of the destination order lane 16 (in this case, the first order lane 16) (step S102). That is, the main control unit 24 accesses the partitioned area information storage unit 72a and determines the usage status of the first order lane 16 from the partitioned area information. If the first order lane 16 is "stopped" (step S102: YES), the main controller 24 drives the first delivery device 34 provided corresponding to the first order lane 16 (step S104).

[0130] That is, the main control device 24 drives the first transfer device 34 to move from the non-interference position to the interference position. As a result, the first transfer device 34 crosses the circulation lane 28. The product 5 that arrives at the first transfer device 34 is guided by the first transfer device 34 and transferred to the first order lane 16. Next, the main control device 24 determines whether the reader 44 provided corresponding to the first order lane 16 has detected the next partitioned area 40 after the partitioned area 40 of the transfer source (i.e., the partitioned area 40 with the identification number 9) (step S106). Then, when the reader 44 detects the next partitioned area 40 (step S106: YES), the main control device 24 returns the first transfer device 34 from the interference position to the non-interference position (step S108). In this way, the main control device 24 maintains the first transfer device 34 in the interference position while the partitioned area 40 of the transfer source passes. Therefore, even if a plurality of products 5 are placed in the partitioned area 40 of the delivery source, all of the products 5 can be delivered to the first order lane 16 reliably.

[0131] On the other hand, if the first order lane 16 is "in use" (step S102: NO), the main control device 24 allows the product 5 to pass through the first order lane 16 without driving the first delivery device 34. Therefore, the product 5 placed in the partitioned area 40 of the delivery source will circulate through the circulation lane 28 without being delivered to the first order lane 16. In this way, if the order lane 16 of the delivery destination is in use, circulating the product 5 on the circulation lane 28 can buy time until the order lane 16 becomes available for delivery. Then, the main control device 24 repeats step S102.

[0132] Meanwhile, when the delivery of the product 5 to the order lane 16 is complete, the main control device 24 updates the information about the delivery source partitioned area 40 in the partitioned area information (step S110). In this example, the product 5 placed in the partitioned area 40 with identification number 8 has been delivered, so the information about the partitioned area 40 with identification number 8 is updated. Then, the main control device 24 ends the delivery process.

[0133] (About shortcut processing) Next, the shortcut process will be described below with reference to Figure 11. Note that the following description assumes that, in the situation assumed in the above-described delivery process, the product 5 passes through the first order lane 16 without being delivered to the first order lane 16, as shown in Figure 12. Therefore, when the shortcut process is executed, the first order lane 16 is considered to be "in use."

[0134] In the shortcut process, the main control device 24 constantly references the partition area information to determine whether it is possible to shorten the route of the product 5 being transported, thereby speeding up the timing at which the product arrives at the destination order lane 16 (step S200). In the example of FIG. 12, the main control device 24 can shorten the time at which the product 5 arrives at the first order lane 16 by using the shortcut device 50A to shorten the route. Therefore, in such a case, the main control device 24 proceeds to step S202.

[0135] 12, the destination order lane 16 is the second order lane 16. In this case, if the shortcut device 50A is used to take a shortcut for the product 5, the timing at which the product arrives at the second order lane 16 will be delayed. Therefore, in this case, the main control device 24 repeats the determination in step S200 without proceeding to step S202.

[0136] In step S202, the main control device 24 determines whether the reader 44, which is provided upstream of the second guide 50c (see FIG. 12) of the shortcut device 50A, has detected the partitioned area 40 in which the product 5 to be shortcutted is placed (i.e., the transfer source partitioned area 40). Then, when the reader 44 detects the transfer source partitioned area 40 (step S202: YES), the main control device 24 references the partitioned area information and determines (S203) whether a product 5 is already placed in the transfer destination partitioned area 40 that will arrive at the shortcut device 50A in the first transport area 46. If a product 5 is already placed in the transfer destination partitioned area 40 (S203: YES), a shortcut is not possible at this timing, so the transfer source partitioned area 40 is allowed to pass through the shortcut device 50A. Then, the main control device 24 returns to step S200 and determines again whether a shortcut is necessary.

[0137] On the other hand, if no product 5 is located in the destination compartment 40 in step S203 (S203: NO), the main control device 24 drives the first guide 50b and the second guide 50c and also drives the shortcut conveyor 50a (S204). That is, the first guide 50b and the second guide 50c are each displaced from their non-interference positions to their interference positions, and the shortcut conveyor 50a is driven. As a result, the product 5 that has arrived at the second guide 50c is guided by the second guide 50c toward the shortcut conveyor 50a. The shortcut conveyor 50a then transports the product 5 toward the first transport area 46, and then transports the product 5 to the first transport area 46 via the first guide 50b. In this way, by using the shortcut device 50, the product 5 can be shortcut from the second transport area 48 to the first transport area 46. This makes it possible to speed up the timing at which the product 5 arrives at the destination order lane 16 (in this case, the first order lane 16). Moreover, by referencing the partitioned area information, the main control device 24 can determine whether or not the product 5 has already been placed in the destination partitioned area 40. This makes it possible to avoid situations where a shortcut is executed even though the product 5 has been placed in the destination partitioned area 40.

[0138] Next, the main control device 24 determines whether the reader 44 installed near the second guide 50c has detected the next sectioned area 40 after the source sectioned area 40 (step S206). If the reader 44 detects the next sectioned area 40 (step S206: YES), the main control device 24 returns the first guide 50b and the second guide 50c from the interference position to the non-interference position. In this way, the main control device 24 holds the first and second guides 50b, 50c in the interference position while the source sectioned area 40 passes. Therefore, even if multiple products 5 are placed in the source sectioned area 40, all of the products 5 can be reliably shortcut.

[0139] When the main control device 24 completes the shortcut, it updates the partitioned area information for the partitioned area 40 from which the product 5 was transferred and the partitioned area 40 in the first transport area 46 to which the product 5 was transferred (i.e., the partitioned area 40 to which the product 5 was transferred) (step S208). In this example, if the partitioned area 40 to which the product 5 was transferred is the partitioned area 40 with identification number 2, for example, the main control device 24 updates the partitioned area information for the partitioned area 40 with identification number 8 and the partitioned area 40 with identification number 2. The main control device 24 can ascertain (estimate) the partitioned area 40 to which the product 5 will be transferred by the shortcut from the position of each partitioned area 40 at the time the shortcut is executed. Alternatively, a reader 44 may be installed upstream of the first guide 50b, and the destination partitioned area 40 may be recognized from detection information from the reader 44. After updating the partitioned area information in step S208, the main control device 24 terminates the shortcut processing.

[0140] (Detour processing) Next, the detouring process will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 13. Note that the detouring process will be explained assuming that the product 5 is transported to the second order lane 16 and the product 5 is located upstream of the third order lane 16, as shown in Fig. 14.

[0141] In the detouring process, the main control unit 24 periodically references the sectional area information to determine whether it is necessary to detour the product 5 being transported, thereby delaying the timing of the product's arrival at the destination order lane 16 (step S300). In the example of FIG. 14 , for example, if the destination second order lane 16 is in use, it is necessary to delay the timing of the product 5's arrival at the second order lane 16. Furthermore, even if the second order lane 16 is stopped, it is necessary to detour the product 5 in the sectional area 40 located downstream adjacent to the sectional area 40 in which the product 5 is located (hereinafter referred to as the detouring source sectional area 40). In such a case, the main control unit 24 determines that a detouring is necessary (S300: YES) and proceeds to step S302. If a negative determination is made in step S300, the main control unit 24 repeats step S300.

[0142] In step S302, the main control device 24 determines whether the reader 44 provided upstream of the third guide B has detected the sectioned area 40 in which the product 5 to be detoured is placed (i.e., the sectioned area 40 from which the detour originates). Then, when the sectioned area 40 from which the detour originates is detected (step S302: YES), the main control device 24 references the sectioned area information and determines (S303) whether a product 5 is already placed in the sectioned area 40 from which the detour originates and which arrives at the detour device 52A in the second conveyance area 48. If a product 5 is already placed in the sectioned area 40 from which the detour originates (S303: YES), a detour is not possible at this timing, and so the detour origin sectioned area 40 is allowed to pass through the detour device 52A. Then, the main control device 24 returns to step S300 and determines again whether a detour is necessary.

[0143] On the other hand, if no product 5 is located in the detour destination compartment 40 in step S303 (S303: NO), the main control device 24 proceeds to step S304 and drives the detour device 52. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the main control device 24 drives the third guide 52b and fourth guide 52c of the detour device 52B and also drives the detour conveyor 52a. That is, the third and fourth guides 52c are each displaced from their non-interference positions to their interference positions, and the detour conveyor 52a is driven. As a result, the product 5 that has arrived at the third guide 52b is guided by the third guide 52b to the detour conveyor 52a. The product 5 is then transported by the detour conveyor 52a toward the second transport area 48 and then to the second transport area 48 via the fourth guide 52c. In this way, by using the detouring device 52, the product 5 can be detouring from the first conveying area 46 to the second conveying area 48. This makes it possible to delay the timing at which the product 5 arrives at the destination order lane 16 (in this case, the second order lane 16). This allows the product 5 to detouring until the second order lane 16, which is in use, stops, thereby gaining time.

[0144] Next, the main control device 24 determines whether the reader 44 installed near the third guide 52b has detected the next sectioned area 40 after the sectioned area 40 from which the detour originated (step S306). If the reader 44 detects the next sectioned area 40 (step S306: YES), the main control device 24 returns the third and fourth guides 52a, 52c from the interference position to the non-interference position (step S308). In this way, the main control device 24 maintains the third and fourth guides 52b, 52c in the interference position while the sectioned area 40 from which the detour originated passes. Therefore, even if multiple products 5 are placed in the sectioned area 40 from which the detour originated, all of the products 5 can be reliably detoured.

[0145] When the main control device 24 completes the detouring of the product 5, it updates the delimited area information for the detouring source delimited area 40 and the delimited area 40 in the second transport area 48 to which the product 5 has been transferred (hereinafter referred to as the detouring destination delimited area 40) (step S310). The main control device 24 can also determine the detouring destination delimited area 40 from the position of each delimited area 40 at the time of detouring. Alternatively, a reader 44 may be installed upstream of the fourth guide 52c, and the detouring destination delimited area 40 may be recognized from the detection information of the reader 44. After updating the delimited area information in step S310, the main control device 24 ends the detouring process.

[0146] As described above, in the kitchen lane system 10 according to this embodiment, multiple compartments are defined in the circulation lane 28 along the conveyance path, and one or more products 5 are placed in each compartment. The main control device 24 then grasps the locations of all compartments and the contents of the products 5, enabling appropriate control according to the usage status of the circulation lane 28 and the order lane 16. Moreover, because the main control device 24 manages the products 5 on a compartment-by-compartment basis, it can appropriately control the circulation lane 28 system even when multiple products 5 are placed. Furthermore, each compartment 40 is designed to accommodate multiple products 5 arranged side by side along the conveyance direction. Therefore, a group of products 5 placed in each compartment 40 can be appropriately managed on a compartment-by-compartment basis. As a result, the positional relationship of the products 5 with respect to the circulation lane 28 can be accurately grasped, enabling reliable delivery of products to the order lane.

[0147] Next, modified examples of the present disclosure will be described below. In the following description, only differences from the above-described embodiment will be described, and elements having the same functions and effects as those in the embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0148] (Transformation example 1) FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the entire restaurant equipped with a kitchen lane system 100 according to Modification Example 1. In the above-described embodiment, three order lanes 16 were provided, one for each island in the restaurant 12. In contrast, in the restaurant according to Modification Example 1, two order lanes 16 are provided parallel to one another in the central island in the restaurant 12. Also, in the embodiment, a monitoring device 26 such as a camera that monitors the usage status of the order lanes 16 is provided at each table / seat 18. In contrast, in Modification Example 1, an object detection sensor 84 is provided at each order lane 16, and the object detection sensor 84 detects the presence or absence of a product 5 on the corresponding order lane 16. The object detection sensor 84 may be an optical sensor or a photoelectric sensor that irradiates light such as visible light or infrared light toward a light receiving unit.

[0149] The object detection sensor 84 is connected to the main control device 24 so that it can communicate with the main control device 24. The object detection sensor 84 sends a detection signal 84 from the object detection sensor 84 to the main control device 24 at any time. When the main control device 24 receives a signal from the object detection sensor 84 indicating that a product 5 has been detected, it determines that the corresponding order lane 16 is "in use." On the other hand, when the main control device 24 receives a signal from the object detection sensor 84 indicating that a product 5 has not been detected, it determines that the corresponding order lane 16 is "stopped."

[0150] In the above-described embodiment, the first and second input conveyance paths 60, 62 were both provided between the first conveyance area 46 and the second conveyance area 48 in the circulation lane 28. On the other hand, in the kitchen lane system 100 according to the first modified example, the second input conveyance path 62 is provided on the opposite side of the order lane 16 from the second conveyance area 48. That is, in the first modified example, the second input conveyance path 62 is provided on the side of the second conveyance area 48 that faces the work space of the employees provided in the kitchen 14. In this way, the first input conveyance path 60 is provided between the first and second conveyance areas 46, 48 (i.e., close to the first conveyance area 46), while the second input conveyance path 62 is provided on the side closer to the employees (i.e., close to the second conveyance area 48). Therefore, the employee can intuitively select the insertion conveying path 60, 62 depending on the area into which the product is inserted, and the occurrence of mistakes such as inserting the product 5 into the wrong destination can be reduced.

[0151] FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a portion of the kitchen lane system 10a according to Modification Example 1. As shown in FIG. 16, the input conveying paths 60, 62 of Modification Example 1 are provided with input product sensors 80 capable of detecting products 5 set on the input conveying paths 60, 62. Similar to the object detection sensor 84, the input product sensors 80 may be optical sensors, photoelectric sensors, or the like, and are configured to detect the presence or absence of products 5 placed on the input conveying paths 60, 62. Note that a weight sensor or the like may also be used as the input product sensor 80 as long as it is capable of detecting the products 5. The input product sensors 80 are communicatively connected to the main control device 24, and a detection signal from the input product sensors 80 is transmitted to the main control device 24 as needed. Based on the detection signal from the input product sensors 80, the main control device 24 can determine whether or not products 5 are actually set on the input conveying paths 60, 62. For example, if an employee presses the placement completion button 68 on the corresponding kitchen terminal device 22 when no product 5 has been placed on the insertion conveyor path 60, the main control device 24 can recognize, based on the detection signal from the insertion product sensor 80, that no product 5 has actually been placed on the insertion conveyor path 60. As a result, even if the main control device 24 receives placement completion information from the kitchen terminal device 22, it can display an error message indicating that no product 5 has been placed on the kitchen terminal device 22, without executing the insertion process.

[0152] In the above-described embodiment, the main control device 24 is configured to estimate the sectional area 40 of the transfer destination or detour destination when a shortcut or detour is performed based on the sectional area information. However, in the first modified example, a reader 44a is also provided downstream of the shortcut device 50 and the detour device 52, thereby directly recognizing the sectional area 40 of the transfer destination or detour destination. That is, in the kitchen lane system 100 according to the first modified example, in addition to the reader 44 provided upstream of the shortcut device 50 in the second transport area 48, a reader 44a is also provided downstream of the shortcut device 50 in the first transport area 46. More specifically, the reader 44a is provided near the upstream side of the shortcut conveyor 50a in the first transport area 46. Furthermore, by providing the reader 44a upstream of the shortcut conveyor 50a, the reader 44a can recognize the sectional area 40 of the transfer destination to which the shortcut-taken product 5 is transferred.

[0153] Similarly, in addition to the reader 44 provided upstream of the detouring device 52 in the first transport area 46, a reader 44a is also provided downstream of the detouring device 52 in the second transport area 48. More specifically, the reader 44a is provided near the upstream side of the detouring conveyor 52a in the second transport area 48. By providing the reader 44a upstream of the detouring conveyor 52a, the reader 44a can recognize the compartment area 40 to which the diverted products 5 are to be placed.

[0154] In the kitchen lane system 100 according to the first modified example, a plurality of product detection sensors 82 are provided in the circulation lane 28. A product detection sensor 82 is also provided in the order lane 16. Similar to the object detection sensor 84 described above, the product detection sensors 82 are photoelectric sensors such as optical sensors. In the first modified example, the product detection sensors 82 are provided (1) near the input ports 64 of the input conveying paths 60, 62 in the circulation lane 28, (2) downstream of the first guide 50b of the shortcut device 50 in the circulation lane 28, (3) downstream of the fourth guide 52c of the detouring device 52 in the circulation lane 28, and (4) near the delivery device 34 in each order lane 16. These product detection sensors 82 are communicatively connected to the main control device 24, and detection signals from the product detection sensors 82 are transmitted to the main control device 24 as needed.

[0155] In this way, by providing product detection sensors 82 near the insertion openings 64 of each insertion conveyance path 60, 62, it is possible to determine whether or not the products 5 have been inserted from the insertion conveyance paths 60, 62 into the desired compartmented area 40. Therefore, for example, if products 5 become stuck on the insertion conveyors 60a, 62a for some reason and cannot be inserted into the circulation lane 28, the main control device 24 can recognize that the products 5 have not been inserted. Furthermore, based on the detection signal from the product detection sensors 82, the main control device 24 can recognize the number of inserted products 5, and can therefore determine whether the correct number of products 5 have been inserted from the insertion conveyance paths 60, 62.

[0156] Furthermore, by providing a product detection sensor 82 downstream of the first guide 50b of the shortcut device 50, the main control device 24 can determine whether or not the products 5 have been transferred to the destination partitioned area 40. Furthermore, based on the detection signal of the product detection sensor 82, the main control device 24 can also determine the number of products 5, and can therefore determine whether or not all of the products 5 that should be transferred have been transferred to the destination partitioned area 40.

[0157] Similarly, by providing a product detection sensor 82 downstream of the fourth guide 52c of the detouring device 52, the main control device 24 can determine whether or not a product 5 has been placed in the detouring destination compartment area 40. Furthermore, based on the detection signal of the product detection sensor 82, the main control device 24 can also determine the number of products 5, and can therefore determine whether or not all of the products 5 that should be detouring have been placed in the detouring destination compartment area 40.

[0158] Furthermore, by providing product detection sensors 82 near the upstream end of each order lane 16, the main control device 24 can determine whether or not a product 5 has been delivered to the order lane 16. Moreover, based on the detection signal from the product detection sensors 82, the main control device 24 can also determine the number of products 5, making it possible to determine whether or not the number of products 5 corresponding to the order has been delivered to the order lane 16.

[0159] Next, the shortcut processing of the kitchen lane system 100 according to the first modified example will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 17. In the description of Fig. 17, only steps that are different from the above-described embodiment will be described, and the same processes as those in the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described.

[0160] In the shortcut process according to the first modified example, when it is determined by referring to the sectioned area information that no product is located in the sectioned area 40 of the transfer destination (step S203: NO), it is determined whether the reader 44a provided upstream of the first guide 50b in the first conveying area 46 has detected the sectioned area 40 of the transfer destination (step 400). If the reader 44a has detected the sectioned area 40 of the transfer destination (step 400: YES), the shortcut is executed (step S204).

[0161] In step S208, after the shortcut device 50 is stopped, the main control device 24 determines whether or not there are any products 5 in the destination compartment area 40 based on the detection signal from the product detection sensor 82, which is provided downstream of the first guide 50b in the first conveyance area 46. At this time, the main control device 24 recognizes the number of products 5 that have been transferred from the detection signal from the product detection sensor 82 and also determines whether or not all of the products 5 that should be transferred have been transferred to the destination compartment area 40 (step S402). If all of the products 5 have been transferred to the destination compartment area 40 (step S402: YES), the main control device 24 updates the compartment information (step S210) and terminates the shortcut process. On the other hand, if, for some reason, not all of the products 5 have been transferred to the destination compartment area 40 (step S402: NO), the main control device 24 determines that an error has occurred (step S404). The main control device 24 then executes error processing (step S406) and terminates the shortcut process. The error processing executed in step S406 may involve, for example, displaying a message indicating that an error has occurred during shortcutting on all kitchen terminal devices 22. Alternatively, or in addition to this, main control device 24 may stop or slow down circulation lane 28.

[0162] Thus, in the kitchen lane system 100 according to the first modified example, the second input conveying path 62 is provided on the work space side of the second transport area 48 in the kitchen 14. Meanwhile, the first input conveying path 60 is located between the first and second transport areas 46, 48. Therefore, when an employee wishes to input a product 5 into the second transport area 48, the employee will intuitively use the second input conveying path 62, which is provided in a position closer to the second transport area 48. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of mistakes such as inputting a product 5 into the wrong transport area.

[0163] Furthermore, the input conveying paths 60, 62 in Modification Example 1 are provided with an input product sensor 80. Based on the detection signal from the input product sensor 80, the main control device 24 can determine whether or not a product 5 has actually been placed on the input conveying paths 60, 62. Therefore, even if an employee presses the placement completion button 68 even though a product 5 has not been placed on the input conveying paths 60, 62, the main control device 24 can detect this as an error. Furthermore, in Modification Example 1, a reader 44a is also provided downstream of the shortcut device 50 and the detouring device 52. Therefore, the reader 44a can detect the destination compartment 40 to which the product 5 is to be transferred and the destination compartment 40 to which the product 5 is to be detoured, allowing the shortcut or detouring of the product 5 to be accurately performed.

[0164] Furthermore, the kitchen lane system 100 according to the first modified example is provided with product detection sensors 82 that can detect products 5 transferred to the destination compartment area 40, the transfer destination compartment area 40, the bypass destination compartment area 40, and the delivery destination order lane 16. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the products 5 have actually been transferred to the destination compartment area 40, etc. based on the detection signals of these product detection sensors 82. Moreover, because the main control device 24 can ascertain the quantity of products 5 based on the detection signals of the product detection sensors 82, it can also determine whether the correct number of products 5 have been transferred to the destination compartment area 40, etc.

[0165] The installation locations and number of the merchandise detection sensors 82 described in the above-described modified example 1 can be changed as appropriate. For example, in modified example 1, the merchandise detection sensors 82 are provided downstream of the shortcut device 50 or the detouring device 52 so as to determine whether or not a merchandise 5 has been placed in the compartment area 40 at the transfer destination or detouring destination. However, for example, it is also possible to detect a merchandise 5 on the shortcut conveyor 50a by irradiating light from the merchandise detection sensors 82 along the conveying direction of the shortcut conveyor 50a.

[0166] In addition, in the first modified example, the product detection sensor 82 is provided at the upstream end of the order lane 16, but the object detection sensor 84 may also serve as a sensor for determining whether or not an item has been handed over to the order lane 16.

[0167] In the above-described embodiment and modified example 1, a second input conveying path 62 for inputting products 5 into the second conveying area 48 is provided, but it is not necessary to use the second input conveying path 62. In other words, it is also possible to provide only the first input conveying path 60 for inputting products 5 into the first conveying area 46, without using the second input conveying path 62.

[0168] In the above-described embodiment, when an employee presses the placement completion button 68, the main control device 24 recognizes that the products 5 have been placed on the input conveying paths 60, 62. Furthermore, in Modification Example 1, an input product sensor 80 is provided to confirm that the products 5 have actually been placed on the input conveying paths 60, 62. However, without using the placement completion button 68 on the kitchen terminal device 22, various sensors may be used to detect the products 5 placed on the input conveying paths 60, 62, and the main control device 24 may automatically recognize that the products 5 corresponding to the order have been placed. In this case, the main control device 24 may automatically place the products 5 into the circulation lane 28 without waiting for instructions from an employee.

[0169] (Transformation example 2) Next, a kitchen lane system according to Modification Example 2 will be described below. In Modification Example 2, the order image 86 displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22 differs from that in the above-described embodiment. In the embodiment, an order image 66 was displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22 for each order in response to an order from a customer (see FIG. 6). Then, when preparation of each ordered product 5 was completed, by pressing the placement completion button 68 displayed on the corresponding order image 66, placement completion information was sent to the main control device 24. In contrast, in Modification Example 2, as shown in FIG. 18, an order image 86 is displayed for each type of ordered product 5. The example in FIG. 18 assumes that three plates of squid and two plates of shrimp have been ordered as Order No. 3. In this case, the kitchen terminal device 22 displays an order image 86 for three plates of squid and an order image 86 for two plates of shrimp. Furthermore, a preparation completion button 69 is displayed on each order image 86. This preparation complete button 69 is touched by the employee when the product 5 corresponding to the order image 86 is ready and set on the input conveying path 60, 62. In addition, in the second modified example, a single placement complete button 68 is displayed.

[0170] For example, for order No. 3, when three plates of squid are ready and placed on the input conveyors 60, 62, the employee touches the preparation complete button 69 on the corresponding order image 86 (middle in FIG. 18 ). When the preparation complete button 69 is touched, a message is sent to the main controller 24 indicating that the product 5 for the three plates of squid is ready. Next, when two plates of shrimp are ready for order No. 3 and placed on the input conveyors 60, 62, the employee touches the preparation complete button 69 on the order image 86 (right side in FIG. 18 ). In this case, a message is sent to the main controller 24 indicating that the two plates of shrimp are ready. Then, since preparation of all types of products 5 for order No. 3 is complete, the employee presses the placement complete button 68, which sends a message to the main controller 24 indicating that the product 5 for order No. 3 has been placed on the input conveyors 60, 62 (i.e., placement complete information).

[0171] When the main control unit 24 receives the placement completion information, it refers to the sectional area information to confirm the details of the products 5 for order No. 3. In this example, the main control unit 24 receives information that preparation of squid (3 plates) and shrimp (2 plates) is complete, and therefore determines that all types of products 5 for order No. 3 are prepared, and places these products 5 into the circulation lane 28. On the other hand, if the details of products 5 for order No. 3 in the sectional area information differ from the types of products 5 that are considered to be ready, the main control unit 24 will not place the products 5. In this case, the main control unit 24 may, for example, display on the kitchen terminal device 22 that a different type of product 5 has been placed than the contents of the order.

[0172] In this way, by displaying an order image 86 for each type of ordered product 5, even if a single order contains multiple types of products 5, the employee can reliably proceed with order processing while checking the order images 86. Furthermore, since each order image 86 is provided with a preparation complete button 69, even if a single order contains multiple types of products 5, the products 5 can be reliably prepared, and the occurrence of ordering mistakes can be reduced.

[0173] (Transformation example 3) Next, a kitchen lane system according to Modification Example 3 will be described below. In Modification Example 3, the partitioned area information stored by the main control device 24 in the partitioned area information storage unit differs from that in the above-described embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 19 , in Modification Example 3, in addition to the partitioned area information described in the embodiment, the waiting time of each product 5 is also stored. The waiting time of each product 5 indicates the elapsed time that each product 5 is transported along the circulation lane 28 after being placed into the circulation lane 28. This waiting time is measured for each partitioned area 40. That is, because all products 5 placed in a given partitioned area 40 are transported along the circulation lane 28 for approximately the same amount of time, the main control device 24 measures the waiting time of each product 5 for each partitioned area 40.

[0174] Specifically, the main control device 24 starts measuring the waiting time when it activates the input conveying paths 60, 62 and inserts the product 5 into the destination compartment area 40. It then ends measuring the waiting time when the product 5 is delivered to the order lane 16. By measuring the waiting time of the products 5 in the compartment area 40 in this way, the main control device 24 can, for example, prioritize shortcutting products 5 that have been waiting for a long time. The main control device 24 can also prioritize products 5 that have been waiting for a short time by passing them through the order lane 16, and deliver products 5 that have been waiting for a long time to the order lane 16.

[0175] (Transformation Example 4) Next, a kitchen lane system 200 according to Modification Example 4 will be described below. The configurations and processes of the above-described embodiment and Modification Examples 1 to 3 can be adopted for at least a part of the configurations and processes of the kitchen lane system (store system) 200 according to Modification Example 4. Therefore, the description of the parts of the configurations and processes of Modification Example 4 that can adopt the configurations and processes of the above-described embodiment and Modification Examples 1 to 3 will be omitted or simplified.

[0176] As shown in FIG. 20 , a kitchen lane system 200 according to Modification Example 4 includes a circulation lane 28 and multiple order lanes 16 (16A, 16A′, 16B, 16B′, 16C, 16C′). Each of the multiple order lanes 16 is installed within the store 12 so that the product 5 is delivered near a respective table 18 (an example of an eating space). In other words, each order lane 16 can deliver the product 5 in a predetermined delivery direction to the vicinity of the eating space of the customer who ordered the product 5, among multiple eating spaces within the store 12. The operation of the order lanes 16 is controlled by a main control device 24. In Modification Example 4, the order lane 16 can deliver the product 5 by specifying the table 18 to which the product is to be delivered (i.e., the eating space of the customer who ordered the product 5). In other words, the order lane 16 is configured to deliver the product 5 to the specified eating space. When transporting the product 5 to the destination eating and drinking space, the order lane 16 transports the product 5 from upstream toward the destination, and is controlled to stop transporting the product 5 when it arrives at the destination.

[0177] Each order lane 16 may be provided with a branch lane that branches off the product 5 received from the circulation lane 28 and transported by the order lane 16 to one of multiple tables 18 arranged along the order lane 16. Each of the multiple branch lanes may be provided with a branch guide that switches whether or not the product 5 being transported by the order lane 16 is to be diverted from the order lane 16 to the branch lane 90.

[0178] 20, a pair of order lanes 16 extending parallel to each other are provided on each of the left, center, and right sides when viewed from the kitchen 14. Specifically, when viewed from the kitchen 14, a pair of order lanes 16A, 16A' are provided on the left side, a pair of order lanes 16B, 16B' are provided in the center, and a pair of order lanes 16C, 16C' are provided on the right side.

[0179] In the following description, the pair of order lanes 16A, 16A' on the left side will be referred to as "pair A" of order lanes. The pair of order lanes 16B, 16B' in the center will be referred to as "pair B" of order lanes. The pair of order lanes 16C, 16C' on the right side will be referred to as "pair C" of order lanes. The three tables 18 arranged along order lane 16A are each assigned the numbers "A1," "A2," and "A3" in order from the kitchen side. The three tables 18 arranged along order lane 16A' are each assigned the numbers "A4," "A5," and "A6" in order from the kitchen side. The three tables 18 arranged along order lane 16B are each assigned the numbers "B1," "B2," and "B3" in order from the kitchen side. The three tables 18 arranged along order lane 16B' are each assigned the numbers "B4," "B5," and "B6" in order from the kitchen side. The three tables 18 arranged along order lane 16C are assigned numbers "C1," "C2," and "C3" in order from the kitchen side. The three tables 18 arranged along order lane 16C' are assigned numbers "C4," "C5," and "C6" in order from the kitchen side.

[0180] An in-store terminal device 20 is provided corresponding to each of the multiple eating spaces (each of the multiple tables 18 in FIG. 20). Customers in each eating space can order products by operating the in-store terminal device 20. When an order is input, the in-store terminal device 20 associates the input order with the eating space of the customer who input the order (table number in FIG. 20), and outputs the order to the main control device 24. The main control device 24 outputs the order details to the kitchen terminal device 22 (at least one of 22A to 22D). This will be described in detail later.

[0181] Each of the multiple order lanes 16 is provided with an object detection sensor 84 (84A, 84A', 84B, 84B', 84C, 84C'). In the example shown in FIG. 20 , order lane 16A is provided with object detection sensor 84A. Order lane 16A' is provided with object detection sensor 84A'. Order lane 16B is provided with object detection sensor 84B. Order lane 16B' is provided with object detection sensor 84B'. Order lane 16C is provided with object detection sensor 84C. Order lane 16C is provided with object detection sensor 84C'. Each of the multiple object detection sensors 84 detects the presence or absence of a product on the corresponding order lane 16 (i.e., in which it is installed). When main control device 24 receives a signal from object detection sensor 84 indicating that product 5 has been detected, it determines that the corresponding order lane 16 is "unavailable for transport (i.e., is being used to transport another product)." On the other hand, when the main control unit 24 receives a signal from the object detection sensor 84 indicating that no product 5 has been detected, the main control unit 24 determines that the corresponding order lane 16 is "available for transport (i.e., not being used to transport other products 5)."

[0182] The circulation lane 28 is laid in a long loop in the restaurant kitchen 14 along the direction in which the multiple order lanes 16 are lined up (hereinafter referred to as the longitudinal direction). The circulation lane 28 is connected to the upstream ends of the multiple order lanes 16 via a transfer device 34. In the example shown in FIG. 20 , order lane 16A is provided with a transfer device 34A, and order lane 16A' is provided with a transfer device 34A'. Order lane 16B is provided with a transfer device 34B, and order lane 16B' is provided with a transfer device 34B'. Order lane 16C is provided with a transfer device 34C, and order lane 16C' is provided with a transfer device 34C'.

[0183] The circulation lane 28 transports products 5 prepared in response to customer orders. When the product 5 being transported by the circulation lane 28 arrives at the corresponding order lane 16 (i.e., the order lane 16 where the table 18 of the customer who placed the order is located), the main control device 24 controls the operation of the corresponding delivery device 34 to deliver the product to the corresponding order lane 16. Furthermore, if the corresponding order lane 16 is unable to deliver the product (for example, if it is delivering another product 5), the main control device 24 can circulate the product 5 within the kitchen 14 without delivering the product 5 using the delivery device 34, so that the order lane 16 can wait until it is able to deliver the product. In this embodiment, the conveyance direction of the circulation lane 28 is counterclockwise.

[0184] The circulation lane 28 is generally parallelogram-shaped and includes two parallel regions extending linearly along the longitudinal direction and two parallel regions connecting the two regions. Of the two longitudinal regions, the one closest to the order lanes 16 is defined as the first conveying area 46. Of the two longitudinal regions, the one farther from the order lanes 16 is defined as the second conveying area 48. In the first conveying area 46 and the second conveying area 48, the circulation lane 28 conveys products 5 in opposite directions. The conveying direction of the circulation lane 28 in the first conveying area 46 (from right to left in FIG. 20 ) is referred to as the first direction, and the conveying direction of the circulation lane 28 in the second conveying area 48 (from left to right in FIG. 20 ) is referred to as the second direction.

[0185] The transfer devices 30 (first transfer device 30A and second transfer device 30B) are provided to bridge the gap between the first transfer area 46 and the second transfer area 48. The transfer devices 30 transfer products 5 from one of the first transfer area 46 and the second transfer area 48, which is a source transfer area, to the other destination transfer area. In this embodiment, the first transfer device 30A is provided between a fourth input device 133D (described later) and order lane "pair B (order lane 16B, 16B')." The first transfer device 30A includes a shortcut device 50A that transfers products 5 from the second transfer area 48 to the first transfer area 46, and a detouring device 52A that transfers products 5 from the first transfer area 46 to the second transfer area 48. In addition, in this embodiment, a second transfer device 30B is provided between a third input device 133C (described later) and the "pair C (order lanes 16C, 16C')" of order lanes. The second transfer device 30B includes a shortcut device 50B that transfers products 5 from the second transfer area 48 to the first transfer area 46, and a detour device 52B that transfers products 5 from the first transfer area 46 to the second transfer area 48.

[0186] In the kitchen lane system 200 according to Modification Example 4, each of the multiple transfer devices 30 transfers products 5 from the source transfer area to the destination transfer area using a conveyor (shortcut conveyor or detour conveyor), a first guide, and a second guide, as in the above embodiment. However, it is also possible to change the configuration of the transfer device 30 according to Modification Example 4. For example, it is also possible to employ a transfer device that transfers products 5 from the source transfer area to the destination transfer area by pushing the products 5 one by one with a lever.

[0187] The input devices input the products 5 into the circulation lane 28. In the example shown in FIG. 20 , the kitchen lane system 200 includes first input devices 132A and 132B that input the products 5 into the first transport area 46 of the circulation lane 28, and second input devices 133C and 133D that input the products 5 into the second transport area 48. The first input device 132A inputs the products 5 into the first transport area 46, upstream of the order lane "pair A (order lanes 16A and 16A')" and downstream of the first transfer device 30A (downstream of the order lane "pair B"). The first input device 132B inputs the products 5 into the first transport area 46, upstream of the order lane "pair B (order lanes 16B and 16B')" and downstream of the second transfer device 30B (downstream of the order lane "pair C"). The second input device 133C inputs products into the second transport area 48, upstream of the second transfer device 30B and downstream of the first transfer device 30A. The second input device 133D inputs products into the second transport area 48, upstream of the first transfer device 30A.

[0188] In the kitchen lane system 200 according to the fourth modified example, each feeding device is provided with a feeding conveying path, a guide unit, and a feeding port, similar to the above embodiment. However, it is also possible to change the configuration of the feeding device of the fourth modified example. For example, it is also possible to employ a feeding device that feeds the product 5 by placing the grasped product 5 on the circulation lane 28.

[0189] Furthermore, in the kitchen lane system 200 according to Modification Example 4, the main control device 24, as in the above embodiment, identifies the position of each of the multiple partitioned areas 40 set in the circulation lane 28, and transports the products 5 placed in each partitioned area 40 to the destination table 18. However, the method of transporting the products 5 in Modification Example 4 can be changed. For example, an identifier may be provided for each of the multiple tableware on which the products 5 are placed. A reader that reads the identifiers of the tableware may be provided on the transport path of the products 5 in the kitchen lane system 200. When the input device inputs the products 5 into the circulation lane 28, the main control device 24 may associate the input tableware with the destination table 18 to which the tableware will be transported. The main control device 24 may read the identifiers of the multiple tableware being transported, and transport each of the tableware to the destination table 18 by controlling the operation of the delivery device 34 and the transfer device 30 according to the read result.

[0190] Kitchen terminal devices 22 (22A, 22B, 22C, 22D) are examples of kitchen devices used in kitchen 14. Kitchen terminal device 22 displays products 5 ordered by customers. Kitchen terminal device 22 also accepts input indicating that products 5 prepared in accordance with the order have been placed in the corresponding feeding device. In variation 4, kitchen terminal devices 22 are provided corresponding to each of the multiple feeding devices. In the example shown in FIG. 20 , kitchen terminal device 22A is provided corresponding to first feeding device 132A. Kitchen terminal device 22B is provided corresponding to first feeding device 132B. Kitchen terminal device 22C is provided corresponding to second feeding device 133C. Kitchen terminal device 22D is provided corresponding to second feeding device 133D. Basically, when an employee checks the order displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22 they are responsible for and prepares the products 5, they place the prepared products 5 in the feeding device corresponding to their kitchen terminal device 22. The employee operates the button corresponding to the order for which preparation has been completed from among multiple buttons (buttons on the user interface in Modification Example 4) provided on kitchen terminal device 22. Main control device 24 places the prepared ordered product into circulation lane 28, and transports it to the order lane 16 as its destination.

[0191] Each input device may be associated with multiple kitchen terminal devices 22. For example, when two kitchen terminal devices 22 are associated with one input device, one kitchen terminal device 22 may display an order for a product 5 (e.g., "nigiri sushi") to be prepared by the employee in charge, and the other kitchen terminal device 22 may display an order for a product 5 (e.g., "gunkan" or "side dish") to be prepared by a different employee.

[0192] As shown in Figure 21, in variant example 4, for each of the multiple order lanes 16, one or more (one in the example of Figure 21) input devices are assigned as priority input devices from among the multiple input devices in order of the shortest transport path to the corresponding order lane 16.

[0193] In the fourth modified example, when first input devices 132A, 132B are present upstream of a specific order lane 16 in the first transport area 46 in the transport direction, at least the nearest first input device 132A, 132B located upstream in the transport direction in the first transport area 46 is associated with the specific order lane 16 as the priority input device. In the example shown in FIG. 20 , two first input devices 132A, 132B are present upstream in the transport direction in the first transport area 46 of "pair A (order lanes 16A, 16A')" of the order lane 16. Therefore, of the two first input devices 132A, 132B, the nearest first input device 132A is associated with "pair A" of the order lane 16 as the priority input device. Furthermore, the first input device 132B located on the upstream side in the conveying direction in the first conveying area 46 is associated with the "pair B (order lanes 16B, 16B')" of the order lane 16 as the priority input device.

[0194] Furthermore, if there are no first input devices 132A, 132B upstream of a specific order lane 16 in the first conveyance area 46 in the conveyance direction, at least the nearest second input devices 133C, 133D located downstream in the conveyance direction in the second conveyance area 48 are associated with the specific order lane 16 as priority input devices. In the example shown in FIG. 20, for "pair C (order lanes 16C, 16C')" of order lane 16, the nearest second input device 133C located downstream in the conveyance direction in the second conveyance area 48 and the second-closest second input device 133D are both associated as priority input devices. As a result, in the ordered product provision process (see FIG. 22), which will be described later, the details of an order to be sent to the in-store terminal device 20 provided along pair C are displayed on both the kitchen terminal device 22C provided corresponding to the second input device 133C and the kitchen terminal device 22D provided corresponding to the second input device 133D. Therefore, orders from the same pair (pair C in this embodiment) are prepared by multiple employees, which makes it easier to shorten the time it takes to provide the ordered items. In this embodiment, when the same order content is displayed on multiple kitchen terminal devices 22, an employee operates the order unit they wish to prepare among the order units displayed on the kitchen terminal devices 22, thereby inputting a request to start preparation for the operated order unit. The main control device 24 changes the display mode of the same order unit displayed on the other kitchen terminal devices 22 (for example, by changing the color of the order unit or erasing the order unit). As a result, the possibility of multiple employees preparing the same order unit in duplicate is reduced.

[0195] However, when multiple input devices are associated with a specific order lane 16 as priority input devices, the specific method for associating the order lane 16 with the priority input device can be selected as appropriate. For example, one of two order lanes 16 (e.g., order lanes 16C, 16C') constituting a pair may be associated with the closest input device (e.g., the second input device 133C), and the other may be associated with the second closest input device (e.g., the second input device 133D). In this case, the possibility of multiple employees preparing the same order unit in duplicate is reduced. Furthermore, each time an order is input to multiple in-store terminals 20 provided along pair C, the two input devices 133C, 133D associated with pair C may be alternately designated as priority input devices. In this case, not only is the possibility of multiple employees preparing the same order unit in duplicate reduced, but multiple orders input from pair C are alternately prepared by multiple employees. This results in more efficient order processing. Furthermore, among the ordered items input into the multiple in-store terminal devices 20 arranged along pair C, the second input device 133C may be designated as the priority input device for a specific item (e.g., "nigiri"), and the second input device 133D may be designated as the priority input device for items other than the specific item (e.g., "gunkan / side dish"). In this case, each of the multiple employees handling orders from pair C only needs to prepare the specific item for which they are responsible (in this embodiment, "nigiri" or "gunkan / side dish"). This facilitates improving employee work efficiency. However, only the nearest second input device 133C may be associated with "pair C" of order lane 16 as the priority input device.

[0196] As described above, in Modification Example 4, the multiple order lanes 16 include pairs of adjacent order lanes 16 (Pair A, Pair B, Pair C) that extend adjacent to each other within the store 12. The same input device is associated with each pair of adjacent order lanes 16 as a priority input device. Therefore, regardless of which of the pair of adjacent order lanes 16 a product 5 is transported to, the transport time for the product 5 is appropriately reduced.

[0197] Referring to Fig. 22, an ordered product providing process executed by the kitchen lane system 200 of Modification Example 4 will be described. In the ordered product providing process, an order input by a customer via the in-store terminal device 20 is output to at least one of the kitchen terminal devices 22A to 22D. In addition, the product 5 prepared in accordance with the order is delivered to the eating space (table 18) of the customer who placed the order. The ordered product providing process is executed by the main control device 24 of the kitchen lane system 200.

[0198] First, main control device 24 determines whether operation status information indicating the operation status of each of the multiple feeding devices has been input from kitchen terminal devices 22A-22D (S501). As shown in FIG. 23 , in modified example 4, each of the multiple kitchen terminal devices 22A-22D displays an operation status change button 88 on its display unit. When an employee temporarily leaves the feeding device they are responsible for, for example, for a break, or when a malfunction occurs in the feeding device they are responsible for, they operate the operation status change button 88 of kitchen terminal device 22 installed corresponding to the feeding device they are responsible for. When the operation status change button 88 is operated, kitchen terminal device 22 transmits to main control device 24 an instruction to update the operation status information ("operable state" or "inoperable state") indicating the operation status of the corresponding feeding device. When the operation status change button 88 is operated, kitchen terminal device 22 also switches the displayed operation status button 88 between "operating" and "inoperating." When an instruction to update the operation status information is input from kitchen terminal device 22 (S501: YES), main control device 24 updates the operation status information in accordance with the input instruction (S502). Therefore, the operation status of multiple feeding devices can be properly grasped by main control device 24 simply by an employee operating operation status change button 88 of kitchen terminal device 22.

[0199] Next, the main control device 24 determines whether an order for a product 5 has been input from a customer to at least one of the multiple in-store terminal devices 20 (S504). As described above, when an order is input from a customer, the in-store terminal device 20 associates the input order details with the eating space (table number in FIG. 20) of the customer who input the order, and outputs the associated information to the main control device 24. Furthermore, of the multiple order lanes 16, the order lane 16 that will transport the product 5 to each eating space (table 18) is predetermined. Furthermore, each order lane 16 is associated with a priority insertion device. When an order is input via the in-store terminal device 20 (S504: YES), the main control device 24 determines whether the priority insertion device associated with the order lane 16 that will transport the ordered product 5 is in an operable state based on the aforementioned operating status information (S505).

[0200] If the priority input device is operable (S505: YES), the main control device 24 outputs and displays the order details to the kitchen terminal device 22 that is provided as the priority input device among the multiple kitchen terminal devices 22A-22D (S506). The processing of S506 is an example of the first output processing of the present disclosure. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the order details displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22A when all input devices are operable. In this embodiment, the table number ("seat" in FIG. 23) to which the ordered product 5 will be delivered is also displayed on the display unit of the kitchen terminal device 22, along with the order details. FIG. 23 shows an example of the order details displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22A that is provided as the first input device 132A among the multiple kitchen terminal devices 22A-22D. As described above, in Modification Example 4, the first input device 132A is set as the priority input device for "pair A (order lanes 16A, 16A')" of the order lane 16. Therefore, when all of the feeding devices are in an operable state, the kitchen terminal device 22A provided on the first feeding device 132A displays the order details from the tables with the numbers "A1-A6" installed adjacent to "Pair A" of the order lane 16. Similarly, the kitchen terminal device 22B provided on the first feeding device 132B displays the order details from the tables with the numbers "B1-B6" installed adjacent to "Pair B (order lanes 16B, 16B')" of the order lane 16. Furthermore, the kitchen terminal device 22C provided on the second feeding device 133C displays the order details from the tables with the numbers "C1-C6" installed adjacent to "Pair C (order lanes 16C, 16C')" of the order lane 16. Therefore, the employee in charge of placing the products 5 on the feeding devices simply processes the order displayed on one of the kitchen terminal devices 22A-22D assigned to them, and the products 5 are delivered to customers efficiently and quickly.

[0201] The employee in charge of setting the products 5 in the feeding devices prepares the ordered products 5 for each order unit (in FIG. 23, for each frame displaying the order details). When the employee has completed preparing the products 5 for their assigned order unit (cooking the products 5, placing them on dishes, and setting them in their assigned feeding device), they operate the order unit for which the setting of the products 5 has been completed (i.e., the order unit for which the order for which the setting of the products 5 has been completed) from among one or more order units displayed on the display (touch panel) of the kitchen terminal device 22. The kitchen terminal device 22 notifies the main control device 24 that the setting of the products 5 for the operated order unit has been completed. When the main control device 22 is notified that the setting of the products 5 has been completed (S509: YES), it places the products 5 set in the feeding device into the circulation lane 28 (S510) and erases the order unit (the order unit operated by the employee) displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22 (S511). As described above, information indicating the destination table 18 (order source) of the product 5 inserted by the insertion device is associated in advance with each order unit. The main control device 20 controls the delivery device 34 and the like to transport the product inserted into the circulation lane 28 to the destination table 18 (S513 to S518).

[0202] When preparation of products 5 for multiple orders placed from the same in-store terminal device 20 is complete, the employee can collectively operate the multiple order units for which preparation is complete among the multiple order units displayed on the display unit of the kitchen terminal device 22. In this case, the products 5 for multiple order units are collectively delivered to the table 18 of the same order source (delivery destination).

[0203] As shown in Fig. 23, in this embodiment, two kitchen terminal devices 22 are associated with each of the multiple feeding devices. Fig. 23 shows the display units of two kitchen terminal devices 22A1 and 22A2 associated with the first feeding device 132A. The display unit of kitchen terminal device 22A1 displays an order for product 5 ("nigiri" in Fig. 23) to be prepared by the employee in charge. Meanwhile, the display unit of kitchen terminal device 22A2 displays an order for product 5 ("gunkan / side dish" in Fig. 23) to be prepared by a different employee.

[0204] Although not shown, in this embodiment, a specific product conveying device is installed in the kitchen 14 to transport gunkan and side dishes prepared at a predetermined location to the vicinity of each of the multiple feeding devices. The employee in charge of loading the products 5 onto the feeding device loads the specific product (gunkan and side dishes in FIG. 23 ) transported to the vicinity by the specific product conveying device into the feeding device for which they are responsible. The employee can input to the kitchen terminal device 22 that the loading of the specific product into the feeding device for which they are responsible has been completed by operating the order unit displayed on the display unit of the kitchen terminal device 22 for which the loading of the specific product has been completed. Note that when the preparation of products 5 for both the "nigiri" order unit and the "gunkan and side dishes" order unit ordered from the same in-store terminal device 20 is completed, the employee can simultaneously operate both the "nigiri" order unit and the "gunkan and side dishes" order unit displayed on the display unit of the kitchen terminal device 22.

[0205] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the main control device 24 displays multiple order units on the display unit of one kitchen terminal device 22, the orders are displayed in order from oldest to newest. As an example, in this embodiment, the multiple order units are displayed in order with the oldest order unit at the top and the newest order unit at the bottom. Therefore, employees can easily understand the order in which each order was placed based on the order of the multiple order units on the display unit of the kitchen terminal device 22. This makes it easier to process multiple orders more appropriately.

[0206] Furthermore, in this embodiment, employees can process orders in any order they like, regardless of the order order displayed on the display unit of the kitchen terminal device 22. As a result, multiple orders are often processed efficiently. For example, in the example shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, an order for "salmon roe" for a "gunkan / side dish" overlaps with an order for "nigiri" (sushi or sushi rolls) "below" from seat "A1." In this case, if the preparation of "salmon roe" at seat "A1" has already been completed, the preparation of "squid" at seat "A1" can also be completed, allowing the "salmon roe" and "squid" to be delivered together to seat "A1." Therefore, employees can improve product delivery efficiency by preparing "squid" that is different from the oldest order among the "nigiri" orders.

[0207] Furthermore, if the priority insertion device associated with the order lane 16 for transporting the ordered product 5 is not in an operable state (S505: NO), the main control device 24 outputs and displays the order details to the kitchen terminal device 22 installed corresponding to one of the multiple insertion devices other than the priority insertion device (S507). The processing of S507 is an example of the second output processing in the present disclosure. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the order details displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22A provided for the first insertion device 132A when the second insertion device 133C is not in an operable state. In the example shown in FIG. 24, the kitchen terminal device 22A provided for the first insertion device 132A also displays the order from the order lane 16 of "Pair C," whose priority insertion device is not the first insertion device 132A. Therefore, the ordered product can be properly delivered to the customer, for example, even if the employee in charge of the insertion device is on break or if a malfunction occurs in one of the insertion devices.

[0208] As shown in FIG. 24 , in this embodiment, orders are displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22 with a specific color assigned to each order unit, indicating the pair of order lanes 16 to which the order was input. Therefore, by simply looking at the color assigned to the order unit, employees can properly understand which of the multiple (three in this embodiment) pairs of order lanes 16 the order is being displayed from and perform their duties accordingly. Also, as described above, in this embodiment, the two order lanes 16 that make up each pair are positioned adjacent to each other. The same priority input device is associated with pairs of adjacent order lanes 16. In the kitchen terminal device 22, the same color is assigned to order units from the two order lanes 16 that make up the same pair. Therefore, employees can perform their duties efficiently by simply understanding the positions of the order lanes 16 for each pair, without having to identify the two order lanes 16 that make up the pair.

[0209] In the process of S507, the order details may be output to the kitchen terminal device 22 installed in all of the input devices other than the priority input device. Also, in the process of S507, the order details may be output to the kitchen terminal device 22 of the input device, among the multiple input devices other than the priority input device, that is closest in transport distance to the order lane 16 on which the table 18 on which the order was input is installed.

[0210] Also, as shown in Fig. 24, in this embodiment, the display method of orders output to kitchen terminal device 22 corresponding to the priority input device (a method in which the inside of a frame is displayed in black in Fig. 24) is different from the display method of orders output to kitchen terminal device 22 corresponding to input devices other than the priority input device (a method in which the inside of a frame is displayed in white in Fig. 24). Therefore, employees can properly understand whether or not each order is an order corresponding to a priority input device based on the display method of the orders displayed on kitchen terminal device 22.

[0211] Returning to the description of FIG. 22 , the main control device 24 determines whether the product 5 being transported by the circulation lane 28 has arrived at the destination order lane 16 (i.e., the order lane 16 where the orderer's table 18 is located) (S513). When the product 5 arrives at the destination order lane 16 (S513: YES), the main control device 24 determines whether the destination order lane 16 is ready to transport the product (in the present disclosure, whether another product 5 is still placed in the destination order lane 16) (S514). If the destination order lane 16 is not ready to transport the product (S514: NO), the main control device 24 bypasses the transfer device 34 from the circulation lane 28 to the destination order lane 16 (S515) and executes standby processing using the transfer device 30 (S516). In the standby processing, the main control device 24 controls the operation of the transfer device 30 to cause the product 5 to wait in an area of ​​the circulation lane 28 near the destination order lane 16. Furthermore, if the destination order lane 16 is ready to deliver the product (S514: YES), the main control device 24 executes delivery of the product 5 by the delivery device 34 from the circulation lane 28 to the destination order lane 16 (S518). The main control device 24 controls the drive of the destination order lane 16 to deliver the product 5 to the destination table (i.e., the table 18 of the customer who ordered the product 5). Then, the process returns to S501.

[0212] In S506 of Modification Example 4, if the priority insertion device is in an operable state, the order details are displayed only on the kitchen terminal device 22, among the multiple kitchen terminal devices 22A-22D, that is associated with the priority insertion device. However, in S506, the main control device 24 may output and display information indicating the priority insertion device pre-assigned to the order lane 16 of the customer who entered the order, along with the order details, to the multiple kitchen terminal devices 22A-22D. In this case, if the employee in charge of setting the products into the insertion device processes the order designated as the priority insertion device using the insertion device assigned to that employee, the products can be delivered to the customer efficiently and in a short time. Also, for example, if there is a high concentration of orders for a specific employee or if a specific employee is on break, another employee can process the order designated as the priority insertion device using an insertion device not assigned to that employee. This facilitates more efficient work. Note that a specific method for displaying information indicating the priority insertion device on the kitchen terminal device can be selected as appropriate. For example, as shown in FIG. 24 , at least one of a number indicating the order lane 16 or table 18 associated with the priority input device (the table number of "seat" in FIG. 24 ) and a color (the color of the frame for each order unit in FIG. 24 ) may be displayed along with the order details. For each order unit, a specific color indicating the pair of order lanes 16 to which the order was input may be assigned to each order unit, and the order may be displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22. As described above, when the same order details are displayed on multiple kitchen terminal devices 22, an employee may input a command to start preparation for the selected order unit by operating the order unit displayed on the kitchen terminal device 22 that the employee wishes to prepare. The main control device 24 may change the display mode of the same order unit displayed on kitchen terminal devices 22 other than the kitchen terminal device 22 to which the command to start preparation for the order unit was input. In this case, the possibility of multiple employees preparing the same order unit in duplicate is reduced.

[0213] As described above, in the kitchen lane system 300 of Modification Example 5, orders for all types of products among the multiple types of products are displayed on each of the multiple kitchen terminal devices 22 installed at each input device. Therefore, all types of products are input from each of the multiple input devices. As a result, compared to when the input devices to which ordered products are input are assigned by product type, it is easier to avoid a situation in which the serving time varies depending on the type of product (for example, the busyness of each employee in charge of preparing the products differs). Therefore, the time from when an order is input until the product is provided is appropriately shortened for all product types.

[0214] (Transformation Example 5) Next, a kitchen lane system 300 according to Modification Example 5, which is a further modification of Modification Example 4, will be described below. The configuration and processing of Modification Example 4 described above can be adopted for at least a part of the configuration and processing of the kitchen lane system (store system) 300 according to Modification Example 5. Therefore, the description of the parts of the configuration and processing of Modification Example 5 that can adopt the configuration and processing of Modification Example 4 described above will be omitted or simplified.

[0215] As shown in FIG. 25, the kitchen lane system 300 according to Modification Example 5 differs from the kitchen lane system according to Modification Example 4 (see FIG. 20) in that no input device is provided in the first transport area 46 of the circulation lane 28. On the other hand, the kitchen lane system 300 according to Modification Example 5 includes three input devices 133 (133A, 133B, 133C) that input products 5 at different positions in the second transport area 48 of the circulation lane 28. In the example shown in FIG. 25, the first input device 133A is provided in the second transport area 48, upstream of the first transfer device 30A. The second input device 133B is provided in the second transport area 48, downstream of the first transfer device 30A and upstream of the second transfer device 30B. The third input device 133C is provided in the second transport area 48, downstream of the second transfer device 30B. In addition, in kitchen lane system 300 according to modified example 5, first kitchen terminal device 22A is provided corresponding to first input device 133A. First kitchen terminal device 22B is provided corresponding to second input device 133B. Third kitchen terminal device 22C is provided corresponding to third input device 133C.

[0216] The circulation lane system 300 according to the fifth modified example can switch between a route-priority order output process and an item-specific order output process (an example of a third output process according to the present disclosure) as a process for outputting order details input via the in-store terminal device 20 to the kitchen terminal devices 22A-22C. The item-specific order output process is executed in a mode (item-restricted mode) in which the input devices 133 responsible for inputting specific items are limited to a portion of the multiple input devices 133. The main control device 24 switches between the route-priority order output process and the item-specific order output process according to instructions input by an employee. In the route-priority order output process, the main control device 24 outputs the order details to the kitchen terminal device 22 installed corresponding to the priority input device 133 that has the shortest transport route to the destination order lane 16 (shortest in the present disclosure) among the multiple input devices 133, regardless of the item of the ordered product 5, as in the fourth modified example. On the other hand, in the item-specific order output process, the main control device 24 outputs the order details to the kitchen terminal device 22 that is provided corresponding to the input device 133 that is responsible for the ordered item, among the multiple input devices 133. The item-specific order output process limits the employees responsible for inputting specific items to a select number of employees, thereby improving employee work efficiency. Therefore, by switching between the route-priority order output process and the item-specific order output process, the restaurant can be operated more smoothly.

[0217] The path-priority order output process in Modification Example 5 will be described. As shown in FIG. 26, in Modification Example 5, similar to Modification Example 4, one or more (one in the example of FIG. 26) input devices 133 from among the multiple input devices 133A-133C are associated with each of the multiple order lanes 16 as priority input devices in order of the shortest conveyance path to the corresponding order lane 16. Here, unlike Modification Example 4, in Modification Example 5, the length of the conveyance path from each input device 133 to the destination order lane 16 changes depending on whether or not the product 5 is conveyed from the second conveyance area 48 to the first conveyance area 46 by a conveyance device 30 (more specifically, shortcut devices 50A and 50B in the example shown in FIG. 25). Therefore, in Modification Example 4, a priority input device is associated with each of the multiple order lanes 16 so that the conveyance path to the corresponding order lane 16 is the shortest out of all conveyance paths, including the conveyance path of the circulation lane 28 and the conveyance path of the conveyance device 30. Therefore, in Modification Example 4, a priority transport route that is the shortest transport route to the corresponding order lane 16 from among all transport routes including the transport route of the circulation lane 28 and the transport route of the transfer device 30 is also associated with each of the multiple order lanes 16. When executing the route priority order output process in the order product provision process of Modification Example 5 (see FIG. 22), the main control device 24 causes the kitchen terminal device 22 of the priority input device to display the order details when the order is input (S506).

[0218] 25 and 26, the first input device 133A is associated with "pair A (shortcut lanes 16A, 16A')" as the priority input device, and the conveyance route via shortcut device 50A is associated as the priority conveyance route. In the order product provision process of modified example 5 (see FIG. 22), when the route-priority order output process is executed, after the first input device 133A inputs the product 5 into the circulation lane 28, the main control device 24 controls the operation of shortcut device 50A to convey the product 5 to the destination eating and drinking space (table 18 installed on order lanes 16A, 16A' of pair A) via the priority conveyance route that has the shortest path to pair A (i.e., first input device 133A, second conveyance area 48, shortcut device 50A, and first conveyance area 46). Furthermore, "pair B (shortcut lanes 16B, 16B')" is associated with the second input device 133B as the priority input device, and with a transport route that passes through the shortcut device 50B as the priority transport route. During the route priority order output process, when the second input device 133A inputs a product 5 into the circulation lane 28, the main control device 24 controls the operation of the shortcut device 50B to transport the product 5 to the destination eating and drinking space (table 18 installed on the order lanes 16B, 16B' of pair B) via the priority transport route that has the shortest path to pair B (i.e., the first input device 133A, the second transport area 48, the shortcut device 50B, and the first transport area 46). Furthermore, "pair C (shortcut lanes 16C, 16C')" is associated with the third input device 133C as the priority input device, and with a transport route that does not use the transfer device 30 as the priority transport route. When the route priority order output process is being executed, the main control device 24 causes the product 5 to be fed into the circulation lane 28 by the third feeding device 133C, and the product 5 is transported to the destination eating and drinking space (table 18 installed on order lanes 16C, 16C' of pair C) via the priority transport route that has the shortest route length to pair B (i.e., a transport route that does not use the transfer device 30).

[0219] The item-specific order output process in Modification Example 5 will be described. In the item restriction mode in which the item-specific order output process is executed, when an order is input from a customer via the in-store terminal device 20, the main control device 24 stores the input order details in association with the eating space (table number in this disclosure) of the customer who input the order. The main control device 24 also outputs the order details to the kitchen terminal device 22 that is provided corresponding to the input device 133 that is responsible for the ordered item, among the multiple input devices 133. Furthermore, when the kitchen terminal device 22 receives information that the product 5 has been placed in the input device 133, the main control device 24 executes the shortest transport process. In the shortest transport process, the main control device 24 controls the operation of the transport device 30 and the delivery device 34, thereby transporting the product 5 to the destination dining space via the transport route that has the shortest length from the input device 133 that input the product 5 to the dining space of the customer who entered the order (table 18 in variant example 5) out of all the transport routes, including the transport route of the circulation lane 28 and the transport route of the transport device 30.

[0220] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27, the shortest route from each of the multiple input devices 133A-133C to the multiple pairs of order lanes 16 is determined in advance. For example, the shortest route from the first input device 133A to the order lanes 16B, 16B' of pair B is a transport route that passes through the shortcut device 50B. Similarly, the shortest route from the third input device 133C to the order lanes 16A, 16A' of pair A is a transport route that does not use the transfer device 30. The main control device 24 controls the driving of the transfer device 30 and the delivery device 34 based on the shortest route correspondence table shown in FIG. 27, thereby transporting the product 5 to the destination order lane 16 via the shortest route that is the shortest route to the destination order lane 16.

[0221] In the item-specific order output process, similarly to the route-priority order output process and Modification Example 4, multiple order units are displayed on kitchen terminal device 22 in chronological order. Therefore, employees can easily understand the order in which each order was placed based on the order of the multiple order units on the display unit of kitchen terminal device 22. Furthermore, employees can process orders in any order they like, regardless of the order of the order units displayed on the display unit of kitchen terminal device 22. For example, multiple specific orders may be displayed on a single kitchen terminal device 22. Here, an example is shown in which a single kitchen terminal device 22 displays an order for tuna and salmon. Suppose the first order is for tuna, the second order is also for tuna, the third order is for salmon, and the fourth order is for tuna. It is more efficient for the employee to prepare the first, second, and fourth tuna together before preparing the third salmon. In this case, if the orders can be processed in the desired order regardless of the order order, the staff can prepare the first, second, and fourth tuna together and place them on the circulation lane 30, and then prepare the third salmon. This appropriately improves the work efficiency of the staff.

[0222] The kitchen lane system 300 of Modification Example 5 may be further modified. For example, the route-priority order output process and the item-specific order output process may be used in combination. For example, some of the multiple kitchen terminal devices 22 may be designated as specific kitchen terminal devices 22 that display only orders for specific items (e.g., items that are popular with customers). The other kitchen terminal devices 22 may be designated as kitchen terminal devices 22 corresponding to priority input devices (i.e., kitchen terminal devices 22 that are close to the order lane 16 where the order was input). In this case, products of the specific item are continuously input into the circulation lane 30 from input devices installed corresponding to the specific kitchen terminal devices 22. On the other hand, products other than the specific item are input into the circulation lane 30 from input devices that are close to the order lane 16 where the order was input. This allows for efficient provision of multiple products. The allocation of specific items may be changed according to instructions input by employees, etc. Furthermore, whether each of the multiple feeding devices is used as a feeding device for a specific item or as a priority feeding device may be changeable according to instructions input by an employee, etc. In this case, the employee can use the kitchen lane system 300 appropriately depending on the degree of busyness in the store, etc.

[0223] 5 items 14 Kitchen 16 Order Lane 20 Terminal device (in-store terminal device) 22 Terminal device (kitchen terminal device) 24 Control unit (main control unit) 28 Circulation Lane 30 Transfer device 32 Feeding device 34 Delivery device 46 First Transfer Area 48 Second Transfer Area 50 Shortcut Device 60 First input conveying path 62 Second input transport path 60a Input conveyor 64 Inlet 62 Guide section

Claims

1. A kitchen lane system installed in a restaurant kitchen, a circulation lane installed in the kitchen and circulating along a predetermined conveyance route to convey products; an input device that inputs at least one product prepared in response to an order from a customer into the circulation lane; a control device that controls the input device, the circulation lane includes a first transport area that transports the products in a first direction, and a second transport area that is located farther away from an order lane installed in the restaurant than the first transport area and that transports the products in a second direction that is different from the first direction; The control device is configured to control the input device to input the at least one product into either the first transport area or the second transport area in the circulation lane, in a kitchen lane system.

2. The kitchen lane system according to claim 1 , wherein the input device includes a first input conveying path that is controlled by the control device to input the at least one product into the first conveying area of ​​the kitchen lane.

3. The kitchen lane system of claim 2, wherein the first input conveying path is controlled by the control device and is arranged between the first conveying area and the second conveying area so as not to interfere with the at least one product being conveyed between both areas.

4. The kitchen lane system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the input device further comprises a second input conveying path for inputting the at least one commodity into the second conveying area of ​​the kitchen lane.

5. The kitchen lane system of claim 4, wherein the second input conveying path is located between the first conveying area and the second conveying area so as not to interfere with the at least one product being conveyed through both areas, or is located on the opposite side of the order lane in the second conveying area so as not to interfere with the at least one product being conveyed through the second conveying area.

6. the first input conveyance path includes an input conveyor along the first conveyance area and an input port through which the product is input into the circulation lane; The kitchen lane system according to claim 4 , wherein the second input conveying path comprises an input conveyor along the second conveying area and an input port for inputting the products into the circulation lane.

7. the first input conveying path and the second input conveying path each further include a guide unit that guides the product toward the circulation lane; The kitchen lane system according to claim 6, wherein the inlet is open at the downstream end of the guide portion.

8. a terminal device is provided which displays the products ordered by the customers and the order lanes corresponding to the customers who placed the orders, and which receives an input indicating that the products prepared in accordance with the orders have been set on the first input conveying path or the second input conveying path; The kitchen lane system according to claim 4 , wherein the control device controls the first input conveying path and the second input conveying path based on information input to the terminal device.

9. The kitchen lane system according to claim 8 , wherein the terminal device is provided on each of the first input conveying path and the second input conveying path.

10. A plurality of the order lanes extend into the store from different positions on the circulation lane; a delivery device provided corresponding to each of the plurality of order lanes, for delivering the products conveyed in the circulation lane to the corresponding order lane; A dining space where customers can eat and drink is provided along each of the plurality of order lanes, one or more input conveyance paths are associated as priority input devices with each of the plurality of order lanes from among a plurality of input conveyance paths including the first input conveyance path and the second input conveyance path in order of shortest conveyance path to the corresponding order lane; The control device a first output process for outputting the order details to the terminal device provided in the priority input device that is associated in advance with the order lane of the customer who input the order, among the plurality of input conveying paths, when the order is input from the customer; a delivery process in which the delivery device delivers the ordered product to the order lane at the timing when the ordered product is transported by the circulation lane to the order lane of the customer who input the order; The kitchen lane system of claim 9, wherein the

11. a transfer device that transfers the products transported on the circulation lane from the circulation lane to the order lane, 8. The kitchen lane system according to claim 6, wherein the inlet of the first feeding conveying path is located near the upstream side of the conveying path in the delivery device.

12. a transfer device that transfers the products transported on the circulation lane from the circulation lane to the order lane, a shortcut device located between the first transport area and the second transport area for transferring the at least one commodity from the second transport area to the first transport area; 8. The kitchen lane system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein an inlet of the first input conveying path is located in the first conveying area downstream of the conveying path in the shortcut device and upstream of the conveying path in the delivery device.

13. A kitchen lane system installed in a restaurant kitchen, a circulation lane installed in the kitchen and circulating along a predetermined conveyance route to convey products; a plurality of order lanes extending from different positions on the circulation lane into the restaurant, the order lanes transporting the products delivered from the circulation lane into the restaurant; a delivery device provided corresponding to each of the plurality of order lanes, for delivering the products conveyed on the circulation lane to the corresponding order lane; a plurality of feeding devices provided at different positions in the circulation lane and configured to feed at least one commodity prepared in response to an order from a customer into the circulation lane; a kitchen device used in the kitchen; A control device that controls the kitchen lane system, A dining space where customers can eat and drink is provided along each of the plurality of order lanes, one or more input devices are associated with each of the plurality of order lanes as priority input devices from among the plurality of input devices in order of shortest conveyance path to the corresponding order lane; The control device a first output process for outputting the order details to the kitchen device when an order is input from a customer, by selecting a priority input device from among the plurality of input devices that is associated in advance with the order lane of the customer who input the order as the input device that will preferentially input the ordered product; a delivery process in which the delivery device delivers the ordered product to the order lane at the timing when the ordered product is transported by the circulation lane to the order lane of the customer who input the order; This is the kitchen lane system that runs the process.

14. the circulation lane includes a first transport area that transports the products in a first direction, and a second transport area that is located farther away from the plurality of order lanes than the first transport area and that transports the products in a second direction that is different from the first direction; The feeding device includes a first feeding device that feeds the at least one commodity into the first transport area of ​​the kitchen lane, The kitchen lane system of claim 13, wherein when the first input device is located upstream of a specific order lane in the conveying direction in the first conveying area, at least the first input device located closest to the specific order lane in the conveying direction upstream in the first conveying area is assigned as the priority input device.

15. The feeding device further includes a second feeding device that feeds the at least one commodity into the second transport area of ​​the kitchen lane, The kitchen lane system of claim 14, wherein when the first input device is not present upstream of a specific order lane in the conveying direction in the first conveying area, at least the closest second input device located downstream of the conveying direction in the second conveying area is associated with the specific order lane as the priority input device.

16. The plurality of order lanes include a pair of adjacent order lanes extending adjacent to each other within the store, The kitchen lane system according to claim 13 , wherein the pair of adjacent order lanes are associated with the same input device as the priority input device.

17. The kitchen device includes a kitchen terminal device that displays the products ordered by the customer and receives an input indicating that the products prepared in accordance with the order have been placed in the feeding device, The kitchen terminal device is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of feeding devices, The control device In the first output process, the order contents are output and displayed only to the kitchen terminal device provided in the priority input device that is associated in advance with the order lane of the customer who input the order, among the plurality of kitchen terminal devices; The kitchen lane system according to claim 13, wherein the feeding device is controlled based on information input to the kitchen terminal device.

18. The control device acquiring information indicating whether each of the plurality of input devices is in use; The kitchen lane system of claim 17, wherein when an order is input from a customer, if the priority input device pre-associated with the order lane of the customer who input the order is not in use, a second output process is executed to output and display the order contents to a kitchen terminal device among the multiple kitchen terminal devices that is provided on an input device other than the priority input device.

19. The kitchen device includes a kitchen terminal device that displays the products ordered by the customer and receives an input indicating that the products prepared in accordance with the order have been placed in the feeding device, The kitchen terminal device is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of feeding devices, The control device In the first output process, information indicating the priority input device that is associated in advance with the order lane of the customer who inputted the order is output to the plurality of kitchen terminal devices together with the order content for display; The kitchen lane system according to claim 13, wherein the feeding device is controlled based on information input to the kitchen terminal device.

20. the circulation lane includes a first transport area that transports the products in a first direction, and a second transport area that is located farther away from the plurality of order lanes than the first transport area and that transports the products in a second direction that is different from the first direction; a transport device that transports products between the first transport area and the second transport area in the circulation lane; The kitchen lane system of claim 13, characterized in that one or more input devices are associated with each of the plurality of order lanes as priority input devices in order of the shortest transport path to the corresponding order lane among all transport paths including the transport path of the circulation lane and the transport path of the transfer device.

21. The kitchen device includes a kitchen terminal device that displays the products ordered by the customer and receives an input indicating that the products prepared in accordance with the order have been placed in the feeding device, The kitchen terminal device is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of feeding devices, The control device receiving an input of an instruction to execute an item restriction mode in which the input device responsible for inputting a specific item is limited to a part of the plurality of input devices; The kitchen lane system of claim 13, wherein when an order is input from a customer during the item restriction mode, a third output process is executed to output and display the order contents on the kitchen terminal device provided in the input device that is responsible for the ordered item among the plurality of input devices.

22. A kitchen lane system installed in a restaurant kitchen, a circulation lane installed in the kitchen and circulating along a predetermined conveyance route to convey products; a plurality of order lanes extending from different positions on the circulation lane into the restaurant, the order lanes transporting the products delivered from the circulation lane into the restaurant; a delivery device provided corresponding to each of the plurality of order lanes, for delivering the products conveyed on the circulation lane to the corresponding order lane; a plurality of feeding devices provided at different positions in the circulation lane and configured to feed at least one commodity prepared in response to an order from a customer into the circulation lane; a kitchen device used in the kitchen; A control device that controls the kitchen lane system, the circulation lane includes a first transport area that transports the products in a first direction, and a second transport area that is located farther away from the plurality of order lanes than the first transport area and that transports the products in a second direction that is different from the first direction; a transport device that transports products between the first transport area and the second transport area in the circulation lane; A dining space where customers can eat and drink is provided along each of the plurality of order lanes, The control device an order processing that, when an order is input from a customer, stores the input order details in association with the eating and drinking space of the customer who input the order, and outputs the input order details to the kitchen device; When the product prepared according to the order content is input into the circulation lane by any of the plurality of input devices, a shortest transport process is performed to transport the product to the eating space via a transport route that is the shortest among all transport routes including the transport route of the circulation lane and the transport route of the transfer device from the input device that input the product to the eating space of the customer who input the order; This is the kitchen lane system that runs the process.

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