Food and beverage transport device and food and beverage transport system

Abstract

To deliver cooked food and beverages to each table more efficiently. [Solution] The system includes a delivery unit 70D that sends cooked food and beverages D3 and D4 from a kitchen-side delivery unit 32 to multiple customer-side delivery units, and a distribution unit 60 that distributes the food and beverages sent by the delivery unit 70D to each customer-side delivery unit. The delivery unit 70D includes a plurality of first delivery paths 60c1 and 60c2 provided adjacent to the downstream of the kitchen-side delivery unit 32, and a plurality of second delivery paths 70D-1, 70D-2, 70D-3, and 70D-4 provided adjacent to the downstream of each of the first delivery paths 60c1 and 60c2. Each first delivery path and each second delivery path is configured as a delivery device capable of repeatedly stopping and delivering food and beverages.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food and beverage transport device and a food and beverage transport system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a serving device that distributes plates of food and beverages from a supply source to multiple destinations (rows of seating) via a supply conveyor. In the device of Patent Document 1, if the transport of plates becomes delayed due to reasons such as an increase in the number of plates to be supplied to any of the destinations (each seating area), it is necessary to stop supplying plates from the supply source to all destinations. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-121919 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a food and beverage transport device and system that can more efficiently deliver cooked food and beverages to each customer seat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a food and beverage transport device transports food and beverages prepared in a kitchen from a kitchen-side transport unit to each customer seat, comprising: a delivery unit that sends the prepared food and beverages from the kitchen-side transport unit to a plurality of customer seat-side transport units; and a distribution unit that distributes the food and beverages sent from the delivery unit to each customer seat-side transport unit. The delivery unit includes a plurality of first delivery paths provided adjacent to the downstream of the kitchen-side transport unit, and a plurality of second delivery paths provided adjacent to the downstream of each first delivery path, and each first delivery path and each second delivery path is configured as a delivery device capable of repeatedly stopping and transporting to deliver food and beverages. Furthermore, the distribution unit comprises a first distribution means that distributes the food and beverages sent from the kitchen-side transport unit to one of the first delivery paths, and a second distribution means that distributes the food and beverages distributed to each first delivery path to one of the second delivery paths. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to this embodiment, cooked food and beverages can be served to each customer more efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a food and beverage transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the configuration of the upper transport system. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the configuration of the lower transport system. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the details of the lower sorting device. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control device. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates a first control example in dish jam response control. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates a second control example in the dish jam response control. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates a third control example in dish jam response control. [Figure 9]This figure shows the configuration of a food and beverage transport system with modifications. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following describes embodiments for carrying out the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are only one aspect of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, in the embodiments described below, the food and beverages to be served to customers consist of dishes prepared in the restaurant's kitchen and consumed by customers, and containers for storing and transporting these dishes. While this embodiment assumes a restaurant that primarily serves sushi as the dish, placed on sushi plates as the container, it can also be appropriately adopted by restaurants that serve other dishes (such as udon noodles, fried chicken, tempura, ramen, grilled meat, pasta, cakes, juices, beer, alcohol, etc.) in containers suitable for those dishes (sushi plates, plates, bowls, cups, glasses, etc.) to customers. The containers contain RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips.

[0009] [Food and beverage delivery system] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the food and beverage transport system 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the food and beverage transport system 10 is configured to transport plates of food (for example, nigiri sushi, gunkan maki, etc., served in a sushi restaurant) prepared in multiple kitchens (four in Figure 1, K1, K2, K3, and K4) located within the store, to each customer seat (particularly seat groups C1 to C3). Specifically, in the food and beverage transport system 10, under the command of the control device 100, the food prepared in each kitchen K1, K2, K3, and K4 is provided to each customer seat group C1 to C3 via either the upper transport section (upper transport conveyor 70U) or the lower transport section (lower transport conveyor 70D), which are stacked vertically on the same plane. The area where food is prepared, including the kitchens (four in Figure 1, K1, K2, K3, and K4), is called the kitchen.

[0010] In particular, the food and beverage transport system 10 of this embodiment is composed of an upper transport system 10U and a lower transport system 10D. The upper transport system 10U transports plates D1 or D2, which are topped with dishes prepared in the first kitchen K1 and / or the second kitchen K2, to one of the seating groups C1 to C3. On the other hand, the lower transport system 10D transports plates D3 or D4, which are topped with dishes prepared in the third kitchen K3 and / or the fourth kitchen K4, to one of the common seating groups C1 to C3 via the lower transport conveyor 70D. Figures 2 and 3 show the configurations of the upper transport system 10U and the lower transport system 10D, respectively.

[0011] [Upper-level transport system] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper transport system 10U of the food and beverage transport system 10 mainly consists of the first kitchen conveyor 12, the upper sorting device 50, and the upper transport conveyor 70U.

[0012] The first kitchen conveyor 12 is a conveyor that transports plates D supplied to its downstream end (base end) by a device (not shown) or store staff, and during the transport process, supplies (sends out) dishes (such as sushi) that have been cooked in the first kitchen K1 or second kitchen K2 to the upper sorting device 50.

[0013] The first kitchen conveyor 12 in this embodiment is composed of a base-end conveyor 12a, a branch conveyor 12b, and a terminal-end conveyor 12c, which are arranged in order from upstream to downstream.

[0014] The base-side conveyor 12a is a conveyor that sends rice to the branch conveyor 12b via the rice-loading device 21 and the first cooking area K1. In particular, the base-side conveyor 12a is composed of one or more (four in the figure) unit conveyor units. The end of the base-side conveyor 12a (the downstream unit conveyor unit) is connected to (adjacent to) the base end of the branch conveyor 12b. Each unit conveyor unit constituting the base-side conveyor 12a is configured to be individually switched between driving and stopping by operation of the control device 100 or a manual switch (not shown).

[0015] The sushi rice serving device 21 is a device that automatically forms balls of rice of a shape and size suitable for subsequent cooking operations onto empty plates D supplied to the base-side conveyor 12a. The cooking operations include the process of placing sushi toppings on top of the sushi rice balls (hereinafter referred to as "attaching" as appropriate). Sushi toppings refer to ingredients that make up a sushi menu, such as bite-sized pieces of seafood, omelets, hamburgers, fried foods, vegetables, or other foods. Furthermore, sushi rice balls refer to rice prepared for sushi that has been shaped into a cylindrical form.

[0016] Furthermore, the first kitchen K1 is equipped with a topping pack preparation table 22 where cooking staff O1 prepares the sushi toppings to be attached to the rice balls. Specifically, the topping pack preparation table 22 is equipped with a predetermined number of topping packs (three in the diagram) that hold multiple portions of a single sushi topping included in the various sushi menus offered at the restaurant.

[0017] When plates D with sushi rice are supplied to the first kitchen K1, a plate detection sensor (not shown) detects the plates D and stops the drive of the base-side conveyor 12a (particularly the unit conveyor unit located in front of the first kitchen K1), and sushi toppings are attached to the stopped plates D according to the order. However, instead of stopping the drive of the base-side conveyor 12a by the plate detection sensor, cooking staff O1 may operate a manual switch to stop the drive of the base-side conveyor 12a (particularly the unit conveyor unit located in front of the first kitchen K1) when a predetermined number of plates D with sushi rice are supplied to the first kitchen K1, and then sushi toppings are attached to the stopped plates D according to the order. In particular, cooking staff O1 can, for example, understand the order by referring to the display on a display device (not shown) installed around the first kitchen K1. Then, after the cooking staff O1 has finished attaching the toppings, they operate a manual switch, which drives the base-side conveyor belt 12a, and the plate D1 with the finished toppings (sushi) is sent out.

[0018] Furthermore, an RFID writer 24 and a cooking route switcher 25 are provided near the end of the base-side conveyor 12a.

[0019] The RFID writer 24 is a device that detects the arrival of plate D1, which has been prepared and is carrying sushi, in the first kitchen K1, and writes predetermined plate information to plate D1 (more specifically, to the RF tag embedded in plate D1). In this embodiment, the concept of writing plate information to plate D1 includes not only writing the plate information to an information writing area such as an RF tag embedded in plate D1 itself, but also writing the plate information to an information writing area provided on an accessory that is transported together with plate D1 (for example, a cover that covers the food placed on each plate). The same applies to the concept of writing plate information to plate D3 or plate D4, which will be described later.

[0020] The cooking route switcher 25 is composed of a movable lever that moves between a first position (solid line in the figure) and a second position (dotted line in the figure) depending on whether additional cooking processes (such as searing or adding toppings) are required for the sushi placed on the plate D1, under the control of the control device 100. In particular, when the cooking route switcher 25 is in the first position, the plate D1 sent from the first cooking area K1 is guided (sorted) to the first route of the branching conveyor 12b (the additional cooking route 12b1 described later). On the other hand, when the cooking route switcher 25 is in the second position, the plate D1 sent from the first cooking area K1 is guided (sorted) to the second route of the branching conveyor 12b (the direct route 12b2 described later).

[0021] The branching conveyor 12b is composed of an additional cooking route 12b1 and a direct route 12b2 that branch off from the downstream end of the base conveyor 12a. Both the additional cooking route 12b1 and the direct route 12b2 merge with the terminal conveyor 12c at the downstream junction J1.

[0022] The additional cooking route 12b1 is a conveyor that sends the plates D1 (dishes requiring additional cooking) sorted by the cooking route switch 25 to the terminal conveyor 12c via the second cooking area K2. The additional cooking route 12b1 is composed of one or more (three in the figure) unit conveyor units. The end of the additional cooking route 12b1 (the downstream unit conveyor unit) is connected to (adjacent to) the base end (junction J1) of the terminal conveyor 12c. Each unit conveyor unit constituting the additional cooking route 12b1 is configured to be individually switched between driving and stopping by operation of the control device 100 or a manual switch (not shown).

[0023] Furthermore, a second kitchen K2 is located along the additional cooking route 12b1. The second kitchen K2 is equipped with a topping preparation table 27 where the ingredients necessary for the toppings that cooking staff O2 will add to the sushi on plate D1 are prepared. In particular, a predetermined number (3 in the diagram) of packs that hold multiple units of each topping ingredient are placed on the topping preparation table 27.

[0024] When a plate D1 is supplied to the second kitchen K2, a plate detection sensor (not shown) detects the plate D1 and stops the drive of the additional cooking path 12b1 (particularly the unit conveyor unit located in front of the second kitchen K2), and toppings according to the order are added to the plate D1 that has stopped in front of the second kitchen K2. However, instead of stopping the drive of the additional cooking path 12b1 by the plate detection sensor, cooking staff O2 may operate a manual switch to stop the drive of the additional cooking path 12b1 (particularly the unit conveyor unit located in front of the second kitchen K2) when a predetermined number of plates D1 are supplied to the second kitchen K2, and toppings according to the order are added to the plate D1 that has stopped in front of the second kitchen K2. In particular, cooking staff O2 can, for example, understand the order by referring to the display on a display device (not shown) installed around the second kitchen K2.

[0025] Then, when cooking staff O2 operates the manual switch again after completing the additional cooking, the additional cooking path 12b1 is activated, and plate D2 with the completed additional cooking (sushi) is sent out.

[0026] On the other hand, the direct route 12b2 is a conveyor that sends the plates D1 (dishes that do not require additional cooking) that have been sorted by the cooking route switch 25 to the terminal conveyor 12c. The direct route 12b2 is composed of one or more (two in the figure) unit conveyor units. The end of the direct route 12b2 (the downstream unit conveyor unit) is connected to (adjacent to) the base end (junction J1) of the terminal conveyor 12c. Each unit conveyor unit constituting the direct route 12b2 is configured to be individually switched between driving and stopping by operating a manual switch (not shown).

[0027] The terminal conveyor 12c is a conveyor whose upstream end is connected to (adjacent to) the branch conveyor 12b (additional cooking route 12b1 and direct route 12b2), and whose downstream end is connected to (adjacent to) the upper sorting device 50. The terminal conveyor 12c is composed of one or more (one in the figure) unit conveyors and is configured to be able to switch between driving and stopping under command from the control device 100.

[0028] Furthermore, an RFID reader 26 is provided on the terminal conveyor 12c immediately before the point where it merges with the upper sorting device 50. The RFID reader 26 detects the arrival of plate D1, which has only undergone cooking (topping) in the first cooking area K1, or plate D2, which has undergone additional cooking in addition to the cooking process, and reads the plate information written (recorded) on plate D1 or plate D2. In this embodiment, the concept of reading the plate information of plate D1 or plate D2 includes not only reading the plate information written in the information writing area of ​​an RF tag or the like embedded in plate D1 or plate D2 itself, but also reading the plate information written in the information writing area of ​​an accessory (for example, a cover that covers the food placed on each plate) that is transported together with plate D1 or plate D2. The same applies to the concept of reading the plate information of plate D3 or plate D4, which will be described later.

[0029] According to the configuration of the first kitchen conveyor 12 described above, plate D1, which has only undergone cooking in the first cooking area K1, and plate D2, which has undergone further cooking, merge at the terminal conveyor 12c, and after the RFID reader 26 reads the information of each plate, they are sent to the upper sorting device 50.

[0030] The upper sorting device 50 is a device that sorts the transport route of plate D1 or plate D2 to either the first upper transport route 70U-1 or the second upper transport route 70U-2 on the upper transport conveyor 70U. In particular, the upper sorting device 50 includes an upper standby conveyor 50a and an upper switch 50b.

[0031] The upper standby conveyor 50a is a conveyor whose upstream end is connected to (adjacent to) the first kitchen conveyor 12 (especially the terminal conveyor 12c), and whose downstream end is connected to (adjacent to) the upper transport conveyor 70U. In particular, the upper standby conveyor 50a is configured as a wider conveyor (especially a single conveyor unit in the figure) than the terminal conveyor 12c and the upper transport conveyor 70U. Furthermore, the upper standby conveyor 50a is configured to be switchable between driving and stopping under the control of the control device 100. Note that the upper standby conveyor 50a may be configured as a slope-shaped conveyor, taking into account the height difference between the terminal conveyor 12c and the upper transport conveyor 70U.

[0032] The upper switch 50b is composed of a movable lever that moves between a first position (solid line in the figure) and a second position (dotted line in the figure) under the control of the control device 100. In particular, when the upper switch 50b is in the first position, the plate D1 or plate D2 sent from the terminal conveyor 12c is guided (sorted) to the path toward the upper left in Figure 2 on the upper transport conveyor 70U (hereinafter referred to as "first upper transport path 70U-1"). On the other hand, when the upper switch 50b is in the second position, the plate D1 or plate D2 is guided (sorted) to the path toward the upper right in Figure 2 on the upper transport conveyor 70U (hereinafter referred to as "second upper transport path 70U-2").

[0033] The upper conveying conveyor 70U is configured as a conveyor for providing (supplying) dishes D1 or dishes D2 sorted by the upper sorting device 50 to each of the audience seat groups C1 to C3. In particular, the upper conveying conveyor 70U is composed of the first upper conveying path 70U-1 and the second upper conveying path 70U-2 described above.

[0034] The first upper conveying path 70U-1 conveys the dishes D1 or D2 to each audience seat row C of the audience seat group C1 11 ,C 12 to the entrances of the pair of upper audience seat conveyors R along 11U ,R 12U , and to the entrances of the pair of upper audience seat conveyors R along each audience seat row C of the audience seat group C2 21 ,C 22 to the entrances of the pair of upper audience seat conveyors R along 21U ,R 22U , and is configured as a conveying path (conveyor) for conveying to the above entrances. In particular, the first upper conveying path 70U-1 includes a plurality of (eight in the figure) unit conveyor units arranged to extend leftward in the drawing from the terminal end of the upper sorting device 50 (particularly the upper standby conveyor 50a), a pair of unit conveyor units respectively connected to each upper audience seat conveyor R at an intermediate position 21U ,R 22U , and a pair of unit conveyor units respectively connected to each upper audience seat conveyor R at the most downstream position 11U ,R 12U , whereby the first upper conveying path 70U-1 is constituted. Each unit conveyor unit constituting the first upper conveying path 70U-1 is configured to be capable of individually switching between driving and stopping under instructions from the control device 100.

[0035] Further, near the entrance of each upper audience seat conveyor R in the first upper conveying path 70U-1 21U ,R 22U , a switcher 70Ua is provided. Under the instruction from the control device 100, the switcher 70Ua switches the conveying destination of the dish D1 or the dish D2 to the upper audience seat conveyor R connected to the audience seat row C 21 connected to audience seat row C 21U , the upper audience seat conveyor R connected to audience seat row C 22 connected to audience seat row C 22U , and each subsequent audience seat row C 11 ,C12 It is configured as a pair of movable levers for switching between paths that lead to it. Furthermore, each passenger seat row C in the first upper transport path 70U-1 11 ,C 12 (Upper seating conveyor belt R) 11U ,R 12U A switch 70Ub is provided near the entrance of the upper seating area. The switch 70Ub controls the destination of plate D1 or plate D2 to the upper seating area conveyor R, under the command of the control device 100. 11U and upper seating conveyor R 12U It is configured as a movable lever that switches between either of the following states.

[0036] Meanwhile, the second upper transport path 70U-2 transports plate D1 or plate D2 to each seat row C of the seating group C3. 31 ,C 32 A pair of upper seating conveyors R along the side 31U ,R 32U It is configured as a conveyor route that transports passengers to the entrance. In particular, the second upper transport route 70U-2 consists of unit conveyor units (two in the diagram) that are arranged to extend from the end of the upper sorting device 50 (especially the upper waiting conveyor 50a) toward the right in the diagram, and each upper seat conveyor R at the downstream position. 31U ,R 32U It consists of a pair of unit conveyor units connected to each other. Each unit conveyor unit constituting the second upper transport path 70U-2 is configured to be individually driven and stopped under the command of the control device 100.

[0037] Furthermore, each upper seat conveyor R in the second upper transport route 70U-2 31U ,R 32U A switch 70Uc is provided near the entrance. The switch 70Uc controls the destination of plate D1 or plate D2 to the upper seating conveyor R, under the command of the control device 100. 31U and upper seating conveyor R 32U It is configured as a movable lever that switches between either of the following states.

[0038] With the configuration of the upper transport system 10U described above, plates D1 on which dishes prepared in the first kitchen K1 are placed, or plates D2 on which dishes prepared in both the first kitchen K1 and the second kitchen K2 are placed, can be appropriately distributed and transported to each seating group C1 to C3.

[0039] [Lower-level transport system] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the lower transport system 10D of the food and beverage transport system 10 mainly consists of a second kitchen conveyor 32, a lower sorting device 60, and a lower transport conveyor 70D.

[0040] The second kitchen conveyor 32 is a conveyor that transports plates D supplied to its downstream end (base end) by a device (not shown) or by store staff, and during the transport process, supplies (sends out) dishes (side dishes or gunkan maki, etc.) that have been cooked in the third kitchen K3 or fourth kitchen K4 to the lower sorting device 60. The second kitchen conveyor 32 in this embodiment is composed of a main route conveyor 32a and a secondary route conveyor 32b.

[0041] The main route conveyor 32a is a conveyor that supplies (sends out) plates D3, which carry dishes (such as desserts and other side dishes) prepared in the third kitchen K3, and plates D4, which carry dishes (such as gunkanmaki) prepared in the fourth kitchen K4, to the lower sorting device 60. In particular, the main route conveyor 32a is composed of one or more (two in the figure) unit conveyor units. The end of the main route conveyor 32a (the end of the downstream unit conveyor unit) is connected to (adjacent to) the lower sorting device 60. The upstream unit conveyor unit that makes up the main route conveyor 32a is configured to be able to switch between driving and stopping by detecting plates D3 with a plate detection sensor (not shown) or by operating a manual switch (not shown). The downstream unit conveyor unit that makes up the main route conveyor 32a is configured to be able to switch between driving and stopping under the control of the control device 100.

[0042] In particular, the unit conveyor unit upstream of the main path conveyor 32a is configured to be able to switch between driving and stopping under the control of the control device 100 by detecting a plate D3 using a plate detection sensor (not shown). Here, instead of stopping the driving of the main path conveyor 32a by the plate detection sensor and the control device 100, the driving and stopping may be switched by the cooking staff O3 of the third kitchen K3 according to the progress of the cooking work in the third kitchen K3 by appropriately operating a manual switch. The third kitchen K3 may be the same kitchen that prepares sushi or gunkanmaki as the first kitchen K1 or the fourth kitchen K4.

[0043] Furthermore, an RFID writer 44 is provided on the unit conveyor unit downstream of the main route conveyor 32a. The RFID writer 44 is a device that detects the arrival of a plate D3 carrying food prepared in the third kitchen K3 and writes predetermined plate information to the plate D3 (more specifically, to the RF tag embedded in the plate D3). In addition, a secondary route conveyor 32b (a conveyor that transports plates D4 from the fourth kitchen K4) joins at the confluence J2 downstream of the RFID writer 44.

[0044] Furthermore, an RFID reader 46 is provided on the unit conveyor unit downstream of the main route conveyor 32a at a position downstream of the confluence J2 (the furthest downstream end of the main route conveyor 32a in the figure). The RFID reader 46 detects the arrival of plate D3 from the third cooking area K3 or plate D4 joining from the fourth cooking area K4 using a plate detection sensor (not shown), and reads the plate information written (recorded) on plate D3 or plate D4.

[0045] On the other hand, the secondary conveyor 32b is a conveyor that sends rice for gunkanmaki (battleship roll sushi) to the main conveyor 32a via the rice-loading device 41 and the second kitchen K2. In particular, the secondary conveyor 32b is composed of one or more (three in the figure) unit conveyor units. The end of the secondary conveyor 32b (the downstream unit conveyor unit) connects to (merges with) the main conveyor 32a. Each unit conveyor unit constituting the secondary conveyor 32b is configured to be individually driven and stopped by operating a manual switch (not shown).

[0046] The gunkanmaki rice-placing device 41 is a device that automatically forms rice balls of a shape and size suitable for the subsequent cooking process (attaching gunkanmaki toppings) onto the plate D supplied to the secondary conveyor 32b, and automatically wraps seaweed around the rice balls to produce gunkanmaki rice.

[0047] Furthermore, the fourth kitchen, K4, is equipped with a gunkanmaki topping pack preparation table 42 where cooking staff O4 prepares the toppings for gunkanmaki, which are then attached to the rice balls for gunkanmaki. Specifically, the gunkanmaki topping pack preparation table 42 is equipped with a predetermined number of topping packs (three in the diagram) that hold multiple portions of a single gunkanmaki topping included in the various gunkanmaki menus offered at the store.

[0048] When a plate D with rice for gunkanmaki is supplied to the fourth kitchen K4, a plate detection sensor (not shown) detects the plate D and stops the drive of the secondary conveyor 32b (particularly the unit conveyor unit located in front of the fourth kitchen K4). Then, the cooking staff O4 attaches the gunkanmaki toppings to the stopped plate D according to the order. Alternatively, instead of stopping the drive of the secondary conveyor 32b by the plate detection sensor, the cooking staff O4 may operate a manual switch to stop the drive of the secondary conveyor 32b (particularly the unit conveyor unit located in front of the fourth kitchen K4) when a predetermined number of plates D with rice for gunkanmaki are supplied to the fourth kitchen K4, and then attach the gunkanmaki toppings to the stopped plate D according to the order. The cooking staff O4 can, for example, understand the order by referring to the display on a display device (not shown) installed around the fourth kitchen K4. Then, after cooking staff O4 has finished attaching the toppings, he operates a manual switch to drive the secondary conveyor 32b, and the plate D4 with the toppings attached (the plate D4 with the cooked gunkan maki on it) is sent to the main conveyor 32a.

[0049] Furthermore, an RFID writer 47 is provided near the end of the secondary conveyor 32b (just before the junction J2). The RFID writer 47 is a device that detects the arrival of a plate D4 on which food and beverages (more specifically, gunkanmaki) prepared in the fourth kitchen K4 are placed, and writes predetermined plate information to the plate D4 (more specifically, to the RF tag embedded in the plate D4).

[0050] According to the configuration of the second kitchen conveyor 32 described above, plate D3, which has been cooked in the third cooking area K3, and plate D4, which has been cooked in the fourth cooking area K4, converge on the main conveyor 32a, and after the RFID reader 46 reads the information of each plate, they are sent to the lower sorting device 60.

[0051] The lower level sorting device 60 is a device that sorts the transport route of plate D3 or plate D4 to one of the first lower transport route 70D-1, the second lower transport route 70D-2, the third lower transport route 70D-3, and the fourth lower transport route 70D-4 on the lower level transport conveyor 70D.

[0052] Figure 4 shows the details of the lower sorting device 60. As shown in the figure, the lower sorting device 60 includes a front waiting conveyor 60a, a front sorter 60b, a rear waiting conveyor 60c, and a rear sorter 60d.

[0053] The front standby conveyor 60a has its upstream end connected to (adjacent to) the second kitchen conveyor 32 (especially the main route conveyor 32a), and its downstream end connected to (adjacent to) the rear standby conveyor 60c. In particular, the front standby conveyor 60a is configured as a conveyor unit with a larger area (width) than the main route conveyor 32a. Furthermore, the conveyor unit constituting the front standby conveyor 60a is configured to be switchable between driving and stopping under the control of the control device 100.

[0054] The forward sorter 60b is installed downstream of the forward standby conveyor 60a (at the junction with the rear standby conveyor 60c). The forward sorter 60b is composed of a movable lever that moves between a first position (solid line in the figure) and a second position (dotted line in the figure) under the control of the control device 100. In particular, when the forward sorter 60b is in the first position, the plates D3 or D4 sent from the main path conveyor 32a are guided (sorted) to one of the conveyor units that make up the rear standby conveyor 60c (hereinafter referred to as "rear standby conveyor unit 60c1"). On the other hand, when the forward sorter 60b is in the second position, the plates D3 or D4 are guided (sorted) to the other conveyor that makes up the rear standby conveyor 60c (hereinafter referred to as "rear standby conveyor unit 60c2").

[0055] The rear standby conveyor 60c is composed of a set of two unit conveyor units (the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1 and the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 described above).

[0056] One of the rear standby conveyor units 60c1 has its upstream end connected to (adjacent to) the front standby conveyor 60a, and its downstream end connected to (adjacent to) the first lower transport path 70D-1 and the third lower transport path 70D-3, respectively. In other words, a transport route for plate D3 or plate D4 is constructed that branches off from the downstream end of standby conveyor unit 60c1 to the first lower transport path 70D-1 and the third lower transport path 70D-3, respectively. The other rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 has its upstream end connected to (adjacent to) the front standby conveyor 60a, and its downstream end connected to (adjacent to) the second lower transport path 70D-2 and the fourth lower transport path 70D-4, respectively. In other words, a transport route for plate D3 or plate D4 is constructed that branches off from the downstream end of standby conveyor unit 60c2 to the second lower transport path 70D-2 and the fourth lower transport path 70D-4, respectively. Furthermore, each of the downstream standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2 is configured to be switchable between driving and stopping under the control of the control device 100. In other words, each of the downstream standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2 functions as a delivery device capable of intermittently sending out plates D3 or D4 one by one or in multiple units downstream by repeatedly stopping and conveying.

[0057] The rear sorter 60d consists of a pair of movable levers 60d1 and 60d2 that can be driven individually under the control of the control device 100.

[0058] One of the movable levers, 60d1, is located at the downstream end of the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1. This movable lever 60d1 is movable between a first position (solid line in the figure) and a second position (dotted line in the figure). In particular, when the movable lever 60d1 is in the first position (solid line in the figure), the plate D3 or plate D4 sent from the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1 is guided (sorted) to the first lower transport path 70D-1. On the other hand, when the movable lever 60d1 is in the second position (dotted line in the figure), the plate D3 or plate D4 is guided (sorted) to the third lower transport path 70D-3.

[0059] Furthermore, the other movable lever 60d2 is provided at the downstream end of the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2. This movable lever 60d2 is movable between a first position (solid line in the figure) and a second position (dotted line in the figure). In particular, when the movable lever 60d2 is in the first position (solid line in the figure), the plate D3 or plate D4 sent from the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 is guided (sorted) to the second lower transport path 70D-2. On the other hand, when the movable lever 60d1 is in the second position (dotted line in the figure), the plate D3 or plate D4 is guided (sorted) to the fourth lower transport path 70D-4.

[0060] Furthermore, in the lower level distribution device 60, intermediate positions of the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1, intermediate positions of the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2, near the entrance of the first lower transport path 70D-1, near the entrance of the second lower transport path 70D-2, and the lower level seating conveyor R 21D The intermediate position, and the lower seating conveyor R 22D Each of the intermediate positions is provided with sensors S1 to S6 for detecting the passage of plate D3 or plate D4.

[0061] Returning to Figure 3, the lower conveyor belt 70D is configured as a conveyor for providing (supplying) the plates D3 or D4, which have been sorted by the lower sorting device 60, to each of the seating groups C1 to C3.

[0062] In particular, the lower conveyor belt 70D is composed of a first lower conveying path 70D-1, a second lower conveying path 70D-2, a third lower conveying path 70D-3, and a fourth lower conveying path 70D-4.

[0063] The first lower transport path 70D-1 transports plate D3 or plate D4 to each seat row C of the seating group C1. 11 ,C 12 A pair of lower seating conveyors R 11D ,R 12DIt is configured as a conveyor route that transports passengers to the entrance. In particular, the first lower transport route 70D-1 consists of unit conveyor units (five in the diagram) arranged to extend from the end of the lower level distribution device 60 (especially the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1) toward the left in the diagram, and each lower level passenger seat conveyor R at the downstream position. 11D ,R 12D It consists of a pair of unit conveyor units connected to each other. Each unit conveyor unit constituting the first lower transport path 70D-1 is configured to be individually switched between driving and stopping under the command of the control device 100.

[0064] Each lower seating conveyor R in the first lower transport route 70D-1 11D ,R 12D A switch 70Da is provided near the entrance. Under the command of the control device 100, the switch 70Da changes the destination of plate D3 or plate D4 to the lower seating conveyor R. 11D and lower seating conveyor R 12D It is configured as a movable lever that switches between either of the following states. In other words, the first lower transport path 70D-1 functions as a transport device that can intermittently send out plates D3 or D4 one by one, or in multiple units simultaneously, downstream by repeatedly stopping and transporting.

[0065] Furthermore, the second lower transport path 70D-2 transports plate D3 or plate D4 to each seat row C of the seating group C3. 31 ,C 32 A pair of lower seating conveyors R 31D ,R 32D It is configured as a conveyor route that transports passengers to the entrance. In particular, the second lower transport route 70D-2 consists of unit conveyor units (five in the diagram) arranged to extend from the end of the lower level distribution device 60 (especially the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2) toward the right in the diagram, and each lower level passenger seat conveyor R at the downstream position. 31D ,R 32DIt consists of a pair of unit conveyor units connected to each other. Each unit conveyor unit constituting the second lower transport path 70D-2 is configured to be individually switched between driving and stopping under the command of the control device 100. In other words, the second lower transport path 70D-2 functions as a transport device that can intermittently send out plates D3 or D4 one by one, or in multiple units simultaneously, to the downstream side by repeatedly stopping and transporting.

[0066] Each lower seating conveyor R in the second lower transport route 70D-2 31D ,R 32D A switch 70Db is installed near the entrance. Under the command of the control device 100, the switch 70Db changes the destination of plate D3 or plate D4 to the lower seating conveyor R. 31D and lower seating conveyor R 32D It is configured as a movable lever that switches between either of the following states.

[0067] Furthermore, the third lower transport path 70D-3 transports plate D3 or plate D4 to seat row C 21 Lower seating conveyor R 21D It is configured as a conveyor route that transports passengers to the entrance. In particular, the third lower transport route 70D-3 extends upward from the end of the lower sorting device 60 (especially the rear waiting conveyor unit 60c1) in the diagram, and at the downstream position is the lower seating conveyor R 21D It is composed of one or more (one in the diagram) unit conveyor units connected to the third lower transport path 70D-3. The unit conveyor units that make up the third lower transport path 70D-3 are configured to be individually driven and stopped under the command of the control device 100. In other words, the third lower transport path 70D-3 functions as a delivery device that can intermittently send out plates D3 or D4 one by one, or in multiple units simultaneously, to the downstream side by repeatedly stopping and transporting.

[0068] Furthermore, the fourth lower transport route 70D-4 transports plate D3 or plate D4 to seat row C 22 Lower seating conveyor R 22DIt is configured as a conveyor route that transports passengers to the entrance. In particular, the fourth lower transport route 70D-4 extends upward from the end of the lower sorting device 60 (especially the rear waiting conveyor unit 60c2) in the diagram, and at the downstream position is the lower seating conveyor R 22D It is composed of one or more (one in the diagram) unit conveyor units connected to each of them. The conveyor units constituting the fourth lower transport path 70D-4 are configured to be individually switched between driving and stopping under the command of the control device 100. In other words, the fourth lower transport path 70D-4 functions as a delivery device that can intermittently send out plates D3 or D4 one by one, or in multiple units simultaneously, to the downstream side by repeatedly stopping and transporting.

[0069] With the configuration of the lower transport system 10D described above, plates D3 on which cooked dishes from the third kitchen K3 are placed, or plates D4 on which cooked dishes from the fourth kitchen K4 are placed, can be appropriately distributed and transported to each seating group C1 to C3.

[0070] [Audience-side transport section] The food and beverage transport system 10 transports plates D1 or D2, which are transported by the upper transport system 10U, to each seat row C that makes up each seating group C1 to C3. 11 ,C 12 ,C 21 ,C 22 ,C 31 ,C 32 The above-mentioned upper seating conveyor R is used to transport customers to individual seats (individual tables) within the seating area. 11U ,R 12U ,R 21U ,R 22U ,R 31U ,R 32U It further includes the following. In addition, the food and beverage transport system 10 transports plates D3 or plates D4, which are transported by the lower transport system 10D, to each seat row C that makes up each seating group C1 to C3. 11 ,C 12 ,C 21 ,C 22 ,C 31 ,C 32The aforementioned lower seating conveyor R is used to transport customers to individual seats (individual tables) within the seating area. 11D ,R 12D ,R 21D ,R 22D ,R 31D ,R 32D To further prepare.

[0071] This allows the upper transport system 10U or the lower transport system 10D to appropriately control the transport path of each plate (each dish), thereby providing each individual table in all seating groups C1 to C3 with dishes prepared in each kitchen K1 to K4.

[0072] [Control device] The control device 100 consists of a computer programmed to enable each of the functions described below.

[0073] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control device 100. As shown in the figure, the control device 100 includes a cooking order determination unit 102, a display processing unit 104, a rice dispensing device control unit 106, a plate information writing unit 108, a cooking route switcher drive unit 110, a transport control unit 112, and a seating area conveyor control unit 114.

[0074] The cooking order determination unit 102 acquires order information from table terminals placed on each individual table and generates cooking order information that defines the cooking order for the first product item (sushi menu) to be cooked in the first kitchen K1, the second product item (sushi menu requiring additional cooking) to be cooked in the second kitchen K2, the third product item (side menu) to be cooked in the third kitchen K3, and the fourth product item (gunkan maki menu) to be cooked in the fourth kitchen K4. The order information includes at least information about the order details (information identifying food and beverages, quantity of food and beverages to be ordered), information identifying the table terminal, and information identifying the location of the table referenced by the table terminal identification information.

[0075] The display processing unit 104 refers to the cooking order information and displays the respective cooking order on the display device of each of the cooking stations K1 to K4.

[0076] The rice ball preparation device control unit 106 refers to the cooking order information, operates the rice loading device 21 and the warship roll rice loading device 41, and causes the rice balls or warship roll rice balls to be prepared on the number of plates D corresponding to the respective order quantities.

[0077] When the plate information writing unit 108 acquires a plate arrival signal from each of the RFID writers 24, 44, and 47, the plate information writing unit 108 refers to the cooking order information and performs a process of writing plate information (particularly information including a table ID indicating an individual table of a serving destination) onto the plate D1, plate D3, or plate D4.

[0078] The cooking path switch driving unit 110 operates the cooking path switch 25 with reference to the cooking order information when acquiring a plate arrival signal from the RFID writer 24. More specifically, when it is determined that additional cooking is not required for the dish on the arrived plate D1, the cooking path switch driving unit 110 operates the cooking path switch 25 to guide the plate D1 to the direct path 12b2, and positions the cooking path switch 25 at the second position (the dotted line in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2). On the other hand, when it is determined that additional cooking is required for the dish on the arrived plate D1, the cooking path switch driving unit 110 operates the cooking path switch 25 to guide the plate D1 to the additional cooking path 12b1, and positions the cooking path switch 25 at the first position (the solid line in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2).

[0079] When the conveyance control unit 112 acquires a signal from the RFID reader 26 (a signal including the arrival of each plate and the plate information thereof), the conveyance control unit 112 drives the upper sorting device 50, the upper conveyance conveyor 70U, and each of the switches 70Ua, 70Ub, 70Uc with reference to the acquired plate information. More specifically, the conveyance control unit 112 causes the plate D1 (or plate D2) to move from the downstream end of the terminal-side conveyor 12c (the inlet of the upper standby conveyor 50a) to each upper customer seat conveyor corresponding to the individual table linked to the table ID R 11U ~R 32UThe upper standby conveyor 50a is driven, the position of the upper switch 50b is adjusted, the unit conveyor units constituting the first upper transport path 70U-1 and the second upper transport path 70U-2 are driven, and the positions of each switch 70Ua, 70Ub, and 70Uc are adjusted so that the contents reach one of the entrances.

[0080] Furthermore, when the transport control unit 112 receives a signal from the RFID reader 46 (a signal including the arrival of each dish and its dish information), it refers to the acquired dish information and drives the lower sorting device 60, the lower transport conveyor 70D, and the respective switches 70Da, 70Db. More specifically, the transport control unit 112 controls when dish D3 (or dish D4) is delivered from the downstream end of the main route conveyor 32a (the entrance to the pre-waiting conveyor 60a) to each lower seating conveyor R corresponding to the individual table linked to the table ID. 11D ~R 32D The following operations are performed to ensure that the destination reaches one of the entrances: driving of the front standby conveyor 60a, adjustment of the position of the front sorter 60b, driving of the rear standby conveyor 60c (each rear standby conveyor unit 60c1, 60c2), adjustment of the position of the rear sorter 60d (each movable lever 60d1, 60d2), driving of each unit conveyor unit that constitutes each lower transport path (70D-1 to 70D-4), and adjustment of the position of each switch 70Da, 70Db.

[0081] Furthermore, the conveyance control unit 112 acquires detection signals from each of the sensors S1 to S6, and controls the second kitchen conveyor 32, the lower sorting device 60, and the lower conveyance conveyor 70D based on the detection signals. More specifically, the conveyance control unit 112 determines the state of dish jamming (a state in which dishes accumulate and cannot be conveyed) in each lower conveyance path (70D-1 to 70D-4) based on the detection signals acquired from each of the sensors S1 to S6. When the conveyance control unit 112 determines that dish jamming has occurred in at least any one of the lower conveyance paths (70D-1 to 70D-4), it performs starting and stopping of each lower conveyance path (70D-1 to 70D-4), starting and stopping of the front standby conveyor 60a, starting and stopping of the rear standby conveyor 60c (each of the rear standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2), and furthermore, starting and stopping of the second kitchen conveyor 32 (particularly the unit conveyor unit on the downstream side of the main path conveyor 32a) as necessary in a predetermined control mode. Hereinafter, this is referred to as "dish jamming response control".

[0082] The customer seat conveyor control unit 114, when receiving a predetermined signal (a signal including the arrival of each dish and dish information thereof) from an unillustrated RFID reader provided near the confluence position of the upper conveyance conveyor 70U and the lower conveyance conveyor 70D, refers to the acquired dish information, and causes the dishes D1 to D4 to be conveyed to a delivery destination (individual table) linked to the table ID included in the dish information, so that each upper customer seat conveyor R 11U to R 32U and each lower customer seat conveyor R 11D to R 32D are driven. In particular, the customer seat conveyor control unit 114 drives each upper customer seat conveyor R 11U to R 32U and each lower customer seat conveyor R 11D to R 32D at a specified speed for a predetermined time determined according to the table ID, and then stops the conveyors. Note that each upper customer seat conveyor R 11U to R 32U and each lower customer seat conveyor R 11D to R 32D 's starting and stopping are controlled based on the number of rotations of each unillustrated stepping motor that drives each conveyor and the conveyor R 11U~R 32U and R 11D ~R 32D It is controlled based on its relationship to the distance traveled.

[0083] [Dish jam prevention control] The following sections describe specific examples of dish jam response control. For the sake of simplicity, in the following sections, dish D3 or dish D4 that are to be transported will be collectively referred to simply as "dish D".

[0084] (First control example) Figure 6 shows a first control example of the dish jam response control. In Figure 6 and Figures 7 to 9 described later, hatching is applied to conveyor units whose drive is stopped. Furthermore, different shades and hatching are shown for each dish D that is the destination of each lower transport path (70D-1 to 70D-4).

[0085] In the first control example, a situation is assumed in which a plate jam occurs in the second lower transport path 70D-2. In particular, in the first control example, a plate D[k] sent from the front standby conveyor 60a and whose destination is the second lower transport path 70D-2, and a plate D[k+1] whose destination is the fourth lower transport path 70D-4, are kept waiting on the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 while the drive of the second lower transport path 70D-2 is maintained.

[0086] More specifically, the control device 100 (particularly the transport control unit 112) receives the detection signal from the sensor S4 installed in the second lower transport path 70D-2 for a predetermined period of time or longer (when the plate D[k-1] remains at the position of the sensor S4 for a certain period of time or longer), and also obtains the detection signal of plate D[k] from the sensor S2 installed in the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1 (when plate D[k] reaches the position of the sensor S2), then drives the second lower transport path 70D-2 while stopping the drive of the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 (see Figure 6(A)). This makes it possible to quickly resolve plate jams in the second lower transport path 70D-2.

[0087] Then, once the plate jam in the second lower transport path 70D-2 is cleared, the transport of plate D[k] that was waiting on the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 is resumed (see Figure 6(B)). More specifically, when the control device 100 stops receiving the detection signal from the sensor S4 (i.e., it is estimated that the plate jam in the second lower transport path 70D-2 has been cleared), it drives the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2. As a result, once the plate jam in the second lower transport path 70D-2 is cleared, the transport of plate D[k] to the second lower transport path 70D-2 and the transport of the next plate D[k+1] to the fourth lower transport path 70D-4 can be resumed immediately.

[0088] In the first control example, as described above, a situation is assumed in which a plate jam occurs in the second lower transport path 70D-2. On the other hand, even in a situation where a plate jam occurs in the first lower transport path 70D-1, the same control algorithm can be applied by making changes such as stopping the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1 instead of the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2. Furthermore, even in a situation where a plate jam occurs in the third lower transport path 70D-3 or the fourth lower transport path 70D-4, the same control algorithm can be applied by making changes such as appropriately changing the position of the front sorter 60b and each movable lever 60d1, 60d2, and stopping the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1 or the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1.

[0089] (Second control example) Figure 7 shows a second control example of the dish jam response control. In the second control example, when the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 stops due to a jam of dish D in the second lower transport path 70D-2, the front sorter 60b sends the dish D (especially the dish D that should be transported to the first lower transport path 70D-1) from the front standby conveyor 60a to the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1 (see Figure 7(A)).

[0090] In the second control example, similar to the first control example, a situation is assumed in which a plate jam occurs in the second lower transport path 70D-2. In particular, in the second control example, a plate D[k] sent from the front standby conveyor 60a and destined for the second lower transport path 70D-2 is kept on standby on the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2, while the transport of a plate D[k+1] destined for the first lower transport path 70D-1 continues.

[0091] More specifically, when the control device 100 receives a detection signal from the sensor S4 installed in the second lower transport path 70D-2 for a predetermined period of time or longer (when the plate D[k-1] remains at the position of the sensor S4 for a certain period of time or longer), and also receives a detection signal from the sensor S2 installed in the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1 (when the plate D[k] reaches the position of the sensor S2), it stops the drive of the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 while maintaining the drive of the second lower transport path 70D-2, the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1, and the first lower transport path 70D-1 (see Figure 7(A)). This allows the plate jam in the second lower transport path 70D-2 to be quickly resolved, while the transport of the plate D[k+1], which is being driven by the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1, to the first lower transport path 70D-1 can continue during that time (while the drive of the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 is stopped).

[0092] Then, similar to the first control example, once the plate jam in the second lower transport path 70D-2 is cleared, the transport of plate D[k] that was waiting on the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 is resumed (see Figure 7(B)). More specifically, when the control device 100 stops receiving the detection signal from the sensor S4, it drives the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2. As a result, even during the process of clearing the plate jam in the second lower transport path 70D-2, the transport of plate D[k+1] to the first lower transport path 70D-1 is not stopped and continues, and once the plate jam is cleared, the transport of plate D[k] to the second lower transport path 70D-2 can be quickly resumed. Therefore, in the second control example, even if a plate jam occurs in the second lower transport path 70D-2, the transport of plate D[k+1] to the first lower transport path 70D-1 can be continued without stopping, and a decrease in the efficiency of food service can be suppressed.

[0093] In the second control example, as described above, when a plate jam occurs in the second lower transport path 70D-2, the transport of plate D[k] to the second lower transport path 70D-2 is stopped while the transport of plate D[k+1] to the first lower transport path 70D-1 continues. On the other hand, even when a plate jam occurs in the first lower transport path 70D-1, a similar control algorithm can be applied while making modifications such as driving the rear standby conveyor unit 60c2 and stopping the rear standby conveyor unit 60c1.

[0094] (Third control example) Figure 8 shows a third control example of the dish jam response control. In the third control example, a dish jam occurs in both the first lower transport path 70D-1 and 70D-2, and both the subsequent standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2 are stopped. In particular, in the third control example, dish D[k+1] sent from the front standby conveyor 60a to standby conveyor unit 60c1, whose destination is the first lower transport path 70D-1, and dish D[k] sent to standby conveyor unit 60c2, whose destination is the second lower transport path 70D-2, are made to wait on the respective subsequent standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2. Furthermore, at that time, plates D[k+2] that are sent from the second kitchen conveyor 32 (particularly the unit conveyor unit downstream of the main route conveyor 32a) to the front standby conveyor 60a and whose destination is the third lower transport route 70D-3 are made to wait at the entrance of the front standby conveyor 60a (or just before it).

[0095] More specifically, the control device 100 receives detection signals from the sensor S3 located on the first lower transport path 70D-1 and the sensor S4 located on the second lower transport path 70D-2 for a predetermined period of time or longer (when plate D[k-1] remains at the position of sensor S3 and plate D[k-2] remains at the position of sensor S4 for a certain period of time or longer), and when it acquires detection signals from the sensors S1 and S2 located on the respective rear standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2 (when plate D[k+1] and plate D[k] reach the positions of the respective sensors S1 and S2), it stops the driving of the respective rear standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2 while maintaining the driving of the respective first lower transport paths 70D-1 and 70D-2. Furthermore, when the control device 100 receives an arrival signal for plate D[k+2] from the RFID reader 46 at this time, it stops driving the front standby conveyor 60a (and / or the second kitchen conveyor 32) (see Figure 8(A)).

[0096] As a result, when a plate jam occurs in either the first lower transport path 70D-1 or the second lower transport path 70D-2 via each of the subsequent standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2, the next plate D[k+2] to be transported can be made to wait in the forward standby conveyor 60a or the second kitchen conveyor 32 upstream of each of the subsequent standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2. Therefore, plate jams in the first lower transport path 70D-1 and the second lower transport path 70D-2 can be resolved quickly and in parallel.

[0097] Then, once the plate jams in the first lower transport path 70D-1 and the second lower transport path 70D-2 are cleared, the transport of each plate D[k+1] and plate D[k] that were waiting in the respective rear standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2 is resumed. Furthermore, once each plate D[k+1] and plate D[k] whose transport has resumed reaches the first lower transport path 70D-1 and the second lower transport path 70D-2, respectively, the transport of plate D[k+2] that was waiting at the entrance of the front standby conveyor 60a is resumed (see Figure 8(B)).

[0098] More specifically, when the control device 100 stops receiving detection signals from the sensors S3 and S4, it drives the respective rear standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2. Furthermore, after driving the rear standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2, when the control device 100 receives detection signals again from the sensors S3 and S4, it drives the front standby conveyor 60a (and / or the second kitchen conveyor 32). This allows for the rapid resumption of conveying the plates D[k+2] to be conveyed afterward once the plate jam in the first lower conveying path 70D-1 and the second lower conveying path 70D-2 is cleared.

[0099] In the third control example, as described above, we explained an example in which, when plate jams occur in both the first lower transport path 70D-1 and the second lower transport path 70D-2, the transport of the plate D[k+2] to be transported later is resumed once the plate jams in both paths are cleared. On the other hand, the algorithm of the third control example is not limited to this, and can be applied to situations in which plate jams occur in two or more lower transport paths connected to (adjacent to) each of the subsequent standby conveyor units 60c1 and 60c2.

[0100] [Differentiation] Figure 9 shows the configuration of a modified food and beverage transport system 10. In this modified food and beverage transport system 10, RFID readers 28, 48, and 49 are provided in place of the RFID writers 24, 44, and 47 in the food and beverage transport system 10 shown in Figure 1.

[0101] In this modified example, the RF tag embedded in each plate D to be transported has its identification information (identification number, ID, etc.) pre-recorded. The RFID reader 28 reads the identification information of each plate D supplied to the first kitchen conveyor 12 (more specifically, the base end conveyor 12a) and transmits it to the control device 100. The RFID reader 48 reads the identification information of each plate D3 supplied to the second kitchen conveyor 32 (more specifically, the main route conveyor 32a) and transmits it to the control device 100. Furthermore, the RFID reader 49 reads the identification information of each plate D supplied to the second kitchen conveyor 32 (more specifically, the sub-route conveyor 32b) and transmits it to the control device 100.

[0102] In the modified food and beverage transport system 10, when the control device 100 obtains order information from each table terminal, it sequentially associates the order information obtained from each table terminal and the cooking order information generated from the order information with the identification information of each plate (D or D3) obtained from the RFID readers 28, 48, and 49 (for example, a unique number that can uniquely identify each plate), thereby generating a dataset consisting of the identification information, order information, and cooking order information for each plate (D or D3).

[0103] Furthermore, the control device 100 refers to the generated dataset (especially order information and cooking order information) to display the cooking order on the display devices of each kitchen K1 to K4, operate the rice-loading device 21 and the rice-loading device 41 for gunkanmaki, and operate the cooking route switcher 25.

[0104] Furthermore, when the control device 100 obtains identification information for each dish (D1, D2, D3, or D4) from the RFID readers 26, 46, it compares it with the identification information for each dish (D, D3) included in the dataset described above, and extracts the table IDs included in the order information associated with the corresponding identification information (identification information for which the comparison result matches). Then, based on the extracted table IDs, the control device 100 drives the upper sorting device 50, the upper conveyor 70U, and each switch 70Ua, 70Ub, 70Uc, the lower sorting device 60, the lower conveyor 70D, and each switch 70Da, 70Db, and each upper seating conveyor R, similar to the first embodiment. 11U ~R 32U and each lower seating conveyor R 11D ~R 32D The system is driven. As a result, plates of food (D1, D2, D3, or D4) are transported to the respective seats corresponding to each extracted table ID.

[0105] In the modified food and beverage transport system 10 described above, as in the above embodiment, each plate (D1, D2, D3, or D4) on which the food is placed can be appropriately transported (served) to the corresponding individual customer seat (individual table).

[0106] [Effects and Effects] In this embodiment or a modified version, a food and beverage transport device (lower transport system 10D) is provided that transports food and beverages (plates D3 or D4 on which dishes such as sushi or gunkanmaki are placed) prepared in the kitchen (third kitchen K3 or fourth kitchen K4) from the kitchen-side transport unit (second kitchen conveyor 32) to each customer seat (each customer seat group C1 to C3).

[0107] This food and beverage transport device (10D) transports cooked food and beverages (D3, D4) from the kitchen-side transport section (32) to multiple customer-side transport sections (lower customer seating conveyor R 11D ,R 12D ,R 21D ,R 22D ,R 31D ,R 32DA delivery unit (lower conveyor belt 70D) that sends the food and beverages (D3, D4) sent from the delivery unit (70D) to each seat-side conveyor unit (R 11D ~R 32D The delivery section (70D) includes a distribution section (lower distribution device 60) that distributes the food to the following: The delivery section (70D) includes a plurality of first delivery paths (each downstream standby conveyor unit 60c1, 60c2) provided adjacent to the downstream of the kitchen-side transport section (32), and a plurality of second delivery paths (first lower transport path 70D-1, second lower transport path 70D-2, third lower transport path 70D-3, fourth lower transport path 70D-4) provided adjacent to the downstream of each first delivery path (60c1, 60c2). Each first delivery path (60c1, 60c2) and each second delivery path (70D-1 to 70D-4) are configured as a delivery device (one or more unit conveyors) capable of repeatedly stopping and transporting to deliver food and beverages (D3, D4).

[0108] The sorting unit (60) includes a first sorting means (front sorter 60b) that sorts the food and beverages (D3, D4) sent from the kitchen-side transport unit (32) into one of the first delivery routes (60c1, 60c2), and a second sorting means (rear sorter 60d) that sorts the food and beverages (D3, D4) that have been sorted into the first delivery routes (60c1, 60c2) into one of the second delivery routes (70D-1 to 70D-4).

[0109] According to this, food and beverages (D3, D4) prepared in the kitchen (K3, K4) can be distributed to each customer seat (C1 to C3) via the first distribution means (60b) to each first delivery route (60c1, 60c2) and the second distribution means (60d) to each second delivery route (70D-1 to 70D-4). Therefore, depending on the status of the food and beverages (D3, D4) along the route (whether or not there is a plate jam), the food and beverages (D3, D4) can be transported while being appropriately held in each first delivery route (60c1, 60c2) and each second delivery route (70D-1 to 70D-4). Therefore, even if multiple routes are provided for transporting food and beverages (D3, D4) from one kitchen-side transport unit (32) to multiple customer seats (C1~C3), delays in transport are suppressed, and food and beverages (D3, D4) can be provided to each customer seat (C1~C3) more efficiently.

[0110] Furthermore, in the food and beverage transport device (10D) of this embodiment or a modified version thereof, the first sorting means (60b) sorts all of the food and beverages (D3, D4) sent out from the kitchen-side transport unit (32) into one of the first delivery paths (60c1, 60c2). In addition, each second delivery path (70D-1 to 70D-4) is provided adjacent to at least one of the first delivery paths (60c1, 60c2) downstream. And at least a portion of each second delivery path (70D-1 to 70D-4) (for example, the first lower transport path 70D-1 and the second lower transport path 70D-2) is configured to be longer than the adjacent first delivery paths (60c1, 60c2).

[0111] This increases the number of food and beverage items (D3, D4) that can be kept waiting (staying) in at least a portion of each second delivery route (70D-1, 70D-2). In other words, each seat (especially seat row C 11 ,C 12 ,C 31 ,C 32The number of food and beverage items (D3, D4) that can be allowed in the second delivery routes (70D-1, 70D-2) that are close to the kitchen side transport section (32) can be increased, and the occurrence of situations in which the transport of food and beverage items (D3, D4) from each of the first delivery routes (60c1, 60c2) close to the kitchen side transport section (32) via other second delivery routes (for example, the third lower transport route 70D-3 and the fourth lower transport route 70D-4) is obstructed can be suppressed.

[0112] Furthermore, the second sorting means (60d) sorts all of the food and beverages (D3, D4) that are sorted into any of the first delivery routes (60c1, 60c2) into at least a portion (70D-1, 70D-2) of the second delivery routes (70D-1 to 70D-4).

[0113] This ensures that all food and beverages (D3, D4) sent from each first delivery route (60c1, 60c2) are transported to each seat (C) via at least a portion (70D-1, 70D-2) of each second delivery route, which allows for the transport (storage) of a large amount of food and beverages (D3, D4). 11 ,C 12 ,C 31 ,C 32 It can be provided to each seat (C 11 ,C 12 ,C 31 ,C 32 This can further improve the efficiency of providing food and beverages (D3, D4) to ).

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment or modified version, each second delivery path (70D-1 to 70D-4) is a single seating-side transport section (lower seating conveyor R 21D or R 22D ) and a non-branching route (3rd lower transport route 70D-3 and 4th lower transport route 70D-4) leading to the seating area, and multiple seating area transport sections (each lower seating conveyor R 11D ,R 12D Or each lower seating conveyor R 31D ,R 32DThis includes a branched route (first lower transport route 70D-1 or second lower transport route 70D-2) that leads to the ). The branched routes (70D-1, 70D-2) are longer than the unbranched routes (70D-3, 70D-4). The passenger seating area transport section and the unbranched routes and / or branched routes may be directly connected. On the other hand, depending on circumstances such as the need to change the layout structure (for example, by interposing a relay route in between), an indirect connection configuration may be adopted as appropriate.

[0115] In this way, by making the branched routes (70D-1, 70D-2), which are transport routes with a large number of customer seats (resulting in a large amount of food and beverages accumulating), longer than the unbranched routes (70D-3, 70D-4), which are transport routes with a small number of customer seats (resulting in a small amount of food and beverages accumulating), the accumulation (dish jamming) of food and beverages (D3, D4) throughout each of the second delivery routes (70D-1 to 70D-4) can be further suppressed, and the efficiency of providing food and beverages (D3, D4) to each customer seat (C1 to C3) can be further improved.

[0116] Furthermore, in this embodiment or a modified version, a food and beverage transport system 10 including the food and beverage transport device (10D) described above is provided. This food and beverage transport system 10 further includes a reader (RFID reader 46) that reads destination identification information (table ID) for identifying the destination (individual table) from the food and beverage (D3, D4) being transported in the kitchen-side transport section (32), and a control device 100 that controls the food and beverage transport device (10D). The control device 100 then operates the first sorting means (60b) and the second sorting means (60d) by referring to the destination identification information read by the reader (46).

[0117] This allows the destination of food and beverages (D3, D4) prepared in each kitchen (K3, K4) to be identified by the table ID read from the food and beverages (D3, D4) in transit, and based on the table ID, the appropriate transport route for the food and beverages (D3, D4) by the food and beverage transport device (10D) is determined, and the food and beverages (D3, D4) are then transported to each customer seat side transport unit (R) via the determined transport route. 11D ,R12D ,R 21D ,R 22D ,R 31D ,R 32D It can be transported to one of the following locations.

[0118] Furthermore, the control device 100 acquires passage information (detection signals from each sensor) indicating the passage of food and beverages (D3, D4) in each first delivery path (60c1, 60c2) and each second delivery path (70D-1 to 70D-4), and switches between driving and stopping each first delivery path (60c1, 60c2) and each second delivery path (70D-1 to 70D-4) by referring to this passage information.

[0119] This allows for the estimation of the transport status of food and beverages (D3, D4) in each first transport route (60c1, 60c2) and each second transport route (70D-1 to 70D-4) (such as the occurrence of plate jams and the position of each plate), and the optimization of the transport of each food and beverage (D3, D4) by referring to the estimated transport status (such as the rapid resolution of plate jams).

[0120] Although this embodiment or modified version has been described above, these are merely examples of how the present invention can be applied and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0121] For example, in the above embodiment or modification, an example was described in which the above sorting control and the structure for realizing said control are applied to the lower transport system 10D of a food and beverage transport system 10 composed of a two-stage transport device (upper transport system 10U and lower transport system 10D). However, the invention is not limited to this, and the configuration for realizing sorting and said control may be applied to the upper transport system 10U, or to both the upper transport system 10U and the lower transport system 10D. Furthermore, a food and beverage transport system 10 may be configured having three or more transport devices (for example, a multi-stage system with three or more stages), and the above sorting control and the structure for realizing said control may be applied to at least one of each transport device.

[0122] Furthermore, the "lower seating conveyor R" described in the above embodiment or modification. 11D ,R12D ,R 21D ,R 22D ,R 31D ,R 32D The "second kitchen conveyor 32" and the "lower conveyor 70D" are, respectively, forms of the "customer seating side conveyor," the "kitchen side conveyor," and the "dispatch side conveyor" within the scope of the patent claims, and their specific configurations can be modified as appropriate.

[0123] For example, a pair (set) of lower seating conveyors [R 11D ,R 12D ], [R 21D ,R 22D ],[R 31D ,R 32D Instead of the above configuration, depending on the layout of the store (each seat), a single conveyor (lane) or a combination of three or more conveyors (lanes) placed in each row of seats may be used as the "seat-side transport section". Alternatively, a "kitchen-side transport section" consisting of two or more conveyors (lanes) connected to (adjacent to) the lower transport conveyor 70D ("discharge section") may be adopted. Furthermore, a "discharge section" may be formed by adding one or more other arbitrary transport devices to the lower transport conveyor 70D.

[0124] Furthermore, the processes performed by the control device 100 as shown in this embodiment or its modified form are merely examples of how to implement this embodiment or its modified form. The order of some of the processes may be rearranged to the extent that this embodiment or its modified form can be implemented, and some of the processes may be omitted or other processes may be added. In addition, the program for executing each process performed by the control device 100 as shown in this embodiment or its modified form, and the computer-readable recording medium for storing the program, are also included within the scope of the matters described in the original specification of this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 10D Lower-level transport system (food and beverage transport device) 32. Second kitchen conveyor (kitchen side transport section) 60 Lower sorting device (sorting section) 60b Pre-sorting device (first sorting means) 60c1, 60c2 standby conveyor unit (first delivery path) 60d Rear sorter (second sorting means) 70D-1 First lower transport path (second delivery path) 70D-2 Second lower transport route (second delivery route) 70D-3 Third lower transport route (second delivery route) 70D-4 Fourth lower transport route (second delivery route) 70D Lower conveyor belt (discharge section) R 11D ~R 32D Lower seating conveyor (seat-side transport section)

Claims

1. A food and beverage transport device that transports food and beverages prepared in the kitchen from the kitchen-side transport unit to each customer seat, A delivery unit that sends the cooked food and beverages from the kitchen-side delivery unit to multiple customer-side delivery units, The system includes a distribution unit that distributes the food and beverages delivered by the aforementioned delivery unit to each seat-side transport unit, The aforementioned sending unit is, It includes a plurality of first delivery paths provided adjacent to the downstream of the kitchen-side transport section, and a plurality of second delivery paths provided adjacent to the downstream of each of the first delivery paths, Each of the first and second delivery routes is configured as a delivery device capable of delivering the food and beverage by repeatedly stopping and transporting, The aforementioned distribution unit is A first sorting means that distributes the food and beverages sent from the kitchen-side transport unit to one of the first delivery paths, The system includes a second distribution means for distributing the food and beverages distributed to each of the first distribution routes to one of the second distribution routes, Food and beverage transport device.

2. A food and beverage transport device according to claim 1, The first sorting means sorts all of the food and beverages sent out from the kitchen-side transport unit into one of the first delivery paths. Each of the aforementioned second transmission paths is provided adjacent to at least one of the aforementioned first transmission paths downstream. At least a portion of each of the second transmission paths is configured to be longer than the adjacent first transmission path. Food and beverage transport device.

3. A food and beverage transport device according to claim 2, The second sorting means is, All of the food and beverages that are to be distributed to any of the first distribution routes are to be distributed to at least a portion of the second distribution routes. Food and beverage transport device.

4. A food and beverage transport device according to claim 1, Each of the aforementioned second transmission paths is: It includes an unbranched path leading to one of the aforementioned passenger seat-side transport units, and branched paths leading to multiple aforementioned passenger seat-side transport units, The branched path is configured to be longer than the unbranched path. Food and beverage transport device.

5. A food and beverage transport system comprising the food and beverage transport device described in claim 1, A reading device reads destination identification information from the food and beverage being transported in the kitchen-side transport section to identify the destination, The device further comprises a control device for controlling the food and beverage transport device, The control device is The first sorting means and the second sorting means are operated by referring to the recipient identification information read by the reading device. Food and beverage delivery system.

6. A food and beverage transport system according to claim 5, The control device is Further information indicating the passage of the food and beverages in each of the first and second delivery routes is obtained. Referencing the aforementioned passage information, the drive and stop of each of the first and second transmission paths are switched. Food and beverage delivery system.

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