Food Serving Device

Abstract

To provide a food material serving device that, when measuring buttons are pushed consecutively and an empty container is placed consecutively in a measuring section, supplies a food material of respective weights to respective containers in the pushed order.SOLUTION: A food material serving device is configured to supply a food material of a predetermined weight to a container in a pushed order of measuring buttons by: storing, when plural measuring buttons are pushed consecutively, the order of the measuring buttons and respective weights of the food material corresponding to the respective measuring buttons by a storage section; outputting, when a container is placed on a measuring section, the weight stored first from the storage section to a food material delivery mechanism; performing a supply operation of supplying the food material of the first weight to the container by the food material delivery mechanism; when detecting that the container to which the food material is supplied is taken out, detecting that the next container is placed on the measuring section; outputting the next weight from the storage section to the food material delivery mechanism; and repeating an operation, by the food material delivery mechanism, to supply the food material of the next weight stored in the storage section to a container, thereby placing a container on the measuring section consecutively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ingredient plating device in which, when a weighing button serving as an input unit is operated continuously, weights corresponding to the weighing buttons are stored in a memory unit in sequence, and thereafter, each time an empty container is placed on the weighing unit, ingredients are sequentially supplied to the empty container in the order stored in the memory unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, food presentation devices have multiple measuring buttons (for example, eight measuring buttons: 100g, 150g, 200g, 250g, 300g, 350g, 400g, and 450g). When the desired measuring button (for example, 200g) is pressed and an empty container is placed on the measuring section, the control unit drives the drive motor, and cooked rice is dropped from the supply section of the food presentation device into the empty container. When 200g of rice has been supplied to the measuring section, the control unit detects the measured value, stops the drive motor, and closes the shutter, thereby supplying 200g of rice to the container (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-186748 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above-mentioned conventional food serving device, it is necessary to press one of the measuring buttons (for example, 200g) and then place an empty container on the measuring section. If this action is performed continuously, after pressing a measuring button (for example, 200g) and placing an empty container on the measuring section, rice of the weight (200g) corresponding to the measuring button is supplied to the container, and after removing the container with rice (200g) served in it, it is necessary to press one of the measuring buttons (for example, 100g), place the next empty container on the measuring section, rice of the weight (100g) corresponding to the measuring button is supplied to the container, and the container with rice (100g) served in it is removed. This action must be repeated, which makes the operation cumbersome, takes a long time to operate, and results in operational loss.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems with the conventional technology, and aims to provide a food presentation device which, when an input unit (weighing button) is operated continuously, stores in a memory unit the weights corresponding to the operated input units (weighing buttons) in the order in which they were operated, and then, when empty containers are placed one after another on the weighing unit, supplies food ingredients to the containers in the order stored in the memory unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides First, in a food plating device which supplies food ingredients of a weight corresponding to an input unit to a container on a weighing unit, a control unit in the food plating device comprises: input detection means for detecting that the input unit has been operated continuously when the input unit is operated continuously; memory control means for storing in a memory unit the order in which the input units are operated and each weight corresponding to the input units when the input unit is operated continuously; container detection means for detecting that an empty container has been placed on the weighing unit; when the container detection means detects that the empty container has been placed on the weighing unit, the memory control means outputs the initial weight that was initially stored from the memory unit to a food feeding mechanism, the food feeding mechanism receives the initial weight and starts a food feeding operation in which food ingredients of the initial weight are fed to the empty container; weighing means for stopping the feeding of food ingredients by the food feeding mechanism when the initial weight of food ingredients has been fed to the empty container; When the container sensing means detects that the container in which ingredients have been supplied has been removed, it senses that the next empty container has been placed on the weighing unit, and the memory control means outputs the next weight from the memory unit to the food feeding mechanism, which supplies the next weight of ingredients to the next empty container on the weighing unit, and the weighing means stops the food feeding mechanism from supplying ingredients when the next weight of ingredients has been supplied to the next empty container.When the container sensing means detects that the next empty container has been placed on the weighing unit, the memory control means repeatedly outputs the weights stored in the memory unit to the food feeding mechanism until all of the weights stored in the memory unit have been output in the order in which the input unit was operated, and the food feeding mechanism repeatedly supplies the weights of ingredients to containers placed in sequence on the weighing unit in the order stored in the memory unit.

[0007] The input unit (e.g., multiple input units) refers to, for example, eight input units (e.g., measuring buttons (a1 to a8)), and for example, the input unit (e.g., measuring button a1) is assigned with a weight of 100 g of ingredients, the input unit (e.g., measuring button a2) is assigned with a weight of 150 g of ingredients, and the input unit (e.g., measuring button a3) is assigned with a weight of 200 g of ingredients. The food feed mechanism is, for example, a food rotating feed mechanism (3A), and specifically refers to a mechanism for feeding food into the container 5, such as the drive motor (M1 to M4), food hopper (2), fixed disk (17), rotating blade (18), rotating cylinder (21), fixed bottom plate (10a), food chamber (22), opening (11), and loosening rollers (12, 13). The food feed operation refers to, for example, the feed operation of rice. The case where the input units are operated continuously refers to, for example, the case where multiple input units (e.g., measuring buttons) are pressed continuously. When configured in this manner, when the input units are operated successively, the control unit stores in the memory unit the order in which the input units were operated (e.g. the order in which they were pressed) and the weights corresponding to each input unit; when a container is placed on the weighing unit, the container detection means detects it, and the memory control means outputs the weight of the input unit that was pressed first to the food feeding mechanism; the food feeding mechanism supplies the first weight of food into the container placed on the weighing unit; and when the weighing means detects that the first weight has been measured, the food feeding mechanism stops supplying food each time an empty container is placed on the weighing unit until the weight stored in the memory unit is reached.This is very convenient, as after the user has operated (e.g. pressed) the input units successively, they can place empty containers one after another on the weighing unit, and the food of each weight will be supplied to the container in the order in which the input units were operated (e.g. pressed) successively.

[0008] Secondly, the control unit is configured by the food plating device described in claim 1, wherein the input sensing means detects that a single input unit has been operated when the single input unit is operated, the memory control means stores in the memory unit the weight corresponding to the operated input unit when the single input unit is operated, the container sensing means detects that an empty container has been placed on the weighing unit and the memory control means outputs the weight stored in the memory unit to the food feeding mechanism, the food feeding mechanism operates to supply food of the weight to the empty container, the weighing means stops the food feeding mechanism from supplying food when the weight of food has been supplied, and the container sensing means detects the removal of the container to which the food has been supplied.

[0009] When an independent input unit is operated, it means, for example, when an independent input unit (for example, an independent weighing button) is pressed, etc. In this way, when an independent input unit is operated, the weight of ingredients corresponding to the operated input unit is supplied to an empty container on the weighing unit by the ingredient feeding mechanism, so that normal independent operation can be performed in the same way.

[0010] Thirdly, the control unit is configured by the food plating device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the input sensing means detects when the input unit is operated, and the control unit is equipped with a display control means for displaying the weight corresponding to the input unit on a display unit when the input sensing means detects that the input unit has been operated.

[0011] With this configuration, when a container is not placed on the weighing section and an input section (e.g., a weighing button) is operated (e.g., pressed), the weighing value (weight) corresponding to that input section (e.g., a weighing button) is displayed on the display section, so that the user can easily know the weighing value corresponding to each input section (e.g., a weighing button).

[0012] Fourthly, the control unit is configured by the food plating device described in the third above, in which, when the input unit is operated continuously, the display control means displays the next weight to be weighed stored in the memory unit on the display unit at a timing before the empty container is placed on the weighing unit.

[0013] When configured in this manner, the weight to be weighed next is displayed on the display unit before the container is placed on the weighing unit, allowing the user to know the weight to be weighed next in the container and, for example, select a container suitable for that weight and place that container on the weighing unit.

[0014] Fifth, the control unit is configured by the food presentation device described in any of claims 1 to 4, in which the input sensing means detects when an individual operation of the input unit or successive operations of the input units are performed while the food supply operation of the food feed mechanism is being performed, and the memory control means is configured to store, in addition to the memory unit, the order of each input unit and each weight corresponding to each input unit.

[0015] With this configuration, if the input unit (e.g., the measuring button) is operated alone or continuously (e.g., the measuring button is pressed) while the food feed mechanism is performing a food feed operation, the control unit additionally stores the data in the memory unit. Therefore, when no food feed operation is being performed, the input unit (e.g., two measuring buttons are pressed consecutively (e.g., measuring buttons a2 and a4)) is pressed first, and the first food feed operation (a2=150 g) is being performed, the input unit (e.g., For example, if the weighing button a5 (=300g) is operated (e.g. pressed) alone, the weight resulting from successive operation (e.g. pressing) of two input parts (e.g. weighing buttons (a2=150g, a4=250g)) is stored in the memory unit, and the weight (a5=300g) of one input part (e.g. weighing button) operated (e.g. pressed) later is additionally stored. Therefore, the weight of the added ingredient can be supplied as additional ingredient by placing a container on the weighing unit, which is very convenient. Effect of the Invention

[0016] As described above, in the present invention, each time an empty container is placed on the weighing section, the process is repeated until the weight stored in the memory section is reached. Therefore, after the user has successively operated (e.g., pressed) multiple input sections (e.g., weighing buttons), they can place empty containers on the weighing section one after another, and the ingredients of each weight will be supplied to each container in the order in which the input sections (e.g., weighing buttons) were successively operated (e.g., pressed), which is extremely convenient.

[0017] In addition, when a normal standalone input unit (e.g., a weighing button) is operated (e.g., pressed), the food feed mechanism supplies food ingredients of a weight corresponding to the pressed input unit (e.g., the weighing button) to an empty container on the weighing unit, so that normal standalone operation can be performed in the same way.

[0018] In addition, when an input unit (e.g., a weighing button) is operated (e.g., pressed), the weighing value (weight) corresponding to that input unit (e.g., a weighing button) is displayed on the display unit, so that the user can easily know the weighing value corresponding to each input unit (e.g., a weighing button).

[0019] In addition, the weight to be weighed next is displayed on the display unit before the container is placed on the weighing unit, so the user can know the weight to be weighed next in the container and can, for example, select a container suitable for the weight and place that container on the weighing unit.

[0020] Furthermore, when an input unit (e.g., a measuring button) is operated singly or continuously (e.g., a pressing operation (a pressing operation is the same as, for example, the operation of pressing a measuring button)) while the food feed mechanism is performing a food feed operation, the control unit adds the operation to the memory unit and stores it. Therefore, when no food feed operation is being performed, the input unit (e.g., a measuring button) is first pressed, for example, twice in succession (e.g., measuring buttons a2 and a4) to perform the first food feed operation (a2=150 g). In the case where the weighing unit is set to 150g, if an input unit (e.g., weighing button a5 (=300g)) is pressed alone, the weight resulting from successive pressing of two input units (e.g., weighing buttons (a2=150g, a4=250g)) is stored in the memory unit, and the weight of the subsequently pressed input unit (e.g., the weight of the weighing button (a5=300g)) is additionally stored. Therefore, the weight of the additional ingredient can be supplied by placing a container on the weighing unit, which is very convenient. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a food serving device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the operation panel of the serving device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the food rotating and feeding mechanism of the plating device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the food rotating and feeding mechanism of the plating device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the food rotating and feeding mechanism of the plating device. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the serving device with the lid removed. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the food rotating and feeding mechanism of the serving device. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram of the serving device. [Figure 11]4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a control section of the plating device (single operation). [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a control section of the plating device (continuous operation). [Figure 13] This is a functional block of the control unit of the above-mentioned plating device (independent operation). [Figure 14] This is a functional block diagram of the control unit of the above-mentioned plating device (continuous operation). [Figure 15] (a) shows an example of what is stored in the memory section when the measuring button is pressed alone, and (b) shows an example of what is stored in the memory section when the measuring button is pressed continuously. [Figure 16] (a) shows a timing chart of a single rice supply operation, (b) shows a timing chart of a continuous rice supply operation, and (c) shows a timing chart of a continuous rice supply operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] The food serving device according to the present invention will be described in detail below. In FIG. 1, the side on which the operation panel 8 is provided is referred to as the "front", the side opposite the operation panel 8 is referred to as the "rear", the left-right direction when looking from the front to the rear is referred to as the "left-right", and the up-down direction is referred to as the "up-down" (the same applies to other figures).

[0023] The overall configuration of the food plating device is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The housing 1 of this food plating device is composed of an upper housing 1A of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape that has a food hopper 2 (see Figures 2, 4, 7, and 9) and a food feed mechanism 3 inside, and a lower housing 1B of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape fixed onto a flat bottom plate 4. Between the lower front side of the upper housing 1A and the top surface of the bottom plate 4, a placement space S1 is formed for a container 5 such as a bowl for plating food such as rice.

[0024] Furthermore, an opening 6 for dropping and supplying food materials downward (see arrow A in FIG. 2) is provided on the lower surface of the upper housing 1A in the placement space S1 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and a container weighing section 7 is provided on the bottom plate 4 corresponding to the opening 6. The container weighing section 7 is composed of an electronic scale 7a, and is configured to measure the weight of the container 5 placed on the weighing section 7 and the weight of the food materials (cooked rice in this case) supplied to the container 5. The weighing section 7 and the electronic scale 7a (e.g., a load cell or the like) form a weighing section. The weighing section 7 is also provided with a container sensor 25 for container detection. The container sensor 25 is fixed on the bottom plate 4 so that a light-emitting element 25a and a light-receiving element 25b straddle the weighing section 7 in the left-right direction, and is configured so that when the container 5 is placed on the weighing section 7, the light from the light-emitting element 25a is blocked, and the control section (described later) 26 can detect that the container 5 has been placed on the weighing section 7. Although only the electronic scale 7a (for example, a load cell) or the like may be used, since there are very light containers, it is also possible to provide the container sensor 25 as described above to detect that the container 5 is in a predetermined position.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, the operation panel 8 is provided with a plurality (8 pieces) of measuring buttons "a1" to "a8" as input sections corresponding to the weight (serving amount) of rice to be served, and the supply amount (weight) of rice is 100g for the measuring button a1, 150g for the measuring button a2, 200g for the measuring button a3, 250g for the measuring button a4, 300g for the measuring button a5, 350g for the measuring button a6, 400g for the measuring button a7, and 450g for the measuring button a8. Therefore, when the measuring button a1 for 100g, for example, is pressed on the operation panel 8, the food material feed mechanism 3 sends the food material (rice in this case) in the food material hopper 2 downward, and drops and supplies the rice from the opening 6 at the bottom of the upper housing 1A into the rice bowl (container) 5 below. The control unit 26 (described later) is configured to supply 100 g of rice into the container 5 based on the weighing signal from the electronic scale 7a (see arrow A in FIG. 2). 8a is a display unit for weight, etc. When the weighing buttons a1 to a8 are lightly touched, the weight of the food ingredient (rice) corresponding to the weighing button is displayed on the display unit 8a, and when the weighing button a1 to a8 is pressed and held, the food ingredient (rice) corresponding to the corresponding weighing button is supplied.

[0026] The measurement buttons a1 to a8 as input units may be provided with adjacent display switches (buttons) and food supply switches (buttons) in addition to the touch switches described above (in this case, a total of 16 display switches (buttons) and food supply switches (buttons) are provided). The amount of food supplied may be displayed by printing on each of the measurement buttons a1 to a8, or a display unit 8a (8 units) may be provided for each of the measurement buttons a1 to a8.

[0027] Furthermore, the weighing buttons a1 to a8 may be non-contact switches (non-contact sensors). For example, when a hand is held over a non-contact switch a1 to a8 for a moment, the weight of the corresponding ingredient is displayed on the display unit 8a, and when a hand is held over a non-contact switch a1 to a8 for 1 to 2 seconds, the ingredient supply operation is performed.

[0028] In addition, the input unit may be, for example, a voice receiving device that receives voice (e.g., the voices "100 grams", "200 grams", etc.) and stores the corresponding gram numbers in sequence in the memory unit 32, or a capacitance switch. Reference numeral 9 denotes the lid of the housing 1, which is configured to rotate in the direction of arrow B around a rear pivot axis 9a (see Figure 2) to open the top of the housing 1 and supply rice into the food hopper 2 inside.

[0029] Next, the food material feeding mechanism 3 (see FIG. 2) will be described. The food material feeding mechanism 3 may be any mechanism that feeds cooked rice in the food material hopper 2 into the lower container 5 in response to pressing (long press) of the buttons a1 to a8, and is not limited to the food material rotating and feeding mechanism 3A described below.

[0030] As shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 9, the food material feed mechanism 3 in this embodiment is composed of a food material rotating feed mechanism 3A (see Fig. 4) configured in a fixed cylinder 10 (center axis P) having a fixed bottom plate 10a connected and fixed to the outer periphery of the lower half of the food material hopper 2, and a pair of loosening rollers 12, 13 (see Figs. 1 and 8) that loosen the rice dropped and fed downward from the opening 11 of the food material rotating feed mechanism 3A and drop it into the container 5 below from the opening 6. The fixed cylinder 10 has a quadrangular pyramid-shaped part 10b on the upper part of the fixed cylinder 10 that surrounds the food material hopper 2 from the outside. The fixed cylinder 10 is fixed on a machine frame 1C that separates the upper housing 1A and the lower housing 1B from inside (see Figs. 2 and 9). The fixed cylinder 10 is formed to have a larger diameter than the rotating cylinder 21 described later (see Figs. 2 and 9).

[0031] In the food rotating mechanism 3A, the first rotating shaft 14 is located at the center (center axis P) of the circular lower end 2a of the food hopper 2 (see FIG. 9). A fixed disk 17 (center axis P) smaller in diameter than the fixed cylinder 10 is fixed on a fixed shaft 15 (fixed shaft 15 between the first rotating shaft 14 and a second rotating shaft 16 described later) that is concentric with the first rotating shaft 14. Four rotating blades 18 are provided radially on the fixed disk 17, centered on the first rotating shaft 14 (see FIG. 5 and FIG. 7). The gap between the lower edge of the rotating blade 18 and the upper surface of the fixed disk 17 is extremely small (see FIG. 9). A conical cap 19 is provided on the upper end of the first rotating shaft 14. The rotating blade 18 is curved in the rotation direction (arrow I direction) and transports the rice that is dropped and supplied onto the fixed disk 17 in the direction of the outer periphery of the fixed disk 17.

[0032] Furthermore, a second rotation central axis 16 is provided concentrically with the first rotation central axis 14 (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 9), and a rotating cylinder 21 (center axis P) is provided on the second rotation central axis 16 via a plurality of radial partition plates 20 (total of eight) (see Fig. 2, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 7, Fig. 9). A small cylinder 21a is provided concentrically on the inner periphery of this rotating cylinder 21, and the inner periphery of the small cylinder 21a is fixed to the second rotation central axis 16 (see Fig. 9). The rotating cylinder 21 is open at the top and bottom except for the small cylinder 21a, and has an inner diameter close to the inner periphery of the fixed cylinder 10, and between the outer periphery of the small cylinder 21a and the inner periphery of the rotating cylinder 21, a ring-shaped rice drop space (food drop space) S2 (radial distance t2) partitioned by the partition plate 20 is formed (see Fig. 5). A gap t1 is provided between the lower edge of the partition plate 20 and the fixed bottom plate 10a (see Figs. 2 and 9). This gap t1 may be slightly wider as shown in Fig. 2, or narrower as shown in Fig. 9.

[0033] The rotating cylinder 21 and the partition plate 20 are located on the fixed bottom plate 10a of the fixed cylinder 10, and therefore, the partition plates 20 and the fixed bottom plate 10a form a plurality of food chambers 22 (eight in total) (see Figs. 5, 7, and 9). The opening 11 for dropping the food ingredients is formed at one location on the fixed bottom plate 10a of the fixed cylinder 10 where the food chambers 22 arrive (see Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7). An opening 11a is provided at the same location as the opening 11 on the machine frame 1C (see Fig. 9).

[0034] Therefore, by driving the rotating blades 18 to rotate in the direction of arrow I and driving the rotating cylinder 21 in the opposite direction (arrow D), the rice that has been supplied to the food hopper 2 and placed on the fixed disk 17 is transported in the outer circumferential direction on the fixed disk 17 by the rotation of the rotating blades 18 and falls from the outer circumferential edge of the fixed disk 17 through the rice drop space S2 into the food chamber 22 below. Then, the rice that has fallen into the food chamber 22 is transported in the opposite direction (arrow D direction) on the bottom plate 10a by the rotating cylinder 21 (partition plate 20) and is dropped downward from the opening 11 at the position of the opening 11. The rotation of the rotating blades 18 is achieved by driving the first rotating shaft 14 via a drive belt 23 using a drive motor M1 (see Figures 2 and 6), and the rotation of the rotating cylinder 21 is achieved by driving the second rotating shaft 16 via a drive belt 24 using a drive motor M2 (see Figures 2 and 6).

[0035] Below the opening 11, two loosening rollers 12, 13 are arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right sides perpendicular to the falling direction (arrow A direction) (see Figures 2 and 8), and these rollers 12, 13 are rotated in opposite directions (arrow E, F directions) by drive motors M3, M4 (see Figure 8). The loosening roller 12 has multiple protrusions 12' protruding from its outer periphery, and the loosening roller 13 has multiple protrusions 13' protruding from its outer periphery, and the rice supplied to the center is loosened by the protrusions 12' and 13' and sent downward. The symbols 12a, 13a are drive shafts.

[0036] The rice from the opening 11 is dropped from above onto the central position of the upper part of the loosening rollers 12, 13 (in the direction of arrow A in Figure 9), and as these loosening rollers 12, 13 rotate in the above direction, the rice is loosened and sent downward.

[0037] The opening 6 (see Figure 2) of the upper housing 1A is formed below the unraveling rollers 12, 13, and the rice sent downward by the rotation of the unraveling rollers 12, 13 is supplied into the container 5 below.

[0038] Incidentally, central openings 11b, 10c for avoiding the second rotation central shaft 16 are provided in the center of the machine frame 1C, the fixed bottom plate 10a, and the fixed cylinder 10 (see Figs. 2 and 9). As shown in Fig. 2, the second rotation central shaft 16 is supported by an angle 27 in the housing 1A, and the first rotation central shaft 14 is supported by an angle 28 in the housing 1A (see Fig. 2). The motors M3, M4 are supported by an angle 29 in the housing 1A, and the unwinding rollers 12, 13 are supported by a machine frame 30 of the housing 1A (see Fig. 2).

[0039] Further, reference numeral 31 denotes a shutter (see FIG. 1), which is moved by a cylinder or the like in the direction of arrow C to an open state and in the direction of arrow C' to a closed state.

[0040] Next, the electrical configuration of the foodstuff plating device will be described. Fig. 10 is an electrical block diagram of the food plating device according to the present invention, and includes a control unit 26 (including a CPU) in which a program for the operation procedures shown in Figs. 11 and 12 is stored. The control unit 26 is connected to an operation panel 8 (including a numeric keypad), a plurality of measurement buttons a1 to a8 as a plurality of input units, a display unit 8a, the electronic scale 7a, the drive motors M1 to M4 of the food feed mechanism 3, a shutter 31, a memory unit 32 (see also Fig. 15), a correspondence memory unit 46, and a container sensor 25. The correspondence memory unit 46 stores weights (a1 = 100g, a2 = 150g, a3 = 200g, a4 = 250g, a5 = 300g, a6 = 350g, a7 = 400g, a8 = 450g) corresponding to the measurement buttons a1 to a8. This storage is performed by an administrator using the numeric keypad on the operation panel 8.

[0041] 13 and 14 are functional block diagrams of the control unit 26 (CPU), and functionally, the control unit 26 has an input sensing means 36 that senses when the weighing buttons a1 to a8 are pressed, and a display control means 35 (see Figs. 13 and 14), and the display control means 35 displays the weight corresponding to the pressed (operated) weighing button on the display unit 8a. Note that even if any of the weighing buttons a1 to a8 is pressed, the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A does not start feeding rice because the container 5 is not placed on the weighing unit 7.

[0042] In normal operation (when the weighing button is pressed (operated) alone) (see FIG. 13), together with input sensing means 36 for sensing pressing of each of the weighing buttons a1 to a8, display control means 35 for displaying the weight of the pressed weighing button on the display unit 8a, memory control means 37 for storing which weighing button was pressed in memory unit 32 (see FIG. 15(a)), and container sensing means 38 for determining whether a container 5 has been detected from the container sensor 25, when the container sensing means 38 detects that a container 5 has been placed on the weighing unit 7, it instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to start a food supply operation. Specifically, the container sensing means 38 instructs zero reset means 39 to reset to zero, resets the weighing value of the electronic scale 7a to zero, instructs shutter driving means 40 to open the shutter, drives the shutter 31 to open, instructs motor driving means 41 to drive each motor, and starts driving each drive motor M1 to M4. Furthermore, weighing means 42 judges whether the measured value stored in memory unit 32 has been reached, and when the measured value has finally been reached, weighing means 42 instructs food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to stop the food feeding operation. Specifically, weighing means 42 notifies shutter driving means 40 to close shutter 31, and also stops driving motors M1-M4, and has the function of container sensing means 38 sensing that container 5 has been removed from weighing unit 7 by a signal from container sensor 25.

[0043] Furthermore, when the weighing buttons a1 to a8 are pressed (operated) consecutively, the input sensing means 36 detects this and performs the following operation (see FIG. 14). When the input sensing means 36 detects this, the memory control means 37 stores the weighing button numbers (in this case, the weighing buttons were pressed (operated) in the order of a2 (150g), a4 (250g), a5 (300g), and a7 (400g)) and the weights corresponding to the weighing buttons in the order of the pressed (operated) buttons in the memory unit 32 (see FIG. 15(b)). Furthermore, the display control means 35 displays the weights corresponding to the pressed weighing buttons on the display unit 8a. After that, when the container sensor 25 detects that the user has placed a new container 5 (empty container 5) on the weighing section 7, the memory control means 37 transmits the first a2 (150g) (the oldest stored weight) from the memory section 32 to the food rotating mechanism 3A (specifically, the weighing means 42), and the container detection means 38 instructs the food rotating mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to start the food supply operation. Here, the display control means 35 displays the weight to be measured next on the display section 8a. Specifically, the container detection means 38 instructs the zero reset means 39 to reset the electronic scale 7a to zero, and the zero reset means 39 resets the weighing value of the electronic scale 7a to zero, instructs the shutter drive means 40 to open the shutter, and when the shutter drive means 40 opens the shutter 31, it instructs the motor drive means 41 to drive the motor, and the motor drive means 41 drives the drive motors M1 to M4, and the supply of rice to the container 5 begins.

[0044] Here, since the first is a2 (150g), when the weighing means 42 measures 150g based on the weighing value from the weighing section 7 (electronic scale 7a), the weighing means 42 instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to stop feeding rice. Specifically, the weighing means 42 instructs the shutter driving means 40 to close the shutter, and the shutter driving means 40 closes the shutter 31 and instructs the motor driving means 41 to stop driving, stopping the drive motors M1 to M4 and stopping the feeding of rice. After that, when the container sensor 25 detects the removal of the container 5 from the weighing section 7, the container sensing means 38 senses this and notifies the previous end detection means 44 that it has been completed. Since the weighing of 150g of a2 has now been completed, the previous end detection means 44 notifies the upper memory control means 37 that the feeding of rice corresponding to the weight of the first weighing button a2 has been completed. Here, the display control means 35 displays the weight to be weighed next (here, 250 g) on ​​the display unit 8a.

[0045] After that, the memory control means 37 transmits the weight (250g) of the next second weighing button a4 (the next oldest weight stored) to the memory unit 32 to the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) (specifically, the weighing means 42), and when the container sensor 25 detects that a new container 5 (the next empty container 5) has been placed on the weighing unit 7, the container detection means 38 instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to start feeding rice. Specifically, the container detection means 38 notifies the zero reset means 39, which resets the weighing value to zero, and when the shutter drive means 40 opens the shutter 31, the motor drive means 41 drives the drive motors M1 to M4 to start feeding rice to the next empty container 5. Here, the second is a4 (250g), so when the weighing means 42 measures 250g based on the measurement value from the weighing unit 7, the weighing means 42 instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to stop feeding rice. Specifically, the shutter driving means 40 closes the shutter 31 and stops the driving motors M1 to M4, thereby stopping the feeding of rice.

[0046] In this way, the weights in the memory unit 32 are transmitted to the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A in the order in which the weighing buttons were pressed (operated), the next weight to be weighed is displayed on the display unit 8a, and the same food supply operation to the container 5 is repeated until all the weights corresponding to the weighing buttons stored in the memory unit 32 are finally used up.

[0047] The operation of the control section 26 will be described in detail below with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 11 and 12 and the functional block diagrams of FIGS.

[0048] (Normal operation) Figure 11 Cooked rice is stored as an ingredient in the ingredient hopper 2, and the bottom of the cooked rice reaches above the fixed disk 17.

[0049] Suppose the user presses (operates) the desired weighing button as the input unit, in this case the weighing button a6 (350g) (see S1 in FIG. 11). Then, the control unit 26 (input sensing means 36, see FIG. 13) detects this, and the control unit 26 (display control means 35, see FIG. 13) displays 350g on the display unit 8a (S2 in FIG. 13), and instructs the control unit 26 (storage control means 37, see FIG. 13) to store the weight 350g corresponding to the pressed button a6 in the storage unit 32. As a result, "350g" is stored in the storage unit 32 (S3 in FIG. 11, see FIG. 15(a)).

[0050] Next, the user places an empty container 5 on the weighing unit 7. Then, the light from the light-emitting element 25a and the light-receiving element 25b of the container sensor 25 is blocked by the container 5, so the control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, see FIG. 13) detects this (determines that the container sensor 25 is on) (see FIG. 11S4), and the control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, see FIG. 13) instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to start feeding rice. Specifically, the container sensing means 38 instructs the memory control means 37, and the memory control means 37 sends the "350g" stored in the memory unit 32 to the weighing means 42. The weighing means 42 determines that the measured value (weight) is "350g" (see FIG. 11S5). Control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, FIG. 13) instructs zero reset means 39 to perform a zero reset, and also instructs shutter drive means 40 and motor drive means 41 to start operation. As a result, control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, see FIG. 13) causes control unit 26 (zero reset means 39) to zero reset electronic scale 7a of weighing unit 7 (see S6 in FIG. 11).

[0051] Next, the control unit 26 (shutter driving means 40, see FIG. 13) opens the shutter 31 in the direction of arrow C using a cylinder or the like (see FIG. 11S7), and the control unit 26 (motor driving means 41, see FIG. 13) starts driving the driving motors M1 to M4 (see FIG. 11S8).

[0052] When the drive motors M1 and M2 are driven, the rotating blades 18 rotate in the direction of the arrow I, while the rotating cylinder 21 rotates in the opposite direction (the direction of the arrow D). Then, the rice on the fixed disk 17 is gradually pushed toward the outer periphery of the fixed disk 17 by the rotating blades 18, and falls from the outer periphery of the fixed disk 17 into the multiple food chambers 22 below.

[0053] Since the rotating cylinder 21 rotates in the reverse direction (the direction of arrow D), the rice that falls into the multiple food chambers 22 is transported in the reverse direction over the fixed bottom plate 10a by the partition plate 20 and falls downward through one opening 11 (opening 11a) provided in the fixed bottom plate 10a.

[0054] Since the loosening rollers 12, 13 are located directly below the opening 11, the rice that falls from the opening 11 falls between the loosening rollers 12, 13, and since both rollers 12, 13 rotate in the opposite direction (arrows E, F direction), the rice falls downward while being loosened by the loosening rollers 12, 13. Then, the rice falls from the lower opening 6 in the direction of arrow A, and falls into the container 5 placed on the measuring unit 7.

[0055] After that, since the electronic scale 7a has been reset to zero, it measures the weight of the rice alone and sends the measured value to the control unit 26 (weighing means 42, see FIG. 13). The control unit 26 (weighing means 42) judges whether the measured value reaches the measured value of 350g stored in the memory unit 32, and when the measured value reaches 350g (see FIG. 11S9), the weighing means 42 instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to stop feeding the rice. That is, the weighing means 42 instructs the motor driving means 41 of the control unit 26 (see FIG. 13) to stop driving the motors, and the motor driving means 41 stops each of the driving motors M1 to M4 (see FIG. 11S10). Furthermore, the weighing means 42 of the control unit 26 issues an instruction to the shutter driving means 40 to close the shutter 31, and the shutter driving means 40 drives the shutter 31 in the direction of the arrow C' using a cylinder or the like to close the shutter 31 (see FIG. 11, S11).

[0056] Thereafter, control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, see FIG. 13) senses whether or not container 5 has been removed by container sensor 25. Specifically, when container 5 has been removed from weighing unit 7, light receiving element 25b receives light from light emitting element 25a, thereby sensing that container 5 has been removed (sensing that container sensor 25 has been turned off) (see FIG. 11, S12), and thereafter, if the process has not ended (see FIG. 11, S13), the process returns to the previous stage of step S1. If the process has ended (for example, the power to the device has been turned off), the process ends.

[0057] That is, the control unit 26 has the input sensing means 36 which, when a single input unit (e.g., a weighing button) is operated (e.g., pressed), senses that the single input unit (e.g., a weighing button) has been operated (e.g., pressed), the memory control means 37 which, when the single input unit (e.g., a weighing button) is operated (e.g., pressed), stores the weight corresponding to the operated (e.g., pressed) input unit (e.g., a weighing button) in the memory unit 32, and the container sensing means 38 When it is detected that an empty container 5 has been placed on the weighing section 7, the memory control means 37 outputs the weight stored in the memory section 32 to the food feeding mechanism 3 (food rotating feeding mechanism 3A), and the food feeding mechanism 3 operates to supply food of the above weight to the empty container 5, the weighing means 42 stops the food feeding mechanism 3 from supplying food once the above weight of food has been supplied, and the container detection means 38 detects the removal of the container 5 to which the food has been supplied.

[0058] (Continuous button operation (continuous input operation)) Figure 12 A case will be described where the measurement buttons a1 to a8 serving as the input section are pressed (operated) consecutively when no foodstuff supplying operation is being performed.

[0059] Here, we will explain a case where the measurement button a2 (150g), measurement button a4 (250g), measurement button a5 (300g), and measurement button a7 (400g) are pressed (operated) consecutively, as shown in Figure 12. Note that consecutive pressing of the measurement buttons is considered to be when, for example, the measurement button a2 is pressed and then the next measurement button (measurement button a4 in this case) is pressed, and the control unit 26 (input sensing means 36, see Figure 14) recognizes this as consecutive operation of the measurement buttons.

[0060] The control unit 26 (FIG. 14, input detection means 36) detects the pressing, and after the first pressing of the weighing button a2, the input detection means 36 notifies the display control means 35, and 150g is displayed on the display unit 8a (see FIG. 12 S1, S2); when the weighing button a4 is pressed second, and after the second weighing button a4 is pressed, the input detection means 36 notifies the display control means 35, and 250g is displayed on the display unit 8a (see FIG. 12 S3, S4); when the third weighing button a5 is pressed, and after the third weighing button a5 is pressed, the input detection means 36 notifies the display control means 35, and 300g is displayed on the display unit 8a (see FIG. 12 S5, S6); and when the fourth weighing button a7 is pressed, the display control unit 35 is notified, and 400g is displayed on the display unit 8a (see FIG. 12 S7, S8). Incidentally, while the weighing button is being pressed, the weight may be displayed on the display unit 8a.

[0061] Furthermore, the control unit 26 (Fig. 14, input sensing means 36) recognizes that the weighing buttons have been pressed consecutively, and the control unit 26 (memory control means 37, see Fig. 14) stores in the memory unit 32 the order of the weighing buttons a2, a4, a5, a7 that were pressed consecutively, and the weights 150g, 250g, 300g, 400g corresponding to each weighing button (see Fig. 12P9, Fig. 15(b)). Note that even if the same weighing button (e.g. a3) is pressed twice consecutively, the weight of 200g for the weighing button a3 is stored twice consecutively in the memory unit 32.

[0062] That is, the control unit 26 (input sensing means 36, see FIG. 14) notifies the memory control means 37 that the weighing buttons a2, a4, a5, and a7 were pressed in that order, and the memory control means 37 stores in the memory unit 32 that the first is the weighing button a2 and the weight is 150g, the second is the weighing button a4 and the weight is 250g, the third is the weighing button a5 and the weight is 300g, and the fourth is the weighing button a7 and the weight is 400g (see FIG. 15(b)). Note that each of the buttons a1 to a8 and their corresponding weights are pre-stored in the correspondence memory unit 46.

[0063] (No. 1) Next, the control unit 26 (previous end detection means 44, see FIG. 14) judges whether the previous operation has ended (in this case, it is assumed that the previous operation has ended), and if the previous operation has ended (see FIG. 12, S10), the previous end detection means 44 notifies the display control means 35, and the display control means 35 displays the initial weight of 150 g on the display unit 8a at a timing before the container 5 is placed on the weighing unit 7 (see FIG. 12, S11). This allows the user to know the weight to be weighed next.

[0064] The control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, see FIG. 14) senses whether or not a container 5 (in this case, an empty 150 g container 5) has been placed on the weighing unit 7. At this time, the user places an empty 150 g container 5 on the weighing unit 7, and the signal from the container sensor 25 is deactivated. The container sensing means 38 senses this (senses that the container sensor 25 is on) (see FIG. 12S12), and the control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, see FIG. 14) instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to start the rice feeding operation (food feeding operation). Specifically, the container sensing means 38 notifies the memory control means 37, and the control unit 26 (memory control means 37) notifies the weighing means 42 of 150g, which is the first value stored in the memory unit 32 (see Figure 12S13), and the control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, see Figure 14) instructs the zero reset means 39 to perform a zero reset, and the zero reset means 39 zero resets the electronic scale 7a (see Figure 12S14), and then the container sensing means 38 instructs the shutter drive means 40 to open the shutter, and the shutter drive means 40 drives a cylinder or the like to open the shutter 31 (see Figure 12S15).

[0065] Thereafter, the control unit 26 (the container sensing means 38, see FIG. 14) instructs the motor driving means 41 to start driving, and the driving motors M1 to M4 start to drive (see FIG. 12 S16). Then, the rotating blades 18 rotate in the direction of the arrow I, while the rotating cylinder 21 rotates in the opposite direction (the direction of the arrow D). Then, the rice on the fixed disk 17 is gradually pushed toward the outer periphery of the fixed disk 17 by the rotating blades 18, and falls from the outer periphery of the fixed disk 17 into the multiple food chambers 22 below.

[0066] Since the rotating cylinder 21 rotates in the reverse direction (the direction of arrow D), the rice that falls into the multiple food chambers 22 is transported in the reverse direction over the fixed bottom plate 10a by the partition plate 20 and falls downward through one opening 11 (opening 11a) provided in the fixed bottom plate 10a.

[0067] Since the loosening rollers 12, 13 are located directly below the opening 11, the rice that falls from the opening 11 falls between the loosening rollers 12, 13, and since both rollers 12, 13 rotate in the opposite direction (arrows E, F direction), the rice falls downward while being loosened by the loosening rollers 12, 13. Then, the rice falls from the lower opening 6 in the direction of arrow A, and falls into the container 5 placed on the measuring unit 7.

[0068] After that, since the electronic scale 7a has been reset to zero, it measures the weight of the rice alone and sends the measured value to the control unit 26 (weighing means 42, see FIG. 14). The control unit 26 (weighing means 42) judges whether the measured value reaches the first weight stored in the memory unit 32, which is 150 g, and when the measured value reaches 150 g (see FIG. 12, S17), the weighing means 42 instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to stop feeding the rice. Specifically, the weighing means 42 instructs the control unit 26 (motor driving means 41, see FIG. 14) to stop driving the motors, and the motor driving means 41 stops each of the driving motors M1 to M4 (see FIG. 12, S18).

[0069] Furthermore, control unit 26 (measuring means 42) issues an instruction to shutter driving means 40 to close shutter 31, and shutter driving means 40 drives shutter 31 in the direction of arrow C' using a cylinder or the like to close shutter 31 (see FIG. 12 S19). That is, when the measured value is reached, control unit 26 (measuring means 42) commands food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) (specifically, shutter driving means 40 and motor driving means 41) to stop the food feeding operation.

[0070] Next, the user removes the container 5 containing 150 g of rice from the weighing unit 7. When the container 5 is removed from the weighing unit 7, the container sensor 25 is turned off, and the control unit 26 (container sensing means 38, see FIG. 14) detects this (see S20 in FIG. 12). (No. 2)

[0071] The control unit 26 (memory control means 37, see FIG. 16) judges whether all weights stored in the memory unit 32 have been completed (see FIG. 12S21). In this case, since the weights have not been completed yet, the process returns to step S9, and the weighing means 42 is notified of the second weight stored in the memory unit 32, 250g. The control unit 26 (previous end detection means 44, see FIG. 14) judges whether the previous operation has been completed. In this case, since the previous operation has been completed (see FIG. 12S10), the previous end detection means 44 instructs the display control means 35 to display the weight value to be weighed next. At the timing before the container 5 is placed on the weighing unit 7, the display control means 35 displays 250g, which is the weight to be weighed next, from the memory unit 32 on the display unit 8a (see FIG. 12S11). This allows the user to know the weight to be weighed next. The control unit 26 also proceeds to step S12 to check whether the next container sensor 25 is on or not.

[0072] The subsequent operations are the same as the first one, and when the user sets the next empty container 5 (container 5 for 250g) in the weighing unit 7 (see S12 in Fig. 12), the control unit 26 (container detection means 38, see Fig. 14) instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to start feeding rice. Specifically, the control unit 26 (memory control means 37) notifies the weighing means 42 of 250g stored in the second position in the memory unit 32 (see S13 in Fig. 12), and the control unit 26 (container detection means 38, see Fig. 14) instructs the zero reset means 39 to perform a zero reset, and the zero reset means 39 zero resets the electronic scale 7a (see S14 in Fig. 12), after which the container detection means 38 instructs the shutter drive means 40 to open the shutter, and the shutter drive means 40 drives a cylinder or the like to open the shutter 31 (see S15 in Fig. 12). Thereafter, the container detection means 38 instructs the motor drive means 41 to start driving, and the drive motors M1 to M4 are driven (see FIG. 12S16), 250 g of rice is supplied into the next empty container 5 (see FIG. 12S17), and the weighing means 42 detects this and instructs the food rotating and feeding means 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to stop feeding rice. Specifically, the weighing means 42 stops the drive motors M1 to M4 (see FIG. 12S18), the shutter 31 is closed (see FIG. 12S19), and finally the user removes the container 5 (in which 250 g of rice has been supplied) from the weighing section 7, and the container detection means 38 detects this (see FIG. 12S20).

[0073] (No. 3) The control unit 26 (memory control means 37, see FIG. 14) judges whether all weights stored in the memory unit 32 have been measured (see FIG. 12S21). In this case, the weights have not been measured yet, so the process returns to step S9, and the weighing means 42 is notified of the third weight stored in the memory unit 32, 300g. The control unit 26 (previous end detection means 44, see FIG. 14) judges whether the previous operation has been measured. In this case, the previous operation has been measured (see FIG. 12S10), so the previous end detection means 44 instructs the display control means 35 to display the weight to be measured next, and the display control means 35 displays 300g, which is the weight to be measured next, from the memory unit 32 on the display unit 8a (see FIG. 12S11). This allows the user to know the weight to be measured next. The control unit 26 also moves to step S12 to check whether the next container sensor 25 is on or not.

[0074] The subsequent operation is the same as the second one, and when the user sets the next empty container 5 (container 5 for 300g) in the weighing unit 7 (see S12 in Fig. 12), the control unit 26 (container detection means 38, see Fig. 14) instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to start feeding rice. Specifically, the control unit 26 (memory control means 37) notifies the weighing means 42 of 300g stored in the third position in the memory unit 32 (see S13 in Fig. 12), and the control unit 26 (container detection means 38, see Fig. 14) instructs the zero reset means 39 to perform a zero reset, and the zero reset means 39 zero resets the electronic scale 7a (see S14 in Fig. 12), after which the container detection means 38 instructs the shutter drive means 40 to open the shutter, and the shutter drive means 40 drives a cylinder or the like to open the shutter 31 (see S15 in Fig. 12). Thereafter, the container detection means 38 instructs the motor drive means 41 to start driving, and the drive motors M1 to M4 are driven (see FIG. 12S16), 300 g of rice is supplied into the next empty container 5 (see FIG. 12S17), and the weighing means 42 detects this and instructs the food rotating and feeding means 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to stop feeding rice. Specifically, the drive motors M1 to M4 are stopped (see FIG. 12S18), the shutter 31 is closed (see FIG. 12S19), and finally the user removes the container 5 (in which 300 g of rice has been supplied) from the weighing section 7, and the container detection means 38 detects this (see FIG. 12S20).

[0075] (4th) The control unit 26 (memory control means 37, see FIG. 14) judges whether all weights stored in the memory unit 32 have been completed (see FIG. 12S21). In this case, since the weights have not been completed yet, the process returns to step S9, and the weighing means 42 is notified of the fourth weight stored in the memory unit 32, which is 400g. The control unit 26 (previous end detection means 44, see FIG. 14) judges whether the previous operation has been completed. In this case, since the previous operation has been completed (see FIG. 12S10), the previous end detection means 44 instructs the display control means 35 to display the weight value to be next weighed, and the display control means 35 displays 400g, which is the weight to be next weighed from the memory unit 32, on the display unit 8a (see FIG. 12S11). This allows the user to know the weight to be next weighed. The control unit 26 also proceeds to step S12 to check whether the next container sensor 25 is on or not.

[0076] The subsequent operation is the same as the third one, and when the user sets the next empty container 5 (container 5 for 400g) in the weighing unit 7 (see S12 in Fig. 12), the control unit 26 (container detection means 38, see Fig. 14) instructs the food rotating and feeding mechanism 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to start feeding rice. Specifically, the control unit 26 (memory control means 37) notifies the weighing means 42 of 400g stored in the fourth position in the continuous memory unit 33 (see S13 in Fig. 12), and the control unit 26 (container detection means 38, see Fig. 14) instructs the zero reset means 39 to perform a zero reset, and the zero reset means 39 zero resets the electronic scale 7a (see S14 in Fig. 12), after which the container detection means 38 instructs the shutter drive means 40 to open the shutter, and the shutter drive means 40 drives a cylinder or the like to open the shutter 31 (see S15 in Fig. 12). Thereafter, the container detection means 38 instructs the motor drive means 41 to start driving, and the drive motors M1 to M4 are driven (see FIG. 12S16), 400 g of rice is supplied into the next empty container 5 (see FIG. 12S17), and the weighing means 42 detects this and instructs the food rotating and feeding means 3A (food feeding mechanism 3) to stop feeding rice. Specifically, the drive motors M1 to M4 are stopped (see FIG. 12S18), the shutter 31 is closed (see FIG. 12S19), and finally the user removes the container 5 (in which 400 g of rice has been supplied) from the weighing section 7, and the container detection means 38 detects this (see FIG. 12S20).

[0077] Next, the control unit 26 (memory control means 37, see FIG. 14) judges whether all the measurement values ​​stored in the memory unit 32 have been completed. In this case, they have all been completed (see S21 in FIG. 12), so it then judges whether they have been completed (whether the power is off or not). If the power is on, it returns to step S1, and if the power is off, it ends (see S22 in FIG. 12).

[0078] That is, in a food plating device that supplies food ingredients of weights corresponding to a plurality of input units (e.g., measuring buttons) to a container 5 on a measuring unit 7, a control unit 26 in the food plating device includes an input detection means 36 that detects that the input units (e.g., measuring buttons) have been operated (e.g., pressed) consecutively when the input units (e.g., measuring buttons) have been operated (e.g., pressed) consecutively, and a control unit 26 that detects the order in which the input units (e.g., measuring buttons) have been operated (e.g., pressed) consecutively when the input units (e.g., measuring buttons) have been operated (e.g., pressed) consecutively and a control unit 27 that detects the order in which the input units (e.g., measuring buttons) have been operated (e.g., pressed) consecutively and a control unit 28 that detects the order in which the input units (e.g., measuring buttons) have been operated (e.g., pressed) consecutively when the input units (e.g., measuring buttons) have been operated (e.g., pressed) consecutively. a memory control means 37 for storing each weight corresponding to a button (e.g., each weighing button) in a memory unit 32; a container detection means 38 for detecting that an empty container 5 has been placed on the weighing unit 7; and when the container detection means 38 detects that the empty container 5 has been placed on the weighing unit 7, the memory control means 37 outputs the initial weight that was first stored from the memory unit 32 to a food material feed mechanism 3 (food material rotating feed mechanism 3A). The food material feed mechanism 3 receives the initial weight and starts a food material feed operation (meal feed operation) in which food material of the initial weight is fed to the empty container 5. a weighing means for stopping the supply of ingredients from the ingredient feeding mechanism 3 when the first weight of ingredients is supplied to the empty container 5; when the container detection means detects that the container 5 to which ingredients have been supplied has been removed, it detects that a next empty container 5 has been placed on the weighing section 7, and the memory control means outputs the next weight from the memory section 32 to the ingredient feeding mechanism 3; the ingredient feeding mechanism 3 supplies the next weight of ingredients to the next empty container 5 on the weighing section 7; and the weighing means When the ingredients have been supplied, the food feeding mechanism 3 stops supplying ingredients, and when the container detection means 38 detects that the next empty container 5 has been placed on the weighing section 7, the memory control means 37 repeatedly outputs the weights stored in the memory section 32 to the food feeding mechanism 3 until all of the weights stored in the memory section 32 have been output in the order in which the input section (e.g. the weighing button) was operated (e.g. pressed), and the food feeding mechanism 3 repeatedly supplies the weights of ingredients to the containers 5 that are successively placed on the weighing section 7 in the order stored in the memory section 32.

[0079] In addition, the control unit 26 includes an input sensing means 36 which senses when the input unit (e.g., a weighing button) is operated (e.g., pressed), and a display control means 35 which, when the input sensing means 36 detects that the input unit (e.g., a weighing button) has been operated (e.g., pressed), displays the weight corresponding to the input unit (e.g., the weighing button) on the display unit 8a.

[0080] In addition, when the input section (e.g., the weighing button) is continuously operated (e.g., pressed), the control section 26 causes the display control means 35 to display the next weight to be weighed, which is stored in the memory section 32, on the display section 8a at a timing before the empty container 5 is placed on the weighing section 7.

[0081] (Timing of sequential button actions) As described above, continuous button operation (continuous input operation) is performed when the previous operation (single operation or continuous operation) has ended (when no rice supply operation is being performed) and the weighing buttons a1 to a8 serving as the input unit are pressed continuously, causing the control unit 26 (input sensing means 36, see FIG. 14) to sense that the weighing buttons a1 to a8 have been pressed continuously (see FIG. 16(c)). Then, when the user places the first container 5 on the weighing unit 7 (see container setting in FIG. 16(c)), the food delivery mechanism 3 begins to supply rice (food) of a weight corresponding to the weighing button that was initially stored.

[0082] Otherwise, as shown in Figure 16(a), when one of the weighing buttons is pressed (alone), the user places the container 5 on the weighing unit 7 (see the container set in Figure 16(a)), and during the operation of supplying rice (food supply operation) of the weight of the first weighing button (this is the operation in which the weighing button is pressed alone) (period T1 in Figure 16(a), between S5 and S13 in Figure 11), if any of the weighing buttons a1 to a8 is pressed alone, the control unit 26 (input sensing means 36, see Figure 14) senses that the weighing button (for example, weighing button a6 = 350g) has been pressed alone, and the control unit 26 (memory control means 37, see Figure 14) stores 350g in the memory unit 32. Thereafter, when the supply operation of the previous rice is completed and the container 5 containing the rice is removed from the weighing section 7, when the next user places the container 5 on the weighing section 7, the food delivery mechanism 3 starts the supply operation of the next 350 g of rice.

[0083] Alternatively, if any of the weighing buttons a1 to a8 are pressed consecutively, the control unit 26 (input sensing means 36, see FIG. 14) senses that the weighing buttons have been pressed consecutively, and the control unit 26 (storage control means 37, see FIG. 14) stores this in the memory unit 32. In this case, if the weighing buttons are pressed consecutively, they are stored in the memory unit 32 in the order in which they were pressed, and when the user places the container 5 on the weighing unit 7, the rice is supplied in the order in which they were pressed (see FIG. 16(c)).

[0084] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 16(b), when the rice supply operation is not being performed, for example, if the measurement button a2 (150g) and the measurement button a4 (250g) are pressed consecutively, and the measurement button a5 (300g) is pressed alone during the first (150g) rice supply operation (food supply operation), the control unit 26 (input detection means 36, see Fig. 14) detects that the measurement button a5 has been pressed consecutively, and the control unit 26 (storage control means 37, see Fig. 14) stores the measurement button a5 (300g) in the memory unit 32 as the third measurement button pressed. In this way, when the measurement button a5 is pressed during the previous rice supply operation, it is additionally stored in the memory unit 32.

[0085] 16(b), if the measurement button a7 (400g) is pressed during the second (a4=150g) rice supplying operation (food supplying operation), the control unit 26 (input sensing means 36, see FIG. 14) senses that the measurement button a7 has been pressed continuously, and the control unit 26 (storage control means 37b, see FIG. 16) stores the measurement button a7 (400g) in the memory unit 32 as the fourth measurement button pressed. When the measurement button a7 is pressed in this way, it is additionally stored in the memory unit 32.

[0086] Then, the user places the containers 5 one after another on the weighing section 7, and after the second weighing button a4 (250g), the third weighing button a5 (300g) performs a rice supply operation (food supply operation) to the container 5, and after the third rice supply operation, the fourth weighing button a7 (400g) pressed performs a rice supply operation to the container 5.

[0087] After the rice supply operation of the fourth stored measuring button a7 (400g) is completed, if the rice supply operation (food supply operation) is not being performed, if the measuring buttons a1 to a8 are pressed individually, the user places the container 5 on the measuring unit 7, which is detected by the control unit 26 (input detection means 36, see FIG. 14) and a single rice supply operation is performed (see FIG. 11S1 to S13, FIG. 16(a)). If the measuring buttons a1 to a8 are pressed continuously, the control unit 26 (input detection means 36, see FIG. 15) detects it, and the user places the container 5 on the measuring unit 7 one after another, which performs a continuous rice supply operation (see FIG. 12S1 to S21, FIG. 16(c)). If the measuring buttons a5 and a7 are pressed (operated) continuously during the food supply operation, they are additionally stored in the memory unit 32 (see FIG. 16(b)).

[0088] In other words, the control unit 26 detects, through the input detection means 36, when a single operation (e.g., pressing action) of the input unit (e.g., the weighing button) or continuous operations (e.g., pressing action) of the input unit (e.g., the weighing button) are performed while the food supply operation of the food feed mechanism 3 (food rotating feed mechanism 3A) is being performed, and the memory control means 37 is added to the memory unit 32 and stores the order of each weighing button and each weight corresponding to each weighing button.

[0089] As described above, in the present invention, after the user has successively operated (e.g., pressed) the weighing buttons a1 to a8 as multiple input units, this is repeated each time an empty container 5 is placed on the weighing unit 7 until the weight stored in the memory unit 32 is reached. Therefore, after the user has successively operated (e.g., pressed) the multiple input units (e.g., the weighing buttons a1 to a8), the user can place empty containers 5 one after another on the weighing unit 7, and the ingredients of each weight will be supplied to each container 5 in the order in which the input units (e.g., the weighing buttons) were successively operated (e.g., pressed), which is extremely convenient.

[0090] In addition, when a normal standalone input unit (e.g., weighing buttons a1 to a8) is operated (e.g., pressed), the food feed mechanism 3 supplies food ingredients of a weight corresponding to the pressed input unit (e.g., weighing button) to an empty container 5 on the weighing unit 7, so that normal standalone operation can be performed in the same manner.

[0091] In addition, when an input section (e.g., weighing buttons a1 to a8) is operated (e.g., pressed), the weighing value (weight) corresponding to that input section (e.g., weighing buttons a1 to a8) is displayed on display section 8a, so that the user can easily know the weighing value corresponding to each input section (e.g., weighing buttons a1 to a8).

[0092] In addition, before the container 5 is placed on the weighing unit 7, the weight to be next weighed is displayed on the display unit 8a, so the user can know the weight to be weighed in the next container 5, and can select a container 5 appropriate for the weight and place that container 5 on the weighing unit 7.

[0093] Furthermore, when an input unit (e.g., a measuring button) is operated singly or successively (e.g., a pressing operation (a pressing operation is the same as, for example, the operation of pressing a measuring button) while the food feed mechanism 3 is performing a food feed operation, the control unit 26 additionally stores the operation in the memory unit 32. Therefore, when no food feed operation is being performed, the input unit (e.g., a measuring button) is first pressed, for example, two times in succession (e.g., measuring buttons a2 and a4) to perform the first food feed operation (a2=150 g). In this case, for example, if an input section (for example, weighing button a5 (=300g)) is pressed alone, the weight resulting from successive pressing of two input sections (for example, weighing buttons (a2=150g, a4=250g)) is stored in the memory section 32, and the weight of the one input section pressed later (for example, the weight of the weighing button (a5=300g)) is additionally stored. Therefore, the weight of the added ingredients can be supplied by placing container 5 on the weighing section 7, which is very convenient.

[0094] In addition, in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, reference numeral 47 denotes a plate for preventing rotation of ingredients, and reference numeral 48 denotes a plate for stirring ingredients, which are fixed upright to one rotating blade 18. Although eight measurement buttons a1 to a8 are given as an example of the input section, the number of measurement buttons may be one, ten, or any other number. In the case of one measurement button, if the weight of an ingredient, for example, 200g, is assigned to the measurement button, when the measurement button is pressed twice in succession, 200g is stored twice in succession in the memory section 32. Even if there is one measurement button, another selection button may be provided so that the weight of the ingredient corresponding to the measurement button can be selected. [Industrial Applicability]

[0095] According to the present invention, when the weighing button serving as the input unit is pressed continuously, food ingredients are supplied by placing containers on the weighing unit one by one thereafter, which eliminates operational loss and is extremely convenient. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 3. Food feed mechanism 3A Food Rotation Mechanism 5 containers 7 Measuring part 8a Display section 26 Control Unit 32 Storage section 35 Display control means 36 Input sensing means 37 Storage control means 38 Container sensing means 42 Measuring means a1~a8 Measurement buttons (input section)

Claims

1. In a food serving device that supplies food to a container on a measuring unit with a weight corresponding to an input unit, The food serving device includes a food feed mechanism that feeds food to a container, and a control unit that controls the drive of the food feed mechanism. The control unit is an input sensing means for sensing, when the input unit is operated continuously, that the input unit has been operated continuously; a memory control means for storing in a memory unit, when the input units are operated successively, the order in which the input units are operated and each weight corresponding to the input units; a container detection means for detecting that an empty container is placed on the weighing unit; a weighing means for stopping the supply of ingredients from the ingredient feed mechanism when the first weight of ingredients stored in the memory section of the memory control means is supplied to the empty container, the memory control means outputs the initial weight to the food material feeding mechanism when the container sensing means senses that the empty container has been placed on the weighing section; the food material feeding mechanism receives the first weight and starts a food material feeding operation in which the first weight of food material is fed to the empty container, and when the empty container is placed on the weighing unit and the input unit is operated continuously or independently during the feeding of the first weight of food material or after the feeding of the first weight of food material is completed, stops the feeding without feeding more food material than the weight of the first food material to the container into which the food material has been fed; When the container detection means detects that the container in which the food material has been supplied has been removed, the container detection means detects that the next empty container has been placed on the weighing unit, The memory control means outputs the next weight from the memory unit to the food material feeding mechanism, the food material feeding mechanism feeds the next weight of food material to the next empty container on the weighing section; the weighing means stops the supply of ingredients from the ingredient feed mechanism when the next weight of ingredients has been supplied to the next empty container; When the container sensing means senses that the next empty container has been placed on the weighing unit, the memory control means repeatedly outputs the weights stored in the memory unit to the food material feeding mechanism until all of the weights are output in the order in which the input unit was operated, The food material feeding mechanism repeatedly supplies food materials to the containers placed on the weighing unit in sequence in the order stored in the memory unit without exceeding the weight of each of the containers, and also supplies food materials to the containers on the weighing unit while loosening the food materials, and stops supplying the food materials when the weight stored in the memory unit is reached. Food plating device.

2. The input sensing means senses that a single input unit has been operated when the single input unit has been operated, The memory control means, when the single input unit is operated, stores in the memory unit a weight corresponding to the operated input unit, The memory control means outputs the weight stored in the memory unit to a food material feeding mechanism when the container detection means detects that an empty container is placed on the weighing unit. The food material feeding mechanism operates to feed the weight of food material to the empty container, the weighing means stops the supply of ingredients from the ingredient feed mechanism when the ingredient weight is supplied, 2. The food plating device according to claim 1, wherein said container sensing means senses the removal of a container containing said food.

3. A food serving device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is provided with a display control means for displaying the weight corresponding to the input unit on the display unit.

4. The food serving device described in Claim 3, wherein the display control means, when the input unit is operated continuously, displays on the display unit the weight to be next weighed, which is stored in the memory unit, at a timing before the empty container is placed on the weighing unit.

5. When the input unit is operated alone or continuously while the food supply operation of the food feed mechanism is being performed, the input detection means detects it. The food serving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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