Beverage supply device and beverage supply method

Abstract

To provide a beverage feeder capable of feeding an appropriate amount of beverage according to a container.SOLUTION: A beverage feeder comprises: a container holding part for holding a container; a nozzle for supplying beverage to the container; a relative movement part for relatively moving the nozzle with respect to the container holding part; and a control unit for adjusting the amount of supplying the beverage to the container, based on a relatively moving amount of the nozzle with respect to the container holding part until a distance from the container held by the container holding part to the nozzle becomes a set distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a beverage dispensing device and a beverage dispensing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, devices for supplying beverages to containers are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The liquid extraction device described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with an image sensor that detects a mug from diagonally above. When a user places a mug on the mug holder and then presses a dispensing button, the liquid extraction device uses the image sensor to measure the diameter of the mug. The beverage supply device then determines the size of the mug based on the measured diameter, and dispenses an amount of beverage according to the determined size. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-95393 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the device described in Patent Document 1, if the height of the mug changes, it may not be possible to properly measure the diameter of the mug, and thus it may not be possible to dispense the appropriate amount of beverage.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a beverage supplying device and a beverage supplying method that can supply an appropriate amount of beverage according to a container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The beverage supply device of the present disclosure includes a container holding section having an adjustment section that adjusts the horizontal position of the container in synchronization with the movement of a mounting section on which the container is placed, a nozzle that supplies a beverage to the container, a relative movement section that moves the nozzle relatively to the container holding section, and a control section that adjusts the amount of the beverage supplied to the container based on the amount of relative movement of the nozzle with respect to the container holding section until a distance from the container to the nozzle becomes a set distance, and the adjustment section is provided on both sides of the container and includes a pair of abutment sections that abut against side surfaces of the container, a position adjustment biasing member that biases the pair of abutment sections in a direction toward each other, and a movement restricting section that restricts movement of the pair of abutment sections so that the approach of the pair of abutment sections to each other is linked to the rise of the mounting section. The placement section is configured such that a height of the placement section in the upward direction changes with respect to the movement restriction section. do.

[0007] The beverage supplying method disclosed herein is a beverage supplying method performed by a beverage supplying device including a container holding portion having a placement portion and an adjustment portion, a nozzle for supplying a beverage to a container, and a relative movement portion for moving the nozzle relatively to the container holding portion, wherein the beverage supplying device places the container on the placement portion, moves the placement portion, and adjusts a horizontal position of the container in synchronization with this movement, when the container is held by the container holding portion, controls the relative movement portion to move the nozzle relatively to the container holding portion, and when a distance from the container to the nozzle reaches a set distance, controls the relative movement portion to stop the relative movement, adjusts the amount of the beverage supplied to the container based on the amount of relative movement of the nozzle to the container holding portion, and when adjusting the horizontal position, biases a pair of abutment portions provided on both sides of the container and abutting against side surfaces of the container in directions toward each other, and controls the movement of the pair of abutment portions so that the approach of the pair of abutment portions to each other is linked to the rise of the placement portion. Using the movement restriction part Regulation The placement section is configured so that the height of the placement section in the upward direction changes with respect to the movement restriction section. do. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the beverage supply device and beverage supply method of the present disclosure, an appropriate amount of beverage can be supplied according to the container. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a beverage dispenser according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a main body door of the beverage dispenser according to a first embodiment is closed; [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a main body door of the beverage dispenser according to a first embodiment is open; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a front view of a container installation section according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container holding portion according to a first embodiment; [Figure 5A] FIG. 1 is a front view of a container holding portion when the left and right contact members are in a most distant state according to the first embodiment; [Figure 5B] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container holding portion when the left and right contact members are in a most distant state according to the first embodiment; [Figure 5C] FIG. 11 is a rear view showing the interlocking control unit of the container holder when the left and right contact members are in the most distant state according to the first embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container lifting chamber according to a first embodiment; [Figure 7A] FIG. 1 is a front view of a container holding portion when the left and right contact members are in the closest position according to the first embodiment; [Figure 7B] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container holding portion when the left and right contact members are in the closest position according to the first embodiment; [Figure 7C] FIG. 11 is a rear view showing the interlocking control unit of the container holder when the left and right contact members are in the closest position according to the first embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a left side view showing the configuration of a relative movement unit and a detection unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system of a beverage supply device according to a first embodiment; [Figure 10] Flowchart of beverage supply process according to the first embodiment [Figure 11] Flowchart of beverage serving process according to the first embodiment [Figure 12] Flowchart of beverage serving process according to the first embodiment [Figure 13]Timing chart of beverage supply process according to the first embodiment [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a container holder with a container placed thereon is located at an origin position according to the first embodiment; [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the container holder with the container placed thereon has finished rising and is waiting for the supply of beverage according to the first embodiment; [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which the container holder with the container placed thereon according to the first embodiment is at the origin position and the container holder is not elevated and is waiting for the supply of beverage; [Figure 17A] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a container holding portion according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17B] A longitudinal sectional view of a drainage section according to a second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the container holding unit according to the second embodiment is in an upper standby position or an origin position; [Figure 19] Flowchart of beverage supply process according to the second embodiment [Figure 20] Timing chart of beverage supply process according to a modified example DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0011] First Embodiment (Configuration of beverage supply device) First, the configuration of the beverage supply device of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of the beverage supply device. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the main body door of the beverage supply device is closed. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the main body door of the beverage supply device is open. FIG. 3 is a front view of the container installation section. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container holding section. FIG. 5A is a front view of the container holding section when the first and second contact sections are in the most distant state. FIG. 5B is a plan view of the container holding section when the first and second contact sections are in the most distant state. FIG. 5C is a rear view showing the interlocking control section of the container holding section when the first and second contact sections are in the most distant state. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the container lifting chamber. FIG. 7A is a front view of the container holding section when the first and second contact sections are in the most approximate state. FIG. 7B is a plan view of the container holding section when the first and second contact sections are in the most approximate state. FIG. 7C is a rear view showing the interlocking control section of the container holding section when the first and second contact sections are in the most approximate state. Fig. 8 is a left side view showing the configuration of the relative movement unit and the detection unit. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a control system of the beverage dispenser. Note that the arrangement positions and movement directions of various components constituting the beverage dispenser may be described in the directions shown in Fig. 1, etc.

[0012] 1, 2A, and 2B, beverage supplying device 1 includes a housing 10, an operation display unit 20, a beverage supplying unit 30, and a container installation unit 40. When a user operates operation display unit 20 to select a type of beverage, beverage supplying device 1 supplies an amount of beverage corresponding to the size of container C when container C is installed in container installation unit 40. Examples of container C include a cup prepared by a manager of a store or facility in which beverage supplying device 1 is installed, and a tumbler, water bottle, or cup brought in by a user of the beverage supplying device.

[0013] The housing 10 comprises a box-shaped main body 11 with an opening on the front side, and a main body door 12 that closes the opening of the main body 11. The main body door 12 is provided so as to rotate by a hinge 120 provided on the right end portion of the main body 11, so that the entire front side of the main body 11 can be opened and closed. An operation display unit 20 and an opening / closing sensor 436 are arranged on the front side of the main body door 12. A sales opening 41 is formed in the main body door 12.

[0014] The operation and display unit 20 is used to select a beverage. The operation and display unit 20 is configured with a touch panel. The operation and display unit 20 displays selection buttons for selecting a beverage that can be served under the control of the control unit 80 (see FIG. 9). When a user presses an area corresponding to a predetermined selection button, the operation and display unit 20 outputs a beverage specification signal that specifies the pressed area to the control unit 80, which will be described later. Instead of the operation and display unit 20, a physical button for selecting a beverage that can be served may be arranged on the main body door 12.

[0015] The beverage supply unit 30 supplies the beverage selected by the user to the container C installed in the container installation unit 40 under the control of the control unit 80. The beverage supply unit 30 is disposed in the main body 11 of the housing 10. The beverage supply unit 30 includes a beverage production unit 31 that produces a beverage, a nozzle 32 that ejects the beverage produced by the beverage production unit 31 into the container C, and a pipe (not shown) that guides the beverage produced by the beverage production unit 31 to the nozzle 32. The beverage production unit 31 includes, for example, a mechanism for extracting coffee from coffee beans, a mechanism for producing a beverage in which syrup is diluted with water or carbonated water, and a mechanism for producing a beverage in which powder or granules are diluted with water, hot water, or carbonated water. The nozzle 32 is fixed to the center of the main body 11 in the vertical direction. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described later, a plurality of nozzles 32 that eject different beverages are fixed to the main body 11.

[0016] A container C is installed in the container installation section 40. As shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, and 3, the container installation section 40 includes the above-mentioned selling port 41, a container lifting chamber 42, a selling port opening / closing section 43, and a container holding section 44.

[0017] The vending opening 41 is an opening for inserting and removing the container C into and from the beverage dispenser 1. The vending opening 41 is formed in a lower portion of the main body door 12. The vending opening 41 is formed to a size that allows all containers C that can be handled by the beverage dispenser 1 to pass through.

[0018] The inside of the container lifting chamber 42 constitutes a lifting space K in which the container C lifts and lowers. The container lifting chamber 42 is formed in a substantially box-like shape with openings on the front and bottom, by a right side plate 421 and a left side plate 422 arranged so that their main surfaces face each other, a top plate 423 arranged to connect the upper edges of the right side plate 421 and the left side plate 422, and a back plate 424 arranged to connect the rear edges of the right side plate 421, the left side plate 422, and the top plate 423. The container lifting chamber 42 is disposed in the main body door 12 so that the container C can be put in and taken out of the lifting space K through the openings on the front of the selling port 41 and the container lifting chamber 42. The container lifting chamber 42 is disposed below the nozzle 32.

[0019] 2B, a beverage through hole 423A is formed in the front and center in the left-right direction of the top plate 423. The beverage discharged from the nozzle 32 passes through the beverage through hole 423A and is supplied to the container C in the container lifting chamber 42. A rack through hole 423B is formed on the left side of the top plate 423.

[0020] The vending port opening / closing section 43 opens and closes the vending port 41. As shown in Fig. 3, the vending port opening / closing section 43 includes a vending port door 431, an opening / closing motor 432, a full-open detection switch 433 (see Fig. 9), a full-close detection switch 434, a lock section 435, and an opening / closing sensor 436 (see Figs. 1 and 9).

[0021] The selling port door 431 is formed in a plate shape of a size that can close the entire selling port 41. The selling port door 431 is formed of a transparent, semi-transparent or opaque material. A rotating shaft 431A is provided at the left end of the upper and lower surfaces of the selling port door 431. The upper and lower rotating shafts 431A are inserted into shaft holes (not shown) of the main body door 12 so that the selling port door 431 can rotate around the left end. A driven gear 431B is disposed at the upper end of the upper rotating shaft 431A. A lock engagement hole (not shown) is formed at the right end of the upper surface of the selling port door 431. A switch pressing part 431C that presses a leaf spring 434A (described later) of the full closure detection switch 434 is formed at the upper right end of the rear surface of the selling port door 431.

[0022] The opening / closing motor 432 is disposed at the upper left of the container lifting chamber 42 in the main body door 12. A drive gear 432A meshing with a driven gear 431B is fixed to the rotating shaft of the opening / closing motor 432. The selling port door 431 is opened and closed by driving the opening / closing motor 432 based on the control of the control unit 80. In addition, a switch pressing unit (not shown) is disposed on the rotating shaft of the opening / closing motor 432. The switch pressing unit is provided so as to press a leaf spring (not shown) of the full-open detection switch 433 (described later) when the selling port door 431 is in a fully open state, and not to press the leaf spring of the full-open detection switch 433 when the selling port door 431 is not in a fully open state.

[0023] The full-open detection switch 433 detects that the selling door 431 is in a fully open state. In the first and second embodiments, the fully open state means that the selling door 431 is rotated about 90° from a closed state to an open state. The full-open detection switch 433 is fixed to the upper surface of the container lifting chamber 42. The full-open detection switch 433 includes a leaf spring and an operating member (not shown) that is pressed by the leaf spring. When the selling door 431 is in a fully open state, the leaf spring pressed by the switch pressing portion presses the operating member, and therefore a full-open detection signal is output from the full-open detection switch 433 to the control unit 80 (the full-open detection switch 433 is on). On the other hand, when the selling door 431 is not in a fully open state, the leaf spring is not pressed by the switch pressing portion, and the operating member is not pressed either, so that a full-open detection signal is not output from the full-open detection switch 433 to the control unit 80 (the full-open detection switch 433 is off).

[0024] The full-closed detection switch 434 detects that the selling door 431 is in a fully closed state. As shown in FIG. 3, the full-closed detection switch 434 is disposed on the right side of the container lifting chamber 42. The full-closed detection switch 434 is configured similarly to the full-open detection switch 433, and includes a leaf spring 434A and an operating element (not shown). When the selling door 431 is not in a fully closed state, the leaf spring 434A is not pressed by the switch pressing portion 431C, and the operating element is not pressed either, so that a full-closed detection signal is not output from the full-closed detection switch 434 to the control unit 80 (the full-closed detection switch 434 is off). On the other hand, when the selling door 431 is in a fully closed state, the leaf spring 434A pressed by the switch pressing portion 431C presses the operating element, so that a full-closed detection signal is output from the full-closed detection switch 434 to the control unit 80 (the full-closed detection switch 434 is on).

[0025] The locking unit 435 locks the selling port door 431 so that it does not open from the fully closed state. The locking unit 435 has a lock solenoid arranged on the right side of the container lifting chamber 42 and above the fully closed detection switch 434. The locking unit 435 has a rotating member 435B with one end rotatably fixed to the locking unit main body 435A. Under the control of the control unit 80, the locking unit 435 locks the selling port door 431 by rotating the rotating member 435B so that the tip of the rotating member 435B engages with the locking engagement hole, and unlocks the selling port door 431 by rotating the rotating member 435B so that the engagement between the tip of the rotating member 435B and the locking engagement hole is released.

[0026] 1 detects an operation by a user to open the vending port door 431. The opening / closing sensor 436 is composed of a distance measuring sensor, and when it detects that an object such as a hand is positioned within a predetermined range in front of the opening / closing sensor 436, it outputs an operation detection signal to the control unit 80.

[0027] The container holding unit 44 holds the container C in the container lifting chamber 42. The container holding unit 44 moves up and down in the container lifting chamber 42. The container holding unit 44 includes a placement unit 441 and an adjustment unit 442, as shown in FIG.

[0028] The placement portion 441 is disposed so as to be able to rise and fall within the container lifting chamber 42. The container C is placed on the placement portion 441. The placement portion 441 includes a front member 443, a rear member 444, and a placement member 445.

[0029] 5A and 5B, the front member 443 includes a front base 443A formed in a rectangular plate shape with long sides parallel to the horizontal direction, a pair of side plate parts 443B extending forward from both left and right edges of the front main surface of the front base 443A, and a bottom plate part 443C connecting lower ends of the front base 443A and the pair of side plate parts 443B, and is formed in a box shape with openings on the top and front faces. A recovery part 443D that recovers the cleaning liquid used to clean the nozzle 32 is formed in the bottom plate part 443C.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5C, the rear main surface of the front base 443A is provided with an upper guide portion 443E, a lower guide portion 443F, a right attachment portion 443G, and a left attachment portion 443H. The upper guide portion 443E is provided so as to extend left and right along the upper edge of the front base 443A. The lower guide portion 443F is provided so as to be parallel to the upper guide portion 443E at the center position in the vertical direction of the front base 443A. The right attachment portion 443G is provided so as to connect the right parts of the upper guide portion 443E and the lower guide portion 443F. The left attachment portion 443H is provided so as to connect the left parts of the upper guide portion 443E and the lower guide portion 443F. In the arrangement area partitioned by the upper guide portion 443E, the lower guide portion 443F, the right attachment portion 443G, and the left attachment portion 443H, members constituting the interlocking control portion 448 described later are arranged. A pair of through holes 443J extending in the left-right direction are formed in the arrangement region of the front base portion 443A. The pair of through holes 443J are formed to be aligned on the left-right direction.

[0031] As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the rear member 444 includes a rear base 444A formed in a rectangular plate shape with long sides parallel to the horizontal direction. A first protrusion guide hole 444B and a second protrusion guide hole 444C extending to the left and right are formed in an upper portion of the rear base 444A. The first protrusion guide hole 444B is formed to be located to the right of the second protrusion guide hole 444C. A pair of fixing members 444D extending forward is provided in a lower portion of the main surface of the front side of the rear base 444A. Each of the pair of fixing members 444D is inserted into the insertion hole 443K of the front member 443, thereby fixing the front member 443 to the rear member 444.

[0032] A rack portion 51 is provided on the left edge of the rear base portion 444A, extending from the lower end of the rear base portion 444A to a position above the rear base portion 444A. The rack portion 51 constitutes a relative moving portion 50, which will be described later. A rack groove 511 is formed over almost the entire left main surface of the rack portion 51. The rear member 444 is disposed in the container lifting chamber 42 such that the rack portion 51 is located in the lifting guide groove 422A formed in the left side plate 422 of the container lifting chamber 42, and the right side surface of the rear base portion 444A contacts the right side plate 421 of the container lifting chamber 42.

[0033] The container C is placed on the mounting member 445. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the mounting member 445 is rectangular in front view with long sides parallel to the horizontal direction, and is substantially square in plan view, and is formed in a box shape with an open bottom. The mounting member 445 is disposed on the bottom plate portion 443C of the front member 443. A plurality of liquid recovery through holes 445A are formed in the upper surface portion of the mounting member 445, penetrating the upper surface portion. The cleaning liquid used to clean the nozzle 32 is recovered by the recovery portion 443D via the liquid recovery through holes 445A.

[0034] The adjustment unit 442 adjusts the horizontal position of the container C by moving the container C in the horizontal direction in synchronization with the movement of the placement unit 441. The adjustment unit 442 includes a first contact member 446, a second contact member 447, and an interlocking control unit 448, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C.

[0035] The first abutting member 446 includes a first abutting portion 446A formed in a shape extending in the front-rear direction. The first abutting portion 446A abuts against the right side surface of the container C placed on the placement portion 441. A first connecting portion 446B extending in the left direction is provided at the rear end of the first abutting portion 446A. The second abutting member 447 is formed in a shape symmetrical to the first abutting member 446. The second abutting member 447 includes a second abutting portion 447A abutting against the left side surface of the container C placed on the placement portion 441, and a second connecting portion 447B.

[0036] The interlocking control unit 448 interlocks the first and second abutment members 446, 447 so that the first and second abutment portions 446A, 447A move in directions approaching each other in synchronization with the ascent of the mounting portion 441. The interlocking control unit 448 interlocks the first and second abutment members 446, 447 so that the first and second abutment portions 446A, 447A move in directions away from each other in synchronization with the descent of the mounting portion 441. The interlocking control unit 448 includes an interlocking pinion 449, a first moving member 450, a second moving member 451, a pair of position adjustment biasing members 452, and a movement restricting unit 453.

[0037] The interlocking pinion 449 is rotatably disposed in the center of an arrangement area on the rear surface of the front member 443 .

[0038] The first moving member 450 is arranged to be movable left and right on the upper side of the arrangement area of ​​the front member 443. The first moving member 450 is formed in a rectangular plate shape with its long sides parallel to the horizontal direction. The first moving member 450 is located above the interlocking pinion 449 and has a rack groove 450A formed therein to mesh with the interlocking pinion 449. With this configuration, the first moving member 450 moves rightward or leftward in conjunction with the rotation of the interlocking pinion 449 while the upper surface of the first moving member 450 slides against the lower surface of the upper guide portion 443E. The first connecting portion 446B of the first abutting member 446 is connected to the right end side of the first moving member 450 via the connecting member 450B inserted into the through hole 443J. With this configuration, the first abutting member 446 moves in the same direction as the moving direction of the first moving member 450. A first protruding portion 450C protruding rearward in a cylindrical shape is provided on the rear surface of the first moving member 450. The first protruding portion 450C is inserted into the first protrusion guide hole 444B of the rear member 444 and is provided so as to protrude to the rear side of the rear member 444.

[0039] The second moving member 451 is arranged to be movable left and right below the arrangement area of ​​the front member 443. The second moving member 451 is formed in a rectangular plate shape with its long sides parallel to the horizontal direction. The second moving member 451 is located below the interlocking pinion 449 and has a rack groove 451A formed therein to mesh with the interlocking pinion 449. With this configuration, the second moving member 451 moves rightward or leftward in conjunction with the rotation of the interlocking pinion 449 while the lower surface of the second moving member 451 slides against the upper surface of the lower guide portion 443F. The second connecting portion 447B of the second abutting member 447 is connected to the left end side of the second moving member 451 via the connecting member 451B inserted into the through hole 443J. With this configuration, the second abutting member 447 moves in the same direction as the movement direction of the second moving member 451. A second protruding portion 451C protruding backward in a cylindrical shape is provided on the rear surface of the second moving member 451. The second protruding portion 451C is inserted into the second protrusion guide hole 444C of the rear member 444 and is provided so as to protrude to the rear side of the rear member 444.

[0040] The pair of position adjustment biasing members 452 are formed of coil springs, and bias the first and second abutting members 446, 447 in a direction in which the first and second abutting portions 446A, 447A approach each other. One position adjustment biasing member 452 is disposed so as to connect the left end of the first moving member 450 and the left mounting portion 443H, and biases the first moving member 450 in the left direction. The other position adjustment biasing member 452 is disposed so as to connect the right end of the second moving member 451 and the right mounting portion 443G, and biases the second moving member 451 in the right direction.

[0041] 4 and 6 restricts the movement of the first and second contact members 446, 447 due to the biasing force of the position adjustment biasing member 452 so that the first and second contact members 446A, 447A gradually approach each other in synchronization with the rise of the placement portion 441. The movement restricting portion 453 is disposed on the lower side of the front surface of the back plate 424 that constitutes the container lifting chamber 42. The movement restricting portion 453 has a left surface 453A that is substantially parallel to the vertical direction, an inclined surface 453B that extends diagonally upward to the right from the upper end of the left surface 453A, and a right surface 453C that extends vertically downward from the upper end of the inclined surface 453B. The movement restricting portion 453 is arranged so that the second protrusion 451C can be positioned between the left surface 453A and the left inner edge of the second protrusion guide hole 444C, and so that the right surface 453C approximately overlaps with the right inner edge of the second protrusion guide hole 444C when viewed from the front.

[0042] 4, when the second protruding portion 451C is located on the left side of the left surface 453A of the movement restricting portion 453, the second moving member 451 is biased rightward by the position adjustment biasing member 452, so that the second protruding portion 451C is pressed against the left surface 453A. In this state, the first and second contact portions 446A, 447A are in a furthest apart state (hereinafter may be referred to as a "furthest apart state") as shown in FIGS.

[0043] Then, when the placement portion 441 rises and the contact position of the movement restricting portion 453 with the second protrusion 451C changes from the left surface 453A to the inclined surface 453B, the second protrusion 451C moves to the right while maintaining contact with the inclined surface 453B due to the biasing force of the position adjustment biasing member 452. With this rightward movement of the second protrusion 451C, the second abutment portion 447A moves to the right. When the second abutment portion 447A moves to the right, the interlocking pinion 449 rotates in a counterclockwise direction (rightward in FIG. 5C) as viewed from the front, and the first abutment member 446 moves to the left. In other words, with the placement portion 441 rising, the contact position between the second protrusion 451C and the inclined surface 453B moves upward, and the first and second abutment portions 446A, 447A move in a direction approaching each other.

[0044] When the second protrusion 451C rises to the vicinity of the upper part of the movement restricting part 453, the second protrusion 451C comes into contact with the inner edge of the right side of the second protrusion guide hole 444C by the biasing force of the position adjustment biasing member 452, and the center of the second protrusion 451C is located to the left of the upper end of the inclined surface 453B, and the movement to the right is restricted. In the state in which the movement of the second protrusion 451C to the right is restricted by the contact between the second protrusion 451C and the second protrusion guide hole 444C, as shown in Figs. 7A, 7B, and 7C, the first and second abutting parts 446A and 447A are closest to each other (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "closest state"). After that, even if the placement part 441 rises further, the second protrusion 451C does not move to the right. In other words, the movement of the first and second abutting parts 446A and 447A ends.

[0045] Furthermore, when the width of the contact portion between the first and second abutment portions 446A, 447A on the container C is longer than the distance between the first and second abutment portions 446A, 447A in the closest state, the first abutment member 446 and the second abutment member 447 are restricted in their movement toward each other by contact with the container C before the second protrusion portion 451C contacts the inner edge of the second protrusion guide hole 444C.

[0046] On the other hand, when the second protrusion 451C is located above the movement restricting portion 453, when the mounting portion 441 descends, the second protrusion 451C comes into contact with the upper end of the inclined surface 453B. Furthermore, when the mounting portion 441 descends, the second protrusion 451C moves to the left against the biasing force of the position adjustment biasing member 452 while maintaining contact with the inclined surface 453B. When the second contact portion 447A moves to the left, the interlocking pinion 449 rotates in a clockwise direction (leftward in FIG. 7C) in front view, and the first contact portion 446A moves to the right. In other words, as the contact position between the second protrusion 451C and the inclined surface 453B moves downward with the descending of the mounting portion 441, the first and second contact portions 446A and 447A move in directions away from each other. When the contact position of the movement restricting portion 453 with the second protruding portion 451C changes from the inclined surface 453B to the left surface 453A, the movement of the first and second contact portions 446A, 447A ends, and the first and second contact portions 446A, 447A become most separated from each other.

[0047] In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the beverage dispenser 1 further includes a relative movement unit 50, a detection unit 60, a storage unit 70, and a control unit 80, as shown in FIGS.

[0048] In the first and second embodiments, the relative moving unit 50 raises and lowers the container holding unit 44 relative to the nozzle 32. As shown in FIG. 8, the relative moving unit 50 includes a rack unit 51 and a lifting motor 52. The lifting motor 52 is formed of, for example, a servo motor. A drive gear 521 is disposed on the rotation shaft of the lifting motor 52. The lifting motor 52 is disposed on the left side plate 422 of the container lifting chamber 42 so that a part of the drive gear 521 is positioned inside the container lifting chamber 42 through a gear through hole formed in the left side plate 422 (not shown in FIG. 8) of the container lifting chamber 42 and engages with the rack groove 511 of the container holding unit 44. The lifting motor 52 raises and lowers the container holding unit 44 by being driven based on the control of the control unit 80.

[0049] Here, when container holding part 44 rises, rack part 51 of container holding part 44 protrudes from rack through hole 423B of container lifting chamber 42, and relative movement part 50 is configured so that the protruding part is located to the left of nozzle 32 (see FIG. 15). Normally, main body door 12 is not opened or closed with rack part 51 protruding from container lifting chamber 42, but even if main body door 12 is opened or closed with rack part 51 protruding, as shown in FIG. 2B, nozzle 32 is not present on the movement trajectory of the protruding part, so that damage to nozzle 32 due to contact with rack part 51 can be suppressed.

[0050] The detection unit 60 includes an origin switch 61 , a container detection unit 62 , an uppermost position detection unit 63 , and a relative movement amount detection unit 64 .

[0051] The origin switch 61 detects that the container holding part 44 is located at the bottom of the range of movement of the container holding part 44. In the following, the bottom position of the range of movement of the container holding part 44 may be referred to as the "origin position". The origin switch 61 is configured similarly to the full-open detection switch 433, and includes a leaf spring 611 and an operating element (not shown). The origin switch 61 is disposed on the left side plate 422 of the container lifting chamber 42. The origin switch 61 is disposed so that the tip of the leaf spring 611 is located in the container lifting chamber 42 through a switch through-hole formed in the left side plate 422. With this configuration, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 8, when the container holding part 44 is located at the origin position, the container holding part 44 presses the leaf spring 611. When the leaf spring 611 is pressed, the operating element is pressed, and an origin detection signal is output from the origin switch 61 to the control unit 80 (the origin switch 61 is turned on). 8, when the container holding part 44 is located above the origin position, the container holding part 44 does not press the leaf spring 611. If the leaf spring 611 is not pressed, the operator is not pressed, and therefore the origin detection signal is not output from the origin switch 61 to the control part 80 (the origin switch 61 is off).

[0052] The container detection unit 62 detects the presence of a container C in the container holding unit 44 located at the origin position. The container detection unit 62 includes a light-emitting unit 621 shown in FIG. 6 and a light-receiving unit 622 shown in FIG. 8. The light-emitting unit 621 is disposed on the outer surface of the right side plate 421 of the container lifting chamber 42. The light-emitting unit 621 emits detection light L1 (see, for example, FIG. 14) to pass through a through-hole formed in the right side plate 421 based on the control of the control unit 80. The light-receiving unit 622 is disposed on the outer surface of the left side plate 422 of the container lifting chamber 42. When the light-receiving unit 622 receives the detection light L1 that has passed through the through-hole formed in the left side plate 422, it outputs a light-receiving signal to the control unit 80. With this configuration, when a container C is present in the container holding part 44 located at the origin position, the container detection part 62 does not output a light reception signal to the control part 80 because the container C is present on the optical path of the detection light L1 and the light receiving part 622 cannot receive the detection light L1. On the other hand, when a container C is not present in the container holding part 44 located at the origin position, the container detection part 62 outputs a light reception signal to the control part 80 because the light receiving part 622 can receive the detection light L1.

[0053] The light-emitting unit 621 may be disposed on the left side plate 422, and the light-receiving unit 622 may be disposed on the right side plate 421. If the container C is transparent, the light-emitting unit 621 may emit detection light L1 of an intensity that does not penetrate the container C, so that the container detection unit 62 can detect that the transparent container C has been placed on the container holding unit 44 located at the origin position. If a distance measuring sensor is used as the container detection unit 62, a transparent container C can be detected by disposing one distance measuring sensor on the right side plate 421 or the left side plate 422.

[0054] The top position detection unit 63 detects that the container C placed on the container holding unit 44 is at a preset top position. The top position is set at a position where the container C is detected to be at the top position while the container holding unit 44 is rising, and the distance from the top end of the container C to the bottom end of the nozzle 32 when the container holding unit 44 finishes rising under the control of the control unit 80 is a set distance D (see FIG. 15). The top position detection unit 63 includes a light emitting unit 631 shown in FIG. 8 and a light receiving unit 632 shown in FIG. 6. The light emitting unit 631 is disposed on the outer surface of the left side plate 422 of the container lifting chamber 42. The light emitting unit 631 emits detection light L2 (see FIG. 14, for example) so as to pass through a through hole formed in the left side plate 422 under the control of the control unit 80. The light receiving unit 632 is disposed on the outer surface of the right side plate 421 of the container lifting chamber 42, and when it receives the detection light L2 that has passed through a through hole formed in the right side plate 421, it outputs a light receiving signal to the control unit 80. With this configuration, when the container C is in the top position, the top position detection unit 63 does not output a light receiving signal to the control unit 80 because the container C is in the optical path of the detection light L2 and the light receiving unit 632 cannot receive the detection light L2. On the other hand, when the container C is not in the top position, the top position detection unit 63 outputs a light receiving signal to the control unit 80 because the light receiving unit 632 can receive the detection light L2. When the light receiving signal is output, the control unit 80 determines that the upper end of the container C is not in the top position, and when the light receiving signal is not output, it determines that the upper end of the container C is in the top position.

[0055] The light-emitting unit 631 may be disposed on the right side plate 421, and the light-receiving unit 632 may be disposed on the left side plate 422. If the container C is transparent, the top position detection unit 63 can detect that the transparent container C is at the top position by emitting detection light L2 from the light-emitting unit 631 with an intensity that does not penetrate the container C. If a distance measuring sensor is used as the top position detection unit 63, the transparent container C can be detected by disposing one distance measuring sensor on the right side plate 421 or the left side plate 422.

[0056] The relative movement amount detection unit 64 detects the movement amount of the container holding unit 44 with respect to the origin position, that is, the movement amount of the container holding unit 44 until the distance from the upper end of the container C to the lower end of the nozzle 32 becomes the set distance (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "holding unit movement amount"). The relative movement amount detection unit 64 is configured by an encoder that detects the rotation angle of the lifting motor 52 and outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the detected rotation angle to the control unit 80.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 9, the storage unit 70 is configured to be able to transmit and receive various data to and from the control unit 80. The storage unit 70 stores supply control information associating a plurality of different holding unit movement amounts with the supply amounts of beverages respectively corresponding to the plurality of holding unit movement amounts. Since the holding unit movement amount is the movement amount of the container holding unit 44 until the distance from the upper end of the container C to the lower end of the nozzle 32 becomes the set distance with respect to the origin position, it becomes shorter as the height of the container C increases. Also, the supply amount of the beverage can be increased as the height of the container C increases. For this reason, the supply control information is such that the supply amount of the beverage increases as the holding unit movement amount becomes shorter.

[0058] Note that as the supply control information, the content associating the range of the holding unit movement amount with the supply amount of the beverage (the size of the container C) may be as follows, for example. When the holding unit movement amount is 0 mm, the supply amount is 350 ml. When the holding unit movement amount is more than 0 mm and not more than A mm, the supply amount is 250 ml (the size of the container C is the L size). When the holding unit movement amount is more than A mm and not more than B mm, the supply amount is 200 ml (the size of the container C is the M size). When the holding unit movement amount is more than B mm and not more than CD mm, the supply amount is 150 ml (the size of the container C is the S size) (A, B, and C are integers and satisfy the relationship A < B < C). Also, the storage unit 70 stores the supply control information (first supply control information) such that the supply amount of the beverage increases as the holding unit movement amount becomes shorter and the supply control information (second supply control information) associating the range of the holding unit movement amount with the supply amount of the beverage. Based on the prior setting of the administrator of the beverage supply device 1 or the setting input of the user, the control unit 80 may select the first supply control information or the second supply control information to adjust the supply amount of the beverage.

[0059] The control unit 80 is configured to be able to transmit and receive various signals between the operation display unit 20, the beverage supply unit 30, the opening / closing motor 432, the full-open detection switch 433, the full-close detection switch 434, the lock unit 435, the opening / closing sensor 436, the lifting motor 52, the origin switch 61, the container detection unit 62, the uppermost position detection unit 63, and the relative movement amount detection unit 64. The control unit 80 controls the entire beverage supply device 1. The control performed by the control unit 80 will be described later.

[0060] (Operation of beverage supply device) Next, the operation of the beverage supply device 1 will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of the beverage supply process. Figs. 11 and 12 are flowcharts of the beverage provision process. Fig. 13 is a timing chart of the beverage supply process. Fig. 14 is a front view showing a state in which the container holding part on which the container is placed is located at the origin position. Fig. 15 is a front view showing a state in which the container holding part on which the container is placed has finished rising and is waiting for the supply of a beverage. Fig. 16 is a front view showing a state in which the container holding part on which the container is placed is located at the origin position and is waiting for the supply of a beverage without raising the container holding part.

[0061] First, in a state where the container holding unit 44 is waiting at the origin position, the control unit 80 judges whether or not an operation to open the vending door 431 has been performed based on the output state of an operation detection signal from the open / close sensor 436 as shown in FIG. 10 (step S1). If an operation detection signal is not output from the open / close sensor 436, the control unit 80 judges that an operation to open the vending door 431 has not been performed (step S1: NO) and performs the process of step S1 again. On the other hand, if an operation detection signal is output from the open / close sensor 436 by the user placing his / her hand over the open / close sensor 436 during the period from time T1 to time T2 shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 80 judges that an operation to open the vending door 431 has been performed (step S1: YES) as shown in FIG. 10, and starts a beverage supply process (step S2). The operation to open the vending door 431 is an example of a request for the supply of a beverage.

[0062] In the beverage provision process of step S2, as shown in Fig. 11, the control unit 80 controls the opening / closing motor 432 to open the vending door 431 (step S11). As shown in Fig. 13, at time T1, the opening / closing motor 432 starts driving to open the vending door 431. When the vending door 431 starts to open, the full-close detection switch 434 switches from on to off. Then, at time T3 when the vending door 431 is in a fully open state, the full-open detection switch 433 switches from off to on. The opening / closing motor 432 stops driving when the full-open detection switch 433 switches from off to on.

[0063] Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 80 judges whether or not the container C is present in the container holding unit 44 located at the origin position, that is, whether or not the container C is placed on the container holding unit 44, based on the output state of the light reception signal from the container detection unit 62 (step S12). When the light reception signal is output from the container detection unit 62 (non-detection case), the control unit 80 judges that the container C is not present (step S12: NO) and performs the process of step S12 again. On the other hand, for example, when the light reception signal is no longer output from the container detection unit 62 at time T4 shown in FIG. 13 (detection case), the control unit 80 judges that the container C is placed on the container holding unit 44 (step S12: YES), and controls the operation display unit 20 to display a selection button. The control unit 80 may display the selection button at a timing between the processes of steps S1 to S12, or may display the selection button at all times. Then, the control unit 80 determines whether or not a beverage has been selected based on the output state of the beverage specifying signal from the operation display unit 20 (step S13). If the control unit 80 determines that a beverage has not been selected (step S13: NO), it performs the process of step S13 again.

[0064] On the other hand, when the control unit 80 determines that a beverage has been selected at time T5 shown in FIG. 13 (step S13: YES), it controls the opening / closing motor 432 as shown in FIG. 11 to close the vending door 431 (step S14). As shown in FIG. 13, at time T6, the opening / closing motor 432 starts driving to close the vending door 431. When the vending door 431 starts to close, the full-open detection switch 433 switches from on to off. Then, at time T7 when the vending door 431 is in a fully closed state, the full-close detection switch 434 switches from off to on. The opening / closing motor 432 stops driving when the full-close detection switch 434 switches from off to on. Also, when the full-close detection switch 434 switches from off to on, the control unit 80 controls the lock unit 435 to switch the vending door 431 from an unlocked state to a locked state.

[0065] Next, as shown in Fig. 11, the control unit 80 judges whether the container C is at the top position based on the output state of the light receiving signal from the top position detection unit 63 (step S15). When the light receiving signal is output from the top position detection unit 63 (non-detection case), the control unit 80 judges that the container C is not at the top position (step S15: NO), and controls the lift motor 52 to start lifting the container holder 44 as shown in Fig. 11 (step S16). For example, as shown in the left or right diagram of Fig. 14, when the containers C1 and C2 are placed on the container holder 44 located at the origin position, if the containers C1 and C2 are located below the optical path of the detection light L2, the control unit 80 judges in step S15 that the container C is not at the top position.

[0066] 13, at time T8, the lift motor 52 starts driving to lift the container holding part 44. When the container holding part 44 starts to lift, the origin switch 61 switches from on to off. In addition, the relative movement amount detection part 64 starts a process of detecting the rotation angle of the lift motor 52 as the movement amount of the container holding part 44, that is, a process of outputting a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation angle.

[0067] Furthermore, when the container holding portion 44 starts to rise, the first and second contact portions 446A, 447A move from the most distant state toward each other at the same speed in accordance with the movement of the contact position between the movement restricting portion 453 and the second protruding portion 451C. Then, when the first and second contact portions 446A, 447A come into contact with the container C, they stop in a state of gripping the container C due to the biasing force of the position adjustment biasing member 452 (see FIG. 15). In this way, by moving the first and second contact portions 446A, 447A in a direction toward each other, the horizontal position of the container C can be adjusted to a predetermined position regardless of the horizontal placement position of the container C by the user, and the beverage dispensed from the nozzle 32 can be reliably supplied to the container C. In addition, as the container holding part 44 rises, the first and second contact parts 446A, 447A adjust the horizontal position of the container C, so that the beverage can be supplied immediately after the container holding part 44 has finished rising, thereby shortening the time required to provide the beverage. Furthermore, the movement restricting part 453 restricts the movement of the first and second contact parts 446A, 447A due to the biasing force of the position adjustment biasing member 452 while gradually bringing the first and second contact parts 446A, 447A closer to each other, so that the impact when the first and second contact parts 446A, 447A come into contact with the container C can be suppressed.

[0068] 11, the control unit 80 determines whether or not the container C is in the top position based on the output state of the light receiving signal from the top position detection unit 63 (step S17). If the control unit 80 determines that the container C is not in the top position (step S17: NO), it performs the process of step S17 again. At time T9 when the container holding unit 44 has risen to a certain extent, the container detection unit 62 switches from a detection state in which no light receiving signal is output from the container detection unit 62 to a non-detection state in which a signal is output.

[0069] On the other hand, when the light receiving signal is no longer output from the top position detection unit 63 (in the case of detection), the control unit 80 determines that the upper end of the container C is at the top position (step S17: YES), and controls the lift motor 52 so as to end the lift of the container holding unit 44, as shown in Fig. 11 (step S18). As shown in Fig. 13, at time T10, when the top position detection unit 63 detects that the container C is at the top position, the lift motor 52 stops driving. When the drive of the lift motor 52 stops, the lift of the container holding unit 44 ends, and the detection process of the movement amount of the container holding unit 44 by the relative movement amount detection unit 64 also ends.

[0070] By the process of step S18, container holding unit 44 stops at a position where the distance from the upper end of container C1 shown in the left diagram of Fig. 15 or container C2 shown in the right diagram to the lower end of nozzle 32 becomes set distance D. In this way, by stopping container holding unit 44 so that the distance from the upper end of container C to the lower end of nozzle 32 becomes set distance D regardless of the height of container C, splashing of beverage when beverage is dispensed can be suppressed and soiling of container C or beverage dispenser 1 can be suppressed.

[0071] Furthermore, if the nozzle 32 is moved to approach the container C, when resin piping is used, the piping may be damaged because it bends and stretches as the nozzle 32 moves up and down, and it is necessary to provide space to allow the movement of the piping. However, by moving the container C while fixing the nozzle 32 as in the first embodiment, the above-mentioned problems can be eliminated.

[0072] Also, there is a beverage supply device that has a configuration in which the nozzle is raised and lowered instead of the container, and the size of the container (the amount of descent of the nozzle) is registered in the beverage selection button. In such a device, if a container of a size different from the registered size is set in the beverage supply device, the lowered nozzle may come into contact with the container. In such a beverage supply device, the sales can be continued by detecting the contact between the nozzle and the container and stopping the descent of the nozzle, but this can cause problems such as the container being deformed (crushed) and is unhygienic because the container comes into contact with the nozzle. The beverage supply device 1 of the first embodiment moves the container C while fixing the nozzle 32, and adjusts the amount of beverage supply using the actual movement amount of the container holding part 44 until the container C is detected, so that it is possible to prevent the container C from rising too high and coming into contact with the nozzle 32, and it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned problems from occurring and there is no hygienic problem.

[0073] After performing the process of step S18, the control unit 80 determines the supply amount of beverage as shown in FIG. 12 (step S19). First, the control unit 80 identifies the holding unit movement amount corresponding to the container C based on the pulse signal from the relative movement amount detection unit 64. Then, the control unit 80 determines the supply amount of beverage corresponding to the identified holding unit movement amount based on the supply control information. As described above, the supply control information is such that the shorter the holding unit movement amount, the greater the supply amount of beverage. Based on such supply control information, the control unit 80 increases the supply amount as the holding unit movement amount is shorter, that is, the container C is higher and has a larger capacity. For example, when the holding unit movement amount of the container C1 shown in the left diagram of FIG. 15 is M1 and the holding unit movement amount of the container C2 shown in the right diagram is M2, the control unit 80 increases the supply amount of the container C1 more than the supply amount of the container C2.

[0074] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, when the control unit 80 determines that the container C is at the top position after the process of step S14 (step S15: YES), it performs the process of step S19 for determining the amount of beverage to be supplied, as shown in FIG. 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when the container C3 is placed on the container holder 44 located at the origin position, if the upper end of the container C3 is located above the optical path of the detection light L2, the control unit 80 determines in step S15 that the container C is at the top position. In this case, since the holder movement amount is 0, the control unit 80 makes the supply amount of the container C3 greater than the supply amount of the container C1 based on the supply control information. In this way, the control unit 80 can appropriately set the supply amount of beverage for containers C of different heights, such as tumblers, water bottles, and cups brought by users.

[0075] After the process of step S19, the control unit 80 controls the beverage supply unit 30 to supply the beverage selected by the user to the container C in the supply amount determined in step S19 (step S20).

[0076] In this way, the beverage supply device 1 adjusts the amount of beverage supplied based on the amount of movement of the holding unit until the distance from the container C to the nozzle 32 becomes the set distance D, so that even if the height of the container C changes, an appropriate amount of beverage can be supplied according to the container C. In addition, the beverage supply device 1 adjusts the amount of beverage supplied based on the amount of movement of the holding unit, which can be detected more easily than the detection of the diameter of the container C, so that an appropriate amount of beverage can be supplied with easy control according to the container C. In addition, since the user does not need to select the container size, the number of operations by the user can be reduced and erroneous selection of the container size can be prevented. Furthermore, since there is no need to display an operation button for selecting the container size on the operation display unit 20, an increase in the number of buttons displayed on the operation display unit 20 can be suppressed, and the user can easily select the type of beverage.

[0077] Also, in the case of a configuration in which the amount of beverage dispensed is adjusted using the amount of movement of the holder set by the user. If the amount of movement of the holder is not appropriately set according to the height of the container C, the container C may rise too high and come into contact with the top plate 423, causing the container C to break (be crushed), or the lifting motor 52 to lock and be damaged, or other malfunctions may occur. The beverage dispenser 1 of the first embodiment adjusts the amount of beverage dispensed using the actual amount of movement of the container holder 44 until the container C is detected, rather than using the amount of movement of the holder set by the user, so that it is possible to prevent the container C from rising too high, and thus prevent the occurrence of malfunctions such as those described above.

[0078] When the supply of beverage is completed, the control unit 80 controls the lock unit 435 and the opening / closing motor 432 to open the vending door 431 (step S21). As shown in FIG. 13, at time T11, the lock unit 435 switches the vending door 431 from a locked state to an unlocked state. Next, the opening / closing motor 432 starts driving to open the vending door 431. When the vending door 431 starts to open, the full-close detection switch 434 switches from on to off. Then, at time T12 when the vending door 431 is in a fully open state, the full-open detection switch 433 switches from off to on. The opening / closing motor 432 stops driving when the full-open detection switch 433 switches from off to on.

[0079] 12, the control unit 80 determines whether the container C that was in the top position continues to be present, that is, whether the container C has been removed from the beverage dispenser 1, based on the output state of the light receiving signal from the top position detection unit 63 (step S22). If the control unit 80 determines that the container C has not been removed (step S22: NO), it performs the process of step S22 again.

[0080] On the other hand, when the control unit 80 determines that the container C has been removed at time T13 shown in FIG. 13 (step S22: YES), for example, the control unit 80 controls the opening / closing motor 432 as shown in FIG. 12 to close the selling port door 431 (step S23). As shown in FIG. 13, at time T14, the opening / closing motor 432 starts driving to close the selling port door 431. When the selling port door 431 starts to close, the full-open detection switch 433 switches from on to off. Then, at time T15 when the selling port door 431 is in a fully closed state, the full-close detection switch 434 switches from off to on. The opening / closing motor 432 stops driving when the full-close detection switch 434 switches from off to on. Also, when the full-close detection switch 434 switches from off to on, the control unit 80 controls the lock unit 435 to switch the selling port door 431 from an unlocked state to a locked state. This completes the beverage serving process in step S2.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 10, when the beverage serving process in step S2 is completed, the control unit 80 controls the lift motor 52 to start lowering the container holding unit 44 (step S3). As shown in FIG. 13, at time T15, the lift motor 52 starts driving to lower the container holding unit 44. In addition, the relative movement amount detection unit 64 starts a process of detecting the rotation angle of the lift motor 52 as the movement amount of the container holding unit 44. However, the movement amount detected by the container holding unit 44 is not used for control in the control unit 80. As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 80 determines whether the container holding unit 44 has reached the origin position based on the on / off state of the origin switch 61 (step S4). When the control unit 80 determines that the origin switch 61 is off and the container holding unit 44 has not reached the origin position (step S4: NO), it performs the process of step S4 again.

[0082] On the other hand, when the control unit 80 determines that the origin switch 61 has switched from off to on and the container holding unit 44 has reached the origin position (step S4: YES), it controls the lift motor 52 so that the descent of the container holding unit 44 ends (step S5). As shown in FIG. 13, when the origin switch 61 switches from off to on at time T16, the lift motor 52 stops driving. When the drive of the lift motor 52 stops, the descent of the container holding unit 44 ends, and the detection process of the movement amount of the container holding unit 44 by the relative movement amount detection unit 64 also ends. In addition, the control unit 80 controls the lock unit 435 to switch the vending port door 431 from a locked state to an unlocked state. This ends the beverage supply process.

[0083] <Second embodiment> (Configuration of beverage supply device) Next, the configuration of the beverage supply device of the second embodiment will be described. The beverage supply device 1A of the second embodiment differs from the beverage supply device 1 of the first embodiment in that a drainage section 460 for draining liquid such as cleaning liquid collected by the collection section 443D is provided in the container holding section 44, and in the control contents of the control section 80, so the differences will be described in detail. Also, the same names and symbols are given to the same configurations as those of the beverage supply device 1 of the first embodiment, and the description will be omitted or simplified. FIG. 17A is an exploded perspective view of the container holding section. FIG. 17B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the drainage section. FIG. 18 is a front view showing a state in which the container holding section is in the upper standby position or the original position.

[0084] 17A and 17B, a through hole penetrating the bottom surface portion of the collection portion 443D constituting the bottom plate portion 443C is formed in the bottom surface portion of the collection portion 443D. The collection portion 443D is provided with a drainage portion 460. The drainage portion 460 includes a valve support portion 461, a drainage hole 443D1, a drainage valve 462, and a water-stopping biasing member 463.

[0085] The valve support part 461 is formed in an annular shape. The valve support part 461 is provided so as to be located inside the through-hole of the recovery part 443D via the connection part 464. A substantially C-shaped space between the outer circumferential surface of the valve support part 461 and the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole of the recovery part 443D functions as a drain hole 443D1.

[0086] The drain valve 462 is configured to open the drain hole 443D1 when the container holding part 44 is located at the origin position, and close the drain hole 443D1 when the container holding part 44 rises a predetermined distance or more from the origin position. The drain valve 462 includes a closing part 462A, a shaft part 462B, and a spring receiving part 462C.

[0087] The blocking portion 462A is formed in a disk shape large enough to close the drain hole 443D1.

[0088] Shaft portion 462B is provided so as to extend downward from the center of the lower surface of closing portion 462A. Shaft portion 462B is inserted through a hole in valve support portion 461 so that closing portion 462A is located above valve support portion 461. Shaft portion 462B is formed to a length such that, when container holding portion 44 is located at the origin position, as shown in the right diagram of Fig. 18, the lower end of shaft portion 462B comes into contact with push-up portion 121 provided on main body door 12 and closing portion 462A opens drain hole 443D1.

[0089] The spring receiving portion 462C is provided so as to protrude from the lower end of the shaft portion 462B to the outside in the radial direction of the shaft portion 462B.

[0090] The water stopping biasing member 463 is composed of a coil spring. One end of the water stopping biasing member 463 is in contact with the lower surface of the valve support portion 461, and the other end is in contact with the upper surface of the spring receiving portion 462C. The water stopping biasing member 463 biases the drain valve 462 downward so that the blocking portion 462A closes the drain hole 443D1.

[0091] With the drainage section 460 configured as described above, when the container holding section 44 is located at the origin position, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 18, the drainage valve 462 is pushed up by the push-up section 121 of the main body door 12 against the biasing force of the water-stopping biasing member 463 to open the drainage hole 443D1. As a result, the cleaning liquid collected in the collection section 443D can be discharged. On the other hand, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 18, when the drainage valve 462 is not in contact with the push-up section 121, the drainage valve 462 is biased downward by the biasing force of the water-stopping biasing member 463 to close the drainage hole 443D1. As a result, the cleaning liquid can be stored in the collection section 443D.

[0092] (Operation of beverage supply device) Next, the operation of the beverage supply device 1A will be described. Note that the same processes as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted or simplified. Fig. 19 is a flowchart of the beverage supply process.

[0093] In the beverage dispenser 1 of the first embodiment, an operation to open the vending outlet door 431 (a request to dispense a beverage) is accepted when the container holding unit 44 is located at the origin position (the lowest position in the movement range of the container holding unit 44), whereas in the beverage dispenser 1A of the second embodiment, an operation to open the vending outlet door 431 is accepted when the container holding unit 44 is located at the top position in the movement range of the container holding unit 44 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "upper standby position"). Specific processing will be described below.

[0094] First, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 18, the control unit 80 cleans a predetermined nozzle 32 at a predetermined timing when the container holding unit 44 is located at the upper standby position. Examples of the predetermined timing for cleaning the nozzle 32 include the timing when the nozzle 32 is used a preset number of times, a preset time, and the like. When cleaning the nozzle 32, the drain valve 462 closes the drain hole 443D1, so that the cleaning liquid is stored in the recovery unit 443D. In this way, by positioning the container holding unit 44 at the upper standby position until the operation to open the sales port door 431 is accepted, and cleaning the nozzle in this state, the falling distance of the cleaning liquid can be shortened, and splashing when the cleaning liquid is collected by the recovery unit 443D can be suppressed. As a result, the dirt on the mounting member 445 can be suppressed. Furthermore, even if liquid drips from the nozzle 32, the liquid droplets can be collected by the recovery unit 443D. The position of container holding unit 44 until the operation to open dispensing port door 431 is received does not have to be the upper standby value as long as it is above the origin position. Even in this case, splashing when the cleaning liquid is collected by collection unit 443D can be suppressed compared to when the position of container holding unit 44 until the operation to open dispensing port door 431 is received is set to the origin position.

[0095] Next, as shown in FIG. 19, the control unit 80 judges whether or not an operation to open the vending door 431 has been performed (step S1). When the control unit 80 judges that an operation to open the vending door 431 has not been performed (step S1: NO), it executes the process of step S1 again. On the other hand, when the control unit 80 judges that an operation to open the vending door 431 has been performed (step S1: YES), it executes the processes of steps S3 to S5 of the first embodiment and positions the container holding unit 44 at the origin position. When the container holding unit 44 is positioned at the origin position, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 18, the drain valve 462 pushed up by the push-up unit 121 opens the drain hole 443D1, so that the liquid such as the cleaning liquid collected by the collection unit 443D is discharged. In this way, in the beverage dispenser 1A of the second embodiment, the liquid collected by the collection unit 443D can be discharged by a simple method of simply positioning the container holding unit 44 at the origin position.

[0096] When the container holding unit 44 is located at the origin position, the control unit 80 performs the beverage providing process similar to that of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19 (step S2). When the beverage providing process is completed, the control unit 80 controls the lifting motor 52 to start lifting the container holding unit 44 (step S31). The control unit 80 determines whether the container holding unit 44 is in the upper standby position or not based on the output state of the light receiving signal from the uppermost position detection unit 63 (step S31). When the control unit 80 determines that the container holding unit 44 is not in the upper standby position (step S32: NO), it performs the process of step S31 again. On the other hand, when the control unit 80 determines that the container holding unit 44 is in the upper standby position (step S32: YES), it controls the lifting motor 52 to end the lifting of the container holding unit 44 (step S33). Through the above process, the cleaning liquid is allowed to be stored in the recovery unit 443D, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 18.

[0097] [Variations] Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0098] For example, in the first and second embodiments, after the beverage is dispensed, the vending outlet door 431 is opened without lowering the container holding part 44 so that the user can remove the container C, but after the beverage is dispensed, the container holding part 44 may be lowered and then the vending outlet door 431 may be opened so that the user can remove the container C. An example of such processing will be described with reference to FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a timing chart of a beverage dispensing process according to a modified example. In the following description, the mechanism involved in opening and closing the vending outlet door 431 will be described briefly.

[0099] The control unit 80 performs the processes from time T1 to T11 shown in Fig. 20 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, for example, to supply a beverage to the container C. Next, at time T21, the control unit 80 controls the lift motor 52 to start lowering the container holding unit 44. When the container holding unit 44 starts lowering, the relative movement amount detection unit 64 starts a process to detect the amount of movement of the container holding unit 44. Furthermore, as the container C descends, the light reception signal from the uppermost position detection unit 63 switches from a state in which it is not output to a state in which it is output.

[0100] Then, at time T22 when the container holding unit 44 reaches near the origin position, the light receiving signal from the container detection unit 62 switches from an output state to a non-output state, and at time T23 when the container holding unit 44 reaches the origin position, the origin switch 61 switches from off to on. This switching of the origin switch 61 causes the control unit 80 to determine that the container holding unit 44 has reached the origin position, and controls the lift motor 52 so as to terminate the descent of the container holding unit 44. When the drive of the lift motor 52 stops, the process of detecting the amount of movement of the container holding unit 44 by the relative movement amount detection unit 64 also terminates.

[0101] The control unit 80 controls the lock unit 435 and the opening / closing motor 432 to open the selling port door 431 at time T24. When the light receiving signal from the container detection unit 62 switches from a state in which it is not output to a state in which it is output at time T25, the control unit 80 determines that the container C has been removed, and controls the opening / closing motor 432 to control the lock unit 435 and the opening / closing motor 432 to close the selling port door 431 and then to lock it.

[0102] In the above embodiment, an encoder that outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation angle of the lift motor 52 is exemplified as the relative movement amount detection unit 64, but, for example, a configuration may be applied that detects the holder movement amount based on the rising speed of the container holding unit 44 and the time from the start of the rise to the end of the rise. Also, a stepping motor may be applied as the lift motor 52, and a configuration may be applied as the relative movement amount detection unit 64 that detects the holder movement amount based on the number of drive pulses of the stepping motor.

[0103] In the above embodiment, as a configuration for moving the nozzle 32 relative to the container holding part 44, a configuration in which the nozzle 32 is fixed and the container holding part 44 is moved has been exemplified, but the container holding part 44 may be fixed and the nozzle 32 may be lowered until the distance from the upper end of the container C to the lower end of the nozzle 32 becomes the set distance D. In this case, the amount of movement of the nozzle 32 becomes the amount of relative movement of the nozzle 32 with respect to the container holding part 44 until the distance from the upper end of the container C to the lower end of the nozzle 32 becomes the set distance. Also, the nozzle 32 may be lowered and the container holding part 44 may be raised until the distance from the upper end of the container C to the lower end of the nozzle 32 becomes the set distance D.

[0104] In the above embodiment, the container holding portion 44 is provided with an adjustment portion 442 that moves the container C horizontally in synchronization with the movement of the placement portion 441. However, such an adjustment portion 442 need not be provided. In this case, a mechanism for holding the container C from the side may be provided instead of the placement portion 441 that supports the container C from below.

[0105] In the above embodiment, the amount of beverage supplied may be adjusted based on the diameter of the container C in addition to the amount of movement of the holder. In this case, the larger the diameter of the container C, the greater the amount of beverage supplied. With this configuration, a more appropriate amount of beverage can be supplied according to the size of the container C. The following method can be exemplified as a method for detecting the diameter of the container C. By arranging a magnet on the interlocking pinion 449 and arranging a Hall element on the front member 443, the amount of rotation of the interlocking pinion 449 accompanying the movement of the first and second abutment portions 446A, 447A can be detected, and the diameter of the container C can be determined based on the detected amount of rotation. [Industrial Applicability]

[0106] The present disclosure can be applied to a beverage supplying device and a beverage supplying method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1,1A Beverage Dispenser 10. Chassis 11 Main unit 12 Main unit door 20 Operation display section 30 Beverage supply section 31 Beverage production department 32 Nozzles 40 Container installation part 41 Sales outlet 42 Container lifting room 43 Sales opening and closing section 44 Container holding part 50 Relative moving part 51 Rack section 52 Lifting motor 60 Detection unit 61 Origin switch 62 Container detection unit 63 Top position detector 64 Relative movement detection unit 70 Storage section 80 Control section 120 Hinge 121 Push-up section 421 Right side plate 422 Left side plate 422A Lift guide groove 423 Tabletop 423A Beverage through hole 423B Rack Through Hole 424 Backboard 431 Sales Door 431A Rotating shaft 431B Driven Gear 431C Switch pressing part 432 Opening and closing motor 432A Drive Gear 433 Full-open detection switch 434 Fully closed detection switch 434A Leaf spring 435 Lock Section 435A Lock body 435B Rotating member 436 Open / Close Sensor 441 Placement part 442 Adjustment section 443 Front member 443A Anterior base 443B Side plate part 443C Bottom plate part 443D Recovery Department 443D1 Drain hole 443E Upper guide part 443F Lower guide part 443G Right mounting part 443H Left mounting part 443J Through hole 443K Insertion hole 444 Rear member 444A Posterior base 444B Guide hole for first protrusion 444C Guide hole for second protrusion 444D Fixing member 445 Mounting member 445A Liquid collection hole 446 First abutment member 446A 1st contact part 446B 1st Connection 447 Second abutment member 447A 2nd contact part 447B 2nd Connection 448 Interlocking control unit 449 Interlocking pinion 450 First moving member 450A Rack groove 450B Connection parts 450C 1st protrusion 451 Second moving member 451A Rack groove 451B Connection parts 451C 2nd protrusion 452 Position adjustment biasing member 453 Movement Control Department 453A left side 453B Slope 453C Right side 460 Drainage section 461 Valve support 462 Drain valve 462A Occlusion 462B Shaft 462C Receiving part 463 Water-stopping biasing member 464 Connection 511 Rack groove 521 Drive Gear 611 Leaf spring 621 Light emitting part 622 Light receiving part 631 Light emitting part 632 Light receiving part C,C1,C2,C3 Container D Setting distance K Lift space L1, L2 detection light

Claims

1. a container holder having an adjustment unit that adjusts a horizontal position of the container in synchronization with the movement of a placement unit on which the container is placed; a nozzle for dispensing a beverage into the container; a relative movement unit that moves the nozzle relative to the container holding unit; a control unit that adjusts the amount of the beverage supplied to the container based on a relative movement amount of the nozzle with respect to the container holding unit until a distance from the container to the nozzle becomes a set distance, The adjustment unit is A pair of abutment portions provided on both sides of the container and abutting against side surfaces of the container; a position adjustment biasing member that biases the pair of contact portions in directions toward each other; a movement restriction portion that restricts movement of the pair of contact portions such that the approach of the pair of contact portions to each other is linked to the elevation of the placement portion, The placement portion is configured so that a height in the upward direction changes with respect to the movement restriction portion. Beverage dispensing equipment.

2. The nozzle and the relative moving part are further provided with a housing that accommodates the container holding part, The container holder is movably disposed within the housing, The nozzle is fixed to the housing, The relative movement unit moves the container holding unit relative to the nozzle.

2. The beverage dispenser of claim 1.

3. The relative movement unit is a motor fixed to one of the housing and the container holding portion; A drive gear that rotates by the rotation of the motor; a rack portion fixed to the other of the housing and the container holding portion and meshing with the drive gear, The control unit adjusts the amount of the beverage supplied to the container based on a rotation angle of the motor.

3. The beverage dispenser of claim 2.

4. The housing includes a box-shaped main body having an opening on one side and a main body door configured to open and close the opening, The nozzle is disposed on the body, the container holding portion and the relative moving portion are disposed on the main body door, The relative moving unit is configured such that the motor is fixed to the main body door and the rack unit is fixed to the container holding unit so as to protrude upward from the container holding unit, and the rack unit does not come into contact with the nozzle when the main body door is opened or closed with the container holding unit raised.

4. The beverage dispenser of claim 3.

5. the container holding unit includes a recovery unit that recovers the liquid discharged from the nozzle, The control unit is until a request for supplying the beverage is received, the relative movement unit is controlled so that the container holding unit is positioned at a position higher than an origin position, which is the lowest position within a movement range of the container holding unit; When the request is received, the relative movement unit is controlled so that the container holding unit is lowered to the origin position, thereby making the container holding unit capable of holding the container. A beverage dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Further comprising a discharge unit configured to discharge the liquid collected by the collection unit when the container holding unit is located at the origin position.

6. The beverage dispenser of claim 5.

7. The collection section is formed with a discharge hole penetrating in the vertical direction, The discharge section is a drain valve having a shaft portion disposed to pass through the drain hole and a blocking portion attached to an upper side of the shaft portion; A water-stopping biasing member that biases the drain valve downward, When the container holding portion is located at a position higher than the original position, the drain valve is biased by the water-stop biasing member to close the drain hole, When the container holding portion is located at the origin position, the drain valve is pushed upward against the biasing force of the water-stop biasing member, thereby opening the drain hole.

7. The beverage dispenser of claim 6.

8. a container detection unit that detects that the container holding unit holds the container; an uppermost position detection unit that detects when the distance from the container held by the container holding unit to the nozzle reaches the set distance; A relative movement amount detection unit that detects the relative movement amount, The control unit is When the container detection unit detects that the container is held, the relative movement unit is controlled to raise the container holding unit, When the uppermost position detection unit detects that the distance from the container to the nozzle has reached the set distance, the relative movement unit is controlled to stop the container holding unit, adjusting the amount of the beverage supplied to the container based on the amount of relative movement detected by the relative movement detection unit; A beverage dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The control unit is when the container detection unit detects that the container is held, it is determined whether or not the uppermost position detection unit detects that the distance from the container to the nozzle has reached the set distance; When it is determined that the set distance has been detected, the container holding unit is not raised, and the amount of the beverage supplied to the container is adjusted based on the amount of relative movement detected by the relative movement detection unit. When it is determined that the set distance has not been detected, the relative movement unit is controlled to raise the container holding unit, and when the top position detection unit detects that the set distance has been reached, the relative movement unit is controlled to stop the container holding unit, and the amount of the beverage supplied to the container is adjusted based on the amount of relative movement detected by the relative movement amount detection unit.

9. The beverage dispenser of claim 8.

10. The control unit is after the supply of the beverage to the container is completed, it is determined whether or not the container has been removed from the container holding part based on the detection result of the uppermost position detection part, and when it is determined that the container has been removed, the relative movement part is controlled to lower the container holding part to an origin position which is the lowest position within the movement range of the container holding part.

10. A beverage dispenser according to claim 8 or 9.

11. The control unit is When the supply of the beverage to the container is completed, the relative movement unit is controlled to lower the container holding unit to an origin position which is the lowest position within the movement range of the container holding unit, and based on the detection result of the container detection unit, it is determined whether or not the container has been removed from the container holding unit.

10. A beverage dispenser according to claim 8 or 9.

12. A beverage supply method performed by a beverage supply device including a container holding unit having a placement unit and an adjustment unit, a nozzle for supplying a beverage to a container, and a relative movement unit for moving the nozzle relative to the container holding unit, The beverage supply device, The container is placed on the placement portion, adjusting a horizontal position of the container in synchronization with the movement of the placement unit; When the container is held by the container holding part, the relative movement part is controlled to move the nozzle relative to the container holding part, When the distance from the container to the nozzle reaches a set distance, the relative movement unit is controlled to stop the relative movement, adjusting the amount of the beverage supplied to the container based on the amount of relative movement of the nozzle with respect to the container holding portion; When adjusting the horizontal position, a pair of abutment portions provided on both sides of the container and abutting against the side surfaces of the container are biased in directions toward each other; a movement restriction portion is used to restrict movement of the pair of contact portions such that the approach of the pair of contact portions to each other is linked to the elevation of the placement portion; The placement portion is configured so that a height in the upward direction changes with respect to the movement restriction portion. Beverage supply method.

13. A beverage supply device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the pair of abutment portions move linearly along the direction approaching each other.

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