JP2004331120A - Beverage feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a beverage feeder capable of preventing a wrong operation of an operation button and reducing the manufacturing cost. <P>SOLUTION: The beverage feeder comprises a selling mechanism unit to sell beverage stored therein, an operation button to sell the beverage stored in the selling mechanism unit, and a display unit to display information on the beverage stored in the selling mechanism unit, and further comprises a change-over means to change the operation button to a button to sell the beverage stored in the selling mechanism unit or to a button to set information displayed on the display unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a beverage supply device suitable for selling premixed beverages and the like to cups and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recently, for example, a beverage supply device that sells a beverage for each cup for business use in a fast food store or the like has been used. In particular, a premixed beverage supply device that stores a pre-cooked beverage while cooling or heating it and sends it out to the cup as it is, displays the remaining amount of the beverage to be stored for each sale on a front panel or the like. There is something to do. Such a display of the remaining amount is particularly important for a beverage supply device in which the liquid level of the beverage cannot be visually recognized because the tank for storing the beverage is made of, for example, stainless steel. Here, the remaining amount information of the beverage is important when a user (for example, a clerk) participating in maintenance or the like of the beverage supply device determines whether it is necessary to replenish the beverage.
[0003]
The conventional beverage supply device has displayed the remaining amount of beverage as follows, for example. For example, consider a beverage supply device that sells a soup having a total volume of 3 liters in a fixed quantity, for example, in units of 0.2 liters (for S size) or in units of 0.3 liters (for L size) by pressing a sale button. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the front of such a beverage supply device. As shown in FIG. 7, the beverage supply device 52 includes, for example, setting buttons 56a and 56b, sales buttons 58a and 58b, and a display unit 60 that displays the remaining amount of soup on a liquid crystal or the like on the operation panel 54. It is assumed that
[0004]
Next, an outline of functions of the operation panel 54 will be described. For example, when the store clerk first fills the tank with 3 liters of soup to the beverage supply device 52, the store clerk sets the full amount of the soup by the setting buttons 56a and 56b on the operation panel 54. Specifically, each time the setting button 56a is pressed, the number displayed on the display unit 60 is reduced by, for example, 0.1, and each time the setting button 56b is pressed, the number displayed on the display unit 60 is set to, for example, 0. Assume that they are added one by one. By appropriately pressing such setting buttons 56a and 56b, the display section 60 can display "3.0" which is the full amount of soup (unit: liter).
[0005]
For example, when the store clerk presses the sell button 58a (for small size) shown in FIG. 7, 0.2 liter of soup is sold to the cup 64 from the nozzle 62. At this time, the remaining amount (in liters) of the soup displayed on the display unit 60 is displayed as “2.8” after subtracting the sales amount from “3.0”. Next, for example, when a store clerk presses a sale button 58b (for L size) shown in FIG. 7, a 0.3 liter soup is sold to the cup 64 from the nozzle 62, and the remaining soup displayed on the display unit 60 is left. The quantity (unit: liter) is displayed as “2.5” by subtracting the sales quantity from the above “2.8”. In this way, in the conventional beverage supply device 52, if the replenishment of the soup and the setting of the full amount of the soup are correctly performed, the remaining amount of the soup can be reduced even if the inside of the tank is not visible. I was able to know.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-5-112394
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional beverage supply device, as described above, for example, operation buttons for selling beverages such as the sale buttons 58a and 58b shown in FIG. 7 and beverages such as the setting buttons 56a and 56b shown in FIG. Operation buttons for setting information about the coexistence. In this case, the operation panel 54 including the two types of operation buttons and the like becomes complicated, and the operation of the two types of operation buttons becomes complicated. Therefore, there is a risk of erroneous operation.
[0008]
In particular, in the beverage supply device 52 shown in FIG. 7, both the setting buttons 56a and 56b and the selling buttons 58a and 58b can be pressed while confirming the fullness and the remaining amount of the soup displayed on the display unit 60. Often. Therefore, the setting buttons 56a and 56b and the selling buttons 58a and 58b are preferably provided on the same operation panel 54. In this case, even when the beverage supply device 52 is mainly in a soup selling operation state (normal mode), there is a possibility that the setting buttons 56a and 56b irrelevant to the sale are erroneously pressed. If the setting button 56a is pressed in the normal mode, the remaining amount of the soup displayed on the display unit is reduced by 0.1 (liter) even though the soup is not sold. Similarly, the erroneous operation of the setting button 6b increases the remaining amount of soup by 0.1 (liter unit). As a result, the remaining amount of soup in the normal mode becomes inaccurate.
[0009]
Also, for example, even if the sale buttons 58a and 58b shown in FIG. 7 are indispensable, by providing the setting buttons 56a and 56b separately only for a state (setting mode) for setting the full amount of soup, the beverage supply can be performed. The manufacturing cost of the device 52 is increased by the setting buttons 56a and 56b. Therefore, the beverage supply device is generally expensive.
[0010]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage supply device in which an erroneous operation of an operation button is prevented and the manufacturing cost is low.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention for solving the above-mentioned problem relates to a sales mechanism for selling stored beverages, an operation button for selling the beverage stored in the sales mechanism, and a beverage stored in the sales mechanism. And a display unit for displaying information, in the beverage supply device having the operation button, a button for selling a beverage stored in the selling mechanism unit, or for setting information displayed on the display unit A switching means for switching to the button.
[0012]
According to the beverage supply device, for example, when a user presses an operation button for selling a beverage, the operation button is switched from a button for setting information to a button for selling a beverage by a switching unit. If the information is set, it is possible to prevent the user from setting the information by mistake. Therefore, erroneous operation of the operation button can be prevented. In addition, since the operation buttons can be switched between the two buttons by the switching means, the total number of buttons of the beverage supply device can be reduced. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the beverage supply device can be reduced, and the beverage supply device becomes inexpensive.
[0013]
Further, when the operation button is a button for setting information displayed on the display unit by the switching means, the information on the remaining amount or the replenishment amount of the beverage contained in the selling mechanism is set. It is characterized by being a button for performing. Here, the storage device has a storage unit for storing information on the remaining amount of the beverage accommodated in the selling mechanism, the operation button, by the switching means, a button for setting information displayed on the display unit, Preferably, the button is a button for setting information displayed on the display unit starting from information on the remaining amount of the beverage read from the storage unit. The information processing apparatus further includes a storage unit configured to store information regarding a predetermined amount of the beverage accommodated in the selling mechanism, wherein the operation button is a button for setting information displayed on the display unit by the switching unit. Preferably, the button is a button for setting information displayed on the display unit starting from information on a predetermined amount of the beverage read from the storage unit.
[0014]
According to the beverage supply device, when setting information on the remaining amount or the replenishment amount of the beverage accommodated in the sales mechanism, the remaining amount or the replenishment amount of the beverage is read from the storage unit or the remaining amount or a predetermined amount close to the replenishment amount, The remaining amount or a predetermined amount can be used as a starting point. This facilitates the setting.
[0015]
Further, an identification for identifying whether the operation button is a button for selling a beverage stored in the selling mechanism unit or a button for setting information displayed on the display unit. A part.
According to the beverage supply device, erroneous operation of the operation button can be further prevented.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
=== Overview of beverage supply device ===
At least the following matters will be made clear by the description in the present specification and the accompanying drawings.
[0017]
In FIG. 1, an example of a front view of the beverage supply device of the present embodiment will be described. The beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment sells, for example, soup (drink) for each cup 14 for business use in, for example, a fast food store. In addition, the beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment accommodates, for example, a pre-cooked soup in a tank 20 (FIG. 2) while heating the soup by an appropriate heating device (not shown), and sends the soup to the cup 14 as it is. The soup shall be sold by a premix method.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1, the beverage supply device 2 includes, for example, operation buttons 6 a and 6 b, a setting switching button 8, an LED 9 e (identification unit), and a liquid crystal unit 10 (display unit) on the operation panel 4. Have. Further, the operation button 6a has LEDs 9a and 9c (identification unit), and the operation button 6b has LEDs 9b and 9d (identification unit). Here, the operation buttons 6a and 6b are buttons for selling soup or buttons for setting information relating to soup, as described later. The setting switch button 8 switches the operation buttons 6a and 6b to the two buttons as described later. The LEDs 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e are turned on or off when the operation buttons 6a, 6b are buttons for selling soup, and are turned on or off when the operation buttons 6a, 6b are buttons for setting information on the soup. The liquid crystal unit 10 displays a soup amount, as described later. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the LEDs 9a and 9c are provided in the operation button 6a, and the LEDs 9b and 9d are provided in the operation button 6b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. is not. For example, the LEDs 9a and 9c may be provided around the operation button 6a, and the LEDs 9b and 9d may be provided around the operation button 6b. In short, if the LED 9a, 9c corresponds to the operation button 6a and the LED 9b, 9d corresponds to the operation button 6b, for example, if the arrangement is such that the clerk can recognize, the LEDs 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and the operation button 6a , 6b may take any arrangement. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the LED 9 e is provided around the setting switching button 8, but is not limited to this. May be provided. In short, the LED 9e and the setting switching button 8 may have any arrangement as long as the clerk can recognize that the LED 9e corresponds to the setting switching button 8, for example.
[0019]
The total number of buttons on the operation panel 4 shown in FIG. 1 is three, which is one less than the total number of buttons on the operation panel 54 of the conventional beverage supply device 52 shown in FIG. Therefore, the beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment, which requires a small number of buttons while maintaining the same level of operation, can reduce the manufacturing cost as compared with the conventional case. Therefore, the beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment becomes cheaper.
[0020]
The beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment sells only soup, but is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of types of beverages may be sold, and the operation buttons 6a and 6b and the setting switching button 8 may be provided for each beverage. If the beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment is expanded to a beverage supply device that can sell three types of beverages, the total number of buttons is nine. On the other hand, when the conventional beverage supply device 52 shown in FIG. 7 is expanded to a beverage supply device capable of selling three types of beverages, the total number of buttons becomes twelve. Thus, as the number of operation buttons increases, the difference between the total number of buttons in the present embodiment and the conventional case tends to increase, and the manufacturing cost of the beverage supply device of the present embodiment decreases, Therefore, the beverage supply device of the present embodiment becomes cheaper.
[0021]
The operation panel 4 in the present embodiment is provided on the front of the beverage supply device 2, but is not limited to this. The operation panel 4 may be provided, for example, near the tank 20 (FIG. 2) of the beverage supply device 2 that stores the beverage.
[0022]
In FIG. 2, an example of a sales mechanism (sales mechanism unit) of the beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment will be described.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 2, the tank 20 contains soup. The tank 20 of the present embodiment is made of, for example, stainless steel. By using stainless steel, the tank 20 has heat resistance and can accommodate high-temperature soup. Further, it becomes easy to sterilize the inner wall of the tank 20 with hot water or the like. However, the liquid level of the soup inside the tank 20 cannot be visually confirmed from outside the tank 20.
[0024]
The pump 22 uses the driving force of the pump motor 24 to discharge soup from the outlet of the solenoid valve 26a by a predetermined amount to the downstream side. The solenoid valve 26a is disposed between the tank 20 and the pump 22, and is opened or shut off based on a control signal output from a control unit 200 (FIG. 3) described later. The soup from the outlet of the pump 22 is supplied to a soup supply line 30 via an electromagnetic valve 26b, and the electromagnetic valve 26b is also opened or shut off based on a control signal output from a control unit 200 (FIG. 3) described later. Is what is done. The nozzle 12 is provided at the most downstream end of the soup supply line 30, and the soup is sold to the cup 14 through the nozzle 12.
[0025]
Although the soup in the soup supply line 30 is transported by the pump 22 in the sales mechanism of the present embodiment, the invention is not limited to this. For example, if the beverage is low in viscosity such as a low-concentration syrup beverage from the tank 20 to the nozzle 12 in the vertical direction, the beverage can be dropped by gravity without the pump 22 and the pump motor 24 even if the beverage is low. The beverage can be sold to the cup 14.
[0026]
The selling mechanism shown in FIG. 2 adjusts the soup sales amount by controlling the opening time of the solenoid valves 26a and 26b and the operating time of the pump motor 24, respectively, as described later. At this time, the opening time and the operation time are measured by a timer (not shown).
[0027]
=== Configuration of Operation Button Switching Means ===
In FIG. 3, an example of the operation button switching means (switching means) of the beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the operation button switching means of the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 3 mainly illustrates the operation of the operation button switching means described later, and thus the solenoid valves 26a and 26b and the pump motor 24 are omitted in the sales mechanism 204.
[0028]
The control unit 200 in FIG. 3 detects that the state of the setting switching button 8 is on or off, and detects that the state of the operation buttons 6a and 6b is on or off, and outputs the LEDs 9a, 9b, and 9c. , 9d, and 9e, controls the display of the soup amount on the liquid crystal unit 10, controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valves 26a and 26b in the sales mechanism 204, and starts or stops the operation of the pump motor 24. It is. Such an operation of the control unit 200 is performed based on an appropriate program stored in the ROM 202a. The RAM 202b (storage unit) is for storing a calculation result of the soup amount described later by the control unit 200.
[0029]
In terms of hardware, the ROM 202a includes a mask ROM for burning and fixing data in a manufacturing process, an EPROM for repeatedly writing and reading data by erasing data with ultraviolet light, and an EEPROM (ROM) for repeatedly writing and reading data by electrically erasing data. And a non-volatile memory such as a flash ROM. The RAM 202b is a volatile memory such as an SRAM, and holds data using a backup power supply. In addition, a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM that does not require a backup power supply may be used as the RAM 202b in order to hold information about a soup amount described later with higher reliability.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 3, the setting switch button 8 and the operation buttons 6 a and 6 b are specifically connected to the control unit 200 via the I / O port 206 when, for example, 0 V Is applied. It is assumed that the setting switching button 8 and the operation buttons 6a and 6b of the present embodiment are switches that are connected to the above-mentioned 0V circuit only when pressed, and are cut off when not pressed. Therefore, when the setting switch button 8 and the operation buttons 6a and 6b are pressed once, a signal of 0 V is input to the control unit 200 from the I / O port 206 once.
[0031]
As shown in FIG. 3, a voltage of 24 V is applied to the anodes of the LEDs 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, and 9e. The LEDs 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e are turned on or off via the I / O port 206 and the drivers 208a, 208b, 208c, 208d, 208e in response to a control signal from the control unit 200.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 3, 24 V is applied to the liquid crystal unit 10 as a power supply voltage. The orientation of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal unit 10 changes via the I / O port 206 and the driver 210 according to a control signal from the control unit 200. It is assumed that the liquid crystal unit 10 of the present embodiment can display a two-digit number of 0 to 9 and a decimal point according to the control signal.
[0033]
=== Operation of operation button switching means ===
4, an example of the operation of the operation button switching means of the beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the operation button switching means of the beverage supply device 2 of the present embodiment.
[0034]
<<<< Setting mode >>>>
The control unit 200 monitors ON or OFF of the state of the setting switching button 8 as appropriate (S100). When the setting switch button 8 is pressed and it is determined that the state of the setting switch button 8 is ON (S100: YES), the beverage supply device 2 sets the soup amount by the operation button switching means (setting mode). ). Specifically, when the setting switching button 8 is pressed, a signal having a voltage of 0 V is input to the control unit 200 via the I / O port 206 shown in FIG.
[0035]
The control unit 200 that has received the 0V signal outputs a control signal for turning on the LEDs 9a, 9b, and 9e via the drivers 208a, 208b, 208c, 208d, and 208e, and has already turned on in the normal mode described later. A control signal for turning off the LEDs 9c and 9d is output (S102). According to an appropriate program stored in the ROM 202a, the operation buttons 6a and 6b, which will be described later, function as so-called setting buttons for adjusting the remaining amount of the soup by, for example, 0.1 (liter).
[0036]
The control unit 200 that has received the 0V signal reads out the remaining amount (for example, 0.5) of the soup described later stored in the RAM 202b and sends a control signal corresponding to the remaining amount via the driver 210. Output to the liquid crystal unit 10 (S104). The liquid crystal unit 10 displays the remaining amount.
[0037]
As shown in FIG. 5A, in step S104, the LED 9e provided above the setting switching button 8 of the operation panel 4 is turned on. For example, the clerk can identify from the lighting that the beverage supply device 2 is in the setting mode. In addition, the lighting of the LED 9 a in the shape of a downward arrow provided on the operation button 6 a of the operation panel 4 allows the clerk to subtract the operation button 6 a from “0.5” displayed on the liquid crystal unit 10. Can be identified. Further, by turning on the LED 9b in the shape of an upward arrow provided on the operation button 6b of the operation panel 4, the store clerk can set the operation button 6b to be added to "0.5" displayed on the liquid crystal unit 10. Can be identified. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the clerk from misidentifying the operation buttons 6a and 6b as the later-described sales buttons and erroneously operating the buttons. Therefore, the setting of the remaining amount of the soup becomes accurate.
[0038]
The control unit 200 monitors ON or OFF of the state of the operation button 6a as appropriate (S106). If it is determined that the operation button 6a is not pressed and the state of the operation button 6a is off (S106: NO), it is determined whether the state of the operation button 6b is on or off (S110). Here, if it is determined that the operation button 6b is not pressed and the state of the operation button 6b is off (S110: NO), the process returns to step S106, and the control unit 200 turns on or off the state of the operation button 6a. Start monitoring off. Note that the operation of the control unit 200 from step S106 (NO) to step S110 (NO) is equivalent to an operation in which the control unit 200 is waiting for the clerk or the like to press the operation buttons 6a and 6b.
[0039]
In step S110, when the operation button 6b is pressed and the state of the operation button 6b is determined to be ON (S110: YES), the current data "0.5" displayed on the liquid crystal unit 10 is set to 0.1 (0.1). (Liter unit) is added (S110). Specifically, when the operation button 6b is pressed, a signal consisting of a voltage of 0 V is input to the control unit 200 via the I / O port 206 shown in FIG. The control unit 200 that has received the 0V signal adds 0.1 (unit: liter) to the current data “0.5” stored in the RAM 202b based on an appropriate program stored in the ROM 202a. The control unit 200 writes the data 0.6 (= 0.5 + 0.1) obtained by the addition into the RAM 202b, and outputs a control signal to be displayed on the liquid crystal unit 10 via the driver 210. These operations are performed each time the operation button 6b is pressed. That is, every time the operation button 6b is pressed, the value "0.5" is added by 0.1 (unit: liter), and the data obtained by the addition is stored in the RAM 202b.
[0040]
It is determined whether the state of the setting switching button 8 is on or off (S114). If it is determined that the setting switching button 8 is not pressed and the state of the setting switching button 8 is off (S114: NO) ), Returning to step S106, the control unit 200 starts monitoring the ON or OFF state of the operation button 6a.
[0041]
When the store clerk presses only the operation button 6b, for example, 25 times, a series of processing including steps S106, S110, S112, and S114 (NO) is repeated 25 times. As a result, 0.1 (in liters) is added 25 times to the remaining amount of soup “0.5” for 25 times, and the full soup amount “3.0” in the tank 20 is set. This full amount “3.0” is also stored in the RAM 202b.
[0042]
As described above, in step S106, if it is determined that the operation button 6a is pressed and the state of the operation button 6a is ON (S106: YES), the current data displayed on the liquid crystal unit 10 is set to 0. 1 (liter unit) is subtracted (S108). By appropriately pressing the operation buttons 6a and 6b, the clerk can display a desired amount of 0.0 to 9.9 on the liquid crystal unit 10, and the amount is stored in the storage unit 202b.
[0043]
When the setting of the desired amount is completed, the clerk presses the setting switching button 8 in step S114. The control unit 200 determines that the state of the setting switching button 8 is on (S114: YES), returns to step S100, and starts monitoring the state of the setting switching button 8 on or off again.
[0044]
In the present embodiment, the increment of the adding / subtracting process in steps S108 and S112 is set to 0.1 (liter unit), but is not limited to this. Any step may be used as long as a desired amount can be set. For example, it may be set to 0.2 (liter unit) or 0.3 (liter unit) as the sales amount of the soup described later.
[0045]
<<<< Normal mode >>>>
In step S114 of the setting mode described above, setting switch button 8 is pressed, and it is determined whether the state of setting switch button 8 is ON (S114: YES). Then, in step S100, setting switch button 8 is not pressed, When it is determined that the state of the setting switching button 8 is off (S100: NO), the beverage supply device 2 enters a state of selling soup (normal mode) by the operation button switching means described above.
[0046]
The control unit 200 outputs a control signal for turning on the LEDs 9c and 9d via the drivers 208a, 208b, 208c, 208d and 208e, and turns off the LEDs 9a, 9b and 9e that have already been turned on in the setting mode described above. A signal is output (S116).
[0047]
According to an appropriate program stored in the ROM 202a, the operation buttons 6a and 6b control the sales mechanism 204 to sell the S-size or L-size soup, and the soup full amount “3” set in the setting mode described above. .0 "as a so-called sales button for subtraction processing according to the sale. Here, in the setting mode described above, the full amount of soup is set, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the store clerk sets the amount of soup replenished in the tank 20 (replenishment amount) and presses the setting switch button 8 in step S114, the liquid crystal unit 10 displays the total of the replenishment amount and the remaining amount, and the RAM 202b The total may be stored. Specifically, when 2.5 (liter unit) is set as the replenishing amount, the control unit 200 reads the remaining amount “0.5” stored in the RAM 202b and reads the remaining amount “0.5” (liter unit). ) Is added to “3.0 (= 2.5 + 0.5)”. Such arithmetic processing is executed by an appropriate program stored in the ROM 202a.
[0048]
As shown in FIG. 5B, in step S116, the LED 9e provided above the setting switching button 8 of the operation panel 4 is turned off. For example, the clerk can identify that the beverage supply device 2 is in the normal mode by not lighting the LED 9e. In addition, by lighting the LEDs 9c and 9d provided on the operation buttons 6a and 6b of the operation panel 4, the clerk can identify that the operation buttons 6a and 6b are sales buttons. Thus, it is possible to prevent the store clerk from misidentifying the operation buttons 6a and 6b as the above-described setting buttons and performing an erroneous operation. Therefore, the setting of the remaining amount of the soup becomes accurate.
[0049]
The control unit 200 monitors ON or OFF of the state of the operation button 6a as appropriate (S118). If it is determined that the operation button 6a is not pressed and the state of the operation button 6a is off (S118: NO), it is determined whether the state of the operation button 6b is on or off (S122). Here, if it is determined that the operation button 6b is not pressed and the state of the operation button 6b is off (S122: NO), the process returns to step S100, and the control unit 200 turns on the state of the setting switching button 8. Or, start monitoring for OFF. The operation of the control unit 200 from step S118 (NO) to step S122 (NO) is equivalent to an operation in which the control unit 200 waits for the clerk or the like to press the operation buttons 6a and 6b.
[0050]
In step S122, when the operation button 6b is pressed and the state of the operation button 6b is determined to be on (S122: YES), the control unit 200 controls the sales mechanism 204, and sends the L size to the sales mechanism 204. For example, a 0.3 liter soup corresponding to is sold. At the same time, the control unit 200 subtracts 0.3 (liter unit) corresponding to the L size from the current data “3.0” displayed on the liquid crystal unit 10 (S124). Specifically, when the operation button 6b is pressed, a signal consisting of a voltage of 0 V is input to the control unit 200 via the I / O port 206 shown in FIG. The control unit 200 that has received the 0V signal outputs a control signal to the vending mechanism 204 based on an appropriate program stored in the ROM 202a to open the solenoid valves 26a and 26b for a predetermined time while operating the pump motor 24. Operate for a predetermined time. The predetermined time is set in advance so that the selling mechanism 204 can sell the 0.3-liter soup within the time. The predetermined time is measured by a timer (not shown). Along with such a selling operation, the control unit 200 subtracts 0.3 (unit: liter) from the current data “3.0” stored in the RAM 202b, and obtains the data 2.7 (= 3. 0-0.3) is written into the RAM 202b, and a control signal to be displayed on the liquid crystal unit 10 is output via the driver 210. The above operation is performed every time the operation button 6b is pressed. That is, each time the operation button 6b is pressed, a soup corresponding to the L size is sold, and is subtracted from “3.0” by 0.3 (liter unit), and the data obtained by the subtraction is stored in the RAM 202b. Is done.
[0051]
As described above, in step S118, when it is determined that the operation button 6a is pressed and the state of the operation button 6a is ON (S118: YES), the control unit 200 controls the sales mechanism 204 to The selling mechanism 204 sells, for example, 0.2 liter soup corresponding to the S size. At the same time, the control section 200 subtracts 0.2 (liter unit) corresponding to the S size from the current data displayed on the liquid crystal section 10 (S120).
[0052]
If the sales of the soup are repeated, and the remaining amount of the soup becomes 0.5 liter, and the 0.5 (liter unit) is stored in the RAM 202b, “0” is set in step S104 of the setting mode described above. .5 "is read out from the RAM 202b as the remaining amount of soup.
[0053]
After the sale by the selling mechanism 204 in step S120 or S124, the control unit 200 returns to step S100 and starts monitoring the state of the setting switching button 8 on or off again.
[0054]
=== Other Embodiments ===
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention also includes equivalents thereof.
[0055]
In the above-described embodiment, the sales amount of the soup in the normal mode is measured by measuring the opening time of the solenoid valves 26a and 26b and the operating time of the pump motor 24 shown in FIG. 2 by a timer (not shown). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the soup supply line 30 shown in FIG. 2, a flow meter (not shown) may be provided between the tank 20 and the solenoid valve 26a to directly measure the flow rate of the soup. Specifically, when a rotor (not shown) in a flow meter (not shown) is rotated by the flow of the soup, the control unit 200 detects a pulse voltage generated by the rotation and counts the number of pulses of the pulse voltage. (Not shown). This count is proportional to the soup sales volume.
[0056]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the setting mode, the amount of soup read from the RAM 202b in step S104 shown in FIG. 4 is set as the remaining amount of soup in the normal mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the amount read from the RAM 202b in step S104 may be the soup full amount set in the previous setting mode. For example, suppose that the set amount of the soup desired by the clerk is 2.5 liters, the remaining amount of the soup is 0.5 liter, and the full amount of the soup is 3.0 liters. At this time, in steps S106, S108, and S114 (NO) shown in FIG. 6, it is more preferable to subtract 2.5 times from 3.0 in steps of 0.1 to obtain 2.5, which is equivalent to steps S106, S110, and S112 shown in FIG. , S114 (NO), the operation is easier than in the case where 0.5 is added to 0.5 every 20 times to obtain 2.5.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the misoperation of the operation button is prevented, the setting of the displayed beverage information is easy, and the beverage supply device with low manufacturing cost can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a front view of a beverage supply device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a selling mechanism of the beverage supply device of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of operation button switching means of the beverage supply device of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the operation button switching means of the beverage supply device of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a state of an operation panel in each mode of the beverage supply device of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining another operation example of the operation button switching means of the beverage supply device of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a front view of a conventional beverage supply device.
[Explanation of symbols]
6a, 6b operation buttons
8 Setting switch button
9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e LED
10 LCD section
200 control unit
202a ROM
202b RAM
204 Sales Organization
206 I / O port
208a, 208b, 208c, 208d, 208e, 210 Driver

Claims (5)

A sales mechanism for selling the stored beverage, an operation button for selling the beverage stored in the sales mechanism, and a display unit for displaying information about the beverage stored in the sales mechanism. In a beverage supply device,
The operation button, a button for selling the beverage accommodated in the selling mechanism, or a switching unit for switching to a button for setting information displayed on the display unit,
A beverage supply device comprising: When the operation button is a button for setting information displayed on the display unit by the switching unit, the operation button is for setting information on the remaining amount or the replenishment amount of the beverage contained in the selling mechanism. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the beverage supply device is a button. A storage unit for storing information about the remaining amount of the beverage accommodated in the selling mechanism,
When the operation button is a button for setting information to be displayed on the display unit by the switching unit, the display unit starts the information on the remaining amount of the beverage read from the storage unit. 3. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the beverage supply device is a button for setting information to be displayed. A storage unit that stores information about a predetermined amount of the beverage accommodated in the selling mechanism,
When the operation button is a button for setting information to be displayed on the display unit by the switching unit, the display unit starts with information on a predetermined amount of the beverage read from the storage unit. 3. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the beverage supply device is a button for setting information to be displayed. An identification unit for identifying whether the operation button is a button for selling a beverage stored in the sales mechanism unit or a button for setting information displayed on the display unit. The beverage supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

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