JP7532765B2 - Beverage supply equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage supply device, and more specifically, to a beverage supply device that supplies a beverage to a cup placed on a supply stage.

Patent Document 1 proposes a beverage supplying device that supplies a beverage made by mixing syrup (a beverage concentrate) and dilution water (a diluent) to a cup placed on a supply stage.

In the beverage supply device proposed in Patent Document 1, an operation input unit for selecting a beverage is provided on the operation panel for each beverage, and the beverage is supplied to a cup placed on the supply stage while the selected operation input unit is pressed.

JP 2015-117041 A

The beverage dispenser described above dispenses the beverage into the cup while the selected operation input unit is being pressed, so if the user is a customer of the store, they can dispense the desired amount of beverage into the cup.

However, there are cases where store employees use the beverage dispenser as a user to serve beverages to customers. In this case, the store employee, who is the user, needs to keep pressing the operation input unit while dispensing the beverage into the cup, making the serving of the beverage cumbersome. Therefore, when such an employee is also the user, it cannot be said that the device is very convenient.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a beverage supply device that can improve user convenience by easily switching between free supply mode and fixed-volume supply mode.

To achieve the above object, the beverage supply device of the present invention supplies beverages to cups placed on a supply stage, and is equipped with a display operation unit that displays various information and allows input operations to be performed by touch operations, and is characterized by having a control unit that switches between a free supply mode in which the display operation unit displays multiple types of selectable beverages and a fixed-quantity supply mode in which the display operation unit displays multiple types of selectable beverages along with a supply amount adjustment operation unit for adjusting the amount of the beverage supplied, by input operations on a setting operation screen displayed on the display operation unit.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the beverage supply device, the control unit makes the layout of the multiple types of beverages selectable in the free supply mode common to the layout of the multiple types of beverages selectable in the fixed quantity supply mode.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the beverage supply device, when in the fixed-volume supply mode, one of the multiple types of beverages and the supply amount adjustment operation unit is operated and the other is operated, the control unit supplies a predetermined amount of the selected beverage to the cup.

According to the present invention, the control unit switches between a free supply mode in which the display operation unit displays multiple types of selectable beverages on the setting operation screen displayed on the display operation unit, and a fixed-quantity supply mode in which the display operation unit displays multiple types of selectable beverages along with a supply amount adjustment operation unit for adjusting the supply amount of the beverage, by inputting an input operation on the setting operation screen displayed on the display operation unit. This provides the advantage that the free supply mode and the fixed-quantity supply mode can be easily switched, improving user convenience.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a beverage supplying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of the beverage supplying apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a display example of the display operation unit by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of an arrangement display on the display operation unit by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a display example of the display operation unit by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a display example of the display operation unit by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a display example of the display operation unit by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view showing a display example of the display operation unit by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a front view showing a modified example of the display example of the display operation unit. FIG. 10 is a front view showing a modified example of the display example of the display operation unit.

The following describes in detail a preferred embodiment of the beverage supply device according to the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a typical control system of the beverage supply device shown in Figure 1. The beverage supply device 1 shown here is a beverage dispenser installed in facilities such as restaurants and food courts, and includes a device main body 10 and a control unit 50.

The device body 10 is a box with an opening on the front (hereinafter also referred to as the front opening), and has a number of adjustable legs 11 at its bottom for adjusting the height. The front opening of this device body 10 is opened and closed by a front door 12. The front door 12 is a door body with a heat-insulating structure large enough to cover not only the front opening but also part of the lower area of the front opening, and is provided at one edge of the front side of the device body 10 so as to be able to swing around the central axis of an axis part (not shown) that extends in the vertical direction.

The front door 12 has a front surface that serves as the customer service surface and is provided with a display operation unit 13. The display operation unit 13 is, for example, composed of an LCD touch panel, and displays various information and allows input operations to be performed by touch operations. When a touch operation is performed, the display operation unit 13 sends the input signal to the control unit 50.

The device body 10 includes a supply stage 20 and a beverage preparation section 30. The supply stage 20 is configured by providing a recess in the lower front part of the device body 10, i.e., in the area below the front opening. The supply stage 20 includes a mounting plate 21 having a mounting surface 21a on which a cup C is placed, a rear wall 22 covering the rear surface of the mounting plate 21, and a top wall (not shown) facing the mounting surface 21a.

The mounting surface 21a of the mounting plate 21 is provided with a cup guide 21b for positioning the cup C when it is placed, and a drip tray 21c for collecting splashed beverages. A beverage nozzle (not shown) is provided on the top wall. The beverage nozzle is provided on the top wall in such a way that it is installed directly above the cup C that is guided by the cup guide 21b and placed on the cup.

The beverage production unit 30 is connected to a syrup group 40, a carbon dioxide gas tank 43, and a water tank 44 through various pipes, and is equipped with a pump group 31, a valve group 32, and a sensor group 33.

The syrup group 40 includes a plurality of (e.g., two) bag-in-boxes (hereinafter also referred to as BIBs) 41 and a plurality of (e.g., six) syrup tanks 42. The BIBs 41 are bag-shaped containers containing syrup (e.g., sugar-free syrup: beverage concentrate) housed in a box-shaped container, and are constructed, for example, by housing a plastic bag container containing syrup in a cardboard box container. When the syrup contained in the BIBs 41 is poured out, the bag container shrinks inside the box container, preventing air from entering the bag container and preventing oxidation of the syrup. Such a plurality of BIBs 41 are stored in a cooled state in a cooler inside the device main body 10.

The syrup tank 42 stores syrup (e.g., sweetened syrup: beverage concentrate). The carbon dioxide gas tank 43 stores carbon dioxide gas, and the water tank 44 stores cooling water.

The pump group 31 is comprised of a number of tube pumps. These tube pumps are used to pump out the syrup contained in the BIB41, and one is provided for each BIB41. The tube pumps are attached to tubes (not shown) connected to the corresponding BIB41, and when driven by a built-in motor, the tube is compressed by a number of rollers or the like to pump out the syrup from the BIB41, and the syrup is discharged from the open end of the tube toward the cup C.

The valve group 32 includes valves provided in the pipes connecting each syrup tank 42 and the beverage nozzle, a valve provided in the pipes connecting the water tank 44 and the beverage nozzle, and a valve provided in the pipes connected to the carbon dioxide tank 43 in a manner that merges with the pipes connecting the water tank 44 and the beverage nozzle. When the corresponding valves of the valve group 32 are opened, the valve group 32 supplies syrup and water (diluted water), syrup and carbonated water (diluted water), carbonated water (including the case where it is used as diluted water), or water (including the case where it is used as diluted water) to the beverage nozzle, and dispenses the water from the beverage nozzle toward the cup C.

The sensor group 33 is configured with a sell-out sensor that detects the presence or absence of syrup or carbon dioxide gas in the syrup group 40 or the carbon dioxide gas tank 43, and a flow sensor that detects the flow rate of each pipe. These sensor group 33 send the detection results to the control unit 50 as detection signals.

The control unit 50 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned display operation unit 13 and beverage preparation unit 30, and controls the overall operation of these units according to the programs and data stored in the memory unit 51, which is also electrically connected to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 includes a display control processing unit 50a and a beverage preparation processing unit 50b.

The display control processing unit 50a controls the display of various information on the display operation unit 13. The beverage production processing unit 50b controls the supply of beverage to the cup C through the beverage production unit 30.

The control unit 50 may be realized, for example, by having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, i.e., by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

In the beverage supply device 1 having the above configuration, when the free supply mode is selected by touch operation on the setting operation screen (not shown) displayed on the display operation unit 13, the display control processing unit 50a of the control unit 50 causes the language selection operation unit 13a and the beverage selection unit 13b to be displayed on the display operation unit 13 in standby state, as shown in FIG. 3. The free supply mode, which will be described in detail later, is a mode in which a beverage is supplied only while the user is touching a predetermined area of the display operation unit 13 (area 13h displayed as "Press").

The language selection operation section 13a is displayed at the top of the display operation section 13, and allows the user to select either Japanese or a language other than Japanese 1 to 4, with Japanese being selected by default.

The beverage selection section 13b is an operation input area for selecting a beverage, and in this embodiment, in addition to water and carbonated water, beverages "Beverage 1" to "Beverage 10" are displayed as selectable beverages. The number of beverage selection sections 13b displayed here is greater than the total number of beverage concentrates (the number of connected BIBs 41 and the number of connected syrup tanks 42) and dilution water (the number of connected water tanks 44 and the number of connected carbon dioxide tanks 43).

In other words, the beverage supply device 1 has a beverage selection unit 13b that allows the user to select a beverage obtained by mixing multiple syrups with dilution water (water or carbonated water), thereby increasing the number of selectable beverages beyond the total number of syrups and dilution water. The number of beverage selection units 13b is variable.

In the illustrated example, the beverage selection section 13b for "Drink 1" is displayed at the top left, and the beverage selection sections 13b for drinks 2 to 10 are displayed in order, but this is just one example, and the arrangement of the beverage selection sections 13b can be changed on the setting operation screen. In other words, beverage selection sections 13b other than "Drink 1" can also be displayed at the top left.

When a user touches the beverage selection section 13b for "Beverage 1," a carbonated beverage, the display control processing section 50a of the control section 50 performs an arrangement display that displays a mixable beverage selection section 13d, a mixing ratio adjustment operation section 13e, a carbonation strength adjustment operation section 13f, and an allergen display section 13g, as shown in FIG. 4.

The mixable beverage selection section 13d is displayed next to the selected beverage display section 13c, which displays the selected beverage "Beverage 1," and is an area for selecting mixable beverages ("Beverage 2," "Beverage 3," "Beverage 5," and "Beverage 7") that can be mixed with "Beverage 1."

The mixing ratio adjustment operation section 13e is displayed below the selected beverage display section 13c, and is an area for adjusting the mixing ratio between the selected beverage and mixable beverages. The numbers "0" and "100" in this mixing ratio adjustment operation section 13e indicate the ratio of the selected beverage ("Beverage 1"), and the mixing ratio can be adjusted by sliding the vertical bar display 131 left and right. This bar display 131 is displayed at a position that results in a predetermined mixing ratio (for example, selected beverage:mixable beverage = 7:3), with preset data for the selected beverage ("Beverage 1") as the initial value.

The carbonation strength adjustment operation section 13f is displayed next to the mixable beverage selection section 13d, and is an area for adjusting the carbonation strength. This carbonation strength adjustment display section displays "strong," "normal," "weak," and "none," with "normal" selected as the initial value, based on data previously set for the selected beverage ("Beverage 1").

If the manufacturer of the selected beverage ("Beverage 1") requests that the selected beverage not be sold without carbonation, the display control processing unit 50a can erase the "None" display in the carbonation strength adjustment operation unit 13f.

The allergen display section 13g is displayed below the carbonation strength adjustment operation section 13f, and is an area that displays allergens ("Substance 1", "Substance 2", "Substance 3") if the selected beverage ("Drink 1") and mixable beverages ("Drink 2", "Drink 3", "Drink 5", "Drink 7") contain allergens.

In this arrangement display, when a mixable beverage is selected, the mixing ratio is adjusted, and the carbonation strength is adjusted, and the area 13h displayed as "Press" is continuously touched, the beverage production processing unit 50b of the control unit 50 opens the corresponding valves of the valve group 32 in the beverage production unit 30 while the touch is being performed, thereby delivering multiple syrups (syrup of the selected beverage and syrup of the mixable beverage) from the syrup tank 42 to the beverage nozzle, while delivering carbonated water from the carbon dioxide tank 43 and the water tank 44 to the beverage nozzle, and the syrup and carbonated water are discharged in a mixed state from the beverage nozzle toward cup C, thereby supplying a beverage to the cup C.

Here, the syrup for the selected beverage and mixable beverage is described as being stored in the syrup tank 42, but if the syrup for the selected beverage and mixable beverage contains sugar-free syrup, the control unit 50 will drive the pump group 31 while it is being touched, thereby discharging syrup from the BIB 41 toward the cup C. In this case, dilution water is discharged from the beverage nozzle, and the syrup from the BIB 41 and the dilution water are mixed and supplied to the cup C.

When the user releases the touch operation on the area 13h marked "Press," the beverage production processing unit 50b of the control unit 50 closes the corresponding valve and stops the supply of beverage to the cup C.

On the other hand, in the arrangement display, if the area 13h displayed as "Press" is continuously touched without a mixable beverage being selected, the beverage production processing unit 50b of the control unit 50 opens the corresponding valve of the valve group 32 in the beverage production unit 30 while the touch is being performed, thereby sending syrup (syrup of the selected beverage) from the syrup tank 42 to the beverage nozzle, while sending carbonated water from the carbon dioxide tank 43 and the water tank 44 to the beverage nozzle, and the syrup and carbonated water are ejected in a mixed state from the beverage nozzle toward cup C, thereby supplying a beverage to cup C.

When the user releases the touch operation on the area 13h marked "Press," the beverage production processing unit 50b of the control unit 50 closes the corresponding valve and stops the supply of beverage to the cup C.

The free supply mode, which supplies beverage to cup C while the area 13h marked "press" is touched, is useful in facilities such as restaurants where the users are restaurant customers.

When the fixed-volume supply mode is selected by touch operation on the setting operation screen (not shown) displayed on the display operation unit 13, the display control processing unit 50a of the control unit 50, in the standby state, displays the language selection operation unit 13a and the beverage selection unit 13b on the display operation unit 13 as shown in FIG. 5, and also displays the supply amount adjustment operation unit ("S", "M", "L") 13i for adjusting the amount of beverage supplied.

In this fixed-volume supply mode, the layout of the beverage selection section 13b is the same as the layout of the beverage selection section 13b in the free supply mode. In other words, the display control processing section 50a of the control section 50 makes the layout of the multiple types of beverages selectable in the free supply mode and the layout of the multiple types of beverages selectable in the fixed-volume supply mode the same.

In this fixed-volume supply mode, when one of the beverage selection unit 13b and the supply amount adjustment operation unit 13i is touched and the other is touched, that is, when any of the beverage selection units 13b are touched and then the supply amount adjustment operation unit 13i is touched, or when the supply amount adjustment operation unit 13i is touched and then any of the beverage selection units 13b is touched, the beverage production processing unit 50b of the control unit 50 opens the corresponding valve of the valve group 32, closes the valve based on the detection result provided by the flow rate sensor of the sensor group 33, and supplies a predetermined amount of beverage to the cup C.

If the syrup of the beverage selected by the beverage selection unit 13b contains sugar-free syrup, the beverage production processing unit 50b drives the corresponding tube pump of the pump group 31 for a predetermined time to supply a predetermined amount of beverage to the cup C.

The fixed-volume supply mode, which supplies a predetermined amount of beverage to a cup C when one of the beverage selection unit 13b and the supply amount adjustment operation unit 13i is touched and the other is touched, is useful in facilities such as restaurants when restaurant employees are the customers.

In addition, in the beverage supply device 1, when the sold-out sensor constituting the sensor group 33 detects the absence of syrup or carbon dioxide gas, i.e., when the amount of syrup or the like is insufficient, the display control processing unit 50a of the control unit 50 distinguishes the beverage selection section 13b of the beverage containing the syrup or the like ("Beverage 3", "Beverage 8", "Beverage 10") from the beverage selection sections 13b of other beverages, for example by graying it out, as shown in FIG. 6.

Note that, although it has been described above that the beverage selection section 13b for the relevant beverage ("Beverage 3", "Beverage 8", "Beverage 10") is displayed in a grayed-out manner, for example, to distinguish it from the beverage selection sections 13b for other beverages, in the present invention, the following may also be used.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the beverage selection section 13b of the corresponding beverage ("Beverage 3", "Beverage 8", "Beverage 10") may be erased from the display operation section 13. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the beverage selection section 13b of the other beverages may be enlarged and displayed.

As described above, according to the beverage supply device 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 50, which causes the display operation unit 13 to display multiple selectable types of beverages as the beverage selection unit 13b, performs an arrangement display on the display operation unit 13 to display the selected beverage and mixable beverages that can be mixed with the selected beverage when a touch operation is performed to select one of the beverages, so that the user can mix beverages according to their own preferences, thereby improving convenience.

In particular, when the control unit 50 displays the arrangement, it displays the mixing ratio adjustment operation unit 13e for adjusting the mixing ratio between the selected beverage and mixable beverages, so that the mixing ratio between the selected beverage and mixable beverages can be adjusted, further improving convenience.

When the control unit 50 displays the arrangement, it also displays the carbonation strength adjustment operation unit 13f for adjusting the carbonation strength, allowing the carbonation strength to be adjusted, further improving convenience.

In addition, when the control unit 50 displays the arrangement, if the selected beverage and mixable beverages contain allergens, the allergen display unit 13g displays the allergens, allowing the user to select a beverage while being careful about allergens, further improving convenience.

According to the beverage supply device 1, the control unit 50 switches between a free supply mode in which the display operation unit 13 displays multiple types of selectable beverages and a fixed-quantity supply mode in which the display operation unit 13 displays multiple types of selectable beverages along with a supply amount adjustment operation unit 13i for adjusting the supply amount of the beverage, by inputting an operation on the setting operation screen displayed on the display operation unit 13. This allows the user to easily switch between the free supply mode and the fixed-quantity supply mode, improving user convenience.

In particular, the control unit 50 makes the layout of multiple selectable types of beverages in the free supply mode and the layout of multiple selectable types of beverages in the fixed quantity supply mode the same, so that the user does not need to reset the beverage layout when switching modes, further improving convenience.

In addition, in the fixed-volume supply mode, when one of the multiple types of beverages and the supply amount adjustment operation unit 13i is operated while the other is operated, the control unit 50 supplies a predetermined amount of the selected beverage to the cup C, so that the beverage can be selected and the supply amount adjusted in any order, further improving convenience for the user.

In addition, according to the beverage supply device 1, the control unit 50 includes beverages obtained by mixing multiple syrups and dilution water in the multiple types of beverages, thereby making the number of selectable types of beverages greater than the total number of syrups and dilution waters, thereby improving convenience by increasing the number of beverages that users can select.

In particular, if the amount of any syrup is insufficient, the control unit 50 displays the beverage containing that syrup as a component, distinguishing it from the other multiple types of beverages that can be selected, allowing the user to recognize beverages that have an insufficient amount of syrup, further improving convenience.

The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made.

When a beverage for which supply promotion is to be promoted (e.g., "Beverage 9" and "Beverage 10") is selected from among the beverage selection sections 13b displayed in standby mode, the control unit 50 preferably displays "Recommended" near the beverage selection sections 13b for "Beverage 9" and "Beverage 10" as shown in FIG. 9. This makes it possible to appeal to users about the beverage for which supply promotion is to be promoted.

The control unit 50 may also display the beverage selection section 13b of the beverage for which supply promotion is to be promoted (e.g., "beverage 9" and "beverage 10") in a larger size than the beverage selection section 13b of other beverages, as shown in FIG. 10, thereby appealing to users about the beverage for which supply promotion is to be promoted.

In the fixed-volume supply mode, when a beverage is selected by a user and the supply amount is adjusted using the supply amount adjustment operation unit 13i, the control unit 50 may display a preset advertisement or promotion on the display operation unit 13, or may display a countdown until the supply of the beverage is completed.

The control unit 50 may erase the beverage selection unit 13b of the beverage containing the syrup of the syrup tank 42 that has been disconnected from the beverage preparation unit 30 from the display operation unit 13 when it detects that the connection has been disconnected. In this case, the beverage selection unit 13b displayed on the display operation unit 13 may be enlarged.

When a language other than Japanese ("Language 1", "Language 2", "Language 3", "Language 4") is selected in the language selection operation unit 13a, the control unit 50 may change the display of mixable beverages and the initial values of the mixing ratio and carbonation strength based on the setting data associated with the selected language when displaying the arrangement. Also, when a language other than Japanese is selected, the display may return to Japanese after a predetermined time (e.g., two minutes) has elapsed.

When an alcohol-containing beverage is included in the selected beverages displayed on the display operation unit 13, the control unit 50 may display a screen indicating that the beverage is an alcoholic beverage and prompting the user to select that the user is over 20 years old when the alcohol-containing beverage is selected.

The configurations illustrated in the above embodiments are merely functional schematics, and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the form of distribution and integration of each device and component is not limited to that illustrated, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various usage conditions, etc.

1...beverage supply device, 10...device main body, 13...display operation unit, 20...supply stage, 30...beverage production unit, 31...pump group, 32...valve group, 33...sensor group, 40...syrup group, 41...bag-in-box, 42...syrup tank, 43...carbon dioxide tank, 44...water tank, 50...control unit, 50a...display control processing unit, 50b...beverage production processing unit, 51...storage unit, C...cup.

Claims (2)

A beverage supply device that supplies beverages to cups placed on a supply stage and has a display operation unit that displays various information and allows input operations to be performed by touch operations,
a control unit for switching between a free supply mode, in which a language selection operation unit for selecting a language and a beverage selection unit for selecting any beverage from a plurality of selectable types of beverages are displayed on the display operation unit, and a fixed-quantity supply mode, in which the display operation unit is displayed on the language selection operation unit, the beverage selection unit, and a supply amount adjustment operation unit for adjusting the supply amount of the beverage selected on the beverage selection unit,
The control unit of this beverage supply device makes the layout of the language selection operation unit and the beverage selection unit in the free supply mode common to the layout of the language selection operation unit and the beverage selection unit in the fixed quantity supply mode , and furthermore, when a language other than Japanese is selected in the language selection operation unit, the display returns to Japanese after a predetermined time has elapsed . The beverage supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the fixed-volume supply mode, when one of the beverage selection unit and the supply amount adjustment operation unit is operated and the other is operated, the control unit supplies a predetermined amount of the selected beverage to the cup.

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