JPH02148394A - Automatic vending machine for hot commodity - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the safety of the vending machine and, at the same time, to smoothly deliver a canned commodity to a heating device and eject the commodity to a commodity taking-out port by setting the commodity to a saddle type induction heating coil and ejecting the commodity to the commodity taking-out port by utilizing the upward and downward movement of a rotary type commodity receiver after the commodity rolling down a chuter is received in the receiver. CONSTITUTION:A canned commodity 5 rolling down a chuter 5 is received by a rotary type commodity receiver 9 and, when such state is detected by a sensor, the receiver 9 is turned upward and the commodity 5 is set to a saddle type induction heating coil 8. At the time when the commodity 5 is heated to a required temperature, the receiver 9 is turned downward and the commodity 5 is ejected to a commodity taking-out port. Since nobody can touch the commodity 5 while the commodity 5 is heated, when such constitution is used, the safety of hits vending machine to mischief, electric shocks, and burns can be improved and, at the same time, the commodity can be set to the heating device and ejected to the commodity taking-out port smoothly.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention heats products containing beverages such as coffee and tea in cans (hereinafter referred to as "canned products") in a machine to produce hot products. This article relates to hot product vending machines for sale.

[Conventional technology]

The above-mentioned hot product vending machine is equipped with a product heating device in the form of a cylindrical induction heating coil adjacent to the product outlet, and can be used to store canned products stored at room temperature or low temperature. It is already known that in the process of transporting the canned product from the storage section toward the product takeout port, the product is first introduced into an induction heating coil and heated to the selling temperature, and then the canned product is taken out from the induction heating coil and sent to the product takeout port. It is.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, the configuration in which the product heating device is disposed adjacent to the product take-out port as described above has a drawback such as an overload.

(1) Since the product heating device is installed near the product take-out port, it is easy to be tampered with by inserting your hand through the product take-out port, and there is a risk of burns or electric shock if your hands touch the product heating device when it is heated. There are still safety issues, such as:

(2) Since the product heating device is composed of a cylindrical induction heating coil, if the transfer posture of the canned product taken out from the product storage section is disturbed while it reaches the induction heating coil, the product will be heated inside the induction heating coil. Therefore, it is necessary to take special product attitude control measures on the product delivery path.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and is an automatic pound product system that improves safety against mischief, electric shock, burns, etc., and also enables smooth delivery and removal of canned products to and from a product heating device. The purpose is to provide vending machines.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above tI! In order to solve this problem, in the vending machine of the present invention, a cross section is fixedly installed at the upper part of the product drop passage between the product delivery chute and the product takeout port, with the open surface for receiving canned products facing toward the inside of the container. An arc-shaped saddle-shaped induction heating coil,
It is equipped with a rotating product holder combined with the induction heating coil and a rotating operation section for the product holder, and the product holder is normally held in a standby position protruding into the product dropping path, and When it receives the can product carried out from the storage section through the chute, it rotates upward to receive and set the can product in the induction heating coil, and after heating, it rotates downward to discharge the can product toward the product takeout port. shall be configured to operate.

[Effect]

In the above configuration, in the sales standby state, the product tray protrudes into the product drop path leading to the product takeout port. Therefore, the canned product discharged from the product storage section in response to a sales command is transferred to the product delivery chute and is received on the product tray while being dropped and carried out to the product takeout port. When this state is detected by a sensor or the like, the product receiving stand rotates upward while holding the can product by driving the rotating operation part, and the receiving point is placed inside the induction heating coil while holding the can product. do. Here, the induction heating coil is energized for a predetermined period of time to heat the canned product from the storage temperature (room temperature to refrigeration temperature) to the appropriate sales temperature (about 60° C.) as a hot product. After this heating operation is completed, the product holder is rotated downward, and the canned product received in the induction heating coil rolls out under its own weight, falls down the product drop path, and exits the product outlet. will be carried out.

In other words, while the induction heating coil is fixedly installed, the product can be transferred to the induction heating coil by rotating the product holder.
An operation to carry out the product to the product outlet is performed. Moreover, since the induction heating coil is a saddle-shaped coil having an arcuate cross section, canned products can be received, held, and ejected smoothly and reliably by operating a simple rotary product holder. In addition, the induction heating coil itself is fixedly installed at a distance above the product outlet, and the product holder itself also functions as a baffle against mischief. By attaching a partition wall or the like for protection, even if a hand is inserted through the product outlet, it cannot directly touch the induction heating coil, and there is no risk of tampering or electric shock or burns.

〔Example〕

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the entire hot product vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the product holder in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an illustration of the product holder including the rotating operation part. FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a cabinet of the vending machine, 2 is its front door, 3 is a product outlet opening in the front door 2, 4 is a serpentine product storage area consisting of multiple columns housed in the cabinet 1, and 5 6 is a canned product, and 6 is a product delivery chute installed below the product storage section 4. Note that the canned product 5 is stored in the machine at a low temperature, room temperature, or in a preheated state.

With this configuration, a product drop passage 7 defined inside the front door 2 between the front edge of the chute 6 and the product takeout port 3
At the top of the is an induction heating coil 8 for heating canned products. A rotary product holder 9 combined with the induction heating coil 8 is provided. Here, the induction heating coil 8 is a saddle-shaped coil having an arcuate cross section (a saddle-shaped induction heating coil has been proposed by the same applicant in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-170149), and has an open surface for receiving the canned product 5. It is fixedly installed facing the inside of the refrigerator. Note that 10 is a high frequency power source for the induction heating coil 8, and 11 is a protective partition that covers the lower surface of the induction heating coil 8 and partitions it from the product outlet 3. On the other hand, the rotatable product holder 9 is a plate with an arcuate cross section that rotates in the vertical direction around a rotary support shaft 9a juxtaposed to the open end edge of the induction heating coil 8. It is rotated by a drive motor 12 equipped with an electromagnetic brake as shown in FIG.

The product holder 9 is made of a non-magnetic material 1, such as plastic, so as not to inhibit induction heating of the can product 5.

Next, the heating and R-output operations of the canned product 5 with the above configuration will be explained. First, in the sales standby state, the product tray 9 is held at a standby position I shown by a solid line in FIG. 2 so as to protrude into the product drop path 7. In this state, motor 1
A magnetic brake works in 1 of 2 to restrain the product holder 9 in that position.

Here, when the canned commercial crystal 5 discharged from the product storage section 4 according to the sales command rolls on the chute 6 and falls from its front edge into the falling path 7, the canned product 5 is held at the standby position I. The product is received by the product receiving stand 9. This state is detected by a non-contact type product detection sensor (not shown), and based on this, a command from the control section drives the motor 12 to move the product holder 9 to a point in Figure 2 while holding the can product 5. The product is rotated upward toward the product heating position (■) indicated by the chain line.

As a result, the canned product 5 enters the induction heating coil from the open end and is received and set. In addition, a position detection switch 13 is provided at this product heating position (3), and when the product holder 9 reaches this position, the position detection switch 13 is activated, and based on the signal, the drive motor 13 is activated by a command from the control section.
At the same time, the induction heating coil 8 is supplied with electricity for a predetermined period of time under timer control to be energized, thereby heating the canned product 5 to the sales temperature. Note that the principle of induction heating is well known and will not be explained here.

When the heating operation of the canned product 5 described above is completed, the motor 12
release the electromagnetic brake. As a result, the product receiving stand 9 becomes free and rotates downward under its own weight toward the unloading position (2) indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. At the same time, the canned product 5 rolls out of the induction heating coil 8, falls down the product drop passage 7, and is carried out to the product outlet 3. On the other hand, after carrying out the goods, the motor 12 is again driven to rotate the goods receiving stand 9 upward from the goods carrying position (■) toward the standby position (I).
When the product holder 9 returns to the standby position (2), the position detection switch 14 is activated, and based on the signal, the drive motor 12 is stopped and an electromagnetic brake is applied to hold the product holder 9 in this position. This completes the series of sales operations,
The vending machine returns to the sales standby state again.

By the way, in the above-described sales standby state, the product tray 9 protrudes into the product dropping path 7 and blocks the path, and the lower surface of the main body of the induction heating coil 8 is covered by the partition wall 11 described above. Therefore, even if a hand is inserted from outside the machine through the product outlet 3 in this state, it is safe because the induction heating coil 8 cannot be directly touched or tampered with.

Similarly, even in the product heating state, the plastic product holder 9 covers the open end side of the induction heating coil 8.
The induction heating coil 8 cannot be directly touched, and there is no risk of electric shock or burns.

[Effects of the Invention] Since the hot product vending machine according to the present invention is configured as described above, it exhibits an advantageous effect.

(The induction heating coil 11 is fixedly installed above the product take-out port, and the product holder itself functions as a baffle plate, both in the sales standby state and when heating products to be carried out.) Even if you insert your hand, etc., you will not directly touch the induction heating coil or be tampered with, and there is no risk of getting burned or electrocuted by touching the heating coil.

(2) The induction heating coil is a saddle-shaped coil that receives canned products from the open end side, and by combining this with a rotating product holder, the induction heating coil can be left fixedly installed.
By rotating the product light stand in accordance with the sales operation of canned products, it is possible to smoothly and reliably receive and deliver the dispensed product to the induction heating coil and carry it out to the product takeout port with a simple mechanism. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a hot product vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the rotary product holder in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a product including the rotating operation part. In Figure 0, which is a side view of the stand, the lights are 1: vending machine cabinet, 3: product outlet, 4: product storage area, 5: can products,
6: Product delivery chute, 7! Product dropping path, 8: Induction heating coil, 9: Rotating product holder, 14: Drive motor with electromagnetic brake (rotating operation part), I: Product light is at standby position, ■: Product heating position, ■ :Product unloading position. Figure 1 Figure 12 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A product heating device will be installed along the product delivery route inside the aircraft.
In a hot product vending machine in which canned products discharged from the product storage section according to a sales command are guided to a product heating device to be heated and then transported to a product takeout port, the open surface for receiving the canned products is placed on the inside of the compartment. A saddle-shaped induction heating coil with an arc-shaped cross section is fixedly installed at the top of the product drop passage between the product delivery chute and the product takeout port, a rotating product holder combined with the induction heating coil, and the product. The product receiver is normally held in a standby position protruding into the product dropping path, and when it receives a can product carried out from the product storage section via the chute, the product is A hot product vending machine characterized by rotating upwards to receive and set canned products in an induction heating coil, and rotating downwards to discharge canned products toward a product outlet after heating.