JPH02249095A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the safety and serviceability of a canned beverage by applying a mark to a can wall in order to discriminate the propriety of heating, and heating only the canned beverage which is discriminated to be heatable by means of a mark discriminating means. CONSTITUTION:A heating coil 12 to induction-heat the canned beverage is provided, the mark is applied to the can wall of the canned beverage in order to discriminate the propriety of heating, and a mark discriminating means 15 to discriminate the mark and a heating control means 16, which heats only the canned beverage that is discriminated to be heatable by the mark discriminating means 15, are provided. Thus since only the canned beverage, which is discriminated to be heatable by the mark discriminating means 15, is heated, dangers that the can surface may be turned or the can may blow up are eliminated, and the safety is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine that heats canned beverage products such as coffee (hereinafter referred to as canned beverages) by induction heating at the time of sale.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, as seen in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 53-41295, a vending machine has been devised that applies induction heating technology to heat canned beverages in a short time and sell them hot.

An example of a conventional vending machine will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 5 is a front view of a conventional vending machine, and Figure 6 is a front view of a conventional vending machine.
The figure shows a sectional view taken along line I-1' in FIG. Fifth
In the figures and FIG. 6, 1 is a vending machine main body, which houses a canned beverage 2 such as coffee, and this canned beverage 2.
The interior includes a well-known storage room 3 for supplying products one by one, a product storage device 4 for cold sales, and a product storage device 5 for hot sales.

Below the product storage device described above, there is a cold sales discharge means 6,
A discharge means 7 for hot sale is provided respectively. Reference numeral 8 denotes a door body that is opened when an operator who replaces the canned beverages 2 in the storage room 3 stores the canned beverages 2. On the front side, there is a cold sales switch 9 that operates the cold sales release means 6, and a hot sales release means 7. A warm vending switch 10 and a vending outlet 11 are formed, which are activated to open three pages.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a heating coil for inductively heating the canned beverage 2 to be sold hot, and is provided below the product storage device 5 for hot sale.

The operation of the vending machine configured as above will be explained.

First, when the cold vending switch 9 is pressed, the cold vending discharging means 6 is activated, and the refrigerated canned beverage 2 is discharged from the cold vending product storage device 4 to the vending outlet 11.

Next, when the hot sale switch 1o is pressed, the hot sale discharge means 7 is activated, and one refrigerated or heated canned beverage 2 is discharged from the hot sale product storage device 5 to the heating coil 12.
The canned beverage 2 is conveyed to the sales outlet 11 after supplying high-frequency power to the heating coil 12 and increasing the temperature of the canned beverage to the hot sales temperature by induction heating.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with such a configuration, heating a high viscosity beverage with poor convection may cause the surface of the can to burn, and heating a high pressure beverage such as a carbonated beverage may cause an explosion.

High viscosity beverages can be handled by lowering the heating output, but there is a problem in that the heating time becomes longer. This type of vending machine must keep the heating time as short as possible.

Therefore, high viscosity drinks and carbonated drinks are excluded from hot sales using induction heating. However, if the operator who replaces the products in the vending machine 1 mistakenly puts a high viscosity drink or carbonated drink into the product storage device 5 for hot sales, there is a problem that the can surface may burn or the can may explode as described above. It had

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a safe vending machine that will not accidentally heat up even if a high viscosity drink or a carbonated drink is mistakenly dispensed.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the vending machine of the present invention includes a heating coil for inductively heating canned beverages, and a canned beverage with a mark on the can wall to determine whether heating is possible. and a mark discriminating means for discriminating the mark, and a heating control means for heating only the five pages of canned beverages determined by the mark discriminating means to be heatable.

Effects The present invention has the above-described configuration, so that even if an operator who replaces products in a vending machine mistakenly puts a high viscosity drink or a carbonated drink into the product storage device for hot sales, the can that is determined to be heatable by the mark discriminating means. Since only the beverage is heated, it is possible to provide a safe vending machine without the risk of burning the surface of the can or causing the can to explode.

EMBODIMENT A vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a control block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the vending machine shown in FIG. 1. Note that detailed explanations of parts that are the same as those of the conventional example will be omitted.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 13 indicates a product outlet of the product storage device 4 for cold sale, and similarly, 14 indicates a product outlet of the product storage device 5 for hot sale. 15 is a mark discrimination means using a reflective optical sensor, which determines whether the canned beverage to be heated is a can of low-viscosity beverages such as coffee that can be heated as described on page 6, or a can of high-viscosity beverages such as soup that cannot be heated. In order to identify the can, marks in colors with poor light reflectivity are placed on the top and bottom lids of heated cans.When there is no reflected light, it is determined that the can is heated, and when there is reflected light, it is determined that it is a non-heated can. It is provided in the product storage device 5 for hot sale. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 16 denotes heating control means, to which inputs are connected a hot sale switch 10 and a mark discrimination means 15, and to outputs a hot sale discharge means 7, a heating coil 12, and a canister when heating is completed. A heating completion carrying out means 17 is connected to carry out the heating and carrying out to a sales outlet. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of marking M on the upper and lower lids of a canned beverage. (a)
(b) is an example applied to the edge of the lid, (b) is an example applied to the entire lid, (C
) and (d) are examples in which the coating is applied to a part of the lid.

The operation of the vending machine configured as described above will be explained with reference to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. First, the heating control means 16 inputs a mark discrimination signal indicating whether or not there is a mark M on the can to be released during the next heated sale stored in the product storage device 5 for hot sale from the mark size 7 page by grade (Step 1 ). Next, it is determined whether the warm sales switch 10 is turned on (step 2)
. If it is turned on, proceed to the next step, operate the hot sale discharge means 7, and introduce the canned beverage into the heating coil 12 (
Step 3). Next, the presence or absence of the mark M is determined based on the mark discrimination signal input in advance (step 4). If the mark M is present, it is determined that the can is suitable for heating, and induction heating is performed (step 5).
).

When the heating is completed, the heating completion/unloading means 17 (not shown) is activated to transport the canned beverage to the sales outlet, completing the heated sale (step 6). Further, in step 4, if there is no mark M, it is determined that the can is not suitable for heating, and the heating completion and carrying out means 17 (not shown) is activated to carry out the canned beverage to the sales outlet without heating it.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even if a non-heating can such as a high viscosity beverage or a carbonated beverage is mistakenly placed in the product storage device 5 for hot sale, the mark discriminating means 15 detects the canned beverage to be heated. By determining whether the mark M is present or not, it is possible to determine whether or not a can can be heated.Since only cans that can be heated are heated, it is possible to accidentally heat a can that cannot be heated and cause the surface of the can to deteriorate. It is possible to provide a safe vending machine without the risk of burning or exploding cans.

In addition to the effects of the invention, as is clear from the examples, the vending machine of the present invention includes a heating coil that induction heats refrigerated or heated canned beverages, and a mark on the can wall to determine whether heating is possible. The vending machine is equipped with a mark discriminating means for discriminating the marked canned beverages and the mark, and a heating control means for heating only the canned beverages determined by the mark discriminating means to be heatable. Even if an operator mistakenly inserts a non-heatable can of high viscosity beverage or carbonated beverage into the product storage device for hot sale, only canned beverages that the mark recognition means determines can be heated will be heated. There is no risk of burning the surface of the can or causing the can to explode if you accidentally heat a can that is not heated, so it is safe and extremely effective in practical use, as shown on page 9.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. Figure 4 is the operation flowchart of Figure 1, Figure 5 is a front view of a conventional vending machine, and Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of marking on the upper and lower lids of canned beverages in one embodiment. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line I-1' in FIG. 5; 2... Canned beverage, 12... Heating coil, 15... Mark discrimination means, 16... Heating control means. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano (1 person) Figure 1/Figure Otsu Figure 1

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A heating coil that inductively heats a canned beverage, a canned beverage with a mark on the can wall to determine whether heating is possible, a mark discriminating means for discriminating the mark, and a canned beverage that can be heated by the mark discriminating means. A vending machine characterized by being equipped with a heating control means that heats only the determined canned beverage. (2) The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the mark is applied to the upper and lower lids of canned beverages. (3) The automatic vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the mark is a color with poor light reflectance, and the mark discrimination means is a reflective optical sensor, and whether or not heating is possible is determined based on the presence or absence of reflected light. Machine.