COMMUNICATION-BASED MULTI-PROCESS MAKING METHOD FOR MADE-ON-SITE FOOD, APPLICATION THEREFOR AND SYSTEM THEREOF

Abstract

An automatic coffee machine includes a coffee machine system and a control module. The coffee machine system includes a coffee machine, a robotic arm, a capping device, a fresh milk adding device and an ice making device, and steps performed by at least one of these devices to make the types of coffee drinks. The making of each of the types of coffee drinks includes a group of at least one of the plurality of steps. When the control module receives an input to make one of the types of coffee drinks, the control module selects a group of the steps, selects the control protocols corresponding respectively to the steps of the group, and transmits the selected control protocols to the coffee machine, robotic arm, capping device, fresh milk adding device and ice making device to perform the group of steps.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the technical field of multi-process process of the food, in particular, to a communication-based multi-process making method for made-on-site food and an application therefor and a system thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With people's pursuit of material level, people's pursuit of spiritual level is getting higher and higher, which can be reflected in the beverage field, such as coffee making. People are pursuing more and more types of coffee drinks, such as iced coffee, hot coffee, etc.; compared with brewed coffee, people prefer made-on-site coffee, which is not only delicious but also has many flavors.

Compared with brewed coffee, made-on-site coffee takes longer time. If custom-flavored coffee is made, such as iced coffee, iced coffee with whipped cream, it takes longer due to the complicated process. Although the existing fully-automatic coffee machine is operated without manual operation, the process of making coffee still requires manual or robotic arms to continuously operate the control buttons or constantly touch the touch screen to send commands to the fully-automatic coffee machine. Taking iced coffee as an example, the manual or robotic arm touches the pickup button to control the pickup device to pick up the coffee, move it to the station of the coffee machine, and place the coffee; then, manual operation is performed or the robotic arm is operated to touch the coffee machine switch to realize freshly ground coffee; and then, manual operation is performed or the robotic arm is operated to touch the pick up button to pick up the coffee cup containing freshly ground coffee by controlling the pick up device, and move it to the station where the ice is dropped; and then, manual operation is performed or the robotic arm is operated to touch the switch of dropping the ice so that the ice dropping device adds ice to the coffee; and then, manual operation is performed or the robotic arm is operated to touch the pick up button to control the pickup device to pick up the coffee cup filled with ice for moving to the capping station; and then, manual operation is performed or the robotic arm is operated to touch the switch of the capping device to make the capping device cover the iced coffee; finally, manual operation is performed or the robotic arm is operated to touch the pick up button to control the pickup device to pick up the made iced coffee for moving to the discharge mean.

It can be seen from the making process of iced coffee that each processing action needs to be manually touched by the robotic arm to control the corresponding device, and it takes a certain time interval from the completion of the current process to the opening of the next process. If more processes are needed to make coffee, the cumulative time between these processes will be longer; in other words, regardless of whether it is manual coffee production or semi-automatic or fully automatic coffee production, the time required to make a cup of coffee is correspondingly longer due to the delay between the front and rear process switching. Therefore, how to shorten the cycle time of made-on-site coffee is a problem worthy of study.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In order to increase the cycle time of made-on-site coffee, make the processing process of fresh coffee conform to the fast pace of modern life, and reduce the waiting time for buying the made-on-site coffee, the present application provides a communication-based multi-process making method for made-on-site food and an application therefor and a system thereof.

According to a first aspect, in an embodiment, a communication-based multi-process making method for made-on-site food is provided, including steps of:

• • defining control command protocols for various food processing devices involved in a food making process respectively.
  • combining the control command protocols of various food processing devices according to a food flavor to form a list of control command protocol combinations corresponding to processing processes of different food flavors;
  • calling the corresponding list of control command protocol combinations according to acquired food flavor making commands, and sending various control command protocol in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes, so that the food processing devices execute corresponding food processing actions according to the received control command protocols.

In an embodiment, after the forming a list of control command protocol combinations corresponding to processing processes of different food flavors, the method further includes: recombining various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations according to the synchronization of the executed actions, and synchronously sending the recombined control command protocols to the corresponding food processing devices when sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes, so that the corresponding food processing devices work synchronously.

In an embodiment, the sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes specifically includes:

• • setting a corresponding execution time for the executed actions associated with various control command protocols;
  • timing a running time of a current process, and sending the control command protocol corresponding to a next process to the corresponding food processing device when a timed duration reaches the corresponding execution time.

In an embodiment, the sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes specifically includes:

• • setting a corresponding execution time for the executed actions associated with various control command protocols;
  • feeding back a signal by a current food processing device when an execution of the current food processing device ends, and sending the control command protocol corresponding to the next process to the corresponding food processing device according to the signal.

In an embodiment, the sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes specifically includes:

• • setting a corresponding execution time for the executed actions associated with various control command protocols;
  • combining an open-loop control and a closed-loop control for open-loop switching of one part of front-end and back-end processes of the food processing and for closed-loop switching of the other part of front-end and back-end processes of the food processing, wherein the open-loop switching of the front-end and back-end processes comprises: timing the running time of the current process, and sending the control command protocol corresponding to the next process to the corresponding food processing device when a timed duration reaches the corresponding execution time; the closed-loop switching of the front-end and back-end processes comprises: feeding back a signal by the current food processing device when the execution of the current food processing device ends, and sending the control command protocol corresponding to the next process to the corresponding food processing device according to the signal.

In an embodiment, the method further includes: defining a status command protocol and a confirmation command protocol for various food processing devices so that status information of the food processing device may be acquired through the status command protocol, and starting to execute the corresponding food processing actions by feeding back the confirmation command protocol when the food processing device receives the control command protocol.

According to a second aspect, in an embodiment, an application of the above multi-process making method for made-on-site food in coffee making is provided, including steps of:

• • defining control command protocols for various processing devices involved in a made-on-site coffee making process respectively, wherein the processing device comprises, but is not limited to, a robotic arm, a capping machine, a fresh milk adding mean and an ice making mean;
  • combining the control command protocols of various processing devices according to a type of coffee drink and the processing process to form a list of control command protocol combinations corresponding to the processing processes of different types of coffee drinks;
  • calling the corresponding list of control command protocol combinations according to the acquired type of coffee drink and making commands, and sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding processing device according to the processing process, so that the processing devices execute corresponding coffee processing actions according to the received control command protocols.

In an embodiment, after the forming a list of control command protocol combinations corresponding to processing processes of different types of coffee drinks, the method further includes: recombining various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations according to the synchronization of the executed actions, and synchronously sending the recombined control command protocols to the corresponding processing devices when sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding processing devices according to the processing processes, so that the corresponding processing devices work synchronously.

According to a third aspect, in an embodiment, a communication-based multi-process making system for made-on-site food is provided, including:

• • a master computer for human-computer interaction, configured to acquire the food flavor and the making commands of the processing process;
  • a control module, in signal connection with various food processing devices involved in the food making process, configured to send commands to the corresponding food processing devices according to the food flavor and the making commands of the processing process issued by the master computer:
  • wherein specifically, the control module is stored with several lists of control command protocol combinations formed by combining the control command protocols of various food processing devices according to the different food flavors; the control module calls the corresponding list of control command protocol combinations according to the acquired food flavor and the making commands, and sends various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing process, so that the food processing devices execute corresponding food processing actions according to the received control command protocols.

In an embodiment, various food processing devices are stored with a status command protocol, and various food processing devices feed back current status information to the control module through the status command protocol.

According to the multi-process making method for food in the above embodiments, since the control commands of various food processing devices are sent by communication without sending the control commands by touching corresponding buttons through the external robotic arms or manual operations and the corresponding control command protocols are acquired in real time through communication according to the food processing processes to realize the seamless connection of the front-end and back-end processing processes, the food processing cycle is significantly shortened as compared with the existing food processing processes that requires touching one by one. Further, the corresponding control command protocols may be sent to some food processing devices to make the corresponding food processing devices work synchronously according to the synchronization of some processes, so that the food processing cycle is further shortened as compared with the sequential operations of the existing food processing processes while further shortening the waiting time for buying the made-on-site food and solving the problem of long waiting time for buying the made-on-site food.

DESCRIPTIONS OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a multi-process making method of food;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of made-on-site coffee making; and

FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an ice outputting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be further explained in detail in combination with the drawings and specific implementation below.

In the embodiment of the present invention, by formulating protocols for the control commands of various food processing devices involved in the multi-process making of food, the formulated control command protocols are sent to various food processing devices by communication, so that the existing processing processes where the operations are performed manually or by robotic arms are replaced, thereby realizing seamless connection of front-end and back-end processes and shortening the processing cycle of the food.

Embodiment One

The present embodiment provides a communication-based multi-process making method for made-on-site food with a flow chart as shown in FIG. 1, which specifically includes the following steps.

S1: control command protocols for various food processing devices involved in a food making process are defined respectively.

S2: the control command protocols of various food processing devices are combined according to a food flavor to form a list of control command protocol combinations corresponding to processing processes of different food flavors.

Since different food flavors require different processing processes, e.g., heating processes required in some food making processes and refrigeration processes required in some other food making processes, the control command protocols of the corresponding food processing devices are combined respectively for the processing processes of different food flavors in the present embodiment to form different lists of control command protocol combinations corresponding to different food flavors.

S3: the corresponding list of control command protocol combinations is called according to acquired food flavor making commands, and various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations are sent to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes, so that the food processing devices execute corresponding food processing actions according to the received control command protocols.

Through the above steps S1-S3, the control commands of various food processing devices in the food making process may be sent by communication, the seamless connection of various processing processes may be realized by sending the control commands to various food processing devices by way of communication to shorten the food processing cycle as compared with the existing food making where various processes are activated manually or by robotic arms.

Since some food processing devices may work synchronously in the food making process, in the step S2 of forming a list of control command protocol combinations, the following operations are further performed: after the forming a list of control command protocol combinations corresponding to processing processes of different food flavors, various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations are recombined according to the synchronization of the executed actions; and in the step S3, the recombined control command protocols synchronously are sent to the corresponding food processing devices when sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes, so that the corresponding food processing devices work synchronously.

In other words, by synchronously sending the recombined control command protocols to various food processing devices, the corresponding processing processes may be performed synchronously to break the existing barriers of working in fixed time sequence in multi-process food making, so that the food processing cycle is even shorter and further the waiting time for buying the made-on-site food is shortened, so as to the problem of long waiting time for buying the made-on-site food.

In the step S3, the sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes may be performed by the following three methods.

In a first method, a corresponding execution time is set for the executed actions associated with various control command protocols; a running time of a current process is timed, and the control command protocol corresponding to a next process is sent to the corresponding food processing device when a timed duration reaches the corresponding execution time; the method of sending control command protocols is an open-loop sending mode, so that various processes involved in the food processing process is in open-loop switching.

In a second method, a corresponding execution time is set for the executed actions associated with various control command protocols; a signal is fed back by a current food processing device when an execution of the current food processing device ends, and the control command protocol corresponding to the next process is sent to the corresponding food processing device according to the signal; the method of sending the control command protocols is a closed-loop sending method, so that various processes involved in the food processing process is in closed-loop switching.

In a third method, a corresponding execution time is set for the executed actions associated with various control command protocols; an open-loop control and a closed-loop control are combined for open-loop switching of one part of front-end and back-end processes of the food processing and for closed-loop switching of the other part of front-end and back-end processes of the food processing, wherein the open-loop switching of the front-end and back-end processes includes the following methods: the running time of the current process is timed, and the control command protocol corresponding to the next process is sent to the corresponding food processing device when a timed duration reaches the corresponding execution time; the closed-loop switching of the front-end and back-end processes includes the following methods: a signal is fed back by the current food processing device when the execution of the current food processing device ends, and the control command protocol corresponding to the next process is sent to the corresponding food processing device according to the signal. In this way, the various processes involved in the food processing process may be switched through the combination of the open-loop and closed-loop according to the specific application; for example, certain front-end and back-end processes are switched through open-loop, and certain front-end and back-end processes are switched through closed-loop, so that this mixed switching may be suitable for complex control of food processing.

The above three methods of sending the control command protocols are specifically selected according to actual applications, and the present embodiment does not make specific restrictions.

Further, in the step S1, in addition to defining the control command protocols, the step further includes: a status command protocol and a confirmation command protocol are defined respectively for various food processing devices involved in the food making process so that status information of the food processing device may be acquired through the status command protocol, and the corresponding food processing actions are begun to be executed by feeding back the confirmation command protocol when the various food processing devices receive the control command protocols.

Under the basic concept of the present invention, other command protocols of various food processing devices may be further be defined, and then theses command protocols are sent by communication without sending by manual operations or robotic arms, so as to realize the seamless connection of front-end and back-end processes in the multi-process making process of food. Moreover, according to the synchronization of some processes, the corresponding control command protocols may be sent to some food processing devices synchronously to make the corresponding food processing devices work synchronously, so that, as compared with the existing food processing processes that the operations are performed sequentially, the food processing cycle is even shorter and further the waiting time for buying the made-on-site food is shortened, so as to the problem of long waiting time for buying the made-on-site food.

Embodiment Two

Based on Embodiment one, the present embodiment provides an application of the multi-process making method for made-on-site food of Embodiment one in coffee making is provided, which specifically includes the following steps.

S100: control command protocols for various processing devices involved in a coffee making process are defined respectively.

Since the processes involved in the specific making of the coffee are complex, there are many types of corresponding processing devices; for example, the processing device includes, but is not limited to, robotic arms, latte machines, capping machines, fresh milk adding devices, ice making devices, sugar drop devices, coffee machines, air conditioners, cup drop machines, refrigerated cabinets, etc., so as to realize the functions of the corresponding processing device.

In addition to defining the control command protocols, the embodiment further includes: a status command protocol and a confirmation command protocol are defined respectively for various processing devices involved in the coffee making process so that status information of the processing device may be acquired through the status command protocol, and the corresponding food processing actions are begun to be executed by feeding back the confirmation command protocol when the various processing devices receive the control command protocols.

In the present embodiment, the formats of the control command protocols are shown in the table below:

Command		Hexadecimal		Hexadecimal		Hexadecimal		Hexadecimal
Word	Spacer	Parameters	Spacer	Parameters	Spacer	Parameters	Spacer	Subparameters	Spacer
AAAA	,	B	.	C	.	D	.	E	;

In the present embodiment, the formats of the status command protocols are shown in the table below:

Command		Hexadecimal		Status		Hexadecimal		Status
Word	Spacer	Parameters	Spacer	String	Spacer	Parameters	Spacer	String	Spacer
HHHH	,	I	.	G	.	K	.	L	;

In the present embodiment, the formats of the confirmation command protocols are shown in the table below:

Command		Hexadecimal		Status		Hexadecimal		Status
Word	Spacer	Parameters	Spacer	String	Spacer	Parameters	Spacer	String	Spacer
HHHH	,	I	.	G	.	K	.	L	;

In the present embodiment, taking making a cup of iced coffee with fresh milk as an example, the list of control commands of the corresponding processing device is as follows:

				Processing
Type	Command Word	Parameter	Subparameter	Device	Remarks
Control	ROBOT_CTRL	1.		Robotic Arm	Motion Trajectory 1
Command
Control	ROBOT_CTRL	2.		Robotic Arm	Pick Up Cup, Motion
Command					Trajectory 2
Control	ROBOT_CTRL	3.		Robotic Arm	Motion Trajectory 3
Command
Control	ROBOT_CTRL	4.		Robotic Arm	Motion Trajectory 4
Command
Control	ROBOT_CTRL	5.		Robotic Arm	Motion Trajectory 5
Command
Control	ROBOT_CTRL	6.		Robotic Arm	Motion Trajectory 6,
Command					Release Cup
Control	DROPCUP_CTRL	1.		Cup Dropping	Cup Dropping
Command				Machine
Control	COFFEE_CTRL	1.	1.	Coffee Machine	Mocha
Command
Control	COFFEE_CTRL	1.	2.	Coffee Machine	Cappuccino
Command
Control	COFFEE_CTRL	1.	3.	Coffee Machine	American
Command					Coffee
Control	COFFEE_CTRL	1.	4.	Coffee Machine	Chocolate
Command
Control	COFFEE_CTRL	1.	5.	Coffee Machine	Milk
Command
Control	COFFEE_CTRL	1.	X	Coffee Machine	To be expanded
Command
Control	MILK_CTRL	1.	1.	Fresh Milk	Pumping
Command				Pump
Control	MILK_CTRL	1.	2.	Fresh Milk	Stop Pumping
Command				Pump
Control	MILK_CTRL	1.	3.	Refrigeration	Switch
Command				Temperature
Control	MILK_CTRL	2.	1.	Fresh Milk	On
Command				Valve
Control	MILK_CTRL	2.	2.	Fresh Milk	Off
Command				Valve
Control	SUGAR_CTRL	1.	1.	Sugar Dropping	Switch
Command
Control	ICE_CTRL	1.	1.	Ice Dropping	Switch
Command
Control	HVAC_CTRL	1.	1.	Air conditioner	Switch
Command
Control	COVERCUP_CTRL	1.	1.	Capping	Switch
Command

Examples of corresponding list of status commands are as below:

	Command	Param-	Subpa-
Type	Word	eter	rameter	Sender	Receiver	Remarks
Status	MILK—	1.	1.	Refrig-	Control	Temperature
Command	STATUS			erator	module
Status	MILK—	1.	2.	Refrig-	Control	Humility
Command	STATUS			erator	module
Status	BEAN—	1.	1.	Coffee	Control	Bean Warehouse
Command	STATUS			Machine	module	Remaining Quantity
Status	POWDER—	1.	1.	Coffee	Control	Powder Remaining
Command	STATUS			Machine	module	Quantity
Status	TOPPINGS—	1.	1.	Sugar	Control	Toppings Remaining
Command	STATUS			Dropper	module	Quantity
Status	WATER—	1.	1.	Bucket	Control	Water Remaining
Command	STATUS				module	Content
Status	CABINET—	1.	1.	Sensor	Control	Room Temperature
Command	STATUS				module	Cabinet Temperature
Status	CABINET—	1.	2.	Sensor	Control	Room Temperature
Command	STATUS				module	Cabinet Humility

Examples of corresponding list of confirmation commands are as below:

	Command	Param-	Subpa-			Re-
Type	Word	eter	rameter	Sender	Receiver	marks
Confir-	SUCC	0.		Any	Any
mation				Sender	Receiver
Command	FAIL	0.		Any	Any
				Sender	Receiver

S200: the control command protocols of various processing devices are combined according to a type of coffee drink and the processing process to form a list of control command protocol combinations corresponding to the processing processes of different types of coffee drinks.

From the examples of list of control commands of the corresponding processing device, it can be known that the control command parameters of each processing device are different; therefore, the control commands of the corresponding processing device are combined into the list of control command protocol combinations according to different types of coffee drinks.

S300: the corresponding list of control command protocol combinations is called according to the acquired type of coffee drink and making commands of the processing process, and various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations are sent to the corresponding processing device according to the processing process, so that the processing devices execute corresponding coffee processing actions according to the received control command protocols.

Since some processing devices may work synchronously in the coffee making process, in the step S200 of forming a list of control command protocol combinations, the following operations are further performed: after the forming a list of control command protocol combinations corresponding to processing processes of different types of coffee drinks, various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations are recombined according to the synchronization of the executed actions; and in the step S300, the recombined control command protocols synchronously are sent to the corresponding processing devices when sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding processing devices according to the processing processes, so that the corresponding processing devices work synchronously.

It is to be noted that the control command protocols of the processing devices in the present embodiment are sent by the control module through communication; the command protocol communication bus in the present embodiment is RS485 by default, which uses a three-wire system: Tx, Rx, GND, and the default baud rate is 115200 bps. The communication bus of the control module and each processing device may be replaced with CAN or Ethernet.

Taking examples of list of control commands of the corresponding processing device as an example, the refrigerators and air conditioner has the startup process of:

• • 1) sending the command MILK_CTRL, 1.3 to the refrigerator and sending the command HVAC_CTRL, 1.1 to the air conditioner, by the control module, after the entire machine is started;
  • 2) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the refrigerator, to start the temperature control process of the refrigerator;
  • 3) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the air conditioner, to start the temperature control and humility control processes of regular areas.

Taking examples of list of control commands of the corresponding processing device as an example, making a cup of iced coffee with fresh milk has the communication process of:

• • 1) receiving making commands from the master machine, by the control module, to sent the command ROBOT_CTRL, 1 to the robotic arm;
  • 2) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the robotic arm, to perform movement according to the motion trajectory 1;
  • 3) sending the command DROPCUP_CTRL, 1 to the cup dropper, by the control module, after the beat of the robotic arm is completed;
  • 4) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the cup dropper, to drop the cup;
  • 5) sending the command ROBOT_CTRL, 2 to the robotic arm, by the control module, after the beat of the cup dropper is completed;
  • 6) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the robotic arm, to pick up the cup and perform movement according to the motion trajectory 2;
  • 7) sending, by the control module, the command COFFEE_CTRL, 1.1 to the coffee machine, the command MILK_CTRL, 1.1 to the fresh milk pump, and the command MILK_CTRL, 2.1 to the fresh milk valve, after the beat of the robotic arm is completed
  • 8) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the coffee machine, to make Mocha;
  • 9) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the fresh milk pumping mean, to open the valve and pump the fresh milk;
  • 10) sending, by the control module, the command MILK_CTRL, 1.2 to the fresh milk pump, the command MILK_CTRL, 2.2 to the fresh milk valve, and the command ROBOT_CTRL, 3 to the robotic arm, after the beats of the milk and the milk are completed
  • 11) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the fresh milk pumping mean, to stop pumping the fresh milk and close the valve;
  • 12) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the robotic arm, to perform movement according to the motion trajectory 3;
  • 13) sending the command SUGAR_CTRL, 1.1, to the sugar dropper, by the control module, after the beat of the robotic arm is completed;
  • 14) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the sugar dropper, to drop the sugar;
  • 15) sending the command ROBOT_CTRL, 4 to the robotic arm, by the control module, after the beat of the sugar dropper is completed;
  • 16) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the robotic arm, to perform movement according to the motion trajectory 4;
  • 17) sending the command ICE_CTRL, 1.1 to the ice making machine, by the control module, after the beat of the robotic arm is completed;
  • 18) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the ice making machine, to make the ice;
  • 19) sending the command ROBOT_CTRL, 5 to the robotic arm, by the control module, after the beat of the ice making machine is completed;
  • 20) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the robotic arm, to perform movement according to the motion trajectory 5;
  • 21) sending the command COVERCUP_CTRL, 1.1 to the capping machine, by the control module, after the beat of the robotic arm is completed;
  • 22) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the capping machine, to cap the cup;
  • 23) sending the command ROBOT_CTRL, 6 to the robotic arm, by the control module, after the beat of the capping machine is completed;
  • 24) sending SUCC, 0 back, by the robotic arm, to perform movement and release the cup.

After the above steps, the iced Mocha drink is made. In addition to iced Mocha drinks, special craft drinks may also be made, such as latte drinks. The basic principle diagram of the communication control command of the latte drink is shown in FIG. 2, wherein the specific steps may refer to those for the iced Mocha drink, which will not be repeated here.

From the above steps, it can be known that the control commands of various processing processes are sent by the control module to various processing devices in a communication way to realize the seamless connection of the front-end and back-end processes, and synchronous processing devices may work synchronously, so that the cycle time of making iced Mocha drinks is shortened. Compared with the existing coffee processing processes that the operations are performed sequentially, the coffee making cycle is even shorter and further the waiting time for buying the made-on-site coffee is shortened, so as to the problem of long waiting time for buying the made-on-site coffee.

In the present embodiment, the ice making machine used in the above processes includes an ice making device, a disinfection agency, and an ice discharging device.

The ice making device includes an ice making chamber, a water inlet mechanism, a water tank, and an ice bucket, wherein the water inlet mechanism is communicated with the water tank, the water tank is communicated with the ice making chamber through a pipe to deliver a pure water to the water tank through the water inlet mechanism, and the water in the water tank enters the ice making device to obtain ice cubes and transport them to the ice bucket; the ice discharging device is communicated with the ice bucket, and the ice cubes in the ice bucket are output through the ice discharging device.

The disinfection mechanism includes an ozone mechanism, an alcohol spray mechanism and a disinfection water delivery mechanism, wherein the ozone mechanism includes an ozone generator and an ozone pipe, and the ozone pipe includes an ozone pipe inlet and an ozone pipe outlet; the ozone pipe inlet is connected to the ozone generator, and the ozone pipe outlet is connected to the ice making device; the ozone generator generates ozone and transports the ozone to the ice making device and the ice discharging device through the ozone pipe to eliminate microorganisms that may breed. The alcohol spray mechanism includes a spray container and a spray pipe, wherein an alcohol used for disinfection is stored in the spray container, and the spray pipe includes a spray pipe inlet and a spray pipe outlet; the spray pipe inlet is connected with the spray mechanism, and the spray pipe outlet is connected with the ice making device and the ice discharging device; the alcohol is sprayed into the ice making device and the ice discharging device through the spray mechanism to eliminate the microorganisms that may breed. The disinfection water delivery mechanism includes a disinfection box, a disinfection pipe, wherein the disinfection box is communicated with the ice making device and the ice discharging device through the disinfection pipe for spraying disinfection water into the ice making device and the ice discharging device for disinfection.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ice discharging device includes an ice discharging pipe and an ice cutting device, the ice discharging pipe is communicated with the ice bucket, and the ice discharging pipe 1 is provided with an ice cutting position 2; the ice discharging pipe 1 is provided with a regulating door 3 that may move along a length direction of the ice discharging pipe 1; the ice cutting device is set at the ice cutting position 2, and the ice cutting device may move along a cross section of the ice discharging pipe 1 to cut the ice in the ice discharging pipe 1; when a certain volume of ice is required, the regulating door 3 moves along a length of the ice discharging pipe 1 until the ice output volume between the ice cutting position 2 and the regulating door 3 is equal to a required ice output volume; the ice making machine outputs the ice cubes into the ice discharging pipe 1, and the ice cutting device cuts and intercepts the ice cubes at the ice cutting position 2; the regulating door is opened, and the ice cubes located between the ice cutting position and the regulating door are output to an external container. In the utility model, through the provision of the ice discharging pipe 1 and the regulating door 3, the ice discharging volume is determined by a pipe diameter and a length of the ice discharging pipe. In the utility model, the pipe diameter of the ice discharging pipe must be fixed, and, the length of the ice discharging pipe between the ice cutting position by moving the regulating door 3 and the regulating door is adjusted to realize the adjustment of the ice output. Each time the ice making device outputs ice to fill the ice discharging pipe 1, and then the ice cube at the ice cutting position is cut by the ice cutting device; then, the regulating door is opened to output the ice cubes between the ice cutting position and the regulating door to obtain a quantitative volume of ice cubes; the excess ice in the ice discharging pipe is intercepted by the ice cutting device and output to a waste water device. In the utility model, the adjustment and precise control of the ice output may be realized through the above technical solution.

Further, a scale mark may also be set on the ice discharging pipe between the ice cutting position and the regulating door, and a length of the ice discharging pipe between the ice cutting position and the regulating door is marked so that a distance of moving the regulating door may be adjusted according to the required ice volume.

Further, the ice discharging pipe 1 is arranged obliquely, and an installation height of one end of the ice discharging pipe 1 where the regulating door 3 is arranged is lower than an installation height of the other end, so that the ice preferentially slides down and fills the ice discharging pipe between the ice cutting position and the regulating door due to the action of gravity to ensure that the ice volume in this area is exactly equal to the required ice volume.

Further, the ice cutting device includes a slice 4 and a first driving device 5; the slice 4 is set at the ice cutting position 2 on the ice discharging pipe 1; a gap is opened at the ice cutting position on the ice discharging pipe 1; the first driving device drives the slice 4 to rotate around the ice discharging pipe 1, and the slice 4 rotates along the cross section of the ice discharging pipe and cuts the ice in the ice discharging pipe through the gap; after the ice cubes are cut, the slice remains in place to intercept the excess ice cubes until the regulating door 3 is opened, and the ice cubes between the ice cutting position 2 and the regulating door 3 fall down into a beverage container such as a cup, and then the slice 4 is moved away, so that the excess ice falls into the waste water device under the ice discharging pipe due to gravity.

Further, the ice discharging device also includes an ice pushing structure that may move along the length of the ice discharging pipe 1, and the ice pushing structure is configured to push the residual ice in the ice discharging pipe to the outside of the ice discharging pipe or to push the ice cubes to fill the gap between the ice cutting position and the ice discharging pipe. Specifically, the ice pushing structure is arranged on the end of the ice discharging pipe 1 opposite to the regulating door 3, and moving the ice pushing structure toward the regulating door 3 may push the ice cubes to move towards the regulating door.

The control between the ice making device, the disinfection mechanism and the ice discharging device and the control device are all implemented based on the control commands.

Embodiment Three

According to Embodiments one and two, the present embodiment provides a communication-based multi-process making system for made-on-site food is provided, which includes:

• • a master computer for human-computer interaction, configured to acquire the food flavor and the making commands of the processing process;
  • a control module, in signal connection with various food processing devices involved in the food making process, configured to send commands to the corresponding food processing devices according to the food flavor and the making commands of the processing process issued by the master computer:
  • wherein specifically, the control module is stored with several lists of control command protocol combinations formed by combining the control command protocols of various food processing devices according to the different food flavors and processing processes; the control module calls the corresponding list of control command protocol combinations according to the acquired food flavor and the making commands of the processing process, and sends various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing process, so that the food processing devices execute corresponding food processing actions according to the received control command protocols.

Further, the control module also recombines various control command protocols in the formed list of control command protocol combinations according to the synchronization of the executed actions, and synchronously sending the recombined control command protocols to the corresponding food processing devices when sending various control command protocols in the list of control command protocol combinations to the corresponding food processing devices according to the processing processes, so that the corresponding food processing devices work synchronously, i.e., realizing synchronous operations of different processes.

Further, various food processing devices are stored with a status command protocol, and various food processing devices feed back current status information to the control module through the status command protocol.

For the specific application of the multi-process making system for food in coffee making in the present embodiment, please refer to Embodiment two, which will not be repeated here. The multi-process making system for food provided by the present embodiment sends each command protocol to the food processing device by communication through the control module instead of sending manual or mechanical arm operation control commands, so as to realize the seamless connection of front-end and back-end processes in the multi-process making process of food. Moreover, according to the synchronization of some processes, the corresponding control command protocols may be sent to some food processing devices synchronously to make the corresponding food processing devices work synchronously, so that, as compared with the existing food processing processes that the operations are performed sequentially, the food processing cycle is even shorter and further the waiting time for buying the made-on-site food is shortened, so as to the problem of long waiting time for buying the made-on-site food.

The foregoing uses particular examples to explain the present invention and is only to help in understanding the present invention and are not limiting of the present invention. For those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs, according to the idea of the present invention, several simple deductions, modifications or substitutions can also be made.

Claims

1. An automatic coffee machine apparatus, comprising: a coffee machine system including a coffee machine, a robotic arm, a capping device, a fresh milk adding device and an ice making device, wherein the coffee machine system is designed to make different types of coffee drinks, wherein the coffee machine system includes a plurality of steps performed by at least one of the coffee machine, robotic arm, capping device, fresh milk adding device and ice making device to make the types of coffee drinks, and wherein the making of each of the types of coffee drinks includes a group of at least one of the plurality of steps; anda control module including a control protocol corresponding to each of the steps, wherein when the control module receives an input to make one of the types of coffee drinks, the control module selects a group of the steps that are used to make the one of the types of coffee drinks, selects the control protocols corresponding respectively to the steps of the group, and transmits the selected control protocols to the coffee machine, robotic arm, capping device, fresh milk adding device and ice making device to perform the group of steps to make the one of the types of coffee drinks.

2. The automatic coffee machine apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group of the one or more steps to make to the one of the types of coffee drinks includes the sequence of the steps to make the one of the types of coffee drinks, and wherein the control module transmits the selected control protocols in the same sequence of the steps to the coffee machine, robotic arm, capping device, fresh milk adding device and ice making device to make the one of the types of coffee drinks.

3. The automatic coffee machine apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the selected control protocols has a transmission time, and wherein the control module transmits each of the selected control protocols after the transmission time for the previous protocol has expired.

4. The automatic coffee machine apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the selected control protocols has a transmission time, and wherein the control module transmits each of the selected control protocols after receiving a signal indicating the transmission time for the previous protocol has been completed.