PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem, related to a raw material sold-out device in a beverage vending machine which produces and sells coffee and the like, that the sold-out detection accuracy is reduced by erroneous sales caused by detecting only the presence/ absence of a raw material in a container, although in the state of an uneven raw material accumulation, or by deposition of the raw material onto a surface adhering to a sold-out sensor, caused by humidity or the like, in the raw material container which is frequently attached/ detached.;SOLUTION: The device comprises a raw material flow detection means 33 for detecting the flow state due to delivery of a raw material into a row material container 21, and a sold-out detection means 38 for detecting the presence/absence of the raw material by an action of the raw material flow detection means 33, which is provided outside the raw material container. Thus, it is made possible to indirectly detect the behavior of the raw material itself and stably detect the sold-out irrespective of the state of the raw material accumulated and the deposition of the raw material in the container.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI
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