JP2011167396A - Beverage making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a beverage making apparatus readily closing the lower side opening of a coffee bean canister, and facilitating maintenance work involving removal of the canister. <P>SOLUTION: The beverage making apparatus includes a mill 71 positioned below the coffee bean canister 70 storing coffee beans and removably mounted to a body, and milling the coffee beans dispensed from the dispensing port 80 of the canister. The mill 71 has a rotating shaft 76 inserted into the canister 70 from the center of the dispensing port 80. A lid member 84 for openably closing the dispensing port 80 keeps a first shutter 85 passing through the center of the lid member and a second shutter 86 for closing the dispensing port in such a manner as to pass through the dispensing port 80 on both sides of the shutter 85 while evading the rotating shaft 76, provided independently movably. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage production apparatus having a mill for grinding coffee beans, and more particularly to a coffee bean canister that contains coffee beans.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a beverage production apparatus for producing a coffee beverage includes a mill that pulverizes coffee beans to a predetermined particle size to produce ground beans and supplies the ground beans to an extractor. This mill has, for example, a pair of crushing blades formed in a disk shape and arranged to face each other, and the coffee beans stored in the coffee bean canister are ground between the rotating crushing blades and ground. Beans are formed and supplied to the extractor (for example, Patent Document 1).

  The coffee bean canister opens to the upper and lower surfaces, and the upper surface opening includes a lid that can be freely opened and closed so that coffee beans can be introduced from the upper surface opening, and the coffee beans can be introduced from the lower surface opening to the coffee beans passage entrance of the main body. It can be discharged. Thereby, coffee beans are supplied to the mill via the coffee bean passage.

JP 2008-17980 A

  Depending on the grain shape and contact state of the coffee beans, the coffee beans may come into close contact with each other in the coffee bean canister or in the coffee bean passage, resulting in bean clogging. In addition, the oil and fat from the coffee beans causes the coffee beans to stick together or adhere to and accumulate on the ground coffee bean passage, making the coffee beans bridge-like, hollowing out the coffee bean passage, etc. There is a state where a certain amount of coffee beans cannot be fed into the grinding blade.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the bridge, conventionally, the upper part of the rotating shaft of the motor that rotationally drives the grinding blade is made to enter the coffee bean canister, and the coffee bean feeding spring is provided on the upper part of the rotating shaft.

  On the other hand, when performing maintenance of the coffee bean canister, for example, when replacing coffee beans or cleaning the inside of the canister, the coffee bean can be stored in a state where the coffee beans are accommodated. At this time, since the lower surface of the coffee bean canister is formed to be open, if the coffee bean canister is removed from the main body as it is, many coffee beans will fall from the canister.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a lid that can be opened and closed at the lower surface opening of the coffee bean canister. However, for the reasons described above, the rotation shaft is configured to enter the coffee bean canister, so that it cannot be covered. There's a problem.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the conventional technical problems, and provides a beverage production apparatus that easily closes the lower surface opening of a coffee bean canister and facilitates maintenance work involving removal of the canister.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a coffee bean canister for extracting coffee liquid from coffee raw material powder, comprising a discharge port at the lower end, containing coffee beans and detachably attached to the main body, A mill that is provided in the main body and that is located below the coffee bean canister and grinds the coffee beans discharged from the discharge port, and a lid member that is attached to the coffee bean canister and closes the discharge port so as to be openable and closable. The mill has a motor, a grinding blade attached to the rotating shaft of the motor, and a coffee bean feeding spring attached to the upper portion of the rotating shaft, and the upper portion of the rotating shaft extends from the center of the discharge port to the coffee beans. The lid member is made up of first and second shutters that enter the canister and are independently movable in the horizontal direction. Data passes through the central portion of the discharge port, the second shutter is characterized in that for closing the outlet in the form of passing through the outlet at the opposite sides of the first shutter while avoiding a rotation axis.

  According to the present invention, in a beverage production apparatus for extracting coffee liquid from coffee raw material powder, a coffee bean canister provided with a discharge port at the lower end, containing coffee beans and detachably attached to the main body, and provided in the main body A mill that grinds coffee beans discharged from the discharge port located below the coffee bean canister, and a lid member that is attached to the coffee bean canister and closes the discharge port so that the discharge port can be opened and closed. A crushing blade attached to the rotating shaft of the motor and a coffee beans feeding spring attached to the upper portion of the rotating shaft, and the upper portion of the rotating shaft enters the coffee bean canister from the center of the discharge port. The lid member is composed of first and second shutters that are independently movable in the horizontal direction, and the first shutter is a central portion of the discharge port. The second shutter is closed until it hits the rotation shaft by closing the discharge port in such a way as to pass through the discharge ports on both sides of the first shutter while avoiding the rotation shaft. The two shutters are closed on both sides, the coffee bean canister is removed from the main body and lifted, and the first shutter is slid and closed at the stage where the rotating shaft is at the lower side of the lid member.

  Thus, even when the upper part of the rotating shaft enters and is installed in the coffee bean canister, the discharge port can be closed by the lid member without any trouble, and the coffee bean canister is maintained in the removed state. It becomes possible.

It is a perspective view of the beverage manufacturing apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view of the state which removed the front door and side panel of a drink manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2. It is a partial schematic block diagram of a drink manufacturing apparatus. It is a perspective view of a mill apparatus. It is a vertical side view of a mill apparatus. It is a top view explaining the opening-and-closing state of the lid member provided in a coffee bean canister. (Fully open) It is a top view explaining the opening-and-closing state of the lid member provided in a coffee bean canister. (Partially closed) It is a top view explaining the opening-and-closing state of the lid member provided in a coffee bean canister. (Second shutter fully closed, first shutter partially closed) It is a top view explaining the opening-and-closing state of the lid member provided in a coffee bean canister. (Fully closed) It is a perspective view of a coffee extractor. It is explanatory drawing about operation | movement of a coffee extractor. (Coffee raw material powder input position) It is explanatory drawing about operation | movement of a coffee extractor. (Up position) It is explanatory drawing about operation | movement of a coffee extractor. (Descent position) It is explanatory drawing about operation | movement of a coffee extractor. (Coffee coffee waste state) It is explanatory drawing about operation | movement of the coffee extractor as another example. (Standby position) It is a block diagram of the control apparatus of a drink manufacturing apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of a milk former. It is a side view of a milker and each component. It is a schematic block diagram of the milk former as another Example. It is a rear view of a door. It is a front view of a remote control.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage production apparatus 1 of the present invention, a perspective view of the beverage production apparatus 1 of FIG. 2 with a front door 4 and a side panel removed, FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2, and FIG. The partial schematic block diagram of the apparatus 1 is shown, respectively.

  The beverage production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment mixes and stirs an extraction nozzle 2 that discharges coffee liquid on the front surface, a milk nozzle 3 that discharges milk foam and hot milk, and a powder raw material such as cocoa powder serving as a beverage raw material and hot water. It is comprised by the main body 6 provided with the nozzle unit 5 and the hot water nozzle 29 which have the drink nozzle 4 which discharges the drink obtained by doing. Below these nozzle units 5 and the beverage nozzle 4, there is provided a cup support 7 on which a cup for receiving the extracted coffee liquid and other beverages is placed.

  A door 8 pivotably supported on one side is provided on the front surface of the main body 6 so as to be openable and closable. A plurality of beverage selection buttons 9... For selecting the type of beverage to be provided (discharged) in the apparatus 1 are provided on the front surface of the door 8. The details of the door 8 will be described later.

  The beverage production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a hot water tank 11, a hot water pump (gear pump) 12 attached in the vicinity of the bottom of the hot water tank 11, a coffee extractor 30, and a milk four to be described in detail later. A mer 60 is provided.

  In addition, in this embodiment, not only coffee beverages obtained by extracting coffee liquid from ground beans as will be described in detail later, but also beverages obtained by mixing and stirring powder materials and hot water as beverage materials are provided. Make it possible. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a powder raw material storage container 17 for storing the powder raw material is juxtaposed with coffee bean canisters 70 and 70, which will be described in detail later, on the upper portion of the main body 6. And the powdered drink production | generation part 18 which mixes and stirs the predetermined amount powder raw material discharged | emitted from this powder raw material storage container 17 and predetermined amount hot water, and produces | generates a drink is provided. In addition, in a present Example, the detail about the production | generation structure of the powdered drink produced | generated from the said powder raw material is abbreviate | omitted.

  The hot water tank 11 is a tank that can store several liters of drinking water, and a heater (not shown) that heats and holds the stored drinking water at, for example, + 97 ° C. is provided therein. Further, in the present embodiment, the hot water pump 12 provided near the bottom of the hot water tank 11 and in front of the lower portion of the hot water tank 11 is a pump that pressurizes and discharges hot water in the hot water tank 11. Connected to the outlet is a hot water supply pipe 16 in which a filter 13, a flow meter 14, and a hot water supply valve (solenoid valve) 15 are sequentially provided. The other end of the hot water supply pipe 16 is connected to the coffee extractor 30. It is connected to the hot water supply port 38 of the cylinder 33 that constitutes it. In the present embodiment, a connector 16 </ b> A is provided at the end of the hot water supply pipe 16 so that the hot water supply pipe 38 can be easily attached and detached.

  The hot water supply pipe 16 is connected to a drain pipe 19 that is located between the hot water supply valve 15 and the coffee extractor 30 and branches from the hot water supply pipe 16. The drain pipe 19 is provided with a drain valve (electromagnetic valve) 20 for controlling the discharge of the residual liquid in the coffee extractor 30 and a coffee liquid pipe 39 described later to the outside.

  2 and 3, reference numeral 21 denotes a cup receiving member that receives the residue used for the extraction of the coffee liquid and that can be pulled out forward while the door 8 is opened. 21 can be accommodated in a collar receiving member accommodating portion 22 formed in the lower part of the main body 6.

(1) Structure of Coffee Bean Canister and Mill Next, a mill device 72 for supplying ground beans as coffee raw material powder to the coffee extractor 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mill device 72, FIG. 6 is a longitudinal side view of the mill device 72, and FIGS. 7 to 10 are plan views illustrating the open / close state of the lid member 84 provided in the coffee bean canister 70. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional plan views crossing above the flange 82, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional plan views crossing above the lid member 84. FIG.

  On the upper part of the main body 6, a mill device 72 is disposed above the coffee extractor 30. The mill device 72 is located in the main body 6 and is disposed above the coffee extractor 30, and the lower portion 6 </ b> A formed above the mill 71 and at the front of the upper surface of the main body 6. It is comprised from the coffee bean canister 70 arrange | positioned above.

  The mill 71 has an upper surface opening 79 that opens upward, and a coffee bean passage 73 that guides coffee beans falling from the coffee bean canister 70 through the opening 79 is formed inside. At the upper edge of the opening 79, a flange 79 </ b> A that matches the outlet 80 of the canister 70 is formed. Under the coffee bean passage 73, a grinding blade 74 that grinds the supplied coffee beans into ground beans is disposed. The crushing blade 74 includes a fixed blade 74A and a rotary blade 74B fixed in the mill 71 so as to face the fixed blade 74A.

  The rotary blade 74A is inserted into the coffee bean passage 73 and is rotatably provided by a rotary shaft 76 extending to the upper side of the mill 71. Thereby, the rotary blade 74A is configured to transmit the rotational force of the mill motor 76M via the rotary shaft 76. A coffee bean feeding spring 78 is spirally attached to the upper portion of the rotating shaft 76.

  Here, the upper portion of the rotating shaft 76 is configured to extend upward from the center of the discharge port 80 of the coffee bean canister 70 disposed above the mill 71 so as to enter the canister 70 by a predetermined size. Has been. As a result, the coffee bean feeding spring 78 rotates simultaneously with the operation of the mill 71, thereby suppressing the occurrence of bridging caused by the coffee beans housed in the canister 70 sticking to each other, and smooth coffee bean It is possible to discharge from the discharge port 80.

  A ground bean discharging section 77 for discharging ground beans crushed by the fixed blade 74A and the rotary blade 74B is provided on the side of the gap between the fixed blade 74A and the rotary blade 74B. Note that a chute 23 for guiding the ground beans to the subsequent coffee extractor 30 is provided at the outlet.

  The coffee bean canister 70 is configured by a container that opens upward, and the upper surface opening is closed by an upper lid 81 having a locking mechanism so as to be freely opened and closed. The canister 70 has a tapered shape as it goes downward, and a discharge port 80 for discharging coffee beans accommodated therein is formed at the lower end of the canister 70. The lower end of the discharge port 80 is detachably matched with a flange 79A formed in the upper surface opening 79 of the mill 71, and the canister 70 is detachably attached to the main body 6.

  A flange 82 extending outward is formed above the discharge port 80 and below the coffee bean canister 70. On both sides of the lower surface of the flange 82, hanging walls 82A, 82A extending in the front-rear direction are formed. The hanging walls 82A, 82A are covered with a steel plate lid having a substantially U-shaped cross section from below the flange 82. A member holding portion 83 is attached with the hanging wall 82A interposed therebetween.

  The lid member holding portion 83 is formed with shelf-like holding surfaces 83A and 83A in which the bottom front side is notched, and the lid member 84 is provided between the opposing holding surfaces 83A and 83A.

  The lid member 84 includes a first shutter 85 and a second shutter 86, and is positioned between the lower end of the discharge port 80 of the canister 70 and the upper end of the mill 71, and the front and rear of the lid member holding portion 83. The discharge port 80 is slidably attached in the direction so as to be opened and closed.

  The shutters 85 and 86 are provided in the lid member holding portion 83 so as to be independently movable in the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the first shutter 85 closes the central portion of the discharge port 80.

  The second shutter 86 closes the discharge ports 80 on both sides of the first shutter 85 while avoiding the rotating shaft 76 that passes through the central portion of the discharge port 80. In this embodiment, the first shutter 86 Both side portions of the shutter 85 and the edge portion on the side of the rotation shaft 76 of the second shutter 86 are partially overlapped.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 and the like, the first shutter 85 is positioned above the second shutter 86 and overlapped. Then, screws 88, 88 projecting upward at the front end portion of the second shutter 86 are slidable in the longitudinal hole 89 in the longitudinal direction of the first shutter 85 provided on the upper side. The

  The front end of the first shutter 85 is formed with a flange 85A in which only the central portion is bent downward, and the second shutter 86 is a flange in which the front end is bent downward over the entire width. 86A is formed. As a result, the shutters 85 and 86 are independently movable in the horizontal direction, and when both the shutters 85 and 86 are pulled forward, only the flange 86A of the shutter 86 located on the lower side is operated. Thus, the flange 85A of the shutter 85 that is in contact with the outer side is also pulled forward, and at the same time, both shutters 85 and 86 can be pulled forward.

  With the above configuration, when the coffee beans are removed from the main body 6 while the coffee beans are stored in the coffee bean canister 70, the discharge port 80 of the canister 70 is closed by the lid member 84. At this time, the upper part of the rotating shaft 76 of the mill 71 provided on the main body 6 side enters the canister 70 through the center of the discharge port 80.

  Therefore, first, the first and second shutters 85 and 86 constituting the lid member 84 are slid rearward (state shown in FIG. 8). At this time, the first shutter 85 that closes the central portion of the discharge port 80 abuts against the rotation shaft 76 that passes through the center of the discharge port 80. On the other hand, the second shutter 86 that closes the discharge ports 80 on both sides of the first shutter 85 does not hit the rotating shaft 76, and a screw 88 provided on the shutter 86 is formed on the first shutter 85. The discharge port 80 is closed by moving through the elongated hole 86 and passing through the discharge port 80 while avoiding the rotation shaft 76 as it is (state of FIG. 9).

  In this state, the coffee bean canister 70 is removed from the main body 6 (the flange 79A on the upper surface opening of the mill 71) and lifted, and the first shutter 85 is slid rearward at the stage where the rotary shaft 76 is located below the lid member 84. Thus, the discharge port 80 is fully closed (state shown in FIG. 10). In a state where the coffee bean canister 70 is lifted, a part of the outlet 80 is opened, but most of the outlet 80 is closed by the shutters 85 and 86 (state shown in FIG. 9). Therefore, coffee beans having a predetermined grain size are difficult to spill out.

  As described above, even when the upper part of the rotary shaft 76 enters and is attached to the coffee bean canister 70, the discharge port 80 can be closed by the lid member 84 without any trouble, and the coffee bean canister can be removed in the removed state. 70 maintenance work can be performed.

(2) Arrangement of Coffee Bean Canister and Hot Water Tank Next, the arrangement of the coffee bean canister 70 and the hot water tank 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 6 in this embodiment has an upper front portion as an upper lower portion 6A in which the coffee bean canisters 70 and 70 and the powder raw material storage container 17 are arranged side by side. The rear of 6A is a high-order part 6B that is higher than the low-order part.

  The hot water tank 11 as described above is disposed in the high level portion 6B corresponding to the rear portion of the main body 6, and the high level portion 6B formed between the rear end of the low level portion 6A and the front end of the high level portion 6B. The front surface is concealed by a partition wall 24. And the upper surface of this high rank part 6B is formed with the exhaust hole 25 for discharging | emitting waste heat corresponding to the upper direction of the hot water tank 11. FIG.

  And the coffee bean canisters 70 and 70 and the powder raw material storage container 17 are located on the low-order part 6A of the front part of the main body 6 located on the front side of the high-order part 6B. At this time, it arrange | positions so that the upper part of the hot water tank 11 may become the back side of the coffee bean canister 70 on both sides of the partition wall 24. FIG.

  Accordingly, the hot water tank 11 disposed in the main body 6 is positioned on the rear side with the partition wall 24 sandwiched between the coffee bean canister 70 and the partition wall 24 attached to the upper surface of the main body 6 (upper surface lower portion 6A). 70 and the hot water tank are in a front-rear positional relationship, so that the height of the entire apparatus can be reduced as compared with the case where the hot water tank is disposed below the coffee bean canister as in the prior art.

  Thereby, the attachment height position of coffee bean canister 70 itself can be made low, and the bean replenishment operation | work of a canister etc. can be made easy.

  Further, compared to the case where all the hot water tanks 11 are disposed in the main body 6 at a position lower than the attachment position of the coffee bean canister 70, the waste heat from the hot water tank 11 is less likely to be transmitted to the coffee bean canister 70. Inconveniences such as quality deterioration of the coffee beans stored in the canister 70 can be suppressed.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the hot water tank 11 and the coffee bean canister 70 are disposed with the partition wall 24 therebetween, so that the heat from the hot water tank 11 is not easily transmitted to the canister 70. In addition, it becomes possible to eliminate the inconvenience due to heat conduction by configuring the partition wall 24 with a partition member having heat insulation.

(3) Coffee Extractor Next, the configuration of the coffee extractor 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the coffee extractor 30, and FIGS. 12 to 15 are operation explanatory views of the coffee extractor 30. The coffee extractor 30 filters the coffee liquid extracted by passing the ground beans supplied from the mill device 72 through the chute 23 through hot water.

  The coffee extractor 30 includes a cylinder unit 31 that is movably provided by an elevating device 32 and a cap 35 that is provided above the cylinder unit 31. The cylinder unit 31 includes a cylinder 33 having an open upper surface, and a water-permeable piston 34 provided in the cylinder 33 so as to be movable up and down.

  The bottom surface of the cylinder 33 has a hot water supply port 38 to which the connector 16A of the hot water supply pipe 16 as described above is detachably connected. The hot water supply port 38 is formed in a communication groove formed on the upper surface of the bottom of the cylinder 33. It is formed in communication with 33A. An upper end portion 34A of the piston 34 is slidably provided in the cylinder 33 via the O-ring 40, and a lower end portion 34B of the piston 34 extends downward from the cylinder 33. To do. An O-ring 87 is interposed between the bottom of the cylinder 33 and the sliding surface of the piston 34.

  A groove 34C is formed so as to communicate from the upper surface to the lower surface of the upper end portion 34A, and a mesh filter 42 is provided on the upper surface of the upper end portion 34A. Thus, a groove 34 </ b> C of the piston 34 and a communication groove 33 </ b> A of the cylinder 33 are formed between the inside of the extraction chamber 41 formed in the cylinder 33 and the hot water supply port 38 formed at the bottom of the cylinder 33. A water flow route is formed.

  The cylinder unit 31 having such a configuration is detachably attached to the lifting device 32. The elevating device 32 includes an elevating unit 43 that detachably holds the cylinder unit 31, an elevating shaft 44 that elevates and lowers the elevating unit 43, and a motor 36 as a drive unit that rotationally drives the elevating shaft 44. The In this embodiment, the motor 36 is constituted by a DC motor. In the figure, reference numeral 37 denotes a pulley that transmits the driving force from the motor 36 to the lifting shaft 44. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the elevating shaft 44 has a lower end supported by the base 45 and an upper end supported by the upper holding member 46. A motor 36, a pulley 37, and a cap 35 are attached to the upper holding member 46.

  The elevating part 43 is formed with a holding hole 43A for holding the cylinder 33 of the cylinder unit 31, and an outward flange 33C formed in the upper surface opening 33B of the cylinder 33 is placed on the edge of the holding hole 43A. Held. Further, the cylinder 33 has a holding groove 33 </ b> D formed substantially horizontally on the outer peripheral surface at a position corresponding to the lower edge of the elevating part 43.

  As a result, the holding plate 47 formed with a not-shown notch that can be fitted into the holding groove 33 </ b> D of the cylinder 33 is inserted and engaged along the lower surface of the elevating part 43, and the screw (fixing member) 48 is engaged. Then, the holding plate 47 is attached to the elevating part 43. With this configuration, the cylinder unit 31 is detachably fixed to the elevating part 43 by detaching the holding plate 47 fixed by the screw 48.

  The cap 35 fixed to the upper holding member 46 is a columnar member provided above the cylinder unit 31. The cap 35 has at least a part, in this embodiment, a lower end portion having an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the cylinder 33, and can be inserted into and removed from the upper surface opening 33 </ b> B of the cylinder 33 via the O-ring 49. Is done.

  Thus, the coffee liquid extraction chamber 41 is formed in the space surrounded by the lower surface of the cap 35, the inner wall of the cylinder 33, and the upper surface of the piston 34 in a state where the cap 35 is fitted in the cylinder 33. .

  An extraction port 50 for coffee liquid extracted in the extraction chamber 41 is formed on the lower surface of the cap 35, and the extraction port 50 is connected to a mesh filter (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the cap 35. It is surrounded with Go. Further, the extraction port 50 is formed to communicate with an extraction path (not shown) formed through the cap 35 in the vertical direction, and the coffee liquid outlet 51 provided at the upper end of the extraction path The coffee liquid pipe 39 as described above is connected. An extraction valve (solenoid valve) 52 is interposed in the coffee liquid pipe 39, and the extraction nozzle 2 is connected to the end of the coffee liquid pipe 39.

  As a result, when the motor 36 rotates in the forward direction, the elevating shaft 44 rotates, the elevating part 43 rises, and the cylinder unit 31 attached to the elevating part 43 also rises. When the motor 36 is reversed, the elevating shaft 44 is rotated, the elevating part 43 is lowered, and the cylinder unit 31 is also lowered.

  Further, in the lifting device 32 in the present embodiment, an upper limit position detection sensor 56, a hot water supply position detection sensor 57, a coffee raw material powder input position detection sensor 58, and a lower limit position detection sensor 59 are provided at predetermined positions in order from the top. It has been. Each position detection sensor is constituted by an optical sensor (not shown) including a pair of light emitting elements and light receiving elements, and performs position detection by light shielding by a shielding plate 53 formed in the elevating unit 43.

  In the figure, reference numeral 54 denotes a wiper that is provided in the lifting / lowering unit 43 and operates when the lifting / lowering unit 43 reaches a predetermined height position. The wiper sweeps away the coffee grounds, and is operated by the wiper mechanism 55.

  Here, FIG. 17 shows a block diagram of the control device C of the beverage production apparatus 1 including the coffee extractor 30. The control device C as a control means is constituted by a general-purpose microcomputer, and has a built-in memory 26 as a storage means and a timer 27 as a time limit means.

  On the input side of the control device C, the flow meter 14, the upper limit position detection sensor 56, the hot water charging position detection sensor 57, the coffee raw material powder charging position detection sensor 58, the lower limit position detection sensor 59, and each beverage selection provided on the door 8 Buttons 9 are connected to a door sensor 28, a remote controller 90, and the like as door 8 opening / closing detection means described later in detail. On the output side, the hot water pump 12, the hot water supply valve 15, the drain valve 20, the extraction valve 52, the motor 36 that constitutes the drive means of the lifting device 32, the mill motor 76 M of the mill device 72, and the air suction control means that will be described in detail later. Are connected to a solenoid valve 95 or a pinch valve 96.

  With the above configuration, the coffee liquid extraction operation in the coffee extractor 30 will be described. After the end of the previous series of beverage extraction operations, the control device C sets the elevating part 43 to which the cylinder unit 31 is mounted as the coffee raw material powder input position based on the position detection of the coffee raw material powder input position detection sensor 58. . In the present embodiment, the coffee raw material powder charging position is such that the upper surface opening 33B of the cylinder 33 is spaced apart from the cap 35 and opened, and the coffee raw material powder (ground beans) from the chute 23 provided in the mill device 72 is provided. ) Corresponding to the discharge position. This position is set as a standby position (origin position). In this state, the piston 34 of the cylinder unit 31 is located at the inner bottom of the cylinder 33, and the hot water pump 12 is stopped, and the hot water supply valve 15, the drain valve 20, and the extraction valve 52 are all closed.

(A) Coffee raw material powder charging operation When the beverage selection button 9 is operated in a state where the cylinder unit 31 is in the standby position (see FIG. 12), the mill motor 76M of the mill device 72 is rotationally driven for a predetermined time, The coffee beans accommodated in the coffee bean canister 70 are sequentially discharged from the discharge port 80 into the coffee bean passage 73 of the mill 71. The coffee beans are crushed between the fixed blade 74A and the rotary blade 74B, which are driven to rotate, to obtain ground beans, which are sequentially discharged from the ground bean discharger 77 to a measuring instrument, and a predetermined amount of ground beans is chute. The cylinder 33 is disposed below the cylinder 23.

(B) Coffee liquid extraction operation After the coffee raw material powder charging operation is completed, the controller C executes a coffee liquid extraction operation. In this coffee liquid extraction operation, the control device C rotates the motor 36 in the forward direction and raises the lifting unit 43 of the lifting device 32. As a result, the cylinder unit 31 attached to the elevating part 43 moves upward, and the lower end of the cap 35 is pushed into the upper surface opening 33 </ b> B of the cylinder 33. The ground beans (coffee raw material powder) charged into the extraction chamber 41 are sandwiched and compressed between the piston 34 located at the inner bottom and the cap 35 and compressed.

  In the present embodiment, when the elevating part 43 rises to the hot water pouring position due to the raising of the elevating part 43, the shielding plate 53 shields the hot water pouring position detection sensor 57 and detects the position (state of FIG. 13). Thus, the control device C operates the hot water pump 12 and opens the hot water supply valve 15 to supply hot water from the hot water tank 11 into the cylinder 33 through the hot water supply port 38. The amount of hot water supplied is detected by the flow meter 14, and when the predetermined amount is reached, the hot water pump 12 is stopped and the hot water supply valve 15 is closed. At this time, the control device C opens the extraction valve 15.

  As a result, hot water is pressurized in the process of passing through the extraction chamber 41, so that elution of the coffee component from the ground beans is promoted, and further hot water is supplied under pressure, so that hot water is introduced into the ground bean structure. It penetrates and a strong coffee liquor, ie espresso coffee, is obtained. The coffee liquid passes through the cap 35 from the extraction port 50 formed on the lower surface of the cap 35, is connected to the coffee liquid take-out part 51, and is extracted through a coffee liquid pipe 39 in which the extraction valve 52 is opened. 2 is discharged. By placing a cup or the like on the cup support 7 corresponding to the lower part of the extraction nozzle 2, the coffee liquid is extracted into the cup.

(C) Coffee mash disposal operation After completion of the coffee liquid extraction operation, the control device C shifts to a coffee mash disposal operation. In the coffee grounds discarding operation, the control device C maintains the hot water supply valve 15 in a closed state and the drain valve 20 in a closed state. Then, the motor 36 is reversely rotated to lower the elevating unit 43 of the elevating device 32.

  By the lowering operation of the elevating part 43, first, the lower end (lower end part 34B) of the piston 34 positioned at the lowermost end of the cylinder unit 31 comes into contact with a predetermined wall surface, in this embodiment, the base 45, and further the lowering operation. Is continued, and the piston 34 rises in the cylinder 33 (state shown in FIG. 14).

  As a result, the coffee cake remaining in the cylinder 33 rises while being collected on the upper surface of the piston 34. And if the raising / lowering part 43 further descend | falls and the said raising / lowering part 43 descend | falls to a lower limit position, the shielding board 53 will shield the lower limit position detection sensor 59, and will detect the said position. As a result, the control device C stops driving the motor 36. In this state, the coffee grounds collected on the upper surface of the piston 34 are pushed up to the outside of the cylinder 33 and are positioned above the upper opening edge of the cylinder 33.

  At this time, as described above, the hot water supply valve 15 of the hot water supply pipe 16 configured to communicate with the inside of the extraction chamber 41 in the cylinder 33 via the hot water supply port 38 and the drain valve of the drain pipe 19 configured to communicate with this. 20 is closed. Therefore, when the piston 34 moves up in the cylinder 33 by the operation of the elevating unit 43, a negative pressure is generated between the upper end portion 34A of the piston 34 and the inner bottom portion of the cylinder 33, and moisture in the coffee mash is removed from the cylinder. It can be smoothly sucked into the hot water supply port 38 side in 33 and separated from the coffee grounds.

  As a result, the operation of discarding the coffee cake becomes significantly easier than when discarding the coffee cake containing a lot of moisture, and problems such as the coffee cake remaining on the piston 34 can be eliminated. .

  Then, again, the control device C rotates the motor 36 in the forward direction and raises the lifting unit 43 of the lifting device 32. When the lifting / lowering part 43 reaches a predetermined height position by the lifting operation of the lifting / lowering part 43, the wiper mechanism 55 as described above is activated, and the wiper 54 is positioned slightly above the upper end part of the cylinder 33 and horizontally. And the coffee grinder pushed up to the outside of the cylinder 33 is removed. In the present embodiment, the coffee cake removed from the upper end of the cylinder 33 is received in the coffee receiving member 21 as described above.

(D) Piston position returning operation Then, after the coffee grounds are discarded, the control device C continues to raise the elevating part 43 of the elevating device 32 and shifts to the piston position returning operation. In this piston position return operation, the control device C causes the motor 36 to rotate forward until the shielding plate 53 shields the upper limit position detection sensor 56 and detects the position. Here, the cap 35 in the present embodiment is configured such that the piston 34 is positioned at the inner bottom portion of the cylinder 33 in a state where the cylinder 33 is at the upper limit position.

  Therefore, the piston 34 pushed up to the uppermost part in the cylinder 33 first comes into contact with the lower surface of the cap 35 in the ascending process of the elevating part 43, and further, the elevating part 43 ascends so that the lower surface of the cap 35 causes the cylinder 34 to rise. It is pushed down to the inner bottom of 33.

  In this process, the control device C opens the drain valve 20. As a result, the water sucked into the space between the inner bottom portion of the cylinder 33 and the piston 34 in the coffee bowl discarding operation is smoothly discharged from the drain pipe 19 to the outside through the drain valve 20 in the piston position returning operation. can do.

  After the piston 34 is pushed down to the inner bottom of the cylinder 33 as described above, the control device C detects the position by the shielding plate 53 shielding the coffee raw material powder charging position detection sensor 58. The motor 36 is reversed until the elevating part 43 is lowered to the coffee raw material powder charging position which is the standby position.

  As a result, after the coffee bowl discarding operation is completed, the cylinder unit 31 is further lifted, so that the piston 34 that has been raised in the cylinder 33 is pushed into the inner bottom portion of the cylinder 31 by the cap 35, and the standby position, which is the origin position. By executing the piston position returning operation to return to the conventional position, the driving means for raising and lowering only the piston 34 as in the prior art can be eliminated. Further, a spring or the like for lowering the piston 34 after the coffee bowl discarding operation can be made unnecessary.

  In addition, since the driving device of the piston 34 and the spring for lowering are made unnecessary in this way, when maintenance such as cleaning of the cylinder unit 31 constituted by the cylinder 33 and the piston 34 is performed, the cylinder unit 31 is removed from the elevating part 43. In this embodiment, the cylinder unit 31 removes the screws 48 that fix the holding plate 47, pulls the holding plate 47 forward, and holds the edge of the holding plate 47 with the holding groove 33 </ b> D formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 33. Release the mating.

  Then, the connector 16A attached to the hot water supply port 38 is removed, and the cylinder unit 31 can be removed by pulling upward from the elevating part 43 in this state. In this way, the cylinder unit 31 can be easily detached from the lifting device 32, and maintenance can be improved.

  In addition to the above embodiment, a steam pipe 98 communicating with a boiler (steam generating means) 97 constituting a milk former 60 as described later may be provided in the cylinder 33. A steam valve 99 that is controlled to be opened and closed by the control device C is interposed in the steam pipe 98.

  Then, before the coffee raw material powder charging operation as described above is executed, that is, before the next beverage selection button 9 is operated, a predetermined sales standby position different from the standby position set as the origin position may be set. .

  In this case, at the end of the piston position returning operation, the control device C is driven until the shielding plate 53 shields the hot water pouring position detection sensor 57 and detects the position. At the hot water charging position, the upper surface opening 33B of the cylinder 33 of the cylinder unit 31 is closed by the lower surface of the cap 35 (see FIG. 16).

  In this state, the control device C opens the steam valve 99 and supplies the steam generated by the boiler 97 into the cylinder 33 closed by the lower surface of the cap 35 and the upper surface of the piston 34 via the steam pipe 98. .

  Thereby, the inside of the cylinder 33 can be warmed with steam in a standby state until the next beverage sale. Therefore, the extraction performance can be improved.

  In this case, when the steam valve 99 is opened, the extraction valve 52 provided in the coffee liquid pipe 39 connecting the extraction port 38 and the extraction nozzle 2 in communication may be opened. . Thereby, not only the inside of the cylinder 33 but also the inside of the coffee liquid pipe 39 reaching the extraction nozzle 2 can be warmed by the steam. Therefore, warm coffee liquid can be supplied from the extraction nozzle 2.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the DC motor 36 is employ | adopted as a drive means which comprises the raising / lowering apparatus 32, you may comprise by a stepping motor. In this case, in the coffee liquid extraction operation and the piston position return operation, the control device C gives an operation signal to the stepping motor that is equal to or more than the number of steps necessary for the lift when the lift device 32 is lifted. Then, when lowering the lifting device 32 in the coffee bowl discarding operation, an operation signal equal to or more than the number of steps necessary for the lowering is given to the stepping motor.

  Thereby, the rotor of the stepping motor cannot move when the elevating device 32 is raised or lowered to the limit position, and thereafter, the step corresponding to the operation signal is finished in a step-out state. Therefore, for example, the upper limit position detection sensor 56 and the lower limit position detection sensor 58 can be dispensed with even if the stop position at the time of compression is different due to different amounts of beverage ingredients supplied to the cylinder 33.

  Therefore, each operation as described above can be executed only by a sensor for detecting the origin of a series of operations, for example, a coffee raw material powder charging position (standby position) or a hot water charging position detection sensor. Therefore, the number of detection means can be reduced, and cost reduction can be realized.

(4) Milk former Next, the structure of the milk former 60 is demonstrated with reference to FIG.18 and FIG.19. FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of the milk former 60, and FIG. 19 is a side view of the milker and each component. The milk former 60 of the present embodiment includes a hot water supply pipe 61 for taking out hot water from the hot water tank 11, an electromagnetic pump (not shown), the boiler 97 as steam generating means, a milker 62, and the like.

  A milker 62 is connected to the hot water supply pipe 61 on the rear stage side of the boiler 97. The boiler 97 has a built-in electric heater. The hot water supplied from the hot water tank 11 through the hot water supply pipe 61 and the electromagnetic pump is heated to, for example, about + 170 ° C. to generate steam, and this steam is converted into a milker. 62 is supplied.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the milker 62 includes a substantially cylindrical main body 63, and the side surface of the main body 63 is displaced to the left or right of the center and protrudes into the main body 63. The discharge unit 64 is integrally formed, and the milk nozzle 3 for discharging milk foam generated in the main body 63 or supplied hot milk is integrally formed on the bottom surface of the main body 63.

  The discharge part 64 has a substantially cylindrical shape that opens to the left and right, and the end of the hot water supply pipe 61 located on the downstream side of the boiler 97 is located at the end opposite to the side connected to the main body 63. It is connected via a steam nozzle 65. The steam nozzle 65 has a steam passage communicating with the left and right inside, a small hole for discharging steam to the discharge part 64 is formed at one end, and an inner wall of the discharge part 64 and a hot water supply pipe 61 on the side surface. An O-ring 66 is provided for making a close contact with the connection.

  A milk suction nozzle 67 communicating with the inside of the discharge unit 64 is formed on the lower surface of the discharge unit 64, and the upper surface of the discharge unit 64 is also located at a location facing the milk suction nozzle 67 in the same manner inside the discharge unit 64. A communicating air suction nozzle 68 is formed.

  One end of the milk suction nozzle 68 is connected to a milk suction tube 94 (milk suction path) inserted into the milk pack 93 housed in the milk cool box 69. An air suction tube 100 (air suction path) is connected to the air suction nozzle 68, and an electromagnetic valve 95 constituting air suction control means is provided at the other end of the air suction tube 100.

  One end of the electromagnetic valve 95 is configured to be open to the atmosphere, and the amount of air flowing from the air suction nozzle 68 of the milker 62 is controlled by the valve opening degree of the electromagnetic valve 95. The electromagnetic valve 95 is connected to the control device C as described above, and the valve opening degree is controlled by the control device C.

  In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a milker cap that closes the upper surface opening of the main body 63 of the milker 62.

  With the above configuration, the milk former 60 generates a swirling flow by discharging the steam generated in the boiler 97 to the milker 62, and the milk is fed from the milk pack 93 that is kept cold in the milk cooler 69 from the milk suction tube 94. Air that has been suctioned and whose inflow is adjusted by the electromagnetic valve 95 is supplied through the air suction nozzle 68. Thus, the steam, milk and air are mixed and foamed in the main body 63 of the milker 62, and milk foam is discharged from the milk nozzle 3.

  Here, in this embodiment, when the beverage selected by the beverage selection button 9 is a cappuccino with a high milk foam ratio, the control device C sets the valve opening of the electromagnetic valve 95 to a predetermined air flow rate. Is set to the first opening that can ensure the above. Thereby, a relatively large amount of air flows into the main body 63 by the swirl flow generated by the inflow of steam into the milker 62, and milk foam having a high mixing ratio of air to milk can be discharged from the milk nozzle 3. it can.

  On the other hand, when the selected beverage is a latte containing milk foam having a small air mixing ratio, the control device C sets the valve opening of the electromagnetic valve 95 to the second opening smaller than the first opening. Degree. As a result, air is sucked into the milker 62 from the air suction nozzle 68 by the swirling flow generated by the inflow of steam, but the inflow amount is limited by the opening degree of the electromagnetic valve 95. Thereby, milk foam with a small mixing ratio of air to milk can be discharged from the milk nozzle 3.

  Further, when the selected beverage is a cafe au lait containing hot milk instead of milk foam, the control device C closes the electromagnetic valve 95. Thereby, since air is not sucked into the milker 62 from the air suction nozzle 68, milk only mixed with steam, that is, hot milk is discharged from the milk nozzle 3.

  Thus, in this embodiment, by controlling the valve opening degree of the electromagnetic valve 95 according to the type of beverage to be provided, the amount of air mixed into the milk is controlled with a simple configuration, and selectively. Milk for many types of beverages can be supplied.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the air suction control means for controlling the inflow amount of air from the air suction nozzle 68 of the milker 62 is configured by an electromagnetic valve, so that the air suction amount can be easily controlled. It becomes possible.

  Further, the air suction control means is not limited to the electromagnetic valve 95, and as shown in FIG. 20, the air suction tube 100 connected to the air suction nozzle 68 is replaced with a flexible tube such as silicon. A pinch valve 96 provided with a tube formed of an elastic material such as a resin tube may be employed.

  As a result, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that milk enters the inside of a valve device or the like provided in the air suction tube 100. Therefore, it is possible to effectively avoid the decay of the remaining milk, facilitate maintenance work, and provide safe food.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the control device C fully closes the electromagnetic valve 95 or the pinch valve 96 a predetermined time before the steam discharge from the boiler 97 is completed, and the inflow of air from the air suction nozzle 68 is performed. To prevent.

  Thereby, it can be set as the structure which discharges | emits only hot milk just before completion | finish of discharge | emission of the milk foam from the milker 62. FIG. Therefore, the milk foam with a large amount of air is discharged just before the end of the discharge, so that the milk foam becomes a large foam and adheres to the nozzle, and when the foam breaks, the surroundings are contaminated. Can be effectively eliminated.

(5) Remote Control Next, the door 8 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the door 8 that is rotatably provided on the front surface of the main body 6 is provided with a plurality of beverage selection buttons 9. A window 10 is formed above the beverage selection button 9. This window portion 10 is configured by a hole formed through the door 8 or a transparent member (transparent plate). Further, the door 8 is provided with a nozzle outlet portion 102 through which the extraction nozzle 2, the milk nozzle 3, and the beverage nozzle 4 configured to protrude forward from the main body 6 side.

  On the other hand, a remote controller 90 is detachably attached to the back surface 8A of the door 8 by an attachment member 103. As shown in FIG. 22, the remote controller 90 is provided with a plurality of operation switches 92 and a display unit 91 on the front surface. The operation switch 92 is a switch used for performing various settings of the device 1. Moreover, the display part 91 is comprised by 7 segment LED or the liquid crystal, and can display the display of maintenance information or the information regarding drink sales. The displayed contents are alternately displayed each time the changeover switch 104 provided on the remote controller 90 is operated. The remote controller 90 in this embodiment is connected by a wire connected to the door 8, and is connected to the control device C provided in the main body 6 through the wire.

  The remote controller 90 is attached to the back surface 8 </ b> A of the door 8, and the display unit 91 corresponds to the window 10 of the door 8. Therefore, when the remote controller 90 is attached to the door 8, the display unit 91 of the remote controller 90 can be visually recognized from the front of the door 8 through the window 10.

  With the above configuration, when the remote controller 90 is attached to the back surface 8A of the door 8 and the door 8 is closed, information related to beverage sales, for example, beverage sellout information, Hot water temperature information, information on other products, and the like are visible from the front of the door 8.

  Then, when performing maintenance work in the main body 6, the door 8 is opened, the remote controller 90 attached to the back surface 8A is removed, and the changeover switch 104 is operated. As a result, maintenance information is displayed on the display unit 91 of the remote controller 90.

  Thereby, the display part 91 of the remote control 90 on which maintenance information is displayed at the time of maintenance can also be used as the display part at the time of beverage sales. Therefore, the display at the time of beverage sales and the display at the time of maintenance work can be realized by the same display unit 91 with a simple configuration, and the number of parts can be reduced. Thereby, cost reduction can be achieved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the remote controller 90 can arbitrarily display a display unit by switching between displaying maintenance information on the display unit 91 or displaying information related to beverage sales by operating the operation switch (switch 104). The display at 91 can be changed. Convenience can be improved.

  The display content on the display unit 91 is switched by operating the changeover switch 104. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a door sensor 28 that detects opening / closing of the door 8 is provided, and the door sensor When the controller 28 detects that the door 8 is closed, the control device C displays information related to beverage sales on the display unit 91 of the remote controller 90 and detects that the door 8 is open. Maintenance information may be displayed on the display unit 91.

  Accordingly, the open / close state of the door 8 to which the remote controller 90 is attached is detected without specially operating the switch. When the door 8 is opened, the maintenance information is displayed. When the door 8 is closed, the beverage is displayed. Information about sales can be displayed, and convenience can be improved.

C Control device (control means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage production apparatus 2 Extraction nozzle 3 Milk nozzle 4 Beverage nozzle 5 Nozzle unit 6 Main body 6A Upper surface lower part 8 Door 8A Back surface 9 Beverage selection button 10 Window part 11 Hot water tank 12 Hot water pump (gear pump)
15 Hot water supply valve 16 Hot water supply pipe 19 Drain pipe 20 Drain valve (solenoid valve)
21 滓 receiving member 23 chute 24 partition wall 28 door sensor (door open / close detection means)
30 Coffee Extractor 31 Cylinder Unit 33 Cylinder 33B Top Opening 33C Flange 34 Piston 34A Upper End 34B Lower End 35 Cap 36 Motor (Drive Unit)
37 Pulley 38 Hot water supply port 39 Coffee liquid piping 41 Extraction chamber 43 Lifting unit 50 Extraction port 52 Extraction valve (solenoid valve)
54 Wiper 56 Upper limit position detection sensor 57 Hot water charging position detection sensor 58 Coffee raw material powder charging position detection sensor 59 Lower limit position detection sensor 60 Milk former 61 Hot water supply piping 62 Milker 63 Main body 64 Discharge section 65 Steam nozzle 67 Milk suction nozzle 68 Air Suction nozzle 69 Milk cooler 70 Coffee bean canister 71 Mil 72 Mill device 73 Coffee bean passage 74 Grinding blade 76 Rotating shaft 76M Mill motor 77 Ground bean discharge part 78 Coffee bean feed spring 79 Top opening 80 Discharge port 81 Top lid 82 Flange 83 Lid Member holding portion 84 Cover member 85 First shutter 86 Second shutter 90 Remote control 91 Display portion 92 Operation switch 95 Solenoid valve (air suction control means)
96 Pinch valve (Air suction control means)
97 Boiler (steam generation means)
98 Steam pipe 99 Steam valve 100 Air suction tube (Air suction path)
104 changeover switch

Claims (1)

In beverage production equipment that extracts coffee liquid from coffee raw material powder,
A coffee bean canister that has a discharge port at the lower end, accommodates coffee beans and is detachably attached to the main body,
A mill that is provided in the body and grinds the coffee beans that are located below the coffee bean canister and discharged from the outlet;
A lid member attached to the coffee bean canister and closing the discharge port so as to be freely opened and closed;
The mill includes a motor, a grinding blade attached to a rotating shaft of the motor, and a coffee bean feeding spring attached to an upper portion of the rotating shaft, and the upper portion of the rotating shaft is the center of the discharge port. To enter the coffee bean canister from
The lid member is composed of first and second shutters that are independently movable in the horizontal direction,
The first shutter passes through a central portion of the discharge port, and the second shutter closes the discharge port so as to pass through the discharge ports on both sides of the first shutter while avoiding the rotation shaft. A beverage production apparatus characterized by:

Images