JP4425847B2 - Tea beverage extractor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tea beverage extraction apparatus for easily extracting a tea beverage having a delicious flavor and the like by efficiently extracting active ingredients contained in tea leaves into hot water.

  Conventionally, various tea beverage extraction devices for extracting tea beverages by extracting tea components contained in tea leaves such as black tea into hot water have been proposed.

  In order to obtain a tea beverage with a delicious flavor and appropriate concentration using dried tea leaves such as black tea, a jumping operation that stirs the dried tea leaves soaked in hot water and moves them up and down and horizontally is realized. There is a need to. This is because tea leaves that have been shrunk by performing a jumping operation can be quickly and reliably developed, and tea components such as tannin can be sufficiently extracted into hot water in the shortest time.

  In Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-299182), a tea strainer is supported so as to be movable up and down by a teacup elevating means, and the tea strainer is exposed outside the main body casing housing the tea elevating means. A tea dispenser that extracts tea components by immersing the tea leaves in a tea strainer in hot water in an extraction container placed on a heating means located below the elevating path of the mash, and raises the tea strainer after extraction. Is disclosed.

  However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a configuration for efficiently extracting tea components from dried tea leaves in a contracted state when the tea leaves contained in the tea strainer are immersed in hot water. In particular, there is no disclosure of a configuration for realizing the most effective jumping operation as a technique for efficiently extracting tea components while developing dry tea leaves.

  In addition, in order to extract a tea beverage having a good flavor and concentration, the amount and temperature of hot water, the steaming time, etc. are appropriately determined according to the difference in conditions such as the type, size, and amount of tea leaf used. Although it is preferable to manage and adjust, the conventional tea beverage extraction apparatus has not managed the necessary and sufficient processes for extracting such an ideal tea beverage.

JP-A-8-299182

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art, the tea leaves containing means containing a tea leaves red tea was immersed in hot water after extracting tea ingredients, tea leaves containing means from a hot water In a tea beverage extraction apparatus that automates the process of evacuation, a tea beverage extraction apparatus that can efficiently extract tea components by developing dried tea leaves in a contracted state while performing a jumping operation in hot water. It is intended to provide.

Further, the tea beverage extracting device for use with tea leaves of the present invention is red tea, depending on the preference of the operator, the beverage extraction by automatic operation mode, or a beverage extraction by manual operation mode so as to be selectively carried Brown It aims at providing a drink extraction device.

In the automatic mode of operation, only by performing a simple configuration in accordance with the display contents displayed on the display unit, the type of tea leaves, carried out extraction step by evaporation ness time corresponding to the difference in conditions such as leaf size, The purpose is to enable extraction of tea beverages with optimal flavor and concentration.

Manual in operation mode, and can be arbitrarily set the extraction conditions of steam likeness time and the like, flavor according to the preference of the operator, it is an object to be able to extract the tea beverage having a density like.

  As a premise to implement each operation mode, it is equipped with a tea leaf amount setting step so that the tea leaf amount determined by the relationship with the water amount can be accurately measured and set, and the purpose is to prevent extraction failure due to incorrect tea leaf amount It is said.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a beverage extraction device according to the invention of claim 1 is a tea beverage extraction device for extracting tea beverages, which has a water permeability for containing tea leaves and has a water permeability, and for the tea leaves An elevating mechanism for holding and lifting the net, an extraction container disposed at a position where the tea leaf net can be received when it is in the lowered position, a heater for heating water in the extraction container, and A control unit that controls the elevating mechanism unit and the heater unit, the control unit between the lowered position where the tea leaf net enters the extraction container and the elevated position where the tea leaf net is retracted out of the extraction container The controller controls the elevating mechanism so as to advance and retreat in the water. The controller generates water vapor bubbles in the water in a state where the tea leaf net containing tea leaves is immersed in the water in the extraction container. Said to continue The power supply to the over data unit controls to continue the predetermined time, the elevator mechanism includes a lifting mechanism body with a drive mechanism removably holding the the tea leaves net while being raised and lowered by elevating mechanism body And a movable lid that closes the opening of the extraction container when lowered .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the supply of power to the heater unit is controlled to continue for a predetermined time in a state where the tea leaf net containing tea leaves is immersed in the water in the extraction container, and water vapor bubbles are generated in the water. Since the tea leaves are stirred in the tea leaf net by the foaming , the dried dry tea leaves in a contracted state are jumped by steam bubbles to promote leaf opening and component extraction, thereby increasing the extraction efficiency. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the tea leaf net that accommodates tea leaves and has water permeability and water permeability is detachably held by the elevating mechanism so that the tea leaf can be easily put into and replaced in the tea leaf net. become. The tea leaf net holding the tea leaves is lowered by the elevating mechanism part and immersed in the hot water in the extraction container heated by the heater part for a predetermined time or an arbitrary time, so that the active ingredients contained in the tea leaves are hot water. Extract into to get a beverage. The dried tea leaves that are shrunken by the bubbles of water vapor generated by heating the water in the extraction container are jumped to promote the opening of the leaves and the extraction of the components. After the extraction is completed, the tea leaf net is raised and retracted, so that the tea beverage accommodated by removing the extraction container can be used for drinking. The tea leaf net after it has been lifted can be removed from the lifting mechanism, discarding the tea leaf inside it, washed as necessary, reattached, and used repeatedly. The raising / lowering timing of the raising / lowering mechanism part and the temperature control of the heater part are implemented based on the temperature detected by a temperature sensor, for example. As tea leaves, it can be applied to black tea. The elevating mechanism unit includes an arbitrary driving force transmission member.

  The movable lid functions as a lid that closes the opening of the extraction container when it descends to prevent the temperature of the hot water from falling, so that the tea leaves in the tea leaf net are promoted to be agitated by steam bubbles, and the component extraction efficiency is increased. Can be increased. That is, the movable lid serves as both a support means for the tea leaf net and the lid of the extraction container.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a front view showing a tea beverage extraction device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a top view thereof, and FIG. 2 is a state where a tea leaf net constituting the tea beverage extraction device is lowered. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship between the control unit and each unit in the tea beverage extraction device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

  The tea beverage extraction apparatus 1 includes, for example, a tea leaf net (tea leaf storage means) 2 as a water-permeable mesh body that holds and holds tea leaves (dry tea leaves) T of tea inside, and a tea leaf net 2. The lifting mechanism unit 10 that holds and moves up and down, the tea leaf net 2 is placed at a position where it can be received when it is in the lowered position (immersion position), and is placed on the upper surface of the extraction container 20 that contains the water W. The heater part 25 which heats the water in the installed extraction container 20, and the control part 34 (FIG. 3) which controls the raising / lowering mechanism part 10, the heater part 25 grade | etc., Are provided.

  The tea leaf net 2 is provided with a mesh body 3 having an opening 3a for taking in and out tea leaves on the upper surface, for example, and the mesh body 3 is made of metal so as to maintain sufficient durability when immersed in boiling water. Consists of fine wire. Further, a reinforcing frame body 3b or the like for holding the mesh body with good shape retention is disposed on the opening 3a or the outer surface. It should be noted that the tea leaf net only needs to be configured so that hot water and bubbles of steam generated by heating can enter and exit from at least a part of the outer peripheral surface while preventing the tea leaf from leaking out. However, a material having sufficient water permeability and water permeability can be used.

  Further, the tea leaf net 2 is set to have a sufficiently large volume compared to the tea leaf amount so as to allow the tea leaf T to jump in the hot water (stirring and moving) by steam bubbles generated by heating. Further, the inner surface shape is set so that the jumping operation is facilitated.

  The control unit 34 shown in FIG. 3 is configured by, for example, a one-chip MPU (Micro Processing Unit), holds a control program in a ROM (not shown), and executes processing of each unit according to the procedure of the control program.

  The control unit 34 advances and retreats between a lowered position (FIG. 2) where the tea leaf net 2 is immersed in the water W in the extraction container 20 and an elevated position (FIG. 1 (a)) retracted outside the extraction container. The elevating mechanism unit 10 is controlled as described above.

  The control part 34 is arrange | positioned in the case 16 in which the raising / lowering mechanism main body 11 is accommodated, for example.

  The elevating mechanism unit 10 includes an elevating mechanism main body 11 having a drive mechanism, and a movable lid 12 that is moved up and down by the elevating mechanism main body 11 and detachably holds the tea leaf net 2.

  The elevating mechanism body 11 includes, for example, a motor (not shown) as a drive source, a drive pulley that is rotationally driven by the motor, a driven pulley, and a drive transmission unit that includes a belt that is stretched around both pulleys and travels in the vertical direction. The movable lid 12 is supported and lifted by this belt or the like. The configuration example of the drive transmission means is merely an example, and other configurations such as a gear, a chain, a wire, and the like may be used by using a known transmission member.

  The lifting mechanism main body 11 secures its installation stability by fixing the lower proper position to the pedestal portion 15. The lifting mechanism body 11 is surrounded by a case 16. A slit (not shown) is provided on the side surface of the case 16 so as to guide the movement of the movable lid 12 that is moved up and down by the drive transmission means.

  The movable lid 12 is configured to move up and down while maintaining a substantially horizontal posture by the lifting mechanism body 11. When the movable lid 12 is raised, for example, the drive transmission means is rotated forward, while when the movable lid 12 is lowered, the drive transmission means is reversely rotated. The height position in the process of raising and lowering the movable lid 12 may be controlled based on a detection signal from a sensor that detects the height position of the movable lid, or by using a stepping motor as the motor, the number of steps can be controlled. May be counted to determine the position.

  The movable lid 12 detachably holds the tea leaf net 2 on its lower surface side by a net support portion 13 made of a magnet or a slide mechanism. When the tea leaf net 2 is supported by the net support portion 13 made of a magnet, at least an adsorbed portion made of a magnetic material that can be attracted to the net support portion 13 made of a magnet at an appropriate position (reinforcing frame 3b) of the tea leaf net 2 Arrange the members. When the net support portion 13 is a slide mechanism, a guide rail is provided on the lower surface of the movable lid 12, and the movable lid is slidably engaged with the upper portion of the tea leaf net 2 with the guide rail. A guided portion is provided that is movable between a state set in a predetermined position on the lower surface of the twelve lower surface (FIG. 1A) and a non-set state removed from the predetermined position on the lower surface of the movable lid.

  Furthermore, the movable lid 12 is constituted by a plate member so as to function as a lid for closing the upper opening 20a of the extraction container 20 when lowered as shown in FIG. That is, at the time of lowering shown in FIG. 2, the tea leaf net 2 holding the tea leaf is immersed in the water (hot water) W in the extraction container 20, but at this time, the movable lid 12 supporting the tea leaf net 2 is The lower surface is configured to abut against the peripheral edge of the opening 20a of the extraction container 20 to close the inside of the extraction container. The movable lid 12 abuts on the opening 20a in order to prevent the temperature of the hot water in the extraction container from decreasing, but in order to prevent the internal pressure in the extraction container from rising excessively and preventing the generation of water vapor bubbles. A ventilation hole or the like may be provided in the air gap, or a ventilation gap may be formed between the peripheral edge of the opening.

  A heat-resistant packing or the like may be disposed as necessary at a position that contacts the peripheral edge of the opening 20a of the extraction container on the lower surface of the movable lid so as to ensure adhesion. The movable lid 12 may be rigidly supported in a substantially horizontal posture by the elevating mechanism body 11, but may be configured to move up and down within a predetermined range.

  The pedestal portion 15 includes a heater portion 25 on the upper surface thereof, and is configured such that the bottom portion of the extraction container 20 can be detachably placed on the upper surface of the heater portion 25. With the extraction container 20 placed on the heater 25, when the tea leaf net 2 is lowered, the tea leaf net 2 smoothly enters the opening 20a of the extraction container 20 and the tea leaf net 2 is extracted. The positional relationship between the stationary position of the extraction container and the lifting / lowering path of the movable lid 12 is set so that it can be smoothly removed when it is raised from the inside of the container. As described above, the opening of the extraction container is closed by the lower surface of the movable lid 12 when the tea leaf net 2 enters the extraction container 20.

  The heater unit 25 is an electric heating unit that generates heat by the control of the control unit 34 and heats the water W in the extraction container 20. In the temperature control of the heater unit 25, for example, a change in the resistance value of the temperature sensor 27 configured by a thermistor or the like is detected as a temperature change of the water W, and the heater unit 25 is turned on / off, thereby allowing The temperature of the water W is controlled to a constant temperature.

  In the tea leaf extraction apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the control unit 34 controls the heating of the heater unit 25 in a state where the tea leaf net 2 containing the tea leaves T is immersed in the hot water in the extraction container 20. This is characterized by the fact that bubbles made of water vapor are continuously generated in the hot water, and the tea leaves are jumped (stirred and moved) in the tea leaf net by this foaming. In addition, the tea leaves that were initially shrunk in the tea leaf net are deployed in a short time (expanded) in the process of free movement with sufficient agitation by the large amount of steam bubbles generated from the inner wall of the container. In order to efficiently extract tea components such as tannin into hot water, the tea leaf net is set to have a sufficiently large volume compared to the amount of tea leaves.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1B and the like, a mode setting unit 30 including a display unit 31 and an adjustment knob 32 is disposed on the upper surface of the case 16 surrounding the lifting mechanism body 11.

  The mode setting unit 30 has an automatic operation mode in which tea beverages can be extracted under an optimum extraction condition corresponding to the type of tea leaf, etc. by simply performing a simple setting operation according to the display content, and to the operator's preference by manual operation. It is a means for selectively setting a manual operation mode in which tea beverages can be extracted under the corresponding extraction conditions. By operating the adjustment knob 32, either the automatic operation mode or the manual operation mode can be selected. The display unit 31 is means for displaying necessary items related to any of the operation modes set by the adjustment knob 32.

  The adjustment knob 32 is configured to sequentially switch the display content of the display unit 31 by rotating it by an arbitrary angle in both the left and right directions, for example, and performs a selection operation by pressing in the left and right and up and down directions indicated by ▲ ▼ marks, The selection content is determined by pressing (ON) in the pushing direction.

  Specifically, the resistance value of the variable resistor is changed in accordance with the difference in the change in the rotation angle of the adjustment knob 32, thereby detecting the resistance value and switching and changing the display content of the display unit 31. Or the pressing direction of the adjustment knob 32 is detected to change the display content of the display unit or to execute a predetermined operation. And when performing the specific selection item in the display part 31, it is comprised so that the adjustment knob 32 may be pressed (ON) in the pushing direction.

  The display unit 31 is means for displaying a specific operation mode set by operating the adjustment knob 32 or necessary items (setting contents, numerical values, operation procedures, etc.) for each operation step. For example, a liquid crystal display panel is used as the display unit 31. In the case of a liquid crystal display panel, display contents can be controlled by data transmission of a serial port.

  The automatic operation mode that can be set by the mode setting unit 30 includes, for example, an extraction step under general extraction conditions, a type-specific extraction step in which component extraction is performed with different extraction conditions for different types of tea leaves, and tea leaf size. Operation steps such as an extraction step according to tea leaf size for different extraction conditions depending on the difference are included.

  The manual operation mode that can be set by the mode setting unit 30 includes, for example, a heating temperature setting step in which the heating temperature of the water in the extraction container by the heater unit 25 can be adjusted by manual operation, and the tea leaf steaming time by manual operation. Operation steps such as a steaming time setting step that can be adjusted are included.

  In any operation mode, by determining the amount of tea leaves in relation to the amount of water in the extraction container, it is possible to extract tea beverages that are optimized or have a flavor and concentration according to taste. Therefore, by operating the mode setting unit 30, it is possible to execute a tea leaf amount setting step for detecting the tea leaf weight in relation to the amount of water in the extraction container and displaying the tea leaf weight to the operator to promote adjustment of the tea leaf amount. .

  Next, the schematic operation of the tea beverage extraction device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. For example, when extracting a tea beverage, in order to put a necessary amount of tea leaves according to the user's preference into the tea leaf net 2, as shown in FIG. 4, on the movable lid 12 in the raised position (weight measurement position). The tea leaf net 2 is placed, and the tea leaf amount is adjusted while measuring the weight by the weight sensor 35. In addition, the extraction container 20 containing a necessary amount of water W is placed on the heater unit 25 in advance. When the tea leaves are adjusted to an appropriate weight, the tea leaf net 2 is attached to the net support 13 and the adjustment knob 32 is pressed to start extraction. Then, in the automatic operation mode, the control unit 34 controls the heater unit 25 with the optimum heating temperature and heating cycle based on the weight of the tea leaves detected by the weight sensor 35. Prior to the start of extraction, a step of selecting whether or not the water is tap water is interposed, and when the fact that it is tap water is input, the chlorine component in the tap water in the extraction container 20 is changed. In order to remove, it is boiled for a predetermined time above a predetermined temperature. When the removal of the chalk by boiling is completed, the elevating mechanism 10 is lowered and the tea leaf net 2 is immersed in the extraction container 20 (see FIG. 2). Then, a steaming process for extracting tea leaf components from the tea leaves is started, and when the elevating mechanism 10 rises after the steaming time elapses and the tea leaf net 2 is separated from the water, the tea beverage in which the tea leaf components are extracted in the extraction container 20 Remains.

  Next, a specific operation procedure in the tea leaf amount setting step common to the automatic and manual operation modes will be described with reference to FIG.

  That is, the tea leaf quantity setting step can be realized by providing the weight sensor 35 for detecting the weight of the tea leaves T in the tea leaf net 2 at an appropriate position of the movable lid 12. The weight sensor 35 can be realized by using, for example, a known electronic balance principle.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the weight sensor 35 is operated by placing the tea leaf net 2 containing the tea leaf T on the upper surface of the movable lid 12 to measure the weight of the tea leaf. When the tea leaf amount setting step is set by the mode setting unit 30, the control unit 34 described later displays the weight detection result by the weight sensor 35 on the display unit 31.

  In the example of FIG. 4, when the tea leaf net 2 containing tea leaves T is placed on the movable lid 12, the movable lid 12 bends downward due to its weight, and the mounting base of the movable lid 12 is based on the lever principle. The weight sensor 35 (not shown) provided in the operation is activated to detect the weight of the tea leaf net 2 and transmit it to the control unit 34. The control unit 34 calculates the net weight of the tea leaf based on the weight data and calculates the result. It is displayed on the display unit 31. The user looks at the displayed weight value and increases / decreases the amount of tea leaves and repeats weighing until the optimum amount is reached. Of course, the net weight of the tea leaf is measured by subtracting the weight of the tea leaf net 2 from the weight value measured by the weight sensor 35.

  Alternatively, a pressure sensor (piezoelectric sensor) may be used as the weight sensor 35 to directly measure the weight of the tea leaf net 2 placed directly on the weight sensor 35.

  Alternatively, the weight may be measured while the tea leaf net 2 is supported on the lower surface of the movable lid 12.

  Next, an example of an operation procedure in the automatic operation mode will be described based on FIG.

  When a power supply (not shown) of the tea beverage extraction device is turned on, the display unit 31 initially displays an instruction content indicating that the extraction container should be filled with water and set on the pedestal unit 15 as shown in FIG. Is done. When the setting of the extraction container and the filling of the tea leaves into the tea leaf net is completed and the adjustment knob 32 is turned on, the display contents shown in FIG.

  In the display content of the display unit shown in FIG. 5B, an instruction to select either automatic operation or manual operation is given, for example, “1. AUTO 2. MANUAL”. If the “1. AUTO” side is initially selected by lighting display or the like, “2. AUTO” is selected and executed by turning the adjustment knob 32 once. Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, the display unit 31 is instructed to shift to “2. AUTO” and to turn on the adjustment knob. In FIG. 5B, by tilting the adjustment knob 32 once, the lighting display is moved to the “2. MANUAL” side, so that “2. MANUAL” can be selected. When turned ON, the mode shifts to the manual operation mode shown in FIG.

  Next, when the adjustment knob 32 is turned on in the display state of FIG. 5 (c), an instruction to input the amount of water filled in the extraction container is displayed as shown in FIG. 5 (d). For example, when the amount of water for one person is filled in the extraction container, “1.1 persons” is selected and executed using the adjustment knob 32. Then, as shown in FIG. 5E, it is displayed that the amount of water is for one person and “1. Extraction execution 2. Tea leaf amount setting”. Here, when “1. Extraction execution” is selected and executed, a tea beverage extraction process for one person is automatically executed according to preset general extraction conditions (hot water temperature, steaming time). The extraction conditions carried out in this case are hot water temperature and steaming time that are generally optimum regardless of the type of tea leaves.

  When “2. Tea leaf amount setting” is selected and executed in FIG. 5E, for example, although not shown, “Please place a tea leaf net on the lid to measure and adjust the amount of tea leaf” is displayed.

  FIG. 5 (f) shows a display example in the case where the tea leaf amount is accurately measured (tea leaf amount setting step), and the optimal amount (g) of tea leaf that matches the already input water amount and the current amount in the tea leaf net. The amount of tea leaves (g) is displayed in comparison. Extraction is started by turning on the adjustment knob 32 after adjusting the amount of tea leaves in this way. The extraction conditions carried out in this case are hot water temperature and steaming time that are generally optimum regardless of the type of tea leaves.

  This tea leaf amount setting step may be completed before selecting the operation mode by displaying in parallel with a display indicating that water should be set in the container of FIG.

  FIG. 5G is a display example indicating that extraction is in progress, and FIG. 5H is a display example indicating that extraction is complete.

  In addition, since the optimal extraction conditions differ depending on the type of tea leaves (production area, harvest time, etc.) and the size of the tea leaves, black tea must be processed before the step of measuring the amount of tea leaves shown in FIG. You may provide the step which inputs a kind and tea leaf size.

  That is, FIG. 6A displays instruction contents for causing the display unit 31 to input the type of tea leaves. For example, when “1. Darjeeling system 2. Assam system 3. Others” is displayed and any one of the tea leaves is selected, the size of the tea leaves “1. “Nakaba, 3. Kobayashi” are displayed for selection. Next, when a specific tea leaf size is selected using an adjustment knob, for example, the extraction process is started. In addition, when using tea leaves of a type other than Darjeeling or Assam, it is configured to select from other tea leaf types displayed by selecting “3. Other”.

  In addition, when providing the step which inputs a tea leaf type before the tea leaf amount setting step shown in FIG.5 (f), in the tea leaf amount setting step, optimal weight is displayed for every type of inputted tea leaf. Instructed to put in the tea leaf net by the displayed weight.

  Next, in the manual operation mode, following the initial display shown in FIG. 5A, either the automatic operation or the manual operation is performed as in the display example “1. AUTO 2. MANUAL” shown in FIG. An instruction is given to select either. When the manual operation mode is selected, “2. MANUAL” is selected and executed in the same procedure as described with reference to FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, a message indicating the transition to MANUAL and a message indicating that the adjustment knob should be turned on are displayed.

  When the adjustment knob is turned on in FIG. 7B, the display shown in FIG. 7C is made to instruct that the tea leaf amount should be measured and set. Next, the operator can put in a desired amount of tea leaves while confirming the current weight display displayed on the display unit 31 shown in FIG.

  When the adjustment knob 32 is turned on after the amount of tea leaves is set, an instruction to set the hot water temperature and the current temperature are displayed on the display unit 31 as shown in FIG. The setting of the hot water temperature can be determined by, for example, turning the adjustment knob to display a desired numerical value and then turning it on.

  FIG. 7 (f) shows a display example for setting the steaming time displayed after the setting of the hot water temperature. In this case, too, for example, by rotating the adjustment knob to display a desired value and then turning it ON, steaming is performed. Time can be determined.

  After that, the extraction process is started by turning on the adjustment knob, and the display as shown in FIGS. 5 (g) and 5 (h) is sequentially performed to complete the extraction.

As described above, in the tea beverage extraction process in the automatic operation mode, each process for extracting tea drinks with the optimum concentration, flavor, etc. according to the water volume, tea leaf weight, type, size, etc. is automatically performed. but was, in the manual operation mode, the procedure is displayed on the display unit 31, by executing additional instructions sequentially a predetermined operation in accordance with the contents, tea amount setting, arbitrarily performed by the time management such as likelihood steam It becomes possible to extract a tea beverage having a concentration and flavor according to the preference of the user of the apparatus.

  Further, when the water W is tap water, it may contain a flavor inhibiting substance such as calcite. Therefore, a step for removing the flavor inhibiting substance may be provided before the start of extraction.

  As described above, in the present invention, the necessary items such as the operation procedure are displayed on the display unit 31 regardless of whether the automatic operation mode or the manual operation mode is selected. It is possible to execute an extraction process for obtaining a beverage having the flavor and concentration.

  Next, FIG. 8 (a) is a chart showing an example of tea leaf quantity management conditions at the time of tea beverage extraction by type of tea leaf, and (b) is a chart showing hot water temperature management conditions at the time of tea-based beverage extraction. Extraction in the automatic operation mode can be performed by causing the control unit 34 to retain a program for extraction operation based on the optimum uneven time and temperature according to the type and amount of tea leaves.

  First, as shown in the tea leaf quantity management table of FIG. 8 (a), if the darjeeling tea leaves are large leaves, the steaming process takes about 2 minutes and 30 seconds to complete the extraction of the tea leaves by the steaming process. However, in the case of small leaves, the tea leaves can be opened even with a shorter steaming time.

  In the case of Assam tea leaves, it takes a steaming time of around 2 minutes 30 seconds (± 5 seconds) in order to open the dried leaves and complete the component extraction even for small leaves. In the case of large leaves, a longer steaming time is required.

FIG. 8 (b), the heating temperature of 95 ° in the case of using black tea as the tea leaves (steaming temperature) indicates that the optimal.

  In the automatic operation mode of the tea beverage extraction apparatus of the present invention, a control program for carrying out an extraction operation under conditions optimized for various tea leaves shown in FIGS. In addition, the tea beverage can be automatically extracted under the optimum conditions by inputting and setting the type and amount of tea leaf using the adjustment knob.

Next, FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure for extracting a tea beverage by an automatic operation mode by the tea beverage extraction apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The process contents will be described below for each step.
Step 1 (water injection step): According to the display contents shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D, the amount of tea beverage to be extracted into the extraction container 20 (140 to 150 cc per person) was determined. After injecting water, the extraction container 20 is placed on the heater 25 provided in the pedestal 15.
Step 2 (tea leaf quantity setting step): With the tea leaf net 2 set on the movable lid 12, “1. Extraction execution” is selected in FIG. 5E, and the adjustment knob 32 is turned on to extract the extraction step. Begins. In this case, the extraction process is performed under the extraction conditions for the average tea leaves regardless of the type of tea and the tea leaf size.

  5E, “2. Tea leaf amount setting” is selected, and the adjustment knob 32 is turned on to proceed to the tea leaf amount setting step in step S2. In order to extract a black tea beverage having an optimal concentration and flavor, it is necessary to accurately measure and adjust the amount of tea leaves to be placed in the tea leaf net 2. Therefore, as a step before shifting to the actual extraction process, the tea leaf net 2 is placed on the movable lid 12 and the amount (= weight) of the tea leaf accommodated by the weight sensor 35 is measured. As described with reference to FIG. 5 (f), the tea leaf amount is adjusted while collating the optimum amount displayed on the display unit 31 of the mode setting unit 30 with the current amount. Since the optimum weight differs depending on the type of tea leaf, the step of selecting the type of tea leaf shown in FIG. 6 is performed prior to the tea leaf amount setting, thereby displaying the optimum weight for each type. It is possible to adjust the amount of tea leaves to be introduced into the tea leaf net according to the contents.

  The specific procedure for adjusting the tea leaf amount will be described. First, when the tea leaf amount setting step for one person is selected and executed in FIG. 5 (e), it is optimal for the display unit 31 as shown in FIG. 5 (f). When the leaf weight (optimum amount) is displayed as 2.5 g, and the operator starts charging the tea leaves into the tea leaf net 2, the current input weight (current amount) is displayed in parallel. This optimum amount is the optimum tea leaf weight in relation to the amount of water (for one person) in the extraction container 20 designated in the step of FIG.

  The operator can put the tea leaf into the tea leaf net 2 while collating the optimum weight display with the current amount, and finely adjust the amount to be put. Thus, by displaying the optimum weight and the tea leaf weight in the tea leaf net 2 side by side on the display unit 31, it is possible to adjust the accommodation of the appropriate amount of tea leaves in the tea leaf net 2 at all times. A tea beverage having a flavor can be extracted.

  After the adjustment of the tea leaf amount by the tea leaf amount setting is completed, the tea leaf net 2 is attached to a predetermined position of the net support portion 13 provided at the lower portion of the movable lid 12.

Prior to this step of setting the amount of tea leaves, when the step of inputting the type of tea leaves shown in FIG. 5 (e) is performed, the optimum amount corresponding to the type difference is displayed. As a result, in the subsequent extraction process, it is possible to perform a type-specific extraction step in which component extraction is performed with different extraction conditions such as heating temperature and steaming time for each type of tea leaf.
Step 3 (Start Extraction): By turning on the adjustment knob 32, a tea beverage extraction operation based on a preset extraction condition is started.
Step 4 (input of whether or not tap water): a step for selecting whether or not the water used before starting the extraction process is tap water; if it is tap water, removal of the next flavor inhibiting component An operation for removing chalk in the process is performed.
Step S5 (flavor-inhibiting component removal step): In this step, temperature management is performed to remove the chlorinated salt and other flavor-inhibiting components contained in the water.

First, when the heater unit 25 is heated to raise the temperature of the water W in the extraction container 20 to a temperature close to boiling, the temperature sensor 27 of an arbitrary method disposed in the vicinity of the heater unit 25 is used to generate the inside of the extraction container 20. Detect the temperature of water. As described above, when it is input that the water to be used in the previous step is tap water, for example, heating with a target heating temperature of 95 ° C. is performed. In this step, when the temperature sensor 27 detects about 95 ° C., the heating at about 95 ° C. is continued for another 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, preferably about 1 minute 30 seconds, and the chlorine content is reduced. Remove. When tap water is not used, the heating for removing the chlorine content is omitted and the process proceeds to the next step.
Step S6 (steaming process): In the steaming process, the tea leaves are immersed in hot water in which a large amount of water vapor bubbles (boiling bubbles) are continuously generated, so that the dried tea leaves in a contracted state are jumped to perform early operation. The tea components contained in the tea leaves are extracted evenly in hot water.

  That is, by maintaining the temperature of the hot water in the extraction container 20 at about 95 ° C., a state where a large amount of water vapor bubbles continues to be generated in the hot water is maintained. In this state, the tea leaf net 2 is put into the hot water in the extraction container 20 by lowering the movable lid 12 to which the tea leaf net 2 is fixed by the lowering operation of the lifting mechanism body 11. The steaming process begins when the tea leaves are immersed in hot water in which a large amount of steam is foamed. In this steaming step, the movable lid 12 closes the opening 20a of the extraction container 20 or closes it while ensuring a part of air permeability, so that extraction is performed while performing optimum temperature control without lowering the hot water temperature. Can be completed.

  In the steaming process, the following operation is performed. That is, the tea leaf net 2 is put into foamed hot water, and the heater 25 is kept warm so that the hot water temperature is maintained at about 95 ° C. for 2 minutes to 2 minutes 30 seconds, preferably 2 minutes 30. Soak tea leaves in hot water for about a second. Due to this transition to the heat retaining state, a large amount of water vapor bubbles can continue to be generated in the extraction container 20, and a jumping operation is realized in which the tea leaves in the tea leaf net 2 are stirred and flowed by the bubbles rising vigorously. . By continuing to supply power to the heater unit 25, the heater unit 25 is always heated and foaming continues, so the tea leaves are constantly stirred and flowing, and the tea leaves are released. The tea beverage is forcibly extracted from the tea leaves while being promoted. By this forced tea beverage extraction process, it becomes possible to extract tannin contained in the black tea leaf, for example, the umami component of the black tea leaf, at a sufficiently early time. When the steaming process for 2 minutes to 2 minutes and 30 seconds is completed, the power supply to the heater unit 25 is automatically stopped.

In the steaming process, the movable lid 12 functions to keep the temperature of the hot water from being lowered and to maintain a state where water vapor bubbles are easily generated.
Step 7 (tea leaf net removing step): The lifting mechanism unit 10 is moved up to take out the tea leaf net 2 immersed in the hot water of the extraction container 20. As a result, the tea leaves are removed from the extraction container 20, and only the tea beverage containing the components extracted from the tea leaves remains in the extraction container 20. The operator can easily discard the tea leaves remaining on the tea leaf net 2 by removing the tea leaf net 2 containing the extracted tea leaves from the movable lid 12.
Step 8: The extracted beverage remains in the extraction container 20, and the heater unit 25 is turned on again to enter a heat retention mode in which the beverage is not cooled.

  Next, Fig.10 (a) is a front view which shows schematic structure of the drink extracting device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention, (b) is the top view. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated to the same part as the apparatus structure of embodiment of FIG.

  The beverage extraction device 1 is different from the above embodiment in the configuration of the lifting mechanism unit 10.

  That is, the elevating mechanism unit 10 of the beverage extraction device 1 according to this embodiment rotates in a state in which the elevator body 11 provided with the drive mechanism and the tea leaf net 2 are detachably supported and the tea leaf net 2 is supported. An arm 41 that moves up and down about the shaft 40, and when the tea leaf net 2 is in the lowered position due to the lowering of the arm 41, the opening 20a of the extraction container is closed, and when the arm 41 is raised, the tea leaf net is And a movable lid 42 that opens the opening 20a when retracting to the outside.

  It should be noted that the arm 41 and the movable lid 42 do not necessarily need to be interlocked. When the arm 41 is lowered, the movable lid 42 is synchronized to close the opening 20a, and when the arm is raised, the movable lid is synchronized to the opening. You may comprise so that it may respond | correspond so that 20a may be open | released.

  The tea leaf net 2 is swingably supported by a support shaft 41a provided at an appropriate position of the arm 41, and is configured so as to be able to appropriately maintain the posture when ascending as indicated by a solid line and when descending as indicated by a broken line.

  The drive mechanism includes a drive source such as a motor and a solenoid, and transmits a driving force from the drive source to the rotating shaft 40 or the arm 41, whereby the arm 41 is moved to a raised position (retracted position) indicated by a solid line. Further, it is configured to advance and retreat between a lowered position (extracted position) indicated by a broken line. The movable lid 42 is configured to be freely opened and closed between an open position indicated by a solid line and a closed position indicated by a broken line by a shaft portion 43 provided at an appropriate position of the apparatus. Then, an ascending / descending operation of the arm 41 and an opening / closing operation of the movable lid 42 are interlocked by an interlocking mechanism (not shown).

  Alternatively, the arm 41 and the movable lid 42 may be driven in synchronization by separate drive sources.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, the arm 41 and the movable lid 42 are configured not to interfere with each other.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the tea leaf net (tea leaf net) 2 is fixed to the net support portion 13 provided on the movable lid 12, and in this state, the movable lid 12 is moved up and down by the lifting mechanism body 11, And since the raising / lowering timing of the raising / lowering mechanism part 10 and the temperature control of the heater part 25 were performed by the control part 34, the tea leaf (tea leaf) was set in the net 2 for tea leaves, and the extraction container which inject | poured the appropriate amount of water is used as a heater part. After being set up, a tea beverage (beverage) having an ideal concentration, flavor, etc. can be easily extracted by a simple operation by simply operating the mode setting unit.

  Moreover, the control part 34 immerses the tea leaf net 2 in the water in the extraction container 20 arrange | positioned under the raising / lowering path | route of the tea leaf net 2 by operating the raising / lowering mechanism part 10 and raising / lowering the movable lid 12. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a tea beverage having an ideal concentration and flavor by simply performing a simple switch operation.

  In addition, since the tea leaf net 2 is detachably attached to the net support portion 13 formed of a magnet or a slide mechanism, the tea leaf net 2 can be easily and reliably attached and detached.

  Since a mode setting unit 30 for setting each operation step and a display unit 31 for displaying necessary items such as step contents for each operation step are further provided, various operation step settings can be set while viewing the display on the display unit 31. It can be done easily.

  Since the movable lid 12 is provided with a weight sensor 35 for detecting the weight of the tea leaves in the tea leaf net 2 and the amount of tea leaves can be adjusted to an arbitrary amount, the concentration, taste, etc. of the extracted beverage can be made constant. .

  When the automatic operation mode is set by the mode setting unit 30, the control unit 34 removes water in the extraction container and other flavor-inhibiting substances from the water in the container at 95 ° C. or higher for 1 minute to Since the heater unit 25 is controlled so as to continue boiling for about 1 minute and 30 seconds, it is possible to reliably remove chalk and the like.

  When the automatic operation mode is set by the mode setting unit 30, the control unit 34 keeps the water in the extraction container warm at about 95 ° C. for about 2 minutes to 2 minutes and 30 seconds in order to steam the tea leaves in the extraction container 20. Since the heater unit 25 is controlled so that the dried tea leaves are sufficiently steamed, tannin can be extracted from the tea leaves at an early time.

  Since the steaming time can be set to an arbitrary time by operating the mode setting unit 30, the optimum temperature can be set according to the type and amount of tea leaves and the taste of taste.

  Since the temperature sensor 27 for detecting the temperature of the water in the extraction container 20 is installed in the heater unit 25 for heating the extraction container 20, the temperature sensor 27 is not directly brought into contact with the water in the extraction container 20. The temperature can be detected in real time.

The tea leaves to be extracted by the tea leaves for net 2, since the dried leaves of red tea can be used, it can be extracted without impairing the taste of a tea leaf to long-term storage conditions.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention, the application to various drink extraction is possible.

(A) is a front view which shows the tea beverage extraction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (b) is the top view. The figure which shows the state which the net | network for tea leaves which comprises the tea drink extraction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention fell. The block block diagram of the tea beverage extraction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the state which is measuring the weight of the tea leaf in the net for tea leaves. (A) thru | or (h) is a figure which shows the display content in automatic operation mode. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the display content in the extraction step classified by tea leaf type. (A) thru | or (f) is a figure which shows the display content in automatic operation mode. (A) is a figure which shows the tea leaf quantity management conditions at the time of black tea beverage extraction, (b) is a figure which shows the hot water temperature management conditions at the time of tea-type drink extraction. The flowchart which shows the procedure for extracting a tea drink with the tea drink extraction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) And (b) is a front view and a top view which show schematic structure of the drink extracting device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tea drink extraction apparatus, 2 ... Tea leaf net (tea leaf net), 10 ... Elevating mechanism part, 11 ... Elevating mechanism main body, 12 ... Movable lid, 13 ... Net support part, 15 ... Base part, 16 ... Case, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Extraction container, 20a ... Opening part, 25 ... Heater part, 27 ... Temperature sensor, 30 ... Mode setting part, 31 ... Display part, 32 ... Adjustment knob, 34 ... Control part, 35 ... Weight sensor, T ... Raw material ( Tea leaves), W ... water, 40 ... rotating shaft, 41 ... arm, 42 ... movable lid, 43 ... shaft.

Claims (1)

A tea beverage extraction device for extracting tea beverages of black tea,
A tea leaf net with water permeability to accommodate tea leaves,
An elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the tea leaf net; and
An extraction container disposed in a position where the tea leaf net can be received when the tea leaf net is in the lowered position;
A heater unit for heating water in the extraction container;
A control unit for controlling the lifting mechanism unit and the heater unit,
The control unit controls the elevating mechanism unit so that the tea leaf net is advanced and retracted between a lowered position that has entered the extraction container and a raised position that has been retracted out of the extraction container.
The control unit continues power supply to the heater unit for a predetermined time so as to continue generating bubbles of water vapor in the water while the tea leaf net containing tea leaves is immersed in the water in the extraction container. Control and
The elevating mechanism section includes an elevating mechanism main body provided with a drive mechanism, and a movable lid that is raised and lowered by the elevating mechanism main body and detachably holds the tea leaf net,
The movable lid closes the opening of the extraction container when lowered, and is a tea beverage extraction device.

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