阅读说明：本技术 装置、方法及程序、以及系统 (Device, method, program, and system ) 是由 木原海俊 鸟津泰祐 于 2019-08-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种基于饮料的材料的拍摄数据来估计该饮料的材料的特性的装置。获取在饮料的调制中使用的饮料的材料的拍摄数据,基于获取到的拍摄数据来估计饮料的材料的特性。(An apparatus for estimating a characteristic of a material of a beverage based on shot data of the material of the beverage is provided. The method includes acquiring imaging data of a material of the beverage used for preparation of the beverage, and estimating a characteristic of the material of the beverage based on the acquired imaging data.)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a photographed data acquiring unit that acquires photographed data of a material of a beverage used in preparation of the beverage; and

an estimation unit that estimates a characteristic of a material of the beverage based on the shot data acquired by the shot data acquisition unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1,

further comprises an extraction means for extracting a characteristic amount of a material of the beverage from the captured data,

the estimation unit estimates a characteristic of a material of the beverage from the feature amount extracted by the extraction unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2,

the material of the beverage is beans, and the characteristic quantity includes at least any one of a shape and a size of the beans.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

further comprises a storage means for storing the estimation result obtained by the estimation means,

the estimation unit is capable of estimating a property of the material of the beverage using the estimation result previously stored to the storage unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4,

the image processing apparatus further includes a display unit that displays a screen corresponding to the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5,

the display unit displays one or more categories of material of the beverage based on the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6,

the display unit displays the characteristic of the material of the beverage in an adjustable manner based on the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7,

further, the beverage maker may further include an updating unit that updates the estimation result stored in the storage unit when the characteristic of the material of the beverage is adjusted.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8,

the estimation result stored in the storage unit is large data.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

further provided is a profile acquisition unit that acquires one or more pieces of profile information for generating a beverage using the material of the beverage based on the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit.

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

the material of the beverage is coffee beans.

12. The apparatus of claim 11,

the estimation unit estimates a property of the material of the beverage based on the shape of the central gutter of the coffee beans.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

the characteristics of the material of the beverage include at least any one of variety, place of production, degree of processing, and elapsed days from processing.

14. A method, implemented in an apparatus, the method characterized by the following steps:

an acquisition step of acquiring imaging data of a material of a beverage used for preparation of the beverage; and

an estimation step of estimating a characteristic of a material of the beverage based on the shot data acquired in the acquisition step.

15. A program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. A system for generating a coffee beverage using coffee beans, the system being characterized in that it comprises means for performing an estimation process and beverage making means for generating the coffee beverage,

the device for executing estimation processing is provided with:

an acquisition unit that acquires shooting data of the coffee beans;

an estimation unit that estimates characteristics of the coffee beans based on the shooting data acquired by the acquisition unit; and

a display unit that displays one or more kinds of the coffee beans based on an estimation result obtained by the estimation unit,

the beverage production device is provided with a generation unit that generates the coffee beverage according to the type of coffee beans specified by the user from the one or more types.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device, a method, and a program, and a system that can be used in a system including a beverage making device.

Background

Patent document 1 describes the following: the visual observation of the sampling evaluation in the baking process can be realized as a configuration in which the image is taken by a camera. Patent document 2 describes the following: when a model coffee beverage is selected, its characteristics are replaced by brewing parameters. Herein, the brewing parameters are stated to comprise the particle size distribution of the ground coffee beans. Patent document 3 describes the following: it is analyzed whether the respective coffee beans based on the captured image meet the sorting condition. Here, the following is described: as sorting conditions, there are not only defective products but also importance on taste, importance on cost, variety and size of beans, and the like.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-123303

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-521139

Patent document 3: japanese patent No. 6312052

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in any patent document, the following is not mentioned: the characteristics of the material of the beverage are estimated based on the shot data of the material of the beverage.

The invention aims to provide a device, a method, a program and a system for estimating the characteristics of a material of a beverage based on shooting data of the material of the beverage.

Means for solving the problems

The device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a photographed data acquiring unit that acquires photographed data of a material of a beverage used in preparation of the beverage; and an estimation unit that estimates a characteristic of a material of the beverage based on the shot data acquired by the shot data acquisition unit.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, the characteristics of the material of the beverage can be estimated based on the shot data of the material of the beverage.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an external view of a beverage production device.

Fig. 2 is a partial front view of the beverage making device of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the function of the beverage producing apparatus of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a partial cutaway perspective view of the separation device.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the drive unit and the extraction container.

Fig. 6 is a view showing a closed state and an open state of the extraction container of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a front view showing a structure of a part of the upper unit and the lower unit.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of a central unit.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a control device of the beverage making apparatus of fig. 1.

Fig. 11 (a) and (B) are flowcharts showing an example of control executed by the control device.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a system including a beverage production apparatus.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a server.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mobile terminal.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of the information display device.

Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining a flow until coffee is extracted.

Fig. 17 is a diagram for explaining a flow until coffee is extracted.

Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a TOP screen of an application program displayed on the mobile terminal.

Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a service screen.

Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a service screen.

Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing the process of estimating the characteristics of coffee beans.

Fig. 22 is a diagram showing shot data.

Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting the feature amount of coffee beans.

Fig. 24 is a view showing measurement points of coffee beans.

Fig. 25 is a graph showing measured values of coffee beans.

Fig. 26 is a diagram for explaining classification of measurement values.

Fig. 27 is a diagram showing the feature values of each group obtained by classification.

Fig. 28 is a flowchart showing the process of estimating the characteristics of coffee beans.

Fig. 29 is a flowchart showing the taste profile estimation process.

Fig. 30 is a flowchart showing a model generation process.

Fig. 31 is a flowchart showing the display processing.

Fig. 32 is a diagram showing a user interface screen displayed by the information display device.

Fig. 33 is a diagram showing a user interface screen displayed by the information display device.

Fig. 34 is a diagram showing a user interface screen displayed by the information display device.

Fig. 35 is a diagram showing a user interface screen displayed by the information display device.

Fig. 36 is a diagram showing a user interface screen displayed by the information display device.

Fig. 37 is a flowchart showing a transmission process of the extracted profile.

Fig. 38 is a flowchart showing the update process of the database.

Fig. 39 is a diagram showing a user interface screen displayed by the information display device.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention are explained with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

<1 > brief summary of beverage production apparatus

Fig. 1 is an external view of a beverage production apparatus 1. The beverage producing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus for automatically producing a coffee beverage from roasted coffee beans and a liquid (water in this case), and can produce a cup of coffee beverage for each production operation. Roasted coffee beans as a raw material can be contained in the pot 40. A cup placing portion 110 is provided at a lower portion of the beverage producing apparatus 1, and the produced coffee beverage is poured into a cup from the pouring portion 10 c.

The beverage production device 1 includes a housing 100 that forms an outer package of the beverage production device 1 and surrounds internal mechanisms. The housing 100 is roughly divided into a main body portion 101 and a cover portion 102, and the cover portion 102 covers a part of the front face and a part of the side face of the beverage production apparatus 1. The cover 102 is provided with an information display device 12. In the present embodiment, the information display device 12 is a touch panel display, and can receive input from a manager of the device or a consumer of beverages in addition to displaying various information. The information display device 12 is attached to the cover 102 via a moving mechanism 12a, and can be moved in a vertical direction within a constant range by the moving mechanism 12 a.

The cover 102 is further provided with a bean inlet 103 and a door 103a for opening and closing the bean inlet 103. The opening/closing door 103 can be opened to feed roasted coffee beans different from the roasted coffee beans contained in the pot 40 into the bean inlet 103. Thereby, a special cup can be provided to the consumer of the beverage.

In the case of the present embodiment, the cover portion 102 is formed of a material having light transmittance such as acryl or glass, and constitutes a transparent cover integrally formed as a transmissive portion. Therefore, the mechanism inside cover portion 102 covered by cover portion 102 can be viewed from the outside. In the present embodiment, a part of a producing unit for producing a coffee beverage can be visually recognized through the cover portion 102. In the case of the present embodiment, the main body 101 is formed as a non-transmissive portion as a whole, and it is difficult to visually recognize the inside of the main body 101 from the outside.

Fig. 2 is a partial front view of the beverage production apparatus 1, and is a view showing a part of the production unit that is visible to a user from a front view of the beverage production apparatus 1. The cover 102 and the information display device 12 are illustrated by virtual lines.

The casing 100 of the front surface portion of the beverage producing apparatus 1 has a two-layer structure of a main body 101 and a cover portion 102 on the outer side (front side) thereof. A part of the mechanism of the manufacturing part is disposed between the main body part 101 and the cover part 12 in the front-rear direction, and can be visually recognized by the user through the cover part 102.

In the present embodiment, some of the mechanisms of the manufacturing unit that the user can visually recognize through the cover 102 are the collecting and conveying unit 42, the grinders 5A and 5B, the separating device 6, the extraction container 9, and the like, which will be described later. A rectangular recess 101a recessed to the back side is formed in the front surface portion of the main body 101, and the extraction container 9 and the like are located on the back side in the recess 101 a.

By being able to visually recognize these mechanisms from the outside through the cover portion 102, inspection and operation confirmation may become easy for the administrator. In addition, consumers of beverages may enjoy the process of making coffee beverages.

The cover portion 102 is supported at its right end portion by the main body portion 101 via a hinge 102a so as to be openable and closable in a laterally-opened manner. An engagement portion 102b for maintaining the body 101 and the cover 102 in a closed state is provided at the left end portion of the cover 102. The engaging portion 102b is a combination of a magnet and iron, for example. The manager can open the cover portion 102 to inspect a part of the manufacturing portion inside the cover portion 102.

In the present embodiment, the cover 102 is a horizontally open type, but may be a vertically open type (vertically open type) or a slide type. The cover 102 may not be openable and closable.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the function of the beverage production apparatus 1. The beverage production apparatus 1 includes a bean processing apparatus 2 and an extraction apparatus 3 as a production section of a coffee beverage.

The bean processing device 2 produces ground beans from roasted coffee beans. The extraction device 3 extracts coffee liquid from the ground beans supplied from the bean processing device 2. The extraction device 3 includes a fluid supply unit 7, a drive unit 8 described later, an extraction container 9, and a switching unit 10. The ground beans supplied from the bean processing apparatus 2 are put into the extraction container 9. The fluid supply unit 7 injects hot water into the extraction container 9. Coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans in an extraction container 9. The hot water containing the extracted coffee liquid is delivered to the cup C as a coffee beverage via the switching unit 10.

<2. fluid supply unit and switching unit >

The structures of the fluid supply unit 7 and the switching unit 10 will be described with reference to fig. 3. First, the fluid supply unit 7 is explained. The fluid supply unit 7 supplies hot water to the extraction container 9, controls the air pressure in the extraction container 9, and the like. In the present specification, when the atmospheric pressure is numerically illustrated, the atmospheric pressure refers to an absolute pressure unless otherwise specified, and the gauge pressure refers to an atmospheric pressure when the atmospheric pressure is set to 0 atm. The atmospheric pressure refers to the atmospheric pressure around the extraction container 9 or the atmospheric pressure of the beverage production device, and when the beverage production device is installed at a location having an altitude of 0m, for example, a reference atmospheric pressure (1013.25hPa) at an altitude of 0m is established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (International Standard atmospheric pressure (ISA)).

The fluid supply unit 7 includes pipes L1 to L3. The pipe L1 is a pipe through which air flows, and the pipe L2 is a pipe through which water flows. The pipe L3 is a pipe through which both air and water can flow.

The fluid supply unit 7 includes a compressor 70 as a pressurizing source. The compressor 70 compresses atmospheric air and sends the compressed air. The compressor 70 is driven by a motor (not shown) as a drive source, for example. The compressed air sent from the compressor 70 is supplied to an air tank (air cylinder) 71 via a check valve 71 a. The air pressure in the air tank 71 is monitored by a pressure sensor 71b, and the compressor 70 is driven so as to maintain a predetermined air pressure (in the present embodiment, 7 air pressures (6 air pressures if gauge pressure is used)). The air tank 71 is provided with a drain pipe 71c for draining water generated by the compression of air.

Hot water (water) constituting a coffee beverage is accumulated in the water tank 72. The water tank 72 is provided with a heater 72a for heating the water in the water tank 72 and a temperature sensor 72b for measuring the temperature of the water. The heater 72a maintains the temperature of the hot water stored at a predetermined temperature (120 degrees celsius in the present embodiment) based on the detection result of the temperature sensor 72 b. The heater 72a is turned ON (ON) when the temperature of the hot water is 118 degrees celsius, and turned OFF (OFF) when the temperature of the hot water is 120 degrees celsius, for example.

The water tank 72 is also provided with a water level sensor 72 c. The water level sensor 72c detects the level of the hot water in the water tank 72. When the water level sensor 72c detects that the water level has fallen below a predetermined level, water is supplied to the water tank 72. In the present embodiment, tap water is supplied through a water purifier, not shown. An electromagnetic valve 72d is provided in the middle of the pipe L2 from the water purifier, and when the water level sensor 72c detects a drop in the water level, the electromagnetic valve 72d is opened to supply water, and when the water level reaches a predetermined water level, the electromagnetic valve 72d is closed to cut off the supply of water. In this way, the hot water in the water tank 72 is maintained at a constant level. The water may be supplied to the water tank 72 every time hot water used for producing a coffee beverage is discharged.

The water tank 72 is also provided with a pressure sensor 72 g. The pressure sensor 72g detects the air pressure inside the water tank 72. The air pressure in the air tank 71 is supplied to the water tank 72 via the pressure regulating valve 72e and the electromagnetic valve 72 f. The pressure regulating valve 72e reduces the air pressure supplied from the air tank 71 to a predetermined air pressure. In the case of the present embodiment, the pressure is reduced to 3 atm (2 atm if gauge pressure is used). The solenoid valve 72f switches between supply and cutoff of the air pressure regulated by the pressure regulating valve 72e to the water tank 72. The solenoid valve 72f is controlled to open and close as follows: except when the tap water is supplied to the water tank 72, the air pressure in the water tank 72 is maintained at 3 atm. When the tap water is supplied to the water tank 72, the air pressure in the water tank 72 is reduced to a pressure lower than the water pressure of the tap water (for example, less than 2.5 air pressure) by the electromagnetic valve 72h so that the tap water is smoothly supplied to the water tank 72 by the water pressure of the tap water. The electromagnetic valve 72h switches whether or not to release the inside of the water tank 72 to the atmosphere, and releases the inside of the water tank 72 to the atmosphere when the pressure is reduced. The solenoid valve 72h releases the inside of the water tank 72 to the atmosphere to maintain the inside of the water tank 72 at 3 atmospheres, even when the air pressure inside the water tank 72 exceeds 3 atmospheres, other than when the tap water is supplied to the water tank 72.

The hot water in the water tank 72 is supplied to the extraction container 9 through the check valve 72j, the solenoid valve 72i, and the pipe L3. The hot water is supplied to the extraction container 9 by opening the solenoid valve 72i, and the supply of the hot water is shut off by closing the solenoid valve 72 i. The supply amount of hot water to the extraction container 9 can be managed by the opening time of the electromagnetic valve 72 i. However, the supply amount may be measured to control the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 72 i. The pipe L3 is provided with a temperature sensor 73e for measuring the temperature of the hot water to monitor the temperature of the hot water supplied to the extraction container 9.

The air pressure of the air tank 71 is also supplied to the extraction container 9 via a pressure regulating valve 73a and an electromagnetic valve 73 b. The pressure regulating valve 73a reduces the air pressure supplied from the air tank 71 to a predetermined air pressure. In the case of the present embodiment, the pressure is reduced to 5 atm (4 atm if gauge pressure is used). The solenoid valve 73b switches between supply and cutoff of the air pressure regulated by the regulator valve 73a to the extraction container 9. The air pressure in the extraction container 9 is detected by the pressure sensor 73 d. When the interior of the extraction container 9 is pressurized, the electromagnetic valve 73b is opened based on the detection result of the pressure sensor 73d, and the interior of the extraction container 9 is pressurized to a predetermined atmospheric pressure (in the present embodiment, the maximum atmospheric pressure is 5 atmospheres (4 atmospheres if gauge pressure is used)). The air pressure in the extraction container 9 can be reduced by the electromagnetic valve 73 c. The electromagnetic valve 73c switches whether or not to release the interior of the extraction container 9 to the atmosphere, and releases the interior of the extraction container 9 to the atmosphere when the pressure is abnormal (for example, when the pressure in the extraction container 9 exceeds 5 atm).

When the production of the single coffee beverage is completed, in the present embodiment, the inside of the extraction container 9 is cleaned with tap water. The electromagnetic valve 73f is opened during cleaning, and tap water is supplied to the extraction container 9.

Next, the switching unit 10 is explained. The switching means 10 is a means for switching the destination of the liquid sent from the extraction container 9 to either the injection portion 10c or the disposal tank T. The switching unit 10 includes a switching valve 10a and a motor 10b that drives the switching valve 10 a. When the coffee beverage in the extraction container 9 is to be dispensed, the switching valve 10a switches the flow path to the injection portion 10 c. The coffee beverage is poured from the pouring portion 10C into the cup C. When waste liquid (tap water) and residue (ground beans) during cleaning are to be discharged, the flow path is switched to the waste tank T. In the present embodiment, the switching valve 10a is a three-port ball valve. Since the residue passes through the switching valve 10a during cleaning, the switching valve 10a is preferably a ball valve, and the flow path is switched by rotating the rotating shaft of the motor 10 b.

<3 > Bean treatment apparatus

The bean processing apparatus 2 will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. The bean processing apparatus 2 includes a storage apparatus 4 and a crushing apparatus 5.

<3-1. accumulating apparatus >

The holding device 4 includes a plurality of pots 40 that hold the roasted coffee beans. In the present embodiment, three pots 40 are provided. The pot 40 includes a cylindrical main body 40a that houses the roasted coffee beans and a handle 40b provided on the main body 40a, and the pot 40 is configured to be detachable from the beverage production apparatus 1.

Each of the pots 40 may store different types of roasted coffee beans, and the type of roasted coffee beans used for producing the coffee beverage may be selected by an operation input to the information display device 12. The different kinds of roasted coffee beans mean, for example, roasted coffee beans different in kind from coffee beans. The roasted coffee beans of different types may be roasted coffee beans of the same type but having different degrees of roasting. The roasted coffee beans having different types may be roasted coffee beans having different types and degrees of roasting. Further, roasted coffee beans obtained by mixing a plurality of types of roasted coffee beans may be accommodated in at least any one of the three pots 40. In this case, the roast degree of each variety of roasted coffee beans may be the same.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of cans 40 are provided, but only one can 40 may be provided. In the case where a plurality of pots 40 are provided, the same kind of roasted coffee beans may be contained in all or a plurality of pots 40.

Each of the pots 40 is detachably mounted on the measuring and conveying device 41. The measuring and conveying device 41 is, for example, an electric screw conveyor, and automatically measures a predetermined amount of roasted coffee beans contained in the pot 40 and then delivers the measured amount to the downstream side.

Each metering conveyor 41 discharges roasted coffee beans to the downstream collecting conveyor 42. The collecting and conveying unit 42 is formed of a hollow member, and forms a conveying path for conveying the roasted coffee beans from each conveyor 41 to the grinding device 5 (particularly, the grinder 5A). The roasted coffee beans discharged from the respective metering conveyors 41 move inside the collecting conveyor 42 by their own weight and fall to the grinder 5.

In the collecting and conveying section 42, a guide section 42a is formed at a position corresponding to the bean inlet 103. The guide portion 42a forms a passage that guides the roasted coffee beans injected from the bean injection port 103 to the grinding device 5 (particularly, the grinder 5A). This makes it possible to produce a coffee beverage that uses roasted coffee beans contained in the pot 40 as a raw material and that also uses roasted coffee beans injected from the bean injection port 103 as a raw material.

<3-2. crushing apparatus >

The crushing apparatus 5 is explained with reference to fig. 2 and 4. Fig. 4 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the separating apparatus 6. The crushing apparatus 5 includes grinders 5A and 5B and a separation apparatus 6. The grinders 5A and 5B grind the roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4. The roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4 are ground by the grinder 5A, ground by the grinder 5B into powder, and then fed into the extraction container 9 through the discharge pipe 5C.

The grinders 5A and 5B have different ground coffee beans in particle size. The grinder 5A is a grinder for rough grinding, and the grinder 5B is a grinder for fine grinding. The grinders 5A, 5B are electric grinders each including a motor as a drive source, a rotary blade driven by the motor, and the like. The size (particle size) of the ground roasted coffee beans can be changed by changing the rotational speed of the rotary knife.

The separation device 6 is a mechanism for separating impurities from the ground beans. The separation device 6 includes a passage portion 63a disposed between the grinders 5A and 5B. The passage portion 63a is a hollow body forming a separation chamber through which ground beans freely falling from the grinder 5A pass. A passage portion 63b extending in a direction (in the present embodiment, the left-right direction) intersecting the passing direction (in the present embodiment, the vertical direction) of the ground beans is connected to the passage portion 63a, and the suction unit 60 is connected to the passage portion 63 b. The suction unit 60 sucks air in the passage 63a, thereby sucking a light object such as a case or fine powder. Thereby, impurities can be separated from the ground beans.

The suction unit 60 is a centrifugal separation type mechanism. The suction unit 60 includes an air blowing unit 60A and a recovery container 60B. In the present embodiment, the air blowing unit 60A is a fan motor, and discharges the air in the collection container 60B upward.

The collection container 60B includes an upper portion 61 and a lower portion 62 that are detachably engaged with each other. The lower part 62 is of a bottomed cylindrical shape opened at the upper side, and forms a space for accumulating impurities. The upper portion 61 constitutes a lid portion fitted to an opening of the lower portion 62. The upper portion 61 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 61a and an exhaust funnel 61b formed coaxially with the outer peripheral wall 61 a. The blower unit 60A is fixed to the upper portion 61 above the exhaust duct 61b so as to suck air in the exhaust duct 61 b. The upper portion 61 is connected to a passage portion 63 b. The passage 63b opens to the side of the exhaust pipe 61 b.

By the driving of the air blowing unit 60A, air flows shown by arrows d1 to d3 in fig. 4 are generated. By this airflow, the air containing the impurities is drawn from the passage portion 63a into the recovery container 60B through the passage portion 63B. Since the passage 63b opens to the side of the exhaust pipe 61b, the air containing impurities swirls around the exhaust pipe 61 b. The impurities D in the air fall due to their weight and are collected in a part of the recovery container 60B (accumulated on the bottom surface of the lower portion 62). The air passes through the inside of the exhaust pipe 61b and is discharged upward.

A plurality of fins 61d are integrally formed on the circumferential surface of the exhaust pipe 61 b. The plurality of fins 61d are arranged in the circumferential direction of the exhaust pipe 61 b. Each fin 61d is inclined obliquely with respect to the axial direction of the exhaust funnel 61 b. By providing such fins 61, the air containing the impurities D is promoted to swirl around the exhaust pipe 61 b.

In the case of the present embodiment, the lower portion 62 is formed of a material having light transmittance such as acryl, glass, or the like, and constitutes a transparent container whose whole is formed as a transmission portion. The lower portion 62 is a portion covered with the cover portion 102 (fig. 2). The manager or the consumer of the beverage can visually recognize the foreign matter D accumulated in the lower portion 62 through the peripheral walls of the cover portion 102 and the lower portion 62. The manager may easily confirm the timing of cleaning the lower portion 62, and the consumer of the beverage may visually recognize that the foreign matter D is being removed, thereby improving the expectation of the quality of the coffee beverage being produced.

In this way, in the present embodiment, the roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4 are first coarsely ground by the grinder 5A, and impurities are separated by the separation device 6 when the coarsely ground beans pass through the passage portion 63 a. The coarsely ground beans after the impurities are separated are finely ground by a grinder 5B. The impurities separated by the separator 6 are represented by a shell and fine powder. These impurities may deteriorate the taste of the coffee beverage, and the quality of the coffee beverage can be improved by removing the shell and the like from the ground beans.

The grinding of the roasted coffee beans can also be performed by a grinder (one stage grinding). However, by performing two-stage grinding by the two grinders 5A and 5B as in the present embodiment, the particle size of the ground beans can be easily made uniform, and the degree of extraction of the coffee liquid can be made constant. When the beans are ground, heat may be generated due to friction between the cutter and the beans. By performing the two-stage pulverization, heat generation due to friction during pulverization can be suppressed, and deterioration (e.g., deterioration in flavor) of the ground beans can be prevented.

Further, by the steps of rough grinding → separation of impurities → fine grinding, the difference in mass between the impurities and the ground beans (required portion) can be made large when the impurities such as the casing are separated. This improves the efficiency of separating impurities and prevents ground beans (required portions) from being separated as impurities. Further, by interposing an impurity separation process using air suction between the rough grinding and the fine grinding, heat generation of the ground beans can be suppressed by air cooling.

<4. drive Unit and extraction vessel >

<4-1. Abstract >

The drive unit 8 and the extraction container 9 of the extraction device 3 are explained with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the drive unit 8 and the extraction container 9. Most of the drive unit 8 is surrounded by the main body portion 101.

The drive unit 8 is supported by the frame F. The frame F includes upper and lower beam portions F1, F2 and a pillar portion F3 that supports the beam portions F1, F2. The drive unit 8 is roughly divided into three units of an upper unit 8A, a middle unit 8B, and a lower unit 8C. The upper unit 8A is supported by the beam portion F1. The middle unit 8B is supported by the beam portion F1 and the pillar portion F3 between the beam portion F1 and the beam portion F2. The lower unit 8C is supported by the beam portion F2.

The extraction container 9 is a chamber including a container body 90 and a cover unit 91. The extraction container 9 is sometimes referred to as a chamber. The middle unit 8B includes an arm member 820 that detachably holds the container body 90. The arm member 820 includes a holding member 820a and a pair of shaft members 820b separated right and left. The holding member 820a is an elastic member such as resin formed in a C-shaped clip shape, and holds the container body 90 by its elastic force. The holding members 82a hold the left and right side portions of the container body 90 and expose the front side of the container body 90. This makes it easy to visually recognize the inside of the container body 90 from the front view.

The container body 90 is attached to and detached from the holding member 820a by manual operation, and the container body 90 is attached to the holding member 820a by pressing the container body 90 rearward in the front-rear direction in the holding member 820 a. Further, by pulling out the container body 90 from the holding member 820a to the front side in the front-rear direction, the container body 90 can be separated from the holding member 820 a.

The pair of shaft members 820b are levers extending in the front-rear direction, and support the holding members 820 a. In the present embodiment, the number of the shaft members 820b is two, but one shaft member may be used, or three or more shaft members may be used. The holding member 820a is fixed to the front end portions of the pair of shaft members 820 b. By advancing and retreating the pair of shaft members 82b in the front-rear direction by a mechanism described later, the holding member 820a can be advanced and retreated in the front-rear direction, and the movement operation for moving the container main body 90 in parallel in the front-rear direction can be performed. As will be described later, the middle unit 8B can also perform a turning operation for turning the extraction container 9 upside down.

<4-2. extraction vessel >

The extraction container 9 is explained with reference to fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a closed state and an open state of the extraction container 9. As described above, the extraction container 9 is turned upside down by the middle unit 8B. The extraction container 9 of fig. 6 shows a basic posture in which the cover unit 91 is located at the upper side. In the following description, when the positional relationship between the upper and lower sides is described, the positional relationship between the upper and lower sides in the basic posture is referred to unless otherwise specified.

The container body 90 is a bottomed container, and has a bottle shape having a neck portion 90b, a shoulder portion 90d, a body portion 90e, and a bottom portion 90 f. A flange portion 90c is formed at an end portion of the neck portion 90b (an upper end portion of the container body 90), and the flange portion 90c defines an opening 90a communicating with the internal space of the container body 90.

The neck portion 90b and the body portion 90e each have a cylindrical shape. The shoulder portion 90d is a portion between the neck portion 90b and the body portion 90e, and has a tapered shape such that the cross-sectional area of the internal space thereof gradually decreases from the body portion 90e side toward the neck portion 90b side.

The cover unit 91 opens and closes the opening 90 a. The opening and closing operation (lifting operation) of the cover unit 91 is performed by the upper unit 8A.

The container body 90 includes a body member 900 and a bottom member 901. The body member 900 is a vertically open tubular member forming the neck portion 90b, shoulder portion 90d, and body portion 90 e. The bottom member 901 is a member forming the bottom portion 90f, and is inserted and fixed to the lower portion of the main body member 900. A sealing member 902 is interposed between the body member 900 and the bottom member 901 to improve airtightness in the container body 90.

In the case of the present embodiment, the body member 900 is formed of a material having light transmittance such as acryl, glass, or the like, and constitutes a transparent container whose whole is formed as a transmission portion. The manager or the consumer of the beverage can visually recognize the extraction state of the coffee beverage in the container body 90 through the cover portion 102 and the body member 900 of the container body 90. The manager may easily confirm the extraction operation, and the consumer of the beverage may enjoy the extraction situation.

A projection 901c is provided in the center of the bottom member 901, and a communication hole for communicating the inside of the container main body 90 with the outside and a valve (valve 903 in fig. 8) for opening and closing the communication hole are provided in the projection 901 c. The communication hole is used for discharging waste liquid and residue when the inside of the container main body 90 is cleaned. A sealing member 908 is provided on the convex portion 901C, and the sealing member 908 is a member for maintaining airtightness between the upper unit 8A or the lower unit 8C and the bottom member 901.

The cover unit 91 includes a hat-shaped base member 911. The base member 911 has a convex portion 911d and a brim portion 911c that overlaps the flange portion 90c when closed. The projection 911d has the same structure as the projection 901c of the container main body 90, and the projection 911d is provided with a communication hole for communicating the inside of the container main body 90 with the outside, and a valve (a valve 913 in fig. 8) for opening and closing the communication hole. The communication hole of the convex portion 911d is mainly used for injecting hot water into the container main body 90 and delivering coffee beverage. The convex portion 911d is provided with a seal member 918 a. The sealing member 918A is a member for maintaining airtightness between the upper unit 8A or the lower unit 8C and the base member 911. A sealing member 919 is also provided to the cover unit 91. The sealing member 919 improves airtightness between the cover unit 91 and the container body 90 when the cover unit 91 is closed. The cover unit 91 holds a filter for filtration.

<4-3. upper and lower units >

The upper unit 8A and the lower unit 8C are explained with reference to fig. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a front view showing a structure of a part of the upper unit 8A and the lower unit 8C, and fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of fig. 7.

The upper unit 8A includes an operation unit 81A. The operation unit 81A performs an opening/closing operation (lifting/lowering) of the lid unit 91 with respect to the container body 90 and an opening/closing operation of the valves of the protrusions 901c and 911 d. The operation unit 81A includes a support member 800, a holding member 801, a lifting shaft 802, and a probe 803.

The support member 800 is fixed so that the relative position with respect to the frame F does not change, and the support member 800 accommodates the holding member 801. The support member 800 further includes a communication portion 800a that communicates the pipe L3 with the inside of the support member 800. Hot water, tap water, and air pressure supplied from the pipe L3 are introduced into the support member 800 through the communication portion 800 a.

The holding member 801 is a member that can detachably hold the cover unit 91. The holding member 801 has a cylindrical space into which the convex portion 911d of the cover unit 91 or the convex portion 901c of the bottom member 901 is inserted, and has a mechanism for detachably holding them. This mechanism is, for example, a snap ring mechanism, and is engaged by a certain pressing force and disengaged by a certain separating force. Hot water, tap water, and air pressure supplied from the pipe L3 can be supplied into the extraction container 9 through the communication portion 800a and the communication hole 801a of the holding member 801.

The holding member 801 is also a movable member provided to be slidable in the vertical direction in the support member 800. The elevating shaft 802 is disposed such that its axial direction is in the up-down direction. The elevating shaft 802 penetrates the top of the support member 800 in the vertical direction in an airtight manner, and is provided to be vertically movable with respect to the support member 800.

The top of the holding member 801 is fixed to the lower end of the elevating shaft 802. The holding member 801 is slid in the vertical direction by the vertical movement of the vertical movement shaft 802, and the holding member 801 can be attached to and detached from the convex portions 911d and 901 c. Further, the cover unit 91 can be opened and closed with respect to the container body 90.

A thread 802a constituting a screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the elevating shaft 802. A nut 804b is screwed to the screw 802 a. The upper unit 8A includes a motor 804a, and the nut 804b is rotated by the driving force of the motor 804a at the same time (without moving up and down). The lifting shaft 802 is lifted by rotating the nut 804 b.

The elevation shaft 802 is a tubular shaft having a through hole in the center axis thereof, and the probe 803 is inserted into the through hole so as to be slidable vertically. The probe 803 airtightly penetrates the top of the holding member 801 in the vertical direction, and is provided to be vertically movable with respect to the supporting member 800 and the holding member 801.

The probe 803 is an operation member that opens and closes the valves 913 and 903 provided inside the convex portions 911d and 901c, and the valves 913 and 903 can be changed from the closed state to the open state by lowering the probe 803, and the valves can be changed from the open state to the closed state by raising the probe 803 (by the action of a return spring not shown).

A screw 803a constituting a screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the probe 803. A nut 805b is screwed to the screw 803 a. The upper unit 8A is provided with a motor 805a, and a nut 805b is provided to be rotated in place (not moved up and down) by the driving force of the motor 805 a. The probe 803 is raised and lowered by the rotation of the nut 805 b.

The lower unit 8C includes an operation unit 81C. The operation unit 81C is configured by vertically reversing the operation unit 81A, and opens and closes the valves 913 and 903 provided inside the convex portions 911d and 901C. The operation unit 81C may be configured to be able to open and close the cover unit 91, but in the present embodiment, the operation unit 81C is not applied to opening and closing of the cover unit 91.

Next, the operation unit 81C is explained in the same manner as the explanation of the operation unit 81A. The operation unit 81C includes a support member 810, a holding member 811, a lifting shaft 812, and a probe 813.

The support member 810 is fixed so that the relative position with respect to the frame F does not change, and the support member 810 accommodates the holding member 811. The support member 810 further includes a communication portion 810a that communicates the switching valve 10a of the switching unit 10 with the inside of the support member 810. The coffee beverage, tap water, and ground bean residue in the container main body 90 are introduced into the switching valve 10a through the communication portion 810 a.

The holding member 811 has a cylindrical space into which the convex portion 911d of the cover unit 91 or the convex portion 901c of the bottom member 901 is inserted, and has a mechanism for detachably holding them. This mechanism is, for example, a snap ring mechanism, and is engaged by a certain pressing force and disengaged by a certain separating force. The coffee beverage, tap water, and ground bean residue in the container main body 90 are introduced into the switching valve 10a through the communication portion 810a and the communication hole 811a of the holding member 811.

The holding member 811 is also a movable member provided slidably in the vertical direction in the support member 810. The lift shaft 812 is disposed such that the axial direction thereof is the up-down direction. The elevating shaft 812 passes through the bottom of the support member 800 in the vertical direction in an airtight manner, and is vertically movably set with respect to the support member 810.

The bottom of the holding member 811 is fixed to the lower end of the elevating shaft 812. The holding member 811 is slid in the vertical direction by the vertical movement of the vertical movement shaft 812, and the holding member 811 can be attached to and detached from the convex portions 901c and 911 d.

A screw 812a constituting a screw mechanism is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the elevating shaft 812. A nut 814b is screwed to the screw 812 a. The lower unit 8C includes a motor 814a, and the nut 814b is rotated by the driving force of the motor 814a at the same time (without moving up and down). The lifting shaft 812 is lifted by the rotation of the nut 814 b.

The elevation shaft 812 is a tubular shaft having a through hole in the center axis thereof, and the probe 813 is inserted into the through hole so as to be slidable vertically. The probe 813 penetrates the bottom of the holding member 811 in a vertically airtight manner, and is provided to be vertically movable with respect to the supporting member 810 and the holding member 811.

The probe 813 is an operation member for opening and closing the valves 913 and 903 provided inside the convex portions 911d and 901c, and the valves 913 and 903 can be changed from the closed state to the open state by the rise of the probe 813, and the valves can be changed from the open state to the closed state by the fall of the probe 813 (by the action of a return spring not shown).

A screw 813a constituting a screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the probe 813. A nut 815b is screwed to the screw thread 813 a. The lower unit 8C is provided with a motor 815a, and a nut 815b is provided to be rotated in place (not up and down) by the driving force of the motor 815 a. The probe 813 is raised and lowered by the rotation of the nut 815 b.

<4-4. middle unit >

The middle unit 8B is explained with reference to fig. 5 and 9. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the middle unit 8B. The middle unit 8B includes a support unit 81B that supports the extraction container 9. The support unit 81B includes a unit main body 81B' that supports the lock mechanism 821, in addition to the arm member 820 described above.

The lock mechanism 821 is a mechanism that maintains the lid unit 91 in a closed state with respect to the container main body 90. The lock mechanism 821 includes a pair of gripping members 821a that vertically grip the brim portion 911c of the cover unit 91 and the flange portion 90c of the container body 90. The pair of gripping members 821a has a C-shaped cross section that sandwiches the visor portion 911C and the flange portion 90C and fits thereto, and is opened and closed in the left-right direction by the driving force of the motor 822. When the pair of gripping members 821a is in the closed state, as indicated by the solid lines in the circled diagram of fig. 9, the respective gripping members 821a sandwich the visor portion 911c and the flange portion 90c along the upper and lower sides and are fitted thereto, and the lid unit 91 is air-tightly locked with respect to the container body 90. In this locked state, even if the cover unit 91 is opened by raising the holding member 801 by the raising and lowering shaft 802, the cover unit 91 is not moved (the lock is not released). That is, the force of locking by the locking mechanism 821 is set stronger than the force of opening the cover unit 91 using the holding member 801. This can prevent the cover unit 91 from being opened with respect to the container body 90 in an abnormal state.

When the pair of gripping members 821a is in the open state, as indicated by the broken line in the circled diagram of fig. 9, the gripping members 821a are separated from the brim portion 911c and the flange portion 90c, and the lock between the cover unit 91 and the container body 90 is released.

When the holding member 801 is in a state of holding the lid unit 91 and the holding member 801 is raised from the lowered position to the raised position, the lid unit 91 is separated from the container body 90 when the pair of grip members 821a is in an open state. On the other hand, when the pair of gripping members 821a is in the closed state, the holding member 801 is released from the cover unit 91, and only the holding member 801 is lifted up.

The middle unit 8B further includes a mechanism for horizontally moving the arm member 820 in the front-rear direction with the motor 823 as a driving source. This enables container body 90 supported by arm member 820 to move between the rear extraction position (state ST1) and the front bean input position (state ST 2). The bean throwing position is a position where ground beans are thrown into the container body 90, and the ground beans ground by the grinder 5B are thrown from the discharge pipe 5C into the opening 90a of the container body 90 from which the cover unit 91 is separated. In other words, the discharge pipe 5C is positioned above the container body 90 at the bean feeding position.

The extraction position is a position at which the container body 90 can be operated by the operation units 81A and 81C, is coaxial with the probes 803 and 813, and extracts coffee liquid. The extraction position is a position further to the inner side than the bean input position. Fig. 5, 7 and 8 each show a case where the container body 90 is located at the extraction position. By thus making the position of the container body 90 at the time of putting ground beans different from the position of the container body 90 at the time of extracting coffee liquid and supplying water, it is possible to prevent hot air generated at the time of extracting coffee liquid from adhering to the discharge pipe 5C as a supply portion of ground beans.

The middle unit 8B further includes a mechanism for rotating the support unit 81B about the shaft 825 in the front-rear direction using the motor 824 as a drive source. This allows the posture of container main body 90 (extraction container 9) to be changed from the upright posture (state ST1) in which neck 90b is located on the upper side to the inverted posture (state ST3) in which neck 90b is located on the lower side. During the rotation of the extraction container 9, the state in which the lid unit 91 is locked to the container main body 90 is maintained by the lock mechanism 821. The extraction container 9 is turned upside down in the upright posture and the inverted posture. In the inverted posture, the convex portion 911d is located at the position of the convex portion 901c in the upright posture. In the inverted posture, the convex portion 901c is located at the position of the convex portion 911d in the upright posture. Therefore, in the inverted posture, the operation means 81A can perform the opening and closing operation of the valve 903, and the operation means 81C can perform the opening and closing operation of the valve 913.

<5. control device >

The control device 11 of the beverage production device 1 will be described with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a block diagram of the control device 11.

The controller 11 controls the entire beverage maker 1. The control device 11 includes a processing unit 11a, a storage unit 11b, and an I/F (interface) unit 11 c. The processing unit 11a is a processor such as a CPU. The storage unit 11b is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The I/F unit 11c includes an input/output interface for inputting/outputting signals between the external device and the processing unit 11 a. The I/F unit 11c further includes a communication interface capable of data communication with the server 16 via a communication network 15 such as the internet. The server 16 can communicate with a mobile terminal 17 such as a smartphone via the communication network 15, and can receive information such as reservation and feeling of beverage production from the mobile terminal 17 by a consumer of a beverage.

The processing unit 11a executes the program stored in the storage unit 11b, and controls the actuator group 14 based on an instruction from the information display device 12, a detection result of the sensor group 13, or an instruction from the server 16. The sensor group 13 is various sensors (for example, a temperature sensor of hot water, an operation position detection sensor of a mechanism, a pressure sensor, and the like) provided in the beverage producing apparatus 1. The actuator group 14 is various actuators (e.g., a motor, a solenoid valve, a heater, etc.) provided in the beverage making apparatus 1.

<6. operation control example >

An example of the control process of the beverage production apparatus 1 executed by the processing unit 11A will be described with reference to (a) and (B) of fig. 11A. Fig. 11 (a) shows an example of control related to a single coffee beverage producing operation. The state of the beverage production apparatus 1 before the production instruction is referred to as a standby state. The states of the respective mechanisms in the standby state are as follows.

The extraction device 3 is in the state of fig. 5. The extraction container 9 is in an upright posture and is located at an extraction position. The lock mechanism 821 is in a closed state, and the cover unit 91 closes the opening 90a of the container main body 90. The holding member 801 is located at the lowered position and fitted to the convex portion 911 d. The holding member 811 is located at the raised position and fitted to the boss 901 c. Valves 903 and 913 are in a closed state. The switching valve 10a connects the communication portion 810a of the operation unit 8C to the waste tank T.

In the standby state, when there is an instruction to produce a coffee beverage, the process of fig. 11 (a) is executed. In step S1, a warm-up process is executed. This treatment is a treatment of injecting hot water into the container body 90 to warm the container body 90 in advance. First, the valves 903 and 913 are opened. Thereby, the pipe L3, the extraction container 9, and the waste tank T are in a communicating state.

The solenoid valve 72i is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 1500ms) and then closed. Thereby, hot water is injected from the water tank 72 into the extraction container 9. The solenoid valve 73 is then opened for a prescribed time (e.g., 500ms) and then closed. This pressurizes the air in the extraction container 9, and promotes the discharge of the hot water into the waste tank T. By the above processing, the inside of the extraction container 9 and the pipe L2 are preheated, and the degree of cooling of the hot water can be reduced in the subsequent production of the coffee beverage.

In step S2, a polishing process is performed. Here, roasted coffee beans are pulverized, and the ground beans are put into the container main body 90. First, the lock mechanism 821 is opened, and the holding member 801 is raised to the raised position. The cover unit 91 is held by the holding member 801 and ascends together with the holding member 801. As a result, the cover unit 91 is separated from the container body 90. The holding member 811 is lowered to the lowered position. The container body 90 is moved to the bean throwing position. Next, the storage device 4 and the crushing device 5 are operated. Thereby, one cup of roasted coffee beans is supplied from the holding device 4 to the grinder 5A. The roasted coffee beans are ground in two stages by grinders 5A and 5B, and impurities are separated by a separation device 6. The ground beans are put into the container body 90.

The container body 90 is returned to the extraction position. The holding member 801 is lowered to the lowered position, and the cover unit 91 is attached to the container main body 90. The lock mechanism 821 is closed, and the lid unit 91 and the container main body 90 are hermetically locked. The holding member 811 is raised to the raised position. Of the valves 903, 913, the valve 903 is opened, and the valve 913 is closed.

The extraction process is performed in step S3. Here, coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans inside the container body 90. Fig. 11 (B) is a flowchart of the extraction process of S3.

In order to cook ground beans in the extraction container 9 in step S11, less than one cup of hot water is injected into the extraction container 9. Here, the solenoid valve 72i is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 500ms) and then closed. Thereby, hot water is injected from the water tank 72 into the extraction container 9. After that, the process of step S11 is ended after waiting for a predetermined time (for example, 5000 ms). The ground beans can be cooked by this treatment. By steaming the ground beans, carbon dioxide contained in the ground beans can be released, and the subsequent extraction effect can be improved.

In step S12, the remaining amount of hot water is poured into the extraction container 9 so that one cup of hot water is contained in the extraction container 9. Here, the solenoid valve 72i is opened for a predetermined time (e.g., 7000ms) and then closed. Thereby, hot water is injected from the water tank 72 into the extraction container 9.

The process of step S12 can bring the interior of the extraction container 9 to a temperature exceeding 100 degrees celsius (e.g., about 110 degrees celsius) at 1 atmosphere. Next, in step S13, the interior of the extraction container 9 is pressurized. Here, the electromagnetic valve 73b is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 1000ms) and then closed, and the interior of the extraction container 9 is pressurized to an atmospheric pressure at which hot water does not boil (for example, about 4 atmospheres (about 3 atmospheres if gauge pressure is used)). After that, the valve 903 is set to a closed state.

Next, the infusion-type coffee extraction is performed while maintaining this state for a predetermined time (e.g., 7000ms) (step S14). Thereby, the coffee liquid is extracted by the immersion method under high temperature and high pressure. In the immersion extraction under high temperature and high pressure, the following effects are expected. First, the high pressure makes it easy to permeate hot water into the ground beans, and thereby the extraction of coffee liquid can be promoted. Second, the coffee liquid extraction is promoted by the high temperature. Third, the viscosity of the oil contained in the ground beans is reduced by increasing the temperature, thereby facilitating the extraction of the oil. Thus, a coffee beverage having a strong flavor can be produced.

The temperature of the hot water (high-temperature water) may be higher than 100 degrees celsius, but a higher temperature is advantageous for extraction of the coffee liquid. On the other hand, in order to increase the temperature of the hot water, an increase in cost is generally caused. Thus, the temperature of the hot water may be, for example, 105 degrees celsius or more, 110 degrees celsius or more, or 115 degrees celsius or more and, for example, 130 degrees celsius or less, or 120 degrees celsius or less. The air pressure may be an air pressure that does not boil the hot water.

In step S15, the pressure inside extraction container 9 is reduced. Here, the air pressure in the extraction container 9 is switched to the air pressure for boiling the hot water. Specifically, the valve 913 is opened, and the solenoid valve 73c is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 1000ms) and then closed. The interior of the extraction container 9 is released to the atmosphere. After that, the valve 913 is set to the closed state again.

The pressure in the extraction container 9 is rapidly reduced to a pressure lower than the boiling point pressure, and the hot water in the extraction container 9 boils at once. The hot water and ground beans in the extraction container 9 are explosively scattered in the extraction container 9. This enables the hot water to be boiled uniformly. In addition, the cell wall of the ground beans can be promoted to be broken, and the extraction of the coffee liquid after that can be further promoted. In addition, since the ground beans and the hot water can be stirred by the boiling, the extraction of the coffee liquid can be promoted. Thus, in the present embodiment, the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquid can be improved.

In step S16, the extraction container 9 is inverted from the upright posture to the inverted posture. Here, the holding member 801 is moved to the raised position, and the holding member 811 is moved to the lowered position. Then, the support unit 81B is rotated. Thereafter, the holding member 801 is returned to the lowered position, and the holding member 811 is returned to the raised position. The neck 90b and the lid unit 91 of the extraction container 9 in the inverted posture are located on the lower side.

In step S17, a permeable coffee extraction is performed, and the coffee beverage is dispensed to cup C. Here, the selector valve 10a is switched to communicate the injection portion 10C with the passage 810a of the operation unit 81C. Further, both valves 903 and 913 are opened. Then, the electromagnetic valve 73b is opened for a predetermined time (e.g., 10000ms) to set the pressure in the extraction container 9 to a predetermined pressure (e.g., 1.7 atm (0.7 atm if gauge pressure is applied)). In the extraction container 9, the coffee beverage obtained by melting the coffee liquid into hot water is delivered to the cup C after passing through the filter provided in the lid unit 91. The filter limits the escape of the ground bean residue. With this, the extraction process is ended.

In the present embodiment, the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquid can be improved by simultaneously adopting the immersion type extraction in step S14 and the permeation type extraction in step S17. In the upright posture of the extraction container 9, the ground beans are stacked from the body portion 90e to the bottom portion 90 f. On the other hand, in the state where the extraction container 9 is in the inverted posture, the ground beans are stacked so as to spread from the shoulder portion 90d to the neck portion 90 b. The body 90e has a larger cross-sectional area than the neck 90b, and the thickness of the ground beans stacked in the inverted posture is larger than the thickness of the ground beans stacked in the upright posture. That is, the ground beans are stacked relatively thin and wide in the upright posture of the extraction container 9, and relatively thick and narrow in the inverted posture.

In the case of the present embodiment, since the immersion extraction in step S14 is performed with the extraction container 9 in the upright position, the ground beans can be brought into contact with hot water over a wide range, and the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquid can be improved. However, in this case, the hot water tends to come into local contact with the ground beans. On the other hand, since the permeable extraction in step S17 is performed in a state where the extraction container 9 is in an inverted posture, the hot water passes through the accumulated ground beans while contacting more ground beans. The hot water further contacts the ground beans without leakage, and the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquid can be further improved.

Returning to fig. 11 (a), after the extraction process of S3, the discharge process of S4 is performed. Here, a process related to cleaning of the extraction container 9 is performed. The extraction container 9 is returned from the inverted posture to the upright posture, and tap water (purified water) is supplied to the extraction container 9 to clean the extraction container 9. Then, the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized, and the water in the extraction container 9 is discharged to the waste tank T together with the ground bean residue.

As a result, the one-time coffee beverage production process is completed. Thereafter, the same process is repeated for each manufacturing instruction. The time required for producing a single coffee beverage is, for example, about 60 seconds to 90 seconds.

Next, an application system (hereinafter, simply referred to as a system) including the beverage producing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a system 1200 including the beverage production apparatus 1. System 1200 includes server 1201, portable terminal 1202, information display device 1203, and beverage making device 1204. Here, the beverage production device 1204 corresponds to the beverage production device 1, and the interface production device 1204 corresponds to the information display device 12. Mobile terminal 1202 is, for example, a smartphone held by the user. Server 1201, mobile terminal 1202, and information display device 1203 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network 1205 such as the internet. The information display device 1203 and the beverage production device 1204 are present in, for example, a shop where coffee beans and beverages are provided, and short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be performed between the portable terminal 1202 held by the user and the information display device 1203.

In system 1200, server 1201 can provide various services (functions) related to coffee by an application downloaded to portable terminal 1202. The functions provided by the server 1201 include, for example, a service related to points that can be used in a store (coffee shop or the like), a mail order site service for coffee beans, an evaluation service related to purchase such as review and rating, and a custom recipe service described later. In addition, the service provided by the server 1201 is not limited to these, and may include, for example, a coffee shop search service, a service for processing photographed data photographed by the portable terminal 1202 to upload coffee ordered by the user to an SNS, and the like. The user can enjoy various services related to coffee as described above by starting an application downloaded from the server 1201 by clicking or the like.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of the server 1201. The processing unit 1301 includes, for example, a CPU, and performs overall control of the server 1201. The operation of the server 1201 in the present embodiment is realized, for example, by the processing unit 1301 loading a program stored in the storage unit 1303 into the memory 1302 and executing the program. The memory 1302 is also used as a work memory of the CPU of the processing section 1301. The storage unit 1303 stores basic control programs, data, and parameters for operating the server 1201. The storage unit 1303 also has various databases 1309, which are constructed based on, for example, evaluation information, comment information, and recipe customization information transmitted from the mobile terminal 1202 of each user. The storage unit 1303 stores various application programs 1310, for example, application programs capable of providing the above-described services. The user accesses server 1201 through mobile terminal 1202, and can download the application to mobile terminal 1202.

A communication interface (I/F)1304 is formed corresponding to the medium of the wired, wireless, or the like network 1205. The display unit 1305 is, for example, a display, and displays a user interface screen to, for example, an administrator who constructs the database 1309. The operation unit 1306 is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and can receive an operation from an administrator.

The data processing unit 1307 includes, for example, a GPU, and analyzes the feature amount based on the big data transmitted from the mobile terminal 1202 of each user. The large data transmitted from the mobile terminal 1202 of each user may be constructed as the database 1309, or the result of analysis performed by the data processing unit 1307 may be constructed as the database 1309. The respective portions in fig. 13 can be connected to each other via a bus 1308.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of mobile terminal 1202. As described above, mobile terminal 1202 is, for example, a smartphone held by the user. The processing unit 1401 includes, for example, a CPU, and performs overall control of the mobile terminal 1202. The operation of mobile terminal 1202 in the present embodiment is realized, for example, by processing unit 1401 loading a program stored in storage unit 1403 into memory 1402 and executing the program. The memory 1402 is also used as a work memory of the CPU of the processing section 1401. Storage unit 1403 stores basic control programs, data, and parameters for operating mobile terminal 1202. Further, the storage unit 1403 stores the application 1310 downloaded from the server 1201.

The microphone 1404 inputs a voice of a user, and the speaker 1405 outputs a voice of another user or reproduces a message based on prescribed voice data. The imaging unit 1406 is a camera and generates imaging data of a still image or a moving image. The display unit 1407 is a touch panel and displays, for example, icons for starting the application programs 1310 and various user interface screens related to the application programs 1310. The display unit 1407 can receive an operation from the user via the touch panel. The operation unit 1408 can receive an operation from a user, and is, for example, a power button or a volume adjustment button.

The communication I/F1409 is configured in accordance with the medium of the wired, wireless, or the like network 1205. The short-range wireless communication I/F1410 performs communication by a communication method different from the communication performed by the communication I/F1409, and is, for example, Bluetooth (Bluetooth). In the present embodiment, mobile terminal 1202 can transmit the recipe customization information and the like to information display device 1203 via short-range wireless communication I/F1410. Each portion in fig. 14 can be connected to each other via a bus 1411.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the structure of the information display device 1203. As described above, the information display device 1203 corresponds to the information display device 12. The processing unit 1501 includes, for example, a CPU, and performs overall control of the information display device 1203. The operation of the information display device 1203 in the present embodiment is realized by, for example, the processing unit 1501 loads a program stored in the storage unit 1503 to the memory 1502 and executes the program. The memory 1502 is used as a work memory of the CPU of the processing section 1501. The storage unit 1503 stores basic control programs, data, and parameters for operating the information display device 1203.

The communication I/F1504 is configured corresponding to a medium of the wired, wireless, or the like network 1205. The short-range wireless communication I/F1505 performs communication by a communication method different from that performed by the communication I/F1504, for example, Bluetooth (Bluetooth). In the present embodiment, the information display device 1203 can receive customization information of a recipe and the like from the mobile terminal 1202 via the short-range wireless communication I/F1505.

The display unit 1507 is a touch panel that displays a user interface screen for a user to use the beverage production apparatus 1204. The operation unit 1508 can receive operations from the user, and includes hardware keys such as specifying. When the display portion 1507 is a touch panel, the operation portion 1508 may be implemented as a software key on the touch panel.

The imaging unit 1509 is a camera and generates imaging data of a still image. The imaging unit 1509 can capture an image of coffee beans that the user has taken into a store, or a two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit 1407 of the mobile terminal 1202, for example. By capturing the two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit 1407 of the mobile terminal 1202, the information display device 1203 can perform communication with the mobile terminal 1202 by a communication method other than the communication performed by the communication I/F1504 and the short-range wireless communication I/F1505. The main body I/F1506 is an interface with the control device 11, and transmits, for example, selection information of coffee beans and information of an extraction profile set by the user via the display unit 1507 and the operation unit 1508 to the control device 11. Each portion in fig. 15 can be connected to each other via a bus 1510.

The apparatuses shown in fig. 13 to 15 can be computers constituting the invention.

Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining a flow until a user customizes a recipe using the mobile terminal 1202 and extracts coffee by the beverage production apparatus 1204 in the system 1200.

First, the user clicks an icon displayed on the display unit 1407 of the mobile terminal 1202 to start the application 1310 downloaded from the server 1201 in advance (step 1601). When the application 1310 is started on the mobile terminal 1202, a login screen for logging in to the server 1201 is displayed on the display unit 1407 of the mobile terminal 1202. The user inputs the ID and the password acquired in advance on the login screen (step 1602). When the authentication on the server 1201 succeeds, the server 1201 returns a TOP screen of the application 1310 to the mobile terminal 1202.

Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a TOP screen of an application 1310 displayed on a display unit 1407 of the mobile terminal 1202. The name "ABC app" of the application program 1310 is displayed in the display area 1801. In addition, the current holding points held by the user are displayed in the display area 1802. The user can use the points to purchase coffee beans, for example, at an online store. In the display area 1803, services that can be provided by the application 1310 are displayed in a list. The user can click on the display areas 1804, 1805, 1806, and 1807, and when any one of the areas is clicked, a screen of the service is displayed.

The display area 1804 is a shop search service, for example, a user can search for a coffee shop of a member shop of the points service. The display area 1805 is an evaluation service, and for example, the user can issue comments or make evaluations for the visited coffee shop. The display area 1806 is a coffee bean mail order service, and the user can browse an online shop for coffee beans and purchase coffee beans. A display area 1807 is a custom recipe service, and the user can adjust the extraction profile on the portable terminal 1202.

Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a service screen displayed when the user clicks on the display area 1805. The name "ABC app" of the application 1310 is displayed in the display area 1901. Further, score information is displayed in the display area 1902, and the user can evaluate coffee purchased at a visited coffee shop. In addition, a comment field is displayed in the display area 1903, and the user can input a comment for the accessed coffee shop. When the release button 1904 is pressed, the content input by the user is determined in the present rating service. In the present embodiment, when a content is determined by pressing the release button 1904, the determined content is transmitted to the server 1201. With this configuration, the server 1201 can collect evaluation information from each user and analyze the evaluation information by the data processing unit 1307.

Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a service screen displayed when the user clicks the display area 1807. The user can adjust the amount of hot water extracted and the like on mobile terminal 1202 through the screen of fig. 20. The screen in fig. 20 is substantially the same as the setting items displayed on the information display device 1203, and the user can adjust the hot water extraction amount and the like to a preferred value on the mobile terminal 1202 before visiting the coffee shop.

The user can arbitrarily adjust and set the amount of coffee beans through the display area 2001. In addition, the display area 2002 allows the user to arbitrarily adjust and set the polishing particle size. In addition, the user can arbitrarily adjust and set the amount of the boiling hot water by the display area 2003. In addition, the user can arbitrarily adjust and set the cooking time through the display area 2004. In addition, the user can arbitrarily adjust and set the amount of hot water to be extracted through the display area 2005. In addition, the user can arbitrarily adjust and set the extraction pressure through the display area 2006. In addition, the user can arbitrarily adjust and set the extraction time through the display area 2007.

The button 2008 is a button for specifying the contents of the display areas 2001 to 2007. In the case of fig. 20, when the button 2008 is pressed, the contents of the display areas 2001 to 2007 are saved, and the two-dimensional code is displayed. The user can transfer the contents of the display areas 2001 to 2007 to the information display device 1203 by accessing the coffee shop and swiping the two-dimensional code displayed by the mobile terminal 1202 through the image pickup unit 1509 of the information display device 1203. The button 2008 may not be a button for displaying the two-dimensional code. For example, the buttons may be used to specify and store the contents of the display areas 2001 to 2007, or the contents of the display areas 2001 to 2007 may be transmitted to the information display device 1203 via the short-range wireless communication I/F1410.

By making it possible to adjust parameters for extracting coffee beverages on mobile terminal 1202 as shown in fig. 20, the user may easily experience the feeling of coffee extraction operation as a coffee maker. In the present embodiment, the parameter for extracting a coffee beverage as shown in fig. 20 is referred to as an extraction profile or recipe.

Reference is again made to fig. 16. When the mobile terminal 1202 receives the TOP screen from the server 1201 in step 1603, the user clicks the display area 1807 to adjust and set the extraction profile in fig. 20 (step 1604). Then, the user accesses the coffee shop as described above, and transmits the setting information from mobile terminal 1202 to information display device 1203 (step 1605). Here, the setting information is, for example, the contents of the display areas 2001 to 2007 in fig. 20. The method of transmitting the setting information may depend on the two-dimensional code or the short-range wireless communication.

When the information display device 1203 acquires the setting information, the information display device 1203 transmits the setting information to the control device 11 of the beverage producing apparatus 1204 via the main body I/F1506 (step 1606). In the beverage producing apparatus 1204, the coffee beverage is extracted based on the setting information (step 1607).

Fig. 17 is a diagram for explaining a flow until a user customizes a recipe on the information display device 1203 and extracts coffee by the beverage production device 1204 in the system 1200.

In fig. 16, the user adjusts the extraction profile on the portable terminal 1202, but in fig. 17, the user adjusts the extraction profile on the information display device 1203 in the coffee shop.

The user adjusts and sets the extraction profile on the user interface screen displayed on the display unit 1507 of the information display device 1203 (step 1701). Here, basically the same items as those shown in fig. 20 are displayed on the user interface screen. When the information display device 1203 acquires the setting information, the information display device 1203 transmits the setting information to the control device 11 of the beverage production apparatus 1204 via the main body I/F1506 (step 1702). In the beverage producing apparatus 1204, the coffee beverage is extracted based on the setting information (step 1703).

[ first embodiment ]

Next, the following structure is explained: the characteristics of the coffee beans are estimated from the shot data of the coffee beans. In the present embodiment, the following example will be described as an example: a general user takes coffee beans to a store such as a coffee shop and estimates characteristics of the coffee beans using imaging data obtained by imaging the coffee beans.

Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing a process of estimating characteristics of coffee beans. The processing of fig. 21 is realized, for example, by the processing unit 1301 of the server 1201 loading a program stored in the storage unit 1303 into the memory 1302 and executing the program.

In S2101, the processing unit 1301 acquires shot data of coffee beans. In the present embodiment, since the image pickup data of coffee beans brought by a general user to a store such as a coffee shop is assumed as the image pickup data, first, the image pickup unit 1509 of the information display device 1203 picks up the image of the coffee beans brought by the general user, and the processing unit 1501 transmits the image pickup data to the server 1201 via the network 1205. The processing unit 1301 acquires shot data received from the information display device 1203. When the shot data is transmitted, identification information such as user information is also transmitted together.

Fig. 22 is a diagram showing the concept of shot data of coffee beans transmitted from the information display device 1203 to the server 1201. As shown in fig. 22, it is desirable that the shot data 2201 is shot not by a single or small amount of coffee beans but by a manner of containing a large amount of coffee beans. In a shop, coffee beans placed on a table provided in the imaging unit 1509 are imaged. The distance from the imaging unit 1509 to the mounting table to which the reference scale is attached is predetermined, and the measurement value of the actual size of the coffee beans can be estimated from the imaging data. The imaging is performed such that the reference scale is captured together with coffee beans in the imaging data.

In S2102, the processing unit 1301 requests the data processing unit 1307 to extract a feature amount based on the acquired shooting data. Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing a process of extracting feature amounts. In S2301, the data processing unit 1307 measures each coffee bean using the shot data. Fig. 24 is a diagram for explaining the measurement points of coffee beans. Surface 2401 represents the surface of the coffee beans and back 2401 represents the back of the coffee beans. Here, the surface having the central groove 2404 is referred to as a front surface, and the surface having no central groove 2404 is referred to as a rear surface. The central furrow 2404 refers to a depression formed in the central portion of the coffee bean in the longitudinal direction, line 2402 is a line to the left of the depression, and line 2403 is a line to the right of the depression. Particle size 2406 is the length in the direction orthogonal to central groove 2408 at the central portion of central groove length 2408. The central trench width is the distance between lines 2402 and 2403 at the central portion of central trench length 2408. The central trench end width 2407 is the distance between the wires 2402 and 2403 at the end of the central trench 2404. In S2301, the outline shape 2409 and color information are measured in addition to the size of each measurement point. It is thought that the shot data includes not only the coffee beans shot on the front surface 2401 but also the coffee beans shot on the back surface 2410. In S2301, the data processing unit 1307 may measure only the coffee beans imaged on the front surface 2401, or may measure the front surface 2401 and the back surface 2410 for the outline shape 2409 and the color information. The color information may be an average value of the color information of the entire surface of the coffee beans, or may be color information of a portion between the lines 2402 and 2403 (that is, the central groove 2404) which strongly affects the change in flavor.

Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of measured values of one coffee bean obtained from the imaging data. The identification information 2501 is information for identifying one coffee bean in the shot data. Measurement 2502 is the central groove length 2408 and measurement 2504 is the central groove width 2405. Measurement 2505 is the central groove end width 2407 and measurement 2506 is the particle size 2406. The measurement value 2502 is a value representing the shape of the contour. In this embodiment, the profile shape is specified as "particle size 2406/central groove length 2408" (i.e., ovality). The measured value 2507 is a value indicating the shape of the central groove. In the present embodiment, the central groove shape is defined as "central groove width 2405/central groove end width 2407" (i.e., fineness). The outline shape and the central groove shape may be calculated by a method other than the above method, as long as the characteristics of the shape are defined. The measured value 2508 is color information of the surface 2401 or the back 2410.

When the measurement of each coffee bean is performed using the shot data in S2301, the data processing unit 1307 analyzes the measurement value in S2302.

As described in fig. 22, a large number of coffee beans are shot in the shot data, and there may be a case where a plurality of kinds of coffee beans are mixed. For example, when 2 types of coffee beans are mixed, the measurement values based on the shot data can be roughly classified into 2 types. Fig. 26 is a diagram for explaining that the measurement values can be roughly classified into 2 categories. Each black dot in fig. 26 corresponds to a measurement value of 1 coffee bean. Fig. 26 shows, for example, the distribution of the measured values of coffee beans in the captured data in a space on 2 axes consisting of 2 indices of color (density) and center furrow width 2405. As shown in fig. 26, the distribution of measurement values can be classified into a group 2601 and a group 2602. That is, it can be estimated that: the coffee beans shot in the shot data are a mixture of coffee beans a (corresponding to the group 2601) whose central furrow width 2405 is narrow and dark in color and coffee beans B (corresponding to the group 2602) whose central furrow width 2405 is wide and light in color. In fig. 26, the classification of the measurement values in the space on the 2 axes representing the 2 indices is described, but the classification of the measurement values in the space on the 3 axes or more may be performed.

When the measured values are analyzed in S2302, the data processing unit 1307 extracts feature amounts in S2303.

Fig. 27 is a diagram for explaining the extracted feature amount. In each group of the measurement values obtained by the classification, a feature amount is extracted. The identification information 2701 is information for identifying shooting data, and uses, for example, a user name. The identification information 2702 and 2710 are information for identifying each group into which the measurement values are classified. For example, identification information 2702 corresponds to group 2601 of fig. 26, and identification information 2710 corresponds to group 2602 of fig. 26.

The feature amounts 2703, 2704, 2705, 2706, 2707, 2708, 2709 show feature amounts of the group (bean 0001) identified by the identification information 2702. Here, the feature quantity refers to a quantity derived from a plurality of measured values included in each group, for example, using an average value or a median value of the measured values in each group. That is, the feature amount 2703 is, for example, an average value or a central value relating to the contour shape in the group "bean 0001". The feature amount 2704 is an average value or a median value related to the central groove length 2408. The feature amount 2705 is an average value or a central value of the center groove width 2405. The characteristic amount 2706 is an average value or a central value related to the center groove end width 2407. In addition, the characteristic amount 2707 is an average value or a central value related to the particle size 2406. The feature amount 2708 is an average value or a median value relating to the shape of the center groove. The feature amount 2709 is an average value or a median value related to color information.

The feature amounts 2711, 2712, 2713, 2714, 2715, 2716, and 2717 show the feature amount of the group (bean 0002) identified by the identification information 2710. The feature amounts are the same as those in the group "bean 0001". In the above, the average value or the median value is described as the feature amount, but other statistical amounts may be used. The information included in fig. 27 is not limited to the above, and may include, for example, the ratio of each group (e.g., 20% for bean 0001 and 80% for bean 0002).

When the feature amount is extracted in S2303, the process of fig. 23 is ended, and in S2103 of fig. 21, the data processing unit 1307 estimates the characteristics of the coffee beans.

Fig. 28 is a flowchart showing a process of estimating the characteristics. In S2801, the data processing unit 1307 focuses on a specific group among the plurality of groups (beans 0001, etc.) shown in fig. 27. Here, the bean 0001 is focused. In S2802, the data processing unit 1307 refers to the database 1309, and searches for a data set of coffee beans corresponding to the feature quantities 2703 to 2709. In the search, for example, a data set matching each feature amount within a predetermined range is searched. The database 1309 stores the feature amounts of the coffee beans and data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans in association with the types of the coffee beans. Here, the data indicating the characteristics of coffee beans include, for example, variety, place of production, roasting degree (processing degree), elapsed days, taste profile, and extraction profile. The taste table is an index that is expressed by using the intensity of flavor, the intensity of sweetness, the intensity of bitterness, the intensity of sourness, and the intensity of concentration as approximate references, and is expressed in 3 grades, for example.

In S2803, the data processing unit 1307 determines whether or not there are any data sets of coffee beans corresponding to the feature quantities 2703 to 2709. If it is determined that the signal exists, the process proceeds to S2804, and if it is determined that the signal does not exist, the process proceeds to S2805. In S2804, the data processing unit 1307 acquires data representing the characteristics of the coffee beans from the coffee bean data set.

In S2805, the data processing unit 1307 determines whether or not the above-described processing has been executed for all the groups. In this example, since no processing is performed on group "bean 0002" in fig. 27, it is determined that the above-described processing is not performed on all groups, and the process proceeds to S2806. In S2806, the data processing unit 1307 focuses on the next group (bean 0002), and repeats the processing from S2802.

In S2802, the data processing unit 1307 refers to the database 1309 and searches for a data set of coffee beans corresponding to the feature amounts 2711 to 2717. Then, in S2803, the data processing unit 1307 determines whether or not there are any data sets of coffee beans corresponding to the feature amounts 2711 to 2717. After the process of S2804, in S2805, it is determined whether or not the process has been executed for all the groups. In this example, the following description will be made assuming that processing is executed for all groups. In this case, the process proceeds to S2807.

In S2807, the data processing unit 1307 determines whether or not all groups have been searched for in the database 1309 in S2803. That is, if all the groups are searched in the database 1309 and data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans is acquired in S2804, the process proceeds to S2809, and a model to be described later is generated. On the other hand, if there is a group that is not searched for in the database 1309 among all the groups, that is, if there is a group that has not acquired data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans in S2804, the process proceeds to S2808, where the taste profile is estimated, which will be described later.

Fig. 29 is a flowchart showing the process of estimating the taste profile in S2808. The process of S2808 is executed for a group for which data indicating the characteristics of coffee beans cannot be acquired because the database 1309 cannot be searched for. Here, it is assumed that the processing of fig. 29 is executed for the group "bean 0002".

In S2901, the data processing unit 1307 acquires data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans from the database 1309 based on the feature values 2711 to 2717. The acquisition here is a process different from the acquisition in S2804. In S2901, for example, the square errors of the feature quantities 2711 to 2717 are calculated for each coffee bean data set in the database 1309, and data representing the characteristics of the coffee beans of the data set with the smallest error is specified. Then, in S2902, the data processing unit 1307 corrects the determined data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans. That is, the taste profile and the extraction profile are corrected based on the error of each value of the feature quantities 2711 to 2717.

The error refers to, for example, a difference in color information. For example, when the portion of the central furrow 2404 is whiter than the data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans specified in the database 1309, correction is performed such that the sourness in the taste profile is enhanced. This is because the bean having a whitish central furrow portion is estimated to be a bean in the water washing process, and has a tendency of increasing sourness. Conversely, when the brown color of the portion of the central furrow 2404 is larger than the data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans specified in the database 1309, correction is made such that the sweetness and the concentration in the taste profile are enhanced. That is, by estimating the trend of the flavor according to the error, the taste sensation and the extraction profile are corrected separately or either one of the taste sensation and the extraction profile is corrected. In the above description, the square error is calculated for each of the feature amounts 2711 to 2717, but the square error may be calculated focusing on a predetermined feature amount. For example, the square error may be calculated only for the feature quantity related to the central groove 2404 that strongly affects the change in flavor. After S2902, the process of fig. 29 is terminated, and the process proceeds to S2809, where a model is generated.

Fig. 30 is a flowchart showing the process of generating the model in S2809. In S3001, the data processing unit 1307 acquires an extraction profile for each group (e.g., beans 0001 and 0002 of fig. 27).

In S3002, the data processing unit 1307 determines whether or not the combination is possible for each item of each acquired extraction profile. Here, each item refers to, for example, a boiling hot water amount, a boiling time, an extraction hot water amount, and an extraction time. The determination of whether or not synthesis is possible is, for example, as follows: if the differences with respect to the respective items are within a predetermined range, that is, approximately the same, it is determined that the synthesis is possible. If it is determined that the combination is possible, the process proceeds to S3003, and the data processing unit 1307 combines the items. In the synthesis, the average value of the values indicated by the items of each extracted profile may be used, the median value may be used, or other statistical quantities may be used. On the other hand, when it is determined that the combination is not possible, the process proceeds to S3004, and the data processing unit 1307 tentatively determines the amount indicated by the item of one of the extraction profiles. For example, if the difference amount related to the amount of hot water extracted is out of the prescribed range, a certain value is tentatively decided.

After S3003 and S3004, the process in fig. 30 is ended, and the process proceeds to S2810 in fig. 28.

In S2810, the data processing unit 1307 stores the feature amounts, the data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans (the variety and the like, the taste table), and the synthesized/temporally generated extraction profiles in the database 1309 as models for each group of the captured data acquired in S2101. After that, the process of fig. 28 is ended.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, characteristics of coffee beans can be estimated from imaging data of coffee beans that a general user has taken to a store such as a coffee shop. In addition, not only models relating to known types of coffee beans but also models relating to coffee beans brought by each general user are accumulated in the database 1309 of the storage unit 1303 of the server 1201. With such a configuration, it is possible to construct large data of a model of coffee beans mixed by various combinations in the database 1309, and to gradually improve the reliability of estimating the characteristics of the coffee beans.

[ second embodiment ]

In this embodiment, the following structure is explained: the information display device 1203 displays the characteristics of coffee beans estimated from the captured image data of coffee beans that a general user has taken to a store such as a coffee shop. Next, aspects different from the first embodiment are explained.

Fig. 31 is a flowchart showing a process of displaying based on characteristics of coffee beans estimated from captured data. The processing in fig. 31 is realized, for example, by the processing unit 1501 of the information display device 1203 loading a program stored in the storage unit 1503 into the memory 1502 and executing the program.

In S3101, the processor 1501 acquires the model generated in S2809 and stored in S2810 in the database 1309 from the server 1201 via the network 1205. In this case, the feature amounts related to each group, the data (variety, taste table, etc.) indicating the characteristics of coffee beans, and the synthesized/temporally generated extraction profile among the shot data acquired in S2101 are acquired as models.

In S3102, the processing unit 1501 displays the acquired model. After S3102, the process of fig. 31 is ended.

Fig. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface screen displayed based on the acquired model. The screen of fig. 32 is displayed based on captured data of coffee beans that a general user has taken to a store such as a coffee shop, and thus is displayed as "characteristics considered by your beans" as follows, for example, in item 3201.

When the coffee beans brought to the general user by the result of the shot data analysis are a mixture of coffee beans a and coffee beans B, information based on the data representing the characteristics of the coffee beans acquired for each group is displayed in items 3202 and 3203, respectively. Items 3202 and 3203 in fig. 32 are groups in which characteristics can be acquired in S2804. With regard to the group in which the characteristics cannot be acquired, the taste profile and the extraction profile can be estimated in S2808, but it is generally difficult to estimate the intrinsic information such as the breed, the place of origin, the baking degree, and the number of elapsed days. Therefore, in this case, items 3202 and 3203 may be displayed as "-". However, the above-described unique information may be estimated, and for example, the baking degree may be estimated from the feature amount.

Taste table 3204 is shown in FIG. 32. In this regard, for example, the taste profile of the coffee beans which are contained in a larger proportion among the coffee beans mixed may be displayed. In fig. 32, the taste profile of coffee bean B shown at item 3203 is shown. Alternatively, the taste tables of coffee beans being displayed may be displayed, and in the case of fig. 32, both the taste tables of items 3202 and 3203 may be displayed.

Button 3205 is a button for searching for coffee beans having a taste profile closest to taste profile 3204. When the button 3206 is pressed, a screen for extracting a profile described later is displayed. When button 3207 is pressed, the display of fig. 32 is ended, and the display returns to a predetermined main screen of information display device 1203.

Fig. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface screen displayed when button 3205 (search) is pressed. In the storage unit 1503 of the information display device 1203, the type of coffee beans is stored in association with data indicating the characteristics of the coffee beans. When button 3205 is pressed, processing unit 1501 displays a list of coffee beans whose characteristics are closest, for example, whose taste profile trends are closest, based on the model acquired in S3101. In fig. 33, items 3302, 3303, 3304, 3305, 3306 are displayed in a selectable manner.

Fig. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface screen displayed when the item 3302 is pressed. When another item is selected in fig. 33, information on the characteristics corresponding to the coffee beans is similarly displayed. A phrase indicating the characteristics of the selected coffee beans is displayed at an item 3401, and information on the characteristics of the selected coffee beans is displayed at an item 3402. In addition, the taste profile of the selected coffee beans is displayed at item 3403. Button 3405 is a button for accepting an order from a user. When the button 3405 is pressed, the processing unit 1501 instructs the control device 11 to perform processing for the selected coffee beans until the coffee beans are discharged ((a) and (B) of fig. 11). When the button 3406 is pressed, the screen returns to fig. 33. The taste table shown in item 3403 may be displayed in the following manner. In fig. 34, each index on the taste sensation table is represented by a dot and a line (that is, displayed by a value), but each index may be displayed, for example, as a band having a predetermined width of value, or the like, and a range of indexes that can be realized with the selected coffee beans may be displayed. For example, the range of variation of each index may be determined in advance based on the changeable range of each item of the extraction profile associated with the coffee beans, and the display may be performed based on the determined information. In addition, a recommended range among the range of indices that can be realized with the selected coffee beans may be displayed so as to be recognizable. For example, the range of variation of each index may be determined based on the range in which each item of the extraction profile associated with the selected coffee bean can be changed, and the range recommended by a coffee maker or the like may be determined in advance in the range of variation. Then, display is performed based on the decided information. By setting the taste expression of the item 3403 to the respective display forms as described above, the general user can recognize a range in which the flavor is not impaired in the sense of the selected coffee bean. In addition, in the taste table displayed in each display form as described above, it is possible to receive a designation from the user. For example, the specification of each index from the user may be received within the range of the index represented in a band shape, and the data of the extracted profile corresponding to the data set of the index may be acquired from the storage unit of the apparatus in fig. 12 and displayed. With this configuration, for example, when a user desires to enhance bitterness, the user can obtain information of an extraction profile within a range in which the flavor is not impaired by specifying the taste profile.

Fig. 35 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface screen displayed when button 3206 (profile) of fig. 32 is pressed. Fig. 35 is a screen for displaying a model determined in S3002 of fig. 30 that the combination of the extraction profiles of the respective groups is possible, and the process proceeds to S3003 to synthesize the extraction profiles. At item 3501, "this is the recipe for your bean, is displayed. "this message, so the average user can sometimes see the extraction profile of the coffee beans brought by him or herself. As items of the extraction profile, items 3502 (amount of boiling water), 3503 (boiling time), 3504 (amount of hot extraction water), and 3505 (extraction time) are displayed, but not limited to these items, and items such as extraction pressure may be displayed. In addition, each item can be adjusted by user operation of the + button and the-button. As shown in fig. 35, each item includes two kinds of display areas, a numerical display area 3506 and an analog display area 3507. In the numerical value display area 3506, a value such as 80ml is displayed, and in the analog display area 3507, a slider is displayed. With this display method, for example, regarding the item 3502, the user can sometimes recognize the value itself of 80ml and can perceptually recognize that it is 80% of the maximum amount that the user can adjust. The button 3508 is a button for accepting an instruction to place an order from the user. When the button 3509 is pressed, the screen returns to fig. 32. In fig. 35, the extraction profile of coffee beans brought by the general user himself is shown, but the following method may be adopted. For example, on the screen of fig. 35, profile information usable by another coffee maker (e.g., a home coffee maker) may be displayed. As a configuration for this, for example, a "change" button is displayed on the screen of fig. 35. When the general user presses the "change" button, profile information (amount of hot extraction water, extraction time, etc.) that can be used by other coffee machines is generated and displayed based on the information of the extraction profile of fig. 35. In addition, the displayed information may be output in the form of a data file that can be used in common between the coffee machines. By using such a data file in other coffee machines, extraction of coffee in other coffee machines can be easily achieved without compromising the flavor of the coffee beans achieved with the extraction profile of fig. 35, even if the characteristics of the extraction mechanism in the other coffee machines are different from the beverage making apparatus 1204. The profile information generated from the extraction profile of the beverage producing apparatus 1204 may be profile information in consideration of a leakage operation in a home, and may be information such as a boiling water amount, a boiling time, an interval time, and an extraction water amount, an extraction time, and an interval time in each extraction operation of a predetermined number of extraction operations.

Fig. 36 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface screen displayed when button 3206 (profile) of fig. 32 is pressed. Fig. 36 is a screen for displaying a model in which it is determined in S3002 of fig. 30 that the extraction profiles of the respective groups cannot be combined, and the process proceeds to S3004 to temporarily generate an extraction profile. At item 3601, except that "this is the recipe for your bean. "in addition," recommended adjustment of the items marked a in the + direction is also displayed. ". This is due to: since the amount indicated by the item of one extraction profile, for example, the amount of hot water to be extracted is tentatively determined as described in S3004, it is considered that the amount deviates from the preference of the general user who brings about coffee beans. Therefore, the mark 3602 is displayed for the item that is tentatively decided, thereby prompting the general user to modulate.

In S3004, for example, when 150ml out of 150ml and 170ml of the hot water extraction amounts is tentatively decided, a message for prompting adjustment in the incremental direction (+ direction) is displayed in item 3601. On the other hand, in the above example, when 170ml is tentatively determined, a message urging adjustment in the direction of decrement (-direction) is displayed in the item 3601.

Fig. 37 is a flowchart showing a process when the button 3508 (order placement) is pressed. The processing in fig. 37 is realized, for example, by the processing unit 1501 of the information display device 1203 loading a program stored in the storage unit 1503 into the memory 1502 and executing the program. At S3701, the processor 1501 receives the pressing of the button 3508. Then, in S3702, the processor 1501 transmits the information of the extracted profile to the server 1201 via the network 1205. After that, the process of fig. 37 is ended. When the information of the extracted profile is transmitted, information capable of identifying coffee beans or the user is also transmitted.

Fig. 38 is a flowchart showing a process in the server 1201 when the process of fig. 37 is performed. The processing of fig. 38 is realized, for example, by the processing unit 1301 of the server 1201 loading a program stored in the storage unit 1303 into the memory 1302 and executing the program. In S3801, the processing part 1301 receives information for extracting a profile from the information display apparatus 1203 via the network 1205. In S3802, the processing part 1301 updates the database 1309, which has been stored in S2810, with the received information of the extraction profile. After that, the process of fig. 38 is ended. In S3802, the received extraction profile may be independently stored without being updated to the extraction profile already stored in S2810. With such a configuration, it is sometimes possible to have a plurality of extraction profiles for the estimated characteristics of the coffee beans.

With the configurations of fig. 37 and 38, the database 1309 of the server 1201 may be caused to store an extraction profile that further reflects the preference of the user for coffee beans that the general user brings to the store.

Fig. 39 is a view showing another example of fig. 32. At item 3901, except that "the characteristics considered according to your bean are displayed as follows. "in addition," can also be adjusted in the taste table below. ". Taste table 3204 can be adjusted by a user operation. A button 3902 is a button for accepting an order from a general user. For example, in a case where a general user intensifies a bitter taste on taste table 3204 and presses button 3902, an extraction profile is generated after the amount of hot water is adjusted so that the bitter taste is stronger. Then, the processing section 1501 instructs the control device 11 to perform the processing of (a) and (B) of fig. 11 based on the extracted profile.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the characteristics of coffee beans estimated from the image data of coffee beans that a general user has taken to a store such as a coffee shop may be displayed on the information display device 1203. In addition, the database 1309 of the server 1201 may reflect the preference of the general user.

< other embodiment >

In the above embodiment, coffee beverages are exclusively used, but various beverages such as tea such as japanese tea and black tea, soup, and the like can be used. Examples of the extraction target include coffee beans, green coffee beans, ground coffee beans, roasted coffee beans, ground coffee beans of roasted coffee beans, unroasted coffee beans, ground coffee beans of unroasted coffee beans, powdered coffee beans, instant coffee, and coffee in a cartridge. The extraction target includes tea leaves such as Japanese tea, black tea, and oolong tea, ground tea leaves, vegetables, ground vegetables, fruits, ground fruits, grains, ground grains, mushrooms such as shiitake mushroom, a substance obtained by grinding mushrooms such as shiitake mushroom, a substance obtained by heating and drying mushrooms such as shiitake mushroom, a substance obtained by grinding a substance obtained by heating and drying mushrooms such as shiitake mushroom, fishes such as bonito fish, a substance obtained by grinding fishes such as bonito fish, a substance obtained by heating and drying marine algae such as kelp, a substance obtained by grinding marine algae such as kelp after heating, a substance obtained by heating and drying marine algae such as kelp, a substance obtained by drying, a substance obtained by heating and drying, a substance obtained by drying marine algae such as kelp, a substance obtained by drying, The beverage may be prepared by heating meat of cattle, pig, chicken, etc. and drying to obtain a substance, pulverizing a substance obtained by heating meat, etc. and drying to obtain a substance, heating meat of cattle bone, pig bone, chicken bone, etc. and drying meat, pulverizing a substance obtained by heating bone, etc. and the beverage may be prepared by using a beverage such as Japanese tea, black tea, oolong tea, vegetable juice, fruit juice, soup, etc., or a beverage liquid such as Japanese tea extract, black tea extract, oolong tea extract, vegetable extract, fruit extract, mushroom extract, fish extract, meat extract, bone extract, etc. In the examples, there are some descriptions of water, tap water, purified water, hot water, and washing water, but any description may be substituted with another description such as replacing water with hot water, replacing hot water with water, or the like, or all liquids may be substituted with steam, high-temperature water, cooling water, cold water, or the like. For example, the description of placing the extraction target (for example, ground beans of roasted coffee beans) and hot water into the extraction container 9 may be replaced with the description of placing the extraction target (for example, ground beans of roasted coffee beans) and cold water (only water) into the extraction container 9, and in this case, an extraction method such as cold brew coffee or a beverage production apparatus may be used.

< summary of the embodiments >

The above-described apparatus according to the present embodiment is characterized by comprising: a captured data acquisition unit that acquires captured data of a material of a beverage used in preparation of the beverage (S2101); and an estimation unit that estimates a characteristic of a material of the beverage based on the shot data acquired by the shot data acquisition unit (S2103). Further, the beverage maker is characterized by further comprising an extraction means (S2102) for extracting a feature amount of the material of the beverage from the captured data, and the estimation means estimates the characteristic of the material of the beverage based on the feature amount extracted by the extraction means. With such a structure, for example, characteristics of coffee beans can be estimated from photographs of the coffee beans.

Further, the material of the beverage is beans, and the characteristic amount includes at least one of a shape and a size of the beans. With this structure, for example, the shape and size of the coffee beans can be used as a characteristic amount.

Further, the beverage maker is characterized by comprising a storage unit (1303) for storing the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit, wherein the estimation unit can estimate the characteristic of the material of the beverage by using the estimation result previously stored in the storage unit. With such a configuration, it is possible to learn a previous estimation result and estimate the result.

Further, the image processing apparatus is characterized by including a display unit (fig. 35 and 36) for displaying a screen corresponding to the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit. With this configuration, for example, the user interface screen may be changed according to the estimated degree.

Further, characterized in that the display unit displays one or more kinds of materials of the beverage based on the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit (fig. 32). With such a configuration, for example, characteristic information of a plurality of types of coffee beans mixed together may be displayed.

Further, the display unit is characterized in that the display unit displays the characteristics of the material of the beverage in an adjustable manner based on the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit (fig. 35 and 36). With this structure, for example, a taste table can be displayed in an adjustable manner in some cases. Further, the beverage maker is characterized by comprising an updating means (S3802) for updating the estimation result stored in the storage means when the characteristic of the material of the beverage is adjusted. With such a configuration, for example, the adjustment result of the extracted profile may be reflected in the database.

Further, it is characterized in that the estimation result stored in the storage unit is large data. With such a configuration, for example, estimation can be performed based on characteristic information collected from a large number of users and becoming large data in some cases.

Further, the beverage processing device is characterized by being provided with a profile acquisition unit (S3801, S3802) for acquiring one or more pieces of profile information for generating a beverage using the material of the beverage based on the estimation result obtained by the estimation unit. With such a configuration, for example, the extraction profile adjusted by the user can be associated with coffee beans to be estimated together with the estimation result.

Further characterized in that the material of the beverage is coffee beans. Further, characterized in that the estimation unit estimates a property of the material of the beverage based on a shape of a central gutter of the coffee beans. With such a structure, for example, the characteristic can be sometimes estimated based on the central furrow of the coffee beans.

Further, the characteristics of the material of the beverage include at least one of a variety, a place of production, a degree of processing, and a number of days elapsed from the processing. With such a configuration, for example, the variety, the place of production, the degree of processing, and the number of days elapsed from the processing can be used as characteristics in some cases.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 1204: a beverage making device; 1200: a system; 1201: a server; 1202: a portable terminal; 1203: an information display device; 1301. 1401, 1501: a processing section.