阅读说明：本技术 饮料供给装置 (Beverage supply device ) 是由 伊藤修一 加治木孝介 持田幸秀 于 2019-09-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：饮料供给装置包括控制部(60),控制部(60)向被投入由粉碎机(33)粉碎的原料并由供热水单元(35)供给了热水的提取机(37)供给搅拌用的加压空气而对原料和热水进行搅拌,向搅拌后的提取机(37)供给提取用的加压空气而提取饮料,该饮料供给装置将由提取机(37)提取出的饮料向容器(C)供给,控制部(60)在相对于容器(C)的饮料的供给量为提取机(37)的容积以上的情况下,利用供热水单元(35)向提取饮料过程中的提取机(37)添加热水。(The beverage supply device comprises a control unit (60), wherein the control unit (60) supplies pressurized air for stirring to an extractor (37) which is fed with raw materials crushed by a crusher (33) and supplied with hot water by a hot water supply unit (35) to stir the raw materials and the hot water, and supplies pressurized air for extraction to the stirred extractor (37) to extract a beverage, the beverage supply device supplies the beverage extracted by the extractor (37) to a container (C), and the control unit (60) adds the hot water to the extractor (37) in the process of extracting the beverage by the hot water supply unit (35) when the supply amount of the beverage to the container (C) is equal to or more than the volume of the extractor (37).)

1. A beverage supplying apparatus, characterized in that,

the beverage supply device comprises a control unit for supplying pressurized air for stirring to an extractor which is fed with raw materials pulverized by a pulverizer and is supplied with hot water by a hot water supply unit to stir the raw materials and the hot water, supplying pressurized air for extraction to the extractor after stirring to extract beverage,

the beverage supply device supplies the beverage extracted by the extractor to a container,

the control unit adds hot water to the extractor in the process of extracting the beverage by the hot water supply unit when the supply amount of the beverage to the container is equal to or more than the capacity of the extractor.

2. The beverage supplying apparatus according to claim 1,

the control unit adds hot water to the extractor in a process of extracting the beverage by being pressurized in an internally closed state by the hot water supply unit.

3. The beverage supplying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

the control unit changes the supply speed of the hot water supplied from the hot water supply unit according to the type of the supplied beverage.

4. The beverage supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the control unit changes the pressure of the pressurized air for stirring supplied to the extractor according to the type of the beverage to be supplied.

5. The beverage supplying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the hot water supply unit supplies the hot water to the cylinder body of the extractor in a swirling manner in a state of being in contact with an inner wall surface of the cylinder body.

6. The beverage supplying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the hot water supply unit includes:

a 1 st delivery unit that delivers a fixed amount of hot water from a hot water tank that stores hot water to an auxiliary tank; and

and a 2 nd conveying unit for pressurizing the hot water in the auxiliary tank and conveying the pressurized hot water to the extractor.

7. The beverage supplying apparatus according to claim 6,

the conveying amount of the 2 nd conveying part is larger than that of the 1 st conveying part.

8. The beverage supplying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the substantially cylindrical cylinder constituting the extractor is configured such that an opening edge portion of the upper surface opening and an opening edge portion of the lower surface opening are sealed by a sealing material.

9. The beverage supplying apparatus according to claim 8,

the seal member is configured such that a plurality of annular projecting pieces are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the seal member so as to be spaced apart from each other, and the seal member is attached to the attachment recess formed in the opening edge portion by abutting the projecting pieces against the inner surface of the attachment recess in an elastically deformable manner, thereby sealing the opening edge portion.

10. The beverage supplying apparatus according to claim 9,

the seal member is configured such that a locking projection projecting radially outward is formed in a part of an outer peripheral surface, and the seal member is attached to the attachment recess and seals the opening edge by inserting the locking projection from the inside into a locking hole formed in the attachment recess.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a beverage supply device.

Background

Conventionally, patent document 1 proposes a beverage supply device that supplies a beverage to a container. The beverage supply device proposed in patent document 1 mixes the raw material and hot water by supplying pressurized air for mixing to an extractor into which the raw material pulverized by the pulverizer is put and to which hot water is supplied from a hot water supply unit, and then supplies the pressurized air for mixing to the extractor to extract the beverage and supply the beverage to a container such as a cup.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2006-190238

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In general, when the amount of beverage supplied to a container is equal to or greater than the capacity of an extractor, in an extractor that extracts beverage from pressurized air for extraction, hot water is supplied again from a hot water supply unit, pressurized air for stirring is supplied and stirred, and pressurized air for extraction is supplied again to extract beverage and supply the beverage to the container, which is not explicitly shown in patent document 1. In this way, since the hot water is supplied again and then the stirring is performed, the time required for supplying the beverage to the container becomes long.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage supply device capable of shortening the supply time of a beverage even when the supply amount of the beverage to a container is equal to or more than the capacity of an extractor.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a beverage supply device according to the present invention includes a control unit that supplies pressurized air for stirring to an extractor into which a raw material pulverized by a pulverizer is introduced and hot water is supplied from a hot water supply unit, and stirs the raw material and the hot water, and supplies the stirred extractor with the pressurized air for extraction to extract a beverage, and the beverage supply device supplies the beverage extracted by the extractor to a container, and the control unit adds the hot water to the extractor during extraction of the beverage by the hot water supply unit when a supply amount of the beverage to the container is equal to or more than a capacity of the extractor.

In the beverage supply device, the control unit may add hot water to the extractor, which is pressurized in an internally closed state and extracts the beverage, by the hot water supply unit.

In the beverage supply device, the control unit may change a supply rate of the hot water supplied from the hot water supply unit according to a type of the beverage to be supplied.

In the beverage supply device, the control unit may change the pressure of the pressurized stirring air supplied to the extractor according to the type of the beverage to be supplied.

In the beverage supply device, the hot water supply unit may be configured to supply the hot water in a swirling manner by abutting against an inner wall surface of a cylinder constituting the extractor.

In the beverage supply device, the hot water supply unit may include: a 1 st delivery unit that delivers a fixed amount of hot water from a hot water tank that stores hot water to an auxiliary tank; and a 2 nd conveying part for pressurizing the hot water in the auxiliary tank and conveying the pressurized hot water to the extractor.

In the beverage supply device, the feed amount of the 2 nd feeding unit is larger than the feed amount of the 1 st feeding unit.

In the beverage supply device, the substantially cylindrical cylinder constituting the extractor may be configured such that an opening edge portion of the upper surface opening and an opening edge portion of the lower surface opening are sealed by a sealing material.

In the beverage supply device, the sealing member may be formed with a plurality of annular projecting pieces on an inner peripheral surface thereof so as to be spaced apart from each other, and the sealing member may be attached to an attachment recess formed in the opening edge portion by bringing the projecting pieces into contact with an inner surface of the attachment recess in an elastically deformable manner, thereby sealing the opening edge portion.

In the beverage supply device, the sealing member is configured such that a locking projection projecting radially outward is formed in a part of an outer peripheral surface of the sealing member, and the sealing member is attached to the attachment recess and seals the opening edge by inserting the locking projection from the inside into a locking hole formed in the attachment recess.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, the control means adds hot water to the extractor during extraction of the beverage by the hot water supply means when the amount of beverage supplied to the container is equal to or more than the capacity of the extractor, and therefore, the control means has an effect of shortening the beverage supply time compared to a case where stirring is performed by supplying hot water again as in the conventional case.

Further, according to the present invention, in the hot water supply unit, the 1 st delivery part delivers a predetermined amount of hot water from the hot water tank to the sub tank, and the 2 nd delivery part pressurizes and delivers the hot water in the sub tank to the extractor, so that the predetermined amount of hot water temporarily stored in the sub tank is supplied, and an effect of satisfactorily supplying the predetermined amount of hot water to the extractor even in a state where the hot water is pressurized can be achieved. Further, since the conveying amount of the 2 nd conveying unit is larger than that of the 1 st conveying unit, an effect of preventing hot water from overflowing from the auxiliary tank is obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, since the substantially cylindrical cylinder constituting the extractor is configured such that the opening edge portion of the upper surface opening and the opening edge portion of the lower surface opening are sealed by the sealing material, there is no need to detach the sealing material from the lid body as in the conventional case, and the effect of enabling the cleaning operation of the extractor to be easily performed is obtained.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram schematically showing each component of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a front view showing an internal structure of the main body cabinet shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the front surface door shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the raw material tank shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the raw material tank shown in fig. 2 and its peripheral structure.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the pulverizer shown in fig. 2 and its peripheral structure.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the raw material chute shown in fig. 6 and 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the cylinder block shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the cylinder block shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a main portion of the cylinder block shown in fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the cylinder block shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the seal shown in fig. 9 to 12.

Fig. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cylinder shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing an attachment structure of the filter assembly shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing the filter assembly shown in fig. 15 and its peripheral structure.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing an installation structure of the filter assembly shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 18 is a sectional view showing the operation of the filter assembly shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 19 is a plan view of the storage box shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 20 is an exploded perspective view showing an installation state of the nozzle shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 21 is a perspective view showing an attached state of the nozzle shown in fig. 2 in a cross section.

Fig. 22 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the nozzle shown in fig. 20 and 21.

Fig. 23 is a perspective view showing the nozzle body shown in fig. 22.

Fig. 24 is a perspective view showing the structure of the fan case shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 25 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the fan case shown in fig. 24.

Fig. 26 is a plan view showing a rail portion of the fan case shown in fig. 24 and 25.

Fig. 27 is a schematic diagram showing a procedure of beverage supply by the sales control unit of the control unit shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 28 is a schematic diagram showing a procedure of beverage supply by the sales control unit of the control unit shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 29 is a schematic diagram showing a procedure of beverage supply by the sales control unit of the control unit shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 30 is a schematic diagram showing a procedure of beverage supply by the sales control unit of the control unit shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 31 is a schematic diagram showing a procedure of beverage supply by the sales control unit of the control unit shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 32 is a schematic diagram showing a procedure of beverage supply by the sales control unit of the control unit shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 33 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the filter paper determination process performed by the setting control unit shown in fig. 2.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the beverage supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 and 2 show a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively, fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration, and fig. 2 is a schematic view schematically showing each component. The beverage supplying apparatus exemplified here is a coffee maker installed in a store such as a convenience store, for example, and supplies a beverage such as coffee to a container C such as a cup by extracting coffee bean powder and drips, for example. Such a beverage supply device includes a device body 1.

The apparatus main body 1 includes a main body cabinet 10 and a front surface door 20. As shown in fig. 3, the main body cabinet 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having an opening (hereinafter also referred to as a front opening) 11 on a front surface. A control unit (control unit) 60 and a beverage producing unit 30 for producing a beverage (e.g., coffee) are provided inside the main body cabinet 10.

The front surface door 20 is a door body having a size sufficient to close the front surface opening 11 of the main body cabinet 10. The front door 20 is provided at a left side edge portion on the front side of the main body cabinet 10 so as to be swingable around a center axis of a shaft portion, not shown, extending in the vertical direction, and is capable of opening and closing the front opening 11 of the main body cabinet 10.

The front surface of the front door 20 constitutes a passenger receiving surface, and as shown in fig. 4, a display unit 21, a beverage supply unit 22, and an opening/closing door 23 are provided.

The display unit 21 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel, displays various information in accordance with an instruction supplied from the control unit 60, and can perform an input operation such as a touch operation. When an input operation such as a touch operation is performed, the display unit 21 transmits a sales signal to the control unit 60.

The beverage supply unit 22 is provided below the display unit 21 and includes a mounting table 22 a. The mounting table 22a is used for mounting the container C and is provided with an arc-shaped stopper 22 b.

The opening/closing door 23 is made of a transparent material such as a transparent resin, and has a size sufficient to cover the inlet 22c of the beverage supply unit 22. The left end of the opening/closing door 23 is pivotally supported by the front door 20 and can swing in the front-rear direction. That is, the opening/closing door 23 can swing in the front-rear direction so as to approach and separate from the drink supply unit 22, and can close the inlet 22c of the drink supply unit 22 when swinging in the rear direction so as to approach the drink supply unit 22, and can open the inlet 22c of the drink supply unit 22 when swinging in the front direction so as to separate from the drink supply unit 22.

The beverage producing unit 30 will be described. The beverage producing unit 30 includes a raw material tank 31, a pulverizer 33, a hot water supply unit 35, an extractor 37, a storage tank 39, a pressurized air supply line 41, a drain line 43, and a nozzle 45.

The material tank 31 is provided to store roasted coffee beans as a beverage material and partially protrudes upward from the top plate 12 of the main body cabinet 10. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the material tank 31 is provided with a material supply driving unit 311. The raw material supply driving unit 311 is driven when a driving command is given from the control unit 60. The material supply driving unit 311 discharges a predetermined amount of coffee beans included in the driving command.

Further, in the material tank 31, a trough (trough member) 312 is provided at both left and right ends. The bottom surface of the runner 312 gradually slopes downward as it goes forward. The spout 312 is provided in a region below the gap 13 of the top plate 12 of the main body case 10, that is, in a region below the gap 13 between a part of the raw material tank 31 protruding upward from the top plate 12 and the opening edge 12a of the top plate 12, and serves to receive the liquid entering from the gap 13 and guide the liquid to a region outside the beverage producing section 30. A plurality of ribs 312a are attached to the runner 312, thereby improving the strength.

The raw material tank 31 is provided with a regulating plate 313, and the regulating plate 313 regulates rearward scattering of coffee beans when the raw material supply driving unit 311 discharges coffee beans, and thus discharges coffee beans downward.

The crusher 33 is a machine called a so-called grinder, and is driven when a drive instruction is given from the control unit 60. The crusher 33 is provided in a lower region of the raw material tank 31, and is connected to the raw material tank 31 via a raw material chute 32.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the raw material chute 32 has an inlet 321 formed in an upper portion thereof for introducing coffee beans discharged from the raw material tank 31, and a drop port 322 formed in a lower portion thereof for dropping the introduced coffee beans. The raw material chute 32 is attached to the crusher 33 in such a manner that the inlet 322 communicates with the inlet of the crusher 33. Further, a plate spring 323 is provided at a lower portion of the raw material chute 32, and the plate spring 323 urges the raw material chute 32 upward by its own restoring force by coming into contact with a peripheral edge portion of the inlet portion of the crusher 33. That is, the plate spring 323 is a biasing means interposed between the raw material chute 32 and the crusher 33, and biases the raw material chute 32 in such a manner that the raw material chute 32 is separated from the crusher 33 and is close to the raw material tank 31.

The grinder 33 is driven to grind coffee beans discharged from the raw material tank 31 and guided by the raw material chute 32, and to feed the ground coffee beans (hereinafter, also referred to as ground coffee beans) to the extractor 37 through the powder chute 34. Here, the powder chute 34 is configured such that the respective components are integrated with each other by resin.

The hot water supply unit 35 is configured to supply hot water to the extractor 37, and is configured such that a hot water tank 351, a constant delivery pump (1 st delivery unit) 352, an auxiliary tank 353, a hot water supply pump (2 nd delivery unit) 354, and a check valve 355 are connected in this order to a hot water supply line 356 constituted by a hot water supply pipe.

The hot water tank 351 is used to heat water such as tap water supplied from a water supply unit, not shown, by the heater 351a and store the heated water as hot water. The fixed-amount pump 352 is driven in accordance with a command supplied from the control unit 60, and when driven, a fixed amount of hot water is fed from the hot water tank 351 to the sub-tank 353. The volume of the auxiliary tank 353 is smaller than that of the hot water tank 351, and hot water supplied from the constant flow pump 352 is temporarily stored. The hot water supply pump 354 is driven in accordance with a command supplied from the control unit 60, and when driven, pressurizes the hot water in the sub tank 353 and feeds the pressurized hot water to the extractor 37. The feed rate of the hot water supply pump 354 is made larger than the feed rate of the constant delivery pump 352. The check valve 355 is a valve element that allows the hot water delivered from the hot water supply pump 354 to pass toward the extractor 37 but restricts the hot water from passing from the extractor 37 toward the auxiliary tank 353. The check valve 355 is disposed in thermal connection with the hot water tank 351, which is not explicitly shown in the drawing.

The extractor 37 is a machine called an extraction unit for extracting coffee from coffee ground beans thrown from the grinder 33 via the powder chute 34 and hot water supplied from the hot water supply unit 35.

A beverage supply line 38 is connected to the extractor 37. The drink supply line 38 is constituted by a single drink supply pipe or by connecting a plurality of drink supply pipes, and supplies the coffee extracted by the extractor 37 to the nozzle 45.

A 1 st pinch valve 381 is provided in the middle of the beverage supply line 38. The 1 st pinch valve 381 is opened and closed in accordance with a command supplied from the control unit 60, and allows the passage of fluid when the valve is in an open state, and restricts the passage of fluid when the valve is in a closed state.

The extractor 37 includes a cylinder 371, a cover 372, and a filter unit 373. Fig. 9 and 10 are perspective views each showing a cylinder 371 constituting the extractor 37. As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the cylinder 371 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is detachably attached to the main body cabinet 10 (the apparatus main body 1). As shown in fig. 11 and 12, in the cylinder 371, an annular seal 374 such as a gasket is attached to each of an attachment recess 371c formed in an opening edge portion of the upper surface opening 371a and an attachment recess 371d formed in an opening edge portion of the lower surface opening 371b, thereby sealing the opening edge portion.

As shown in fig. 13 in an enlarged manner, a plurality of (for example, 4) annular protruding pieces 374a are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the seal 374 so as to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction. Further, a locking protrusion 374b protruding outward in the radial direction is formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface of the seal 374.

As shown in fig. 14, the seal 374 is attached to the attachment recesses 371c, 371d and seals the opening edge by bringing the protruding pieces 374a into contact with the inner surfaces of the attachment recesses 371c, 371d by elastic deformation and inserting the locking projections 374b from the inside into the locking holes 371c1, 371d1 formed in the attachment recesses 371c, 371 d.

The cover 372 is moved in a manner to approach and separate from the upper surface opening 371a of the cylinder 371 by a drive mechanism 372a such as a motor in accordance with an instruction supplied from the control section 60, thereby opening and closing the upper surface opening 371a of the cylinder 371. The lid 372 has a hole for allowing the coffee ground beans supplied from the powder chute 34 to be poured into the cylinder 371, and a hole for allowing the hot water supplied from the hot water supply unit 35 to be poured into the cylinder 371, which are not explicitly shown in the drawing.

The strainer assembly 373 is provided in a lower region of the cylinder 371 and is connected to the beverage supply line 38. The motor 373a is driven in accordance with a command supplied from the control unit 60, and the filter unit 373 moves in the vertical direction so as to approach and separate from the cylinder 371.

As shown in fig. 15 and 16, such a filter unit 373 is detachably provided in the filter housing section 47 attached to the main body cabinet 10. That is, the filter unit 373 is detachably provided in the apparatus main body 1.

Here, the filter housing section 47 rotatably supports and houses the filter roll FR around which the filter paper PF is wound. The filter housing portion 47 is provided with a rotation detector 471. The rotation detecting unit 471 is, for example, an encoder or the like, and is a rotation detecting means for detecting the rotation of the filter roller FR. The rotation detector 471 sends a rotation signal to the controller 60 when detecting the rotation of the filter roller FR.

A groove portion 373b is formed in the rear end portion of the filter unit 373, and the protruding portion 472 formed in the filter housing portion 47 is inserted into the groove portion 373b, whereby the filter unit 373 is attached to the apparatus main body 1. As shown in fig. 17, the filter unit 373 includes a paper roll unit 375, a 1 st cutter unit 376, and a 2 nd cutter unit 377.

The paper roll unit 375 nips the filter paper PF drawn from the filter roll FR and guided by the guide roll GR. The paper roll portion 375 rotates when an operation command is given from the control portion 60.

The 1 st cutter portion 376 is provided below the paper roll portion 375 and cuts the filter paper PF. The 1 st blade portion 376 is provided with a blade portion 376a for cutting the filter paper PF at the lower end edge portion thereof, and is a portion extending in the vertical direction.

The 2 nd cutter 377 is provided at a position behind the paper roll 375 to cut the filter paper PF. The 2 nd cutter part 377 is provided with a blade part 377a for cutting the filter paper PF at the upper end edge part.

As shown in fig. 18, when the filter paper PF drawn from the filter roll FR is placed on a predetermined path in a form passing between the cylinder 371 and the filter unit 373 as indicated by a broken line (イ), the filter unit 373 discharges the filter paper PF from the filter roll FR by the rotation of the paper roll unit 375. That is, the paper roll unit 375 allows the discharge operation of the filter paper PF from the filter roll FR.

In addition, when the filter paper PF drawn out from the filter roll FR is not placed on a predetermined path as shown by the chain line (ロ) and the chain double-dashed line (ハ), the following situation occurs. That is, when the filter paper PF is placed as indicated by the chain line (ロ), the movement of feeding the filter paper PF from the filter roller FR is restricted by the projection 472 inserted into the groove portion 373b, and as a result, even if the paper roller 375 rotates. When the filter paper PF is set as indicated by the two-dot chain line (ハ), the paper roll 375 rotates to cut the filter paper PF by the 2 nd cutter 377, thereby restricting the operation of feeding the filter paper PF from the filter roll FR.

That is, the filter unit 373 is detachably provided in the apparatus main body 1, and restricts the discharge of the filter paper PF when the filter paper PF is not placed on a predetermined path.

Fig. 19 is a plan view showing the storage box 39 shown in fig. 2. The storage box 39 is provided in a lower area of the extractor 37, and stores extraction residue generated by extracting the beverage in the extractor 37 together with the filter paper PF. The storage box 39 includes a partition member 391, and is configured to be divided into an area 39a for storing and extracting the sludge and an area 39b for storing the filter paper PF by the partition member 391.

The pressurized air supply line 41 is configured by connecting a plurality of pressurized air supply pipes, and has one end connected to the cover 372 and the other end connected to a portion in the middle of the beverage supply line 38. The pressurized air supply line 41 is provided with an air pump 411, a 2 nd pinch valve 412, and a 3 rd pinch valve 413.

The air pump 411 is driven in accordance with an instruction supplied from the control section 60, for compressing and delivering air. The 2 nd pinch valve 412 is provided on one end side (the cover 372 side) of the air pump 411. The 2 nd pinch valve 412 is opened and closed in accordance with a command supplied from the control unit 60, and allows the passage of fluid when the pinch valve is in the open state, and restricts the passage of fluid when the pinch valve is in the closed state. The 3 rd pinch valve 413 is provided on the other end side (beverage supply line 38 side) of the air pump 411. The 3 rd pinch valve 413 is opened and closed in accordance with a command supplied from the control unit 60, and allows the passage of fluid when the valve is in the open state, and restricts the passage of fluid when the valve is in the closed state.

The drain line 43 is constituted by a single drain pipe or by connecting a plurality of drain pipes, and is provided so as to branch from the beverage supply line 38. A 4 th pinch valve 431 is provided in the drain line 43. The 4 th pinch valve 431 is opened and closed in accordance with a command supplied from the control unit 60, and allows the passage of fluid when the valve is in the open state, and restricts the passage of fluid when the valve is in the closed state.

As shown in fig. 20, the nozzle 45 is detachable from the nozzle mounting portion 24 provided on the front surface door 20. The nozzle 45 is attached to the nozzle attachment portion 24, and is disposed so as to face the beverage supply portion 22, as shown in fig. 21. That is, the nozzle 45 is detachably disposed so as to face the beverage supply unit 22. The nozzle 45 discharges the beverage supplied through the beverage supply line 38 to the container C placed on the mounting table 22 a.

As shown in fig. 22, the nozzle 45 is configured such that the opening 451a of the nozzle body portion 451 having the opening 451a at the upper portion thereof is closed by the cap portion 452, and the beverage supply line 38 is connected to the nozzle 45 in such a manner as to communicate with the through hole 452a formed in the cap portion 452. A joint member 46 is provided at an end of the beverage supply line 38, and a light shielding portion 461 is formed in the joint member 46.

The nozzle mounting portion 24 is provided with a nozzle detection portion (detection member) 25. The nozzle detection unit 25 is constituted by a so-called optical sensor or the like. The nozzle detection unit 25 is opened only when light emitted from a light emitting unit, not shown, is blocked by the light blocking portion 461 of the joint member 46 of the drink supply line 38 connected to the nozzle 45, and detects that the nozzle 45 connected to the drink supply line 38 is attached to face the drink supply unit 22. The nozzle detection unit 25 supplies the detection result to the control unit 60 as a signal.

As shown in fig. 23, the nozzle body portion 451 has a discharge port 451b for discharging the beverage at a front portion thereof, and a discharge port 451c for discharging air supplied together with the beverage at a rear portion thereof distant from the discharge port 451 b. When the nozzle 45 is attached so as to face the beverage supply unit 22, as shown in fig. 20 and 21, the discharge port 451c faces the discharge path 26 disposed on the rear surface of the front door 20, which is the outside of the beverage supply unit 22. The discharge path 26 communicates with a discharge tray 27 formed in a lower region of the beverage supply section 22.

As shown in fig. 3, a fan case 50 is provided in the main body cabinet 10 so as to be adjacent to the beverage producing unit 30. The fan case 50 is provided at an upper end portion of an exhaust path 55 formed between the beverage producing portion 30 and a left inner wall surface of the main body cabinet 10, and the fan case 50 is used for sucking the steam generated in the beverage producing portion 30 by an exhaust fan F disposed at a left bottom portion inside the main body cabinet 10.

As shown in fig. 24 and 25, the fan case 50 has a box-like shape, and a filter opening 51 is formed in a front surface thereof, and a fan filter 52 is attached through the filter opening 51 so as to be insertable and removable.

As shown in fig. 26, a rail portion 53 is formed on the lower surface of the upper portion and the upper surface of the lower portion of the fan case 50. The rail portion 53 is formed in a partially curved portion, and thereby the fan filter 52 inserted or removed in the middle can be guided in a posture inclined in the left-right direction.

The control unit 60 controls the operations of the respective units of the beverage supply apparatus in a unified manner in accordance with programs and data stored in a storage unit, not shown. The control unit 60 may be implemented by software that causes a Processing device such as a cpu (central Processing unit) to execute a program, may be implemented by hardware such as an ic (integrated circuit), or may be implemented by both software and hardware.

The control unit 60 includes a sales control unit 61 and a setting control unit 62. The sales control section 61 controls the generation and supply of the beverage by the beverage generation section 30. The setting controller 62 determines whether or not the filter PF is normally set, and performs a filter determination process to be described later.

In the beverage supply device having the above-described configuration, the coffee beverage can be supplied to the container C placed on the placement table 22a of the beverage supply unit 22 in the following manner. On the premise that hot water of a predetermined temperature is generated and stored in the hot water tank 351, the 1 st pinch valve 381, the 2 nd pinch valve 412, and the 4 th pinch valve 431 are closed, and the 3 rd pinch valve 413 is opened.

As shown in fig. 27, when the user touches the operation display unit 21, the sales control unit 61 of the control unit 60 that receives the sales signal of the selected beverage moves the filter unit 373 upward, and then supplies a drive command to the material supply drive unit 311 to cause the grinder 33 to discharge coffee beans in an amount corresponding to the beverage, and supplies a drive command to the grinder 33 to grind the coffee beans and throw the ground coffee beans into the extractor 37. After that, the driving of the raw material supply driving unit 311 is stopped. The amount of beverage selected by the user is equal to or more than the volume of the extractor 37 (cylinder 371) with respect to the amount of beverage supplied to the container C.

The sales control unit 61 drives the fixed displacement pump 352 to feed a fixed amount of hot water from the hot water tank 351 to the sub-tank 353, and drives the hot water supply pump 354 to pressurize the hot water in the sub-tank 353 and feed the pressurized hot water to the extractor 37, thereby feeding the hot water to the extractor 37. Thereafter, the drive of the constant flow pump 352 and the drive of the hot water supply pump 354 are stopped.

Then, the sales control section 61 drives the air pump 411 to supply pressurized air (pressurized air for stirring) to the cylinder 371 by a part of the beverage supply line 38 to stir (forcibly stir) the coffee ground beans and the hot water, as shown in fig. 28. After that, the driving of the air pump 411 is stopped.

The sales control unit 61 forcibly stirs the coffee ground beans and the hot water in this way moves the cover 372 downward to close the upper surface opening 371a of the cylinder 371, closes the 3 rd pinch valve 413, opens the 1 st pinch valve 381 and the 2 nd pinch valve 412, and drives the air pump 411. Further, the 4 th pinch valve 431 is maintained in a closed state.

Thus, as shown in fig. 29, pressurized air (pressurized air for extraction) is supplied to the cylinder 371 to extract coffee, and the extracted coffee is supplied to the nozzle 45 via the beverage supply line 38 and is ejected from the ejection port 451b of the nozzle 45 toward the container C.

Here, since the discharge port 451c through which the pressurized air supplied together with the coffee through the beverage supply line 38 is discharged is provided in the nozzle 45 in a state of being away from the discharge port 451b and facing the discharge path 26 provided outside the beverage supply portion 22, the pressurized air can be discharged to the discharge path 26.

As described above, since the amount of beverage selected by the user to be supplied to the container C is equal to or more than the capacity of the extractor 37 (cylinder 371), the sales control unit 61 drives the fixed-amount pump 352 to feed a fixed amount of hot water from the hot water tank 351 to the sub-tank 353 and drives the hot water supply pump 354 to pressurize the hot water in the sub-tank 353 and feed the pressurized hot water to the extractor 37, as shown in fig. 30, while coffee is being ejected from the nozzle 45 to the container C.

The hot water temporarily stored in the auxiliary tank 353 is sent to the extractor 37 in a pressurized state, and the extracted coffee is ejected from the nozzle 45 to the container C by the hot water to supply a predetermined amount of coffee to the container C, and the sales control unit 61 stops driving of the dosing pump 352, the hot water supply pump 354, and the air pump 411. Thus, the user can take out the container C from the beverage supply unit 22 by swinging the opening/closing door 23 in the opening direction.

Thereafter, the sales controller 61 moves the cover 372 upward to open the upper opening 371a of the cylinder 371, thereby releasing the internal pressure of the cylinder 371. Then, the sales control section 61 supplies hot water from the hot water supply unit 35 to the extractor 37 to wash the inside of the cylinder 371, and opens the 4 th pinch valve 431, and as shown in fig. 31, discharges the moisture remaining in the extractor 37 through the drain line 43.

The sales control section 61 that has discharged the water in this manner closes the 4 th pinch valve 431, and moves the filter unit 373 downward as shown in fig. 32. Then, the sales control unit 61 gives an operation command to the paper roller unit 375 to cause the filter paper PF to perform a predetermined amount of discharge operation, and stores the extracted dregs generated by the extraction of the coffee beverage together with the filter paper PF in the storage box 39, thereby ending the coffee supply of this time.

In this manner, the controller 60 (sales controller 61) of the beverage supply device is configured to add hot water to the extractor 37 in the coffee extraction process by the hot water supply unit 35 when the coffee supply amount to the container C is equal to or more than the capacity of the extractor 37 (cylinder 371).

In the beverage supply device, a cleaning operation and a flushing operation for circulating only hot water through the beverage producing unit 30 are periodically performed. When a sales signal is given after the cleaning operation or when the flushing operation is performed, the setting controller 62 of the controller 60 performs the following filter paper determination process before the above-described beverage supply and flushing operation.

Fig. 33 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the filter paper determination process performed by the setting control unit 62 shown in fig. 2.

In this filter paper determination process, the setting controller 62 sends an operation command to the paper roll 375 (step S101), and waits for the input of a rotation signal from the rotation detector 471 (step S102).

As described above, the filter unit 373 is detachably provided in the apparatus main body 1, and restricts the discharge of the filter paper PF when the filter paper PF is not placed on a predetermined path.

When the rotation signal from the rotation detector 471 is input (yes in step S102), the setting controller 62 determines that the filter paper PF is set normally (step S103), sends an operation stop command to the paper roller 375 (step S104), and then returns the step to end the process.

On the other hand, when the rotation signal from the rotation detector 471 is not input after the lapse of the predetermined time (no in step S102), the setting controller 62 determines that the filter roll FR is not rotating because the discharge of the filter paper PF is restricted (step S105), and transmits a display command for displaying the display unit 21 that the abnormality has occurred (step S106). Then, the setting control unit 62 sends an operation stop command to the paper roll unit 375 (step S107), and then returns the step to end the process of this time.

As described above, the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following operational advantages.

The nozzle detection unit 25 detects that the nozzle 45 connected to the beverage supply line 38 is attached to face the beverage supply unit 22, and therefore, the nozzle 45 is prevented from being attached to face the beverage supply unit 22 in a state where the connection with the beverage supply line 38 is insufficient, and the leakage of coffee (beverage) due to the connection between the nozzle 45 and the beverage supply line 38 can be prevented.

Further, since the discharge port 451C of the nozzle 45 is provided in a form away from the discharge port 451b and facing the discharge path 26 provided outside the beverage supply portion 22, the pressurized air supplied together with the coffee can be discharged to the discharge path 26, and thus, the pressurized air can be prevented from being discharged to the container C, and the risk of foreign matter entering the container C can be reduced.

Since the rail portion 53 formed in the fan case 50 guides the fan filter 52 in the middle of insertion or removal in a posture inclined in the right-left direction, the fan filter 52 can be easily inserted into and removed from the fan case 50 regardless of the presence of a device provided in the front region of the fan case 50.

The storage box 39 is configured to be divided into an area 39a for storing the extracted residue and an area 39b for storing the filter paper PF by the partition member 391, so that the extracted residue can be easily separated from the filter paper PF.

Since the plate spring 323 interposed between the raw material chute 32 and the crusher 33 biases the raw material chute 32 in such a manner that the raw material chute 32 is separated from the crusher 33 and is close to the raw material box 31, even if the installation height of the raw material box 31 and the installation height of the crusher 33 are deviated, the raw material chute 32 can be pressed against the raw material box 31, and the raw material box 31 and the crusher 33 can be favorably coupled.

The trough 312 integrally provided in the material tank 31 receives the liquid entering through the gap 13 of the top plate 12 of the main body case 10 and guides the liquid to the region outside the beverage producing unit 30, and therefore the liquid can be prevented from dripping onto the beverage producing unit 30.

When the amount of coffee supplied to the container C is equal to or more than the capacity of the extractor 37 (cylinder 371), the controller 60 (sales controller 61) adds hot water to the extractor 37 during extraction of coffee by the hot water supply unit 35, and therefore, the time required for supplying coffee can be shortened compared to the case of stirring while supplying hot water again as in the prior art.

The cylinder 371 of the extractor 37 is configured such that the opening edge of the upper surface opening 371a and the opening edge of the lower surface opening 371b are sealed by the seal 374, and therefore, the operation of cleaning the extractor 37 can be easily performed without detaching the seal from the cover as in the conventional case.

Further, since the seal 374 elastically deforms the protruding pieces 374a to come into contact with the inner surfaces of the mounting recesses 371c, 371d, even when the pressure inside the cylinder 371 is increased during extraction of coffee or the like, the state of being mounted to the mounting recesses 371c, 371d can be maintained, and the pressure resistance can be made excellent. Further, since the seal 374 is attached to the attachment concave portions 371c and 371d by inserting the locking projections 374b into the locking holes 371c1 and 371d1 from the inside, the seal 374 can be easily detached from the attachment concave portions 371c and 371d by disengaging the locking projections 374b from the locking holes 371c1 and 371d 1.

In the hot water supply unit 35, the constant-rate pump 352 feeds a constant amount of hot water from the hot water tank 351 to the sub-tank 353, and the hot water supply pump 354 pressurizes the hot water in the sub-tank 353 and feeds the pressurized hot water to the extractor 37, so that a predetermined amount of hot water can be favorably supplied to the extractor 37 even in a state where the hot water is pressurized.

The filter unit 373 is detachably provided in the apparatus main body 1, and restricts the discharge of the filter paper PF when the filter paper PF is not placed on a predetermined path, and the control unit 60 discharges the filter paper PF by the paper roll unit 375 at a predetermined timing, determines that the filter paper PF is placed normally when the rotation detection unit 471 detects the rotation of the filter roll FR, and determines that the filter paper PF is placed abnormally when the rotation detection unit 471 does not detect the rotation of the filter roll FR.

Since the 1 st cutter portion 376 constituting the filter unit 373 extends in the vertical direction, the accumulation of ground coffee beans and the like in the 1 st cutter portion 376 can be suppressed.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, the nozzle detection unit 25 is in the open state only when the light emitted from the light emission unit is blocked by the light blocking unit 461 of the joint member 46, and detects that the nozzle 45 connected to the drink supply line 38 is attached so as to face the drink supply unit 22. In this case, the end of the beverage supply line provided with the joint member may be always connected to the nozzle mounting portion, and when the nozzle is mounted to the nozzle mounting portion, the joint member may be engaged with the nozzle, and the light blocking portion of the nozzle may block the light of the detection member. That is, in the present invention, the form of the nozzle in the state of being connected to the beverage supply line is not particularly limited as long as the detecting means can detect that the nozzle is attached to face the beverage supply unit.

In the above embodiment, the storage box 39 is configured to be divided into the area 39a for storing and extracting the dregs and the area 39b for storing the filter paper PF by the partition member 391, but the division form is not particularly limited in the present invention, and a small box for storing the filter paper may be provided inside the storage box to divide the area for storing and extracting the dregs and the area for storing the filter paper.

In the above-described embodiment, the trough 312 is integrally provided in the raw material tank 31, but in the present invention, the location of the trough member is not particularly limited, and may be provided in a form suspended from the top plate of the main body cabinet, for example.

In the above-described embodiment, only the case where hot water is supplied to the extractor 37 by the hot water supply unit 35 has been described, but the present invention can be configured as follows. That is, the supply speed of the hot water from the hot water supply unit to the extractor may be changed according to the type of the beverage to be supplied. This enables the degree of agitation between the raw material and the hot water to be varied, and the taste of the extracted beverage to be adjusted. In the present invention, the hot water supply unit may be configured to supply hot water in a swirling manner in contact with an inner wall surface of the cylinder. This allows the hot water and the raw material fed into the extractor to be stirred together.

In the above-described embodiment, only the case where the pressurized air is supplied to the extractor 37 has been described, but in the present invention, the pressure of the pressurized air for stirring supplied to the extractor may be changed by changing the compression force of the air pump. This enables the degree of agitation between the raw material and the hot water to be varied, and the taste of the extracted beverage to be adjusted.

In the above-described embodiment, the constant-rate pump 352 is provided to feed a constant amount of hot water from the hot water tank 351 to the sub-tank 353, but the present invention is not limited to the constant-rate pump and may be configured by a valve or the like. That is, a fixed amount of hot water may be supplied to the sub-tank by opening the valve for a predetermined time.

In the above-described embodiment, the material of the filter element 373 is not particularly described, but in the present invention, the filter element may be formed of a resin material in which an antibacterial material is appropriately mixed. This can inhibit the propagation of undesired bacteria.

In the above-described embodiment, in the filter paper determination process, when it is determined that the filter paper PF is abnormally placed, the display unit 21 displays the content of the occurrence of the abnormality, but in the present invention, when it is determined that the filter paper PF is abnormally placed, the notification unit may be caused to issue an alarm such as a buzzer sound to prompt an operator such as a staff of the store to re-place the filter paper.

In the above-described embodiment, although not particularly mentioned, in the present invention, the filter roller may be replenished to the filter storage section from the front or from the rear.

Description of the reference numerals

1. A device main body; 10. a main body cabinet; 20. a front surface door; 22. a beverage supply section; 30. a beverage generating part; 31. a raw material tank; 33. a pulverizer; 35. a hot water supply unit; 37. an extractor; 39. a storage box; 41. a pressurized air supply line; 43. a drain line; 45. a nozzle; 50. a fan case; 60. a control unit; C. a container; FR, filter roll; PF, filter paper.