JP2000005074A - Electric coffee maker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely boil water and to pour hot water free from chlorine components into an extracting container by heating/boiling water in a water riser and providing a limiting means limiting a water flowing area a the water riser to ensure the boiling to surely boil water. SOLUTION: Water W in a water container 2 is introduced into the water riser 8 through a water guiding pipe 3b from a check valve 6 and the inside of the pipe 8 is filled with water to a water level equal to that of the container 2. At the time of turning on a switch at this time, water in the riser 8 and the pipe 3b is heated by energizing to the heater 3a and the auxiliary heater 13 of a heat generating body 3. When water in the pipe 3 is boiled, hot water in the pipe 8 is pushed up from the pipe 3b by its steam pressure and hot water is made to drip into the extracting container 11 from a hot water pouring port 10. At this time, a core material 14 is provided in the pipe 8, a water passage is made an annular passage between the inner face of the pipe 8 and the outer face of the material 14 and a heat capacity to heat by the heater 13 is reduced to facilitate boiling of water in the pipe 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric coffee machine having a coffee extracting function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional electric coffee machine will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, water W from a water container 2 passes through a check valve 6, passes from a water pipe 3 b of a heating element 3 to a connector 7, passes through a riser pipe 8 provided with an auxiliary heater 13, Next, the coffee powder is poured from the hot water pipe 9 into the extraction container 11 in which the coffee powder is set, and the extracted coffee liquid accumulates in the coffee container.

When water is first charged into the water container 2, the rising pipe 8
The inside is filled with water to the same height as the water in the water container 2.
Here, when the main body switch is turned on, the heater 3a of the heating element 3 and the auxiliary heater 13 are energized, so that the water in the water guide pipe 3b and the water riser pipe 8 boils.
Is supplied to the extraction container 11 to extract coffee.
An electric coffee machine provided with this kind of auxiliary heater 13 is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-74433.

[0005]

In such a conventional electric coffee boiler, strictly speaking, the initial water in the water pipe 8 does not boil, but the water in the water pipe 3b boils first and rises. Since the water is sent to the water pipe 8, the unboiled hot water in the water pipe 8 tends to drop from the tapping pipe 9 into the extraction vessel 11. In other words, there is a problem that hot water which is not completely boiled and whose calcium component is not sufficiently removed is supplied to the extraction container 11, and as a result, the flavor of the extracted coffee cannot be sufficiently extracted. In particular, although there is a difference depending on the diameter of the riser pipe 8, the temperature of the hot water inside the riser pipe 8 tends to rise, but the central part tends to hardly rise.

In order to solve the above problem, simply increasing the wattage of the auxiliary heater 13 or reducing the diameter of the riser 8 (reducing the water capacity in the riser 8) can be considered. In any case, as a result, the watt density described later only increases and exceeds the maximum watt density, and this never solves the problem.

[0007] Here, how to determine the wattage of the auxiliary heater 13 will be described. In consideration of the thermal efficiency and life of the heater, the maximum watt density (the wattage of the auxiliary heater 13) is desirably used below this value. The concept of several (the surface area of the riser pipe 8 corresponding to the auxiliary heater) is introduced.

The maximum watt density is not fixed, but depends on the use conditions and structure of the equipment, and is determined by the manufacturer based on experimental conditions. If the maximum watt density is exceeded, the heat of the heater is efficiently discharged to the riser pipe 8. Since the temperature of the heater itself rises too much because it is not transmitted to the heater, not only the life of the heater is shortened, but also it is necessary to take measures against the temperature of components around the heater.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems The electric coffee brewer of the present invention has solved the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 has a water container for storing water for extraction and a raw material for coffee. A heating element comprising an extraction container, a water pipe for guiding water from the water vessel, a heater for heating the water in the water pipe, and hot water heated by the heater of the heat element, and coffee is supplied from the hot water pipe. An electric coffee kettle comprising an auxiliary heater for heating water in the water riser, wherein the water is raised by the auxiliary heater. In order to surely boil the water in the pipe, a restriction means for restricting a water passing area (restricting a water capacity in the riser pipe) is provided. With a core material provided in the riser pipe An electric coffee machine, characterized in Rukoto, thereby making it possible to reliably boiling water without the riser tube to increase the watt density.

The invention according to claim 3 is an electric coffee brewer characterized in that a hollow pipe is used as the core material, whereby the heat capacity in the riser pipe can be reduced, and Water can be more reliably boiled.

The invention described in claim 4 is the same as the claim 2.
An electric coffee brewer characterized in that the core material and the riser pipe are substantially concentric with each other in the configuration of the described invention, whereby the water in the riser pipe can be heated substantially uniformly and efficiently.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric coffee machine according to the second aspect, wherein a water passage area in the riser pipe is substantially equal to a water passage area of the water pipe. Even when the hot water is continuously discharged, the resistance to the flow of the hot water is reduced and the hot water is discharged from the discharge port without being disturbed.

[0013] The invention according to claim 6 is an electric coffee brewing machine characterized by comprising a connector for connecting the riser pipe, the water pipe and the tapping pipe in a watertight manner, and holding the core material by the connector. Yes, this allows the core material to be mounted with a simple configuration without the need for special mounting parts.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electric coffee brewer according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The same parts as those in the above-mentioned conventional example will be described with the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, a water container 2 for storing water for extracting coffee is provided at a rear portion of a main body case 1 made of resin, and a base portion 4 having a heating element 3 provided therein is provided at a lower portion of the main body case 1. I have. The base section 4 has a container table 5 serving as a mounting table for a detachable coffee container for storing coffee liquid.

The heating element 3 has a horseshoe shape and has a heater 3a serving as a heating source and a water guide pipe 3 for guiding water from the water container 2.
b and a heater 3a for heating water in the water pipe 3b.
And a plate portion 3c that transmits heat of The water circuit from the water container 2 to the coffee container is first connected from the water container 2 via the check valve 6 to one end of the water pipe 3b of the heating element. The check valve 6 is provided at the bottom of the water container 2 and flows in one direction from the water container 2 to the water pipe 3b.

The other end of the water pipe 3b is connected to a vertical riser pipe 8 made of ceramic through a connector 7 and from a tap water pipe 9 arranged horizontally through a connector 7 to a tap hole 10. It has become. Outlet 10
In the lower part, store coffee powder and paper filter,
It has an extraction container 11 for extracting coffee liquid by hot water dripping from a tap hole 10, and a coffee container for storing the coffee liquid extracted from the extraction container 11 is provided below the extraction container 11 on the container base 5. It is mounted detachably on.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the structure of the riser pipe 8 which is the gist of the present invention will be described in detail.
An auxiliary heater 13 is wound around the outer surface of the riser 8 to heat the water in the riser 8. Although the material of the riser pipe 8 is ceramic in this embodiment, a metal pipe such as aluminum or stainless steel may be used. In the case of ceramic, heating emits far-infrared rays, and as a result, the taste of the extracted coffee becomes round. In the case of a metal pipe, an electric insulating material needs to be interposed between the metal pipe and the auxiliary heater 13.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a core member provided in the riser 8 for adjusting the cross-sectional area of the flow path, and is held in the riser 8 by the upper and lower connectors 7 in the riser 8. The structure of the connector 7 is made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber, and the riser pipe 8 and the water pipe 3
and a pipe portion 7a for connecting the tapping pipe 9 in a watertight manner, a holding portion 7b for holding the core member 14 at the center portion, and a rib 7c for connecting the holding portion 7b and the pipe portion 7a in a radial manner. By adding a holding portion 7b and a rib 7c to the connector 7, a function of holding the core material 14 in the riser pipe 8 is added.

Next, an embodiment of an electric circuit of the electric coffee kettle of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition,
FIG. 4 does not show electric components other than the heater.

In FIG. 4, the heater 3a of the heating element 3
A temperature fuse 21 and a temperature controller 22 mounted near the heating element 3; and a relay switch 23 mounted in the base 4.
a is connected in series to the power supply. The auxiliary heater 13 is connected in parallel with the heater 3 a of the heating element 3 and a series circuit of a thermal fuse 24 attached near the auxiliary heater 13.
A relay coil 23b is connected in parallel with the auxiliary heater 13. Reference numeral 25 denotes a main body switch provided in parallel with the relay switch 23a, and has an operation surface on the outer surface of the main body case 1. This body switch is such that a contact is turned ON only when operated by a user, and there is a push switch as an example. The temperature controller 22 has a normally closed contact, and turns off the contact when the temperature of the water pipe 3b becomes higher than a predetermined temperature, and as a safety device when the temperature controller 22 breaks down.
In order to prevent abnormal temperature rise in the vicinity,
A thermal fuse 24 is provided to prevent abnormal temperature rise near the auxiliary heater 13, and when any thermal fuse is blown, the heater circuit is turned off.

Next, the operation of the above configuration and circuit will be described.
The water inside is filled with water from the check valve 6 to the middle of the riser pipe 8 via the water guide pipe 3b, that is, to the same water level as the water level of the water container 2 (H line in FIGS. 2 and 3). This state is referred to as an initial state in the following description.

In this initial state, the contact of the temperature controller 22 is ON. When the main body switch is operated (contact ON), the voltage of the power supply is applied to both ends of the relay coil 23b, and accordingly, the relay switch 23a Turns on,
As a result, a voltage is applied to the heater 3a and the auxiliary heater 13 of the heating element 3, so that the inside of the water rising pipe 8 and the water guiding pipe 3b
The water inside is heated. The main body switch is OFF except when operated, but the relay contact is ON because a voltage is applied to the relay coil 23b through the relay contact.
The state has continued.

Eventually, the water in the water pipe 3b boils, and the vapor pressure causes the water in the water pipe 8 to be pushed up from the water pipe 3b, so that the hot water drops from the tap hole 10 to the extraction vessel 11. In addition,
Here, the hot water does not flow toward the water container 2 because of the check valve 6. After the hot water is pushed up, the cycle of replenishing water from the water container 2 and heating is repeated until the water in the water container 2 runs out.

When the water runs out, the temperature of the heating element 3 rises and becomes higher than a predetermined temperature. The temperature controller 22 detects the temperature and turns off its contact, so that no voltage is applied to the relay coil 23b. Switch 23a
Is turned off, and the heater 3a of the heating element 3 and the auxiliary heater 13 circuit are also turned off.

When time elapses in this state, the temperature controller 2
When the temperature of the two parts falls and falls below a predetermined temperature, the contact becomes O
N, but the relay switch 23a and the body switch
The state remains at F and the heater is not energized and returns to the initial state. On the other hand, the hot water dropped from the tap hole 10 is poured into the coffee powder in the extraction container 11, and the coffee liquid filtered by the paper filter is extracted into the coffee container.

In the above operation process, when the water in the water pipe 3b boils and is pushed up by the water rising pipe 8, the heat capacity of the water in the water rising pipe 8 is reduced to make the water in the water rising pipe 8 boil. A small core material 14 is provided, and the water passage is
The space between the inner surface and the outer surface of the core material 14 (S part in FIG. 3) is reduced, and the capacity of the water in the riser 8 is reduced. Accordingly, the heat capacity to be heated by the auxiliary heater 13 is reduced, so that the water in the riser 8 is easily boiled. .

Here, the shape of the core material 14 may be a rod shape, but by making the shape of a hollow pipe, the heat capacity can be further reduced, and the water in the riser 8 can be more easily boiled. Further, by disposing the core material 14 substantially concentrically with the water pipe 8, the heat of the auxiliary heater 13 is evenly transmitted to the water in the water pipe 8, so that the heating efficiency is improved and the water is easily boiled. Resin, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, glass and the like can be considered as the material of the core material 14, but stainless steel and aluminum are appropriate in consideration of heat resistance, water resistance, corrosion resistance, odor, economy and the like.

Next, the water flow area in the riser pipe 8 (S part in FIG. 3)
Is substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the water flowing through the water pipe 3b, so that the resistance of the hot water flow becomes substantially equal, the flow of the hot water is not disturbed, and the hot water is not scattered when the hot water is dropped from the tap hole 10 and the water in the extraction vessel 11 is not scattered. Pours effectively over coffee grounds.

[0030]

According to the present invention, the electric coffee machine of the present invention has the above-mentioned structure. Therefore, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, there is provided a core material for restricting a water passing area in the riser pipe. Therefore, the water in the riser pipe can be reliably boiled, and hot coffee without calcium component is poured into the coffee powder in the extraction container, so that delicious coffee can be extracted.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the capacity to be heated by the auxiliary heater is reduced by using a hollow pipe as the core material, the water in the riser can be more reliably boiled.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the core material and the water riser are provided substantially concentrically, the heat of the auxiliary heater is evenly applied to the water in the water riser, so that there is no heating unevenness and the water is surely boiled. be able to.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the water flow area (cross-sectional area) in the riser pipe is substantially equal to the water flow area (cross-sectional area) of the water pipe, so that the resistance to the flow of hot water decreases. The hot water dripping from the tap can be poured into the coffee powder in the extraction container without being scattered.

Further, in the invention according to claim 6, the core material is held by the connector, and by using the core material, it is possible to assemble with a simple configuration without requiring any special parts.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part showing an embodiment of an electric coffee machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the riser pipe section of FIG. 1 taken along line AA.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the riser pipe section of FIG. 2 taken along line BB.

FIG. 4 is an electric circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the electric coffee kettle of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part showing an embodiment of a conventional electric coffee machine.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the riser pipe section of FIG. 1 taken along line AA.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7 connector 8 riser 13 auxiliary heater 14 core material

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A heating element comprising a water container for storing water for extraction, a water pipe for guiding water from the water vessel, a heater for heating water in the water pipe, and a heater for the heating element. A water pipe for raising heated hot water and supplying it from a hot water pipe to an extraction container containing coffee powder, the water pipe having an auxiliary heater for heating water in the water pipe; An electric coffee brewing machine comprising a coffee brewing machine, characterized in that the coffee brewing machine is provided with a restricting means for limiting a water passing area so that water in a water rising pipe is surely boiled by heat of the auxiliary heater. 2. The electric coffee machine according to claim 1, wherein said restricting means is a core material provided in a riser pipe. 3. The electric coffee machine according to claim 2, wherein said core material is formed by a hollow pipe. 4. The electric coffee machine according to claim 2, wherein the core and the riser are substantially concentric. 5. The electric coffee machine according to claim 2, wherein a water passage area in the water pipe is substantially equal to a water passage area of the water pipe. 6. The electric coffee machine according to claim 2, wherein the riser pipe, the water pipe and the tapping pipe are provided with a connector for watertight connection, and the core material is held by the connector.