JP2004174093A - Milk former and coffee beverage maker using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a milk former which achieves a simplified construction, a smaller size, a reduction in cost and the like while facilitating the refilling with milk and the replacement thereof and a coffee beverage maker which enables the obtaining of the highly fine foams of a high quality in the coffee using the same. <P>SOLUTION: The milk former 30 installed on a coffee beverage maker discharges the hot water by an electromagnetic pump 32 from a hot water tank 1 for extracting coffee and the hot water is heated by a steam boiler 33 to generate the steam which is supplied to a milker with a mixing part 35 and a nozzle 34. As the steam passes through the mixing part 35, it sucks and mixes the air in the atmosphere and the milk in a milk pack 37 housed in a milk cold storage 36 simultaneously into foams to be delivered from the nozzle 34. The milk treated with the steam from the nozzle 34 is mixed with the coffee from the coffee extractor 11 within a cup. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a milk foamer and a coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus using the same, and more particularly to a milk foamer whose size and cost are reduced, and a coffee beverage whose size and configuration are simplified by using the same. It relates to a manufacturing device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus, by supplying ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size to an extraction chamber having a pressure-resistant structure, and passing the ground beans through a predetermined high-temperature hot water pressurized by a pump. Some extract coffee liquor.
[0003]
According to this coffee beverage production device, elution of the coffee component is promoted by using high-temperature hot water at the time of extracting the ground beans. Also, by supplying hot water under pressure, the hot water permeates into the ground bean tissue, and as a result, a strong coffee liquid is obtained. Espresso coffee is known as coffee extracted in this manner.
[0004]
Also, recently, it is considered that it is taste and visually preferable that a fine and high quality foam is sufficiently formed in a coffee liquid poured into a cup. One of the conditions for forming such bubbles is the pressure during extraction, and it is necessary to increase the extraction pressure in the extraction chamber to a predetermined high pressure from the start of extraction.
[0005]
As a coffee beverage manufacturing device for extracting coffee liquid by passing hot water through coffee grains (ground beans), for example, water is heated by a heater in a hot water tank to generate hot water and stored in the hot water tank. There is a coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus configured to supply ground coffee from a coffee mill to a coffee brewing machine at the same time as hot water is supplied by a pump, and to supply a cup of coffee liquid extracted by the coffee brewing machine (for example, Patent Reference 1).
[0006]
In Patent Literature 1, coffee foam can be generated by a valve mechanism (a solenoid valve, a check valve, or the like) that controls the flow and opening of the extracted hot water downstream of the coffee extractor.
[0007]
In addition, a coffee beverage vending machine and a coffee beverage manufacturing device equipped with a milk former have been proposed. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a coffee beverage manufacturing device, a cream is prepared by mixing powdered milk and hot water, and this is put into coffee extracted by a coffee extractor. However, with the improvement of beverage quality, milk foamers for producing milk foam from raw milk have come to be used. A milk former is a device for mixing milk and air when supplying milk to a coffee extractor, and supplying the milk to the coffee extractor in a foamed state (aeration). In the milk former, the milk is cooled by a cooling device in order to allow the milk to be stored for a long time. Therefore, if milk is supplied to the coffee brewing machine as it is, the temperature of the coffee in the coffee brewing machine is lowered, and the taste and feel are impaired. Therefore, the milk from the milk storage is mixed with air using the steam generated by the steam generator or steam supply when supplying the milk to the coffee extractor while cooling and storing the milk, and the milk is foamed and steamed. There has been proposed an apparatus for supplying a mixture of milk to a coffee extractor (see Patent Documents 2 and 3).
[0008]
The mixing of milk and air is performed by forcibly supplying milk to the mixing section by a pump from a steam supply device (see Patent Document 3), and the principle of a sprayer is applied, and a negative pressure is generated at the milk supply port. Accordingly, the milk is sucked, the sucked milk is warmed, and the milk is further foamed and discharged (see Patent Document 4).
[0009]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-076244 A [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-22856 [Patent Document 3]
JP 2000-157231 A [Patent Document 4]
JP-A-6-189854
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the conventional milk formers, in the configurations of Patent Documents 2 and 3, since steam is generated from the water stage, a special steam generator and a steam supplier are required, and the milk former is used for coffee. When used in a beverage manufacturing device, the size of the coffee beverage manufacturing device increases. In addition, it is necessary to provide heating units at two locations, one for steam generation and the other for coffee extraction, which increases power consumption and maintenance costs. Further, since it is necessary to store milk directly in a dedicated tank, it is troublesome to handle refilling and replacing milk in stores and the like, and it is not easy to manage hygiene.
[0011]
In addition, according to the conventional coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus, the configurations of Patent Documents 2 and 3 require two tanks, one for the milk former and the other for the coffee extraction. In addition, the cost increases due to an increase in power consumption and the like.
[0012]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a milk former capable of simplifying the configuration, reducing the size and reducing the cost, and which can easily refill and replace milk.
[0013]
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus capable of achieving downsizing, simplification, low power consumption, and cost reduction of the apparatus.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has, as a first feature, a milk cool box that cools one or more stored milk packs, and a pump that discharges hot water from a hot water tank of a coffee beverage production device, A boiler that generates steam based on hot water from the pump, and a milker that sucks milk and sucks air from the milk cool box by the steam from the boiler, mixes the sucked air with the sucked milk, and discharges the milk. A milk former characterized by comprising:
[0015]
According to this configuration, the hot water tank of the coffee beverage production device can be used as a hot water source of the milk former, so there is no need to provide a dedicated hot water tank for the milk former, and the boiler can be small-scale. Simplification, miniaturization, and cost reduction can be achieved. Further, since a commercially available milk pack that can be used anywhere can be used, handling such as replenishment and replacement of milk becomes easy, and convenience, workability, and hygiene can be improved.
[0016]
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a second feature that hot water at a predetermined temperature is stored in a hot water tank, and ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size are supplied to a coffee extractor. A coffee beverage producing device for supplying and supplying the hot water to the coffee extractor from the hot water tank via a pipe by a pump to extract the coffee liquid, wherein a pump for discharging the hot water from the hot water tank; A steam generator that generates steam based on hot water, and sucks milk and air from one or more milk packs by the steam from the steam generator, and mixes the sucked air with the sucked milk to mix An apparatus for manufacturing a coffee beverage, comprising: a milk former configured to include a milker for injecting the coffee liquid from a coffee extractor.
[0017]
According to this configuration, the milk former does not generate steam from the water stage, but uses the hot water of the hot water tank for the coffee extractor to generate steam by the boiler. As a result, the size, simplification, power consumption, and cost of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, since a milk pack that can be obtained anywhere is used, convenience, workability, and hygiene can be improved.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the milk former of the present invention and a coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus using the same.
Hot water tank 1 can store several liters of drinking water, and the drinking water is heated to, for example, 97 ° C. by a heater (not shown) to keep the temperature. One end of a pipe 2 is connected to the hot water tank 1, and an electromagnetic valve 3 is provided in the middle of the pipe 2. A gear pump 4 that pressurizes and discharges hot water is attached to the bottom of the hot water tank 1, and a bypass pipe 5 is connected between the gear pump 4 and the pipe 2. A relief valve 6 for returning the hot water in the hot water to the hot water tank 1 is provided. One end of a pipe 7 is connected to the outlet of the gear pump 4, and a flow meter 8 is provided in the middle of the pipe 7. One end of a pipe 9 is connected to the other ends of the pipes 2 and 7, a needle valve 10 serving as a valve mechanism for controlling the supply flow rate of the hot water, and a reverse valve for preventing the backflow of the hot water are provided in the middle of the pipe 9. A stop valve 19 is provided. A coffee extractor 11 is connected to the other end of the pipe 9, and a chute 12 is provided on an upper portion of the coffee extractor 11, and on this upper portion, ground beans are ground by a high-speed rotating grinding blade (not shown). A coffee mill 13 having a predetermined particle size is installed, and a bean storage container 14 for storing the ground beans and supplying the ground beans to the coffee mill 13 is installed at an upper portion of the coffee mill 13. A pipe 17 forming an extraction system is connected to a lower portion of the coffee extractor 11, and an extraction electromagnetic valve 15 and a needle valve 16 for controlling discharge of the coffee liquid are provided in the middle of the pipe 17. An adjusting mechanism is formed by the extraction electromagnetic valve 15 and the needle valve 16. A cup (not shown) is provided below the pipe 17.
[0019]
In addition, sugar and cream are injected into the cup at the request of the purchaser together with the injection of the coffee liquid, but illustration and description of these supply systems are omitted. Further, when the ground beans are supplied from the coffee mill 13 to the chute 12, measurement is performed by a measuring device, but these are also not shown.
[0020]
A pressure sensor 18a is attached to the outflow side of the needle valve 10, and a pressure sensor 18b is attached to the inflow side of the extraction solenoid valve 15. A control unit 40 is connected to these pressure sensors 18a and 18b. The control unit 40 controls the entire coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus, and includes a memory for storing programs and data, a timer for generating a clock signal, and a CPU that operates based on the clock signal and the program. . The control unit 40 is also connected with an electromagnetic valve 3, a gear pump 4, a relief valve 6, a flow meter 8, an extraction electromagnetic valve 15, and the like, and is controlled.
[0021]
The milk former 30 includes a pipe 31 serving as a passage for taking out hot water from the hot water tank 1, an electromagnetic pump 32 provided in the middle of the pipe 31, a steam boiler 33 provided at a subsequent stage of the electromagnetic pump 32, and an end of the pipe 31. Nozzle 34 provided in the section, a mixing section 35 provided in the pipe 31 near the milk nozzle 34 for mixing milk and steam, a milk cool box 36 containing a plurality of milk packs 37 for keeping cool, a milk pack It comprises a tube 38 connecting the 37 and the mixing section 35. A milker 50 is formed by the milk nozzle 34 and the mixing unit 35.
[0022]
FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the coffee extractor 11. The coffee extractor 11 includes a cylinder 21 containing ground beans supplied from a coffee mill 13 through a chute 12, a piston 22 inserted into the cylinder 21, a piston drive motor 23 for driving the piston 22, a motor 23 and a piston The cylinder unit D is provided with a torque transmission unit 24 connecting the cylinder units 22. The coffee brewing machine 11 further includes a motor 25 for inclining the entire cylinder unit D at a predetermined angle, a cap 26 attached to the cylinder 21 when the cylinder unit D is inclined, and driving the cap 26 by driving the motor 25. It has a gear 27 to be engaged with the cylinder 21 as a source. The gear 27 is supported by a rotation shaft 27a. The pipe 9 passes through the cap 26. W is a wiper provided below the chute 12.
[0023]
FIG. 3 shows a detailed configuration of the milk former 30 and the milker 50.
The hot water tank 1 is provided with a heater 1A, and the stored hot water 1B is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 1A to keep the temperature. An electromagnetic valve 39 is disposed at a stage preceding the electromagnetic pump (steam pump) 32 of the pipe 31, and the valve opens and closes under the control of the control unit 40 in accordance with the supply of hot water and ground beans to the coffee extractor 11. Is done. The steam boiler 33 generates steam by heating (for example, about 170 ° C.) the hot water from the hot water tank 1 by the heater 33 </ b> A, and supplies the steam to the milker 50. A temperature sensor (not shown) is attached to the steam boiler 33, and the control unit 40 controls the temperature so that the hot water temperature is set based on the detection value of the temperature sensor. A heat-retaining tube 31A is provided outside the steam boiler 33 of the pipe 31 from the steam boiler 33 to the milker 50 so that heat does not escape.
[0024]
The milker 50 includes a milker body 51 having a milk nozzle 34, a lid 53 attached to the milker body 51 via an O-ring 52, a steam nozzle 55 attached to the milker body 51 via two O-rings 54, An air suction port 56 provided at an upper portion of the milker body 51 near an end of the nozzle 55; a milk suction port 57 provided at a position opposite to the air suction port 56 and coupled to an end of the pipe 31; Is provided with a milk flow rate adjusting mechanism 58 provided in the apparatus.
[0025]
Here, the operation of the milk former 30 will be described. When there is a request to put milk into the coffee extracted by the coffee extractor 11 and poured into the cup, the control unit 40 opens the electromagnetic valve 39 and then operates the electromagnetic pump 32 for a predetermined time. By this operation, hot water is discharged from hot water tank 1. However, since the hot water temperature of the hot water tank 1 is set to a temperature (for example, 97 ° C.) suitable for use in the coffee extractor 11, the hot water is not steam required by the milk former 30. Therefore, the hot water from the electromagnetic pump 32 is heated by the steam boiler 33 to generate steam. Since the temperature of the hot water from the hot water tank 1 is close to 100 ° C., the heat capacity of the steam boiler 33 may be relatively low. Therefore, the steam boiler 33 may be a small-sized device and the installation space may be small. The steam from the steam boiler 33 is injected from the steam nozzle 55 into the milker 50. When the steam passes near the air suction port 56 and the milk suction port 57 (mixing section 35), a negative pressure is generated in the mixing section 35, air is sucked in from the air suction port 56, and milk is passed through the milk suction port 57. Is inhaled. The inhaled milk is mixed with air by the passing steam, and is discharged from the milk nozzle 34 in a foamed state and supplied to the coffee cup.
[0026]
FIG. 4 shows a detailed configuration of the milk cool box 36, and FIG. 4A shows a front cross section, and FIG. 4B shows a side view.
The milk cool box 36 has a space for accommodating two commercially available milk packs 37 each having a size of 1 liter. A housing portion is configured by the lid 62. In order to fix the hinge 62A, a lid support 61A is provided on the upper part of the main body 61. A packing 61B made of silicon or rubber is provided on the upper surface of the main body 61 in order to maintain the sealing performance with the closed lid 62. The main body 61 has a built-in milk pack storage case 63 made of an aluminum material or the like, and the periphery thereof is filled with a heat insulating material 64 made of urethane foam or styrene foam.
[0027]
A part of the heat insulating material 64 facing the side surface of the main body is omitted, and a cooling device 65 is provided in this part to cool the milk pack 37 and the milk pack storage case 63. The cooling device 65 includes an electronic refrigeration unit 65A using a Peltier effect in which different kinds of metals are joined and heat is absorbed when current is applied to both surfaces thereof, and aluminum or aluminum attached to the electronic refrigeration unit 65A. It is provided with a copper radiator 65B. By using the electronic refrigeration unit 65A, the installation space can be reduced as compared with a cooling device using a refrigerant liquid, and the size of the milk cool storage 36 can be reduced. Note that the electronic refrigerator 65A is not limited to the configuration using the Peltier effect, but may be a configuration using another principle such as the Seebeck effect.
[0028]
An electric fan 66 is provided facing the radiator 65B to cool the radiator 65B heated by heat exchange by the electronic refrigeration unit 65B by applying outside air. Further, a power supply circuit 67 and a control circuit 68 for supplying power to the electronic refrigerator 65A and the electric fan 66 are built in the main body 61. The main body 61 is provided with a ventilation hole 61D facing the control circuit 68. Further, four rubber feet 61C are attached to the four corners of the bottom surface of the main body 61.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 5, a drawing hole 61E for drawing out a milk suction tube 69 such as a rubber tube is provided on the upper surface of the main body 61. The milk suction tube 69 has one end connected to the pipe 38 and the other end connected to the branching device 70. A pack tube 71A is connected to the first branch port of the branching device 70, and a pack tube 71B is connected to the second branch port. Piercing pipes 72A and 72B (pipe members) are attached to the packing tubes 71A and 71B. The piercing pipe 72A is pierced into the upper surface of the milk pack 37A, and the piercing pipe 72B is pierced into the upper surface of the milk pack 37B. By inserting the piercing pipes 72A and 72B until the ends thereof reach near the bottom surfaces of the milk packs 37A and 37B, the milk in the milk packs 37A and 37B can be almost completely used.
[0030]
Since the milk cool box 36 according to the present invention can use a commercially available milk pack 37 easily available at a convenience store, the piercing pipes 72A and 72B are pulled out from the used milk packs 37A and 37B, and replaced with new milk packs. The replacement operation is completed only by inserting the piercing pipes 72A and 72B. There is no hygiene problem because the milk in the milk pack is not exposed.
[0031]
Next, the operation of the coffee beverage production device will be described.
As described above, in espresso coffee, it is considered that taste and visual preference are given to sufficient formation of fine and good-quality foam in the coffee liquid poured into the cup. In order to form foam on top of the coffee extracted by the coffee extractor 11 and poured into the cup, a flow rate adjusting mechanism such as a needle valve is provided downstream of the coffee extractor 11 so that the coffee extractor 11 can be used in the initial stage of the extraction. The valve may be opened and depressurized when the pressure is equal to or higher than a certain pressure (0.4 MPa: about 4.0 kgf / cm ² ). However, by performing only this control, although a large amount of bubbles can be generated, the bubbles become large in size and do not become fine bubbles.
[0032]
However, during the coffee extraction after opening the valve, the present inventor maintained the extraction unit (P3 shown in FIG. 1) at a predetermined pressure (0.30 MPa: about 3.0 kgf / cm ² ) or more, and It has been found that fine and high-quality foam can be formed by continuing predetermined pressure reduction (0.05 to 0.20 MPa) before and after (P2 and P3 shown in FIG. 1).
[0033]
The above extraction control is achieved by controlling the extraction solenoid valve 15 and the needle valve 10. The control of the extraction solenoid valve 15 is performed by the control unit 40 based on the detection results of the flow meter 8 and the pressure sensors 18a and 18b. Adjustment of the needle valve 10 is performed manually by, for example, a maintenance manager.
[0034]
In espresso coffee, in which high-temperature hot water is supplied under pressure to ground coffee beans to extract the coffee liquid, taste, aroma and visual sense are important. That is, (1) fine-grained coffee foam is extracted and retained above the extracted coffee liquid, and (2) there is a rich and rich taste and aroma. As described above, fine-grained coffee foam can be achieved only by setting P3 to a pressure value of 0.30 MPa or more. However, in order to obtain coffee with a richer richer taste and aroma, the conditions must be strict. Confirmed that it can be achieved. That is, during the coffee extraction, the pressure (P3) of the coffee extractor 11 is maintained in a predetermined pressure range (0.35 to 0.71 MPa: about 3.5 to 7.1 kgf / cm ² ), and the flow rate during the extraction is maintained. This is to control the flow rate within a predetermined range (3.5 to 6.5 ml / sec).
[0035]
As described above, the valve mechanism (the needle valve 10 in the present invention) is provided at a position after the gear pump 4 and before the coffee extractor 11, and an adjustment mechanism (the extraction electromagnetic in the present invention) is provided after the coffee extractor 11. By providing the valve 15 and the needle valve 16) and setting them to the above-mentioned pressure value and flow rate value, it is possible to obtain coffee with a rich and rich taste and aroma while generating fine bubbles. Note that a check valve may be used instead of the needle valve 16. Further, the adjustment mechanism may have a configuration of only the extraction electromagnetic valve 15 and only the needle valve 16 or a configuration of “extraction electromagnetic valve 15 + needle valve 16”. Alternatively, it may be an electric valve. The motor-operated valve has both functions of a solenoid valve and a needle valve, and can adjust the opening degree during the opening operation. Thus, the control unit 40 can perform automatic control for setting the pressure value and the flow rate value based on the detection results of the flow meter 8 and the pressure sensors 18a and 18b.
[0036]
FIGS. 6A to 6H sequentially show main operations in the coffee brewing machine 11 in the coffee brewing process. The operation will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6A shows a stage in which the ground beans P are supplied to the cylinder 21. The cylinder 21 is in an upright state, and the ground beans P are supplied from the coffee mill 13 to the cylinder 21 via the chute 12.
[0037]
FIG. 6B shows a first state of the extraction preparation step, in which the cylinder 21 to which the ground beans have been supplied is in an upright state, but the piston drive motor 23 is energized to drive the gear 27 to operate. By doing so, the entire cylinder unit D is rotated in the direction of the arrow, and the cylinder 21 is inclined at a predetermined angle. Then, the head of the cylinder 21 is sealed with the cap 26, and the state shown in FIG.
[0038]
FIG. 6C shows a second state of the extraction preparation step, in which the cap 26 is lowered and inserted into the cylinder 21 in synchronization with the inclination of the cylinder unit D, and the drive of the piston drive motor 23 is stopped. At this time, the gear 27 stops at a position rotated by 180 degrees from the state shown in FIG.
[0039]
Figures 6 (d) and (e) show the first and second stages of coffee extraction, respectively. In FIG. 6D, the piston drive motor 23 operates, the piston 22 is pushed up via the torque transmission unit 24, and the ground beans in the cylinder 21 are compressed. Further, hot and pressurized hot water is supplied to the cylinder 21 sealed with the cap 26 through the pipe 9, and coffee liquid is extracted from the compressed ground beans.
[0040]
Before the hot water is supplied through the pipe 9, the gear pump 4 is operated for a short time to return the lukewarm water in the gear pump 4 to the hot water tank 1 via the bypass pipe 5 and the relief valve 6, and the hot water is newly supplied to the pipe 7, The operation of sending to 9 is performed. When the exchange of hot water in the gear pump 4 is completed, the gear pump 4 is temporarily stopped, and the relief valve 6 is closed. While the relief valve 6 is closed, hot and pressurized hot water is supplied from the pipe 17 to the cylinder 21 as shown in FIG.
[0041]
In FIG. 6 (e) showing the second state of the extraction step, the piston 22 is further pushed up, the coffee liquid in the cylinder 21 is sent to the pipe 17, and the extracted slag of the ground beans is compressed. At this time, the pipe 9 is opened to the atmosphere by an open valve (not shown).
[0042]
FIG. 6 (f) shows a process of preparing the waste for disposal (step of depressurizing the cylinder 21). When the piston drive motor 23 rotates in the reverse direction, the piston 22 is pushed down, and the hot water in the pipe 9 and the hot water in the pipe 17 are removed. Is sucked into the cylinder 21.
[0043]
FIG. 6G shows a step of removing the cap 26 from the cylinder 21. The cap 25 is separated from the head of the cylinder 21 by the operation of the motor 25 and the gear 27, and the piston 22 is pushed up again by the operation of the piston drive motor 23, so that the ground bean extract R is pushed up from the cylinder 21.
[0044]
FIG. 6 (h) shows the stage of discarding the extracted slag. The cylinder unit D rotates in the direction of the arrow by the operation of the motor 25 and the gear 27, and the cylinder 21 is in an upright state. During this rotation, the extracted slag pushed out of the cylinder 21 is scraped off by the wiper W below the chute 12, falls into a bucket (not shown), and is discarded.
[0045]
Next, the operation of the coffee beverage production device will be described. Here, a description will be given of a process in which the ground beans used in the next supply operation are supplied to the cylinder 21 after the supply is completed, and are compressed by the cap 26 and the piston 22 as one process.
[0046]
When an operator operates an operation unit (not shown) to perform an extraction start input, a corresponding signal is output to the control unit 40, and the solenoid valve 3 is opened. At the same time, the gear pump 4 is driven at a low speed, and a small amount of hot water is sent to the pipe 7. Thereby, the hot water staying in the pipe 7 is sent to the pipe 2 via the solenoid valve 3 by pressure and returned to the hot water tank 1, and the hot water of about 90 ° C. to 95 ° C. supplied from the hot water tank 1 is used for the pipe 7. Warm up. When the heating of the pipe 7 is completed, the drive of the gear pump 4 is stopped, and then the solenoid valve 3 is closed.
[0047]
Ground beans are supplied to the cylinder 21 after the end of the previous supply operation, and the motor 25 is driven to tilt the cylinder unit D of the coffee brewing machine 11 to the brewing position. The cap 26 is inserted into the cylinder 21 in synchronization with the tilting operation, and then the piston drive motor 23 is driven. As a result, the piston 22 rises, and the ground beans stored in the cylinder 21 are tamped. The current value of the piston drive motor 23 at the time of this tamping is detected by a current detection circuit (not shown), and when a predetermined current value corresponding to the coffee liquid to be sold is detected, the piston drive motor 23 is braked and thereafter energized. Stops.
[0048]
Next, the gear pump 4 is driven, and high-temperature hot water heated to about 90 ° C. to 95 ° C. at a pressure of 6 to 8 atm is supplied to the cylinder 21. In this coffee liquid extracting operation, the ground beans in the coffee extractor 11 are exposed to hot water having a pressure corresponding to the pressure resistance of the check valve 19. As a result, a strong coffee liquid in which coffee components are sufficiently eluted from the initial stage of extraction is extracted. The check valve 19 is opened when the supply pressure of the coffee liquid exceeds the pressure resistance, and the coffee liquid is poured into a cup (not shown) via the pipe 17. At this time, fine foam is formed on the upper part of the coffee liquid poured into the cup. When the electromagnetic valve 39 is energized and the electromagnetic pump 32 is energized, the milk former operates, and the foamed milk foam is poured into the cup and mixed with the coffee liquid.
[0049]
When the extraction of the coffee liquid is completed, the drive of the gear pump 4 stops. The piston drive motor 23 is driven to further raise the piston 22. By packing the extracted slag based on the upward movement of the piston 22, the coffee liquid in the slag is squeezed.
[0050]
The disposal of the extraction residue is performed by driving the motor 25 to separate the cap 26 from the cylinder 21, and then driving the piston drive motor 23 to rotate forward to raise the piston 22, thereby pushing up the extraction residue to the top of the cylinder 21. The motor 25 is driven in this state to rotate the cylinder unit D to the upright position. By this rotation, the extracted residue comes into contact with the wiper W provided on the lower side wall of the chute 12 and is removed from the cylinder unit D. After the removal of the extracted residue, one selling operation is completed by driving the piston drive motor 23 in the reverse direction to lower the piston 22.
[0051]
As described above, according to the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus having the above-described configuration, the milk former 30 generates steam by the steam boiler 33 using the hot water in the hot water tank 1 for the coffee extractor. This eliminates the need for a storage tank, and makes it possible to reduce the size and simplification of the device, reduce power consumption, and reduce costs. Furthermore, since a milk pack that can be obtained anywhere is used, convenience, workability, and hygiene can be improved.
[0052]
Further, a flow rate adjusting mechanism by a needle valve 10 is provided at a stage after the gear pump 4 and before the coffee extractor 11, and a valve mechanism by an electromagnetic valve 15 and a flow rate control by a needle valve 16 after the coffee extractor 11. A mechanism is provided, and by adjusting or controlling the pressure of the extraction section of the coffee extractor 11 to be 0.3 MPa or more, desirably in the range of 0.35 to 0.71 MPa, simultaneously with the generation of fine bubbles, You can also get coffee with strong rich taste and aroma.
[0053]
In the above embodiment, since the pressure sensors 18a and 18b are provided, if the detection results of the sensors are displayed on the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus or can be notified to the outside, it can be used at the time of manufacturing factory or maintenance. Adjustment work can be performed easily.
[0054]
Further, in the above configuration, the gear pump 4 is used for supplying hot water from the hot water tank 1. However, the gear pump 4 is adopted because it has a low pressure feed amount, so that it is possible to avoid poor hot water supply due to pressure increase in the piping and to be small in size. However, other types of pumps may be used as long as they have the same performance. The electromagnetic pump 32 may use other types of pumps as well.
[0055]
Further, in the above embodiment, the production of hot coffee has been described, but the present invention is also applicable to a coffee beverage production apparatus that sells iced coffee.
[0056]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the milk former of the present invention, the hot water tank for the coffee extractor is used as a supply source of hot water for the milk former, and a configuration in which a dedicated hot water tank is not required for the milk former is provided. Since the boiler can be small-sized, the structure of the milk former can be simplified, downsized, and the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since a commercially available milk pack that can be used anywhere can be used, handling such as replenishment and replacement of milk becomes easy, and convenience, workability, and hygiene can be improved.
[0057]
According to the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the attached milk former does not generate steam from the water stage, but generates steam by the boiler using hot water in a hot water tank for a coffee extractor. This eliminates the need for a tank for the milk former, which makes it possible to reduce the size, simplification, power consumption, and cost of the apparatus. Furthermore, since a milk pack that can be obtained anywhere is used, convenience, workability, and hygiene can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a milk former and a coffee beverage production device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a detailed configuration of the coffee brewing machine of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing details of the milk former of FIG. 1;
4 shows a detailed configuration of the milk cool box of FIG. 1, wherein (a) is a front sectional view and (b) is a side view.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the milk cool box of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating main operations of a coffee brewing machine in a coffee brewing process of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot water tank 1A, 33A Heater 1B Hot water 2,7,9,17 Pipe 3 Solenoid valve 4 Gear pump 5 Bypass pipe 6 Relief valve 8 Flow meter 10,16 Needle valve 11 Coffee extractor 12 Chute 13 Coffee mill 14 Bean storage container 15 Extraction electromagnetic valves 18a, 18b Pressure sensor 19 Check valve 21 Cylinder 22 Piston 23 Piston drive motor 24 Torque transmission unit 25 Motor 26 Cap 27 Gear 27a Rotating shaft 40 Control unit 31 Piping 31A Heating tube 32 Electromagnetic pump (steam pump)
33 Steam boiler 34 Milk nozzle 35 Mixing unit 36 Milk cooler 37 Milk pack 38 Tube 39 Solenoid valve 50 Mil car 51 Mil car main body 52, 54 O-ring 53 Lid 55 Steam nozzle 56 Air suction port 57 Milk suction port 58 Milk flow control mechanism 61 Main body 61A Lid support 61B Packing 61C Rubber feet 61D Vent hole 61E Drawer hole 62 Lid 62A Hinge 63 Milk pack storage case 64 Insulation material 65 Cooling device 65A Electronic refrigeration unit 65B Radiator 66 Electric fan 67 Power supply circuit 68 Control circuit 69 Milk suction tube 70 Branching device 71A, 71B Packing tube 72A, 72B Piercing pipe D Cylinder unit W Wiper

Claims (10)

A milk cooler for cooling the stored one or more milk packs,
A pump for discharging hot water from a hot water tank of a coffee beverage production device,
A boiler that generates steam based on hot water from the pump,
A milk former, comprising: a milk car for sucking milk and air from the milk cool box by steam from the boiler, and mixing and discharging the sucked air and the sucked milk. A body in which the one or more milk packs are stored,
The milk former according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling device installed on the main body to cool the one or more milk packs. 3. The milk former according to claim 2, wherein the cooling device has a configuration based on a Peltier effect principle. The milk cool box is a pipe member inserted into one or more stored milk packs and used for sucking milk.
The milk former according to claim 1, further comprising a milk suction tube used for connecting the pipe member and the milker. The milk suction tube is connected at one end thereof to a branching unit having a one-to-two-way configuration, and the pipe member inserted into each of the plurality of milk packs is connected through the plurality of ports of the branching unit. The milk former according to claim 1, wherein: Hot water at a predetermined temperature is stored in a hot water tank, ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size are supplied to a coffee extractor, and the hot water is pumped from the hot water tank via a pipe to the coffee extractor. In a coffee beverage production apparatus for extracting coffee liquid by supplying to the
A pump that discharges hot water from the hot water tank, a steam generator that generates steam based on the hot water from the pump, and air that sucks milk from one or a plurality of milk packs by using the steam generated by the steam generator. A coffee beverage producing apparatus, comprising: a milk former configured to include a milker that sucks, mixes the sucked air with the sucked milk, and injects the coffee liquid from the coffee extractor into the coffee liquid. The coffee beverage production apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the milk former includes a milk cool box provided with a cooling device for cooling the stored one or more milk packs. The coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the coffee brewing machine includes an adjusting mechanism that adjusts the pressure of the brewing unit to be 0.30 MPa or more. The adjustment mechanism is a valve mechanism provided in the pipe,
9. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a pressure / flow rate adjusting mechanism provided in a pipe on the extraction side of the coffee extractor. The valve mechanism is a needle valve,
The coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the pressure / flow rate adjusting mechanism is a needle valve, a solenoid valve, an electric valve, or a combination of a needle valve and a solenoid valve.

Images