CN111432695B

CN111432695B - Beverage supply device

Info

Publication number: CN111432695B
Application number: CN201880077917.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 有村充
Original assignee: Fuji Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Fuji Electric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-16
Filing date: 2018-12-25
Publication date: 2022-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-25
Also published as: JP6954171B2; JP2019142519A; CN111432695A; WO2019159543A1

Abstract

A beverage supply device (1) is provided with: a hot water tank (10) that generates and stores hot water; and a hot water supply unit that supplies hot water stored in the hot water tank (10) to the beverage generation unit (22) when a sales instruction is provided, and the beverage supply device (1) supplies the beverage generated by the beverage generation unit (22) to the cup C, wherein the hot water supply unit performs a hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time period when a predetermined operation condition is satisfied before the sales instruction is provided, and returns at least a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank (10) to the inside of the hot water tank (10) after being sent out of the hot water tank (10) in the hot water circulation operation.

Description

Beverage supply device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a beverage supply device.

Background

Conventionally, as a beverage supply device for supplying a beverage to a beverage container, the following devices have been known. That is, the beverage container is provided with a hot water tank that generates and stores hot water constituting a beverage, and a hot water supply pipe that supplies the hot water stored in the hot water tank to the beverage generating unit, and the beverage generated by the beverage generating unit is supplied to the beverage container (see, for example, patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2017-127489

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the beverage supply device described above, when the time elapsed since the beverage was last supplied to the beverage container is too long, the hot water supply pipe and the like may be cooled. When the hot water supply pipe or the like is cooled in this manner, the temperature of the hot water supplied to the beverage producing unit becomes low when the beverage is supplied later, and as a result, the beverage supplied to the beverage container may deviate from a desired temperature range.

Thus, it is thought that: when a sales instruction is given by a user pressing an operation button, a part of hot water in the hot water tank is circulated through the hot water supply pipe to warm the hot water supply pipe.

However, when the hot water is supplied to warm up after the sales instruction as described above, the time (sales time) from when the operation button is pressed to when the beverage is supplied to the beverage container is long, which is not preferable.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage supply device capable of maintaining a beverage supplied to a beverage container in a desired temperature range and suppressing an increase in the selling time.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a beverage supply device according to the present invention includes: a hot water tank which generates and stores hot water; and a hot water supply unit that supplies hot water stored in the hot water tank to a beverage producing unit when a sales instruction is provided, and the beverage supply device supplies a beverage produced by the beverage producing unit to a beverage container, wherein the hot water supply unit performs a hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time period when a predetermined operation condition is satisfied before the sales instruction is provided, and returns at least a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank to the inside of the hot water tank after being sent out to the outside of the hot water tank in the hot water circulation operation.

In the beverage supply device, the beverage supply unit may include a door for opening and closing a beverage supply port through which the beverage is supplied to the beverage container, and the hot water supply unit may perform the hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time period when the door is opened without the beverage container being placed thereon before the sales instruction is provided.

In the beverage supply device, the hot water supply unit may perform the hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time period when a predetermined interval time has elapsed since the last hot water supply to the beverage producing unit.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, the hot water supply means performs the hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time period in which at least a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank is sent out of the hot water tank and then returned to the inside of the hot water tank when the predetermined operation condition is satisfied before the sales instruction is provided, so that the peripheral elements of the hot water tank can be warmed before the sales instruction is provided, and thereby the effect of suppressing the increase of the sales time while maintaining the beverage supplied to the beverage container in a desired temperature range is achieved.

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 showing a path configuration of a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged explanatory view showing a peripheral structure of the hot water tank shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the hot water circulation control process performed by the control unit shown in fig. 3.

Detailed Description

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

Fig. 1 to 3 each show a beverage supply device as an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration, fig. 2 is a schematic view showing a route configuration, and fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system. The beverage supplying apparatus 1 exemplified here is installed in a store such as a convenience store, for example, and supplies a coffee beverage to a cup C as a beverage container placed on a vending stand S of the beverage supplying unit 2. Here, the beverage supply part 2 is a space for supplying a beverage to the cup C, and a beverage supply port 2a as a front surface opening thereof is opened and closed by a supply door (door body) 3.

The beverage supply device 1 includes a hot water tank 10, a hot water supply path 20, a nozzle 30, an open/close detection unit 41, a cup detection unit 42, a commodity selection button 43, and a control unit 50.

As also shown in fig. 4, the hot water tank 10 incorporates a hot water generating heater 11. The hot water generating heater 11 is a heating unit including: when the electric conduction state is established, water supplied to the inside of the hot water tank 10 by a water supply unit, not shown, is heated to generate hot water. That is, the hot water tank 10 generates and stores hot water. An overflow pipe 12 is provided in such a hot water tank 10. The overflow pipe 12 is used to discharge hot water to the outside when the water level inside the hot water tank 10 is equal to or higher than a predetermined height. That is, the inside of the hot water tank 10 is communicated with the outside air through the overflow pipe 12.

The hot water supply path 20 is formed by connecting a plurality of hot water supply pipes. One end of the hot water supply path 20 enters the hot water tank 10 so as to protrude upward from the bottom of the hot water tank 10, and communicates with the inside of the hot water tank 10 through a heat introduction port 21, while the other end of the hot water supply path 20 is connected to a beverage generation unit 22, and a hot water supply pump 23 and a valve mechanism 24 are provided midway therebetween.

The heat conduction water port 21 is an opening for sucking in hot water. The beverage generator 22 is a so-called brewing machine, and extracts coffee beverage from coffee beans discharged from the raw material tank 25 and ground by the grinder 26 and hot water from the hot water supply path 20.

When a drive command is given from the control unit 50 to the electric motor 23a incorporated in the hot water supply pump 23, the electric motor 23a drives the hot water supply pump 23. The hot water supply pump 23 is driven by the motor 23a, and sucks in hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 through the heat conduction water port 21 to circulate the hot water through the hot water supply path 20. When the driving is stopped, the hot water supply pump 23 restricts the flow of hot water through the hot water supply path 20.

The valve mechanism 24 is a valve body that opens and closes in response to a command supplied from the control unit 50, and when open, allows the hot water to flow through the hot water supply path 20 to the beverage producing unit 22, and when closed, restricts the hot water from flowing through the hot water supply path 20 to the beverage producing unit 22. The valve mechanism 24 is normally open.

An air inlet pipe 27 is provided in the hot water supply path 20. The air inlet pipe 27 is branched from a portion on the hot water supply path 20 downstream of the hot water supply pump 23 and upstream of the valve mechanism 24, and is provided to communicate with the inside of the hot water tank 10.

The nozzle 30 is provided in the beverage supply unit 2 and is connected to the beverage producing unit 22 through a beverage supply path 31. The nozzle 30 discharges the coffee beverage extracted by the beverage producing unit 22 to the cup C.

The open/close detection section 41 is a detection unit that detects the opening and closing of the beverage supply port 2a in the beverage supply section 2. When the supply door 3 is opened and the beverage supply port 2a is opened, the open/close detection unit 41 is opened and sends an open signal to the control unit 50. That is, when the supply door 3 is closed and the beverage supply port 2a is blocked, the open/close detection unit 41 is in a closed state and sends a close signal to the control unit 50.

The cup detecting unit 42 is a detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a cup C on the vending stand S. When a cup C is placed on the vending stand S, the cup detection unit 42 is turned on and sends a presence signal to the control unit 50, whereas when no cup C is placed on the vending stand S, the cup detection unit 42 is turned off and sends an absence signal to the control unit 50.

The commodity selection button 43 is provided on the front surface of the front door 1b, and the front door 1b is used to open and close the front surface opening of the apparatus body 1a of the beverage supply apparatus 1. The commodity selection button 43 has a sales switch 43a built therein. When the product selection button 43 is pressed, the sales switch 43a is turned on, and a sales signal as a sales command is transmitted to the control unit 50.

The control unit 50 controls the operations of the respective units of the beverage supply device 1 in a unified manner according to the program and data stored in the memory 59, and includes an input processing unit 51, a determination processing unit 52, a time measurement processing unit 53, a valve drive processing unit 54, and a pump drive processing unit 55 as characteristic means of the present embodiment.

The control Unit 50 may be realized by causing a Processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or may be realized by using both software and hardware.

The input processing unit 51 is used for inputting signals supplied from the open/close detection unit 41, the cup detection unit 42, and the sales switch 43 a. In the hot water circulation control process described later, when the input processing unit 51 inputs the on signal and the absence signal to the determination processing unit 52, the determination processing unit 52 determines whether or not the time elapsed since the hot water was supplied to the beverage generating unit 22 last time when the commodity was sold, that is, the time to wait for sale is equal to or longer than the interval time (for example, about 5 minutes) stored in the memory 59.

The time measurement processing unit 53 starts measuring time by a timer unit such as a built-in clock, and determines whether or not a predetermined operation time (for example, 3 seconds to 10 seconds) has elapsed after the measurement time. The valve drive processing unit 54 sends an open signal or a close signal to the valve mechanism 24 to open or close the valve mechanism 24. The pump drive processing unit 55 outputs a drive command or a drive stop command to the motor 23a of the hot water supply pump 23 to drive or stop driving the hot water supply pump 23.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the hot water circulation control process performed by the control unit 50 shown in fig. 3. The hot water circulation control process will be described, and the operation of the beverage supply device 1 will be described. Further, as a premise for explaining the hot water circulation control process, it is assumed that: the hot water heated to a desired temperature is generated and stored in the hot water tank 10, and is in a standby state in which the user does not press the product selection button 43. In addition, it is assumed that: the valve mechanism 24 is open and the hot water supply pump 23 is stopped from driving.

In the hot water circulation control process, when the open signal is input from the open/close detection unit 41 through the input processing unit 51 and the absence signal is input from the cup detection unit 42 through the input processing unit 51 (yes in step S101 and yes in step S102), that is, when the supply door 3 is opened without placing the cup C thereon before the sales command is given, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the sales standby time is equal to or longer than the interval time stored in the memory 59 by the determination processing unit 52 (step S103).

Further, when the open signal is input from the open/close detection unit 41 through the input processing unit 51, but the presence signal is input from the cup detection unit 42 through the input processing unit 51 (yes at step S101 and no at step S102), it is considered that the operation for taking out the cup C to which the coffee beverage is supplied from the beverage supply unit 2, and therefore the control unit 50 does not perform the processing described later, but returns the process, and ends the present hot water circulation control processing.

When the determination processing unit 52 determines in step S103 that the sales waiting time has not reached the interval time (no in step S103), the control unit 50 determines that the peripheral elements of the hot water tank 10 such as the hot water supply pipe are not cooled more than necessary, and returns the process to the process without performing the process described later, thereby ending the hot water circulation control process of this time.

On the other hand, when the determination processing unit 52 determines that the sales waiting time is equal to or longer than the interval time (yes in step S103), the control unit 50 sends a close signal to the valve mechanism 24 via the valve drive processing unit 54, sends a pump drive command to the motor 23a of the hot water supply pump 23 via the pump drive processing unit 55 (steps S104 and S105), starts time measurement by the timer unit via the time measurement processing unit 53, and waits for the elapsed time for the time to be measured to operate (step S106).

Accordingly, the hot water supply pump 23 is driven in a state where the valve mechanism 24 is closed. Therefore, as shown by the broken line arrows in fig. 4, a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 is sucked into the hot water supply path 20 through the hot water supply port 21 and flows through the hot water supply path 20, and then, the hot water is returned to the inside of the hot water tank 10 through the air inlet pipe 27 because the valve mechanism 24 is closed. That is, the following hot water circulation operation is performed: a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 is sent out of the hot water tank 10 and then returned to the inside of the hot water tank 10, whereby the hot water supply pump 23 and a part of the hot water supply path 20 protruding upward from the hot water tank 10 can be warmed.

When the time measurement processing unit 53 determines that the measured time has elapsed after the operation time (yes in step S106), the control unit 50 sends a pump drive stop command to the motor 23a of the hot water supply pump 23 via the pump drive processing unit 55 and sends an open signal to the valve mechanism 24 via the valve drive processing unit 54 (steps S107 and S108), and then returns the process to end the present hot water circulation control process.

Accordingly, the hot water circulation operation can be performed after the supply door 3 is opened and the beverage supply port 2a is opened.

Then, when the product selection button 43 is pressed by the user after the beverage supply port 2a is closed in a state where the cup C is placed on the vending table S, and the sales signal is supplied from the sales switch 43a that is turned on, the control unit 50 supplies a drive command to the hot water supply pump 23 in a state where the valve mechanism 24 is opened, and drives the hot water supply pump 23 for a predetermined time, whereby a predetermined amount of hot water can be supplied to the beverage producing unit 22 through the hot water supply path 20 as shown by the solid arrow in fig. 4. Thereafter, the coffee beverage is extracted by the beverage generator 22 using the hot water supplied through the hot water supply path 20 and the ground coffee beans thrown in from the grinder 26, and the extracted coffee beverage is ejected by the nozzle 30 to the cup C placed on the vending table S, whereby the coffee beverage is supplied to the cup C.

As described above, in the beverage supply device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the hot water supply path 20, the hot water supply pump 23, the valve mechanism 24, the air inlet pipe 27, and the control unit 50 constitute a hot water supply unit that supplies the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 to the beverage producing unit 22 when the sales instruction is given.

Further, according to the beverage supply device 1, since the control unit 50 performs the hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time period when the supply door 3 is opened without the cup C being placed on the vending table S and when the interval time has elapsed since the hot water was supplied to the beverage generation unit 22 last time before the sales instruction is given, the peripheral elements of the hot water tank 10 can be warmed up before the product selection button 43 is pressed by the user, and thus, the beverage supplied to the cup C can be maintained in a desired temperature range while suppressing the increase in the sales time.

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 condition for performing the hot water circulation operation is set such that the time between the time when the beverage preparation unit 22 is supplied with hot water and the time when the hot water is supplied last time, or longer, but the condition may not be an essential element in the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the cup C is not placed on the sales counter S and the supply door 3 is opened as an example of the operation condition for performing the hot water circulation operation. That is, various conditions can be listed as the operating conditions for performing the hot water circulation operation, and the operating conditions may be a condition in which the door is closed in a state in which the beverage container is placed, or a condition in which a human body sensor is provided and a human body is detected to stand in a front region of the apparatus main body of the beverage supply apparatus. Alternatively, the operation condition may be that the user purchases a beverage container in a store in which the beverage supply device is installed.

Description of the reference numerals

1: a beverage supply device; 2: a beverage supply section; 2 a: a beverage supply port; 3: a supply gate; 10: a hot water tank; 11: a heater for hot water generation; 20: a hot water supply path; 21: a heat conducting water port; 22: a beverage generating part; 23: a heat supply water pump; 24: a valve mechanism; 25: a raw material tank; 26: a grinder; 27: an air introduction pipe; 30: a nozzle; 41: an open/close detection unit; 42: a cup detection unit; 43: a commodity selection button; 50: a control unit; 51: an input processing unit; 52: a determination processing unit; 53: a time measurement processing unit; 54: a valve drive processing unit; 55: a pump drive processing unit; 59: a memory; c: a cup; s: a vending stand.

Claims

1. A beverage supply device is provided with:

a hot water tank which generates and stores hot water; and

a hot water supply unit that supplies the hot water stored in the hot water tank to a beverage production part in a case where a sales order is provided,

the beverage supply device supplies the beverage generated by the beverage generation part to a beverage container, the beverage supply device being characterized in that,

a door body for opening and closing a beverage supply port for supplying beverage to the beverage container,

before the sales instruction is provided, when the door is opened without the beverage container being mounted thereon, or when the door is closed with the beverage container being mounted thereon before the sales instruction is provided, the hot water supply unit performs a hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time, and in the hot water circulation operation, at least a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank is sent out of the hot water tank and then returned to the inside of the hot water tank.

2. The beverage supplying apparatus according to claim 1,

the hot water supply unit performs the hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time when a predetermined interval time has elapsed since the last hot water supply to the beverage producing unit.