JP2005073869A - Milk foamer and coffee beverage preparing apparatus provided with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a milk foamer capable of generating fine high-quality milk foam and shortening the time for the provision of the milk foam. <P>SOLUTION: The milk foamer is provided with a milker 65 for sucking milk from a milk cold insulation container 82 by steam generated by a steam boiler 64, sucking air, mixing the sucked milk and the sucked air and generating the milk foam. The milker 65 is provided with a roughly cylindrical main body 71, a discharge part 72 projectingly formed inside the main body 71 for discharging the mixture of the sucked milk and the sucked air into the main body 71 so as to turn the mixture inside the main body 71, and a milk foam nozzle 3 formed on the bottom surface of the main body 71 for discharging the milk foam generated inside the main body 71. At the discharge part 72, a circular arcuate curved part 72C roughly concentric to the inner peripheral surface of the main body 71 is formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a milk foamer for producing milk foam using steam and a coffee beverage production apparatus using the same.

  A conventional coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus supplies ground coffee beans crushed to a predetermined particle size to an extraction chamber having a pressure-resistant structure, and allows the ground beans to pass through a predetermined hot water pressurized by a pump. To extract the coffee liquor. Usually, elution of coffee components is promoted by using hot water at the time of extraction of ground beans, and hot water penetrates into the ground bean structure by supplying such hot water under pressure, That is, espresso coffee is obtained.

  In addition, recently, it has been considered that taste and visual preference is given to sufficiently forming fine fine bubbles in the coffee liquid poured into the cup. The foam formation is related to the pressure at the time of extraction of the coffee liquid, and it is necessary to maintain the extraction pressure in the extraction chamber at a predetermined high pressure from the start of extraction.

  Therefore, conventionally, as a coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus for extracting coffee liquid by passing high-temperature hot water through ground coffee beans, for example, water is heated in a hot water tank with a heater to generate hot water and stored in the hot water tank. There is a coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus configured to supply ground coffee beans from a coffee mill to a coffee extractor, and supply coffee liquid extracted by the coffee extractor to a cup (for example, (See Patent Document 1).

  In such a coffee beverage production apparatus, the upstream side of the coffee extractor, that is, the check mechanism for controlling the flow and release of hot water on the hot water supply side to the hot water supply side pipe, the output of the valve mechanism such as the extraction hot water valve and the output of the pressure sensor, Pressure control on the hot water supply side was performed to generate coffee liquid foam.

  Moreover, coffee beverages such as cappuccino may be provided by adding milk foam to the coffee liquid produced by the coffee beverage production apparatus. Thus, a coffee beverage production apparatus is proposed in which a milk foamer for producing milk foam is mounted on the coffee beverage production apparatus. In a conventional coffee beverage production apparatus, powdered milk and hot water are mixed to create a cream, which is added to the coffee liquid extracted by the coffee extractor. However, with the improvement of beverage quality, milk formers that produce milk foam from raw milk have been proposed.

  This milk former is for mixing milk and air when supplying milk to the coffee extractor, and supplying the milk to the coffee extractor in a foamed state (aeration). The milk used in the milk former is cooled by a cooling device so that the milk can be stored for a long time. Therefore, if milk is supplied to the coffee extractor as it is, the temperature of the coffee liquid in the coffee extractor is lowered, and the taste and touch are impaired. Therefore, when the cooled milk is supplied to the coffee extractor, the steam generated by the steam generator or the steam supplier is used to mix the milk from the milk reservoir such as a milk pack with the air, whisk, An apparatus for supplying a steam-treated milk mixture, that is, milk foam, to a coffee extractor has been proposed (see Patent Document 2).

In addition to the above, as shown in Patent Document 3, milk and air are mixed by forcibly supplying milk to the mixing unit from a steam supply device by a pump, or as shown in Patent Document 4 By applying the principle and generating a negative pressure at the milk supply port, it has been proposed to suck milk, warm the sucked milk with steam, and discharge it as foamed milk foam.
JP 2001-76244 A JP-A-6-22856 JP 2000-157231 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-189854

  On the other hand, in a milk former as shown in Patent Document 2, a milker (vortex mixer) in which air, steam, and milk are mixed has a funnel shape with a large diameter on the upper side, and air and air from above the large diameter. Steam and milk were injected and swirled to form foamy milk (milk foam).

  However, the milker has a problem in that a fine milk foam of fine quality cannot be obtained because the milk foam swirling time cannot be sufficiently secured. Furthermore, since the milk foam discharge part formed on the bottom surface of the milker is a simple cylinder, the milk foam falls while swirling along the inner wall of the discharge part. On the other hand, there was a problem that it took a long time to be discharged into the cup.

  The milk foamer of the present invention generates a steam by using a milk cooler that cools milk, a hot water tank that stores hot water at a predetermined temperature, a pump that discharges hot water from the hot water tank, and hot water from the pump. And a milker that sucks milk from the milk cold storage by the steam generated by the boiler, sucks air, mixes the sucked milk and sucked air, and generates milk foam. The milker includes a substantially cylindrical main body, a discharge portion that protrudes into the main body, and discharges the mixture into the main body so that the mixture of sucked milk and sucked air swirls within the main body, and the main body A discharge portion for discharging the milk foam generated in the main body, and the discharge portion is formed with a curved portion that is substantially concentric with the inner peripheral surface of the main body. .

  A milk foamer according to a second aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned invention, comprising a partition member that partitions the inside of the discharge part in the discharge direction of the mixture, and the upper end of the partition member has a height equal to or lower than the bottom surface of the main body. is there.

  A milk foamer according to a third aspect of the present invention is such that, in each of the above inventions, the steam nozzle connected to the discharge part of the milker is constituted by a plurality of parts that can be divided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above inventions, a valve device that opens to the outside at a predetermined pressure is provided between the pump and the boiler.

  A milk foamer according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes, in each of the above inventions, a milk pack housed in a milk cool box, and a milk suction tube inserted into the milk pack for sucking milk, A weight member is provided at the tip of the milk suction tube.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the weight member is formed with a notch extending from the bottom surface to the side surface located on the tip side of the milk suction tube.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coffee beverage production apparatus comprising the milk foamer according to any of the above inventions, supplying ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size to a coffee extractor, and supplying hot water from a hot water tank to the coffee extractor. The coffee liquid is supplied and extracted, and the milk foam produced by the milker can be added to the coffee liquid extracted by the coffee extractor.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coffee beverage production apparatus according to the above-mentioned invention, comprising a nozzle member integrally provided with a coffee liquid nozzle for discharging coffee liquid and a milk foam nozzle for discharging milk foam. The height can be adjusted.

  According to the present invention, a milk cool box that cools milk, a hot water tank that stores hot water at a predetermined temperature, a pump that discharges hot water from the hot water tank, a boiler that generates steam using the hot water from the pump, In a milk foamer comprising a milker that sucks milk from a milk cold storage by steam generated by a boiler, sucks air, mixes sucked milk and sucked air, and generates milk foam, Formed on the bottom surface of the main body, a substantially cylindrical main body, a discharge portion for discharging the mixture into the main body so that the mixture of sucked milk and sucked air swirls in the main body A discharge portion that discharges the milk foam generated therein, and the discharge portion is formed with a curved portion that is substantially concentric with the inner peripheral surface of the main body. It can promote swirling of the mixture of the discharged aspirated milk and the suction air, so that these turning time can be sufficiently secured.

  As a result, the milk and air can be sufficiently stirred, and fine milk foam of fine quality can be generated.

  According to invention of Claim 2, in the said invention, since the partition member which partitions in the discharge part toward the discharge direction of a mixture is provided, the problem that milk foam falls while turning in a discharge part can be avoided. The milk foam that has fallen into the discharge part can be dropped straight. Thereby, the time required until discharge can be shortened. Therefore, the milk foam can be discharged into a cup or the like in a better state, and the quality of the milk foam to be provided can be improved.

  Further, since the upper end of the partition member is set to a height equal to or lower than the bottom surface of the main body, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the partition member interferes with the rotation of the milk foam that rotates in the main body. The size of the bubbles can be finely formed, and the quality can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in each of the above inventions, the steam nozzle connected to the discharge part of the milker is constituted by a plurality of parts that can be divided. Even when precipitation occurs or internal clogging occurs, the steam nozzle can be easily divided and cleaned. Therefore, blockage of the steam nozzle can be avoided and maintenance can be simplified.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in each of the above inventions, since a valve device that opens to the outside at a predetermined pressure is provided between the pump and the boiler, an abnormal pressure is applied between the pump and the steam nozzle. Even when the inconvenience is caused, the valve device is opened to the outside at a predetermined pressure, so that the abnormal pressure can be dealt with quickly. As a result, safety can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 5, in each of the above-mentioned inventions, it comprises a milk pack housed in a milk cool box, and a milk suction tube inserted into the milk pack for sucking milk, the milk suction Since the weight member is provided at the tip of the tube, the milk suction tube can be easily submerged to the bottom of the milk pack. Thereby, even the milk at the bottom of the milk pack can be effectively sucked by the milk suction tube.

  According to the invention of claim 6, in the above invention, since the weight member is formed with a notch extending from the bottom surface to the side surface located on the tip side of the milk suction tube, the milk remaining on the bottom surface is also removed from the notch. It becomes possible to suck and milk can be sucked more effectively.

  According to the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus of the invention of claim 7, the milk foamer of each of the above inventions is provided, ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size are supplied to the coffee extractor, and hot water is extracted from the hot water tank. It is possible to add coffee foam to the coffee machine and extract the milk liquid produced by the milker to the coffee liquid extracted by the coffee extractor. Milk foam can be extracted.

  According to invention of Claim 8, in the said invention, it has a nozzle member integrally equipped with the coffee liquid nozzle which discharges coffee liquid, and the milk foam nozzle which discharges milk foam, The height of this nozzle member is set. Since it can be adjusted, the height of the nozzle member can be changed according to the height of the cup for supplying coffee beverage or milk foam, and the convenience can be improved.

  In order to solve the conventional technical problems, the present invention provides a milk foamer that can produce fine milk foam with fine quality and can shorten the time to providing the milk foam. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a coffee beverage production apparatus 1 of the present invention, a side view of the coffee beverage production apparatus 1 of FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 shows an internal schematic configuration diagram of the coffee beverage production apparatus 1.

  The present embodiment is a coffee beverage production apparatus 1 provided with a milk former 61 of the present invention, and integrally includes a coffee liquid nozzle 2 for discharging coffee liquid and a milk foam nozzle 3 for discharging milk foam on the front surface. The main body 6 including the nozzle member 4 is configured. Below the nozzle member 4 is provided a cup support 7 on which a cup for receiving the extracted coffee liquid is placed. In addition, the nozzle member 4 shall be comprised so that height adjustment is possible up and down as mentioned later for details. In FIG. 1, 5 is a plurality of beverage selection buttons for selecting the type of beverage to be discharged, and 8 is a residue acceptor that accepts the residue used to extract the coffee liquid and that can be drawn forward. 9 is a bean storage container for storing coffee beans.

  Here, the internal configuration of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. A coffee beverage production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a hot water tank 11, a pump (gear pump) 12 attached to the bottom of the hot water tank 11, a coffee extractor 13, and a milk former described in detail later. 61 is provided. The hot water tank 11 is a tank that can store several liters of drinking water, and a heater (not shown) that heats and holds the stored drinking water at, for example, + 97 ° C. is provided therein. A pump 12 provided at the bottom of the hot water tank 11 is a pump that pressurizes and discharges hot water in the hot water tank 11, and a flow meter 14 and hot water supply to be described later in detail at the discharge port of the pump 12. A hot water supply side pipe 16 in which a side solenoid valve 15 is sequentially provided is connected, and a coffee extractor 13 is connected to the other end of the hot water supply side pipe 16.

  The hot water supply side pipe 16 is connected to a circulation pipe 18 provided with a circulation electromagnetic valve 17 that is located between the flow meter 14 and the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 and constitutes a circulation path. The other end of the circulation pipe 18 is connected to the hot water tank 11. Further, the circulation pipe 18 is connected to a bypass pipe 19 that is located between the circulation solenoid valve 17 and the hot water tank 11 and connects the pump 12. The bypass pipe 19 is provided with a relief valve 21 for returning the hot water in the pump 12 to the hot water tank 11.

  The hot water supply side pipe 16 is connected with a hot water discharge pipe 26 located between the hot water side solenoid valve 15 and the coffee extractor 13 and having one end opened to the outside. The hot water discharge pipe 26 is provided with a residual liquid relief valve 27 for controlling discharge of residual liquid in the coffee extractor 13 and the extraction side pipe 24 described later.

  On the other hand, the bean storage container 9 is installed above the coffee extractor 13. Below the bean storage container 9, there is provided a coffee mill 22 for pulverizing the coffee beans stored in the bean storage container 9 to a predetermined particle size by a grinding blade (not shown) that rotates at high speed. Below 22, a chute 23 for storing the coffee powder crushed in the coffee mill in the coffee extractor 13 is provided. An extraction side pipe 24 constituting a coffee liquid extraction path is connected to the lower part of the coffee extractor 13, and an extraction electromagnetic valve 25 for controlling the discharge of the extracted coffee liquid is connected to the extraction side pipe 24. Is installed. The coffee liquid nozzle 2 is connected to an extraction side pipe 24 downstream of the extraction electromagnetic valve 25. As a result, the coffee liquid can be poured into a cup (not shown) arranged on the cup support 7.

  In addition, sugar and cream are injected into the cup at the request of the purchaser along with the injection of coffee liquid, but the illustration and description of these supply systems are omitted. Further, when the ground beans are supplied from the coffee mill 22 to the chute 23, weighing is performed by a measuring device, but these are also not shown.

  Next, the configuration of the coffee extractor 13 will be described with reference to FIG. The coffee extractor 13 includes a cylinder 31 that stores ground beans supplied from a coffee mill 22 via a chute 23, a piston 32 that can be inserted into and removed from the cylinder 31, and a piston drive motor that drives the piston 32. 33, a torque transmission part 34 for connecting the motor 33 and the piston 32, and the cylinder unit D is constituted by the cylinder 31, the piston 32, the piston drive motor 33, and the torque transmission part 34. The coffee extractor 13 includes a unit drive motor 35 for tilting the entire cylinder unit D at a predetermined angle, a lid member 36 for closing the upper surface opening of the cylinder 31 when the cylinder unit D is tilted, and the lid. A gear 37 for engaging the member 36 with the cylinder 31 using the unit drive motor 35 as a drive source is provided. The gear 37 is supported by a rotating shaft 37A. The lid member 36 is configured such that the hot water supply side pipe 16 can be inserted through a through hole (not shown) formed in the lid member 36, and the torque transmission portion 34 is provided at the bottom opening of the cylinder 31. The extraction side piping 24 is connected via In FIG. 4, W is a wiper provided at the lower part of the chute 23.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the structure of the hot water supply side solenoid valve 15 and the extraction side solenoid valve 25 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the solenoid valve 15 or 25. Since the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 and the extraction side electromagnetic valve 25 have the same configuration, the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 will be described below as an example. The hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 includes a main body 41 that opens in the flow direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5), a valve body 42 that is accommodated in the main body 41, and an upstream side (lower side in FIG. 5) of the main body 41. An upstream holding member 43 provided in the opening, a downstream holding member 44 provided in an opening on the downstream side (upper side in FIG. 5) of the main body 41, a coil 45 for controlling opening and closing of the valve body 42 by energization, The coil 45 includes a first fixing tool 46 that fixes the coil 45 to the main body 41 and a second fixing tool 47.

  The upstream holding member 43 has a small diameter portion 43A and a storage portion 43B of the valve body 42 therein, and the small diameter portion 43A and the storage portion 43B are formed with an opening 48 that is opened and closed by the separation and connection of the valve body 42. It is divided by the partition part 43C. The upstream side holding member 43 side end of the valve body 42 is formed to have a dimension capable of covering the opening 48 of the holding member 43, and the side surface is formed to be smaller than the inner diameter of the holding member 43 by a predetermined dimension. Yes. A hole 49 is formed in the side surface of the valve body 42 located in the upstream holding member 43. Further, on the downstream holding member 44 side of the valve body 42, one end is fixed to the downstream holding member 44 and a spring (biasing member) 50 that biases the valve body 42 toward the opening 48 is provided. It has been. It is assumed that the spring 50 constitutes an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the coffee liquid that has entered the electromagnetic valve 15 to a predetermined pressure or higher.

  The upstream holding member 43 and the downstream holding member 44 are formed with flanges extending outward from the end portions on the main body 41 side, and a first fixing tool 46 and a second fixing tool 47. It can be locked by inserting it into the engagement hole formed in advance from the inside. Then, the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 is assembled by screwing the first fixing tool 46 and the second fixing tool 47 with screws 51, 51. In this embodiment, the end opening of the upstream holding member 43 of the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 is connected to the hot water supply side pipe 16 connected to the flow meter 14 side, and the end opening of the downstream holding member 44 is opened. Is connected to a hot water supply side pipe 16 connected to the coffee extractor 13 side. The extraction side solenoid valve 16 is also configured in the same manner as the hot water supply side solenoid valve 15. In this embodiment, the end opening of the upstream holding member 43 of the extraction side solenoid valve 16 is connected to the coffee extractor 13 side. The extraction side pipe 24 connected to the coffee liquid nozzle 2 side is connected to the end opening of the downstream holding member 44.

  The coffee beverage production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment also includes a control device (not shown). The control device is based on a memory that stores programs and data, a timer that generates a clock signal, the clock signal, and the program. CPU which operates. Further, a flow meter 14 and the like are connected to the input side of the control device, and the pump 12, the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15, the circulation electromagnetic valve 17, the relief valve 21, and the extraction side electromagnetic wave are connected to the output side. It is assumed that the valve 25, the residual liquid relief valve 27, the piston drive motor 33, the unit drive motor 35, the coil 45, a temperature sensor described later, and the like are connected and controlled based on the output of the control device.

  Next, the configuration of the milk former 61 will be described. The milk former 61 of this embodiment includes a hot water supply pipe 62 for taking out hot water from the hot water tank 11, an electromagnetic pump 63, a steam boiler 64, and a milker 65. One end of the hot water supply pipe 62 is connected to the hot water tank 11, and an electromagnetic pump 63 and a steam boiler 64 are sequentially provided. The other end of the hot water supply pipe 62 is connected to a milker 65 described later in detail. Further, the hot water supply pipe 62 positioned between the electromagnetic pump 63 and the steam boiler 64 is provided with a branch pipe 67, and the branch pipe 67 is provided with a valve device 68 that opens to the outside with a predetermined pressure. ing.

  The steam boiler 64 includes a heater (not shown) inside, and the hot water supplied from the hot water tank 11 via the hot water supply pipe 62 and the electromagnetic pump 63 is heated to, for example, about + 170 ° C. to generate steam, and the steam is supplied to the milker 65. Supply. Further, the steam boiler 64 is provided with a temperature sensor (not shown), and the controller controls the temperature so that the steam temperature is set based on the detection of the temperature sensor. Furthermore, it is assumed that a hot water supply pipe 62 constituting the steam boiler 64 from the downstream side of the steam boiler 64 to the milker 65 is covered with a heat insulation tube (not shown) for suppressing heat leakage from the steam boiler 64.

  Next, the structure of the milker 65 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 is a side view of the milker 65, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6, and FIG. The milker 65 is constituted by a substantially cylindrical main body 71, and a discharge portion 72 that protrudes inside the main body 71 is integrally formed on the side surface of the main body 71 while being biased to the left or right of the center. The milk foam nozzle (discharge unit) 3 that discharges the milk foam generated in the main body 71 is integrally formed on the bottom surface of the main body 71.

  The discharge portion 72 has a substantially cylindrical shape that is open to the left and right, and an end portion of the hot water supply pipe 62 located on the downstream side of the steam boiler 64 at the end opposite to the side connected to the main body 71. Are connected via a steam nozzle 74 as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the steam nozzle 74 is composed of two parts, steam nozzle members 74A and 74B, and the nozzle members 74A and 74B are respectively formed with steam passages communicating left and right. One end of the steam nozzle member 74A can be easily connected to the hot water supply pipe 62, so that the steam nozzle member 74A is formed with a small taper, and the other end is formed to be recessed inward to accommodate the steam nozzle member 74B. ing. On the other hand, the steam nozzle member 74B has a small hole 74C for discharging steam to the discharge part 72 at one end, and an O-ring on the side surface to closely contact the inner wall of the discharge part 72 and the nozzle member 74A. 74D is provided. As a result, even if chalk or the like is mixed in the supplied steam and is deposited in the small holes 74C or the nozzle members 74A and 74B, or the internal clogging occurs, the steam nozzle 74 is easily divided and cleaned. It becomes possible. Therefore, blockage of the steam nozzle 74 can be avoided and maintenance can be simplified. In the present embodiment, the right and left shapes of the nozzle member 74B are different from each other, thereby suppressing connection errors during assembly. In this embodiment, the steam nozzle 74 is composed of two parts, but it may be more than this.

  A milk suction nozzle 75 communicating with the inside of the discharge part 72 is connected to the lower surface of the discharge part 72, and the upper surface of the discharge part 72 is also provided in the same position inside the discharge part 72 as to face the milk suction nozzle 75. A communicating air suction nozzle 76 is connected.

  One end of the milk suction nozzle 75 is connected to a milk suction tube 77 that is inserted into a milk pack 83 housed in a milk cooler 82, which will be described in detail later. A weight member 78 as shown in FIG. 9 is provided at the end (tip) of the milk suction tube 77 on the milk pack 83 side. In this embodiment, the weight member 78 has a mass of about 20 g in order to sink the milk suction tube 77 to the lower part of the milk pack 83. Further, the weight member 78 is formed with a notch 78A from the bottom surface to the side surface, so that the milk remaining on the bottom surface of the milk pack 83 can be sucked easily.

  An air suction tube 79 is connected to the air suction nozzle 76, and an air suction cap 81 is detachably attached to the other end opening of the air suction tube 79. The air suction cap 81 is a cylindrical member having a small hole 81A formed at the tip. A peripheral wall 81B protruding in a direction facing the tube 79 is formed around the small hole 81A, and in the vicinity of the tip. Is formed with a flange 81C protruding outward. Thereby, the air suction nozzle 76 can suck a small amount of air at a time. In addition, since the air suction cap 81 has a peripheral wall 81B formed in the vicinity of the small hole 81A, even when the air suction cap 81 is touched with a finger by washing or the like, it directly touches the small hole 81A and removes small dust or the like. The inconvenience of stuffing and closing can be avoided. Further, since the flange 81C is formed, it can be easily handled.

  7 and 8, an end opening 72A of the discharge part 72 is formed along the inner wall of the main body 71 at the end where the discharge part 72 is connected to the main body 71. As shown in FIG. The protruding portion 72B, which is the edge of the opening 72A and protrudes into the main body 71, is formed with a curved portion 72C having a substantially concentric arc shape with the inner peripheral surface of the main body 71, and an end portion of the curved portion 72C ( A directing portion 72D is formed from the opposite side of the opening 72A) to the inner wall of the main body 71.

  Further, in the milk foam nozzle 3 formed at the center of the bottom surface of the main body 71, the inside of the nozzle 3 is partitioned in the direction of the milk foam, which is a mixture of milk and air, as shown in FIG. A partition member 3 </ b> A formed substantially parallel to the portion 72 is formed. In the present embodiment, the upper end of the partition member 3 </ b> A is formed to be substantially the same as the height of the bottom surface of the main body 71. Note that the upper end of the partition member 3 </ b> A may be lower than the height of the bottom surface of the main body 71.

  Further, the upper surface opening of the main body 71 is detachably closed by a milker cap 84 formed with a protruding portion 84A protruding inward of the main body 71 as shown in FIG. An O-ring 84B is provided on the peripheral surface of the projecting portion 84A, so that the milker cap 84 can be attached in close contact with the main body 71.

  On the other hand, the milk cooler 82 has an opening on its upper surface as shown in FIG. 10, and a main body 82A capable of storing a commercially available milk pack 83 inside, and the upper surface opening of the main body 82 is closed freely by a hinge member 82B. And a lid 82C. A notch 82D for pulling out the milk suction tube 77 to be inserted into the milk pack 83 in a state where the lid 82C is closed is formed at the opening edge of the upper surface of the main body 82. The main body 82 is provided with a heat insulating material (not shown) on the inner wall, and a cooling device (not shown) is provided in the main body 82 so that the milk pack 83 accommodated can be cooled.

  With the above configuration, the operation of the milk former will be described. When the beverage selection button 5 for a beverage requiring milk supply is operated, the electromagnetic pump 63 is operated for a predetermined time, for example, about 10 seconds, by the output of the control device. Thereby, the hot water in the hot water tank 11 is discharged into the hot water supply pipe 62, and the discharged hot water enters the steam boiler 64. Here, since the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water tank 11 is set to a temperature suitable for use in the coffee extractor 13, for example, + 97 ° C., the steam boiler 64 is close to about 100 ° C. Temperature hot water is supplied. The hot water supplied into the steam boiler 64 is further heated by the steam boiler 64, and is heated to a temperature suitable for the milk former 61, for example, + 170 ° C. to be steam.

  And the steam produced | generated by the steam boiler 64 is injected in the discharge part 72 of the milker 65 through the hot water supply piping 62 and the steam nozzle 74 which were connected to the downstream of this steam boiler 64. FIG. Here, when steam passes in the vicinity of the milk suction nozzle 75 and the air suction nozzle 76 in the discharge part 72, negative pressure is generated in the discharge part 72, and the milk in the milk pack 83 is generated from the milk suction nozzle 75. Is sucked into the discharge part 72 via the milk suction tube 77, and external air is sucked into the discharge part 72 via the air suction cap 81 and the air suction tube 79 from the air suction nozzle 76.

  The milk (sucked milk) and air (suction air) sucked into the discharge part 72 by the steam passing through the discharge part 72 are discharged into the main body 71 of the milker 65 along the inner wall of the discharge part 72. . Here, the milk and air discharged into the main body 71 swirl along the inner wall 71 of the main body due to the pressure of the steam. By this turning, milk and air are mixed and foamed, discharged from the milk foam nozzle 3 formed on the bottom surface of the main body 71, and supplied to a cup or the like placed under the nozzle 3. .

  Here, in the milker 65 of the present embodiment, since the discharge part 72 is formed so as to protrude into the main body 71, the milk and air discharged into the main body 71 from the end opening 72A of the discharge part 72 are initially the main body. The swirl along the inner wall of 71 and further the part of the mixed milk and air swirl along the curved portion 72C of the protrusion 72B, thereby promoting the rotation in the main body 72. As a result, a sufficient swirling time of the milk foam formed by mixing milk and air in the main body 72 can be secured. Therefore, the milk and air can be sufficiently stirred, and fine milk foam with fine quality can be generated.

  Further, a part of the milk foam swirling in the main body 71 collides with the directing portion 72D of the protruding portion 72B and is directed to the center of the main body 71. Thereby, discharge | emission of the milk foam from the milk foam nozzle 3 can be accelerated | stimulated, and high quality milk foam can be produced | generated in a short time, and can be discharged | emitted smoothly.

  Furthermore, since a partition member 3A for partitioning the nozzle 3 is formed in the milk foam nozzle 3 so as to be directed in the discharge direction of the mixture, the milk foam generated in the main body 72 as in the prior art is milk foam. Since the inconvenience of falling while turning in the nozzle 3 can be avoided, the milk foam dropped in the nozzle 3 can be dropped straight. Thereby, the time required until discharge can be shortened. Therefore, the milk foam can be discharged into a cup or the like in a better state, and the quality of the milk foam to be provided can be improved.

  In addition, since the upper end of the partition member 3A has a height equal to or lower than the bottom surface of the main body 71, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience that the partition member 3A obstructs the rotation of the milk foam that rotates in the main body 71. The foam size of the milk foam can be finely formed, and the quality can be improved. The milk foam formed by the milk former 61 as in the present embodiment can be provided in a foamed state up to about twice the volume of milk used.

  In addition, when supplying steam to the milker 65 as described above, there is a case where the chalk adheres to the steam nozzle 74 or the like due to poor maintenance and the inside of the nozzle 74 is blocked. In such a case, an abnormal pressure is applied between the steam nozzle 74 and the electromagnetic pump 63. In this embodiment, an external pressure is applied between the electromagnetic pump 63 and the steam boiler 64 at a predetermined pressure. Since the valve device 68 to be opened is provided, the abnormal pressure is released to the outside. Thereby, the safety | security of a milk former can be improved.

  Next, the configuration of the nozzle member 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. 11 is a front view of the nozzle member 4 portion, FIG. 12 is a front view of the nozzle member 4 portion with the nozzle cover removed, FIG. 13 is a plan view of FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the coffee liquid nozzle 2. ing. The nozzle member 4 is configured by combining the milker 65 and the coffee liquid nozzle 2 and covering the outside with a nozzle cover 86.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the coffee liquid nozzle 2 includes a nozzle base 87, a nozzle cup 88, a nozzle cap 89, and a connection pipe 91. The nozzle base 87 is formed with a connection nozzle 87A for connecting the end of the extraction side pipe 24 on the back surface, and on the front surface, a connection portion (not shown) communicating with the connection nozzle 87A and a nozzle cup 88 are engaged. An engaging hole 87B for holding is formed. Engagement claws 87C and 87D for detachably engaging with an engagement hole (not shown) of the nozzle cover 86 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the nozzle base 87.

  The nozzle cup 88 is constituted by a main body in which a milker holding portion 88A for holding the main body 71 of the milker 65 is formed at the rear portion, and a receiving portion 88B that opens to the upper surface is formed in the front portion. The receiving portion 88B is formed with a partition wall 88C having a predetermined height while being divided into two chambers. A coffee liquid discharge portion 88D is formed on the bottom surface of the chamber in front of the partition wall 88B. In this embodiment, two are formed on the left and right. The nozzle cap 89 is a lid member that detachably closes the upper surface opening of the nozzle cup 88, and a communication hole (not shown) is formed in the rear part of the nozzle cap 89. A communication pipe 91 is connected to the communication hole of the nozzle cap 89 and the connection portion of the nozzle base 87.

  12 and 13, the nozzle member 4 is configured by placing the main body 71 of the milker 65 as described above on the milker holding portion 88A of the nozzle cup 88 and engaging the nozzle cover 86 from the front. The

  Here, in the present embodiment, the front surface of the main body 6 of the coffee beverage production apparatus 1 to which the nozzle member 4 is attached has a height larger than the height dimension of the nozzle member 4 by a predetermined dimension as shown in FIG. A rectangular opening 6A is formed. And the nozzle member 4 is attached to the main body 6 of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 through the slide plate 92 formed so as to be larger than the opening 6A by a predetermined dimension so as to close the opening 6A from the front. The slide plate 92 has an opening (not shown) corresponding to the position where the nozzle member 4 is attached, and has one side end (on the left side in this embodiment) as shown in FIG. 6 is attached.

  The urging member 93 is a rear surface of the front plate 6A constituting the front surface of the main body 6 and is provided on the side of the slide plate 92, and always urges the slide plate 92 toward the front surface of the main body 6. It is configured as follows. Thereby, the slide plate 92 to which the nozzle member 4 is attached is rotated in the direction opposite to the front surface side of the main body 6 to which the urging member 93 is urged, that is, the front end around which the urging member 93 is attached. By moving up and down, the height of the nozzle member 4 can be easily adjusted.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to change the height of the nozzle member 4 in accordance with the height of the cup that supplies the coffee beverage, and the convenience can be improved. Note that the steam nozzle 74 located in the main body 6 is visually observed by further rotating the slide plate 92 on the side opposite to the side on which the biasing member 93 is attached to the biasing member 93. Can do. Thereby, the user can grasp | ascertain the state of the steam nozzle 74, especially the adhesion state of a chalk, etc., without disassembling the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus 1, and can aim at the further improvement of convenience. become.

  With the above configuration, the operation of the coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In addition, before operation of the drink selection button 5 is performed, it is assumed that all the solenoid valves are not energized and are closed or allowed to flow hot water above a certain pressure. First, when an operator operates one of the beverage selection buttons 5 provided on the main body 6, an extraction start input is performed to the control device. Thus, the control device opens the circulation electromagnetic valve 17 and executes a pipe temperature raising step for performing the low speed operation of the pump 12 for a predetermined time, in this embodiment, for 4 seconds. As a result, the hot water in the hot water tank 11 is sent out by the pump 12 to the circulation solenoid valve 17 and the circulation pipe 18 constituting the circulation path via the hot water supply side pipe 16. The hot water remaining in the hot water supply side pipe 16 positioned between the pump 12 and the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 is pumped to the circulation pipe 18 via the circulation electromagnetic valve 17 and returned to the hot water tank 11. Thereby, the hot water supply side piping 16 positioned between the pump 12 and the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 can be heated with hot water of about + 90 ° C. to + 95 ° C. supplied from the hot water tank 11.

  After the predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the pipe temperature raising step, the control device stops the operation of the pump 12, then closes the circulation electromagnetic valve 17, and ends the pipe temperature raising step. In this case, in this embodiment, the hot water supply side solenoid valve 15 interposed in the hot water supply side pipe 16 adjacent to the circulation solenoid valve 17 is not energized as described above, and hot water is supplied at a pressure higher than a certain pressure. Therefore, the hot water supply side solenoid valve 15 is provided with a shock due to a pressure change in the pipe 16 that occurs when the circulation solenoid valve 17 shifts from the open / closed state to the closed state. The spring 50 can be buffered. As a result, damage to the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 can be avoided and the durability of the electromagnetic valve 15 can be improved.

  On the other hand, the coffee extraction machine 13 is subjected to the next extraction preparation step after the end of the previous coffee liquid supply step. That is, in the extraction preparation step, first, as shown in FIG. 15, the control device brings the cylinder 31 of the coffee extractor 13 upright, and the coffee beans in the bean storage container 9 are crushed in advance in the coffee mill 22 and ground beans. In the state of P, it is supplied into the cylinder 31 through the chute 23. Thereafter, when the supply of the ground beans P is completed, the control device energizes the piston drive motor 33 to drive and operate the gear 37 as shown in FIG. The cylinder 31 is tilted at a predetermined angle. Thereafter, the control device seals the upper end opening of the cylinder 31 with the lid member 36 as shown in FIG. At this time, the control device lowers the lid member 36 in synchronization with the inclination of the cylinder unit D, inserts it into the cylinder 31, and stops the driving of the piston drive motor 33. At this time, it is assumed that the gear 37 is stopped at a position rotated 180 ° from the state of FIG. Further, the control device operates the piston drive motor 33 as shown in FIG. 18 to push up the piston 32 via the torque transmission unit 34 and compress the ground beans P in the cylinder 31.

  In this state, the control device shifts to the coffee liquid extraction step, opens the supply-side electromagnetic valve 15 and drives the pump 12. As a result, hot water heated to about + 90 ° C. to + 95 ° C. at a pressure of 0.3 MPa is supplied to the cylinder 31. In this case, in this embodiment, the supply-side solenoid valve 15 is not constituted by a check valve as in the prior art, so that the flow path resistance in the hot water supply-side solenoid valve 15 is higher than that of the conventional check valve. Thus, the amount of pressurization by the pump 12 can be reduced. Thereby, the durability of the pump 12 can be improved.

  Thereafter, the control device supplies hot and pressurized hot water to the cylinder 31 sealed with the cap 36 via the hot water supply side pipe 16 and extracts the coffee liquid from the compressed ground beans P. At this time, since high-temperature and high-pressure hot water is supplied into the cylinder 31, it is possible to extract a dark coffee liquid from which coffee components are sufficiently eluted from the initial extraction stage.

  The coffee liquid extracted by the cylinder 31 of the coffee extractor 13 is discharged to the coffee liquid nozzle 2 through the extraction side pipe 24 and the extraction side electromagnetic valve 25. Here, the extraction-side solenoid valve 25 is set to a state where the coffee liquid is allowed to flow at a constant pressure, for example, 0.3 MPa or more, by the control device. In addition, a pressure of 0.3 MPa is applied by the pump 12, and further pressure is applied by the ground beans P swollen in the cylinder 31, so that a pressure of 0.4 MPa or more can actually be applied. . As a result, fine fine bubbles can be generated on the surface of the coffee liquid, and a coffee liquid with a rich and mellow taste and aroma can be obtained, so that the quality of the coffee liquid can be improved. Become.

  The hot water supply side solenoid valve 15 and the extraction side solenoid valve 25 allow the flow of hot water at a certain pressure or higher by opening or closing the solenoid valve by energizing / deenergizing the coil 45 as described above. Thus, the present invention can be easily realized. The pressure allowed by the solenoid valve can be arbitrarily changed by adjusting the spring 50.

  Further, immediately before the hot water is supplied to the cylinder 31 via the hot water supply side pipe 16, the control device operates the pump 12 for a predetermined time, and supplies the hot water whose temperature in the pump 12 has decreased via the bypass pipe 19 and the relief valve 21. Then, the hot water tank 11 is returned to the hot water supply side pipe 16 to perform a new operation. Then, the control device stops the pump 12 and closes the relief valve 21 when the exchange of hot water in the pump 12 is completed. By supplying hot water from the hot water supply side pipe 16 to the cylinder 13 with the relief valve 21 closed, higher temperature and high pressure hot water can be supplied.

  When the coffee liquid is extracted from the cup or the like, the milk former 61 can be operated in detail as described above by energizing the electromagnetic pump 63 by the control device. Milk can be poured into the top surface of the liquid.

  After that, the control device stops driving the pump 12 after the extraction of the coffee liquid, and shifts to the extraction waste disposal process. In this process, the control device drives the piston drive motor 33 as shown in FIG. 19 to further raise the piston 32, and packs the extracted coffee cake based on the upward movement of the piston 32 to thereby remove the coffee liquid in the coffee cake. squeeze. Thereby, the coffee liquid in the cylinder 31 is sent to the extraction side pipe 24 and the ground beans P are compressed.

  Thereafter, the control device reversely rotates the piston drive motor 33 and pushes down the piston 34 as shown in FIG. 20, and a part of the hot water in the hot water supply side pipe 16 and the coffee liquid in the extraction side pipe 24 enter the cylinder 31. Inhaled. Here, since the control device opens the extraction side solenoid valve 25 and the residual liquid relief valve 27, the extraction side piping 24 and the hot water supply side piping 16 of the coffee extractor 13 and the residual liquid relief valve 27 are open to the atmosphere. The residual liquid remaining in the hot water supply side pipe 16 is discharged to the outside through the hot water discharge pipe 26. Thereby, the distribution of the residual liquid in the extraction side pipe 24 can be facilitated, and the residual liquid can be processed efficiently. Therefore, at the time of the next extraction of the coffee liquid, it is possible to avoid the disadvantage that the residual liquid from the previous extraction is mixed and the quality is deteriorated. In this case, the control device can prevent the back flow of hot water like the conventional check valve by allowing the hot water supply side electromagnetic valve 15 to be allowed to flow of hot water at a certain pressure or higher. .

  Thereafter, the control device operates the motor 35 and the gear 37 to separate the lid member 36 from the upper end opening of the cylinder 31 as shown in FIG. Further, the control device operates the piston drive motor 33 to push up the piston 32 again. Thereby, the extraction basket R of the ground beans P is pushed up from the bottom of the cylinder 31. Further, the control device operates the motor 35 and the gear 37 as shown in FIG. 22, rotates the cylinder unit D upward (in the direction of the arrow), and brings the cylinder 31 into an upright state. As a result of this rotation, the extraction rod R pushed out from the cylinder 31 is scraped off by the wiper W provided at the lower portion of the chute 23, falls into the residue receiving portion 8, and is discarded. Thereafter, after discarding the extraction basket R, the control device completes one sales operation by driving the piston drive motor 233 in the reverse direction to lower the piston 32.

  With the above configuration, according to the present embodiment, the extraction-side electromagnetic valve 25 provided on the downstream side of the coffee extractor 13 allows only the flow of coffee liquid at a constant pressure of 0.3 MPa or more, thereby From the beginning, espresso coffee capable of forming fine high-quality bubbles on the upper surface can be supplied to the cup. This makes it possible to improve the quality both tastefully and visually.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the needle valve, the check valve, and the pressure sensor are not used for adjusting the pressure of the coffee liquid, the structure can be remarkably simplified as compared with the conventional one, and the cost can be reduced. Will be able to.

It is a front view of the coffee drink manufacturing apparatus of a present Example. It is a side view of a coffee drink manufacturing apparatus. It is an internal schematic block diagram of a coffee drink manufacturing apparatus. It is an internal block diagram of a coffee extractor. It is sectional drawing of a hot water supply side solenoid valve and an extraction side solenoid valve. It is a side view of a milker. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is a side view of a milker and each component. It is a side view of a milk cold storage. It is a front view of a nozzle member part. It is a front view of the nozzle member part of the state which removed the nozzle cover. FIG. 13 is a plan view of FIG. 12. It is an exploded view of a coffee nozzle. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a coffee extractor. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a coffee extractor. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a coffee extractor. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a coffee extractor. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a coffee extractor. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a coffee extractor. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a coffee extractor. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a coffee extractor.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coffee drink manufacturing apparatus 2 Coffee liquid nozzle 3 Milk foam nozzle 3A Partition member 4 Nozzle member 5 Beverage selection button 6 Main body 11 Hot water tank 12 Pump 13 Coffee extractor 61 Milk former 62 Hot water supply piping 63 Electromagnetic pump 64 Steam boiler 65 Milker 67 Branch piping 68 Valve device 71 Main body 72 Discharge part 72C Curved part 74 Steam nozzle 74A, 74B Steam nozzle part 75 Milk suction nozzle 76 Air suction nozzle 77 Milk suction tube 78 Weight member 78A Notch 82 Milk cool box 83 Milk pack 92 Slide plate

Claims (8)

A milk cooler that cools milk; a hot water tank that stores hot water of a predetermined temperature; a pump that discharges the hot water from the hot water tank; a boiler that generates steam using the hot water from the pump; and the boiler In a milk foamer comprising a milker that sucks milk from the milk cold storage by the generated steam, sucks air, and mixes the sucked milk and sucked air to form a milk foam.
The milker includes a substantially cylindrical main body, a discharge portion that is formed to protrude into the main body, and discharges the mixture into the main body so that the mixture of the sucked milk and the sucked air rotates in the main body. A discharge portion that discharges milk foam generated in the main body, and the discharge portion has a curved portion that is substantially concentric with the inner peripheral surface of the main body. A milk former characterized by The milk foamer according to claim 1, further comprising a partition member that partitions the inside of the discharge portion in a discharge direction of the mixture, and an upper end of the partition member is set to a height equal to or lower than a bottom surface of the main body. The milk foamer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the steam nozzle connected to the discharge part of the milker is constituted by a plurality of parts that can be divided. 4. The milk foamer according to claim 1, wherein a valve device that opens to the outside at a predetermined pressure is provided between the pump and the boiler. A milk pack housed in the milk cool box, and a milk suction tube inserted into the milk pack for sucking milk,
The milk foamer according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein a weight member is provided at a tip of the milk suction tube. 6. The milk foamer according to claim 5, wherein the weight member is formed with a notch extending from the bottom surface to the side surface located on the tip side of the milk suction tube. The milk foamer of claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5 or claim 6 and supplying ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size to a coffee extractor, Supplying hot water from a hot water tank to the coffee extractor to extract the coffee liquid, and adding milk foam generated by the milker to the coffee liquid extracted by the coffee extractor A coffee beverage production apparatus. It has a nozzle member integrally provided with a coffee liquid nozzle that discharges the coffee liquid and a milk foam nozzle that discharges the milk foam, and the height of the nozzle member can be adjusted. The coffee beverage manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7.

Images