JP2016093381A - Liquid supply device, beverage extraction apparatus, and beverage extraction method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid supply device capable of performing a steaming step in drip-style extraction by a simple configuration, and a beverage extraction apparatus.SOLUTION: A liquid supply device (1) includes a controller (6) that controls the amount of water conveyed by a pump (3) and heating temperature of a heater (4) so that a heated liquid can be discharged in a diffused state from a discharge part (5) by vapor pressure generated by vaporizing water by a heater (4), in a beverage raw material steaming step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid supply device, a beverage extraction device, and a beverage extraction method that can be suitably used for drip-type extraction.

  Typical extraction methods for beverages such as coffee include drip extraction and espresso extraction.

  The home coffee maker is usually a drip coffee extractor. A drip coffee extractor puts coffee powder in filter paper and supplies hot water from above. Thereby, hot water naturally permeates the coffee powder by its own weight, and coffee is extracted.

  In addition, products that are individually packaged with drip bags containing a suitable amount of coffee powder in filter paper are also available for easy enjoyment of drip-type coffee. For products in the drip bag form, coffee with excellent flavor can be easily made by simply opening the package just before drinking and supplying hot water to the coffee powder on the filter paper with an electric pod or the like.

  On the other hand, espresso machines (espresso type coffee extractors) for shops and homes use a pump or the like to forcibly apply pressure to coffee powder and extract coffee at once in a short time. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a beverage extraction apparatus that pressurizes and extracts beverages such as espresso using a high vapor pressure of several atmospheres or more.

  In both of the drip type extraction and the espresso type extraction, a coffee with a stable flavor can be extracted by performing a steaming step when supplying hot water. The steaming process is to end the first hot water supply to the extent that the entire coffee powder is moistened and leave it for a while. This steaming process (1) releases carbon dioxide from the coffee beans, and (2) makes the water distribution in the coffee powder uniform, preventing hot water from passing locally in the hot water after steaming. it can. As a result, it can be uniformly extracted from the entire coffee powder by the extraction process of supplying hot water after the steaming process.

Patent No. 4797291 (issued on October 19, 2011)

  However, since the beverage extraction apparatus described in Patent Document 1 cannot obtain a high extraction pressure by pressurizing hot water with air pressure or a piston, a high-quality beverage (especially espresso) is produced using high-temperature and high-pressure hot water. The issue is easy extraction. And in order to solve this subject, in order to obtain the high extraction pressure by vapor pressure, it is essential for the beverage extraction device to have a sealed structure (closed space) in which the beverage extraction unit is directly connected to the heating pipe. ing. Thus, it is clear that the beverage extraction device assumes only espresso extraction.

  Moreover, since the extraction method is completely different between espresso extraction and drip extraction, the beverage extraction device cannot be applied to drip extraction. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 does not describe any “steaming” in drip extraction.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said conventional subject, The objective is to provide the liquid supply device and drink extraction apparatus which can implement the steaming process in drip-type extraction with a simple structure.

  In order to solve the above problems, a liquid supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a transport unit that transports a liquid, a heating unit that heats the transported liquid, and the heated liquid through an open space. And a control unit that controls the transport unit and the heating unit, and the control unit causes the heating unit to bring the liquid above the boiling point when steaming the beverage material. The amount of liquid transported by the transport unit and the heating temperature of the heating unit are controlled so that the heated liquid is discharged in a diffused state from the discharge unit by the vapor pressure generated by heating Yes.

  In order to solve the above problems, a beverage extraction method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a steaming process in which a liquid heated in a heating unit is discharged from a discharge unit to steam a beverage raw material, and a beverage in which the steaming process is performed. An extraction step of discharging the heated liquid to the raw material and extracting the beverage from the beverage raw material by drip extraction, and the steaming step is caused by heating the liquid to a boiling point or higher by the heating unit. The heated liquid is ejected in a diffused state from the ejection part by the vapor pressure.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, the steaming process in the drip extraction can be performed with a simple configuration.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the liquid supply device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A) is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the casting heater used for the heater of the said liquid supply device, (b) is a perspective view which sees through and shows the internal structure of the said casting heater. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the said cast-in heater. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the liquid supplier which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the liquid supply device which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the discharge part of the liquid supply device which concerns on Embodiment 1-3 of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the drink extraction apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a liquid feeder (water heater) that can be used for extracting drip bag coffee will be described.

(Configuration of the liquid supply device 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a liquid supply device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid supply device 1 includes a supply unit 2, a pump (conveying unit) 3, a heater (heating unit) 4, a discharge unit 5, a control device (control unit) 6, pipes 7 to 9, and an input. Part 10 is provided. The supply unit 2 and the pump 3 are connected by a pipe 7, the pump 3 and the heater 4 are connected by a pipe 8, and the heater 4 and the discharge unit 5 are connected by a pipe 9. That is, the supply unit 2, the pump 3, the heater 4, and the discharge unit 5 are connected in series by the pipes 7, 8, and 9. The liquid supply device 1 discharges hot water formed by heating by the heater 4 from the discharge unit 5 to the drip bag 12 (coffee powder 12b disposed on the paper filter 12a), and extracts the coffee to the cup 11.

  The supply unit 2 is supplied with a supply liquid L to be heated from the outside through a supply port provided at the top. The supply liquid L supplied to the supply unit 2 is supplied to the pump 3 via the pipe 7. As described above, since the liquid supply device 1 discharges hot water to the coffee powder 12b, the supply liquid L here is water.

  In the configuration of FIG. 1, the supply liquid L is supplied from the outside. However, the liquid supply device 1 may include a tank that stores the supply liquid L as the supply unit 2 and supply the supply liquid L from the tank.

  The pump 3 conveys the supply liquid L supplied from the supply unit 2 to the heater 4 and the discharge unit 5 via the pipes 7, 8, and 9.

  The heater 4 heats the supply liquid L conveyed by the pump 3 and the supply liquid L being conveyed. The heating method by the heater 4 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the heating is performed by electric power because of easy control of the heating temperature.

  The discharge unit 5 is a nozzle that discharges the supply liquid L heated by the heater 4 to the drip bag 12. Since the liquid supply device 1 supplies hot water to the drip bag 12, an open space S is formed between the discharge unit 5 and the drip bag 12. That is, the discharge part 5 and the drip bag 12 are not arranged in a sealed space as in espresso extraction. As will be described later, the discharge section 5 scatters and ejects hot water (heated supply liquid L) from the discharge outlet at the tip end by the vapor pressure of the supply liquid L generated by being heated to the boiling point or more by the heater 4.

  The control device 6 controls the pump 3 and the heater 4. Specifically, the control device 6 includes a pump control unit 6 a that controls the pump 3 and a heater control unit 6 b that controls the heater 4. The pump controller 6 a controls the transport amount and transport speed of the supply liquid L by the pump 3. The heater control unit 6 b controls the heating temperature of the heater 4. The control device 6 controls the pump 3 and the heater 4 to control the hot water discharge state from the discharge unit 5.

  In the liquid supply device 1 of the present embodiment, although not shown, the pump 3 is provided with a pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the pump, and the heater 4 is provided with a temperature sensor that detects the heating temperature (heater temperature). The pipe 8 is provided with a flow rate sensor for detecting the flow rate of the supplied liquid L to be conveyed. The control device 6 controls the pressure of the pump 3 and the heating temperature of the heater 4 based on the detection results of these sensors.

  The pipes 7 to 9 connect the respective parts of the liquid supply device 1 as described above to form a transport path for the supply liquid L. The pipes 7 to 9 are made of a material (for example, metal or resin) that can withstand the pressure when the supply liquid L is conveyed or discharged.

  For example, the input unit 10 can perform power on / off of the liquid supply device 1, start / stop of hot water supply to a beverage ingredient, selection of a steaming process or an extraction process, and the like. Moreover, when the liquid supply device 1 is used in a store, the size of the cup 11 may be selectable. Input information of the input unit 10 is transmitted to the control device 6, and the control device 6 controls the pump 3 and the heater 4 based on the input information.

(Heater 4)
In the liquid supply device 1, the heater 4 is constituted by a cast-in heater. This cast-in heater is a heater in which both a three-dimensional heated portion such as a pipe and a sheathed heater are placed in a mold, and a conductive material such as aluminum, brass, iron, or AL bronze is cast into the mold. In this cast-in heater, since the pipe and the sheathed heater are integrated inside the conductive material, the heating efficiency is good, uniform overheating is possible, and a long life can be expected. The sheathed heater is a heater having a structure in which a nichrome wire is wrapped with a metal pipe, and the nichrome wire is insulated from the heater pipe by an insulating powder.

  A specific configuration of the cast-in heater according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cast-in heater 40 used for the heater 4 of the liquid supply device 1, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the cast-in heater 40. It is a perspective view. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the cast-in heater 40.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIG. 3, the cast-in heater 40 heats the spiral flow path 41 through which a liquid flows in a casting 43 made of a heat conductive material, and the spiral flow path 41. Therefore, the heater electrode 42 is integrally formed.

  The casting 43 is made of a heat conductive material such as aluminum, brass, iron, or AL bronze. The heater electrode 42 is spirally provided inside the casting 43 inside the spiral flow path 41, and the electrode terminals 42a and 42b are exposed to the outside.

  Further, the spiral channel 41 is provided in a spiral shape, and the channel inlet 41a and the channel outlet 41b are exposed to the outside.

  A heater temperature detection unit THS is attached to the upper part of the casting heater 40, and the temperature of the casting heater 40 can be detected by the heater temperature detection unit THS.

(Beverage extraction using liquid feeder 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid supply device 1 conveys the supply liquid L supplied from the supply unit 2 from the supply unit 2 through the heater 4 to the discharge unit 5 using the pump 3. Further, the supply liquid L (including the supply liquid L being conveyed) conveyed to the heater 4 is heated, and the heated supply liquid L is transferred from the discharge unit 5 to the drip bag 12 disposed immediately below the discharge unit 5. Discharge. Thereby, coffee extracted from the coffee powder 12 b and filtered by the paper filter 12 a (extracted liquid) is stored in the cup 11.

  In order to extract coffee with a stable flavor in the drip type extraction, a steaming process is important. The steaming step is to end the first hot water supply to the extent that the entire coffee powder 12b is moistened and leave it for a while. In the steaming step, the entire coffee powder 12b preferably contains moisture as uniformly as possible.

  Therefore, in the liquid supply device 1, in the steaming process, the heated supply liquid L (hot water) is diffused from the discharge unit 5 by a sufficient vapor pressure generated by vaporizing the supply liquid L (water). Hereinafter, the coffee extraction method using the liquid supply device 1 will be described in detail.

  The coffee extraction method using the liquid supply device 1 discharges hot water heated by the heater 4 from the discharge unit 5, steams the coffee powder 12 b, and discharges hot water to the coffee powder 12 b subjected to the steaming process. And an extraction step of extracting coffee from the coffee powder 12b by drip extraction. The liquid supply device 1 is characterized in that hot water is discharged from the discharge unit 5 in a diffusing state by a vapor pressure generated by heating the supply liquid L to a boiling point or higher by the heater 4 in the steaming step.

(Steaming process)
Specifically, when the steaming process is started by an instruction from the input unit 10, the control device 6 controls the pump 3 and the heater 4. That is, the pump 3 is driven to transport the water supplied from the supply unit 2 to the heater 4, and the heating temperature of the heater 4 is set to be lower than the boiling point of water. The heating temperature of the heater 4 is controlled by, for example, input power to the heater 4. Thereby, the water in the heater 4 (including the water being conveyed) is heated, and hot water is formed. The formed hot water is conveyed to at least the discharge unit 5 by driving the pump 3. The amount of hot water conveyed to the discharge unit 5 at this time is such that no hot water is discharged from the discharge unit 5 or a small amount of hot water is discharged.

  Next, the heating temperature of the heater 4 is set to be equal to or higher than the boiling point of water. Thereby, the water in the heater 4 is heated to the boiling point or more, and becomes vaporized gas (steam). When vaporized gas is generated, it expands in the heater 4 and generates a vapor pressure. In the liquid supplier 1, hot water is discharged from the discharge unit 5 using this vapor pressure. That is, hot water remaining between the heater 4 and the discharge unit 5 and hot water being conveyed from the heater 4 to the discharge unit 5 are accelerated by the vapor pressure, whereby hot water is discharged from the discharge unit 5. The steam pressure at which hot water is discharged is sufficiently high so that hot water is discharged from the discharge portion 5 in a diffused state. When a sufficiently high vapor pressure is generated in the hot water conveyance path, the distribution of the vapor pressure is not uniform with respect to the cross section of the pipe 9 and the cross section of the discharge port at the tip of the discharge portion 5. That is, the distribution of the vapor pressure with respect to the hot water in the transport path is also non-uniform. Thereby, hot water or hot water and steam are ejected from the discharge part 5 in a diffused (scattered) state. That is, hot water spreads over the size of the discharge port and is spread on the coffee powder 12b. As a result, hot water can be scattered and dripped over a wide area below the discharge unit 5. Therefore, moisture can be supplied to the entire coffee powder 12b installed below the discharge unit 5 to achieve good “steaming”. If the vapor pressure is low, hot water is not discharged from the discharge portion 5 in a diffused state, and is discharged in a direct injection state that is almost the same as the size of the discharge port, so that effective steaming cannot be performed.

  The amount of hot water discharged in the steaming process varies depending on the amount of the coffee powder 12b and the like, but may be an amount that can wet the entire coffee powder 12b. If hot water is discharged to the whole coffee powder 12b, the hot water discharge is finished and left for a while to complete the steaming process. The steaming time (leaving time) is not constant because it varies depending on the type and amount of the coffee powder 12b, but is usually about 1 minute. Note that only steam may be supplied to the coffee powder 12b after the hot water is discharged. Thereby, since the coffee powder 12b can be maintained at high temperature, the steaming time can be shortened.

  As described above, in the liquid supply device 1, during the steaming process, the control device 6 controls the conveyance amount of the supply liquid L by the pump 3 and the heating temperature of the heater 4, and heats the water to the boiling point or higher by the heater 4. The hot water is discharged from the discharge portion 5 in a diffused state by the vapor pressure. Thereby, hot water can be supplied almost uniformly to the coffee powder 12b. Therefore, the steaming process in the drip extraction can be carried out effectively.

  Furthermore, since the liquid supplier 1 performs water heating and water vaporization by controlling the temperature of the heater 4, it is not necessary to separately provide a complicated configuration for generating vapor pressure. Therefore, the steaming process can be performed with a simple configuration.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide the liquid supply device 1 that can perform the steaming process in the drip extraction with a simple configuration.

  Further, in the liquid supply device 1, in the steaming step, after the water is conveyed to at least the discharge unit with the heating temperature of the heater 4 being less than the boiling point of water, hot water is discharged from the discharge unit 5 in a diffused state by vapor pressure. Is preferred. In this configuration, the hot water is easily discharged from the discharge unit 5 in a diffused state because the steam pressure is generated while the hot water is conveyed to the discharge unit 5. Thereby, hot water can be more uniformly supplied with respect to the coffee powder 12b. Therefore, a steaming process can be implemented more effectively.

(Generation of hot water or steam in the steaming process)
As described above, the liquid feeder 1 uses the cast-in heater 40 as the heater 4 (see FIG. 2). For this reason, the heating temperature of the heater 4 can be easily adjusted by the input power to the heater 4. That is, switching between the formation of hot water and the formation (vaporization) of vaporized gas is realized by optimizing the input power to the heater 4 or the liquid conveyance speed (conveyance amount) of the pump 3.

  For example, when the heater 4 is a cast-in heater 40, when water at a temperature T0 (° C.) is heated to a temperature T1 (° C.), the water conveyance speed (flow rate) is VL (cc / min), and the water is heated. When the transmission efficiency is A, the input power WH (W) to the heater 4 is expressed by the following formula (1).

WH = A × 4.2 × VL (T1-T0) (1)
Here, 4.2 is the power required to raise the water by 1 ° C.

  Therefore, the controller 6 supplies the heater 4 so that the temperature T1 is lower than the boiling point of water when hot water is formed, and the temperature T1 is higher than the boiling point of water when forming vaporized gas (water vapor). The input electric power WH and the water conveyance speed VL by the pump 3 are controlled. Thereby, formation of hot water and formation of vaporized gas can be switched.

(Extraction process)
In the extraction process after the steaming process, hot water is discharged from the discharge unit 5 with the heating temperature of the heater 4 being less than the boiling point of water.

  Specifically, when the steaming process is started by an instruction from the input unit 10, the control device 6 controls the pump 3 and the heater 4. That is, the pump 3 is driven to transport the water supplied from the supply unit 2 to the heater 4, and the heating temperature of the heater 4 is set to be lower than the boiling point of water. Thereby, the water in the heater 4 (including the water being conveyed) is heated, and hot water is formed. The formed hot water is conveyed to the discharge unit 5 by driving the pump 3, and an amount of hot water corresponding to the size of the cup 11 is discharged. Thereby, coffee is extracted to the cup 11 from the coffee powder 12b after a steaming process, and an extraction process is completed.

  In the steaming step described above, hot water is supplied almost uniformly to the coffee powder 12b, and the coffee powder 12b is steamed substantially uniformly. For this reason, in the extraction process, it sets so that the conveyance amount of hot water may become larger than a steaming process (conveyance speed increases). Moreover, since the effective steaming process is performed, even if hot water is supplied only to the center of the coffee powder 12b in the extraction process, it is extracted from the entire coffee powder 12b. For this reason, in an extraction process, it is not necessary to generate vaporized gas like the steaming process and to discharge hot water in a diffusion state using vapor pressure.

  Thus, in the liquid supply device 1, the control device 6 controls the extraction process to supply hot water to the coffee powder 12b after the steaming process. That is, the control device 6 switches between the steaming process and the extraction process. Thereby, after the whole coffee powder 12b is steamed substantially uniformly by the steaming process, hot water is discharged to the coffee powder 12b by the extraction process. Therefore, since coffee is extracted from the whole coffee powder 12b, extraction with a high flavor is possible.

[Embodiment 2]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the liquid supply device 1a according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The liquid supply device 1 according to Embodiment 1 is configured to include one pump 3 and one heater 4. For this reason, the same pump 3 and heater 4 are used for formation of hot water, formation of vaporized gas, and conveyance of hot water and vaporized gas.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid supplier 1a uses separate pumps 3a and 3b and heaters 4a and 4b for the formation of hot water and the formation of vaporized gas.

  Specifically, in the liquid supply device 1a, the pipe 7 connected to the supply unit 2 is branched in two directions. A pump 3a (first transport unit) is connected to one of the branched pipes 7, and a pump 3b (second transport unit) is connected to the other. Further, the pump 3a is connected to the heater 4a (first heating unit) via the pipe 8a, and the pump 3b is connected to the heater 4b (second heating part) via the pipe 8b. The heaters 4a and 4b are connected to a common pipe 9, respectively. For this reason, the supply liquid L conveyed from the heater 4a and the supply liquid L conveyed from the heater 4b merge before the discharge part 5. FIG.

  In the liquid supplier 1a, the heater 4a heats water below the boiling point, and the heater 4b heats water above the boiling point. That is, a path for heating water below the boiling point by the pump 3a and the heater 4a (path for forming hot water) is formed, and a path for heating water above the boiling point by the pump 3b and the heater 4b (path for forming vaporized gas). It is formed. Thus, hot water is supplied in the order of pump 3a → pipe 8a → heater 4a → pipe 9 → discharge unit 5 and vaporized gas is supplied in the order of pump 3b → pipe 8b → heater 4b → pipe 9 → discharge unit 5.

  The control device 6 controls the pumps 3a and 3b and the heaters 4a and 4b independently. The control device 6 causes the supply liquid L to be conveyed to the discharge unit 5 from at least one of a path for forming hot water and a path for forming vaporized gas.

  For example, the control device 6 controls to heat water below the boiling point in the path for forming hot water according to the above-described equation (1), and heats water to the boiling point or higher in the path for forming vaporized gas. Control. The control device 6 controls on / off of hot water and vaporized gas discharge through each path by turning on / off the pumps 3a and 3b.

  In this way, the liquid supply device 1a can discharge hot water or vaporized gas (steam) alone from the discharge unit 5 under the control of the control device 6, or can supply hot water and vaporized gas (steam). It is also possible to discharge from the discharge unit 5 simultaneously or mixed.

  The beverage extraction method using the liquid supply device 1a may be performed in the same manner as the beverage extraction method using the liquid supply device 1 except that the control device 6 controls the pumps 3a and 3b and the heaters 4a and 4b independently. Therefore, explanation is omitted. In the liquid supplier 1a, heaters 4a and 4b for generating hot water and vaporized gas are separately provided, and the control device 6 independently controls each path for forming the hot water or vaporized gas. As a result, in the liquid supply device 1 a, similar to the liquid supply device 1, the hot water staying after the confluence of each path in the pipe 9 or the hot water being conveyed is accelerated by the vapor pressure of the vaporized gas. Discharged in a diffused state. Therefore, the same effect as the liquid supply device 1 can be obtained.

  As described above, in the liquid supply device 1a, the path for heating water below the boiling point to form hot water and the path for heating water above the boiling point to form vaporized gas (vapor) are provided independently. ing. Further, the control device 6 independently controls the hot water or vaporized gas transfer path, and switches the hot water or vaporized gas transfer path to one of the above two paths or both paths. Accordingly, the hot water can be transported, the vaporized gas can be transported, or the hot water and the vaporized gas can be mixed and transported to be discharged from the discharge unit 5.

[Embodiment 3]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a liquid supply device 1b according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  In the liquid supply device 1a of the second embodiment, a path for heating water below the boiling point (path for forming hot water) is formed by the pump 3a and the heater 4a, and a path for heating water above the boiling point by the pump 3b and the heater 4b ( The path for forming the vaporized gas) is formed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the liquid supply device 1b is the same as the liquid supply device 1a in that the heaters 4a and 4b are provided, but the point that the pump 3 is provided, the valve 11 is provided, And the point from which the piping 7 is not branched differs from the liquid supply device 1a.

  Specifically, in the liquid supplier 1b, the pipe 8 connected to the pump 3 is branched in two directions. A heater 4a (first heating unit) is connected to one of the branched pipes 8, and a heater 4b (second heating unit) is connected to the other. Furthermore, a valve (switching unit) 11 is provided at a branch point of the pipe 8. The heaters 4a and 4b are connected to a common pipe 9, respectively. For this reason, the supply liquid L conveyed from the heater 4a and the supply liquid L conveyed from the heater 4b merge before the discharge part 5. FIG.

  In the liquid supplier 1b, the heater 4a heats the water below the boiling point, and the heater 4b heats the water above the boiling point. That is, a path for heating water below the boiling point (path for forming hot water) is formed by the pump 3 and the heater 4a, and a path for heating water above the boiling point (path for forming vaporized gas) by the pump 3 and the heater 4b. It is formed. The valve 11 switches each path and conveys the supply liquid L to one path or both paths. As a result, hot water is supplied in the order of pump 3 → valve 11 → pipe 8 → heater 4a → pipe 9 → discharge part 5 and vaporized gas in the order of pump 3 → valve 11 → pipe 8 → heater 4b → pipe 9 → discharge part 5. Is supplied.

  The control device 6 controls the pump 3, the heaters 4a and 4b, and the valve 11 independently. The control device 6 causes the supply liquid L to be conveyed to the discharge unit 5 from at least one of a path for forming hot water and a path for forming vaporized gas. Further, only the hot water, only the vaporized gas, or both can be supplied to the discharge unit 5 by the operation of the valve 11.

  The beverage extraction method using the liquid supply device 1b may be performed in the same manner as the beverage extraction method using the liquid supply device 1 except that the control device 6 controls the heaters 4a and 4b and the valve 11 independently. Is omitted. As a result, in the liquid supply device 1 b, similar to the liquid supply device 1, the hot water staying after the junction of each path in the pipe 9 or the hot water being conveyed is accelerated by the vapor pressure of the vaporized gas. Discharged in a diffused state. Therefore, the same effect as the liquid supply device 1 can be obtained.

  As described above, in the liquid supply device 1b, a path for heating water below the boiling point to form hot water and a path for heating water above the boiling point to form vaporized gas (vapor) are provided independently. ing. Further, the valve 11 switches the hot water or vaporized gas transfer path to one of the two paths or both paths. Accordingly, the hot water can be transported, the vaporized gas can be transported, or the hot water and the vaporized gas can be mixed and transported to be discharged from the discharge unit 5.

[Embodiment 4]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  This embodiment demonstrates the discharge part 5 applied to the liquid supply apparatus 1 * 1a * 1b of Embodiment 1-3. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge section 5 of the liquid supply device 1, 1 a, 1 b according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the discharge part 5 is provided with the course change member 5a. The course changing member 5 a is provided in the transport path of the supply liquid L in the discharge unit 5. The course changing member 5a is a member having a concave cross section with an upper opening, and a plurality of openings 5b are formed around the bottom. As a result, when the supply liquid L is transported to the discharge unit 5, it reaches the path changing member 5 a. As a result, the path of at least a part of the supply liquid L is converted in a direction from the opening 5b toward the inner wall of the discharge unit 5, and the supply liquid L is discharged from the lower discharge port 5c. Thereby, since the supply liquid L conveyed to the discharge part 5 is not directly conveyed to the discharge port 5c, it becomes easy to stay in the space between the course changing member 5a and the discharge port 5c. Accordingly, the supply liquid L (hot water) is likely to be discharged in a diffused state from the discharge portion 5 (discharge port 5c) due to the vapor pressure.

  As described above, since the discharge unit 5 includes the route conversion member 5a, the route of the supply liquid L conveyed into the discharge unit 5 is converted into the inner wall direction of the discharge unit 5 by the route conversion member 5a. . That is, the supply liquid L transported to the discharge unit 5 is discharged once after passing through the course changing member 5a. As a result, the supply liquid L transported to the discharge unit 5 tends to stay in the discharge unit 5. As a result, hot water is easily discharged from the discharge unit 5 in a diffused state due to the vapor pressure. Thereby, hot water can be more uniformly supplied with respect to the coffee powder 12b. Therefore, a steaming process can be implemented more effectively.

  The supply liquid L can be easily retained in the discharge unit 5 by making the discharge amount from the discharge unit 5 smaller than the transport amount of the supply liquid L to the discharge unit 5.

[Embodiment 5]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the first to third embodiments, the liquid feeders 1, 1 a, 1 b that extract drip bag coffee have been described. In the present embodiment, a beverage extraction apparatus including the liquid feeders 1, 1 a, 1 b will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the beverage extraction device 20 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

  The beverage extraction device 20 shown in FIG. 7 is a drip coffee extractor (coffee maker) that extracts coffee in the device. The beverage extraction device 20 includes an extraction unit 21 instead of the drip bag 12 in addition to the configuration of the liquid supply device 1 of the first embodiment. Coffee powder 21 b is arranged in the extraction unit 21.

  As described above, since the beverage extraction device 20 includes the liquid supply device 1 of the first embodiment, the same effect as the liquid supply device 1 is achieved. That is, it is possible to provide a beverage extraction device 20 that can perform the steaming process in the drip extraction with a simple configuration.

[Summary]
The liquid supply devices 1, 1 a, and 1 b according to the first aspect of the present invention include a transport unit (pump 3) that transports the liquid (supply liquid L) and a heating unit (heater) that heats the transported liquid (supply liquid L). 4), a discharge unit 5 that discharges the heated liquid (supply liquid L) to the beverage ingredients (coffee powder 12b) provided through the open space S, the transport unit (pump 3), and the heating unit ( A control unit (control device 6) for controlling the heater 4), and when the beverage ingredient (coffee powder 12b) is steamed, the control unit (control device 6) uses the heating unit (heater 4) to control the liquid. The amount of liquid transported by the transport unit (pump 3) so that the heated liquid (supply liquid L) is discharged from the discharge unit 5 in a diffused state by the vapor pressure generated by heating the liquid to a boiling point or higher. And heating temperature of heater (heater 4) It is configured to control.

  According to said structure, a control part controls the conveyance amount and heating temperature of a liquid, and performs the steaming process of a drink raw material. In the steaming step, the liquid is heated above the boiling point by the heating unit, and the liquid in the heating unit (including the liquid being transported) is vaporized to generate steam. And the heated liquid is discharged from a discharge part using the vapor pressure when a liquid evaporates and expand | swells. The vapor pressure at this time is sufficiently high so that the heated liquid is discharged from the discharge portion in a diffused state (scattered state). Thereby, the heated liquid can be supplied substantially uniformly with respect to the beverage ingredient provided through the open space. Therefore, the steaming process in the drip extraction can be carried out effectively.

  Further, according to the above configuration, since the liquid is heated and the liquid is vaporized by controlling the temperature of the heating unit, it is not necessary to separately provide a complicated configuration for generating the vapor pressure. Therefore, the steaming process can be performed with a simple configuration.

  Therefore, according to said structure, the liquid supplier which can implement the steaming process in drip type extraction with a simple structure can be provided.

  The liquid feeders 1, 1 a, and 1 b according to the second aspect of the present invention are the same as those in the first aspect, in which the control unit (the control device 6) is configured to steam the beverage ingredient (coffee powder 12 b). ) Is heated below the boiling point of the liquid (supply liquid L), and the liquid (supply liquid L) is transported to at least the discharge unit 5, and then the heated liquid (supply liquid L) is discharged to the discharge unit by the vapor pressure. 5 may be configured to discharge in a diffuse state.

  According to the above configuration, since the vapor pressure is generated in a state where the heated liquid is conveyed to the discharge unit, the heated liquid is easily discharged from the discharge unit in a diffusion state. Thereby, the heated liquid can be supplied more uniformly with respect to the beverage ingredients. Therefore, a steaming process can be implemented more effectively.

  The liquid supply device 1, 1 a, 1 b according to aspect 3 of the present invention is the aspect 1 or 2, wherein the control unit (control device 6) extracts the beverage after steaming the beverage raw material (coffee powder 12 b). Alternatively, the heating temperature of the heating unit (heater 4) may be less than the boiling point of the liquid, and the liquid (supply liquid L) may be discharged from the discharge unit 5.

  According to said structure, a control part is controlled to perform the extraction process which supplies the heated liquid to a beverage raw material after a steaming process. That is, a control part switches a steaming process and an extraction process. Thereby, after the whole beverage ingredient is steamed almost uniformly by the steaming process, the liquid heated by the extraction process is discharged to the beverage ingredient. Therefore, since a drink is extracted from the whole drink raw material, extraction with high flavor is attained.

  In the liquid supply device 1a according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects, the transport unit (pump 3) and the heating unit (heater 4) have a path for heating the liquid (supply liquid L) below the boiling point. The first transport section (pump 3a) and the first heating section (heater 4a) to be formed, and the second transport section (pump 3b) and the second heating that form a path for heating the liquid (supply liquid L) to the boiling point or higher. The controller (the control device 6) may be configured to convey the liquid (supply liquid L) from the at least one path to the discharge unit 5.

  According to said structure, the path | route which heats a liquid below the boiling point and forms a heating liquid, and the path | route which heats a liquid above a boiling point and forms vaporization gas (vapor | vapor) are provided independently. Further, the control unit independently controls the liquid transport path, and switches the liquid transport path to one of the two paths or both paths. Therefore, it is possible to transport the heated liquid, transport the vaporized gas, or mix and transport the heated liquid and the vaporized gas and discharge them from the discharge unit.

In the liquid supply device 1b according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects, the heating unit (heater 4) includes a first heating unit (heater 4a) that heats the liquid (supply liquid L) below the boiling point. A second heating part (heater 4b) for heating the liquid (supply liquid L) to a boiling point or higher,
Further, a transport path for the liquid (supply liquid L) is provided between the transport unit (pump 3) and the first heating unit (heater 4a) and the second heating unit (heater 4b). 4a), a switching section (valve 11) for switching to a path to be transported to the second heating section (heater 4b), or a path to be transported to the first heating section (heater 4a) and the second heating section (heater 4b). ).

  According to said structure, the path | route which heats a liquid below the boiling point and forms a heating liquid, and the path | route which heats a liquid above a boiling point and forms vaporization gas (vapor | vapor) are provided independently. Further, the switching unit switches the liquid transport path to one of the two paths or both paths. Therefore, it is possible to transport the heated liquid, transport the vaporized gas, or mix and transport the heated liquid and the vaporized gas and discharge them from the discharge unit.

  In the liquid supply devices 1, 1 a, and 1 b according to the aspect 6 of the present invention, in the aspects 1 to 5, the discharge unit 5 is at least conveyed from the heating unit (heaters 4, 4 a, and 4 b) into the discharge unit 5 A configuration may be provided that includes a course changing member 5 a that converts a course of a part of the liquid (supply liquid L) in a direction toward the inner wall of the discharge unit 5.

  According to said structure, since the discharge part is provided with the course change member, the course of the liquid conveyed in the discharge part is converted into the inner-wall direction of a discharge part by a course change member. That is, the liquid transported to the discharge unit is discharged after passing through the course changing member. As a result, the liquid transported to the discharge unit is likely to stay in the discharge unit. As a result, the heated liquid is easily discharged from the discharge portion in a diffused state due to the vapor pressure. Thereby, the heated liquid can be supplied more uniformly with respect to the beverage ingredients. Therefore, a steaming process can be implemented more effectively.

  The beverage extraction device 20 according to aspect 7 of the present invention is heated by being discharged from the liquid supply device 1, 1 a, 1 b of any one of aspects 1 to 6 and the discharge unit 5 of the liquid supply device 1, 1 a, 1 b. It is the structure provided with the extraction part 21 which extracts a drink raw material (coffee powder 12b) with a liquid.

  According to said structure, since the said liquid supply device is provided, the drink extraction apparatus which can implement the steaming process in drip-type extraction with a simple structure can be provided.

  In the beverage extraction method according to aspect 8 of the present invention, the liquid heated by the heating unit is discharged from the discharge unit, the steaming step of steaming the beverage raw material, and the heated liquid to the beverage raw material subjected to the steaming step. And extracting the beverage from the beverage raw material by drip extraction, and the steaming step is heated by the vapor pressure generated by heating the liquid above the boiling point by the heating unit. In this method, the liquid is discharged from the discharge unit in a diffused state.

  Therefore, since a drink is extracted from the whole drink raw material, extraction with high flavor is attained.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

  Since the steaming process in the drip extraction can be performed with a simple configuration, the present invention can extract a beverage having a stable flavor. For this reason, it can utilize for extraction of coffee, black tea, green tea, and a Chinese medicine which can be drip-type extracted.

1, 1a, 1b Liquid supply unit 2 Supply unit 3 Pump (conveyance unit)
3a Pump (first transfer unit)
3b Pump (second transport unit)
4 Heater (heating unit)
4a Heater (first heating part)
4b Heater (second heating part)
5 Discharge Portion 5a Course Change Member 5b Opening Portion 5c Discharge Port 6 Control Device (Control Unit)
11 Cup 12 Drip bag 12a Paper filter 12b Coffee powder (beverage ingredients)
20 Beverage Extractor 21 Extractor 21b Coffee Powder (Beverage Raw Material)
40 Casting heater (heating unit)
L Supply liquid (liquid)
S Open space

Claims (8)

A transport unit that transports the liquid, a heating unit that heats the transported liquid, a discharge unit that discharges the heated liquid to the beverage ingredients provided through the open space, and the transport unit and the heating unit are controlled. And a control unit that
When the control unit steams the beverage ingredients, the heated liquid is discharged from the discharge unit in a diffused state by the vapor pressure generated by heating the liquid to a boiling point or higher by the heating unit. A liquid supply device that controls the amount of liquid transported by the transport unit and the heating temperature of the heating unit.   When the control unit steams the beverage ingredient, the heating temperature of the heating unit is less than the boiling point of the liquid and the liquid is conveyed to at least the discharge unit, and then the liquid heated by the vapor pressure is discharged from the discharge unit. The liquid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply device is discharged in a diffusion state.   The said discharge part is provided with the course change member which changes the course of the at least one part of the liquid conveyed in the discharge part from the said heating part to the direction which goes to the inner wall of the said discharge part. Liquid supply according to.   The said control part makes a heating temperature of the said heating part lower than the boiling point of a liquid, and discharges a liquid from a discharge part, when extracting a drink after the said beverage raw material is steamed, Any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The liquid supply device according to claim 1. The transport unit and heating unit are
A first transport unit and a first heating unit that form a path for heating the liquid below the boiling point;
A second transport unit and a second heating unit that form a path for heating the liquid above the boiling point;
The liquid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the liquid to be conveyed from at least one path to the discharge unit. The heating unit includes a first heating unit that heats the liquid below the boiling point, and a second heating unit that heats the liquid above the boiling point,
Further, a path for transporting the liquid transport path to the first heating section, a path for transporting the second heating section, or the first heating between the transport section and the first heating section and the second heating section. The liquid supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a switching unit that switches to a path to be conveyed to the unit and the second heating unit.   A beverage extraction apparatus comprising: the liquid supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and an extraction unit that extracts a beverage ingredient with a heated liquid discharged from a discharge unit of the liquid supply device. A steaming process in which the liquid heated in the heating unit is discharged from the discharge unit, and the beverage ingredients are steamed;
The beverage raw material subjected to the steaming step has an extraction step of discharging the heated liquid and extracting the beverage from the beverage raw material by drip extraction,
The steaming step is characterized in that the heated liquid is discharged from the discharge section in a diffused state by vapor pressure generated by heating the liquid to a boiling point or higher by the heating section.

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