JP2018102806A - Beverage provision apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress deterioration in the quality of beverage to be provided by improving discharge accuracy of a feed pump.SOLUTION: A beverage provision apparatus 1 includes: an impeller 14b rotatably mounted inside a casing 14a; and a feed pump 14 that, when a current from a power supply 23 flows in a motor 21, rotates the impeller 14b to discharge hot water stored in a hot water tank 10 to a feed pipe 17, where the beverage provision apparatus provides beverage to a cup C via the feed pipe 17 by the drive of the feed pump 14. The beverage provision apparatus further includes: a switch 22 that, in a closed state, allows the current to flow from the power supply 23 to the motor 21, however, in an open state, regulates flow of the current from the power supply 23 to the motor 21; and a resistor 24 that, when the switch 22 becomes the open state, constitutes a closed circuit along with the motor 21 and that has an ohmic value 10-100 times as much as the motor 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage providing apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Conventionally, what was provided with the hot water tank and the hot water supply pump is known as a drink provision apparatus which provides coffee drinks, such as cappuccino, for example. A hot water tank produces | generates and stores the hot water which comprises a coffee drink. When driven, the hot water supply pump discharges hot water from the hot water tank to the supply path and supplies it to the beverage production unit through the supply path.

  In such a beverage providing device, hot water is supplied to the beverage generation unit by driving the hot water supply pump, and a beverage is generated in the beverage generation unit and provided to a beverage container such as a cup.

  By the way, in the said drink provision apparatus, the centrifugal pump which is proposed by patent document 1 is used as a hot water supply pump from the request | requirement, such as reduction of manufacturing cost. This centrifugal pump is configured such that an impeller is rotatably mounted inside a casing. When the centrifugal pump is driven, the impeller is rotated to discharge the hot water stored in the hot water tank to the supply path.

JP-A-7-208372

  By the way, the centrifugal pump used as the hot water supply pump has a characteristic that the impeller rotates by inertia even if the current flows to the motor that is a driving source is interrupted. There is a possibility that the amount of dispersion may be insufficient and the discharge accuracy may be insufficient. Thus, when the discharge accuracy of the hot water supply pump becomes insufficient, there is a possibility that the quality of the beverage produced in the beverage production unit may be deteriorated, which is not preferable.

  An object of this invention is to provide the drink provision apparatus which can suppress the fall of the quality of the drink provided by improving the discharge precision of a supply pump in view of the said situation.

  In order to achieve the above object, the beverage providing device according to the present invention is configured such that an impeller is rotatably mounted inside a casing, and when a current from a power source flows through a motor serving as a drive source, A beverage providing apparatus that comprises a supply pump that rotates an impeller to discharge water stored in a tank to a supply path, and that provides a beverage to a beverage container through the supply path by driving the supply pump, A switch that restricts a current from flowing from the power source to the motor while the switch is in an open state while allowing an electric current to flow from the power source to the motor. And a resistor that forms a closed circuit with the motor and has a resistance value 10 to 100 times that of the motor.

  Further, the beverage providing device according to the present invention is configured such that an impeller is rotatably mounted inside a casing, and when driven, the impeller is rotated to discharge water stored in a tank to a supply path. A beverage supply device that provides a beverage to a beverage container through the supply path by driving the supply pump, and is a flow rate adjustment test performed by driving the supply pump at a predetermined timing. Subtract the pre-measured surplus discharge amount from the discharge amount to divide by the drive time of the supply pump in the flow rate adjustment test to calculate the discharge amount per unit time, and to the beverage supply amount to the beverage container By subtracting the surplus discharge amount from the associated target discharge amount by the discharge amount per unit time, the drive time of the supply pump is calculated. Characterized by comprising control means for output.

  According to the present invention, when the switch is in the closed state, current is allowed to flow from the power source to the motor that is the drive source of the supply pump, while when the switch is in the open state, current flows from the power source to the motor. When the switch is in the open state, the resistor and the resistor constituting the closed circuit have a resistance value 10 to 100 times that of the motor. Therefore, the switch is switched from the open state to the closed state. A slight current flows in the closed circuit of the resistor and the resistor. As a result, the rotational speed of the motor can be forcibly gradually decelerated to stop driving, and in the supply pump, the impeller gradually decelerates and stops rotating. Therefore, variation in the discharge amount of the supply pump can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the quality of the beverage provided by improving the discharge accuracy of the supply pump.

  Further, according to the present invention, the control means subtracts the surplus discharge amount measured in advance from the discharge amount in the flow rate adjustment test performed by driving the supply pump at a predetermined timing. Divide by the driving time of the supply pump to calculate the discharge amount per unit time, and subtract the surplus discharge amount from the target discharge amount associated with the beverage supply amount to the beverage container as the discharge amount per unit time Since the drive time of the supply pump is calculated by dividing, the drive time of the supply pump can be calculated in consideration of the surplus discharge amount generated in the configuration of the supply pump, and the discharge amount of the supply pump can be calculated. Variations can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the quality of the beverage provided by improving the discharge accuracy of the supply pump.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a main part of a beverage providing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a modification of the circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a main part of the beverage providing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  Exemplary embodiments of a beverage providing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a main part of a beverage providing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The beverage providing apparatus 1 exemplified here provides a beverage to the cup C, which is a beverage container, and includes a hot water tank 10.

  The hot water tank 10 incorporates a hot water generating heater 11. The hot water generation heater 11 is driven by a drive command given from the control unit 30 to be in an energized state, and is supplied into the hot water tank 10 by a water supply means (not shown) by being energized. Water is heated to produce hot water. That is, the hot water tank 10 generates and stores hot water.

  Here, the control unit 30 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the beverage providing device 1 according to the program and data stored in the memory 31.

  Note that the control unit 30 may cause a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, may be realized by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, software and hardware may be used in combination.

  The hot water tank 10 is provided with an overflow pipe 12 and an introduction pipe 13 in addition to the hot water generating heater 11. The overflow pipe 12 is for discharging hot water to the outside when the water level inside the hot water tank 10 is equal to or higher than a predetermined height. That is, the interior of the hot water tank 10 communicates with the outside air through the overflow pipe 12.

  The introduction pipe 13 is provided so as to protrude upward from the bottom of the hot water tank 10, and is connected to the supply pump 14. The introduction pipe 13 and the hot water supply pipe 15 connected to the supply pump 14 constitute a hot water supply path for supplying hot water from the hot water tank 10 to the steam tank 16. The steam tank 16 generates pressurized steam by heating hot water supplied from the hot water tank 10 by a heater (not shown).

  A hot water inlet 13 a is formed on the upper end surface of the introduction pipe 13. The hot water inlet 13a is provided above the preset low water level L1 of hot water stored in the hot water tank 10. The low water level L1 is a minimum height level in which hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 is allowed.

  The supply pump 14 is constituted by a centrifugal pump, for example. That is, the supply pump 14 is provided with an impeller 14b in the casing 14a so as to be rotatable around its own axis. The impeller 14b is electrically connected to a motor 21 that is a drive source.

  Here, when the motor 22 receives a command from the control unit 30 and is in a closed state in which the first contact 22a and the second contact 22b are electrically connected as shown in FIG. When the switch 22 to which a command is given from the control unit 30 is in an open state in which the first contact 22a and the third contact 22c are electrically connected, the power supply 23 is driven. The drive stops without the current from flowing.

  When the supply pump 14 is driven, the impeller 14b rotates around the axis, thereby discharging hot water introduced through the introduction pipe 13 to a supply pipe 17 having one end connected to itself. On the other hand, the supply pump 14 allows the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 to pass through the hot water supply path when the drive is stopped.

  The supply pipe 17 constitutes a supply path for supplying hot water to the beverage generation unit 18. The drink production | generation part 18 is called a brewer, and extracts a coffee drink with the hot water supplied through the supply pipe | tube 17, and the coffee raw material supplied into self. The coffee beverage extracted by the beverage generation unit 18 is provided to the cup C.

  By the way, in the circuit in which the motor 21 is electrically connected to the power source 23, the third contact 22c of the switch 22 is connected to the branch wiring 20b branched from the main wiring 20a connecting the power source 23 and the motor 21. A resistor 24 is provided on the branch wiring 20b. That is, when the switch 22 is in the closed state, the resistor 24 that forms a closed circuit together with the motor 21 is provided. The resistor 24 has a resistance value 10 to 100 times that of the motor 21, and has a resistance value of, for example, about 400Ω.

  Here, if the resistance value of the resistor 24 is less than 10 times that of the motor 21, the current flowing through the closed circuit when the switch 22 is in the closed state becomes relatively large. As a result, the motor 21 suddenly stops driving. If the motor 21 is suddenly stopped in this manner, the discharge amount may vary due to the rotation stop angle of the impeller 14b or the difference in fluid viscosity due to the difference in hot water temperature.

  On the other hand, when the resistance value of the resistor 24 exceeds 100 times that of the motor 21, no current flows through the closed circuit when the switch 22 is closed, and the motor 21 rotates due to inertia and gradually stops rotating. In other words, it is not preferable because the supply pump 14 is driven without stopping the drive pump 14 and the discharge amount varies.

  In the beverage providing device 1 according to the first embodiment having the above-described configuration, the switch 22 to which a command is given from the control unit 30 is switched from the open state to the closed state, as shown in FIG. A weak current flows slightly in the closed circuit of the motor 21 and the resistor 24. Thereby, the rotational speed of the motor 21 can be forcibly gradually decelerated to stop driving. As a result, in the supply pump 14, the impeller 14b gradually decelerates and stops rotating. For this reason, even in a fluid such as hot water in which cavitation occurs due to a change in pressure or the like, variation in the discharge amount of the supply pump 14 can be suppressed.

  Therefore, according to the said drink provision apparatus 1, the fall of the quality of the drink provided can be suppressed by aiming at the improvement of the discharge precision of the supply pump 14. FIG.

  In the first embodiment described above, the resistor 24 is provided on the branch wiring 20b connected to the third contact 22c. However, in the present invention, the resistor 24 is parallel to the motor 21 as shown in FIG. It may be connected to. Even in such a configuration, when the switch 22 ′ is in an open state where the first contact 22 a ′ and the second contact 22 b ′ are not electrically connected, the switch 22 ′ is weak against the closed circuit formed by the motor 21 and the resistor 24. A small amount of current can flow, and the rotational speed of the motor 21 can be forcibly gradually reduced to stop driving.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a main part of the beverage providing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to what has the structure similar to the drink provision apparatus 1 of Embodiment 1 mentioned above, and the description is omitted suitably. The beverage providing apparatus 2 exemplified here provides a beverage to the cup C which is a beverage container, and includes a control unit 40.

  The control unit 40 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the beverage providing device 2 according to programs and data stored in the memory 41.

  The control unit 40, for example, causes a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, may be realized by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, software and hardware may be used in combination.

  The memory 41 stores surplus discharge amount information, flow rate adjustment test value information, and target discharge amount information in addition to the program and the like.

  The surplus discharge amount information is information relating to the surplus discharge amount (overrun amount: a milliliter) measured or calculated by the beverage providing apparatus 2 at the time of assembly in a factory, for example. Such surplus discharge amount information is input through the input means 42 such as a keyboard or a numeric keypad and stored in the memory 41.

  The flow rate adjustment test value information is the discharge amount (Y milliliters) actually discharged to the cup C when the flow rate adjustment test is performed through the input means 42 when the beverage providing device 2 is installed in the market. In addition, it is information relating to the drive time (t seconds) of the supply pump 14 in the flow rate adjustment test. Such flow rate adjustment test value information is input through the input means 42 and stored in the memory 41.

  The target discharge amount information is information regarding the target discharge amount (X milliliters) set for each type of beverage provided to the cup C and associated with the beverage supply amount. The target discharge amount information is input through the input unit 42 and stored in the memory 41.

  And in the drink provision apparatus 2 which is this Embodiment 2, when the said control part 40 drives the supply pump 14, the drive time (T second) of this supply pump 14 is calculated by following formula (1). To do.

  Formula (1) T = (X−a) / (Y−a) / t

  That is, the controller 40 subtracts the surplus discharge amount (a milliliter) measured in advance from the discharge amount (Y milliliter) in the flow rate adjustment test performed by driving the supply pump 14 at a predetermined timing. The discharge amount ((Y−a) / t) [milliliter / second] per unit time is calculated by dividing by the drive time (t second) of the supply pump 14 in the flow rate adjustment test.

  Then, the control unit 40 divides the target discharge amount (X milliliters) by subtracting the surplus discharge amount (a milliliters) by the discharge amount per unit time ((Y−a) / t), thereby supplying the supply pump. 14 drive time (T seconds) is calculated.

  In the beverage providing apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment having the above-described configuration, the drive time of the supply pump 14 is calculated in consideration of the surplus discharge amount that occurs due to the configuration of the supply pump 14. Variations in the discharge amount of the supply pump 14 can be suppressed.

  Therefore, according to the said drink provision apparatus 2, the fall of the quality of the drink provided by aiming at the improvement of the discharge precision of the supply pump 14 can be suppressed.

  According to the beverage providing device 2, the administrator only has to input the actual discharge amount and the actual time when the flow rate adjustment test is performed, so that a complicated procedure considering the excessive discharge amount is not required, Convenience can be improved.

  The preferred embodiment 1 and embodiment 2 of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the supply pump 14 that supplies hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 has been described. However, in the present invention, the supply pump 14 supplies water stored in the tank. May be.

  Although not particularly mentioned in the first embodiment, the number of resistors may be one or more. In addition, the resistor may be configured to include an LED, for example. Thus, if it has LED, when a switch is made into a closed state, LED will light, and it can be made to recognize visually that a switch will be in a closed state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage provision apparatus 10 Hot water tank 13 Introducing pipe 14 Supply pump 14a Casing 14b Impeller 15 Hot water supply pipe 17 Supply pipe 21 Motor 22 Switch 23 Power supply 24 Resistor 30 Control part 31 Memory C Cup

Claims (2)

When the impeller is rotatably mounted inside the casing and the current from the power source flows to the motor as the driving source, the impeller is rotated to discharge the water stored in the tank to the supply path. A beverage providing device for providing a beverage to a beverage container through the supply path by driving the supply pump,
A switch that allows a current to flow from the power source to the motor when in the closed state, while restricting a current from flowing from the power source to the motor in the open state;
A beverage providing apparatus comprising: a resistor which forms a closed circuit with the motor when the switch is in an open state and has a resistance value 10 to 100 times that of the motor. An impeller is rotatably mounted inside the casing, and includes a supply pump that rotates the impeller to discharge water stored in a tank to a supply path when driven, and drives the supply pump. A beverage providing device for providing a beverage to a beverage container through the supply path,
A value obtained by subtracting the surplus discharge amount measured in advance from the discharge amount in the flow rate adjustment test performed by driving the supply pump at a predetermined timing is divided by the drive time of the supply pump in the flow rate adjustment test. By calculating a discharge amount per unit time and subtracting the surplus discharge amount from a target discharge amount associated with the beverage supply amount for the beverage container by the discharge amount per unit time, A beverage providing apparatus comprising control means for calculating a driving time of a supply pump.

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