JP2972391B2 - Cup-type beverage vending machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cup-type beverage vending machine for supplying a hot beverage such as coffee or a carbonated cold beverage to a cup for sale.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vending machine of this type, an extraction device for extracting coffee, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder for supplying carbon dioxide to a cold beverage, and the like are provided in a main body thereof.

[0003] The coffee supply system includes a raw material storage section containing coffee beans, a coffee mill for grinding a predetermined amount of coffee beans discharged from the raw material storage section, and hot water supplied to the coffee powder supplied from the coffee mill. An extraction device for extracting coffee liquid by infiltrating the same, and a mixing bowl for adding and mixing additives such as milk and sugar to the coffee liquid discharged from the extraction device, and automatically mixing the coffee liquid in the mixing bowl. The vending machine is supplied to a user of the vending machine by injecting it into a cup arranged in an outlet formed on the front surface of the main body of the vending machine.

[0004] However, when the respective devices constituting the coffee supply system are arranged from the upper part to the lower part in the main body, the overall height dimension becomes considerably large, so that the outlet for disposing the cup is provided in the main body. It is located near the floor of the. When the outlet is disposed at such a low position, the user of the vending machine must bend down greatly and remove the cup from the outlet.

By the way, as a coffee extraction device, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-31109,
A mechanism is known in which pressurized air is pumped through an air pump to the surface of the coffee liquid extracted in the coffee extraction unit, and the coffee liquid in the coffee extraction unit is supplied into the mixing bowl through a guide hose by this air pressure. Utilizing such a mechanism, the mixing bowl can be arranged at the same level as or higher than the coffee brewing apparatus, and the coffee liquid can be sent out to the mixing bowl. It becomes possible to arrange in a position.

[0006]

However, in the means for feeding the coffee liquid into the mixing bowl by such an air pump system, an inexpensive air pump cannot provide a sufficient discharge pressure, so that an expensive air pump is absolutely necessary. Because it is costly and it is difficult to pump it instantaneously, coffee liquid and air are displaced at the rising part of the guide hose from the coffee extraction device to the mixing bowl, leaving coffee liquid in that part. Poor management.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to use a carbon dioxide gas cylinder normally incorporated in a cup-type beverage vending machine to make it simple, inexpensive, and accurately. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cup-type beverage vending machine capable of sending a coffee liquid of a coffee extracting device to a mixing bowl.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises, in a main body, a coffee extracting device and a carbon dioxide gas cylinder for producing a carbonated beverage, wherein the coffee extracting device is provided with a filter. Install a cylinder on top,
The coffee grounds are supplied into the cylinder, the coffee grounds are pressed and compressed by a piston, hot water is pumped into the compressed coffee grounds, the coffee liquid is extracted with the hot water, and the coffee liquid is filtered by the filter. In a vending machine configured to filter and supply the filtered coffee liquid through a guide hose into a mixing bowl arranged at the same level as or higher than the coffee extraction device, the pipe of the carbon dioxide gas cylinder is connected to the guide hose. After the completion of the extraction of the coffee liquid, the carbon dioxide gas of the carbon dioxide gas cylinder is blown out from the pipe into the guide hose, and the coffee liquid remaining in the guide hose is pushed out into the mixing bowl.

[0009]

The coffee liquor extracted by the coffee brewing device is supplied into a mixing bowl through a guide hose, and is poured from the mixing bowl into a cup at a sales outlet. Immediately after the completion of the coffee extraction, the carbon dioxide gas in the carbon dioxide gas cylinder is jetted into the guide hose, and the jet pressure causes the coffee liquid in the guide hose to be pushed into the mixing bowl.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows the external appearance of the vending machine. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body, and a front door 2 is pivotally mounted on an opening in the front of the main body 1. A coin slot 3 and a change return port 4 are provided in front of the front door 2. , A large number of selection buttons 5 for selecting various hot beverages such as coffee and various cold beverages such as carbonated syrup, and an outlet 6 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cooling water tank 8 is provided inside the main body 1, and a plurality of syrup tanks 9 containing various syrup stock solutions and a carbonator tank 10 are provided in the cooling water tank 8. Is provided. Further, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 11 is provided in the main body 1, and carbon dioxide gas (CO ₂ ) is supplied from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 11 into the carbonator tank 10, thereby producing carbonated water in the carbonator tank 10. When a coin is inserted into the coin insertion slot 3 and the syrup beverage selection button button 5 is operated, first, a cup is supplied to the outlet 6, and then a predetermined syrup stock solution in the syrup tank 9 is placed in the cup. Further, a predetermined amount of carbonated water is injected from the carbonator tank 10 as dilution water, and an appropriate amount of ice chips is supplied from an ice machine (not shown), whereby a syrup beverage is generated and supplied to a user of the vending machine. .

Also, inside the main body 1 is a coffee extracting device 1.
5, a raw material canister 16 containing coffee beans above the coffee extraction device 15, coffee beans discharged from the raw material canister 16 crushed, and coffee ground to supply the ground coffee powder to the coffee extraction device 15. A mill 17 and a water heater 18 for storing high-temperature hot water and supplying the hot water to the coffee extraction device 15 in predetermined amounts are provided.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the coffee brewing apparatus 15. Reference numeral 19 denotes a frame, and a brewing table 20 is provided horizontally below the frame 19; Filter 22 is movably disposed, and a cylinder 23 is provided on the extraction table 20 so as to be vertically movable with the filter 22 interposed therebetween, and a piston 24 is provided in the cylinder 23 so as to be vertically slidable. .

A cam mechanism 27 for driving a cylinder 23 and a piston 24 is provided inside the frame 19, and the piston 24 is provided with a measuring tank 28 from the water heater 18.
And a hot water supply pipe 30 led out via a pressure pump 29 is connected. An outlet 33 is formed in the extraction table 20,
A guide hose 35 is connected to a lower end of the outlet 33 via a joint 34.

As shown in FIG. 1, a mixing bowl 37 is provided on the side of the coffee brewing apparatus 15 at the same level as or above the coffee brewing apparatus 15. This mixing bowl 37
Is inserted inside. A plurality of additive canisters 38 containing additives such as sugar and milk are provided above the mixing bowl 37.

The carbon dioxide gas cylinder 11 is connected to the carbonator tank 11 via a pipe 40. A branch pipe 41 branches off from the middle of the pipe 40, and the tip of the branch pipe 41 is connected to the joint 34. An electromagnetic valve 42 is provided in the middle of the branch pipe 41.

Incidentally, reference numeral 45 shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 46 denotes a shooter for guiding the coffee powder therein into the coffee extraction device 15, and 46 denotes a take-up roller for winding the filter 22.

In such a configuration, the coin slot 3
When a coin is inserted into the container and the selection button 5 for coffee is operated, a cup is supplied to the outlet 6, and a predetermined amount of coffee powder is introduced into the cylinder 23 from the coffee mill 17 through the shooter 45. .
In this state, the piston 2 is driven by the cam mechanism 27.
4, the coffee grounds are compressed, and the coffee grounds are compressed and hermetically sealed in the lower part of the cylinder 23. Hot water is sequentially pumped through the hot water supply pipe 30 into the sealed coffee grounds. The coffee liquor is sequentially extracted, and the coffee liquor is extracted. The coffee liquor is sequentially fed under pressure through the guide hose 35 into the mixing bowl 37 while being filtered by the filter 22.

Additives such as sugar and milk are added to the coffee liquor fed into the mixing bowl 37 from the additive canisters 38 as needed. Then, this coffee liquid is poured into a cup arranged at the sales port 6.

Immediately after the supply of hot water into the cylinder 23 is stopped and the extraction of the coffee liquid is almost completed, the solenoid valve 42 is opened. By opening the electromagnetic valve 42, the carbon dioxide gas in the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 11 blows out into the guide hose 35. Then, the guide hose 35 is ejected by the ejection of the carbon dioxide gas.
The coffee liquid inside is pushed out into the mixing bowl 37 almost instantaneously, so that the coffee liquid does not remain in the guide hose 35 and becomes empty. When the carbon dioxide gas is ejected, the inside of the cylinder 23 is sealed by the piston 24, so that the carbon dioxide gas does not leak from the cylinder 23.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the steps from the extraction of the coffee liquid to the ejection of the carbon dioxide gas, and the hot water is supplied into the cylinder 23 into a primary hot water supply and a secondary hot water supply. During the downtime between the primary hot water supply and the secondary hot water supply, the coffee powder is uneven. The solenoid valve 42 from the end of the hot water into the cylinder 23 after T ₁ (approximately 2 seconds) is opened T ₂ (1 to 2 seconds) time, carbon dioxide is ejected into the guide hose 35. The ejection pressure of this carbon dioxide gas is 1.5 to 2.0 kg / cm ² And

After the extraction of the coffee liquid is completed, the cylinder 23 first rises by the drive by the cam mechanism 27, and then the piston 24 rises. Thereby, the filter 22
Compressed coffee grounds remains on the solids.
After that, the filter 22 is wound up by the winding roller 46 and travels. In this travel, the grounds of the coffee powder are conveyed and discarded at a predetermined location, thereby completing one step of coffee extraction.

As described above, after the extraction of the coffee liquid is completed, the coffee liquid in the guide hose 35 is pushed out by the carbon dioxide gas and is kept empty, so that good sanitary management can be performed. And since the carbon dioxide gas of the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 11 normally provided in the cup-type beverage vending machine is used as a medium for extruding the coffee liquid,
There is an advantage that the configuration is simple and the cost is low, and it can be easily applied to an existing vending machine.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the mixing bowl is arranged at the same level as or higher than the coffee brewing apparatus, the height of the coffee supply system is suppressed and the position of the sales outlet is raised. And the coffee liquid remaining in the guide hose between the coffee brewing device and the mixing bowl is pushed into the mixing bowl by using the carbon dioxide gas of the carbon dioxide gas cylinder normally provided in the cup-type beverage vending machine. There is an advantage that good hygiene management can be achieved, the configuration is simple and the cost is low, and it can be easily applied to existing vending machines.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a cup-type vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a main part of the cup-type vending machine.

FIG. 3 is an overall front view of the cup-type vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the cup-type vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body 11 ... Carbon dioxide gas cylinder 15 ... Coffee extraction device 35 ... Guide hose 37 ... Mixing bowl

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A coffee extraction device and a carbon dioxide gas cylinder for producing carbonated beverages are provided in the main body. The coffee extraction device is provided with a cylinder on a filter, and supplies coffee powder into the cylinder. The coffee grounds are compressed by pressing with a piston, hot water is pumped into the compressed coffee grounds, the coffee liquid is extracted with the hot water, the coffee liquid is filtered through the filter, and the filtered coffee liquid is passed through a guide hose. In a vending machine configured to supply into a mixing bowl arranged at the same level as or higher than the coffee extraction device, the pipe of the carbon dioxide gas cylinder is communicated with the guide hose, and after completion of extraction of the coffee liquid, The carbon dioxide gas of the carbon dioxide gas cylinder is spouted from the pipe into the guide hose, and the coffee remaining in the guide hose A cup-type beverage vending machine characterized in that a liquid is extruded into a mixing bowl.