JP3023629B2 - Coffee kettle - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coffee machine having a coffee bean crusher.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this kind of coffee machine is shown in FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, the configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, 1 is a commercial AC power supply, 2 is a bean container containing coffee beans and provided with a hole at the bottom having a size through which ground coffee beans pass, and 3 is a blade for grinding coffee beans. , Rotatably provided in the bean container 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a motor for rotating the blade 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes a filtration chamber provided below the bean container 2 for accommodating ground coffee beans and having an opening at the bottom thereof. A paper filter 5a is set in the filtration chamber 5 to extract the coffee liquid.

[0004] Reference numeral 6 denotes a water container for containing water for extracting coffee liquid. Reference numeral 7 denotes a heating means, a water pipe 7a having one end connected to the bottom of the water vessel 6, a heater 7b for heating water in the water pipe 7a, and hot water boiling in the water pipe 7a flowing back to the water vessel 6. And a check valve 7c for preventing the above. Numeral 8 denotes a coffee container for storing the coffee liquid dropped from the filtration chamber 5.

Reference numeral 29 denotes switching means for switching between the motor 4 and the heater 7b. The timing of the switching operation by the switching means 29 is set by a timer 30.

In the above configuration, an appropriate amount of coffee beans is put into the bean container 2, and the time of the timer 30 is set in accordance with a predetermined reference time scale according to the amount of coffee beans.

When the timer 30 starts operating, the switching means 29 switches to the motor 4 side, the motor 4 is operated, the blades 3 rotate, and the coffee beans contained in the bean container 2 are crushed. Crushed coffee powder in bean container 2
Is passed through a hole provided at the bottom of the container and is stored in a paper filter 5a of a filtration chamber 5 provided below the bean container 2.

When the time set by the timer 30 elapses, the switching means 29 switches to the heater 7b, and the heater 7b is energized to heat the water in the water pipe 7a. A check valve 7c is provided at the connection between the water pipe 7a and the water container 6.
The hot water heated in the water pipe 7a is opened from the other end of the water pipe 7a into the bean vessel 2 without flowing back into the water vessel 6 due to the pressure of the partially evaporated steam. Flows into. The hot water flows into the filtration chamber 5 through a hole provided at the bottom of the bean container 2 while washing away the coffee powder remaining in the bean container 2. Filter 5a of filtration room 5
The hot water poured into the coffee powder inside becomes a coffee liquid, which drops from an opening provided at the bottom of the filtration chamber 5 and is stored in the coffee container 8.

[0009]

In the coffee brewing apparatus having such a conventional configuration, the timer time is set for the grinding time of the coffee beans in accordance with the amount of the coffee beans. No consideration is given to variations in grinding time. Therefore, in the case of hard coffee beans that are difficult to grind, the timer time expires without the whole amount being crushed as shown in FIG. 8, or in the case of soft beans that are easy to crush, as shown in FIG. There is a problem that the motor 4 continues to be operated even though the entire amount has been crushed at the time T6.

To cope with such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 61-122819 and 61-272201 disclose configurations of a coffee brewer that detects the end of grinding of coffee beans and stops the operation of the motor. Have been. Each of these configurations detects a motor current that changes at the end of grinding of coffee beans, the former detects a grinding current by a current pattern, and the latter detects a grinding current by a set current value, and stops the motor. Things.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 61-194443 discloses a coffee boiler having a configuration in which the number of revolutions of a slit disk attached to a rotating shaft of a motor is detected, the end of grinding is detected based on the number of revolutions, and the motor is stopped. A vessel is shown.

With such a configuration, the variation in the output of the motor is suppressed and the accuracy of the detection circuit is increased. Unless the motor and the detection circuit are matched, the threshold of detection boundary is blurred and the end of the pulverization is performed with high accuracy. There is a problem that the detection cannot be performed, the cost increases, and man-hours are required in the assembly process.

The present invention solves the above problem. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the motor is operated until the whole amount of coffee beans is ground, and the operation of the motor is stopped accurately when the whole amount is ground. It aims to provide a coffee kettle.

Next, in the conventional coffee machine, the motor 4 is operated for the time set by the timer 30, even if the timer is started in a state where the coffee beans are not contained in the bean container 2. When the motor 4 stops, hot water is supplied even though there is no coffee powder in the filtration chamber 45. As a result, there is a problem that only hot water drops into the coffee container 48.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem. According to the second aspect of the present invention, when a motor is operated in a state where coffee beans are not contained in a bean container, the coffee boiler stops the operation. It is intended to provide.

Next, in the conventional coffee machine, an appropriate amount of water is put into the water container 46 in accordance with the amount of coffee beans, and the operation of the coffee machine is started. Even if it enters, the extraction of the coffee liquid is continued until all the liquid is removed from the water container 6, and as a result, there is a problem that a thin coffee liquid is produced.

[0017] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coffee brewing machine capable of extracting a coffee liquor with an appropriate amount of water corresponding to the amount of ground beans. And

Next, in the conventional coffee brewer, an appropriate amount of water is put into the water container 6 in accordance with the amount of coffee beans to start the operation of the coffee brewer. The extraction of the coffee liquid is continued until all the water is removed from the water container 6 regardless of the depth, and as a result, there is a problem that the extraction of the roasted coffee beans cannot be performed according to the depth.

[0019] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and the invention of claim 4 provides a coffee boiler capable of extracting a coffee liquid with an appropriate amount of water according to the depth of roast of coffee beans. The purpose is.

[0020]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a grinding control means for operating / stopping a motor for grinding coffee beans and controlling the number of revolutions, and a filtering chamber which is ground and filtered. A heating means for discharging hot water to the coffee beans contained in the heating means to extract a coffee liquid; a heating control means for controlling energization to the heating means; and measuring the motor current at the time of grinding the coffee beans at predetermined time intervals. Current detection means, phase detection means for measuring the peak of the AC waveform by measuring the phase of the commercial AC power supply, and commercial AC power supply measured by the current detection means from the peak of the AC waveform measured by the phase detection means The operation of the motor is stopped by the pulverizing control means when the time up to the maximum value of the current value at every predetermined time during one cycle is within a predetermined time continuously for a predetermined number of times. End detection means, and switching means for starting the extraction of the coffee liquid by the heating means by operating the heating control means after the operation of the motor is stopped by the end detection means. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the current value measured from the top of the AC waveform measured by the phase detecting means at predetermined time intervals during one cycle of the commercial AC power supply by the current detecting means. The phase shift time up to the maximum measured value is measured at two points at the start of the motor operation and after a predetermined time, and when the ratio of the phase shift times is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the operation of the motor is stopped by the pulverization control means. This is a configuration having anti-spin means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the time from the start of the grinding of the coffee beans by the grinding control means to the termination of the grinding of the coffee beans by the end detecting means is measured. In accordance with the time, the heating means is energized by the heating means for a predetermined time, and a coffee bean amount measuring means for extracting the coffee liquid for the predetermined time is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the maximum of one cycle of the commercial AC power supply measured every predetermined time by the current detecting means from the top of the AC waveform measured by the phase detecting means. The phase shift time up to the current value is measured at two points at the start of the motor operation and at the elapse of a predetermined time, and the heating control means controls the energization time of the heating means according to the ratio of the phase shift times at the two points. This is a configuration provided with a quality judgment unit.

[0024]

In the above construction, according to the invention of claim 1,
The time from the peak of the waveform of the AC power supply measured by the phase detection means to the maximum value of the current value for each predetermined time during one cycle of the commercial AC power supply measured by the current detection means, that is, the voltage waveform of the commercial AC power supply When the difference between the phase and the phase of the motor current falls within a predetermined range, the end detection means determines that the motor is idling without load and stops the operation of the motor by the pulverization control means. Thus, the end of the grinding of the coffee beans is detected, and the operation of the motor is stopped.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the difference between the phase of the motor current at the start of the motor operation and the voltage phase of the commercial AC power supply and the shift of the current phase after the operation for a predetermined time are compared by the current detecting means. When the ratio of the phase shift times is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the idling prevention means determines that the motor is idling with no load and a small current, and the operation of the motor is stopped by the crushing control means. As a result, no-load without coffee beans is detected, and the operation of the motor is stopped.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the grinding time of the coffee beans is measured by the grinding control means and the end detecting means,
In accordance with this time, the coffee bean amount measuring means causes the heating means to energize the heating means for a predetermined time by the heating control means. Thus, after a predetermined time determined according to the measured time, the power supply to the heating means is stopped, and the coffee liquid is extracted with the amount of water corresponding to the amount of coffee beans.

According to the present invention, the difference between the voltage phase of the commercial AC power supply measured by the phase detecting means and the current phase at the start of the operation of the motor measured by the current detecting means and the current phase after a predetermined time. The bean quality judging means judges the quality of the coffee beans in accordance with the ratio of the shift time, and controls the heating means by the heating control means. Thereby, the coffee liquid is extracted with the amount of water according to the determined quality of the coffee beans.

[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The same parts as those shown in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 9 denotes a phase detecting means for measuring a peak point of an AC waveform of the commercial AC power supply 1.

Numeral 10 denotes a current detecting means for detecting a current flowing through the motor 4 for a predetermined period of 200 μsec during one cycle of the alternating current.
Each time, the time difference between the time when the maximum value of the current value is measured during one cycle of the commercial AC power supply 1 and the peak point measured by the phase detecting means 9 is measured.

Numeral 11 denotes a crushing control means for controlling the supply of electric current to the motor 4 to start and stop the motor 4. Reference numeral 12 denotes a heating control means for controlling the energization of the heater 7b to heat or stop the water in the water pipe 7a.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing a general relationship between the load applied to the motor and the power factor, and shows that as the load increases, the power factor decreases, that is, the shift between the current phase and the voltage phase increases.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the load applied to the motor 4 is estimated by measuring the phase shift. An end detection unit 13 that controls the pulverization control unit 11 via a switching unit 14 based on a signal from the current detection unit 10 and stops the operation of the motor 4 is provided.

In the above configuration, the end detecting means 13
If the time difference of the phase of the current flowing through the motor 4 measured at regular intervals by the current detecting means 10 falls within a predetermined range, it is determined that the motor 4 is operating stably with no load. When the condition that can be determined to be satisfied is continuously satisfied for a predetermined number of times, the motor 4 determines that the grinding of the coffee beans is completed and that the coffee beans are running idle, and sends a signal to the grinding control means 11 to stop the operation of the motor 4. At this time, the current phase shift time is measured at intervals of about 0.5 seconds, and the number of times that it is determined to be stable is suitably about five times.

FIG. 3 shows the change of the current value in this case. At the start of operation, a large load for starting the motor 4 is applied, and thereafter, until the time point TO, the phase shift of the current is constantly changed due to the load at the time of pulverizing the coffee beans. When the grinding of the coffee beans is completed at the point of time TO, the motor 4 starts idling, so that the current phase is stabilized and approaches the voltage phase. Thereafter, a predetermined number of measurements are performed at time T1, and the end detecting means 12 determines that the grinding of the coffee beans has been ended.

After it is determined that the grinding of the coffee beans has been completed, the power supply to the motor 4 by the grinding control means 11 is stopped via the switching means 14, and the heating control means 12 is subsequently switched on via the switching means 14. In operation, the heater 7a of the heating means 7 is energized to heat the water in the water pipe 7a. The hot water heated in the water pipe 7a is poured into the coffee powder in the filter 5a of the filtration chamber 5 in the same manner as that shown in the conventional example, and is stored in the coffee container 8 as coffee liquid.

Next, the second aspect of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, there is provided an idling detection unit that controls the pulverization control unit 11 based on a signal from the current detection unit 10 to stop the operation of the motor 4.

In the above configuration, the idling detecting means 15 is
The current phase shift time of the motor 4 at the start of operation is compared with the current phase shift time after the motor 4 has been operated for a predetermined time, and when the ratio is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the load at the time of grinding coffee beans is applied to the motor 4. It is determined that the motor 4 is not running and the motor 4 is idling with a small current, and the grinding control means 11
To stop the operation of the motor 4.

FIG. 4 shows a case where coffee beans are ground,
It shows the difference in the change in current when there is no coffee beans and the wheel is idle. First, the current phase shift at the start of rotation of the motor 4 is measured at time 0, and then compared with the result measured at time T2. That is, the current phase shift θ0 measured at the time 0 point is a load when the operation of the motor 4 is started, and is independent of the amount of coffee beans to be ground.
These are certain characteristics of individual motors. The current phase shift θ1 after T2 when coffee beans are present has a small change with respect to the current phase shift θ0, but the current phase shift θ2 when idling is large. The end detecting means 13 determines whether the coffee beans are crushed or idle due to the difference in the magnitude of the change. After it is determined that the motor is idling, the operation of the motor 4 is stopped by the crushing control means 11.

Next, the third aspect of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a coffee bean amount measuring unit 16 is provided which measures the amount of coffee beans based on a signal from the end detecting unit 13 and forcibly closes the check valve 7c. The coffee bean amount measuring means 16 measures the time from the commencement of the grinding of the coffee beans by the grinding control means 11 to the detection of the completion of the grinding of the coffee beans by the end detecting means 12, and according to the time required for the grinding, the heating control means 12 The heater 7a of the heating means 7 is energized for a predetermined time. Then, after energizing for a predetermined time, the check valve 7c of the heating means 7 is forcibly closed, the supply of water from the water container 6 to the water pipe 7a is stopped, and the extraction of the coffee liquid is stopped.

FIG. 5 shows the difference in the change in the current of the motor 4 when three cups of coffee and two cups of coffee beans are ground. In the case of two cups of coffee beans, the grinding of the coffee beans is ended after the time T3 from the start of rotation of the motor 4, and the motor 4 starts to idle. In the case of 3 cups of coffee beans, time T longer than time T3
After 4 days, the grinding of the beans has been completed. The coffee bean amount measuring means 16 determines the time difference and closes the check valve 7c after a predetermined time from the start of energization of the heater 7a so that the coffee liquid is extracted with a water amount corresponding to the amount of each coffee bean, Thus, the supply of water from the water container 6 to the water pipe 7a is stopped.

Next, the invention of claim 4 will be described.
A bean quality determining unit 17 that determines the depth of roast of coffee beans based on a signal from the end detecting unit 13 is provided.

In the above configuration, the bean quality determining means 17
The current phase shift measured by the current detection means 10 at the start of the operation of the motor 4 is compared with the current phase shift after a predetermined time has elapsed. In this comparison, the load on the motor 4 during the grinding of the coffee beans changes depending on the hardness of the coffee beans, and the phase of the current flowing through the motor 4 changes accordingly. The hardness of the coffee beans is determined according to the ratio of the change, and the heating control means 12 controls the heating means 7 according to the hardness.
To increase or decrease the energizing time.

That is, since the coffee beans which are roasted shallowly are hard, a large load is applied to the motor 4 at the time of pulverization, the current phase is largely shifted, and the pulverization time is long. On the other hand, since the roasted coffee beans for ice coffee and the like are soft, the motor 4 is not applied with too much load at the time of pulverization, and the current phase shift is small. Is short. If it is determined that the coffee beans are hard based on the shift time, the amount of extracted water is smaller than that of the coffee beans having the standard hardness when ground at the same time.If the coffee beans are determined to be soft, the coffee having the standard hardness is determined. The energization of the heater 7b is increased or decreased so that the amount of extracted water is larger than that obtained by crushing beans at the same time.

FIG. 6 shows the change of the current at this time. At time T5, a current phase shift of θ3 occurs when grinding hard coffee beans, and a current phase shift of θ4 occurs when grinding soft coffee beans. By comparing this current value with the current phase shift θ0 when the operation of the motor 4 is started, the bean quality determining means 17 determines the hardness of the beans. And even if the grinding is completed at the same time T6, there are only two cups of hard coffee beans and three coffee beans are soft.
It is determined that the cup is pulverized, and the energization of the heater 7b is increased or decreased based on the determination result.

[0047]

As is clear from the above description, in the first aspect of the present invention, the phase detection means, the current detection means, and the end detection means are provided, so that the boundary recognition threshold at the end of the grinding of the coffee beans is clarified. And the operation of the motor can be stopped accurately.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by providing the idling detecting means, even when trying to boil the coffee without preparing the coffee beans, the absence of the coffee beans is immediately detected, and the motor is stopped. The coffee machine can be boiled without failing by disabling the coffee machine.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by providing the coffee bean amount measuring means, the coffee liquid can be extracted with an appropriate amount of water suitable for the amount of coffee beans without paying attention to the amount of coffee beans and the amount of water. , It can improve usability.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the bean quality determining means is provided, the coffee liquid can be extracted with an appropriate amount of water suitable for the quality of the coffee beans without paying attention to the depth of the roasted coffee beans and the amount of water. Can be used, and the usability can be improved.

It is needless to say that the respective embodiments described above can be used alone or in combination with each other to obtain the respective effects or the combined effects.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a coffee brewer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram of a load and a power factor applied to a motor.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart of the operation of the invention of claim 1;

FIG. 4 is a timing chart of the operation of the invention of claim 2;

FIG. 5 is a timing chart of the operation of the invention according to claim 3;

FIG. 6 is a timing chart of the operation of the invention according to claim 4;

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a coffee brewer of a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of the operation of the coffee machine.

FIG. 9 is a timing chart of the operation of the coffee machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 commercial AC power supply 2 beans container 4 motor 7 heating means 7 c check valve 9 phase detection means 10 current detection means 11 crushing control means 12 heating control means 13 end detection means 14 switching means 15 idling detection means 16 beans amount measurement means 17 beans Quality judgment means

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] The present invention relates to a method for controlling the number of revolutions of a motor for starting and stopping a motor for crushing coffee beans, a method for controlling the number of rotations of the motor, and a method for discharging hot water to coffee beans crushed and stored in a filtration chamber. Heating means for extracting the liquid, heating control means for controlling energization of the heating means, current detection means for measuring the motor current at predetermined time intervals during coffee bean crushing, and measuring the phase of a commercial AC power supply. Phase detecting means for measuring the peak of the AC waveform by measuring the peak of the AC waveform measured by the phase detecting means. When the time to the value is within a predetermined time continuously for a predetermined number of times, an end detection unit for stopping the operation of the motor by the pulverization control unit, and the end detection unit After stopping the operation of Ta, coffee machine, characterized in that a switching means for starting the extraction of coffee liquid by said heating means to operate the said heating control means. 2. The motor according to claim 1, wherein the phase shift time from the top of the AC waveform measured by the phase detecting means to the maximum measured value of the current value measured at predetermined time intervals during one cycle of the commercial AC power supply by the current detecting means is determined. 2 at the start of operation and after a predetermined time
2. A coffee brewing machine according to claim 1, further comprising: an anti-spin device for stopping the operation of said motor by a crushing control device when the ratio of the phase shift times is measured at a point and the ratio is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. 3. A time period from the commencement of grinding of coffee beans by the grinding control means to the termination of grinding of coffee beans by the end detection means is measured, and the heating means is controlled by the heating control means in accordance with the measured time. 2. A coffee brewing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a coffee bean amount measuring means for energizing a predetermined time and extracting the coffee liquid for the predetermined time. 4. The operation of the motor is started by determining the phase shift time from the top of the AC waveform measured by the phase detecting means to the maximum current value within one cycle of the commercial AC power supply measured every predetermined time by the current detecting means. And a bean quality determining means for measuring at two points after the time and a predetermined time has elapsed, and controlling the energizing time of the heating means to be increased or decreased by the heating control means in accordance with the ratio of the phase shift times of the two points. A coffee brewer according to claim 3.