JP3090620B2 - Small powder discharge device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for quantitatively discharging powder of a powdered beverage, and more particularly to a small and portable small-sized powder discharging apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when making an actual beverage from an instant powdered beverage such as coffee, tea, juice, etc., a person opens a lid of a container for storing powdered beverages such as bottles and cans, and uses a spoon or the like. A predetermined amount of powdered beverage is taken out of the storage container, put in a cup, and then poured with hot water or water to make a beverage.

[0003] In addition, a cup-type beverage vending machine has an automatic device for discharging beverage powder inside the vending machine, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-7996, for example. In accordance with the above, once the powder such as coffee or juice is quantitatively discharged into the internal container of the device, and then hot water or water is poured into the internal container to form a liquid of coffee or juice, and the liquid is discharged into the cup. Was.

[0004]

However, when a person takes out the powdered beverage from the storage container for the powdered beverage, it is necessary to open and close the lid of the storage container, and the user must take out the powdered beverage from the storage container with a spoon or the like. In addition, it was difficult to correctly take out the amount of the powdered beverage. In addition, the lid of the storage container is often left open, so that the powdered beverage hardens due to moisture and pests and dust may enter the powdered beverage. Furthermore, in the case of a vending machine, although it has an automatic discharge device for powdered beverage inside, it can only be poured as a liquid into a cup, and furthermore, the vending machine is large and difficult to move Yes, it could not be moved to a conference room only when used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized powder discharging device which is small and portable, and which can easily discharge a fixed amount of powdered beverage without getting wet.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a small-sized powder discharging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
A portable outer casing, and the outer casing
A front cover formed on a front surface of the outer casing;
Inside and removable from the outer casing
Powder storage container, and the powder storage container
Screw that can be attached to and detached from the powder storage container
A conveyor, provided in the outer casing and
A driving means provided with an output engaging portion on the shaft.
The output engagement portion is provided at one end of the screw conveyor shaft.
An input engaging portion for engaging, and the front cover is removed.
By moving the powder container forward.
The output engaging portion and the input engaging portion are separated from each other,
Characterized by disengaging the end storage container from the outside casings grayed
And

[0007] In compact powder ejection apparatus having the structure described in 請 Motomeko 1, it can carry small powder discharging device itself,
Powder such as a powdered beverage is stored in a powder container provided in the outer casing, and the control means controls the powder discharging means to discharge an appropriate amount of powder.

In the small-sized powder discharging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention , since the powder container is detachable from the outer casing, the powder container is taken out of the outer casing as needed to perform cleaning and drying. I can do it.

Furthermore, a small powder ejection apparatus of the invention described in claim 1, by a screw conveyor which is provided as the powder discharge means, reliably discharge the powder is made, and the screw conveyor is the powder container Since it is detachable from the container, it is taken out of the powder container as needed, and is washed and dried. In addition, it is easy to replace the screw conveyor with a different pitch .

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION hereinafter, the compact powder discharging device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1, a main body case 3 is placed on a base 2, and an upper lid 4 is provided on the upper part of the main body case 3 so as to be openable and closable. A cover 5 is provided so as to be openable and closable. On the upper surface of the front cover 5, a push switch 6, a light emitting diode 7 and an upper cover lock button 8 are provided. On the side surface of the front cover 5, a front cover lock 9 for fixing the front cover 5 to the main body case 3 is provided. Are provided as left and right pairs. The pedestal 2
Is provided with a cup placing portion 2a for placing a cup or a cup.

Next, the internal structure of the small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown by a dashed line in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, an upper lid 4 is provided on the upper part of the main body case 3 so as to be openable and closable by a shaft part 10, and a lower part of the upper lid 4 is a powder container 11 for storing a powdered beverage. Is detachably provided. The powder storage container 11 is formed of a polyacetal resin, and is antistatic. In addition, a desiccant container 39 is provided on the bottom surface of the upper lid 4, and the upper lid 4 is formed so as to seal the upper opening of the powder container 11. In addition, a packing made of a silicon chip is inserted between the upper lid 4 and the powder container 11 to increase the degree of sealing.

Further, a pedestal 2 is provided at a lower portion of the main body case 3.
Is provided. The control circuit board 12 includes a stepping motor 13 described later.
To rotate the screw conveyor 14 in the powder container 11 by a predetermined amount. The control circuit board 12 is provided with a timer circuit and a pulse generator circuit (not shown). When the user presses the push switch 6, the pulse generator is activated for a preset time in the timer circuit. A pulse is continuously sent to the stepping motor 13 to rotate the stepping motor 13.

Next, an inner frame 15 is provided at a right end portion (in FIG. 2) of the main body case 3, and a power supply unit 16 is provided in the inner frame 15. The power supply unit 16 is composed of a switching regulator, rectifies an AC power supply to generate a low-voltage DC, and supplies a current to an electric circuit such as the control circuit board 12. In addition, the power supply unit 16 does not necessarily need to be configured from a rectifier circuit, and may be configured to supply power from a dry battery or a rechargeable battery as a battery box. When a battery box is used, it can be used even where there is no AC power supply, and portability is further improved.

Further, an inverted L is provided at the center of the main body case 3.
A letter-shaped inner wall 17 is provided. A motor support plate 18 for holding the stepping motor 13 extends on a side surface 17 a of the inner wall 17. A drive shaft 19 for rotating the screw conveyor 14 is rotatably provided on the motor support plate 18. A driven gear 20 is fixed to the drive shaft 19.
The stepping motor 13 meshes with a driving gear 22 fixed to a motor shaft 21. The drive shaft 19
A drive pin 23 is provided at the left end (on the powder storage container 11 side) of the drive shaft 19 so as to project perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction 2 of the drive shaft 19.

Next, the front cover 5 of the small powder discharging apparatus 1
The structure inside will be described. In the front cover 5, a discharge port 24 for discharging the powder of the powdered beverage from the powder storage container 11 is provided.
A discharge port cover 25 that can be opened and closed is pivotally supported at its upper part by a support shaft 26. Further, an inner wall 27 is provided in the front cover 5, and the inner wall 27 is provided.
Actuator 28 for opening and closing the discharge port lid 25
Is fixed, and the plunger 29 of the actuator 28 is fixed.
Is in contact with the upper portion of the discharge port lid 25 through a through hole 30 provided in the inner wall 27. Here, a felt washer is mounted around the plunger 29 of the actuator 28 to prevent intrusion of powder.

A push switch 6 is fixed on the upper part of the front cover 5, and a light-emitting diode 7 for indicating an energized state is provided near the right side of the push switch 6 (in FIG. 2). An upper cover lock button 8 for locking the upper cover 4 is provided on the upper part of the upper cover. The upper cover lock button 8 is urged toward the upper cover 4 by a spring 31. This top cover lock button 8 is
By moving in one direction, the lock of the upper lid 4 is released. The front cover 5 is supported by the main body frame 3 to be openable and closable by an arm 37 shown in FIG. 7B and an arm support shaft (not shown).

Next, the powder container 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. The powder container 11 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the powder storage container 11 is formed in a so-called popper shape, and has a shape narrowing toward a screw conveyor 14 provided at a lower end portion of the powder storage container 11. The powder storage container 11 is detachable from the main body case 3, the upper part thereof is open, and a powder discharge port 24 is formed at the lower left end in FIG. As described above, the discharge port lid 25 is pivotally supported by the support shaft 26, and the support shaft 26 is provided with the spring 32 that urges the discharge port cover 25 in the direction in which it is normally closed. As an example of the volume of the powder container 11, a volume of 300 cm3
It can be. With such a volume, the entire device does not become too large and has sufficient generality. As an example of a powdered beverage, when sencha powder is used, 1 cm3 of sencha powder is about 0.27 g, and if the amount of one use is 0.8 g, the powder storage container 1
One can store about 100 times. Therefore,
This compact powder ejection device can store powdered beverages sufficiently, and
It has sufficient generality.

The screw conveyor 14 provided at the lower part of the powder container 11 has a screw shaft 14a threaded at a constant pitch and a screw shaft 1a.
The fitting shaft 33 is fixed to the right end of 4a and includes a bearing 34 for rotatably supporting the fitting shaft 33. The material is a polyacetal resin and antistatic. Further, the fitting shaft 33 is connected to the drive pin 23 of the drive shaft 19 shown in FIG.
And have alternately formed peaks 33a. A screw thread 35 is formed on the outer periphery of the bearing 34 and is detachably screwed into a screwing portion 36 formed on the lower right end of the powder container 11. FIG. 4 shows a state where the screw conveyor 14 has been removed from the powder container 11.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a discharge port lid 25 provided at the discharge port 24 of the powder container 11. A pair of left and right side walls 25 a is provided on the side surface of the discharge port lid 25, and is formed so as to completely cover the discharge port 24.
As shown in FIG. 6, when the discharge port cover 25 is opened, the discharge port 24 is opened, and a predetermined amount of the powdered beverage conveyed by the screw conveyor 14 is discharged. In addition, the discharge port lid 2
The material of No. 5 is also a polyacetal resin, and antistatic is achieved.

Next, the small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment
Will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the attachment and detachment of the powder container 11 from the main body case 3 will be described. First, the user moves the upper lid lock button 8 shown in FIG. 1 to the push switch 6 side to unlock the upper lid 4 and opens the upper lid 4 as shown in FIG. 7A. Next, the front cover lock 9 is pressed to release the lock of the front cover 5, and the front cover 5 is tilted forward as shown in FIG. 7B. Here, the front cover 5 is rotatably supported by the body case 3 by the arm 37. Thereafter, the powder storage container 11 can be removed by pulling the powder storage container 11 forward (to the left in FIG. 7B) from the main body frame 3. The attachment of the powder container 11 can be performed by the reverse operation.

Next, the attachment and detachment of the screw conveyor 14 from the powder container 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the user grips the main body of the powder container 11 and turns the bearing 34 in a counterclockwise direction so that the screwed portion 3
The screw thread 35 comes off from 6. Then, by pulling out the screw conveyor 14 from the powder storage container 11,
As shown in FIG. 4, the powder container 11 and the screw conveyor 14 can be separated.

Therefore, when changing the type of powdered beverage or the like, the powder container 11 and the screw conveyor 14 can be separated and washed as described above. Thereafter, the powdered beverage is filled in the powder container 11 by assembling in the reverse operation, the upper lid 4 is closed, and the upper lid lock button 8 locks the upper lid 4.

Next, a method of using the small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the powder of the powdered beverage has already been filled in the powder container 11. As the powdered beverage, any powdered beverage such as coffee, black tea, sencha, oolong tea, barley tea, juice and the like can be used.

First, the user places the cup on the cup rest 2a.
Place on. Thereafter, when the push switch 6 is pressed, the control circuit board 12 causes a current to flow through a solenoid inside the actuator 28, and the plunger 29 is protruded downward. Then, the plunger 29 pushes down the upper end portion 25a of the discharge port lid 25 and overcomes the urging force of the spring 32, so that the discharge port lid 25 is opened and the discharge port 24 is opened as shown in FIG.

The control circuit board 12 continuously outputs a drive pulse to the step motor 13 for a time set in a timer circuit (not shown) provided on the board. The motor shaft 21 of the pulse motor 13 rotates for a predetermined time, the driving gear 22 fixed to the motor shaft 21 rotates, and the driven gear 20 meshing with the driving gear 22 rotates, thereby Drive shaft 1 to which gear 20 is fixed
9 is also rotated. Then, the fitting shaft 33 fitted to the drive pin 23 of the drive shaft 19 is rotated, and the screw shaft 14 a to which the fitting shaft 33 is fixed is rotated and stored in the bottom of the powder container 11. The powdered beverage is discharged from the discharge port 24. As an example of this operation, the screw shaft 1
The rotation speed of 4a is 100 rpm, and the rotation time is 2 seconds.

Thereafter, when the timer circuit times out, the control circuit board 12 stops outputting pulses to the stepping motor 13, the stepping motor 13 stops, the rotation of the screw shaft 14a also stops, and the light emission occurs. The diode 7 is also turned off. At this time, the application of current to the solenoid of the actuator 28 also stops, the plunger 29 is moved upward by the return spring 38, and the discharge port lid 25 is biased by the spring 32 to close the state shown in FIG. Return to Therefore, the discharge port 24 is closed by the discharge port lid 25, and the invasion of moisture, pests, dust and the like is prevented.

Thereafter, the user removes the cup from the cup placing portion 2a and injects hot or cold water to dissolve the powdered beverage.

In the small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the main body case 3 is configured to have a portable size, so that it can be easily moved and used in a conference room or the like. Can be. In addition, since the powder container 11 is detachable, it can be easily taken out of the main body and washed. Further, since the screw conveyor 14 is detachable from the powder storage container 11, when changing the type of the powdered beverage or the like, the screw conveyor 14 can be easily removed and washed. Further, by changing the screw conveyor 14 to one having a different screw pitch or changing the shaft diameter, it is possible to change the discharge amount of the powdered beverage without changing other control circuits and the like. The powder container 1
1. Since the screw conveyor 14 and the discharge port lid 25 are formed of a polyacetal resin, charging due to static electricity can be prevented, and the powder of the powdered beverage can be prevented from being charged and solidified.

Further, since the discharge port 24 for the powdered beverage is provided with a discharge port cover 25 which is automatically opened and closed, it is possible to prevent moisture, pests and dust from entering. Furthermore, since the desiccant case 39 is provided inside the upper lid 4, it is possible to prevent the powdered beverage from getting wet, and the upper lid 4 can close the upper opening of the powder storage container 11, so that moisture, pests and the like can be prevented. Intrusion of dust can also be prevented.

Further, the powdered beverage can be discharged into the cup only by pressing the push switch 6, so that an appropriate amount of the powdered beverage is discharged. It becomes unnecessary.

Further, if the power supply unit 16 of the small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1 of the above embodiment is a battery box, it can be used even in a place without an AC power supply. Power supply unit 1
6 may be constituted by a unit of a rechargeable secondary battery such as a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydride battery or a lithium ion battery.

Further, in the small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the discharge amount of the powdered beverage is adjusted by the timer circuit, but the stepping motor rotates only while the push switch 6 is pressed. Alternatively, the discharge amount of the powdered beverage may be adjusted. As a simpler circuit, the push switch 6 may be used to directly turn on and off the flow of current to the DC motor.

Further, a variable resistor having a knob protruding is provided on the main body case 3 or the front cover 5 of the small-sized powder discharging apparatus 1 so that the setting of the rotation time of the stepping motor 13 can be freely changed. You may. With this configuration, the discharge amount can be arbitrarily changed according to the type of powdered beverage and the preference of the user.

Although the stepping motor 13 is used in the small powder discharging apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the motor is not limited to the stepping motor, and a simple DC motor or the like may be used. Furthermore, stepping motor 1
The connection between the third motor shaft 21 and the drive shaft 19 for driving the screw conveyor 14 uses a gear mechanism in the above embodiment, but the drive may be transmitted by a pulley and a belt. Further, instead of the screw conveyor 14, the powder discharging means may be constituted by another method such as ultrasonic vibration or distortion deformation of the piezoelectric element.

[0039]

As described above, in the small-sized powder discharging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention having the above-described structure, the apparatus itself is portable and can be easily moved, and is used for preparing a powdered beverage. It is not necessary to open and close the lid of the container or take out the powdered beverage with a spoon or the like, and it is easy to take out the powdered beverage.

In the compact powder discharging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the powder container is detachable from the outer casing, the powder container is taken out of the outer casing as needed to facilitate washing and drying. Can be done.

Furthermore, in the compact powder discharging apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the screw conveyor is provided as the powder discharging means, the powder can be discharged easily and reliably, and the screw conveyor can be detached from the powder container. Therefore, it can be taken out of the powder container as needed, and can be easily washed and dried. In addition, since it is easy to replace the screw conveyor with a different pitch, the discharge amount of the powdered beverage can be changed only by replacing the screw conveyor .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a small-sized powder discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along a dashed line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a powder container used in the small-sized powder discharging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a screw conveyor is removed from a powder storage container used in the small-sized powder discharging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a discharge port cover used in the small-sized powder discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a discharge port cover of a discharge port of a powder container used in the small-sized powder discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention is opened.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing attachment and detachment of a powder storage container of the small-sized powder discharging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Body case 11 ... Powder storage container 12 ... Control circuit board 13 ... Stepping motor 14 ... Screw conveyor 24 ... Discharge port 25 ... Discharge port lid 28 ... Actuator 29 ... Plunger 33 ... Fitting shaft

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-99539 (JP, A) JP-A-4-300510 (JP, A) Jpn. Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47F 1/02-1/035 A47J 31/00-31/40

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A and portable outer casing, a front cover formed on the front surface of the outer casing, provided in the outer casing Rutotomoni said external Ke
Powder container is detachable from the pacing, Rutotomoni said powder housing containers provided in the powder container
A screw conveyor that can be attached to and detached from the container, and provided in the outer casing and output to the shaft
A driving means having an engaging portion, wherein one end of a shaft of the screw conveyor is
An input engaging portion for engaging with the mating portion, wherein the front cover is removed and the powder container is moved forward.
The output engagement portion and the input engagement
To separate the powder container from the external casing.
A powder discharge device characterized in that the powder discharge device is separated from the powder.