JP7052983B2 - Crushing equipment and beverage manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage manufacturing technique.

Beverage manufacturing devices for manufacturing coffee beverages and the like have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 05-081544 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-024703 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-66697

However, there is room for improvement in the conventional beverage manufacturing apparatus in terms of maintainability of the mechanism for grinding the extraction target (for example, roasted coffee beans).

An object of the present invention is to improve the maintainability of a mechanism for grinding an extraction target.

According to the present invention
A crushing device that grinds an extraction target (for example, roasted coffee beans).
The main body with a cutter and
A motor base with a motor for driving the cutter, and
The motor base comprises a first gear that is rotatable about a vertical axis.
The main body is rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction and includes a second gear that meshes with the first gear.
The driving force of the motor is transmitted to the cutter via the first gear and the second gear.
The main body can be removed from the crushing device while leaving the motor base in the crushing device.
The main body can be attached to and detached from the motor base in the vertical direction.
When the main body portion is attached to the motor base in the vertical direction, the second gear is located at a position where the second gear meshes with the first gear from a position separated in the vertical direction from the first gear.
The main body can be attached by moving horizontally with respect to the motor base and then moving vertically.
The main body can be removed by moving vertically with respect to the motor base and then moving horizontally.
A crushing device characterized by the above is provided.

According to the present invention, the maintainability of the mechanism for grinding the extraction target can be improved.

The schematic diagram of the beverage manufacturing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the control device of the beverage manufacturing apparatus of FIG. Perspective view of the bean processing device. Vertical cross-sectional view of the crusher. Partially broken perspective view of the separator. Vertical sectional view of the forming unit. FIG. 6 is a perspective view and a partially enlarged view of the forming unit of FIG. Comparative explanatory view of the cross-sectional area. Explanatory drawing of another example. Perspective view of the drive unit and the extraction container. The figure which shows the closed state and the open state of the extraction container of FIG. The exploded perspective view of the extraction container of FIG. The front view which shows the structure of a part of the upper unit and the lower unit. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. The figure which shows the open state of a lid unit. The figure which shows the opening and closing mode of the upper and lower plug members. Schematic diagram of the central unit. The figure which shows the operation example of the central part unit. The figure which shows the operation example of the central part unit. The flowchart which shows the control example which the control device of FIG. 2 executes. The flowchart which shows the control example which the control device of FIG. 2 executes. The flowchart which shows the control example which the control device of FIG. 2 executes. The figure which shows the change of hot water and ground beans by the attitude change of the extraction container. Schematic diagram showing another example of the central unit. The flowchart which shows the control example which the control device of FIG. 2 executes. The flowchart which shows the control example which the control device of FIG. 2 executes. The perspective view which shows the other configuration example of the bean processing apparatus 2 and the extraction apparatus 3. Sectional view of the suction unit. Partial perspective view of the horizontal movement mechanism. Partial perspective view of the arm member. An exploded perspective view of the canister. Sectional drawing of the cylinder part of a canister. Operational illustration of canister components. Vertical cross-sectional view around the canister in the mounted state. A perspective view of the periphery of another canister in the mounted state. The figure which looked at the area around the canister of another example in the mounted state from above. The figure which looked at the area around the canister of another example in the mounted state from the bottom. Vertical cross-sectional view around another canister in the mounted state. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. An operation explanatory diagram of a component of another canister. The figure which shows another example of a collective transport path and the like. The figure which shows another example of a collective transport path and the like. The figure which shows another example of a collective transport path and the like. The figure which shows another example of a collective transport path and the like. The figure which shows another example of a collective transport path and the like. The figure which shows another example of a collective transport path and the like. The figure which shows another example of a collective transport path and the like. The figure which shows the structural example of a housing. The operation explanatory view of the housing of FIG. 55. The figure which shows another configuration example of a housing. FIG. 57 is an operation explanatory view of the housing. The figure which shows the example of the canister and the storage bag with a tag. Schematic diagram of the stocker. The figure which shows the display example of a stocker. External view of grinding machine. The explanatory view of the attachment / detachment mode of the grinder of FIG. 62. The explanatory view of the engaging part of the grinding machine of FIG. 62. It is explanatory drawing of the modification of the engagement part of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the other example of the extraction container. The explanatory view of the guide function of the extraction container of the example of FIG. 67. Schematic diagram of the liquid feed amount adjusting device. FIG. 68 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV and a sectional view of another example. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of the liquid feed amount adjusting device of FIG. Schematic and cross-sectional views of another example liquid feed volume adjusting device. Schematic and cross-sectional views of another example liquid feed volume adjusting device. The cross-sectional view of the wall structure of another example and the figure which shows the example of a seal. (A) is a perspective view of another example switching unit, and (B) is a perspective view of a decompression unit. (A) is a plan view of the decompression unit of FIG. 72 (B), (B) is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 73 (A), and (C) is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 73 (A). (A) and (B) are perspective views of the lower case. Top view of another lower case. (A) is a plan view of another example lower case, and (B) is a cross-sectional view of another example decompression section along the line VII-VII of FIG. 78 (A).

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
<1. Overview of beverage manufacturing equipment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device 11 of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1. The beverage production device 1 is an device that automatically produces a coffee beverage from roasted coffee beans and a liquid (here, water), and can produce a cup of coffee beverage per production operation. The beverage manufacturing device 1 includes a bean processing device 2, an extraction device 3, and a control device 11.

The control device 11 controls the entire beverage manufacturing device 1. The control device 11 includes a processing unit 11a, a storage unit 11b, and an I / F (interface) unit 11c. The processing unit 11a is a processor such as a CPU. The storage unit 11b is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The I / F unit 11c inputs / outputs signals between the external device and the processing unit 11a.

The processing unit 11a executes the program stored in the storage unit 11b, and controls the actuator group 14 based on the instruction from the operation unit 12 or the detection result of the sensor group 13. The operation unit 12 is a unit that receives a user's instruction input, and is, for example, a touch panel or a mechanical switch. The user can instruct the production of coffee beverages via the operation unit 12. The sensor group 13 is various sensors provided in the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 (for example, a hot water temperature sensor, a mechanism operating position detection sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.). The actuator group 14 is various actuators (for example, a motor, a solenoid valve, a heater, etc.) provided in the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1.

The bean processing device 2 produces ground beans from roasted coffee beans. The extraction device 3 extracts coffee liquid from the ground beans supplied from the bean processing device 2. The extraction device 3 includes a fluid supply unit 7, a drive unit 8, which will be described later, an extraction container 9, and a switching unit 10. The ground beans supplied from the bean processing device 2 are put into the extraction container 9. The fluid supply unit 7 puts hot water into the extraction container 9. Coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans in the extraction container 9. Hot water containing the extracted coffee liquid is sent to the cup C as a coffee beverage via the switching unit 10.

<2. Fluid supply unit and switching unit>
The configuration of the fluid supply unit 7 and the switching unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the fluid supply unit 7 will be described. The fluid supply unit 7 supplies hot water to the extraction container 9, controls the air pressure in the extraction container 9, and the like. In this document, when the atmospheric pressure is illustrated numerically, it means an absolute pressure unless otherwise specified, and the gauge pressure is an atmospheric pressure with the atmospheric pressure as 0 atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure refers to the atmospheric pressure around the extraction container 9 or the atmospheric pressure of the beverage production equipment. For example, when the beverage production equipment is installed at a point 0 m above sea level, the International Civil Aviation Organization (= "International Civil"). It is the standard atmospheric pressure (1013.25 hPa) at 0 m above sea level of the International Standard Atmosphere (= "International Standard Atmosphere" [[abbreviation] ISA]) established by the Aviation Organization [[abbreviation] ICAO]) in 1976.

The fluid supply unit 7 includes pipes L1 to L3. The pipe L1 is a pipe through which air flows, and the pipe L2 is a pipe through which water flows. The pipe L3 is a pipe capable of circulating both air and water.

The fluid supply unit 7 includes a compressor 70 as a pressurizing source. The compressor 70 compresses the atmosphere and sends it out. The compressor 70 is driven, for example, by using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. The compressed air delivered from the compressor 70 is supplied to the reserve tank (accumulator) 71 via the check valve 71a. The atmospheric pressure in the reserve tank 71 is monitored by the pressure sensor 71b, and the compressor 70 is driven so as to be maintained at a predetermined atmospheric pressure (7 atmospheric pressure (6 atmospheric pressure in gauge pressure) in this embodiment). The reserve tank 71 is provided with a drain 71c for drainage, so that water generated by compression of air can be drained.

Hot water (water) constituting the coffee beverage is stored in the water tank 72. The water tank 72 is provided with a heater 72a for heating the water in the water tank 72 and a temperature sensor 72b for measuring the temperature of the water. The heater 72a maintains the temperature of the accumulated hot water at a predetermined temperature (120 degrees Celsius in this embodiment) based on the detection result of the temperature sensor 72b. For example, the heater 72a is turned on when the temperature of hot water is 118 degrees Celsius and turned off at 120 degrees Celsius.

The water tank 72 is also provided with a water level sensor 72c. The water level sensor 72c detects the water level of hot water in the water tank 72. When the water level sensor 72c detects that the water level is lower than the predetermined water level, water is supplied to the water tank 72. In the case of this embodiment, tap water is supplied through a water purifier (not shown). A solenoid valve 72d is provided in the middle of the pipe L2 from the water purifier. When the water level sensor 72c detects a drop in the water level, the solenoid valve 72d is opened to supply water, and when the water level reaches a predetermined level, the solenoid valve 72d is electromagnetically provided. The valve 72d is closed and the water supply is cut off. In this way, the hot water in the water tank 72 is maintained at a constant water level. The water supply to the water tank 72 may be performed each time the hot water used for producing the coffee beverage is discharged.

The water tank 72 is also provided with a pressure sensor 72 g. The pressure sensor 72g detects the air pressure in the water tank 72. The air pressure in the reserve tank 71 is supplied to the water tank 72 via the pressure regulating valve 72e and the solenoid valve 72f. The pressure regulating valve 72e reduces the atmospheric pressure supplied from the reserve tank 71 to a predetermined atmospheric pressure. In the case of this embodiment, the pressure is reduced to 3 atm (2 atm in gauge pressure). The solenoid valve 72f switches between supplying and shutting off the air pressure regulated by the pressure regulating valve 72e to the water tank 72. The solenoid valve 72f is controlled to open and close so that the atmospheric pressure in the water tank 72 is maintained at 3 atm except when tap water is supplied to the water tank 72. When tap water is supplied to the water tank 72, the pressure inside the water tank 72 is set to be lower than the water pressure of the tap water by the electromagnetic valve 72h so that the tap water is smoothly replenished to the water tank 72 by the water pressure of the tap water. Reduce the pressure to (for example, less than 2.5 atm). The solenoid valve 72h switches whether or not the inside of the water tank 72 is released to the atmosphere, and when the pressure is reduced, the inside of the water tank 72 is released to the atmosphere. Further, the solenoid valve 72h releases the inside of the water tank 72 to the atmosphere when the pressure in the water tank 72 exceeds 3 atm except when the tap water is supplied to the water tank 72, and the inside of the water tank 72 becomes 3 atm. maintain.

The hot water in the water tank 72 is supplied to the extraction container 9 via the check valve 72j, the solenoid valve 72i, and the pipe L3. By opening the solenoid valve 72i, hot water is supplied to the extraction container 9, and by closing it, the supply of hot water is cut off. The amount of hot water supplied to the extraction container 9 can be controlled by the opening time of the solenoid valve 72i. However, the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 72i may be controlled by measuring the supply amount. A temperature sensor 73e for measuring the temperature of hot water is provided in the pipe L3, and the temperature of hot water supplied to the extraction container 9 is monitored.

The air pressure in the reserve tank 71 is also supplied to the extraction container 9 via the pressure regulating valve 73a and the solenoid valve 73b. The pressure regulating valve 73a reduces the atmospheric pressure supplied from the reserve tank 71 to a predetermined atmospheric pressure. In the case of this embodiment, the pressure is reduced to 5 atm (4 atm in gauge pressure). The solenoid valve 73b switches between supplying and shutting off the air pressure regulated by the pressure regulating valve 73a to the extraction container 9. The air pressure in the extraction container 9 is detected by the pressure sensor 73d. When pressurizing the inside of the extraction container 9, the solenoid valve 73b is opened based on the detection result of the pressure sensor 73d, and the inside of the extraction container 9 is at a predetermined pressure (in the case of this embodiment, a maximum of 5 atm (4 atm in gauge pressure). )) Pressurize. The air pressure in the extraction container 9 can be reduced by the solenoid valve 73c. The solenoid valve 73c switches whether or not to release the inside of the extraction container 9 to the atmosphere, and releases the inside of the extraction container 9 to the atmosphere when the pressure is abnormal (for example, when the inside of the extraction container 9 exceeds 5 atm).

After the production of one coffee beverage is completed, in the case of the present embodiment, the inside of the extraction container 9 is washed with tap water. The solenoid valve 73f is opened at the time of cleaning to supply tap water to the extraction container 9.

Next, the switching unit 10 will be described. The switching unit 10 is a unit that switches the delivery destination of the liquid delivered from the extraction container 9 to either the pouring unit 10c or the waste tank T. The switching unit 10 includes a switching valve 10a and a motor 10b for driving the switching valve 10a. The switching valve 10a switches the flow path to the pouring portion 10c when the coffee beverage in the extraction container 9 is delivered. The coffee beverage is poured from the pouring portion 10c into the cup C. When discharging the waste liquid (tap water) and the residue (ground beans) at the time of washing, the flow path is switched to the waste tank T. The switching valve 10a is a 3-port ball valve in the case of this embodiment. Since the residue passes through the switching valve 10a during cleaning, a ball valve is suitable for the switching valve 10a, and the motor 10b switches the flow path by rotating its rotating shaft.

<3. Bean processing equipment>
The bean processing apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bean processing device 2. The bean processing device 2 includes a storage device 4 and a crushing device 5.

<3-1. Storage device>
The storage device 4 includes a plurality of canisters 40 in which the roasted coffee beans are stored. In the case of this embodiment, three canisters 40 are provided. When distinguishing between the three canisters 40, they are referred to as canisters 40A, 40B and 40C. The canisters 40A to 40C may accommodate different types of roasted coffee beans, and the type of roasted coffee beans used for producing a coffee beverage may be selected by an operation input to the operation unit 12. The roasted coffee beans of different types are, for example, roasted coffee beans of different varieties of coffee beans. Further, the roasted coffee beans of different types are coffee beans of the same type, but may be roasted coffee beans having different degrees of roasting. Further, the roasted coffee beans of different types may be roasted coffee beans having different varieties and degrees of roasting. Further, at least one of the three canisters 40 may contain roasted coffee beans in which a plurality of varieties of roasted coffee beans are mixed. In this case, the roasted coffee beans of each variety may have the same degree of roasting.

Although a plurality of canisters 40 are provided in the present embodiment, a configuration in which only one canister 40 is provided may be provided. Further, when a plurality of canisters 40 are provided, all or a plurality of canisters 40 of the same type of roasted coffee beans may be accommodated.

Each canister 40 is individually provided with a conveyor 41. The conveyor 41 is a delivery mechanism (conveyor mechanism) that automatically sends a predetermined amount of roasted coffee beans housed in the canister 40 to the downstream side. The conveyor 41 of the present embodiment is a screw conveyor driven by a motor 41a, and is a weighing unit that automatically weighs roasted coffee beans. The amount of roasted coffee beans delivered can be controlled by the amount of rotation of the motor 41a (the amount of rotation of the screw). Each conveyor 41 discharges roasted coffee beans to the collective transport path 42 on the downstream side. The collecting transport path 42 is composed of a hollow member, includes an input port 42a for each conveyor 41 and a common discharge port 42b, and supplies roasted coffee beans from the common discharge port 42b to the crushing device 5. Will be done.

<3-2. Crusher>
The crushing apparatus 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the crushing device 5. The crushing device 5 includes grinders 5A and 5B, and a separating device 6. The grinders 5A and 5B are mechanisms for grinding roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4. The grinders 5A and 5B have different grain sizes for grinding beans. The grinding machine 5A is a grinding machine for coarse grinding, and the grinding machine 5B is a grinding machine for fine grinding.

<3-2-1. Grinder>
The grinder 5A includes a motor 52a and a main body 53a. The motor 52a is a drive source for the grinder 5A. The main body 53a is a unit for accommodating the cutter, and has a built-in rotating shaft 54a. A gear 55a is provided on the rotary shaft 54a, and the driving force of the motor 52a is transmitted to the rotary shaft 54a via the gear 55a.

The rotary shaft 54a is also provided with a rotary blade 58a which is a cutter, and a fixed blade 57a which is a cutter is also provided around the rotary blade 58a. The inside of the main body 53a communicates with the input port 50a and the discharge port 51a. The roasted coffee beans supplied from the collecting transport path 42 enter the main body 53a laterally from the input port 50a formed on the side of the main body 53a, and are sandwiched between the rotary blade 58a and the fixed blade 57a. It is crushed so that it can be crushed. A restraining plate 56a is provided above the rotary blade 58a of the rotating shaft 54a, and the restraining plate 56a suppresses the roasted coffee beans from escaping upward. In the grinder 5A, roasted coffee beans are crushed to, for example, about 1/4. The crushed ground beans are discharged from the discharge port 51a to the separation device 6.

The roasted coffee beans supplied to the charging port 50a may be supplied at a height such that they hit the side surface of the roasted coffee beans, not from above the rotary blade 58a. In that case, since the roasted coffee beans are suppressed from escaping to the upper side by the rotary blade 58a, it is not necessary to provide the restraining plate 56a.

The grinder 5A may change the size of the roasted coffee beans discharged after being crushed by changing the rotation speed of the rotary blade 58a. Further, the distance between the rotary blade 58a and the fixed blade 57a may be changed by manually adjusting the distance.

The separation device 6 is a mechanism for separating unnecessary substances from the ground beans. The separating device 6 is arranged between the grinding machine 5A and the grinding machine 5B. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, the roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4 are first coarsely ground by the grinder 5A, and unnecessary substances are separated from the coarsely ground beans by the separation device 6. The coarsely ground beans from which unnecessary substances have been separated are finely ground by a grinder 5B. The unnecessary substances separated by the separating device 6 are typically chaff and fine powder. These may reduce the taste of coffee beverages. The separation device 6 is a mechanism for separating unnecessary substances by the suction force of air, and the details thereof will be described later.

The grinder 5B includes a motor 52b and a main body 53b. The motor 52b is a drive source for the grinder 5B. The main body 53b is a unit for accommodating the cutter, and has a built-in rotating shaft 54b. The rotary shaft 54b is provided with a pulley 55b, and the driving force of the motor 52b is transmitted to the rotary shaft 54b via the belt 59b and the pulley 55b.

The rotary shaft 54b is also provided with a rotary blade 58b, and a fixed blade 57b is provided on the upper side of the rotary blade 58b. The inside of the main body 53b communicates with the input port 50b and the discharge port 51b. The ground beans falling from the separating device 6 enter the main body 53b from the charging port 50b, and are further crushed so as to be sandwiched between the rotary blade 58b and the fixed blade 57b. The ground beans crushed into powder are discharged from the discharge port 51b. The particle size of the ground beans in the grinder 5B can be adjusted by adjusting the gap between the rotary blade 58b and the fixed blade 57b.

The crushing of roasted coffee beans may be a single grinder (one-step crushing). However, by performing the two-step pulverization with two grinders 5A and 5B as in the present embodiment, the particle size of the ground beans can be easily made uniform, and the degree of extraction of the coffee liquor can be made constant. When crushing beans, heat may be generated due to friction between the cutter and the beans. By performing two-step crushing, it is possible to suppress heat generation due to friction during crushing and prevent deterioration of ground beans (for example, deterioration of flavor).

Further, by going through the steps of coarse grinding → separation of unnecessary substances → fine grinding, when separating unnecessary substances such as chaff, the mass difference between the unnecessary substances and the ground beans (necessary part) can be increased. This can improve the separation efficiency of unnecessary substances and prevent the ground beans (necessary portion) from being separated as unnecessary substances. Further, by interposing the separation treatment of unnecessary substances using air suction between the coarse grinding and the fine grinding, it is possible to suppress the heat generation of the ground beans by air cooling. This also prevents the ground beans from deteriorating (for example, losing their flavor).

<3-2-2. Separator>
Next, the separation device 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 5 is a partially broken perspective view of the separating device 6. The separation device 6 includes a suction unit 6A and a forming unit 6B. The forming unit 6B is a hollow body that forms a separation chamber SC through which the ground beans that freely fall from the grinding machine 5A pass. The suction unit 6A communicates with the separation chamber SC in a direction intersecting the passing direction of the ground beans (vertical direction in the case of the present embodiment) (left-right direction in the case of the present embodiment), and the air in the separation chamber SC. It is a unit that sucks. By sucking the air in the separation chamber SC, lightweight objects such as chaff and fine powder are sucked. This makes it possible to separate unwanted substances from the ground beans.

The suction unit 6A is a centrifugal separation type mechanism. The suction unit 6A includes a blower unit 60A and a recovery container 60B. In the case of this embodiment, the blower unit 60A is a fan motor and exhausts the air in the recovery container 60B upward.

The recovery container 60B includes a separably engaged upper 61 and a lower 62. The lower portion 62 has a bottomed tubular shape with an open upper portion, and forms a space for accumulating unnecessary substances. The upper portion 61 constitutes a lid portion attached to the opening of the lower portion 62. The upper portion 61 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 61a and an exhaust pipe 61b formed coaxially with the outer peripheral wall 61a. The blower unit 60A is fixed to the upper portion 61 above the exhaust stack 61b so as to suck the air in the exhaust stack 61b. The upper portion 61 also includes a tubular connecting portion 61c extending radially. The connecting portion 61c is connected to the forming unit 6B and communicates the separation chamber SC with the collection container 60B. The connection portion 61c is open to the side of the exhaust stack 61b.

By driving the blower unit 60A, the airflow indicated by arrows d1 to d3 in FIG. 5 is generated. Due to this air flow, air containing unnecessary substances is sucked from the separation chamber SC into the recovery container 60B through the connection portion 61c. Since the connection portion 61c is open to the side of the exhaust stack 61b, the air containing unnecessary substances swirls around the exhaust stack 61b. Unwanted matter D in the air falls due to its weight and is collected in a part of the recovery container 60B (accumulated on the bottom surface of the lower portion 62). The air is exhausted upward through the inside of the exhaust stack 61b.

A plurality of fins 61d are integrally formed on the peripheral surface of the exhaust stack 61b. The plurality of fins 61d are arranged in the circumferential direction of the exhaust stack 61b. The individual fins 61d are inclined obliquely with respect to the axial direction of the exhaust stack 61b. By providing such a fin 61, the swirling around the exhaust stack 61b of the air containing the unnecessary substance D is promoted. Further, the fin 61 promotes the separation of the unnecessary substance D. As a result, the length of the suction unit 6A in the vertical direction can be suppressed, which contributes to the miniaturization of the device.

Further, in the present embodiment, the forming unit 6B is arranged in the drop path of the ground beans by the grinders 5A and 5B, while the centrifugal suction unit 6A is arranged on the side of the drop path. The mechanism of the centrifugal separation method tends to be long in the vertical direction, but by arranging the suction unit 6A laterally away from the drop path, the suction unit 6A can be arranged side by side with respect to the grinding machine 5A and the grinding machine 5B. Can be done. This contributes to reducing the vertical length of the device. In particular, when two-step grinding is performed by two grinders 5A and 5B as in the present embodiment, the length of the device in the vertical direction tends to be long. Therefore, such an arrangement of the suction unit 6A is a small size of the device. It is effective for conversion.

The forming unit 6B will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9. FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the forming unit 6B. FIG. 7 is a perspective view and a partially enlarged view of the forming unit 6B. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the forming unit 6B, and is a comparative explanatory view of cross-sectional areas.

In the case of the present embodiment, the forming unit 6B is formed by connecting two members divided into upper and lower halves. The forming unit 6B includes a pipe portion 63 and a separation chamber forming portion 64, and has a spoon shape in a plan view. The pipe portion 63 is a tubular body that forms a communication passage 63a with the suction unit 6A, and extends in the lateral direction (direction intersecting the center line CL described later). The separation chamber forming portion 64 is a circular hollow body having an opening in the vertical direction at the center, which is connected to the pipe portion 63 and forms the separation chamber SC.

In the present embodiment, when separating unnecessary substances from the ground beans, a method is adopted in which lateral wind pressure is applied to the ground beans falling from the grinding machine 5A to suck the unnecessary substances. This is advantageous in that the length in the vertical direction can be shortened as compared with the centrifugal separation method.

The separation chamber forming portion 64 includes a tubular portion 65 extending in the vertical direction. The tubular portion 65 projects into the separation chamber SC from the central portion in the vertical direction to the lower portion. The tubular portion 65 has an opening 65a at one upper end, and the opening 65a forms an input port for ground beans that communicates with the separation chamber SC. The opening 65a is located outside the separation chamber SC and is connected to the discharge port 51a of the grinder 5A. As a result, the ground beans that fall from the discharge port 51a are introduced into the separation chamber forming portion 64 without leakage. The tubular portion 65 has an opening 65b at the other end on the lower side. The opening 65b is located in the separation chamber SC. Since the opening 65b faces the separation chamber SC, the ground beans falling from the discharge port 51a are introduced into the separation chamber SC without leakage.

In the case of the present embodiment, the tubular portion 65 has a cylindrical shape, and the opening 65a and the opening 65b have a concentric circular shape located on the center line CL. This makes it easier for the ground beans that fall from the discharge port 51a to pass through the tubular portion 65. The tubular portion 65 has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area of the internal space gradually decreases from the opening 65a side toward the opening 65b side. Since the inner wall of the tubular portion 65 has a mortar shape, the falling ground beans easily collide with the inner wall. The ground beans that fall from the grinding machine 5A may come in close contact with each other and fall as a lump. When the ground beans are in a lump state, the separation efficiency of unnecessary substances may decrease. In the case of the present embodiment, the lumpy ground beans collide with the inner wall of the tubular portion 65, so that the lumps can be broken and unnecessary substances can be easily separated.

The inner wall of the tubular portion 65 is not limited to the shape of a mortar in terms of breaking the mass of ground beans. If there is a part in the middle of the tubular part 65 where the cross-sectional area of the internal space is smaller than that of the opening 65a, and there is an inner wall that is inclined (not horizontal) with respect to the center line CL, it will collide with the mass. While promoting, the ground beans can be dropped smoothly. Further, the cylindrical portion 65 does not have to protrude into the separation chamber SC, and may have only a portion protruding upward from the outer surface of the separation chamber forming portion 64. However, by projecting the tubular portion 65 into the separation chamber SC, the wind speed around the tubular portion 65 can be improved. Therefore, in the region R1 relatively far from the pipe portion 63, the effect of separating unnecessary substances by the wind pressure can be enhanced.

The separation chamber forming unit 64 has a discharge port 66 communicating with the separation chamber SC from which the ground beans after separating unnecessary substances are discharged. In the case of the present embodiment, the discharge port 66 is located below the opening 65b, and the ground beans that have passed through the tubular portion 65 pass through the separation chamber SC and freely fall from the discharge port 66. In the case of the present embodiment, the discharge port 66 is a circular opening located on the center line CL, and is an opening concentric with the openings 65a and 65b. Therefore, the ground beans can easily pass through the separation chamber forming portion 64 by free fall, and it is possible to prevent the ground beans from accumulating in the separation chamber forming portion 64.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the case of the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area SC2 of the discharge port 66 is larger than the cross-sectional area SC1 of the opening 65b. In the case of the present embodiment, the opening 65b and the discharge port 66 overlap each other when viewed in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the opening 65b is projected vertically onto the discharge port 66, the opening 65b fits inside the discharge port 66. In other words, the opening 65b fits within the region extending the discharge port 66 in the vertical direction. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the opening 65b and the discharge port 66 are not on the same center line but overlap each other, or at least one of them is not circular but overlaps.

The ratio of the cross-sectional area SC1 to the cross-sectional area SC2 is, for example, 95% or less or 85% or less, and for example, 60% or more or 70% or more. Since the openings 65b and the discharge port 66 are concentric circles, they overlap each other when viewed in the CL direction of the center line. Therefore, the ground beans that freely fall from the opening 65b are easily discharged from the discharge port 66. Further, it is possible to prevent the falling ground beans from colliding with the edge of the discharge port 66 and bouncing toward the pipe portion 63 side, and to prevent the necessary ground beans from being sucked into the suction unit 6A. Although it has been exemplified that the opening area of one end opening (for example, 65a) is smaller than the opening area of the discharge port (for example, 66), the opening area of the discharge port (for example, 66) and the opening of one end opening (for example, 65a). The area may be the same, or the opening area of one end opening (for example, 65a) may be larger than the opening area of the discharge port (for example, 66). Although it has been exemplified that the opening area of the other end opening (for example 65b) is smaller than the opening area of the discharge port (for example 66), the opening area of the discharge port (for example 66) and the other end opening (for example 65b) The opening area may be the same, or the opening area of the other end opening (for example, 65b) may be larger than the opening area of the discharge port (for example, 66). It is illustrated that the suction unit (eg 6A) sucks air from the outlet 66 and the inlet (eg 65a, 65a'), but more than the amount of air sucked from the inlet (eg 65a, 65a'). The amount of air sucked from the outlet 66 may be larger. This is realized by the fact that the other end opening (for example, 65b) protrudes into the separation chamber and that the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 66 is larger than the size of the opening area of the one end opening (for example, 65a). It may be realized by the size of the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 66 being larger than the size of the opening area of the other end opening (for example, 65b), or the separation chamber from the one end opening (for example, 65a). It may be realized that the distance from the discharge port 66 to the separation chamber is shorter than the distance to, or from the discharge port 66 to the exhaust pipe 61b rather than the distance from one end opening (for example, 65a) to the exhaust pipe 61b. It may be realized by a short distance, or it may be realized by a distance from the discharge port 66 to the blower unit 60A rather than a distance from one end opening (for example, 65a) to the blower unit 60A. One of the inner wall portions of the members (63 to 65) constituting the forming unit 6B and the separation chamber SC, the tubular portion 65, and the other end opening (for example, 65b), but at least one of the grinders (5A and 5B). ) May be directly or indirectly in contact with the grinding machine, and the vibration caused by the rotation of the grinding machine may be transmitted to cause the grinding machine to vibrate. For example, in the case of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 in the embodiment, since they are in direct or indirect contact with each other, during the operation of the grinder, the members (63 to 65) constituting the forming unit 6B and the separation chamber SC One of the inner wall portions, the tubular portion 65, or the other end opening (for example, 65b) vibrates, and the turbulent air generated in the separation chamber SC due to the vibration causes the other end opening (for example, 65b) to move from the other end opening (for example, 65b) to the separation chamber SC. A brake is applied to a light unwanted object that enters, making it easier to suck the unwanted object by a suction unit (for example, 6A). In particular, the forming unit 6B is in direct contact with the grinding machine 5A among the grinding machines 5A and the grinding machine 5B as in the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 in the embodiment, but the forming unit 6B is brought into direct contact with one grinding machine in this way. May be given an appropriate vibration to facilitate suction of light unnecessary substances.

In the case of the present embodiment, the air sucked by the suction unit 6A is mainly sucked from the discharge port 66. Therefore, a gap is provided between the discharge port 66 and the input port 50b of the grinder 5B, and air suction is promoted. The arrow d4 schematically shows the direction of the air flow of the air sucked by the suction unit 6A. By sucking air from the discharge port 66, unnecessary substances are less likely to be discharged from the discharge port 66, and the separation performance between the ground beans and the unnecessary substances can be improved. The air sucked by the suction unit 6A is also sucked from the opening 65a.

A turbulent flow promoting portion 67 is formed on the peripheral wall defining the discharge port 66. The turbulence promoting unit 67 causes turbulence in the air sucked from the discharge port 66 to the separation chamber SC. By forming the turbulence promoting portion 67, turbulence is likely to occur particularly in the region R2 between the opening 65b and the discharge port 66. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, since the wind speed is improved around the tubular portion 65, the generation of turbulent flow in the region R2 can be synergistically promoted.

The ground beans charged into the charging port 65a are agitated under the influence of turbulent flow when passing through the region R2. In the case of the present embodiment, in particular, since the cross-sectional area SC2 of the discharge port 66 is larger than the cross-sectional area SC1 of the opening 65b as described above, the ground beans always pass through the region R2. Turbulence facilitates the separation of unwanted material such as chaff and fines from the ground beans. Therefore, even if the separation chamber SC is a small space, the separation efficiency of unnecessary substances can be improved, and in particular, it contributes to reducing the vertical length of the separation chamber SC, as in the present embodiment. It is advantageous for downsizing of the apparatus when two-step grinding is performed by two grinders 5A and 5B.

In the case of the present embodiment, the turbulence promoting unit 67 includes a plurality of turbulence promoting elements 67a. The turbulence promoting element 67a is a protrusion protruding downward in the vertical direction. The protruding direction of the turbulence promoting element 67a may be any direction, but the direction within the range from the lower direction to the radial inner direction is preferable in terms of making it easier to generate turbulent flow in the separation chamber SC. be. When the protruding direction is downward as in the present embodiment, the fallen ground beans are not caught, which is more preferable.

The cross-sectional shape of the turbulence promoting element 67a is such that a trapezoidal quadrangular prism is arranged so that the upper bottom of the cross section faces the center line CL direction, and the inside of the tip portion is chamfered 67b. The shape of the turbulence promoting element 67a is not limited to the shape of the present embodiment, but a shape that makes the shape of the discharge port 66 three-dimensionally complicated is preferable.

In the case of the present embodiment, the turbulence promoting element 67a is repeatedly formed in the peripheral direction d5 of the discharge port 66. As a result, air is blown into the region R from multiple directions, and the generation of turbulent flow is promoted. The pitches of the adjacent turbulence promoting elements 67a may be different pitches, but in the present embodiment, they are equal pitches. Twelve turbulence promoting elements 67a are formed, but the number of turbulence promoting elements 67a is arbitrary.

<3-2-3. Other configuration examples>
Another configuration example of the separation chamber forming portion 64 will be described with reference to FIG. The turbulence promoting element 67a may be a notch or a hole as well as a protrusion. The example of EX1 in FIG. 9 exemplifies an example in which the turbulence promoting element 67a is a through hole formed in the peripheral wall of the discharge port 66. Such holes can also promote the generation of turbulence in the region R2.

The example of EX2 in FIG. 9 shows an example in which the tubular portion 65 is not provided. Also in this case, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area SC2 of the discharge port 66 is larger than the cross-sectional area SC1'of the input port 65a'.

The opening 65b of the tubular portion 65 may be an opening on an inclined surface instead of an opening on a horizontal plane. In the example of EX3 in FIG. 9, the lower end of the tubular portion 65 on the pipe portion 63 side protrudes downward from the lower end on the opposite side. By doing so, the ground beans are easily guided to the region R1 side, the residence time of the ground beans in the separation chamber SC can be lengthened, and the separation effect can be enhanced.

<4. Drive unit and extraction container>
<4-1. Overview>
The drive unit 8 and the extraction container 9 of the extraction device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the drive unit 8 and the extraction container 9.

The drive unit 8 is supported by the frame F. The frame F includes upper and lower beam portions F1 and F2 and pillar portions F3 that support the beam portions F1 and F2. The drive unit 8 is roughly classified into three units, an upper unit 8A, a middle unit 8B, and a lower unit 8C. The upper unit 8A is supported by the beam portion F1. The central unit 8B is supported by the beam portion F1 between the beam portion F1 and the beam portion F2. The lower unit 8C is supported by the beam portion F2.

The extraction container 9 is a chamber including a container body 90 and a lid unit 91. The extraction container 9 may be referred to as a chamber. The central unit 8B includes an arm member 820 that detachably holds the container body 90. The arm member 820 includes a holding member 820a and a pair of shaft members 820b separated from each other to the left and right. The holding member 820a is an elastic member such as a resin formed in a C-shaped clip shape, and holds the container body 90 by the elastic force thereof. The holding member 82a holds the left and right side portions of the container body 90, and the front side of the container body 90 is exposed. This makes it easier to visually recognize the inside of the container body 90 from the front.

The container body 90 is manually attached to and detached from the holding member 820a, and the container body 90 is attached to the holding member 820a by pressing the container body 90 against the holding member 820a in the front-rear direction and rearward. Further, the container body 90 can be separated from the holding member 820a by pulling out the container body 90 from the holding member 820a to the front side in the front-rear direction.

Each of the pair of shaft members 820b is a rod extended in the front-rear direction, and is a member that supports the holding member 820a. In this embodiment, the number of shaft members 820b is two, but it may be one or three or more. The holding member 820a is fixed to the front end of the pair of shaft members 820b. By a mechanism described later, the pair of shaft members 820 b is moved back and forth in the front-rear direction, whereby the holding member 820a is moved back and forth, and can move the container body 90 in parallel in the front-back direction. The central unit 8B can also rotate the extraction container 9 upside down, as will be described later.

<4-2. Extraction container ＞
The extraction container 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a closed state and an open state of the extraction container 9, and FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the extraction container 9. As described above, the extraction container 9 is turned upside down by the central unit 8B. The extraction container 9 of FIGS. 10 and 11 shows the basic posture in which the lid unit 91 is located on the upper side. When the vertical positional relationship is described in the following description, it shall mean the vertical positional relationship in the basic posture unless otherwise specified.

The container body 90 is a bottomed container and has a bottle shape having a neck portion 90b, a shoulder portion 90d, a body portion 90e, and a bottom portion 90f. All or part of the container body 90 may have a transmissive portion. The transmissive portion may be made of a colorless transparent material or a colored transparent material. As a result, the inside of the container body 90 can be visually recognized from the outside. A flange portion 90c is formed at the end of the neck portion 90b (the upper end portion of the container body 90) to define an opening 90a communicating with the internal space of the container body 90.

Both the neck portion 90b and the body portion 90e have a cylindrical shape. In the neck portion 90b, a region having the same cross-sectional area or cross-sectional shape in the internal space extends in the vertical direction. Further, the body portion 90e also has a region having the same cross-sectional area or cross-sectional shape extending in the vertical direction, which is longer than the neck portion 90b. The cross-sectional area of the internal space is larger in the body portion 90e than in the neck portion 90b. The ratio of the cross-sectional area of the neck portion 90b to the body portion 90e is, for example, 65% or less, 50% or less, or 35% or less, and for example, 10% or more, or 20% or more. The shoulder portion 90d is a portion between the neck portion 90b and the body portion 90e, and has a tapered shape so that the cross-sectional area of the internal space thereof gradually decreases from the body portion 90e side to the neck portion 90b side. ing. However, the neck portion 90b is only named for the position closer to the opening 90a than the bottom portion 90f , and the cross-sectional area of the internal space is not necessarily larger in the body portion 90e than in the neck portion 90b. The neck portion 90a may be a part of the body portion 90e without limitation. That is, the extraction container 9 does not have to have a shape having a constricted portion as shown in FIG. 10 or the like, and has a barrel shape or a flange shape such as 90c provided in the vicinity of the opening 90a or the opening 90a. It may have a shape.

The lid unit 91 is a unit that opens and closes the opening 90a. The opening / closing operation (elevating / lowering operation) of the lid unit 91 is performed by the upper unit 8A.

The container body 90 includes a body member 900 and a bottom member 901. The main body member 900 is a tubular member having an open top and bottom forming a neck portion 90b, a shoulder portion 90d, and a body portion 90e. The bottom member 901 is a member forming the bottom portion 90f, and is inserted and fixed to the lower portion of the main body member 900. A seal member 902 is interposed between the main body member 900 and the bottom member 901 to improve the airtightness inside the container main body 90.

A convex portion 901c is provided at the center of the bottom member 901, and a shaft hole 901b is formed in the convex portion 901c. Further, a plurality of communication holes 901a are formed around the shaft hole 901b. The communication hole 901a is a through hole that communicates the inside of the container body 90 to the outside, and is mainly used for discharging waste liquid and residue when cleaning the inside of the container body 90.

The shaft hole 901b penetrates the bottom member 901, into which the shaft 903a of the plug member 903 is inserted. The plug member 903 opens and closes the communication hole 901a from the inside of the container body 90. A seal member 904 is provided between the stopper member 903 and the inner side surface (upper surface) of the bottom member 901 to improve the airtightness inside the container body 90 when the stopper member 903 is closed.

On the outside (lower side) of the bottom member 901, a coil spring 905 and a cylindrical spring receiver 906 are mounted on the shaft 903a, and an E-ring 907 is further engaged with the end portion of the shaft 903a. The coil spring 905 and the spring receiver 906 are held between the bottom member 901 and the E-ring 907, and the coil spring 905 urges the plug member 903 in the closing direction. A seal member 908 is provided on the convex portion 901c, and the seal member 908 is a member for maintaining airtightness between the upper unit 8A or the lower unit 8C and the bottom member 901.

The lid unit 91 includes a hat-shaped base member 911. The base member 911 has a convex portion 911d and a flange portion 911c that overlaps with the flange portion 90c when closed. The base member 911 is provided with the same opening / closing mechanism as the plug member 903 in the container body 90. Specifically, a shaft hole 911b is formed in the central portion of the base member 911, and a plurality of communication holes 911a are formed around the shaft hole 911b. The communication hole 911a is a through hole that communicates the inside of the container body 90 to the outside, and is mainly used for injecting hot water into the container body 90 and delivering coffee beverages.

The shaft hole 911b penetrates the base material 911, into which the shaft 913a of the plug member 913 is inserted. The plug member 913 opens and closes the communication hole 911a from the inside of the container body 90. A seal member 914 is provided between the plug member 913 and the inner side surface of the base member 911 to improve the airtightness inside the container body 90 when the plug member 913 is closed.

On the outside (upper side) of the base member 911, a coil spring 915 and a cylindrical spring receiver 916 are mounted on the shaft 913a, and an E-ring 917 is further engaged with the end portion of the shaft 913a. The coil spring 915 and the spring receiver 916 are held between the base material 911 and the E-ring 917, and the coil spring 915 urges the plug member 913 in the closing direction. The convex portion 911d is provided with a seal member 918a and a ring spring 918b. The seal member 918a is a member for maintaining airtightness between the upper unit 8A or the lower unit 8C and the base member 911. The ring spring 918b is an engaging member for holding the lid unit 91 to the upper unit 8A when the lid unit 91 is opened.

A fixing member 919 is fixed to the inside (lower side) of the base member 911. The fixing member 919 supports the filter 910 and the holding member 910a. The filter 910 is a filter for separating coffee beverage and ground bean residue, for example, a metal filter. By using a metal filter, a coffee beverage containing coffee oil can be provided to the user. The holding member 910a is a porous member that suppresses deformation of the filter 910. The seal member 919a is supported by the fixing member 919. In the case of the present embodiment, the fixing member 919 is an elastic member, and the fixing member 919 and the sealing member 919a improve the airtightness between the lid unit 91 and the container body 90 when the lid unit 91 is closed.

By making the flange 90c and the flange portion 911c airtightly contact with each other, it is possible to adopt a configuration that does not use the seal member 919a.

<4-3. Upper unit and lower unit>
The upper unit 8A and the lower unit 8C will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a partial configuration of the upper unit 8A and the lower unit 8B, and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG.

The upper unit 8A includes an operation unit 81A. The operation unit 81A performs an opening / closing operation (elevation) of the lid unit 91 and an opening / closing operation of the plug members 903 and 913 with respect to the container body 90. The operation unit 81A includes a support member 800, a holding member 801 and an elevating shaft 802 and a probe 803.

The support member 800 is fixedly provided so that the relative position with respect to the frame F does not change. Includes an accommodating portion 800b for accommodating the holding member 801. The accommodating portion 800b is a cylindrical space that opens downward and the top portion is closed. The support member 800 also includes a communication portion 800a that communicates the pipe L3 with the inside of the accommodating portion 800b. Hot water, tap water, and atmospheric pressure supplied from the pipe L3 are introduced into the accommodating portion 800b via the communication portion 800a.

The holding member 801 is a member that holds the lid unit 91 in a detachable manner. The holding member 801 includes an accommodating portion 801b into which the convex portion 911d of the lid unit 91 or the convex portion 901c of the bottom member 901 is inserted. The accommodating portion 801b is a cylindrical space that opens downward and the top portion is closed. The holding member 801 also includes a communication portion 801a for communicating the accommodating portion 800b and the accommodating portion 801b. Hot water, tap water and atmospheric pressure supplied from the pipe L3 are introduced into the accommodating portion 801b via the communication portion 800a and the communication portion 801a. The holding member 801 is a movable member provided so as to be slidable in the vertical direction in the accommodating portion 800b. The holding member 801 is formed with a sealing member 801c that seals between the holding member 801 and the accommodating portion 800b, and the airtightness inside the accommodating portion 800b is maintained even during the sliding of the holding member 801.

On the inner wall of the accommodating portion 801b, an engaging portion 801d that is raised inward in the radial direction is formed. The lid unit 91 is held by the holding member 801 by engaging the engaging portion 801d with the ring spring 918 b of the lid unit 91. When a force exceeding a certain level that separates the holding member 801 and the lid unit 91 in the vertical direction acts, the engagement between the engaging portion 801d and the ring spring 918b is released by the elastic deformation of the ring spring 918b. As a result, the lid unit 91 and the holding member 801 are separated from each other.

The elevating shaft 802 is provided so that the axial direction thereof is the vertical direction. The elevating shaft 802 penetrates the top of the support member 800 in the vertical direction, and is provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the support member 800. The support member 800 is provided with a seal member 800c in a hole through which the elevating shaft 802 passes, and the airtightness inside the accommodating portion 800b is maintained even during the sliding of the elevating shaft 802.

The top portion of the holding member 801 is fixed to the lower end portion of the elevating shaft 802. The holding member 801 slides in the vertical direction by raising and lowering the elevating shaft 802, and the holding member 801 can be attached to and separated from the convex portion 911d and the convex portion 901c. Further, the lid unit 91 can be opened and closed with respect to the container body 90. FIG. 15 shows a case where the lid unit 91 is in the open state. The holding member 801 holding the lid unit 91 is in the raised position, and the held lid unit 91 is separated above the container body 90. Note that FIG. 15 is omitted from the illustration of some parts.

A screw 802a constituting a lead screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the elevating shaft 802. A nut 804b is screwed onto the screw 802a. The upper unit 8A includes a motor 804a, and the nut 804b is rotated in place (without moving up and down) by the driving force of the motor 804a. The elevating shaft 802 moves up and down by the rotation of the nut 804b.

The elevating shaft 802 is a tubular shaft having a through hole in the central shaft, and the probe 803 is slidably inserted vertically into the through hole. The probe 803 penetrates the top of the holding member 801 in the vertical direction, and is provided so as to be vertically movable up and down with respect to the support member 800 and the holding member 801. The holding member 801 is provided with a sealing member 801e in the portion of the hole through which the probe 803 passes, and the airtightness in the accommodating portion 801b is maintained even during the sliding of the probe 803.

The probe 803 is provided coaxially with the shaft 903a of the plug member 903 (and the shaft 913a of the plug member 913). By lowering the probe 803, the shaft 903a of the plug member 903 can be pressed downward to change the plug member 903 from the closed state to the open state. It is also possible to press the plug member 903 from the closed state to the open state by using the atmospheric pressure of the air supplied to the extraction container 9 and the water pressure of the water without using the probe 803. In this case, the air pressure or the water pressure may be set to be higher than the urging force of the coil spring 905.

FIG. 16 shows an opening / closing mode of the plug member 903 (and the plug member 913). The holding member 801 is in the descending position, and the convex portion 911d is inserted into the holding member 801. Then, it is understood that the plug member 903 can be displaced to the open state shown by the broken line by the descent of the probe 803 (not shown in FIG. 16). When the extraction container 9 is turned upside down, the stopper member 913 can be changed from the closed state to the open state. Note that some parts are not shown in FIG.

A screw 803a constituting a lead screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the probe 803. A nut 805b is screwed to the screw 803a. The upper unit 8A includes a motor 805a, and the nut 805b is provided to rotate in place (without moving up and down) by the driving force of the motor 805a. The rotation of the nut 805b raises and lowers the probe 803.

The lower unit 8C includes an operation unit 81C. The operation unit 81C has a configuration in which the operation unit 81A is turned upside down, and opens and closes the plug members 903 and 913. The operation unit 81C also has a configuration in which the lid unit 91 can be opened and closed, but in the present embodiment, the operation unit 81C is not used for opening and closing the lid unit 91.

Hereinafter, the description is substantially the same as that of the operation unit 81A, but the operation unit 81C will be described. The operation unit 81C includes a support member 810, a holding member 811 and an elevating shaft 812 and a probe 813.

The support member 810 is fixedly provided so that the relative position with respect to the frame F does not change. Includes a housing section 810b that houses the holding member 811. The accommodating portion 810b is a cylindrical space that opens upward and has a closed bottom. The support member 810 also includes a communication portion 810a that communicates the switching valve 10a of the switching unit 10 and the inside of the accommodating portion 810b. Residues of coffee beverage, tap water, and ground beans in the container body 90 are introduced into the switching valve 10a via the communication portion 810a.

The holding member 811 includes an accommodating portion 811b into which the convex portion 911d of the lid unit 91 or the convex portion 901c of the bottom member 901 is inserted. The accommodating portion 811b is a cylindrical space that opens upward and has a closed bottom. The holding member 811 also includes a communication portion 811a for communicating the accommodating portion 810b and the accommodating portion 811b. Residues of coffee beverage, tap water, and ground beans in the container body 90 are introduced into the switching valve 10a via the communication portions 810a and 811b. The holding member 811 is a movable member provided so as to be slidable in the vertical direction in the accommodating portion 810b. The holding member 811 is formed with a sealing member 811c that seals between the holding member 811 and the accommodating portion 810b, and the airtightness inside the accommodating portion 810b is maintained even during the sliding of the holding member 811.

On the inner wall of the accommodating portion 811b, an engaging portion 8 11 1d that is raised inward in the radial direction is formed. The lid unit 91 is held by the holding member 811 by engaging the engaging portion 811d with the ring spring 918 b of the lid unit 91. When a force exceeding a certain level that separates the holding member 811 and the lid unit 91 in the vertical direction is applied, the engagement portion 811 d and the ring spring 918 b are disengaged due to the elastic deformation of the ring spring 918 b . As a result, the lid unit 91 and the holding member 811 are separated from each other.

The elevating shaft 812 is provided so that the axial direction thereof is the vertical direction. The elevating shaft 812 penetrates the bottom of the support member 8 10 in the vertical direction, and is provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the support member 810. The support member 810 is provided with a seal member 810c in a hole through which the elevating shaft 812 passes, and the airtightness in the accommodating portion 810b is maintained even during the sliding of the elevating shaft 812.

The bottom portion of the holding member 811 is fixed to the lower end portion of the elevating shaft 812. The holding member 811 slides in the vertical direction by raising and lowering the elevating shaft 812, and the holding member 811 can be attached to and separated from the convex portion 901c and the convex portion 911d. A screw 812a constituting a lead screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the elevating shaft 812. A nut 814b is screwed onto the screw 812a. The lower unit 8C includes a motor 814a, and the nut 814b is rotated in place (without moving up and down) by the driving force of the motor 814a. The elevating shaft 812 moves up and down by the rotation of the nut 814b.

The elevating shaft 812 is a tubular shaft having a through hole in the central shaft, and the probe 813 is slidably inserted vertically into the through hole. The probe 813 penetrates the bottom of the holding member 811 in the vertical direction, and is provided so as to be vertically movable up and down with respect to the support member 810 and the holding member 811. The holding member 811 is provided with a sealing member 811e in a hole through which the probe 813 passes, and the airtightness in the accommodating portion 811b is maintained even during the sliding of the probe 813.

The probe 813 is provided coaxially with the shaft 913a of the plug member 913 (and the shaft 903a of the plug member 903). By raising the probe 813, the shaft 913a of the plug member 913 can be pushed upward to change the plug member 913 from the closed state to the open state. It is also possible to press the plug member 913 from the closed state to the open state by using the atmospheric pressure of the air supplied to the extraction container 9 and the water pressure of the water without using the probe 813. In this case, the air pressure or the water pressure may be set to be higher than the urging force of the coil spring 915. For example, at least one or both of the charging of the liquid for steaming (for example, hot water) and the charging of the liquid for cleaning the extraction container 9 (for example, purified water, hot water, detergent) are the liquid charging portions (plug members). Rather than opening the 913 and the stopper member 903) in advance to press-fit the liquid, the user's preference, the way the liquid is shown to the user through the transmissive portion 101, and the degree of liquid momentum are different from usual. In order to do so, it may be preferable to close the charging portion (plug member 913 or plug member 903) or open it less than fully open, and open the charging portion with the water pressure of the liquid to be charged. For example, the liquid may momentarily enter the extraction container 9 or be poured onto the inner wall of the extraction container 9 or an extraction target (for example, ground beans of roasted coffee) on the shower.

FIG. 16 shows an opening / closing mode of the plug member 913 (and the plug member 903). The holding member 811 is in the raised position, and the convex portion 901c is inserted into the holding member 811. Then, it is understood that the plug member 913 can be displaced to the open state shown by the broken line by raising the probe 813 (not shown in FIG. 16). When the extraction container 9 is turned upside down, the stopper member 903 can be changed from the closed state to the open state.

A screw 813a constituting a lead screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the probe 813. A nut 815b is screwed onto the screw 813a. The lower unit 8C includes a motor 815a, and the nut 815b is provided to rotate in place (without moving up and down) by the driving force of the motor 815a. The rotation of the nut 815b raises and lowers the probe 813.

<4-4. Chubu unit ＞
The central unit 8B will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 17. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of the central unit 8B. The central unit 8B includes a support unit 81B that supports the extraction container 9. The support unit 81B includes the unit body 81B'that supports the lock mechanism 821 in addition to the arm member 820 described above.

The lock mechanism 821 is a mechanism for maintaining the lid unit 91 in a closed state with respect to the container body 90. The lock mechanism 821 includes a pair of gripping members 821a that vertically sandwich the flange portion 911c of the lid unit 91 and the flange portion 90c of the container body 90. The pair of gripping members 821a have a C-shaped cross section in which the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c are sandwiched and fitted, and are opened and closed in the left-right direction by the driving force of the motor 822. When the pair of gripping members 821a are in the closed state, as shown by the solid line in the boxing diagram of FIG. 17, each gripping member 821a is fitted to the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c so as to sandwich the flange portion 911c vertically and the lid portion 821a. The unit 91 is airtightly locked to the container body 90. In this locked state, even if the holding member 801 is raised by the elevating shaft 802 to open the lid unit 91, the lid unit 91 does not move (the lock is not released). That is, the locking force of the locking mechanism 821 is set stronger than the force of opening the lid unit 91 using the holding member 801. This makes it possible to prevent the lid unit 91 from being opened with respect to the container body 90 in the event of an abnormality.

When the pair of gripping members 821a are in the open state, the gripping members 821a are separated from the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c as shown by the broken line in the boxed view of FIG. 17, and the lid unit 91 and the container body 90 are separated from each other. And is unlocked.

In the case of the example shown in the figure, the C-shaped cross section of the gripping member 821a is rectangular (the upper side and the lower side are parallel), but may have a trapezoidal shape in which the cross-sectional area becomes narrower on the open end side. As a result, the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c can be locked more firmly.

When the engaging portion 801d of the holding member 801 and the ring spring 918b of the lid unit 91 are in an engaged state and the holding member 801 is raised from the descending position to the ascending position, when the pair of gripping members 821a are in the open state. The lid unit 91 is separated from the container body 90. On the contrary, when the pair of gripping members 821a are in the closed state, the engagement between the engaging portion 801d and the ring spring 918b is released, and only the holding member 801 rises.

The central unit 8B also includes a mechanism for horizontally moving the arm member 820 in the front-rear direction using the motor 823 as a drive source. As a result, the container body 90 supported by the arm member 820 can be moved between the extraction position on the rear side (state ST1) and the bean charging position on the front side (state ST2). FIG. 18 shows the movement mode of the container body 90. In FIG. 18, the position of the container body 90 shown by the solid line indicates the extraction position, and the position of the container body 90 shown by the broken line is the bean charging position. The bean charging position is a position where the ground beans are charged into the container body 90, and the ground beans ground by the grinder 5B are charged into the opening 90a of the container body 90 from which the lid unit 91 is separated. The extraction position is a position where the container body 90 can be operated by the operation unit 81A and the operation unit 81C, and is a position coaxial with the probes 803 and 813 to extract the coffee liquid. 10 and 13 to 16 show the case where the container body 90 is in the extraction position. In this way, by changing the position of the container body 90 between the input of the ground beans, the extraction of the coffee liquid, and the supply of water, the steam generated during the extraction of the coffee liquid is the grinder 5B which is the supply unit of the ground beans. It becomes difficult to adhere to the discharge port 51b, and it is possible to prevent the ground beans from adhering to the discharge port 51b due to the moisture of the steam.

Returning to FIG. 17, the central unit 8B also includes a mechanism that rotates the support unit 81B around the axis 825 in the front-rear direction by using the motor 824 as a drive source. As a result, the posture of the container body 90 (extraction container 9) can be changed from the upright posture (state ST1) in which the neck portion 90b is on the upper side to the inverted posture (state ST3) in which the neck portion 90b is on the lower side. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the extraction container 9 is in an upright posture. FIG. 19 illustrates a state in which the extraction container 9 is rotated to change its posture. During the rotation of the extraction container 9, the lock mechanism 821 maintains the state in which the lid unit 91 is locked to the container body 90. In FIG. 19, the extraction container 9 shown by the solid line shows the state of the inverted posture, and the extraction container 9 shown by the broken line shows the posture between the upright posture and the inverted posture (the posture in the middle of rotation). The extraction container 9 is turned upside down in the upright posture and the inverted posture. The convex portion 911d is located at the position of the convex portion 901c in the upright posture, and the convex portion 911d is located at the position of the convex portion 901c in the inverted posture. Further, the convex portion 901c is located at the position of the convex portion 911d in the upright posture and the convex portion 901c in the inverted posture. Therefore, in the inverted posture, the operation unit 81A can perform the opening / closing operation on the plug member 903, and the operation unit 81C can perform the opening / closing operation on the plug member 913.

The grip member 821a may be provided with a grip portion cover. In that case, in order to suppress the radius of gyration of the entire lock mechanism 821 during the rotation operation, the outside of the grip portion cover may be scraped from the front view of the rotation surface. This makes it possible to protect the locking mechanism while preventing interference with other parts.

In the example of FIG. 17, the mechanism is such that the arm member 820 moves back and forth relative to the unit body 81B', but as shown in the example of FIG. 24, there is also a mechanism for fixing the arm member 820 to the unit body 81B'. It can be adopted. In the example of FIG. 24, the unit main body 81B'is horizontally moved in the front-rear direction by a mechanism using the motor 823 as a drive source. As a result, the arm member 820 also moves in the front-rear direction, so that the container body 90 can be moved between the extraction position and the bean charging position.

<5. Operation control example>
An example of the control processing of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 executed by the processing unit 11a will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 22. FIG. 20 shows a control example related to one coffee beverage manufacturing operation. The state of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 before the manufacturing instruction is called a standby state. The state of each mechanism in the standby state is as follows.

The extraction device 3 is in the state shown in FIG. The extraction container 9 is in an upright posture and is located at the extraction position. The lock mechanism 821 is in the closed state, and the lid unit 91 closes the opening 90a of the container body 90. The holding member 801 is in the descending position and is attached to the convex portion 911d. The holding member 811 is in the raised position and is attached to the convex portion 901c. The plug members 903 and 913 are in the closed state. The switching valve 10a communicates the communication portion 810a of the operation unit 8 1C with the waste tank T. The standby state is not limited to the state shown in FIG. 10, for example, the extraction container 9 is in an upright position and is located at the extraction position, the lock mechanism 821 is in the open state, and the lid unit 91 is an opening of the container body 90. The 90a may be open.

When there is an instruction to produce a coffee beverage in the standby state, the process of FIG. 20 is executed. Preheat treatment is performed in S1. This process is a process of pouring hot water into the container body 90 and preheating the container body 90 in advance. First, the plug members 903 and 913 are opened. As a result, the pipe L3, the extraction container 9, and the waste tank T are in a communicating state.

The solenoid valve 72i is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 1500 ms) and then closed. As a result, hot water is injected from the water tank 72 into the extraction container 9. Subsequently, the solenoid valve 73 b is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 500 ms) and then closed. As a result, the air in the extraction container 9 is pressurized, and the discharge of hot water to the waste tank T is promoted. By the above treatment, the inside of the extraction container 9 and the pipe L2 are preheated, and it is possible to reduce the cooling of hot water in the subsequent production of coffee beverages.

Further, when the hot water is injected into the extraction container 9 in this preheat treatment, the hot water passes through the filter 910. Even if the residue of the ground beans used in the previous production of the coffee beverage and the oil generated by the extraction of the coffee liquid adhere to the filter 910, they are washed away and discharged.

In S2, grind processing is performed. Here, the roasted coffee beans are crushed and the ground beans are put into the container body 90. First, the lock mechanism 821 is opened and the holding member 801 is raised to the ascending position. The lid unit 91 is held by the holding member 801 and rises together with the holding member 801. As a result, the lid unit 91 is separated from the container body 90. The holding member 811 descends to the descending position. The container body 90 is moved to the bean charging position. Subsequently, the storage device 4 and the crushing device 5 are operated. As a result, a cup of roasted coffee beans is supplied from the storage device 4 to the grinder 5A. The roasted coffee beans are ground in two stages by grinders 5A and 5B, and unnecessary substances are separated by the separating device 6. The ground beans are put into the container body 90.

Return the container body 90 to the extraction position. The holding member 801 is lowered to the lowered position, and the lid unit 91 is attached to the container body 90. The lock mechanism 821 is closed, and the lid unit 91 is airtightly locked to the container body 90. The holding member 811 rises to the ascending position. Of the plug members 903 and 913, the plug member 903 is in the open state and the plug member 913 is in the closed state.

In S3, extraction processing is performed. Here, the coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans in the container body 90. FIG. 21 is a flowchart of the extraction process of S3.

In S11, in order to steam the ground beans in the extraction container 9, a smaller amount of hot water than a cup of hot water is injected into the extraction container 9. Here, the solenoid valve 72i is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 500 ms). As a result, hot water is injected from the water tank 72 into the extraction container 9. After that, the process of S11 is completed after waiting for a predetermined time (for example, 5000 ms). By this treatment, the ground beans can be steamed. The pressure and temperature in the extraction container 9 after this treatment slightly increase, but there is no big difference from before the treatment.

By steaming the ground beans, carbon dioxide gas contained in the ground beans can be released and the subsequent extraction effect can be enhanced. In order to steam the whole ground beans, it is preferable that the amount of hot water for steaming is evenly applied to the ground beans. Therefore, when injecting hot water for steaming into the extraction container 9, the solenoid valve 72h may be temporarily opened and the water tank 72 may be injected while reducing the pressure. By doing so, the momentum of the hot water for steaming can be reduced and the hot water can be applied to the beans as evenly as possible, and the effect of steaming can be enhanced. The atmospheric pressure in the extraction container 9 at the time of steaming may be lower than the atmospheric pressure at the time of the subsequent immersion type extraction (S14) described later (the atmospheric pressure at which hot water does not boil). This can promote the release of carbon dioxide gas. For carbon dioxide gas released from the ground beans when they are brought into contact with a liquid (for example, hot water), for example, when steaming or soaking, the release valve 73c is opened once after steaming to the atmosphere. The beans may be released to the liquid (for example, hot water) without being released, and the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas may be applied to the beans when the beans are immersed in the liquid (for example, hot water). For example, in the case of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1, the ground beans are steamed at 2 atm (absolute pressure 3 atm) or 0 atm (absolute pressure 1 atm), and then filled with 2 atm (absolute pressure 3 atm). A liquid (for example, hot water) is injected into the extraction container 9, immersed at 4 atm (5 atm in absolute pressure), suddenly boiled at atmospheric pressure (0 atm (1 atm in absolute pressure)), and the extraction container 9 is rotated. After that, while applying a pressure of 0.7 atm (1.7 atm in absolute pressure) to the inside of the extraction container 9, immersion and delivery to the outside of the extraction container 9 are performed, but the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas released from the ground beans is also In addition, the ground beans may be steamed, soaked or sent out, steaming may be carried out after releasing carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere before execution, or carbon dioxide gas may be released to the atmosphere before soaking at 4 atm. Or, carbon dioxide gas is released to the atmosphere before the immersion of 2 atmospheres before the 4 atmospheres, and the carbon dioxide gas is released to the atmosphere before the immersion or delivery of 0.7 atmospheres after the 4 atmospheres. You may. Steaming is performed by adding the pressure of carbon dioxide gas, and immersion at 4 atm is performed by adding pressure of carbon dioxide gas (for example, immersion is performed at 4 atm + pressure of carbon dioxide gas), before 4 atm. Immersion at 2 atm is performed by adding the pressure of carbon dioxide gas (for example, immersion is performed at 2 atm + pressure of carbon dioxide gas), and immersion at 0.7 atm after 4 atm is also performed by adding the pressure of carbon dioxide gas. (For example, dipping with a pressure of 0.7 atm + carbon dioxide gas) may be performed.

The presence or absence of steaming may be selectable by setting. When steaming is not performed, it is possible to inject water only once, which has the effect of shortening the time required to complete the production of coffee beverages.

In S12, the remaining amount of hot water is poured into the extraction container 9 so that one cup of hot water is contained in the extraction container 9. Here, the solenoid valve 72i is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 7000 ms). As a result, hot water is injected from the water tank 72 into the extraction container 9. In the present embodiment, the amount of hot water is controlled by the opening time of the solenoid valve 72i, but the amount of hot water poured may be controlled by measurement with a flow meter or measurement by another method.

By the treatment of S12, the inside of the extraction container 9 can be brought into a state of a temperature exceeding 100 degrees Celsius (for example, about 110 degrees Celsius) at 1 atm. Subsequently, the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized by S13. Here, the solenoid valve 73b is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 1000 ms), and the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized to a pressure at which hot water does not boil (for example, about 4 atm (about 3 atm at gauge pressure)). After that, the plug member 903 is closed.

Subsequently, this state is maintained for a predetermined time (for example, 7000 ms) to perform immersion type coffee liquid extraction (S14). As a result, the coffee liquid is extracted by a dipping method under high temperature and high pressure. The following effects can be expected in the immersion type extraction under high temperature and high pressure. The first is that the high pressure makes it easier for hot water to permeate the inside of the ground beans and promotes the extraction of coffee liquor. Second, the high temperature promotes the extraction of coffee liquor. Third, the high temperature reduces the viscosity of the oil contained in the ground beans and promotes the extraction of the oil. This makes it possible to produce a fragrant coffee beverage. There is a view that the coffee liquid is easily extracted at a high temperature to produce a bitter taste, but in the present embodiment, the separation device 6 removes unnecessary substances such as chaff, which is the source of the bitter taste. Therefore, even when the coffee liquor is extracted at a high temperature, the bitterness can be suppressed.

The temperature of the hot water (high temperature water) may exceed 100 degrees Celsius, but a higher temperature is advantageous in terms of extracting the coffee liquor. On the other hand, in order to raise the temperature of hot water, the cost is generally increased. Therefore, the temperature of the hot water may be, for example, 105 degrees Celsius or higher, 110 degrees Celsius or higher, or 115 degrees Celsius or higher, and may be, for example, 130 degrees Celsius or lower or 120 degrees Celsius or lower. The atmospheric pressure may be any atmospheric pressure at which hot water does not boil.

In S15, the pressure inside the extraction container 9 is reduced. Here, the atmospheric pressure in the extraction container 9 is switched to the atmospheric pressure at which hot water boils. Specifically, the plug member 913 is opened, and the solenoid valve 73c is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 1000 ms). The inside of the extraction container 9 is released to the atmosphere. After that, the plug member 913 is closed again.

The pressure inside the extraction container 9 is rapidly reduced to a pressure lower than the boiling point, and the hot water in the extraction container 9 boils at once. The hot water and ground beans in the extraction container 9 are explosively scattered in the extraction container 9. As a result, hot water can be boiled uniformly. In addition, the destruction of the cell wall of the ground beans can be promoted, and the subsequent extraction of coffee liquor can be further promoted. Further, since the ground beans and hot water can be agitated by this boiling, the extraction of the coffee liquor can be promoted. In this way, in this embodiment, the coffee liquid extraction efficiency can be improved. The air pressure in the extraction container 9 is rapidly decompressed by opening the release valve (73 c ). The rapid depressurization may be, for example, depressurizing at a rate at which one of a bumping state and a state close to bumping occurs, and specifically, the atmospheric pressure in the extraction container 9 is vapor pressure (saturated vapor pressure, equilibrium). The pressure may be reduced to less than the vapor pressure.) Or the liquid in the extraction container 9 (for example, hot water or a mixture of hot water and coffee liquid) may be suddenly boiled at a temperature exceeding the boiling point. The pressure may be reduced at a high speed. By sudden boiling (for example, a phenomenon in which a liquid that has not been boiled (for example, hot water) suddenly boils at a temperature exceeding the boiling point), the cells of the ground beans may be destroyed or the ground beans and hot water may be agitated. ..

In S16, the extraction container 9 is inverted from the upright posture to the inverted posture. Here, the holding member 801 is moved to the ascending position and the holding member 811 is moved to the descending position. Then, the support unit 81B is rotated. After that, the holding member 801 is returned to the descending position, and the holding member 811 is returned to the ascending position. FIG. 23 shows the state of the extraction container 9 before and after the inversion. The left side of the figure shows the extraction container 9 in the upright posture, and the right side of the figure shows the extraction container 9 in the inverted posture. The lid unit 91 including the neck portion 90b and the filter 910 is located on the lower side. Inversion from an upright position to an inverted position is not limited to rotating the extraction container 9 by 180 degrees by performing an operation that involves rotation of the extraction container 9, and is not limited to rotating the extraction container 9 by 180 degrees, but at an angle less than 180 degrees (for example, 170 degrees). ), Or it may be rotated at an angle exceeding 180 degrees (for example, 190 degrees). The extraction container 9 may be rotated to an angle exceeding plus or minus 90 degrees. For example, regarding the upright posture and the inverted posture, the upright posture is the part of the part that constitutes the opening 90a of the extraction container 9 and the part that does not form the opening 90a of the extraction container 9 that is farthest from the certain part. The posture in which the certain part is located higher than the distant part, and the inverted posture may be a posture in which the part is located lower than the distant part, and is referred to as an upright posture. Is a stationary posture in which the certain part is located higher than the distant part, and an inverted posture is a stationary posture in which the certain part is located lower than the distant part. It may be a posture. In addition, what kind of action is taken during the posture change from the upright posture to the inverted posture, such as rotating 360 degrees a predetermined number of times (for example, once, multiple times, etc.) when rotating from the upright posture to the inverted posture. It may be performed, and the position of the extraction container 9 that takes an upright posture and the position of the extraction container 9 that takes an inverted posture may be different positions in front, back, up, down, left, and right instead of simply rotating.

In S17, a permeation type coffee liquid extraction is performed, and the coffee beverage is delivered to the cup C. Here, the switching valve 10a is switched so that the pouring portion 10c and the passage portion 810a of the operation unit 81C communicate with each other. Further, both the plug members 903 and 913 are opened. Further, the solenoid valve 73b is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 10000 ms) to bring the inside of the extraction container 9 to a predetermined pressure (for example, 1.7 atm (0.7 atm in gauge pressure)). In the extraction container 9, the coffee beverage in which the coffee liquid is dissolved in hot water passes through the filter 910 and is sent to the cup C. Filter 910 regulates the leakage of ground bean residue. By using the immersion type extraction in S14 and the permeation type extraction in S17 in combination, the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquor can be improved. This completes the extraction process. Here, an example is shown in which the pressure due to the carbon dioxide gas is not released to the atmosphere before the permeation type coffee liquid extraction, but before the permeation type coffee liquid extraction, the release valve 73c is opened and the inside of the extraction container 9 is opened. It is preferable to release the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere by releasing the carbon dioxide gas released from the ground beans to the atmosphere.

At the time of the permeation type coffee liquid extraction in S17, only the stopper member 903 may be opened and once opened to the atmospheric pressure. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the air pressure in the extraction container 9 that has risen due to the carbon dioxide gas generated during the immersion type extraction. After performing this operation, the stopper member 913 may be opened and the solenoid valve 73b may be opened to extract the coffee liquid.

The determination of the end of the extraction process may be made based on the pressure change inside the extraction container 9 during the extraction process. For example, when the pressure drops below 1.7 atm in order to maintain 1.7 atm, pressurization is performed by opening and closing the solenoid valve 73b, and the time interval from pressurization to the next pressurization is less than half from the start of transmission. When becomes, it is determined that the transmission is completed, and the extraction process may be terminated. Further, the judgment may be made by increasing the number of pressurizations per unit time.

Here, the relationship between the reversing operation of S16 and the permeation type coffee liquor extraction of S17 will be described with reference to FIG. 23. When the extraction container 9 is in the upright position, ground beans are deposited from the body 90e to the bottom 90f. On the other hand, when the extraction container 9 is in the inverted position, the ground beans are deposited from the shoulder portion 90d to the neck portion 90b. The cross-sectional area SC11 of the body portion 90e is larger than the cross-sectional area SC12 of the neck portion 90b, and the deposited thickness H2 of the ground beans in the inverted posture is thicker than the deposited thickness H1 in the upright posture. That is, the ground beans are relatively thin and widely deposited when the extraction container 9 is in the upright position, and relatively thick and narrowly deposited in the inverted position.

In the case of the present embodiment, since the immersion type extraction of S14 is performed in a state where the extraction container 9 is in an upright posture, hot water and ground beans can be brought into contact with each other over a wide range, and the extraction efficiency of coffee liquid can be improved. However, in this case, the hot water and the ground beans tend to come into partial contact with each other. On the other hand, since the permeation type extraction of S17 is performed in the state where the extraction container 9 is in the inverted position, the hot water passes through the accumulated ground beans while in contact with more ground beans. The hot water comes into contact with the ground beans more evenly, and the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquor can be further improved.

In order to reduce the cross-sectional area of the internal space of the extraction container 9 on the opening 90a side, the neck portion 90b may be formed so as to have a shape that is gradually squeezed (continuously inclined) to the opening 90a. As described above, it is preferable that the neck portion 90b has a constant cross-sectional area for a certain length in the vertical direction. By doing so, the amount of hot water that permeates per unit volume of the ground beans can be made uniform, so that over-extraction can be prevented and the efficiency of extraction by the permeation method can be improved. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the extraction container 9 is not limited to the cylindrical shape, but may be a square cylinder shape or the like, but the coffee liquid can be extracted more uniformly by forming the cylindrical shape as in the present embodiment.

Further, since the hot water and the ground beans are agitated when the extraction container 9 is inverted, the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquor can be further improved. In the case of the present embodiment, since the shoulder portion 90d is formed between the body portion 90e and the neck portion 90b, the ground beans can be smoothly moved from the body portion 90e to the neck portion 90b at the time of inversion. ..

After depressurizing, the operation of shaking the extraction container 9 may be performed for the purpose of stirring in the extraction container 9. Specifically, for example, the operation of tilting and returning the extraction container 9 within a range of 30 degrees may be repeated a plurality of times. This shaking operation may be performed before the inversion of the extraction container 9 or after the inversion.

Further, in the present embodiment, the immersion type extraction is performed in S14 before the depressurization, but the immersion type extraction may be performed after the decompression. In this case, the processing of S14 may be deleted. The treatment of S14 may also be performed, and the immersion type extraction may be performed before and after the depressurization.

Further, in the present embodiment, as a method of reducing the pressure in S15, the inside of the extraction container 9 is released to the atmosphere, but the pressure is not limited to this, and the pressure is lower than the pressure in the extraction container 9 (atmospheric pressure or higher or lower than atmospheric pressure). ) May be adopted, such as a method of conducting electricity with the container. However, the method of the present embodiment is advantageous in terms of the temperature in the subsequent extraction, the temperature of the coffee beverage to be delivered, the ease of decompression, and the decompression width. Of course, the opening time of the release valve 73c may be adjusted so that the pressure after depressurization becomes a certain pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure (for example, 1.1 atm). The pressure after decompression may be set to a certain pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure (for example, 0.9 atm). Of course, the pressure after decompression may be set to atmospheric pressure.

Further, in order to bring the inside of the extraction container 9 into a high temperature and high pressure state, a method of injecting high temperature and high pressure hot water into the extraction container is adopted in this embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a method of injecting water or hot water having a temperature lower than a desired temperature into the extraction container 9 and then pressurizing and heating may be adopted.

Returning to FIG. 20, after the extraction process of S3, the discharge process of S4 is performed. Here, processing related to cleaning the inside of the extraction container 9 is performed. FIG. 22 is the flowchart thereof.

In S21, the extraction container 9 is inverted from the inverted posture to the upright posture. Here, first, the plug members 903 and 913 are closed. The holding member 801 is moved to the ascending position and the holding member 811 is moved to the descending position. Then, the support unit 81B is rotated. The lid unit 91 including the neck portion 90b and the filter 910 is located on the upper side. After that, the holding member 801 is returned to the descending position, and the holding member 811 is returned to the ascending position. The inside of the extraction container 9 can be cleaned without removing the filter 910. Further, the residue of the ground beans adhering to the filter 910 can be separated from the filter 910 by the vibration at the time of reversing of the extraction container 9 or the impact at the time of completing the reversing, and can be promoted to fall.

In S22, the plug member 913 is opened. The solenoid valve 73f is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 2500 ms). As a result, tap water (purified water) is injected into the extraction container 9. Although hot water in the water tank 72 can be used for cleaning, the continuous production performance of coffee beverages deteriorates when the hot water is consumed. Therefore, in this embodiment, tap water (purified water) is used. However, for cleaning, hot water from the water tank 72 or a detergent sent from a detergent tank (not shown) may be used.

In the present embodiment, there is a portion where the cross-sectional outer shape is constant near the end portion (neck portion 90b) on the filter 910 side. Therefore, when the cleaning water is injected into the extraction container 9, the water can flow along the wall surface of the extraction container 9, and the cleaning effect can be enhanced.

The inside of the extraction container 9 may be released to the atmosphere for a predetermined time (for example, 500 ms or the like) before water injection in S22 or inversion of S21. The residual pressure in the extraction container 9 can be released, and the water injection in S22 can be smoothly performed.

When the inside of the extraction container 9 is released to the atmosphere in this way, the inside of the extraction container 9 becomes 0 atm at the gauge pressure. Therefore, when water is injected, the plug member 913 may be automatically opened by water pressure. In this case, the process of opening the plug member 913 is unnecessary. When the plug member 913 is opened by water pressure, the balance between the force for returning the plug member 913 to the closed state and the water pressure makes it easier for water to flow along the inner wall surface of the extraction container 9, and the inside of the extraction container 9. Water is easily supplied to the whole.

In S23, the plug member 903 is opened. The switching valve 10a communicates the communication portion 810a of the operation unit 8 1C with the waste tank T. As a result, the pipe L3, the extraction container 9, and the waste tank T are in a communicating state. The solenoid valve 73b is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 1000 ms). As a result, the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized, and the water in the extraction container 9 is discharged to the waste tank T together with the residue of the ground beans. After that, the plug members 903 and 913 are closed and the process is completed.

Since the water used for cleaning is sent out from the communication hole 901a different from the communication hole 911a for sending out the coffee beverage, it is possible to prevent the communication hole 911a from becoming dirty.

The communication hole 901a may be larger than the communication hole 911a, which makes it easier to discharge the residue and the like. Further, the pressurization in the extraction container 9 may be started in the middle of the water injection in S22. This makes it possible to more effectively discharge water and residues in S23. For the pressurization in the extraction container 9, for example, by pressurizing to about 5 atm (4 atm in gauge pressure) at once, the residue can be discharged more vigorously, and water is blown up in the extraction container 9 to make the extraction container. Water can be supplied to every corner of the 9 to improve the cleaning capacity of the entire interior.

Further, after the processing of S23 is completed, the plug members 903 and 913 may not be closed but may be left open.

This completes one coffee beverage manufacturing process. After that, the same process is repeated for each manufacturing instruction. The time required for producing one coffee beverage is, for example, about 60 to 90 seconds.

<Second embodiment>
Another processing example relating to the cleaning of the extraction container 9 will be described.

<Discharge processing>
In the discharge treatment exemplified in FIG. 22, the water injection of S22 and S23 and the discharge of water and the residue are performed only once, but they may be performed a plurality of times. As a result, the inside of the extraction container 9 can be kept cleaner. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing an example of discharge processing instead of the discharge treatment of FIG. 22.

The processing of S21 to S23 in FIG. 25 is the same as the processing of S21 to S23 in FIG. After the process of S23, S24 determines whether or not the specified number of cleanings has been completed. The specified number of times is, for example, twice. If it is not completed, the process returns to S22 and the processes of S22 and S23 are executed again. If it is completed, one discharge process is completed.

In repeating the treatments of S22 and S23, the amount of water, the degree of pressurization, or the timing may be changed.

Further, the stopper member 903 may be closed when the water is injected in S22. In that case, water may be stored in the extraction container 9 to close the stopper member 913, and the reversing operation of the extraction container 9 may be performed once or a plurality of times. Thereby, the cleaning effect in the extraction container 9 can be improved. When the water injection treatment of S22 is performed a plurality of times as in the example of FIG. 25, such a reversing operation of the extraction container 9 may be performed in the second and subsequent water injection treatments. This is because the amount of the residue remaining in the extraction container 9 is large at the first time, and the scattering in the container is avoided.

<Re-cleaning process>
The extraction container 9 may be cleaned at a timing other than after the coffee liquid is extracted. For example, it can be in a standby state. Alternatively, it can be performed when the user instructs from the operation unit 12. The cleaning process of the extraction container 9 performed at a timing other than immediately after the coffee liquor is extracted in this way is called a re-cleaning process. FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing an example of the re-cleaning process.

In S31, water injection treatment is performed. This is the same process as in S22. In S32, the water injected in S31 is drained. This is the same process as S23. With the above, the processing of one unit is completed.

The stopper member 903 may be closed when the water is injected in S31. In the case of the discharge treatment of FIGS. 22 and 25, the plug member 903 may not be closed at the time of water injection, and the plug member 903 may be closed at the time of water injection only in the case of the re-cleaning treatment of FIG. 26. Alternatively, in the case of the discharge treatment of FIGS. 22 and 25, the plug member 903 is closed at the time of water injection, but the water injection amount may be different between the case of the discharge treatment and the case of the re-cleaning treatment. Further, the water injection amount may be instructed by the user from the operation unit 12.

Further, although the re-cleaning process is basically executed when the extraction container 9 is in the upright posture, the extraction container 9 may be inverted and executed in the inverted posture.

Further, after a certain period of time has passed from the production of the coffee beverage, the rewashing process using the hot water of the water tank 72 may be automatically performed. By performing this operation, the oil component of the coffee liquid that has cooled and solidified can be washed away in the flow path.

<Third embodiment>
Other configuration examples of the bean processing device 2 and the extraction device 3 will be described. In the following description, the same configurations as those of the first embodiment or the configurations having the same functions will be described with the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiments, omitting the description and focusing on different configurations or functions. do.

Similar to the first embodiment, in this embodiment as well, the extraction device 3 is arranged under the bean processing device 2, and the basic structure is common. The bean processing device 2 includes a storage device 4 and a crushing device 5. The crushing device 5 includes a grinding machine 5A for coarse grains, a grinding machine 5B for fine grains, and a separating device 6 for separating unnecessary substances from the ground beans among them.

The forming unit 6B of the separating device 6 and the grinding machine 5B are connected by a transport pipe 500 extending diagonally downward from the rear to the front. The ground beans from which unnecessary substances have been removed by the separating device 6 are supplied to the grinding machine 5B through the transport pipe 500 (substantially free fall).

The grinder 5B is provided with a nozzle type delivery pipe 501. The ground beans granulated by the grinder 5B are discharged through the delivery pipe 501. The delivery pipe 501 is arranged so that its outlet is located just above the opening 90a of the container body 90 when the container body 90 is located at the bean charging position. In the aspect of FIG. 27, the container body 90 is located at the extraction position, and the outlet of the delivery pipe 501 is located slightly above the front of the container body 90.

In the case of the present embodiment, the container body 90 at the extraction position is located at a position laterally displaced from directly below the grinding machine 5B. Therefore, the delivery pipe 501 is curved so that the ground beans are delivered to a position deviated from directly below the grinder 5B.

The main body 53 is provided with a gear 53b'that adjusts the particle size of the ground beans. The gear 53b'is operated by a particle size adjusting mechanism (not shown).

<Suction unit>
The configuration of the suction unit 6A will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28. FIG. 28 is a vertical sectional view of the suction unit 6A. The suction unit 6A of the present embodiment is a centrifugal separation type mechanism like the suction unit 6A of the first embodiment. The basic operation is the same. That is, the air in the recovery container 60B is exhausted upward by the blower unit 60A. As a result, air containing unnecessary substances from the forming unit 6B swirls around the exhaust stack 61b via the connecting portion 61c, and the unnecessary substances D fall into the recovery container 60B due to the weight thereof. As the air swirls around the exhaust stack 61b, the fins 61d accelerate the swirling of the air and the separation of the unwanted material D.

In the case of the present embodiment, the lower portion 62 of the recovery container 60B includes an upper curved portion 62A and a lower collecting portion 62B, which are separably engaged with each other. The curved portion 62A is a cylindrical body that extends downward from the upper portion 61 and then bends forward.

The recovery portion 62B is a straight bottomed cylinder without bending, and is fitted to the lower end of the curved portion 62A. Therefore, the recovery unit 62B is attached so as to be inclined downward from the rear to the front. Unwanted material D is collected in a part of the recovery unit 62B (accumulated on the bottom). When disposing of the unnecessary object D, the collecting portion 62B is removed from the curved portion 62A. At that time, since the collection unit 62B may be pulled out forward and downward, it is easy for the user to remove the collection unit 62B from the front of the device.

The upper portion 61 of the collection container 60B preferably extends in the vertical direction for centrifugation. By providing the curved portion 62A, both the centrifugal separation performance and the ease of attachment / detachment of the recovery portion 62B can be achieved.

The lower portion 62 of the collection container 60B may have a transmissive portion whose inside can be visually recognized from the outside. Alternatively, the curved portion 62A may be a non-permeable member, and only the recovery portion 62B may be a transparent member. In either case, the user can visually confirm the accumulated amount of the unnecessary substance D.

<Chubu unit>
The configuration of the central unit 8B, particularly the configuration in which the container body 90 is moved in the horizontal direction, and the like will be described with reference to FIGS. 27, 29, and 30. FIG. 29 is a partial perspective view of the horizontal movement mechanism included in the central unit 8B, and FIG. 30 is a partial perspective view of the arm member 820.

Similar to the first embodiment, the arm member 820 includes a holding member 820a and a pair of left and right shaft members 820b. The pair of shaft members 820b is guided and supported by the unit body 81B'so as to be movable back and forth. In this embodiment, the number of shaft members 820b is two, but it may be one or three or more.

Racks 820c are provided at the rear ends of the pair of shaft members 820b, respectively. In this rack 820c, pinions driven by a motor 823 (FIG. 17) mesh with each other, and the arm member 820 moves in the front-rear direction due to the rotation of the pinions. The range of movement can be limited by the front and rear ends of the rack 820c interfering with other configurations (for example, the disk portion on the front side of the unit body 81B'). In the present embodiment, the arm member 820 is horizontally moved by the rack-pinion mechanism, but another drive mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism may be used.

The holding member 820a is fixed to the front end portion of the pair of shaft members 820b. Similar to the first embodiment, the holding member 820a is an elastic member such as a resin, and holds the container body 90 by its elastic force. The container body 90 is manually attached to and detached from the holding member 820a, and the container body 90 is attached to the holding member 820a by pressing the container body 90 against the holding member 820a in the front-rear direction and rearward. Further, the container body 90 can be separated from the holding member 820a by pulling out the container body 90 from the holding member 820a to the front side in the front-rear direction.

The holding member 820a constitutes an annular frame including a bottom BP, left and right side SPs, an upper UP, and left and right locking portions EP. By forming the holding member 820a into an annular frame, it is possible to secure high strength as a whole while allowing elastic deformation thereof.

The bottom BP has a C-shape with the front side open in a plan view, and the container body 90 is mounted on the bottom BP. The left and right side portions SP extend upward from the left and right end portions on the rear side of the bottom BP, and are fixed to the front end portions of the pair of shaft members 820b. In the state where the container body 90 is held, the left and right side SPs are located behind the side of the container body 90. The upper UP is formed so as to connect between the upper ends of the left and right side SPs, and in the case of the present embodiment, it has an upward convex arch shape. In the state where the container body 90 is held, the upper UP is located behind the container body 90, and the arch portion slightly overlaps the shoulder portion 90d. As a result, the container body 90 is prevented from being inadvertently displaced upward.

The left and right locking portions EP extend forward and upward from the upper ends of the left and right side SPs, and are slightly inward. In the state where the container body 90 is held, the left and right locking portions EP are located from the side to the front side of the container body 90, and the tip portion thereof presses the neck portion 90b from the front side. As a result, the container body 90 is prevented from falling off from the holding member 820a to the front side.

As described above, the holding member 820a of the present embodiment is configured so that the front side of the container body 90 can be easily visually recognized from the front while the container body 90 is held, so that the user can easily confirm the operation of the container body 90. .. Further, when the whole or a part of the container body 90 has a permeating portion, the inside thereof can be easily seen from the front, and the extraction status of the coffee liquid can be easily visually recognized.

A roller RL is provided on the rear side of the unit main body 81B'. The roller RL is adapted to slide on a circular edge provided on the main body frame when the unit main body 81B'rotates. Three roller RLs may be provided at every 120 degrees or four at every 90 degrees along the circumference of the unit main body 81B'. Regardless of the rotation angle of the unit body 81B', at least one of the roller RLs supports its weight by the circular edge of the body frame. By making the distance from the roller RL to the holding member 820a shorter than the distance from the portion supported behind the unit main body 81B', it is possible to reduce the bending in the vertical direction.

<Storage device>
<Canister and its detachable structure (first example)>
The storage device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 31 to 34. In this embodiment, the canister 40 is configured as a detachable cartridge to the holder unit 43. Thereby, for example, the type of roasted coffee beans can be exchanged easily and quickly. 31 is an exploded perspective view of the canister 40, FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view of a tubular portion of the canister 40, FIG. 33 is an operation explanatory view of components of the canister 40, and FIG. 34 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the canister 40 in a mounted state. ..

The holder unit 43 includes a plurality of mounting portions 44. One canister 40 is detachably mounted on one mounting portion 44. In the case of this embodiment, the holder unit 43 includes three mounting portions 44. Therefore, three canisters 40 can be mounted at the same time. When distinguishing between the three canisters 40, they are referred to as canisters 40A, 40B and 40C.

The canister 40 of the present embodiment is an elongated hollow bean container for accommodating roasted coffee beans. The canister 40 includes each member of the cylinder portion 401, the lid portion 402, the connection portion 403, the packing 404, the outlet forming portion 405, and the outlet opening / closing portion 408.

The tubular portion 401 has a cylindrical shape with both ends open, and defines a storage space for roasted coffee beans. Both ends of the tube portion 401 form a mouth through which roasted coffee beans can enter and exit. The mouth of the end of the cylinder portion 401 on the lid portion 402 side is a mouth through which the roasted coffee beans do not pass when the roasted coffee beans move from the canister 40 into the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 (to the conveyor 41). This is the mouth through which the roasted coffee beans pass when the lid portion 402 is opened to replenish the roasted coffee beans.

In the case of the present embodiment, the tubular portion 401 is formed of a transparent member. As a result, the remaining amount of the roasted coffee beans contained can be visually recognized from the outside. A scale SC extends parallel to the axial direction of the peripheral wall of the tubular portion 401. The scale SC is formed with a scale that serves as a guide for the remaining amount of roasted coffee beans. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 32, the scale SC also functions as a connecting portion for connecting the end portions of the plate-shaped material forming the tubular portion 401.

A cylindrical connecting portion 403 is fitted to one end of the tubular portion 401 via an annular packing 404. The packing 404 seals between the flange portion of the connecting portion 403 and the end edge of the tubular portion 401, but may be omitted. A female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the connecting portion 403. The lid portion 402 is formed with a male screw to be screwed on the female screw, and is detachable from the connection portion 403. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 27, with the canister 40 mounted on the mounting portion 44, the lid portion 402 can be turned and removed to replenish the roasted coffee beans.

The lid portion 402 has a hemispherical shell shape and closes one end of the tubular portion 401. A plurality of recesses are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lid portion 402 in the circumferential direction, so that the user can easily turn the lid portion 402 with his / her finger.

The outlet forming portion 405 is fixed to the other end portion of the tubular portion 401 by adhesion or the like. The outlet forming portion 405 is a cup-shaped member that opens upward, and an outlet 405a is formed on the peripheral wall thereof. The outlet 405a is a mouth through which roasted coffee beans can enter and exit, and the roasted coffee beans housed in the tubular portion 401 can be discharged to the outside from the outlet 405a. That is, the outlet 405a is a port through which the roasted coffee beans pass when the roasted coffee beans move from the canister 40 into the beverage manufacturing device 1 (to the conveyor 41), and is a port for supplying beans to the crushing device 5. Is.

A protrusion 405b is also formed in the outlet forming portion 405, and protrudes to the outside of the peripheral wall of the cylinder portion 401 through the opening portion 401a of the cylinder portion 401. The protrusion 405b is marked with a mark indicating the mounting direction of the canister 40 with respect to the mounting portion 44.

The outlet forming portion 405 is also formed with a detection piece 405c extending downward from the protrusion 405b, and the detection piece 405c also projects to the outside of the peripheral wall of the tubular portion 401 through the opening 401a. The detection piece 405c is used to detect whether or not the canister 40 is mounted on the mounting portion 44.

A coil spring 407 is provided at the bottom of the outlet forming portion 405. Further, a fixing member 406 is assembled to the bottom of the outlet forming portion 405. FIG. 31 shows a state in which the fixing member 406 is assembled to the outlet forming portion 405, but in reality, after the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is attached to the outlet forming portion 405, the outlet forming portion 405 and the fixing member 406 are attached. Then, the fixing member 406 is assembled to the outlet forming portion 405 so as to sandwich the outlet opening / closing portion 408.

The outlet opening / closing portion 408 is a cup-shaped member that opens upward to receive the outlet forming portion 405, and constitutes a lid mechanism or a lid member that opens / closes the outlet 405a. An opening 408a is formed on the peripheral wall of the outlet opening / closing portion 408. When the opening 408a overlaps with the outlet 405a, the outlet 405a is opened, and when the peripheral wall of the outlet opening / closing portion 408 overlaps with the outlet 405a, the outlet 405a is closed. That is, the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is rotatably mounted on the outlet forming portion 405 with respect to the outlet forming portion 405 around the central axis of the tubular portion 401. In the case of the present embodiment, the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is operated by a mechanism on the mounting portion 44 side, which will be described later, to open / close the outlet 405a.

A tubular portion 408b projecting downward is provided at the bottom of the outlet opening / closing portion 408, and the space 408b'inside the tubular portion 408b forms a recess in which the coil spring 407 is arranged. The fixing member 406 described above is assembled to the outlet forming portion 405 by inserting the tubular portion 408b. The coil spring 407 constantly urges the outlet opening / closing portion 408 in a direction away from the outlet forming portion 405.

A protrusion 408c is formed around the tubular portion 408b, and a notch 408d with which the claw portion 406a formed on the fixing member 406 is engaged is formed below the protrusion 408c.

The rotation restricted state and the rotation allowable state of the outlet opening / closing portion 408 will be described with reference to FIG. 33. FIG. 33 shows a state in which the outlet forming portion 405, the outlet opening / closing portion 408, and the fixing member 406 are assembled.

The state ST11 shows a view of the outlet forming portion 405, the outlet opening / closing portion 408, and the like in a state where the canister 40 is not attached to the mounting portion 44 as viewed from two directions. The claw portion 406a is engaged with the notch 408d, and the rotation of the outlet opening / closing portion 408 with respect to the outlet forming portion 405 around the central axis of the tubular portion 401 is restricted. Exit 405a is closed. Due to the urging of the coil spring 407, the outlet forming portion 405 is urged in the direction away from the outlet opening / closing portion 408 as shown by the arrow. As a result, the engagement between the notch 408d and the claw portion 406a is strongly maintained. As described above, the notch 408d and the claw portion 406a function as a regulating mechanism for restricting the outlet opening / closing portion 408 from opening the outlet 405a when the canister 40 is not mounted on the mounting portion 44.

The state ST12 shows a view of the outlet forming portion 405, the outlet opening / closing portion 408, and the like in a state where the canister 40 is mounted on the mounting portion 44 as viewed from two directions. The mounting portion 44 is provided with a contact portion (shutter portion 443 described later) that comes into contact with the outlet opening / closing portion 408, and by mounting the canister 40 on the mounting portion 44, the outlet is opened / closed against the urgency of the coil spring 407. As indicated by the arrow, the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is relatively displaced toward the outlet opening / closing portion 408.

As a result, the notch 408d is separated from the claw portion 406a, and the engagement between the two is released. It is permissible for the outlet opening / closing portion 408 to rotate with respect to the outlet forming portion 405 around the central axis of the tubular portion 401. In the state ST 12 of FIG. 33, the outlet 405a is in the closed state, but the outlet 405a can be opened by rotating the outlet opening / closing portion 408.

FIG. 34 is a vertical cross-sectional view including the peripheral structure of the canister 40 in a state of being mounted on the mounting portion 44. The mounting portion 44 includes a cup-shaped main body portion 441 into which the end portion of the canister 40 is inserted. The front side of the main body portion 441 is open upward, and the end portion of the tubular portion 401 of the canister 40, the outlet forming portion 405, and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are housed therein, and the rear side thereof is in a grid pattern (rib shape). It is formed.

A groove 441a with which the protrusion 405b is engaged is formed on the edge of the peripheral wall of the main body portion 441. A sensor 441b for detecting the detection piece 405c is arranged adjacent to the groove 441a. The sensor 441b is, for example, a photo interrupter, and when the sensor 441b detects the detection piece 405c, the processing unit 11a recognizes that the canister 40 is mounted. If the sensor 441b does not detect the detection piece 405c, the processing unit 11a recognizes that the canister 40 is not mounted.

A receiving portion 442 for receiving roasted coffee beans from the canister 40 is also formed on the peripheral wall of the main body portion 441. In the case of the present embodiment, the receiving portion 442 is an opening communicating with the inside of the conveyor 41. The roasted coffee beans discharged from the outlet 405a of the canister 40 are guided to the conveyor 41 through the receiving unit 442.

A shutter portion 443, which is a member having a cup shape that fits the outer shape of the outlet opening / closing portion 408, is provided in the main body portion 441. The shutter portion 443 is rotatably supported in the main body portion 441 around the central axis of the canister 40, and opens and closes the receiving portion 442. In the case of the present embodiment, a plurality of rollers 441d are arranged in the circumferential direction on the peripheral wall of the main body portion 441 (see FIG. 27). An opening is formed in the peripheral wall of the main body portion 441 to expose the roller 441d to the inside. The roller 441d is rotatably supported around an axis parallel to the radial direction of the canister 40. The outer peripheral surface of the shutter portion 443 abuts on a plurality of rollers 441d inside the main body portion 441 and is rotatably supported.

When the canister 40 is not attached, the shutter portion 443 closes the receiving portion 442 to prevent foreign matter from entering the conveyor 41. FIG. 34 shows a state in which the shutter unit 443 closes the receiving unit 442. After the canister 40 is mounted, the shutter portion 443 can be rotated by driving the motor 41a to open the receiving portion 442.

The shutter portion 443 is attached to the rotating member 444. The rotating member 444 operates and rotates the outlet opening / closing portion 408 to open / close the outlet 405a. The rotating member 444 is connected to the drive shaft 445. The drive shaft 445 is arranged so as to be positioned coaxially with the central axis of the canister 40 when it is mounted, and is one of the elements for transmitting the drive force of the motor 41a to the rotating member 444. The rotating member 444 is a cylindrical member that opens upward on the front side. A groove 444a is formed at the edge of the peripheral wall of the rotating member 444, and the protrusion 408c of the outlet opening / closing portion 408 engages with the groove 444a. By this engagement, when the rotating member 444 is rotated, the outlet opening / closing portion 408 also rotates, and the outlet 405a is opened / closed. FIG. 34 shows a state in which the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is in a closed state of the outlet 405a.

With the above configuration, the shutter portion 443 closes the receiving portion 442 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 closes the outlet 405a due to the rotation of the rotating member 444 (the state of FIG. 34, which is referred to as a closed state). The shutter unit 443 opens the receiving unit 442, and the outlet opening / closing unit 408 opens the outlet 405a (a state in which roasted coffee beans are supplied into the apparatus, which is called an open state). The state of the storage device 4 can be switched. These states can be recognized by the processing unit 11a by detecting the rotational position of the shutter unit 443 with a sensor (not shown) (feedback control). As another example, a stepping motor may be used as the motor 41a, and the state of the storage device 4 may be recognized and switched by the controlled amount (number of steps) (open loop control).

The drive shaft 445 is provided with a bevel gear 445a, and the bevel gear 445a meshes with the bevel gear 445b provided on the drive shaft 46.

The drive shaft 46 is provided with a gear 45b that meshes with a pinion gear 45a provided on the output shaft of the motor 41a, and is rotated by the drive of the motor 41a. A one-way clutch 445c is interposed between the drive shaft 46 and the bevel gear 445b. The one-way clutch 445c transmits only the rotation of the drive shaft 46 in one direction to the bevel gear 445b. That is, when the motor 41a is rotated in one direction, the driving force of the motor 41a is transmitted to the rotating member 444 by the path of the bevel gear 445b, the bevel gear 445a, and the drive shaft 445. Is not transmitted when rotated in the opposite opposite direction.

The conveyor 41 is a transport mechanism for transporting roasted coffee beans from the canister 40. In the case of the present embodiment, the conveyor 41 is provided not on the canister 40 side but on the mounting portion 44 side. That is, the conveyor 41 is provided so that the canister 40 remains on the mounting portion 44 side when the canister 40 is removed from the mounting portion 44. A configuration in which the canister 40 and the conveyor 41 are integrated can be adopted, but by configuring the canister 40 as a separate body as in the present embodiment, the canister 40 can be simplified and reduced in weight.

The screw shaft of the conveyor 41 is connected to the drive shaft 46 via a one-way clutch 47a. The drive transmission direction of the one-way clutch 47a is opposite to that of the one-way clutch 445c. That is, when the motor 41a is rotated in the other direction, the driving force of the motor 41a is transmitted to the screw shaft 47 and the roasted coffee beans are conveyed, but when the motor 41a is rotated in the opposite direction. Is not transmitted.

In this way, in the present embodiment, the rotation of the rotating member 444 (that is, the rotation of the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408) and the rotation of the screw shaft 47 are exclusively performed by switching the rotation direction of the motor 41a in the forward and reverse directions. be able to.

A control example of the processing unit 11a relating to the mounting and dismounting of the canister 40 will be described. When the canister 40 is mounted on the mounting portion 44 by the user, this is detected by the sensor 441b. The processing unit 11a drives the motor 41a to open the shutter unit 443 and the outlet opening / closing unit 408. The protrusion 408c engages with the stopper 441c provided on the inner peripheral wall of the main body portion 441 in the axial direction of the canister 40, and the canister 40 does not fall off from the mounting portion 44 even if the user releases his / her hand. In other words, the protrusion 408c functions as a regulating portion that regulates that the canister 40 is removed from the mounting portion 44 when the outlet opening / closing portion 408 opens the outlet 405a. This makes it possible to prevent the canister 40 from being removed and the roasted coffee beans in the canister 40 from spilling while the outlet 405a is open.

Since the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are opened, the roasted coffee beans in the canister 40 are introduced into the conveyor 41 through the receiving portion 442. Wait in this state.

During the production of coffee beverages, the motor 41a is driven to rotate and stop the screw shaft 47. As a result, the roasted coffee beans are transported to the collective transport path 42. The amount of roasted coffee beans used for producing coffee beverages is automatically measured by the amount of rotation of the screw shaft 47. If you want to produce coffee beverages by blending a plurality of roasted coffee beans in one coffee beverage production, change the ratio of the amount transported by the conveyor 41 to the collective transport path 42 between the canisters 40. May be good. Thereby, the ground beans in which a plurality of types of roasted coffee beans are blended can be supplied to the extraction container 9.

When replacing the canister 40, the user gives a replacement instruction from the operation unit 12. The processing unit 11a drives the motor 41a to return the shutter unit 443 and the outlet opening / closing unit 408 to the closed state. The user can remove the canister 40 from the mounting portion 44.

<Canister and its detachable structure (second example)>
The canister 40 and the mounting portion 44 of the second example, which are partially different from the canister 40 and the mounting portion 44 of the first example described with reference to FIGS. 31 to 34, will be described with reference to FIGS. 35 to 47. Of the configurations of the second example, the configurations having the same functions as the first example or the configurations having the same functions are given the same reference numerals as the configurations in the first example, and the explanations are omitted, focusing on different configurations or functions. To explain to.

35 to 37 show external views of the canister 40 and the mounting portion 44 of the second example as viewed from multiple directions. It has been explained that the rear side of the main body portion 441 of the mounting portion 44 of the first example is formed in a grid pattern (rib shape), but the structure is the same as that of the main body portion 441 of the second example, and the structure thereof is shown in the figure. It is understood from 36 mag. The rear side of the main body portion 441 is composed of a plurality of ribs 441e, and the rotating member 444 and the like inside thereof can be visually recognized.

The rotating member 444 has two detection pieces 444b separated by 180 degrees in the circumferential direction thereof. Two sensors 441f such as a photo interrupter are provided, and these detect two detection pieces 444b. The processing unit 11a recognizes the rotation position of the rotating member 444 based on the detection result of the sensor 441f. That is, it recognizes whether the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 described in the first example are in the closed state or the open state.

FIG. 38 is a vertical cross-sectional view including the peripheral structure of the canister 40 in a state of being mounted on the mounting portion 44. The structure of the second example is basically the same as that of the first example, but the elastically deformed portion 405d is formed on the peripheral wall of the outlet forming portion 405 at the peripheral edge of the outlet 405a. The elastically deformed portion 405 d is a portion formed by inserting a slit parallel to the peripheral wall of the outlet forming portion 405 from the peripheral edge of the outlet 405a, and is configured to be more easily deformed than the surrounding portion. The function of the elastically deformed portion 405d will be described later.

In the second example, the configuration related to the rotation regulation and the rotation allowance of the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is different from the first example. This point will be described with reference to FIGS. 39 and 40. The state ST1 of FIG. 39 shows the case where the outlet opening / closing part 408 is in the rotation restricted state, and the state ST22 of FIG. 39 shows the case where the outlet opening / closing part 408 is in the rotation allowable state. Further, FIG. 40 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 39, and the states ST21 and ST22 in the figure correspond to the states ST21 and ST22 in FIG. 39.

In the second example, the coil spring spring 407 of the outlet forming portion 405 and the claw portion 406a of the fixing member 406 in the first example are not provided, and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is in the axial direction of the tubular portion 401 with respect to the outlet forming portion 405. It is not a configuration that is relatively displaced to, but only relative rotation is possible around this axis.

The scale SC of the second example has a groove GR in which the slider 409 is incorporated. The slider 409 is configured by fastening a member on the front side and a member on the back side of the scale SC with two bolts, and is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the scale SC along the groove GR. The slider 409 has a protrusion 405b'and a detection piece 405c' as a configuration corresponding to the protrusion 405b and the detection piece 405c of the first example. The slider 409 also has a grip portion NB for the user to grip with a fingertip.

The slider 409 has a convex portion 409a that can be engaged with any of the concave portions CT1 and CT2 formed in the scale SC. The slider 409 is slidable between a first position where the convex portion 409a engages the concave portion CT1 and a second position where the convex portion 409a engages the concave portion CT2. The state ST21 and the state ST22 indicate the state in which the slider 409 is located in the first position, and the state ST23 in FIG. 40 indicates the state in which the slider 409 is located in the second position. The slider 409 is basically located in the first position and is manually slid to the second position when the roasted coffee beans are disengaged, which will be described later.

A cylindrical support portion SC'opened on the exit forming portion 405 side is fixed to the end portion of the scale SC of the second example. The support portion SC'supports the coil spring spring 407 of the first example, the coil spring spring 407'instead of the claw portion 406a, and the movable member 406a'. A notch 408d'instead of the notch 408d of the first example is formed at the end edge of the outlet opening / closing portion 408. As shown in the state ST21, by engaging the movable member 406a'with the notch 408d', the rotation of the outlet opening / closing portion 408 with respect to the outlet forming portion 405 around the central axis of the tubular portion 401 is restricted. At this time, the outlet 405a is in the closed state. The coil spring 407'constantly urges the movable member 406a'to the notch 408d' side. As a result, the engagement between the notch 408d'and the movable member 406a' is strongly maintained. As described above, the notch 408d'and the movable member 406a' function as a regulating mechanism for restricting the outlet opening / closing portion 408 from opening the outlet 405a when the canister 40 is not mounted on the mounting portion 44.

When the canister 40 is mounted on the mounting portion 44, as shown in the state ST22, the movable member 406a'abuts on the end edge of the shutter portion 443 and is pushed into the support portion SC'against the urging of the coil spring 407'. Is done. As a result, the engagement between the movable member 406a'and the notch 408d' is released, and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is allowed to rotate with respect to the outlet forming portion 405 around the central axis of the tubular portion 401.

A control example of the processing unit 11a relating to mounting and dismounting of the canister 40 in the second example will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 38 to 41. When the canister 40 is mounted on the mounting portion 44 by the user, the movable member 406a'abuts on the edge of the shutter portion 443, whereby the engagement between the movable member 406a'and the notch 408d'is disengaged ( State ST22 state).

The mounting of the canister 40 is detected by the sensor 441b, and the processing unit 11a drives the motor 41a to open the shutter unit 443 and the outlet opening / closing unit 408. The state ST31 in FIG. 41 shows the case where the outlet opening / closing part 408 is in the closed state, and the state ST32 illustrates the case where the exit opening / closing part 408 shifts from the state ST31 to the open state.

When the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are in the open state, the protrusion 408c engages with the stopper 441c provided on the inner peripheral wall of the main body portion 441 in the axial direction of the canister 40, and the canister even if the user releases his / her hand. 40 does not fall off from the mounting portion 44. In other words, the protrusion 408c functions as a regulating portion that regulates that the canister 40 is removed from the mounting portion 44 when the outlet opening / closing portion 408 opens the outlet 405a. This makes it possible to prevent the canister 40 from being removed and the roasted coffee beans in the canister 40 from spilling while the outlet 405a is open.

Since the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are opened, the roasted coffee beans in the canister 40 are introduced into the conveyor 41 through the receiving portion 442. Wait in this state.

During the production of coffee beverages, the motor 41a is driven to rotate and stop the screw shaft 47. As a result, the roasted coffee beans are transported to the collective transport path 42. The amount of roasted coffee beans used for producing coffee beverages is automatically measured by the amount of rotation of the screw shaft 47.

A bean remaining amount detection sensor SR is provided at the base of the receiving unit 442. The bean remaining amount detection sensor SR is, for example, a transmissive sensor (photointerruptor). If the coffee beverage is produced a predetermined number of times (for example, for two cups) after it is detected that there are no beans at this position, it may be notified that the contents of the canister 40 are empty.

When replacing the canister 40, for example, the user gives a replacement instruction from the operation unit 12. The processing unit 11a drives the motor 41a to return the shutter unit 443 and the outlet opening / closing unit 408 to the closed state. The state ST33 in FIG. 41 shows a state in which the exit opening / closing portion 408 is in the process of returning to the closed state from the state ST32.

When the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are closed, the protrusion 408c and the stopper 441c are disengaged, and the user can remove the canister 40 from the mounting portion 44. When the canister 40 is removed from the mounting portion 44, the movable member 406a'again engages with the notch 408d' due to the urging of the coil spring 407'(state ST21). As a result, the rotation of the outlet opening / closing portion 408 with respect to the outlet forming portion 405 around the central axis of the tubular portion 401 is restricted again, and the roasted coffee beans remaining in the canister 40 may be inadvertently spilled from the outlet 405a. Be prevented.

<Countermeasures against biting>
When the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are returned from the open state to the closed state, the degree of exposure (opening area) of the outlet 405a gradually narrows as it overlaps with the peripheral wall of the outlet opening / closing portion 408. Below the broken line in FIG. 41, the change in the degree of exposure of the outlet 405a is shown in the process of returning the outlet opening / closing portion 408 from the open state to the closed state.

The edge ED1 of the peripheral wall defining the outlet 405a of the outlet forming portion 405 and the peripheral edge ED2 of the peripheral wall defining the opening 408a of the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are both bulging in a direction facing each other. The shape is such that the width of the outlet 405a is widened on the cylinder portion 401 side. As a result, the roasted coffee beans located between the edge ED1 and the edge ED2 are easily extruded toward the cylinder portion 401, and the beans are less likely to be bitten at a plurality of points. The edges ED1 and ED2 may not be inflated, but may be in a straight line shape, and the width of the outlet 405a may be widened on the tubular portion 401 side.

Since the end of the edge ED1 is formed by the elastically deformed portion 405d, the roasted coffee beans are elastically deformed when the roasted coffee beans are about to be bitten between the elastically deformed portion 405d and the edge ED2 immediately before the outlet 405a is closed. The part 405d is deformed and the beans are easily flipped. This makes it possible to further prevent the roasted coffee beans from being bitten.

Next, a control example related to prevention of biting of roasted coffee beans will be described. 42 to 44 are radial cross-sectional views of the canister 40, illustrating the state of the roasted coffee beans contained. 42 to 44 illustrate the control from mounting to dismounting of the canister 40.

FIG. 42 shows a state immediately after the canister 40 is mounted on the mounting portion 44. The shutter unit 443 and the outlet opening / closing unit 408 are in the closed state. FIG. 43 shows a state in which the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are switched from the state of FIG. 42 to the open state. The outlet 405a and the receiving portion 442 are opened, and the roasted coffee beans flow out into the conveyor 41.

FIG. 44 shows a state in which the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are returned to the closed state again. Before the outlet 405a is completely closed, the rotation of the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is once stopped. A part of the outlet 405a is closed, and for example, the outlet 405a is opened to the extent that one roasted coffee bean can pass through. When the motor 41a is a stepping motor, the opening degree of the outlet 405a can be controlled by the control amount (number of steps).

In this state, the conveyor 41 is driven to remove the roasted coffee beans from the periphery of the receiving unit 442. After that, the conveyor 41 is stopped, the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are all closed, and the closed state is completely returned. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the roasted coffee beans from being bitten.

As shown in FIGS. 42 to 44, the cross-sectional shapes of the edges of the outlet forming portion 405, the outlet opening / closing portion 408, and the shutter portion 443 have a wedge shape or a tapered shape. Since the contact area between the roasted coffee beans and the edge is small, it contributes to the prevention of biting.

Further, as shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 34 and 38, the space around the receiving portion 442 has a larger volume on the front side than on the rear side. As a result, when the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are returned from the open state to the closed state, a larger space around the outlet 405a that gradually narrows can be secured, and the biting of roasted coffee beans can be prevented. By narrowing the rear side, the amount of roasted coffee beans remaining here can be reduced, and when the conveyor 41 is driven in the state of FIG. 44, the roasted coffee beans carried out by the conveyor 41 (for example, discarded). ) Can be reduced.

45 to 47 are also radial cross-sectional views of the canister 40, exemplifying the state of the roasted coffee beans to be contained. FIGS. 45 to 47 illustrate a case where a relatively large amount of roasted coffee beans remains in the receiving portion 442 and the canister 40, and the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are returned from the open state to the closed state. There is.

FIG. 45 shows a case where the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are in the open state. A relatively large amount of roasted coffee beans are retained near the outlet 405a and the receiving portion 442.

FIG. 46 shows a state in which the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are returned to the closed state. Similar to the example of FIG. 44, the rotation of the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 is once stopped before the outlet 405a is completely closed. In this state, the conveyor 41 is driven to remove the roasted coffee beans from the periphery of the receiving unit 442. After that, the conveyor 41 is stopped, and the shutter portion 443 and the outlet opening / closing portion 408 are completely returned to the closed state. However, as shown in FIG. 47, roasted coffee beans may be bitten.

The processing unit 11a notifies the user of the occurrence of biting, for example, when it is not confirmed that the shutter unit 443 and the outlet opening / closing unit 408 have returned to the closed state within a predetermined time. The biting of roasted coffee beans can often be eliminated by slightly widening the outlet 405a. Therefore, the outlet forming portion 405 (cylinder portion 401) may be manually turned slightly to widen the outlet 405a a little. However, when the canister 40 is mounted on the mounting portion 44, the outlet forming portion 405 (cylinder portion 401) cannot be manually rotated due to the engagement between the protrusion 405b'and the groove 441a.

Therefore, as shown in the state ST23 of FIG. 40, the user manually slides the slider 409 to the second position. As a result, the protrusion 405b'is disengaged from the groove 441a, and the engagement between the two is disengaged. The outlet forming portion 405 (cylinder portion 401) can be manually rotated to eliminate the biting. After that, the user manually returns the slider 409 to the first position and instructs the operation unit 12 to restart the operation to the closed state. The processing unit 11a drives the motor 41a to completely return the shutter unit 443 and the outlet opening / closing unit 408 to the closed state.

<Receiving section and collective transport path>
The storage device 4 may be provided with a receiving unit at a portion different from the mounting unit 44, in addition to the receiving unit 442 for each mounting unit 44. The configuration example will be described again with reference to FIG. 27.

In the example of FIG. 27, a receiving unit 42c separate from the receiving unit 442 is provided. The receiving portion 42c is an opening formed in the front wall portion of the collective transport path 42. The user can put the roasted coffee beans from the receiving portion 42c into the collecting transport path 42 by hand or by using a funnel-shaped device. The added roasted coffee beans are supplied to the crushing device 5 from the discharge port 42b by their own weight, and the coffee beverage can be produced.

The receiving unit 42c can be used, for example, when producing a coffee beverage using special roasted coffee beans that are not housed in the canister 40. The manufacturing process program used for producing such a special cup of coffee beverage may be selectable or may be a manufacturing process program that operates under the manufacturing conditions set by the user.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the receiving unit 442 that receives the supply of roasted coffee beans from the canister 40 and the receiving unit 42c that individually receives the supply of roasted coffee beans are provided, so that the receiving unit 442 of the same type is provided. While ensuring the mass productivity of coffee beverages, the receiving unit 42c can provide the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 that can meet individual needs.

In the case of the present embodiment, the supply path RT1 (see FIG. 34 as well as FIG. 27) from the receiving section 442 to the crushing device 5 (particularly the coarse grain grinding machine 5A) is more than the receiving section 42c to the crushing device 5 (particularly the coarse grain grinding machine 5A). The supply path RT2 to the grinder 5A) has a shorter path length. When the roasted coffee beans are thrown in from the receiving portion 42c, they generally fall directly to the discharge port 42b and are supplied to the crushing device 5. This makes it possible to more reliably supply the entire amount of the roasted coffee beans that have been added to the crushing device 5, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of waste of beans and measurement errors. The supply route RT2 is a route that joins in the middle of the supply route RT1. The structure can be simplified rather than a configuration that forms completely independent paths.

The conveyor 41 does not exist on the supply path RT2, and therefore the roasted coffee beans charged from the receiving unit 42c are not automatically weighed. Therefore, the user can freely weigh and add a desired amount of roasted coffee beans from the receiving unit 42c to produce a coffee beverage. However, it is also possible to provide a mechanism for automatically weighing roasted coffee beans on the supply path RT2.

The front wall of the collective transport path 42 of the present embodiment is inclined forward and upward, and is arranged in an inclined posture as a whole. By tilting, the receiving portion 42c can easily receive the roasted coffee beans, and the roasted coffee beans conveyed from the conveyor 41 can also be directed to the crushing device 5.

Since the receiving portion 42c is an opening, it is possible to visually inspect the state of the conveyor 41 via the receiving portion 42c. That is, the receiving unit 42c can also be used as an inspection window.

Hereinafter, another example of the collective transport path 42 and the receiving portion 42c will be described.

In the example of FIG. 48, two receiving portions 42c are provided. In this way, a plurality of receiving portions 42c may be provided. One receiving portion 42c is provided with a lid 42d configured to be openable and closable by a hinge 42e. When not in use, the receiving portion 42 can be closed with the lid 42d to prevent foreign matter from entering the collective transport path 42. The portion where the hinge 42e is provided may be any of the upper side, the lower side, the back side, and the front side of the lid 42d. The other receiving portion 42c is formed by a hopper-shaped pipe member 42f.

The pipe member 42f may be separable from the collective transport path 42 as shown in FIG. 49. The opening 42g is a hole for mounting the pipe member 42f. The opening 42g can also be used as an inspection hole for visually inspecting the inside of the collective transport path 42 and the conveyor 41. FIG. 49 also illustrates a lid 42d with left and right wall portions. By providing the left and right walls, it is difficult to spill on the side of the lid 42d when the roasted coffee beans are opened and put in. What is visually visible through the receiving section 42c is not only the state of the conveyor 41, but also the state of the roasted coffee beans received from the receiving section 442 and the roasted coffee beans received from the receiving section 442 into the machine. Check the state of being sent out, the state in which the roasted coffee beans received from the receiving unit 442 are being sent out into the machine, or the state in which they are not being sent out even though the operation instructing them to be sent out is performed. be able to. Further, it is possible to visually observe the state in which the roasted coffee beans received from the receiving unit 442 flow downstream (for example, on the mill side). Further, it may be possible to prevent the user from flowing the roasted coffee beans received from the receiving unit 442 downstream (for example, on the mill side) via the receiving unit 42c. The roasted coffee beans received from the receiving unit 42c may be made invisible from the receiving unit 442.

In the configuration example EX11 of FIG. 50, the discharge port 42b is located at a position shifted in the left-right direction with respect to the center line CL having the width in the left-right direction of the receiving portion 42c or the collective transport path 42. Further, the inclination is different between the bottom LB on the left side and the bottom RB on the right side of the collective transport path 42. By making the shape asymmetrical on the left and right, it may be possible to prevent the roasted coffee beans from staying in a specific part in the collecting transport path 42.

Configuration example EX12 of FIG. 50 shows an example in which a discharge port 42b is connected to a side portion of a crushing device 5 (particularly a coarse grain grinding machine 5A) to supply roasted coffee beans. Depending on the configuration of the grinder, the roasted coffee beans supplied from the side of the cutter may operate more smoothly than the case where the roasted coffee beans are supplied from above. The position of the discharge port 42b may be the left and right side portions, the front portion, or the rear portion in addition to the bottom portion of the collective transport path 42.

The example of FIG. 51 shows an example in which a plurality of discharge ports 42b are provided and a distribution mechanism 42h for distributing roasted coffee beans to any of the discharge ports 42b is provided in the collective transport path 42. In the example of the figure, two discharge ports 42b are provided, for example, one is connected to the crushing device 5 and the other is connected to the waste box. For example, when the roasted coffee beans remaining on the conveyor 41 are discarded, the roasted coffee beans introduced into the collecting transport path 42 by the sorting mechanism 42h are sorted to the discharge port 42b on the waste box side. Further, for example, the roasted coffee beans introduced through the receiving unit 42c (not shown in FIG. 51) are distributed to the discharge port 42b on the crushing device 5 side.

52 to 54 illustrate an example of a housing 1a that covers the storage device 4. The housing 1a forms the exterior of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1. 52 is a perspective view of the housing 1a with the canister 40 attached, FIG. 53 is a front view of the housing 1a, and FIG. 54 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 53.

The housing 1a is configured to be openable and closable with respect to a main body housing (not shown) by a hinge portion 1c. The following description is for the case where the housing 1a is in the closed state. The housing 1a is also provided with a power switch 1b.

A receiving portion 42c is formed in the housing 1a, and the receiving portion 42c is opened and closed by the lid 42d. The contour of the opening of the receiving portion 42c is defined by the lid 42d on the upper side and the housing 1a on the lower side.

As shown in FIG. 54, a collective transport path 42 is arranged behind the receiving section 42c, and the receiving section 42c communicates with the collective transport path 42. When the lid 42d is opened and the roasted coffee beans are put into the receiving portion 42c, the roasted coffee beans are guided to the collective transport path 42 as shown by the solid line arrow, and the crushing device (not shown in the figure) is guided from the collective transport path 42. It is discharged to 5. The inner peripheral wall of the receiving portion 42c has a mortar shape inclined toward the front surface of the collecting transport path 42, and the roasted coffee beans introduced are smoothly guided to the collecting transport path 42.

The input port 42a of the collective transport path 42 is formed on the rear wall of the collective transport path 42. The roasted coffee beans transported from the canister 40 via a conveyor 41 (not shown) are introduced into the collective transport path 42 as shown by the broken line arrow, and are discharged to the crushing device 5 (not shown) in the figure. When the lid 42d is opened, the internal conveyor 41 (not shown) can be visually recognized via the receiving portion 42c, and the inspection can be performed.

A magnet 42e'is arranged in the vicinity of the hinge 42e. The lid portion 42d is provided with a metal plate 42d'at a portion that comes into contact with the magnet 42e'when opened, and the magnet 42e'adsorbs the metal plate 42d'to facilitate maintaining the open state of the lid portion 42d. ing. Further, a recess is formed at the tip of the lid portion 42d, so that the user can easily put a finger on the recess and operate the lid portion 42d easily.

<Fourth Embodiment>
An example of the configuration of the housing forming the exterior of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described.

<Housing configuration example 1>
FIG. 55 is a perspective view schematically showing the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 in which the internal mechanism is enclosed in the housing 100. The housing 100 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape including a front wall, a rear wall, an upper wall, and left and right side walls. A canister 40 is arranged on the upper wall, and a receiving portion 42c is arranged. An outlet 104 is formed in the lower part of the front wall, and a coffee beverage is injected into a cup placed therein.

A transparent portion 101 is formed on the front wall so that the inside of the housing 100 can be visually recognized from the outside. By providing the transmissive portion 101, the internal mechanism can be visually recognized from the front side of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1, and its operation can be easily confirmed. In addition, the purchaser of the coffee beverage can observe the manufacturing process of the coffee beverage. In the housing 100, the portion other than the transmissive portion 101 is basically a non-transmissive portion, but other transmissive portions may be included.

The transmission portion 101 can be formed of a through hole or a transparent member. By being formed of a transparent member such as glass or acrylic resin, it is possible to prevent steam or the like in the housing 100 from leaking to the outside. The transparent member may be colorless and transparent, or may be colored and transparent. A steam path for sending steam to the outside of the housing 100 may be provided, and the steam path is, for example, a steam inlet provided at a predetermined place in the housing, a steam outlet, a steam inlet, and steam on the back surface of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1. It may be composed of a steam pipe connecting the outlets, a steam outlet, or a steam sending fan that sends steam or steam in the steam path near the steam outlet to the outside of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1. The steam inlet is near the inlet of the grinder 5A, near the exit, near the inlet of the grinder 5B, near the exit, near the opening 90a of the extraction container 9 located at the bean charging position, near the opening 90a of the extraction container 9 located at the bean charging position, and the like. The transmissive portion 101, which may be provided at any one of the positions or at a plurality of positions, is composed of a transparent member, and the permeation portion 101 is provided with a hole or notch for steam to escape, or the housing is provided with a hole, a notch, a gap, or the like. When the steam escape portion is mounted, the steam escape portion may be positioned so that the extraction container 9 located at the bean charging position is closer to the steam inlet. The steam escape portion may be positioned so that the extraction container 9 located at the extraction position is closer to the steam inlet, and the steam escape portion is a grinder (for example, at least one of grinders 5A and 5B). May be positioned so that the steam inlet is closer to the steam inlet, and the steam escape portion may be positioned so that the extraction container 9 located at the bean charging position is farther than the steam inlet. Alternatively, the steam escape portion may be positioned so that the extraction container 9 located at the extraction position is farther than the steam inlet, and the steam escape portion may be a grinder (for example, grinder 5A). Or at least one of 5B) may be positioned so that it is farther than the steam inlet.

In the case of the present embodiment, the transmissive portion 101 is formed of a plate-shaped transparent member, and is configured to be openable and closable by a hinge 102. As a result, if the transparent portion 101 is opened, the internal mechanism can be accessed and its maintenance can be performed. FIG. 56 shows a state in which the transparent portion 101 is opened.

A handle 103 is provided at the lower part of the transmission portion 101. The user can easily open and close the transmission unit 101 by grasping the handle 103. At the lower edge of the opening 105 opened and closed by the transmission portion 101, a stopper 105a for restricting the rotation range of the transmission portion 101 is provided at a position corresponding to the handle 103.

In the case of the present embodiment, the opening direction of the transmissive portion 101 is upward, but it may be downward by arranging the hinge 102 below the transmissive portion 101. Further, the opening / closing direction of the transmission portion 101 may be not the vertical direction but the horizontal direction. Further, a mechanism for maintaining the open state of the transmission portion 101 may be provided, and such a mechanism may be provided on the hinge 102, for example. The transmission portion 101 may also be provided on the side wall or the upper wall.

<Housing configuration example 2>
Another configuration example of the housing 100 will be described. FIG. 57 is a perspective view schematically showing a beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 in which an internal mechanism is enclosed by a housing 100 of another configuration example. Regarding the housing 100 of the present configuration example 2, the same reference numerals are given to the configurations having the same configuration or the same function as the housing 100 of FIGS. 55 and 56, and the description thereof will be omitted, and different configurations will be mainly described.

The housing 100 includes an L-shaped main body 110 and a transmission portion 101 surrounding the internal mechanism IM arranged on the stage 111 of the main body 110. The transmissive portion 101 is formed of a shell-shaped transparent member, and its surface forms a curved surface from the front to the rear. The transmission portion 101 extends from the front side, the left and right sides, and the upper side of the internal mechanism IM, and the internal mechanism IM can be visually recognized from the front side, the side surface, and the upper side of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1.

The permeation portion 101 may become cloudy due to heat generation or steam of the internal mechanism IM. Therefore, a ventilation portion 112a is formed on the back plate 112 at the inner portion of the transmission portion 101. The ventilation portion 112a may be a hole communicating with the outside air or a duct. In the case of the present embodiment, a plurality of ventilation portions 112a are provided at the upper part and the lower part, but arrangements other than those shown in the figure can be adopted.

The stage 111 may get wet due to steam or water leakage from the internal mechanism IM. Therefore, the stage 111 is provided with a drainage portion 111a. A pipe connected to a waste tank (not shown) is connected to the drainage portion 111a.

Similar to the above-mentioned configuration example 1, in the configuration example 2, the transmission portion 101 is configured to be openable and closable by the hinge 102. As a result, if the transparent portion 101 is opened, the internal mechanism IM can be accessed and its maintenance can be performed. A handle 103 is provided at the lower part of the transmission portion 101. The user can easily open and close the transmission unit 101 by grasping the handle 103. At the front end of the stage 111, a stopper 105a that comes into contact with the handle 103 is provided at a position corresponding to the handle 103. The handle 103 and the stopper 105a may be provided with a metal plate and a magnet that are attracted by a magnetic force.

FIG. 58 shows the open / closed state of the transmission portion 101. In the closed state shown on the upper side of the figure, it is possible to see from one side to the other side of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 through the transmission portion 101 except for the portion of the internal mechanism IM. In Configuration Example 2, the hinge 102 is arranged behind the upper part of the transmissive portion 101, and the opening direction of the transmissive portion 101 is upward. May be good. Further, the opening / closing direction of the transmission portion 101 may be not the vertical direction but the horizontal direction. Further, a mechanism for maintaining the open state of the transmission portion 101 may be provided, and such a mechanism may be provided on the hinge 102, for example. A sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the transmissive unit 101 may be provided, and control may be performed to stop the coffee beverage manufacturing operation when the opening operation of the transmissive unit 101 is detected. Further, a lock mechanism for restricting the opening and closing of the transparent portion 101 may be provided, and the lock mechanism may be operated during the coffee beverage manufacturing operation to prevent the transparent portion 101 from being opened.

<Mechanism surrounded by housing and visible mechanism>
The mechanism surrounded by the housing 100 shown in the first and second configurations may be all or part of the bean processing apparatus 2 and the extraction apparatus 3. At least a part of the canister 40 may be located outside the housing 100 as in the first configuration. The outlet 104 may be on the outside or inside of the housing 100. Even if the ground beans sent from the grinder 5A cannot be visually recognized from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101, and the ground beans sent from the grinder 5B can be visually recognized from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101. good.

Examples of the internal mechanism that can be visually recognized from the outside through the transmission unit 101 include all or a part of the storage device 4, the crushing device 5, and the extraction device 3. Each mechanism adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction may be arranged so as to be laterally displaced from the left and right so that as many mechanisms as possible can be visually recognized from the front side of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 via the transmission portion 101.

Further, the crushing device 5 may be mentioned in whole or in part in the separating device 6.

In the separating device 6, in particular, if all or a part of the collection container 62B can be visually recognized from the outside through the transmission portion 101, it is also possible to visually recognize unnecessary objects in the collection container 62B from the outside of the housing 100. Is. It is also possible to visually recognize the state in which unnecessary objects in the collection container 62B are blown by the blower of the blower unit 60A from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101. In the case of the configuration example of FIG. 28, it may be possible to visually recognize only the portion on the front side of the broken line L11 from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101.

Further, with respect to the crushing device 5, it may be possible that all or part of the coarse grain grinding machine 5A and the fine grain grinding machine 5B can be visually recognized from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101.

Further, regarding the extraction device 3, it may be possible to visually recognize all or a part of the extraction container 9 from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101. All or part of the movement such as the change of the posture of the extraction container 9 such as the reversing operation of the extraction container 9 and the horizontal movement of the extraction container 9 (container body 90) in the front-rear direction from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101. It may also be possible to visually recognize it. The opening and closing of the first plug member (for example, 913) in the extraction container 9 may or may not be visible from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101. The opening and closing of the second plug member (for example, 903) in the extraction container 9 may or may not be visible from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101. The opening and closing of the lid unit (for example, 91) in the extraction container 9 may or may not be visible from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101.

<Fifth Embodiment>
An example of information management of roasted coffee beans will be described.

<Tag>
When storing different types of roasted coffee beans in a plurality of canisters 40, it is necessary to manage which mounting portion 44 is mounted on which roasted coffee beans canister 40. As a method, the canister 40 may be provided with a tag having information on the type of roasted coffee beans contained. FIG. 59 shows an example thereof.

A tag TG is provided on the tubular portion 401 of the canister 40 of FIG. 59. The tag TG is, for example, an RFID tag or a tag with a barcode. The tag TG may be attached to the tubular portion 401 with an adhesive. The portion where the tag TG is provided is not limited to the tubular portion 401, and may be the lid portion 402 or the outlet opening / closing portion 408 as shown by the broken line. The tag TG may be provided at a plurality of parts of the canister 40. Further, the tag TG may be provided in the storage bag 120 that stores the roasted coffee beans before being stored in the canister 40.

The beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 may include a reader that reads the information of the tag TG, and may be configured so that the processing unit 11a can acquire the read information. The reader may be provided for each mounting portion 44. In this case, the correspondence relationship between the canister 40 and the mounting portion 44 (type of roasted coffee beans) is based on the correspondence relationship between the reader that has read the information and the mounting portion 44. And the correspondence relationship with the mounting portion 44) can be specified.

The tag TG may be read by a portable terminal, and the processing unit 11a may acquire the information read from the portable terminal by wireless communication.

The information regarding the type of roasted coffee beans contained may include information such as the place of origin, the degree of roasting, the date of roasting, the roaster, and the taste and flavor of the coffee beverage. In addition, the tag TG may have information on production conditions (recipe) for producing a coffee beverage from the roasted coffee beans contained. The processing unit 11a may control the production of coffee beverages from the roasted coffee beans according to the production information read from the tag TG. The production information may include hot water temperature, pressure at the time of extraction, extraction time and the like.

<Stocker>
As an accessory of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1, a stocker for storing an unused canister 40 will be described. FIG. 60 is a schematic diagram of the stocker 130, which is an example thereof.

The stocker 130 includes a plurality of mounting portions 131a to 131c (collectively referred to as mounting portions 131) on which the canister 40 is mounted. In the example of the figure, three mounting portions 131c are provided, and an unused canister 40 is mounted on each. The stocker 130 includes display units 132a to 132c (collectively referred to as display units 132) corresponding to each mounting unit 131. The display unit 132a corresponds to the mounting unit 131a, and the display unit 132b corresponds to the mounting unit 131b. The display unit 132c corresponds to the mounting unit 131c. The display unit 132 is, for example, a liquid crystal display.

The display unit 132 displays information on roasted coffee beans housed in the canister 40 mounted on the corresponding mounting unit 131. In the case of the example in the figure, the type of roasted coffee beans is displayed. For example, the display unit 132a on the left side indicates that the roasted coffee beans of the type "A" are housed in the canister 40 mounted on the corresponding mounting portion 131a. The information to be displayed on the display unit 132 may be acquired from the above-mentioned tag TG. Each mounting unit 131 may include a reader that reads the tag TG.

When the canister 40 is not mounted on the mounting unit 131, information indicating that the canister 40 may not be mounted may be displayed on the corresponding display unit 132. In EX21 of FIG. 61, the canister 40 is not mounted on the mounting portion 131c, and a symbol indicating not mounting is displayed on the display portion 132c. A sensor for detecting the mounting of the canister 40 may be provided on each mounting portion 131.

When the information of the roasted coffee beans stored in the canister 40 is not registered, the corresponding display unit 132 may display the information indicating that the information is not registered. For example, there is a case where the information is not stored in the tag TG. In EX22 of FIG. 61, although the canister 40 is mounted on the mounting unit 131c, the information on the roasted coffee beans is not registered, and the display unit 132c displays a symbol indicating unregistered. By performing such a display, it is possible to encourage the user to register information.

The canister 130 may include a writer that writes information to the tag TG. When an empty canister 40 (or a canister 40 replenished with new beans) is attached to the stocker 130, information on the roasted coffee beans contained in the canister 40 can be stored in the tag TG from the writer. By doing so, it is not always necessary that the roasted coffee beans and the canister 40 are connected one-to-one. As a method of registering information, for example, information may be transmitted to the stocker 130 from a portable terminal. Alternatively, the tag TG of the roasted coffee bean storage bag 120 (FIG. 59) may be read and registered by a reader attached to the stocker 130.

<Sixth Embodiment>
The configuration of the grinding machine 5B of the third embodiment will be described in detail. The configuration of the grinding machine 5B described below is also applicable to the grinding machine 5A.

FIG. 62 is an external view of the grinder 5B. FIG. 63 is an explanatory diagram of the attachment / detachment mode of the grinder 5B, and schematically shows the structure of the grinder 5B. The state ST31 in FIG. 63 indicates a mounted state, and the state ST32 indicates a separated state.

The grinder 5B includes a motor 52b, a motor base 502, a main body 53b, and a particle size adjusting mechanism 503.

The motor 52b is a drive source for the grinder 5B and is supported on the motor base 502. The motor base 502 contains a pinion gear 52b'fixed to the output shaft of the motor 52b and a gear 502a that meshes with the pinion gear in a hollow case.

The main body portion 53b is a unit for accommodating the cutter, and the housing forming the outer shape thereof is composed of a base portion 505a, a gear case portion 505b, and a blade case portion 505c, and these three members are fastened with bolts or the like. It is fixed by the member 505d. When the fastening member 505d is removed, it can be separated from each other, facilitating maintenance inside the fastening member 505d.

The gear case portion 505b accommodates a gear 55b'that meshes with the gear 502a. A rotary shaft 54b is fixed to the gear 55b', and the rotary shaft 54b is rotatably supported by the gear case portion 505b. The driving force of the motor 52b transmitted to the gear 55b'via the gear 502a rotates the rotary shaft 54b. A rotary blade 58b is provided at the end of the rotary shaft 54b, and a fixed blade 57b is provided above the rotary blade 58b. The fixed blade 57b and the rotary blade 58b are housed in the blade case portion 505c.

The particle size adjusting mechanism 503 is provided in the main body portion 53b. The particle size adjusting mechanism 503 includes a motor 503a as a drive source thereof and a worm gear 503b rotated by the driving force of the motor 503a. The gear 53b'is a worm wheel that meshes with the worm gear 503b, and is rotatably supported by the gear case portion 505b.

The gear 53b'is provided with an adjusting shaft 503c extending in the vertical direction on the center of rotation of the gear 53b'. Gears that mesh with each other are formed on the adjusting shaft 503c and the fixed blade 57b, and the fixed blade 57b is configured to move up and down in the axial direction when the adjusting shaft 503c is rotated. Thereby, the gap between the rotary blade 58b and the fixed blade 57b can be adjusted, and the particle size of the ground beans in the grinder 5B can be adjusted. The method of adjusting the gap between the fixed blade 58b and the fixed blade 57b is not limited to this, and the position of the adjusting shaft 503c does not have to be on the center of rotation.

The delivery tube 501 is configured to be detachably attached to the main body 53b. In the case of the present embodiment, the delivery pipe 501 is provided with an engaging portion 501a, and the gear case portion 505b is provided with an engaging portion 505e that engages with the engaging portion 501a. As shown in the state ST31 of FIG. 63, when the engaging portion 501a is engaged with the engaging portion 505e from above, they are engaged with each other, and when the engaging portion 501a is pulled out upward, the engagement is released. In the engaged state, the delivery pipe 501 communicates with an opening (outlet of ground beans) formed in the peripheral wall of the blade case portion 505c. Since the delivery pipe 501 is detachable from the main body 53b, maintenance or replacement such as clearing the clogging of the delivery pipe 501 and cleaning of the main body 53b are facilitated. The shape of the opening of the delivery pipe 501 does not have to be circular, and may be a quadrangle or a shape like a figure 8 having a circular center recessed.

The base portion 505a and the motor base 502 are fixed to each other by a fastening member 504 such as a bolt. When the fastening member 504 is removed, the main body 53b is separated from the motor base 502 and the motor 52b as shown in the state ST32 of FIG. That is, when the main body portion 53b is removed, the motor base 502 and the motor 52b remain on the side of the beverage manufacturing device 1 (the side of the crushing device 5). Since only the main body 53b can be removed, it becomes easy to clean the main body 53b, which is easily contaminated by ground beans. Maintenance can be facilitated. Further, since the motor base 502 and the motor 52b remain on the side of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1, it is not necessary to remove the electrical wiring or the like. Therefore, maintenance is facilitated.

In the case of the present embodiment, the motor base 502 is superposed on the base portion 505a and fastened by the fastening member 504, but conversely, the base portion 505a is superposed on the motor base 502. There may be. Further, the particle size adjusting mechanism 503 is also removed together with the main body portion 53b by removing the main body portion 53b, but the particle size adjusting mechanism 503 may be configured to remain on the side of the beverage manufacturing device 1 (the side of the crushing device 5), or the motor 503a. Only the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 may be left on the side of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 (the side of the crushing apparatus 5). Further, the base portion 505a, the gear case portion 505b, and the blade case portion 505c may be separated from each other by separating the main body portion 53b from the side of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1. If you want to remove the base portion 505a from the gear case portion 505b, check the internal mechanism of the main body portion 53b (for example, gear 55b', rotary shaft 54b, etc.), and perform maintenance, use the main body portion 53b for the beverage manufacturing device 1 (for example, for example). , Motor base 502, etc.), so that it is impossible unless it is removed. Further, the fastening member 504 to which the main body portion 53b is attached to the beverage manufacturing device 1 (for example, the motor base 502 or the like) is designed to be removed downward so that the user can see the main body portion 53b from above or diagonally above. However, it is not possible to visually recognize whether or not the fastening member 504 is attached from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101, so that the user cannot easily remove the main body portion 53b for maintenance. A maintenance person of a manufacturer who knows the position of the fastening member 504 can confirm whether or not the fastening member 504 is attached from the outside of the housing 100 via the transmission portion 101 from diagonally below. ..

In the case of the present embodiment, the gear case portion 505b and the blade case portion 505c are each provided with an engaging portion 506, and are configured to engage with the motor base 502. Two sets of engaging portions 506 are provided so as to be separated from each other on the left and right sides. FIG. 64 is an explanatory diagram thereof. In FIG. 64, the state ST41 shows the state in which the main body 53b is removed from the motor base 502, the state ST42 shows the state in which they are engaged, and the state ST43 shows the state in which these engagements are completed.

The engaging portion 506 has an arm shape extending rearward and engages with the engaging portion 502b provided on the motor base 502. The engaging portion 502b is extended in the vertical direction and has an insertion portion into which the engaging portion 506 is inserted.

When the main body 53b is attached to the motor base 502 as shown in FIG. 64, the engaging portion 506 is assembled so as to be inserted into the engaging portion 502b in the front-rear direction, and the main body 53b is lifted. A tapered surface 502c having an inclination that spreads upward is formed at the rear end portion of the engaging portion 502b, and the end portion of the engaging portion 506 comes into contact with the tapered surface 502c. The tapered surface 502c acts to open the engaging portion 506 in the front-rear direction, and the elastic deformation force thereof allows the main body portion 53b and the motor base 502 to be assembled in the front-rear direction without play. The fastening member 504 is subsequently attached to the main body portion 53b and the motor base 502 to fasten them. By engaging the engaging portion 506 and the engaging portion 502d, an elastic force that separates the main body portion 53b and the motor base 502 in the front-rear direction acts, and a load in the vertical direction is applied via the engaging portion 506 and the engaging portion 502d. It is possible to make the motor base 502 bear the burden. Therefore, the main body portion 53b is less likely to fall off from the motor base 502, and the fixed load of the fastening member 504 can be reduced. The taper may be provided on the engaging portion 506.

FIG. 65 shows a modified example of the example of FIG. 64. In this modification, the upper and lower arrangements of the engaging portion 506 and the engaging portion 502b are reversed, and the other configurations are the same. When the main body portion 53b is attached to the motor base 502, the end portion of the engaging portion 506 comes into contact with the tapered surface 502c by pushing down the main body portion 53b instead of lifting the main body portion 53b as in the example of FIG. become. The tapered surface 502c acts to open the engaging portion 506 in the front-rear direction, and the elastic deformation force thereof allows the main body portion 53b and the motor base 502 to be assembled without play in the front-rear direction, which is the same as the example of FIG. .. The state ST51 indicates a state in which the main body portion 53b is removed from the motor base 502, the state ST52 indicates a state in which these are being engaged, and the state ST53 indicates a state in which these engagements are completed.

In this example, the tapered surface 502c is not essential in that the load in the vertical direction is borne by the motor base 502, and a configuration without it can be adopted. Further, in this example, by making the length of the engaging portion 502b in the height direction longer than that of the engaging portion 506 (for example, twice or more), the main body portion 53b has its own weight and is indicated by the arrow 507 in the state ST53 in FIG. It can also be prevented from coming off while rotating.

When this embodiment is combined with the fourth embodiment, all or part of the main body portion 53b may be visible from the outside via the transmission portion 101. This makes it easier to confirm the necessity of maintenance of the main body portion 53b. On the contrary, in the state where the main body portion 53b is attached to the motor base 502, the motor 52b may not be visible from the outside via the transmission portion 101. It may be advantageous in terms of design that the parts related to the mechanism such as the motor 52b cannot be visually recognized. Similarly, in a state where the main body portion 53b is attached to the motor base 502, the motor 503a may not be visible from the outside via the transmission portion 101.

<Seventh Embodiment>
Another configuration example of the extraction container 9 will be described. FIG. 66 is a cross-sectional view of the extraction container 9 of the present embodiment, showing a state of being locked by the gripping member 821a. FIG. 67 is an explanatory diagram of a guidance function for automatically centering the container body 90 and the lid unit 91.

In the extraction container 9 of the present embodiment, the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c are provided with a guide portion 911e and a guide portion 90 g, respectively. When the lid unit 91 closes the opening 90a, one of the guide portion 911e and the guide portion 90g guides the other and automatically centers the container body 90 and the lid unit 91.

In the case of the present embodiment, the guide portion 911e is an annular groove formed over the entire circumference of the flange portion 911c. The cross-sectional shape of this groove is triangular and opens downward (toward the container body 90). The guide portion 90g is an annular rib formed over the entire circumference of the flange portion 90c. This rib protrudes upward (toward the lid unit 91) from the flange portion 90c and is inclined corresponding to the inclination of the inner surface of the guide portion 911e.

FIG. 67 illustrates a case where the lid unit 91 closes the opening 90a from a state where the lid unit 91 is separated from the opening 90a. In the case of the example of the figure, the state in which the lid unit 91 is displaced by a small amount from the center line CLc of the container body 90 is shown. The center of the lid unit 91 is the axis of the shaft 913a.

As shown in FIG. 67, when the lid unit 91 is displaced from the center line CLc of the container body 90, when the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c are overlapped with each other, the guide portion 90 g is an inclined surface on the inner side in the radial direction of the guide portion 911e. At least one of them is slightly displaced laterally so that the center line CLc of the container body 90 is aligned with the center of the lid unit 91. As a result, the container body 90 and the lid unit 91 are automatically centered.

In the present embodiment, the guide portion 911e is a groove and the guide portion 90 g is a rib, but these may have the opposite relationship. Further, the shapes of the guide portion 911e and the guide portion 90 g can be appropriately selected.

In the case of the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the gripping member 821a is rectangular as in the example of FIG. 17, and the upper inner surface US forming the upper side of the cross-sectional shape and the lower inner surface LS forming the lower side of the cross-sectional shape are mutual. It is parallel. In the locked state, the upper inner surface US contacts a part (contact surface) 911c'of the upper surface of the flange portion 911c, and the lower inner surface LS contacts a part (contact surface) 90c' of the lower surface of the flange portion 911c. In the locked state, in the case of the present embodiment, the upper inner surface US, the lower inner surface LS, and the contact surface 911c'contact surface 90c' are parallel to each other and orthogonal to the center line CLc. When the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized, a force for separating them from each other acts on the lid unit 91 and the container body 90 in the vertical direction (more accurately, the center line CLc direction). Since the upper inner surface US, the lower inner surface LS, and the contact surface 911c'contact surface 90c' are parallel to each other, a component force in the direction of opening the pair of gripping members 821a to the left and right acts as a component force of the separating force. It becomes difficult and the locked state can be maintained more reliably.

<Eighth Embodiment>
A liquid feed amount adjusting device that replaces the water tank 72 of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 68 is a schematic view of the liquid feed amount adjusting device 720 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 69 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 68 and a sectional view of another example (configuration example EX31). Like the water tank 72, the liquid feed amount adjusting device 720 is a tank for accumulating hot water (water) constituting a coffee beverage and having a function of delivering a fixed amount of hot water. As a result, the hot water required for a cup of coffee drink is sequentially delivered. Moreover, the amount of hot water to be sent can be changed. In the following description, configurations having the same functions as the configurations related to the water tank 72 are designated by the same reference numerals.

The liquid feed amount adjusting device 720 has a tank 720a for storing hot water. The outer wall of the tank 720a includes a peripheral wall 721, an upper wall 723 joined to the upper end of the peripheral wall 721, and a bottom wall 724 joined to the lower end of the peripheral wall 721, and the tank 720a includes a peripheral wall 721 and a bottom wall 724 joined to the lower end of the peripheral wall 721. Has a cylindrical shape as a whole. A partition wall 722 is provided in the tank 720a, and the internal space thereof is divided into an outer cylindrical space 725 and an inner cylindrical space 726A by the partition wall 722. In the case of the present embodiment, the partition wall 722 is a cylindrical wall body arranged concentrically with the peripheral wall 721, but even if the partition wall 722 is eccentric with respect to the peripheral wall 721 as shown in the configuration example EX31 of FIG. 69. good.

The space 725 constitutes a storage unit for storing hot water. The space 725 is also called a storage unit 725. A movable member 727c is arranged in the upper part of the space 726A, and the space 726 below the movable member 727c constitutes a storage portion for storing hot water. The space 726 is also called a storage unit 726. By partitioning the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 726 by a partition wall 722 which is a common wall body, the size of the tank 720a can be reduced as compared with partitioning by separate wall bodies.

The storage unit 725 is provided with a heater 72a for heating the water in the storage unit 725 and a temperature sensor 72b for measuring the temperature of the water. The heater 72a maintains the temperature of the accumulated hot water at a predetermined temperature (120 degrees Celsius in this embodiment) based on the detection result of the temperature sensor 72b. For example, the heater 72a is turned on when the temperature of hot water is 118 degrees Celsius and turned off at 120 degrees Celsius.

A pipe for supplying the air pressure in the reserve tank 71 (see FIG. 1) is connected to a portion of the upper wall 723 that defines the storage portion 725, and an electromagnetic valve 72f is provided here. The liquid feed amount adjusting device 720 is provided with a sensor (not shown, for example, a sensor corresponding to the pressure sensor 72g in FIG. 1) for detecting the air pressure in the reservoir 725, and the electromagnetic valve 72f is a pressure regulating valve 72e (see FIG. 1). The supply and cutoff of the regulated air pressure to the storage unit 725 is switched. The solenoid valve 72f is controlled to open and close so that the air pressure in the storage unit 725 is maintained at 3 atm except when tap water is supplied to the storage unit 725.

A pipe for communicating the storage portion 725 with the atmosphere is also connected to the portion of the upper wall 723 that defines the storage portion 725, and an electromagnetic valve 72h is provided here. When the tap water is supplied to the storage section 725, the pressure of the storage section 725 is reduced to less than 2.5 atm by the solenoid valve 72h so that the tap water is smoothly supplied to the storage section 725 by the water pressure of the tap water. The solenoid valve 72h switches whether or not the inside of the water tank 72 is released to the atmosphere, and when the pressure is reduced, the inside of the storage unit 725 is released to the atmosphere. Further, the solenoid valve 72h releases the storage unit 725 to the atmosphere when the pressure inside the storage unit 725 exceeds 3 atm except when tap water is supplied to the storage unit 725, and maintains the storage unit 725 at 3 atm. ..

A pipe L2 for supplying tap water to the storage unit 725 is connected to a portion of the bottom wall 724 that defines the storage unit 725, and an electromagnetic valve 72d is provided here. The solenoid valve 72d is controlled to open and close based on the detection result of the water level sensor 72c described later, and controls the water level of hot water in the storage unit 725.

A pipe L2'for discharging hot water in the storage portion 725 is connected to a portion of the bottom wall 724 that defines the storage portion 725, and an electromagnetic valve 72d'is provided here. The solenoid valve 72d'is opened when the hot water in the storage unit 725 is discarded, and the hot water in the storage unit 725 is discharged to the pipe L2'.

The storage unit 726 is a space whose volume can be changed by moving the movable member 727c. Hot water is supplied to the storage unit 726 from the storage unit 725 via the pipe 728a, the solenoid valve 728, and the pipe 728b. The pipe 728a connects between the portion of the bottom wall 724 that defines the storage portion 725 and the solenoid valve 728. The pipe 728b connects the portion of the bottom wall 724 that defines the storage portion 726 to the solenoid valve 728.

In the case of the present embodiment, the solenoid valve 728 is a three-way valve, and can switch communication and cutoff between the pipe 728b and the pipe 728a and switch communication and cutoff between the pipe 728b and the pipe 728c. Further, the solenoid valve 728 can shut off any of the pipes. The pipe 728c is a pipe for sending the hot water in the storage unit 726 to the extraction container 9.

By switching the communication and the cutoff between the pipe 728b and the pipe 728a, the communication and the cutoff between the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 726 can be switched. By switching the communication and disconnection between the pipe 728b and the pipe 728c, it is possible to switch between sending and storing hot water in the storage unit 726.

When the solenoid valve 728 communicates the pipe 728b and the pipe 728a, the solenoid valve 728 shuts off the pipe 728b and the pipe 728c. On the contrary, when the pipe 728b and the pipe 728c are communicated with each other, the pipe 728b and the pipe 728a are cut off. The arrow shown by the solenoid valve 728 in the figure indicates the operating state of the solenoid valve 728. In the case of the example of FIG. 68, the pipe 728b and the pipe 728c are communicated with each other, and the pipe 728b and the pipe 728a are cut off. It shows the state.

In this embodiment, the solenoid valve 728 is a three-way valve, and one solenoid valve 728 is used to switch between the solenoid valves 728. However, a configuration is also adopted in which the pipe 728b is divided into two, and a valve for switching communication and disconnection between one pipe 728b and the pipe 728a and a valve for switching communication and disconnection between the other pipe 728b and the pipe 728c are provided. It is possible.

The liquid feed amount adjusting device 720 includes a drive unit 727. The drive unit 727 is controlled according to the amount of hot water sent from the storage unit 726, and changes the volume of the storage unit 726. The amount of hot water required for a cup varies depending on the size of the coffee cup. The drive unit 727 adjusts the volume of the storage unit 726 so that an appropriate amount of hot water is delivered from the storage unit 726 according to the size of the coffee cup and the like.

The drive unit 727 of the present embodiment is a mechanism that changes the volume of the storage unit 726 by moving the movable member 727c up and down. The movable member 727c is a piston-shaped member that is inserted into the space 726A and is configured to slide in the vertical direction, and its bottom surface 727d constitutes the upper wall body of the storage portion 726. The volume of the storage unit 726 changes as the bottom surface 727d moves up and down.

The volume of the storage unit 726 is not changed by moving the position of the upper wall body as in the present embodiment, but is changed by moving the position of the lower or side wall body. The configuration can also be adopted.

The movable member 727c includes an inner surface of the partition wall 722 and a seal member (not shown) constituting the seal, and slides on the inner surface of the partition wall 722 in a liquid-tight manner. However, a groove 727e extending in the vertical direction is formed on the peripheral surface of the movable member 727c, and the groove 727e has a gap with the inner surface of the partition wall 722.

The groove 727e is formed so as to communicate with the opening 722a penetrating the partition wall 722 in the thickness direction. The opening 722a is formed at a position above the maximum water level of the hot water of the storage portion 725 (the position of the sensor 731b described later), and is an air communication portion that communicates the storage portion 725 and the space 726A. Air is communicated between the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 726 through the opening 722a and the groove 727e, and the air pressure in these spaces is the same. When the storage units 725 and 726 are constantly set to atmospheric pressure, passages communicating with the atmosphere may be provided individually.

The drive unit 727 includes a motor 727a supported by an upper wall 723 as a drive source, and also includes a screw shaft 727b as a moving mechanism for moving the movable member 727c. The screw shaft 727b is extended in the vertical direction and is rotated by the driving force of the motor 727a. The movable member 727c has a screw hole 727f opened on the upper surface thereof, and the screw shaft 727b is engaged with the screw hole 727f. The movable member 727c has a detent (not shown) and moves in the vertical direction by the rotation of the screw shaft 727b. The detent may be, for example, a concave portion and a convex portion extending in the vertical direction provided on the inner surface of the partition wall 722 and the peripheral surface of the movable member 727c.

In the present embodiment, a screw mechanism including a screw shaft 727b and a screw hole 727f is used as a moving mechanism for moving the movable member 727c, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other mechanisms such as a rack-pinion mechanism can also be adopted. be.

The water level sensor 72c is a measuring unit that measures the water level of hot water in the storage unit 725. The water level sensor 72c includes a hollow columnar storage unit 729 extending vertically, a float 730 provided in the storage unit 729, a lower sensor 731a for detecting the float 730, and an upper sensor 731b.

The storage unit 729 communicates with the storage unit 725 by a communication unit 729a located below the sensor 731a, and communicates with the storage unit 725 by a communication unit 729b located above the sensor 731b. The hot water of the storage unit 725 flows into the storage unit 729 via the communication unit 729a. The communication unit 729b is an air communication unit that communicates the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 729, and air is communicated between the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 729 via the communication unit 729b. Therefore, the water level of the hot water in the storage unit 729 is equal to the water level of the hot water in the storage unit 725.

In the case of the present embodiment, the storage unit 729 is composed of a transparent member such as glass or acrylic. As a result, the water level of the hot water in the storage unit 729 can be visually recognized from the outside, and as a result, the user can confirm the water level of the hot water in the storage unit 725. Of course, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a permeation portion is provided in a part of the peripheral wall (721) of the storage portion 725 so that the water level can be visually recognized.

The float 730 may be any float in hot water in the reservoir 729.

The sensors 731a and 731b are, for example, optical sensors (photointerruptors), and detect the float 730 from the outside of the storage unit 729. When the float 730 is detected by the sensor 731a, the solenoid valve 72d is opened and water is supplied to the storage unit 725. That is, the sensor 731a monitors the lower limit of the hot water level of the storage unit 725. The lower limit of the water level is set at a position higher than that of the heater 72a, and it is possible to prevent empty heating by the heater 72a.

When the float 730 is detected by the sensor 731b, the solenoid valve 72d is closed to stop the supply of water to the storage unit 725. That is, the sensor 731b monitors the upper limit of the hot water level of the storage unit 725.

It is also possible to construct a configuration equivalent to the water level sensor 72c inside the storage unit 725. However, by constructing the water level sensor 72c outside the storage unit 725 as in the present embodiment, it becomes easy to confirm the water level of the storage unit 725 from the outside.

Next, an operation example of the liquid feed amount adjusting device 720 will be described with reference to FIG. 70. First, the volume of the storage unit 726 is adjusted by the drive unit 727 according to the cup size and the like. The state ST61 shows the situation. In the example of FIG. 6, the movable member 727c is lowered, and the volume of the storage portion 726 is set to a volume smaller than that of the example of FIG. 69. The solenoid valve 728 communicates the pipe 728b and the pipe 728c, and hot water is not supplied from the storage unit 725 to the storage unit 726.

When the volume of the storage unit 726 is set, the drive unit 727 is stopped, and the pipe 728b and the pipe 728a are communicated with each other by the solenoid valve 728. The air pressure of the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 726 is the same, and the storage unit 726 is on the bottom side of the tank 720a. Therefore, hot water is supplied from the storage unit 725 to the storage unit 726 due to the head pressure of the hot water in the storage unit 725. In the case of the present embodiment, since the water level of the storage unit 725 is lower than the minimum water level (position of the sensor 731a), there is always a head difference between the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 726 (storage unit). 725 hot water is more expensive). Therefore, hot water is supplied from the storage unit 725 to the storage unit 726 until the storage unit 726 is full. The state ST62 indicates a state in which the storage unit 726 is full. Hot water also enters the groove 727c, but the volume of the groove 727c is sufficient to secure communication of air, and the amount can be minimized.

In the case of the present embodiment, the heater 72a is not provided in the storage unit 726, but since the storage unit 726 is surrounded by the storage unit 725, the heat retention performance of the stored hot water can be ensured. The volume of the storage unit 726 may be changed by the drive unit 727 in the state ST62.

Other methods are possible for supplying hot water from the storage unit 725 to the storage unit 726, but in the present embodiment, hot water has a relatively simple configuration by using the head difference between the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 726. Can be supplied.

Next, the hot water stored in the storage unit 726 is sent out. As shown in the state ST63, by communicating the pipe 728b and the pipe 728c with the solenoid valve 728, hot water can be sent from the pipe 728c to the extraction container 9 by its own weight or the atmospheric pressure of the storage unit 726. After the hot water is sent out, the operating state of the solenoid valve 728 is shut off from each other, so that the hot water of the storage unit 726 can be sent out step by step. For example, for the steaming step (S11 in FIG. 21), it is also possible to perform a step of delivering and interrupting the hot water and then delivering the remaining hot water (S12 of FIG. 21).

In any case, the total amount of hot water stored in the storage unit 726 is sent out. Confirmation of transmission of the entire amount can be performed by the opening time of the solenoid valve 728 (communication time between the pipe 728b and the pipe 728c). Each time the hot water stored in the storage unit 726 is sent out, the control valve 72d may be opened to supply water corresponding to the amount to the storage unit 725.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the amount of hot water delivered can be adjusted. In order to adjust the amount of liquid delivered, control of opening and closing the valve based on the detection result by using a flow rate sensor is generally used. However, for hot liquids and special liquids, compatible flow sensors may not be commercially available or expensive. In the present embodiment, by adopting a method of adjusting the volume of the storage unit 726, the amount of hot water delivered can be adjusted without the need for a flow rate sensor.

Next, another configuration example of the tank 720a will be described. FIG. 71 is a schematic view of the liquid feed amount adjusting device 720 having a different configuration of the tank 720a and a horizontal sectional view of the tank 720a portion.

In the example of FIG. 68, the storage unit 726 is located inside the storage unit 725, but a configuration in which the storage unit 725 and the storage unit 726 are arranged side by side as in the example of FIG. 71 can also be adopted. Further, in the example of FIG. 68, the horizontal cross-sectional shapes of the storage unit 725, the storage unit 726, and the storage unit 729 are circular, but a polygon such as a rectangle as in the example of FIG. 71 may be used. Further, other horizontal cross-sectional shapes such as an elliptical shape can also be adopted. Further, the communication portions 729a and 729b may be configured to communicate the lower end and the upper end of the storage portion 729 with the storage portion 725 as in the example of FIG. 71.

FIG. 72 is also a schematic view of the liquid feed amount adjusting device 720 having a different tank configuration and a horizontal sectional view of the tank portion. In the example of the figure, the tank 720b constituting the storage unit 725 and the tank 720c constituting the storage unit 726 are separately configured. Such a tank configuration can also be adopted. Further, in the example of FIG. 72, the storage portion 726 is formed at a position where the bottom surface is lower than that of the storage portion 725. This makes it easier to supply hot water using the head difference.

Next, a configuration in which the storage portion 729 is supported between the upper wall 723 and the bottom wall 724 of the tank 720a can also be adopted. FIG. 73 shows an example thereof. In the example of the figure, the cylindrical member forming the storage portion 729 is supported between the upper wall 723 and the bottom wall 724, and the peripheral wall 721 defining the storage portion 725 is also the upper wall 723 and the bottom wall. It is supported between 724 and. The communication portions 729a and 729b are formed on the bottom wall 724 and the upper wall 723, respectively. A gasket 729c is provided between the storage portion 729 and the upper wall 723 and the bottom wall 724.

In the case of the example of FIG. 73, the storage unit 729 can be supported by using the upper wall 723 and the bottom wall 724. In particular, since the storage unit 729 and the peripheral wall 721 are arranged side by side, the peripheral wall 721 is used as the storage unit. It can also be used as a reinforcing member for 729.

When the storage unit 729 is composed of a glass tube or the like, in order to prevent the action of a load at the boundary between the upper wall 723 and the bottom wall 724, instead of the gasket 729c, the storage unit 729 is shown in the configuration example EX32. A cover 729d that covers the upper and lower ends may be provided. The cover 729d may be made of, for example, silicon. Further, when the storage portion 729 is composed of a glass tube or the like, a mesh sheet may be attached to the peripheral surface thereof in order to prevent scattering at the time of breakage, and the glass tube is reinforced with something like polycarbonate. May be good.

<Ninth Embodiment>
Another configuration example of the switching unit 10 will be described. FIG. 74 is a perspective view of the switching unit 10 of the present embodiment. Similar to the first embodiment, the switching unit 10 of the present embodiment is also a unit that switches the delivery destination of the liquid sent from the extraction container 9 to either the pouring portion 10c or the waste tank T (not shown in FIG. 74). The same reference numerals are used for configurations having the same function.

The outline of this embodiment will be described. In the extraction process illustrated in FIG. 21, the coffee beverage is delivered in S17 with the extraction container 9 at a predetermined atmospheric pressure (1.7 atm as an example). When the atmospheric pressure at this time is set high, the delivery efficiency of the coffee beverage is improved, but the momentum of the coffee beverage poured into the cup C may become stronger and spill. The switching unit 10 of the present embodiment includes a decompression unit 600, and decompresses the coffee beverage poured into the cup C. This allows the coffee beverage to be poured more gently into the beverage container (cup C). Hereinafter, the configuration of the switching unit 10 will be described.

The switching unit 10 includes a communication unit 10d connected to the communication unit 810a of the operation unit 81C. Residues of coffee beverage, tap water, and ground beans in the container body 90 are introduced into the switching unit 10 via the communication portion 810a. The switching valve 10a switches the delivery destination of the coffee beverage or the like introduced into the switching unit 10 to the pressure reducing unit 600 or the pipe 10f. In the switching valve 10a, when the coffee beverage is poured into the cup C, the delivery destination is the pressure reducing unit 100, and when the coffee beverage, the residue, or the like is discarded, the delivery destination is the pipe 10f.

The pipe 10f is connected to a mounting portion 10e to which the waste tank T is mounted. A pipe 10g is also connected to the mounting portion 10e. The pipe 10g is a pipe that constitutes another disposal route that does not pass through the switching unit 10, and is used, for example, when water is discarded from the water tank 72. Further, the drainage portion 111a provided on the stage 111 (FIG. 57) may be connected to the pipe 10g.

The decompression unit 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 74 (A) and (B), FIGS. 75 (A) to (C), and FIGS. 76 (A) and (B). 74 (B) is a perspective view of the decompression unit 600, FIG. 75 (A) is a plan view of the decompression unit 600, FIGS. 75 (B) and 75 (C) are sectional views taken along line VV of FIG. 75 (A), VI. -VI line sectional view. 76 (A) and 76 (B) are perspective views of the lower case 602.

The decompression unit 600 is a hollow box body (decompression container) having a space 600a inside. The decompression unit 600 includes an introduction pipe 604a into which the coffee beverage is introduced via the switching valve 10a and a pouring unit 10c for pouring the coffee beverage into the cup C, and the space 600a is provided before the produced coffee beverage is poured into the cup C. The coffee beverage is configured to pass through. The volume of the space 600a is, for example, a volume larger than the maximum liquid volume of a cup of coffee beverage.

The pouring portion 10c is formed so as to project downward from the bottom portion of the decompression portion 600, and has a delivery port 605 at the lower end portion thereof. The delivery port 605 communicates with the space 600a and delivers the coffee beverage passing through the space 600a. The spout 605 may form a spout or may be connected to a nozzle forming the spout.

The introduction pipe 604 is a cylindrical pipe extending in the front-rear direction, one end portion 604a is connected to the switching valve 10a, and the other end portion is an introduction port 604b opened in the space 600a for introducing the coffee beverage into the space 600a. Consists of. The introduction port 604b is formed at a position higher than the delivery port 605, and the coffee beverage is facilitated to flow to the delivery port 605 by its own weight. Further, the introduction port 604b is formed on the delivery port 605 side of the communication hole 606 (at a position in the horizontal direction) in a plan view.

The decompression unit 600 has a monaca structure in which an upper case 601 constituting the upper half thereof and a lower case 602 constituting the lower half thereof are vertically connected to form a space 600a.

The upper case 601 has a flange portion 601a and a bulging portion 601b that is surrounded by the flange portion 601a and bulges upward, and the bulging portion 601b defines the upper portion of the space 600a. The lower case 602 has a flange portion 602a and a bulging portion 602b that is surrounded by the flange portion 602a and bulges downward, and the bulging portion 602b defines the lower portion of the space 600a.

The upper case 601 and the lower case 602 are fastened with a screw so that the flange portion 601a and the flange portion 602a are overlapped with each other. A sealing member 603 is interposed between the flange portion 601a and the flange portion 602a to seal the space 600a.

A communication hole 606 for communicating the space 600a with the atmosphere is formed in the wall portion of the decompression unit 600. When the coffee beverage is introduced into the space 600a under pressure, the air in the space 600a is released into the atmosphere through the communication hole 606. This makes it possible to reduce the pressure of the coffee beverage. In the case of the present embodiment, the communication hole 606 is formed in the upper wall portion 600b forming the top of the decompression portion 600 so that the introduction port 604b is located at a position lower than the communication hole 606. By forming the communication hole 606 at a high position in the space 600a, it is possible to prevent the coffee beverage from leaking from the communication hole 606.

The space 600a of the present embodiment is a space long in the left-right direction, an introduction port 604b is formed on one end (left end) 600c side in the longitudinal direction thereof, and the outlet 605 has one end 600c and the other end. It is located at a position separated from the portion (right end portion) 600d, and in the case of the present embodiment, it is formed in an intermediate portion between the one end portion 600c and the other end portion 600d. When the momentum of the coffee beverage introduced from the introduction port 604b is strong, the momentum of the coffee beverage is effective because it passes through the delivery port 605, flows to the other end 600d side, and then flows back to the delivery port 605. Can be weakened to.

Further, since the introduction port 604b and the delivery port 605 are formed at positions displaced in the horizontal direction, it is possible to secure a longer section in which the coffee beverage flows through the space 600a, and the momentum can be reduced. can.

The communication hole 606 is formed in a portion closer to the introduction port 604b than the delivery port 605 in the horizontal direction. With such an arrangement, it is possible to prevent the coffee beverage from leaking from the communication hole 606 due to the momentum of the coffee beverage from the introduction port 604d to the delivery port 605. In addition, the gas mixed in the coffee beverage can easily escape from the communication hole 606 at an early stage and can be prevented from being blown out from the delivery port 605. The number and position of the communication holes 606 are not limited to this, and a plurality of communication holes 606 may be provided, and the communication holes 606 may be formed at different portions.

The lower case 602 forms the left and right bottom surfaces 610 and 611 of the space 600a, and the front and rear peripheral surfaces 612 and 613. Each of these surfaces is an inclined surface inclined toward the delivery port 605, and can prevent the coffee beverage in the space 600a from staying in the space 600a and facilitate the flow to the delivery port 605.

The lower case 602 also forms the left and right peripheral surfaces 614, 615 of the space 600a. The peripheral surface 614 is a peripheral surface on the one end 600c side, and the peripheral surface 615 is a peripheral surface on the other end 600d side.

A notch 614a having a C-shaped cross section formed so as to extend the flow path in the introduction pipe 604 in the front-rear direction is formed on the peripheral surface 614, and the end portion of the notch 614a faces the introduction port 604a. The wall surface 614b is formed. When the momentum of the coffee beverage introduced from the introduction port 604b is strong, it can collide with the wall surface 614b and weaken the momentum.

The lower case 602 is formed with walls 621 and 622 extending in the vertical direction. The wall surface of the wall body 621 is parallel to the left-right and up-down directions, and the wall surface of the wall body 622 is parallel to the front-back and up-down directions. In other words, the wall surface of the wall body 621 is a surface that intersects the passage direction (front-back direction) of the passage in the introduction pipe 604, and is an orthogonal surface in the present embodiment. Further, the wall surface of the wall body 622 is a surface that does not intersect the passage direction (front-back direction) of the passage in the introduction pipe 604, and is a parallel surface in the present embodiment.

The end portions of the wall bodies 621 and 622 are continuous with each other, and form a pillar body having an L-shaped cross section as a whole. The walls 621 and 622 extend to positions facing the communication holes 606, and the communication holes 606 are surrounded by the walls 621 and 622 in a plan view of the decompression unit 600. In other words, the wall body 621 is located on the front side of the communication hole 606, and the wall body 622 is located on the right side of the communication hole 606.

Such walls 621 and 622 serve as an obstacle plate for preventing the coffee beverage in the space 600a from heading to the communication hole 606, and can prevent the coffee beverage from leaking from the communication hole 606. The wall bodies 621 and 622 extend to a position higher than the introduction port 604b, and reach a position having a slight gap with the upper wall portion 600b. In the case of the present embodiment, this gap is smaller than the diameter of the introduction port 604b. Further, the height from the introduction port 604b to the upper ends of the wall bodies 621 and 622 is longer than the diameter of the introduction port 604b.

With such a configuration, even when a large amount of coffee beverage is inflowed, it is difficult to blow out from the communication hole 606. If the pressure of the coffee beverage flowing into the decompression section 600 is high, it may be blown out from the introduction port 604b in the form of a space 600ahe mist, but by narrowing the gap between the upper ends of the walls 621 and 622 and the upper wall portion 600b. , The soaring drops make it difficult to get out of the container.

In the case of the present embodiment, the introduction port 604b is open to the wall body 621. The coffee beverage flowing into the space 600a from the introduction port 604b is prevented from moving to the rear side by the wall body 621, and the coffee beverage immediately after the inflow having the strongest momentum can be prevented from heading to the communication hole 606. Increasing the diameter of the introduction port 604d is effective in reducing the momentum of the inflowing coffee beverage, for example, 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less.

Next, another configuration example of the pressure reducing unit 600 will be described. FIG. 77 is a plan view of another example lower case 602. In the example of the figure, a plurality of communication holes 606A and 606B are formed in the upper case (not shown). Both the communication holes 606A and 606B are located closer to the introduction port 604b than the inlet 605 in the horizontal direction, so that air can easily escape at an early stage.

The bulging portion 602b has an L-shape, and a virtual line 633 connecting the introduction port 604b formed in the wall body 621 and the delivery port 605 crosses the flange portion 602a. The upper case (not shown) is provided with a bulging portion having a shape corresponding to the bulging portion 602b. That is, the coffee beverage flows from the introduction port 604b to the delivery port 605 while detouring in an L shape. This can reduce the momentum of the coffee beverage and promote the separation of air.

The bottom surfaces 630, 631, and 632 are inclined downward in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, and the bottom surfaces are sequentially inclined downward in the direction of the bottom surface 630 → the bottom surface 631 → the bottom surface 632. As a result, the coffee beverage can easily flow smoothly from the introduction port 604b to the delivery port 605 by its own weight.

A gap 621a with the peripheral surface is formed at the right end of the wall body 621 so that even if a coffee beverage enters the space 621b on the back side of the wall body 621, it does not collect in the space 621a and escapes from the gap 621a. I have to.

FIG. 78 (A) shows a plan view of the lower case 602 of still another example, and FIG. 78 (B) is a cross-sectional view of the decompression unit 600 using the lower case 602 of FIG. 78 (A). It is sectional drawing along the line VII-VII of A).

In this example, the pressure reducing portion 600 is formed long in the front-rear direction. The wall body 621 is provided in the upper case 601 instead of the lower case 602. In a plan view, the introduction port 605b is located on a straight line from one end 604a of the introduction pipe 604 to the delivery port 605, and the wall body 621 is inclined with respect to this straight line.

The inclination of the bottom surface 641 is a one-way inclination from the rear to the front, and the structure is such that coffee beverages are less likely to collect in the peripheral portion of the space 600a. Comparing the height from the introduction port 604b to the communication hole 606 and the height from the delivery port 605 to the introduction port 604b, the former height is higher.

The inclination of the bottom surface 641 is a one-way inclination from the rear to the front, and the structure is such that coffee beverages are less likely to collect in the peripheral portion of the space 600a. Comparing the height from the introduction port 604b to the communication hole 606 and the height from the delivery port 605 to the introduction port 604b, the former height is higher. Further, the communication hole 606 may be provided above the delivery port 605. By doing so, the distance from the introduction port 604b to the communication hole 606 is long, and the distance from the delivery port 605 is also long, so that the air and the coffee beverage can be easily separated.

<Other embodiments>
The above-described embodiments can be combined with each other. Further, in each of the above embodiments, coffee beverages are exclusively targeted, but various beverages such as Japanese tea, tea such as black tea, and soup can also be targeted. In addition, coffee beans, green coffee beans, ground coffee beans, roasted coffee beans, ground roasted coffee beans, unroasted coffee beans, and unroasted coffee beans can be extracted. Examples of coffee beans, powdered coffee beans, instant coffee, coffee in pods, etc., coffee beverages, etc. as beverages, and coffee liquids as beverage liquids have been exemplified, but are not limited thereto. In addition, tea leaves such as Japanese tea, black tea, and oolong tea, ground tea leaves, vegetables, crushed vegetables, fruits, crushed fruits, grains, crushed grains, mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms, mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms, etc. Crushed meat, dried mushrooms such as black tea after heating, crushed dried mushrooms such as black tea, crushed fish such as black tea, crushed fish such as black tea, black tea Such as fish dried after heating, crushed fish such as black tea after heating, crushed seaweed such as black tea, crushed seaweed such as black tea, and heated seaweed such as black tea Items that were dried later, items that were dried after heating seaweed such as black tea, items that were crushed, items that were dried after heating meat such as cows, pigs, birds, etc., items that were dried after heating the meat, etc. Any extract material may be used, such as crushed meat, cow bone, pig bone, bird bone, etc., which is dried after heating, and crushed meat, which is dried after heating. , Beverages such as Japanese tea, black tea, oolong tea, vegetable juice, fruit juice, soup, soup, soup, etc., and beverage liquids include Japanese tea extract, black tea extract, oolong tea extract, vegetable extract. , Fruit extract, mushroom extract, fish extract, meat extract, bone extract and the like. In addition, although there is a description of water, tap water, purified water, hot water, and washing water in the examples, any description such as water may be replaced with hot water or hot water may be replaced with water is different. It may be replaced with the description, or all may be replaced with liquid, steam, hot water, cooling water, cold water, or the like. For example, if it is described that the extraction target (for example, ground beans of roasted coffee beans) and hot water are put in the extraction container 9, the extraction target (for example, ground beans of roasted coffee beans) and cold water (simply water) are used. It may be replaced with the description such as putting it in the extraction container 9, and in this case, it may be regarded as an extraction method for watered coffee or the like or a beverage manufacturing apparatus.

<Summary of embodiments>
The above embodiment discloses at least the following devices or methods.

A1. A separation device (for example, 6) that separates unwanted substances from the ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
A forming unit (for example, 6B) forming a separation chamber (for example, SC) through which the ground beans pass, and
A suction unit (for example, 6A) that communicates with the separation chamber in a direction intersecting the passing direction of the ground beans and sucks air in the separation chamber is provided.
The forming unit is
With the entrance of the ground beans (for example, 65a, 65a') communicating with the separation chamber,
It has an outlet for the ground beans (eg 66), which communicates with the separation chamber.
By the suction of the suction unit, air is sucked from the discharge port to the separation chamber.
A separation device characterized by that.

A2. The opening area of the discharge port (for example, SC2) is larger than the opening area of the inlet (for example, SC1').
A separation device characterized by that.

A3. The forming unit comprises a tubular portion (eg, 65).
One end opening (for example, 65a) of the tubular portion forms the input port.
The other end opening (for example, 65b) of the tubular portion faces the separation chamber.
The opening area of the discharge port is larger than the opening area of the other end opening.
A separation device characterized by that.

A4. The internal space of the tubular portion has a shape in which the cross-sectional area decreases from the one end opening side toward the other end opening side (for example, FIG. 6).
A separation device characterized by that.

A5. The tubular portion extends in the vertical direction and extends in the vertical direction.
At least a part of the lower end of the tubular portion on the suction unit side protrudes downward from at least a part of the lower end on the opposite side (for example, FIG. 9, EX3).
A separation device characterized by that.

A6. By the suction of the suction unit, air is sucked from the inlet to the separation chamber.
A separation device characterized by that.

A7. The tubular portion extends in the vertical direction and extends in the vertical direction.
The other end opening fits within a region extending the outlet in the vertical direction (for example, FIG. 8).
A separation device characterized by that.

A8. The one end opening, the other end opening, and the discharge port are all circular and are arranged on the same center line (for example, CL) (for example, FIG. 8).
A separation device characterized by that.

A9. The forming unit is
A pipe portion (for example, 63) extending in a direction intersecting the same center line and forming a communication passage with the suction unit,
A separation chamber forming portion (eg, 64) connected to the pipe portion and forming the separation chamber, and the like.
The separation chamber forming portion has an annular shape centered on the same center line (for example, FIG. 8).
A separation device characterized by that.

A10. A turbulent flow promoting portion (for example, 67) that causes turbulence in the air sucked from the discharge port to the separation chamber is formed on the peripheral wall of the discharge port.
A separation device characterized by that.

A11. The turbulence facilitator includes a plurality of turbulence facilitators (eg 67a).
A separation device characterized by that.

A12. The plurality of turbulence promoting elements are repeatedly formed in the direction around the discharge port.
A separation device characterized by that.

A13. The plurality of turbulence promoting elements are a plurality of protrusions, a plurality of notches, or a plurality of holes.
A separation device characterized by that.

A14. The cylindrical portion protrudes into the separation chamber and
The one-end opening of the cylindrical portion is located outside the separation chamber.
The other end opening of the cylindrical portion is located in the separation chamber.
A separation device characterized by that.

A15. The first grinding machine (eg 5A) that coarsely grinds roasted coffee beans,
The separation device that separates unnecessary substances from the ground beans discharged from the first grinding machine, and
A second grinding machine (eg, 5B) for finely grinding the ground beans discharged from the separator.
A crusher characterized by (eg 5).

A16. With the above crusher
An extraction device (for example, 3) for extracting coffee liquid from the ground beans discharged from the crushing device is provided.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by (eg 1).

B1. It is an extraction method that extracts coffee liquid from ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
A decompression step (for example, S15) in which the inside of the extraction container containing the ground beans and the liquid is switched from the first atmospheric pressure to the second atmospheric pressure lower than the first atmospheric pressure.
The extraction step (for example, S17) for extracting coffee liquid from the ground beans is included.
The first atmospheric pressure is an atmospheric pressure at which the liquid at a predetermined temperature does not boil.
The second atmospheric pressure is the atmospheric pressure at which the liquid that did not boil at the first atmospheric pressure boils.
The switching from the first atmospheric pressure to the second atmospheric pressure is performed by releasing the atmospheric pressure in the extraction container.
An extraction method characterized by that.

B2. In the extraction step, the coffee liquid is extracted by a permeation method while discharging the liquid in the extraction container from the extraction container.
An extraction method characterized by that.

B3. In the extraction step, the coffee liquor is extracted by a dipping method in the extraction container.
An extraction method characterized by that.

B4. The liquid is hot water, and is
The predetermined temperature is a temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point of the liquid at the first atmospheric pressure.
The first atmospheric pressure is an atmospheric pressure exceeding the atmospheric pressure, and is
The second pressure is atmospheric pressure,
An extraction method characterized by that.

B5. The liquid supplied to the extraction container is a heated liquid and is pumped to the extraction container at a third atmospheric pressure at which the liquid does not boil.
The third atmospheric pressure is lower than the first atmospheric pressure and higher than the second atmospheric pressure.
An extraction method characterized by that.

B6. Prior to the depressurization step, a steaming step (for example, S11) of steaming the ground beans with a liquid supplied to the extraction container is included.
In the steaming step, the air pressure in the extraction container is maintained at the third air pressure.
An extraction method characterized by that.

B7. Prior to the depressurization step, a step of extracting coffee by a dipping method in the extraction container (for example, S14) is included.
An extraction method characterized by that.

B8. An extraction device (for example, 3) that extracts coffee liquid from ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
Extraction container (eg 9) and
A supply unit (for example, 7) that supplies liquid and air pressure to the extraction container,
A control unit (for example, 11) for controlling the supply unit is provided.
The control unit is
A depressurization control was performed to switch the inside of the extraction container containing the ground beans and the liquid from the first atmospheric pressure to the second atmospheric pressure lower than the first atmospheric pressure (for example, S15).
The first atmospheric pressure is an atmospheric pressure at which the liquid at a predetermined temperature does not boil.
The second atmospheric pressure is the atmospheric pressure at which the liquid that did not boil at the first atmospheric pressure boils.
The switching from the first atmospheric pressure to the second atmospheric pressure is performed by releasing the atmospheric pressure in the extraction container.
An extraction device characterized by that.

C1. An extraction device (for example, 3) that extracts coffee liquid from ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
An extraction container (eg, 9) that includes a neck (eg, 90b) and a body (eg, 90e) with an opening (eg, 90a) and contains the ground beans and liquid.
A filter (eg, 910) that is placed in the opening of the neck and regulates the leakage of the ground beans.
The extraction container is provided with a drive unit (for example, 8B) that changes the posture of the extraction container from the first posture in which the neck portion is on the upper side to the second posture in which the neck portion is on the lower side.
An extraction device characterized by that.

C2. The extraction container comprises a lid unit (eg, 91) containing the filter.
The lid unit is
When the ground beans are put into the extraction container (for example, S2), the opening is opened.
When extracting the coffee liquid in the extraction container, the opening is covered (for example, S3).
An extraction device characterized by that.

C3. In the first posture, the ground beans are deposited on the body and
In the second posture, the ground beans are deposited on the neck portion, and the ground beans are deposited on the neck portion.
The extraction container is formed so that the deposited thickness of the ground beans is thicker in the second posture than in the first posture.
An extraction device characterized by that.

C4. The neck portion has a smaller cross-sectional area of the internal space than the body portion.
An extraction device characterized by that.

C5. The extraction container has a shoulder portion (eg, 90d) between the body portion and the neck portion.
The cross-sectional area of the internal space of the shoulder portion is gradually reduced toward the neck portion.
An extraction device characterized by that.

C6. The neck portion has a cylindrical shape.
An extraction device characterized by that.

C7. The first posture is maintained for at least a predetermined immersion time (eg S14).
An extraction device characterized by that.

C8. The second posture is maintained for at least a predetermined permeation time (eg S17).
An extraction device characterized by that.

C9. It is an extraction method that extracts coffee liquid from ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
A dipping step (for example, S14) in which the ground beans deposited in the extraction container in the first aspect are immersed in a liquid in the extraction container in the first posture.
A reversing step (for example, S16) in which the posture of the extraction container is reversed from the first posture to the second posture and the ground beans are deposited in the second aspect.
The permeation step (for example, S17) of delivering the liquid from the extraction container in the second posture is included.
The second aspect is an aspect in which the deposited thickness of the ground beans is thicker than that of the first aspect.
In the permeation step, the liquid is delivered by passing the ground beans deposited in the second aspect.
An extraction method characterized by that.

C10. The extraction container contains a thick portion (eg, 90e) and a thin portion (eg, 90b).
In the first posture, the ground beans are deposited on the thick portion, and the ground beans are deposited.
In the second posture, the ground beans are deposited on the thin portion.
An extraction method characterized by that.

D1. A separation device (for example, 6) that separates unwanted substances from the ground beans of roasted coffee beans,
A beverage manufacturing device (for example, 1) including an extraction device (for example, 3) for extracting coffee liquid from the ground beans from which the unnecessary substance is separated by the separation device.
A housing (eg, 100) forming the exterior of the beverage making device is provided.
The housing comprises a first transmissive portion (eg, 101) that makes at least a portion of the separator visible from the outside.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D2. A beverage manufacturing device (for example, 1) equipped with an extraction device (for example, 3) for extracting coffee liquid from ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
A housing (eg, 100) forming the exterior of the beverage making device is provided.
The extraction device includes an extraction container (for example, 9) in which the ground beans and the liquid are stored and extracts the coffee liquid, and a drive unit (for example, 8B) for moving the extraction container when extracting the coffee liquid.
The housing comprises a first permeation portion (eg, 101) that makes at least a portion of the extraction container visible from the outside.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D3. The separation device includes a collection container (eg 60B) containing the unwanted material.
The recovery container includes a second permeator (eg 62) that allows the contained unwanted material to be visible from the outside.
The unnecessary substances contained in the collection container can be visually recognized from the outside through the first transmission portion and the second transmission portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D4. The separator includes a blower unit (eg 60A) that exhausts the air in the recovery vessel.
The blower unit and the recovery container constitute a centrifuge device that collects unnecessary substances in a part of the recovery container.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D5. The collection container is removable from the separation device.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D6. The first grinding machine (eg 5A) that coarsely grinds roasted coffee beans,
Equipped with a second grinder (eg 5B), which grinds roasted coffee beans,
The separation device separates the unwanted material from the ground beans discharged from the first grinding machine.
The second grinding machine finely grinds the ground beans from which the unnecessary substances have been separated by the separation device.
In the second grinding machine, at least a part of the second grinding machine is visible through the first transmission portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D7. The first transmissive portion is configured to be openable and closable (for example, FIGS. 56 and 58).
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D8. The first permeation portion has a shape so that the inside of the device can be visually recognized from at least the front and side of the beverage manufacturing device (for example, FIG. 58).
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D9. The first transmissive portion includes a curved surface (for example, FIG. 58).
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

D10. By driving the drive unit, the posture of the extraction container changes when the coffee liquid is extracted, and the posture of the extraction container is changed.
The change in the posture of the extraction container can be visually recognized through the first transmission portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E1. A beverage manufacturing device (for example, 1) that manufactures beverages made from roasted coffee beans.
A bean container (for example, 40) containing roasted coffee beans,
A mounting portion (for example, 44) to which the bean container is mounted, and
The first receiving unit (for example, 442) that receives the roasted coffee beans,
A second receiving unit (eg, 42c), which receives the roasted coffee beans, is provided.
The first receiving portion receives the roasted coffee beans from the bean container mounted on the mounting portion, and receives the roasted coffee beans.
The second receiving portion is an opening formed in a portion different from the mounting portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E2. The first receiving unit is provided with a sending unit (for example, 41) that automatically sends a predetermined amount of roasted coffee beans received to the downstream side.
The roasted coffee beans received in the second receiving unit can be used for producing a beverage without being automatically delivered by the delivery unit.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E3. Further equipped with a grinding machine (eg 5A) to grind roasted coffee beans,
The roasted coffee beans received in the first receiving section or the second receiving section are supplied to the grinder.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E4. The supply route of roasted coffee beans from the second receiving portion to the grinder (for example, RT2) is better than the supply route of roasted coffee beans from the first receiving portion to the grinder (for example, RT1). The path length is short,
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E5. The first supply route (for example, RT1) through which the roasted coffee beans received by the first receiving unit pass, and
Further provided with a second supply channel (eg RT2) through which the roasted coffee beans received in the second receiving section pass.
The second supply path merges in the middle of the first supply path.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E6. The delivery unit is a screw conveyor, and is a unit that delivers a predetermined amount of the roasted coffee beans by the amount of rotation of the screw shaft (for example, 47).
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E7. The delivery unit is visible through the opening (eg, 42c).
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E8. The bean container comprises an outlet for roasted coffee beans to the first receiving portion (eg, 405a) and a lid mechanism for opening and closing the outlet (eg, 408).
The beverage manufacturing apparatus includes a drive mechanism (for example, 41a, 444, 445c) that operates the lid mechanism to automatically open the outlet from the closed state to the open state after the bean container is mounted on the mounting portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

E9. The drive mechanism can operate the lid mechanism to automatically close the outlet from the open state to the closed state.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

F1. An extraction device (for example, 3) that extracts coffee liquid from ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
A container (for example, 90) in which the ground beans and the liquid are stored and coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans.
The container is provided with a ground bean supply position for supplying the ground beans to the container (for example, a bean input position with a broken line in FIG. 9) and a liquid supply position for supplying liquid to the container (for example, an extraction position with a solid line in FIG. 9). And, with a drive unit (eg 8B) that moves to,
An extraction device characterized by that.

F2. A housing (eg, 100) forming the exterior of the extraction device is provided.
The housing comprises a transmissive portion (eg, 101) that allows the movement of the container to be visible from the outside.
An extraction device characterized by that.

F3. The drive unit reciprocates the container between the ground bean supply position and the liquid supply position (eg, FIG. 9).
An extraction device characterized by that.

F4. The drive unit translates the container horizontally (eg, FIG. 9).
An extraction device characterized by that.

F5. The drive unit comprises a support member (eg, 820) that supports the container.
An extraction device characterized by that.

F6. The support member is
A holding member (for example, 820a) that holds the container, and
Includes a shaft member (eg, 820b) that is coupled to the holding member and extends in the moving direction of the container.
When the moving direction of the container is the front-back direction of the container, the holding member extends over the left and right sides and the bottom of the container (for example, FIGS. 29 and 30).
The shaft member is connected to the holding member at each side of the container.
The shaft member is moved in the moving direction.
An extraction device characterized by that.

F7. After the ground beans are supplied to the container at the ground bean supply position, the liquid is supplied to the container at the liquid supply position.
An extraction device characterized by that.

F8. After the preheating liquid is supplied to the container at the liquid supply position, the ground beans are supplied to the container at the ground bean supply position, and then the liquid is supplied to the container at the liquid supply position.
An extraction device characterized by that.

F9. When the moving direction of the container is the front-back direction of the container, the front surface of the container can be visually recognized through the transmission portion, and the liquid supply position is deeper than the ground bean supply position. Position (eg Figure 9),
An extraction device characterized by that.

F10. A lid unit (eg, 91) that is detachably attached to the opening (eg, 90a) of the container at the liquid supply position is provided.
The lid unit includes a hole (eg, 911a) that allows the inside of the container to communicate with the outside.
At the liquid supply position, the liquid is supplied into the container through the hole with the lid unit mounted on the opening.
An extraction device characterized by that.

F11. With the lid unit separated from the opening at the liquid supply position, the container moves to the ground bean supply position, and the ground beans are supplied into the container through the opening.
An extraction device characterized by that.

F12. The drive unit has a mechanism for reversing the container and the lid unit in a first posture in which the lid unit is located on the upper side and a second posture in which the lid unit is located on the lower side in the liquid supply position, and the hole. Including plug members that open and close (eg 913)
The liquid is supplied into the container in the first posture.
In the second posture, the stopper member opens the hole, and the coffee beverage is delivered from the container through the hole.
An extraction device characterized by that.

G1. An extraction device (for example, 3) that extracts coffee liquid from ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
An extraction container (for example, 9) in which the ground beans and the liquid are stored and coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans.
A supply unit (for example, 7) for supplying a liquid to the extraction container is provided.
The extraction container is
The first hole (eg, 911a) from which the coffee beverage in the brewing container is delivered, and
Includes a second hole (eg, 901a) into which the liquid used to clean the inside of the extraction container is delivered.
An extraction device characterized by that.

G2. A drive unit (for example, 8B) that reverses the posture of the extraction container between the first posture and the second posture is provided.
The first hole is located at the lower end of the extraction container in the first posture and at the upper end of the extraction container in the second posture.
The second hole is located at the upper end of the extraction container in the first posture and at the lower end of the extraction container in the second posture.
An extraction device characterized by that.

G3. After the coffee beverage in the extraction container is delivered through the first hole while the extraction container is in the first posture, the drive unit changes the extraction container to the second posture. The cleaning liquid is supplied into the extraction container by the supply unit through the first hole.
An extraction device characterized by that.

G4. A filter (eg, 910) that regulates the leakage of the ground beans in the extraction container from the first hole is provided.
An extraction device characterized by that.

G5. The filter is a metal filter,
An extraction device characterized by that.

G6. The metal filter is located on the lower end side of the extraction container in the first posture and on the upper end side of the extraction container in the second posture.
An extraction device characterized by that.

G7. The extraction container includes a first plug member (eg, 913) that opens and closes the first hole, and a second plug member (eg, 903) that opens and closes the second hole.
An extraction device characterized by that.

G8. The extraction container includes a transmissive portion (for example, 90) in which the inside can be visually recognized.
An extraction device characterized by that.

G9. The second hole is larger than the first hole,
When the cleaning liquid is supplied into the extraction container from the first hole, air is blown from the first hole.
An extraction device characterized by that.

H1. A beverage manufacturing device (for example, 1) that manufactures beverages made from roasted coffee beans.
A bean container (for example, 40) containing roasted coffee beans,
A mounting portion (for example, 44) to which the bean container is detachably mounted and
A transport mechanism (for example, 41) capable of transporting the roasted coffee beans from the bean container is provided.
The transport mechanism is provided so that the bean container remains on the mounting portion side when the bean container is removed from the mounting portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H2. The bean container is
The first mouth (for example, the end of the tubular portion 401) through which the roasted coffee beans can enter and exit,
Includes a second mouth (eg, 405a), which allows the roasted coffee beans to enter and exit.
The first mouth is a mouth that does not pass when the roasted coffee beans move from the bean container into the beverage manufacturing apparatus.
The second mouth is a mouth through which the roasted coffee beans move from the bean container into the beverage manufacturing apparatus.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H3. The bean container comprises an opening / closing member (eg, 408) that opens and closes the second mouth.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H4. The bean container is
With the cylinder (for example, 401),
Includes a forming member (eg, 405) provided at the end of the tube and forming the second mouth.
The opening / closing member is rotatably attached to the forming member around the central axis of the tubular portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H5. The mounting portion is provided with a drive mechanism (for example, 41a, 444, 445c) capable of opening the second opening by operating the opening / closing member.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H6. The drive mechanism can operate the opening / closing member to close the second opening.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H7. The mounting portion is provided with a regulating means (for example, 408c) for restricting the removal of the bean container when the second mouth is open.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H8. The transport mechanism transports the roasted coffee beans received to the receiving unit (for example, 442).
The receiving section receives the roasted coffee beans from the bean container mounted on the mounting section, and receives the roasted coffee beans.
The transport mechanism is driven by the opening / closing member with the second opening partially closed (for example, FIG. 44), and then the second opening is completely closed by the opening / closing member.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H9. The transport mechanism transports the roasted coffee beans received to the receiving unit (for example, 442).
The receiving section receives the roasted coffee beans from the bean container mounted on the mounting section, and receives the roasted coffee beans.
The mounting portion is provided with a shutter (for example, 443) for opening and closing the receiving portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

H10. The bean container comprises regulatory means (eg, 406a, 408d, 406a', 408d') that regulate the opening and closing member from opening the second mouth when not mounted on the mounting portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

I1. A crusher (for example, 5) that grinds roasted coffee beans.
The main body with a cutter (for example, 53b) and
A motor (eg, 52b) for driving the cutter is provided.
The main body can be removed from the crushing device, leaving the motor in the crushing device (eg, FIG. 63).
A crushing device characterized by that.

I2. The main body is provided with an adjusting mechanism (for example, 503) for adjusting the particle size of the ground beans.
A crushing device characterized by that.

I3. The adjusting mechanism includes a motor (for example, 503a) different from the motor as a drive source.
A crushing device characterized by that.

I4. A detachable delivery tube (for example, 501) for delivering the ground beans to a position laterally displaced from directly below the crushing device.
A crushing device characterized by that.

I5. A beverage manufacturing device (for example, 1) that manufactures coffee beverages.
A crusher (for example, 5) that grinds roasted coffee beans,
An extraction device (for example, 3) that extracts coffee from the ground beans delivered from the crushing device, and
A housing (eg, 100), which forms the exterior of the beverage brewing apparatus, is provided.
The crushing device is
The main body with a cutter (for example, 53b) and
A motor (eg, 52b) for driving the cutter is provided.
The main body can be removed from the crushing device, leaving the motor in the crushing device (eg, FIG. 63).
The housing comprises a transmissive portion (eg, 101) that makes at least a portion of the body visible from the outside.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

I6. With the main body attached to the crushing device, the motor cannot be visually recognized from the outside through the transmission.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

I7. The main body is provided with an adjusting mechanism (for example, 503) for adjusting the particle size of ground beans.
The adjusting mechanism includes a motor (for example, 503a) different from the motor as a drive source.
With the main body attached to the crushing device, the other motor cannot be visually recognized from the outside through the transmission portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

J1. An extraction device (for example, 3) that extracts coffee liquid from ground beans of roasted coffee beans.
A container body (for example, 90) for accommodating the ground beans and the liquid, and
A lid (eg, 91) that closes the opening (eg, 90a) of the container body,
A lock mechanism (for example, 821) for locking the container body and the lid while the lid closes the opening is provided.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J2. The container body comprises a peripheral edge (eg, 90c) defining the opening.
The lid comprises a collar (eg, 911c) that overlaps the periphery.
The locking mechanism includes a fitting portion (eg, 821) that fits the peripheral portion and the flange portion that are overlapped with each other so as to sandwich them.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J3. The fitting portion comprises a first surface (eg, LS) that contacts the peripheral edge portion and a second surface (eg, US) that contacts the flange portion in the fitted state.
The peripheral edge comprises a third surface (eg, 90c') in contact with the first surface.
The collar includes a fourth surface (eg, 911c') that contacts the second surface.
In the fitted state, the first surface to the fourth surface are parallel to each other.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J4. A holding portion (for example, 801) for holding the lid, and
The holding portion is provided with a driving means (for example, 8A) for moving the holding portion to a first position where the lid closes the opening and a second position where the lid is separated from the opening.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J5. The flange portion and the peripheral edge portion include a guide portion (for example, 90 g, 911e) that guides each other so that the container body and the lid are aligned when the flange portion and the peripheral edge portion are overlapped with each other. ,
An extraction device characterized by that.

J6. The lid comprises a sealing member (eg, 919a) that seals between the container body and the lid.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J7. When the locking mechanism locks the container body and the lid, the lid cannot be moved to the second position even if the driving means is driven.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J8. The lid is
With a hole through the lid (eg 911a),
Includes a plug member (eg, 913) that opens and closes the hole.
In a state where the container body and the lid are locked by the lock mechanism, air having a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure is supplied into the container body through the hole.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J9. The plug member can be opened by the air pressure of the air supplied into the container body.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J10. The lid is
With a hole through the lid (eg 911a),
Includes a plug member (eg, 913) that opens and closes the hole.
Water is supplied into the container body through the hole in a state where the container body and the lid are locked by the lock mechanism.
An extraction device characterized by that.

J11. The plug member can be opened by the hydraulic pressure of the liquid supplied into the container body.
An extraction device characterized by that.

K1. First reservoir for storing liquid (eg 725)
When,
A second reservoir (eg, 726) that stores the liquid supplied from the first reservoir.
When,
A communication switching means (for example, 728) for switching communication and interruption between the first storage unit and the second storage unit,
A delivery switching means (for example, 728) for switching between delivery and storage of the liquid supplied to the second storage unit, and
A driving means (for example, 727) that changes the volume of the second storage unit according to the amount of liquid delivered from the second storage unit is provided.
A liquid delivery amount adjusting device (for example, 720).

K2. The first storage portion and the second storage portion are separated by a common wall body (for example, 722).
A liquid volume adjusting device characterized by this.

K3. A heater (for example, 72a) for heating the liquid stored in the first storage unit is provided.
A liquid feed amount adjusting device characterized by this.

K4. A measuring unit (for example, 72c) for measuring the liquid level of the first storage unit is provided.
The measuring unit
A float (eg, 730) that floats on the liquid,
The upper first sensor (eg, 731b) that detects the float, and
It comprises a lower second sensor (eg, 731a) that detects the float.
A liquid feed amount adjusting device characterized by this.

K5. The measuring unit
A third reservoir (eg, 729) for storing the liquid is provided.
The float is placed in the third reservoir and
The third reservoir communicates with the first reservoir at a position below the second sensor (eg, 729a).
A liquid feed amount adjusting device characterized by this.

K6. An air communication unit (eg, 722a) that allows air to communicate between the first storage unit and the second storage unit is provided.
A liquid feed amount adjusting device characterized by this.

K7. An air communication unit (for example, 729b) for communicating air between the first storage unit and the third storage unit is provided at a position above the first sensor.
A liquid feed amount adjusting device characterized by this.

K8. When the liquid in the second reservoir is delivered, the liquid is supplied to the first reservoir.
A liquid feed amount adjusting device characterized by this.

K9. The liquid is supplied from the first reservoir to the second reservoir by the head pressure in the first reservoir.
A liquid feed amount adjusting device characterized by this.

K10. The driving means is
A movable member (for example, 727c) constituting a wall body that defines the volume of the second storage portion, and
With a motor (eg 727a),
A moving mechanism (for example, 727b, 727f) for moving the movable member by the driving force of the motor is provided.
A liquid feed amount adjusting device characterized by this.

L1. A beverage manufacturing device (eg 1) that manufactures a beverage and pour it into a beverage container (eg C).
A decompression unit (eg, 600) through which the beverage passes before pouring the produced beverage into the beverage container is provided.
The decompression section is formed with a communication hole (for example, 606) that allows the inside of the decompression section to communicate with the atmosphere.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

L2. The decompression portion has an upper wall portion (for example, 600b).
The communication hole is formed in the upper wall portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

L3. The decompression unit includes an outlet (eg, 605) for delivering the beverage.
The outlet is formed at a position lower than the communication hole.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

L4. The decompression section includes an inlet (eg, 604b) for introducing the beverage into the decompression section.
The inlet is formed at a position lower than the communication hole and higher than the outlet.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

L5. The communication hole is formed at a portion closer to the introduction port than the delivery port.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

L6. A valve (for example, 10a) for switching the destination of the beverage to a flow path different from that of the decompression unit when the beverage is discarded.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

L7. The inlet and the outlet are formed at positions displaced in the horizontal direction.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

L8. The decompression unit
An inlet (for example, 604b) for introducing the beverage into the decompression section,
Includes an outlet (eg, 605) for delivering the beverage.
The internal space (eg, 600a) of the decompression section includes one end (eg 600c) and the other end (eg 600d) in the horizontal direction.
The introduction port is formed on the one end side in the horizontal direction.
The outlet is formed at a position separated from the one end portion and the other end portion in the horizontal direction.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

L9. The decompression unit
An inlet (for example, 604b) for introducing the beverage into the decompression section,
Includes an outlet (eg, 605) for delivering the beverage.
The internal space (eg, 600a) of the decompression section includes one end (for example, 600c) and the other end (for example, 600d) in the horizontal direction.
The introduction port is formed on one end side of the horizontal center in the internal space of the decompression part.
The outlet is formed at a position closer to the horizontal center in the internal space of the decompression portion than the other end portion.
Beverage manufacturing equipment characterized by that.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, in order to publicize the scope of the present invention, the following claims are attached.

Claims (3)

It is a crushing device that grinds the extraction target.
The main body with a cutter and
A motor base with a motor for driving the cutter, and
The motor base comprises a first gear that can rotate about a vertical axis.
The main body is rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction and includes a second gear that meshes with the first gear.
The driving force of the motor is transmitted to the cutter via the first gear and the second gear.
The main body can be removed from the crushing device while leaving the motor base in the crushing device.
The main body can be attached to and detached from the motor base in the vertical direction.
When the main body portion is attached to the motor base in the vertical direction, the second gear is located at a position where the second gear meshes with the first gear from a position separated in the vertical direction from the first gear.
The main body can be attached by moving horizontally with respect to the motor base and then moving vertically.
The main body can be removed by moving vertically with respect to the motor base and then moving horizontally.
A crushing device characterized by that. The crushing apparatus according to claim 1 .
The motor base has a first engaging portion and
The main body portion has a second engaging portion that engages with the first engaging portion.
The first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are provided in two sets separated in the horizontal direction.
The first engaging portion has a tapered surface and has a tapered surface.
When the main body portion is attached to the motor base in the vertical direction, the second engaging portion abuts on the tapered surface, so that the main body portion is urged horizontally toward the motor base. ,
A crushing device characterized by that. The crushing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 .
The main body and the motor base are fixed by a fastening member.
The fastening member is a bolt that vertically fastens a portion where the main body and the motor base are vertically overlapped.
A crushing device characterized by that.

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