JP7155732B2 - beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage dispensing device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a beverage supply device, such as a coffee machine, which performs processing such as coffee bean grinding and extraction processing such as dripping to generate coffee, which is a beverage, and supplies the coffee to a cup, which is a container.

In such a beverage supply device, the beverage is produced in the beverage production section inside the rectangular parallelepiped device main body, and the beverage is supplied to the cup through the beverage supply section provided in a manner projecting upward from the top wall portion of the device main body. (See Patent Document 1, for example).

JP-A-8-308737

By the way, in such a beverage supply apparatus, it is necessary to replenish beverage raw materials such as coffee beans, replenish water, etc., and dispose of the extraction residue, and it is required to improve the efficiency of these operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage supply apparatus that can perform replenishment work, disposal work, and the like satisfactorily.

In order to achieve the above object, the beverage supply device according to the present invention comprises a rectangular parallelepiped device main body having a front opening in a front wall portion and having a beverage production section for producing a beverage installed therein; A beverage supply unit provided in a manner protruding upward from the top wall of the apparatus main body, comprising a front door that is swingably provided at one side edge of the front opening of the main body for opening and closing the front opening. A beverage supply device for supplying a beverage produced by the beverage production unit to a container through a brewing unit, wherein the beverage production unit is arranged in the vicinity of the front opening and extracts the beverage from the beverage ingredients and hot water. a hot water tank arranged behind the brewing unit to generate and store hot water to be supplied to the brewing unit; and a water tank arranged to the side of the brewing unit to store water to be supplied to the hot water tank. and

Further, according to the present invention, in the above beverage supply device, the water tank is arranged on one side edge of the front opening, and the extraction unit is arranged on the other side edge of the front opening. and

Further, according to the present invention, the beverage supply device further comprises an extraction unit support member that supports the extraction unit through the front opening so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

Further, according to the present invention, the beverage supply apparatus further comprises a water tank supporting member that supports the water tank through the front opening so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

According to the present invention, the extraction unit for extracting the beverage from the beverage ingredients and hot water is arranged near the front opening, and the hot water tank for generating and storing hot water to be supplied to the extraction unit is arranged behind the extraction unit. Since the water tank for storing the water to be supplied to the hot water tank is arranged on the side of the extraction unit, the extraction unit and the water tank are arranged on the front side inside the main body of the device, so that the beverage ingredients and water can be stored. Replenishment can be easily performed, and the extraction residue can be easily discarded. Therefore, there is an effect that replenishment work, disposal work, etc. can be performed satisfactorily.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a beverage supply device that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a beverage supply device that is an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a front view of the device main body shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the apparatus main body shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the apparatus main body shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the water tank supporting member and the extraction unit supporting member shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are slid forward. FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a beverage supply device that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the upper components of the apparatus main body shown in FIG. 1; 10 is an exploded perspective view of the beverage supply shown in FIGS. 8 and 9; FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle portion shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle portion shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the nozzle portion shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing the contents of the beverage supply process performed by the controller shown in FIG.

Preferred embodiments of the beverage supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 show a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view and FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system.

The beverage supply device 1 exemplified here is a coffee machine that performs, for example, coffee bean grinding and extraction processing such as dripping, and supplies a beverage such as coffee to a cup C that is a container. Such a beverage supply device 1 is configured with a device main body 10 and a front door 20 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the device main body 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a front opening 11a in a front wall portion 11. As shown in FIG. The front door 20 is provided at the right edge of the front opening 11a, which is one edge on the front side of the apparatus main body 10, so as to be able to swing around the central axis of a shaft portion (not shown) extending along the vertical direction. It is possible to open and close the front opening 11a of the apparatus main body 10 by swinging along the front-rear direction. In a normal state, the front door 20 is held in a state in which the front opening 11a is closed by a lock mechanism (not shown).

4 to 6 respectively show the device main body 10 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a front view of the device main body 10, and FIGS. 5 and 6 show the internal structure of the device main body 10. It is a perspective view. As also shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a beverage producing section 30 is provided inside the main body 10 of the apparatus.

The beverage production section 30 produces a beverage (for example, coffee), and as shown in FIG.

A plurality of water tanks 31 (two in the illustrated example) are provided, each of which stores water. The hot water tank 32 is connected to each of the water tanks 31 through a water supply line (not shown), and heats the water supplied from the water tank 31 to generate and store hot water.

The extraction unit 33 extracts coffee, which is a beverage. The extraction unit 33 is arranged such that a raw material storage section 331, a mill 332, and an extraction container 333 are arranged in this order from the top, and a slag bucket 334 is provided below the extraction container 333. As shown in FIG.

The raw material storage unit 331 stores coffee beans, which are raw materials for the beverage. The mill 332 grinds a predetermined amount of coffee beans supplied from the raw material storage unit 331 to produce ground coffee beans. The extraction container 333 is a so-called brewer, which combines hot water supplied from the hot water tank 32 through a hot water supply line (not shown) and ground coffee beans supplied from the mill 332 through an air supply line (not shown). The coffee is extracted after stirring and mixing with pressurized air supplied from the air pump 34 through the air pump 34 . The dregs bucket 334 stores dregs generated after coffee is extracted in the extraction container 333 .

Arrangement of each part which comprises such a drink production|generation part 30 is demonstrated. The water tank 31 is placed on the upper surface of the water tank support member 41 near the front opening 11a and on the right edge side of the front opening 11a.

The water tank support member 41 is provided on a mounting metal 12a provided on the bottom wall portion 12 of the apparatus main body 10 via a first rail mechanism 41a. The first rail mechanism 41a is conventionally known, and one component is configured to be slidable along the front-rear direction with respect to the other component. One component is arranged on the water tank support member 41, and the other component is arranged on the mounting bracket 12a. It is slidable along. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the water tank support member 41 supports the water tank 31 through the front opening 11a so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

The extraction unit 33 is arranged near the front opening 11a and supported by the extraction unit supporting member 42 on the left edge side which is the other side edge of the front opening 11a. That is, the extraction unit 33 is arranged on the left side (lateral side) of the water tank 31 while being supported by the extraction unit supporting member 42 . The extraction unit support member 42 is provided on the left side wall portion 13 of the apparatus main body 10 via a second rail mechanism 42a. The second rail mechanism 42a is conventionally known, and is configured so that one component can slide along the front-rear direction with respect to the other component. One component is arranged on the extraction unit support member 42, and the other component is arranged on the left side wall portion 13, so that the extraction unit support member 42 can slide in the front-rear direction. It is. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the extraction unit support member 42 supports the extraction unit 33 through the front opening 11a so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. Reference numeral 335 in FIGS. 3 and 4 denotes a blower fan for discharging steam generated inside the device main body 10 by extraction of the beverage by the extraction unit 33 to the outside of the device main body 10 .

The hot water tank 32 is arranged on the rear side of the raw material storage section 331 constituting the extraction unit 33 , and the air pump 34 is arranged on the rear side of the extraction unit 33 and below the hot water tank 32 .

The apparatus main body 10 is provided with a beverage supply section 50, an operation input section 60 and a control section . As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the beverage supply unit 50 is provided so as to penetrate the ceiling wall portion 14 of the apparatus main body 10 and protrude upward from the ceiling wall portion 14. The beverage produced by the beverage producing part 30 is supplied to the cup C placed on the provided placing part 15 .

The beverage supply unit 50 includes a beverage supply body portion 51 and a nozzle portion 52 . The beverage supply body portion 51 has a tubular shape formed by penetrating the top wall portion 14 and extending upward and then curving downward toward the front side, and a pipe line 511 through which the beverage passes is formed inside. formed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the nozzle portion 52 has a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the beverage supply body portion 51, and is attached to the tip portion of the beverage supply body portion 51. There is. More specifically, an inwardly protruding locking projection 521 (see FIGS. 11 to 13) is formed on the upper portion of the inner wall surface forming the hollow portion 52a of the nozzle portion 52, and the beverage supply body portion is formed. The nozzle portion 52 is brought close to the beverage supply body portion 51 in such a manner that the locking piece 512 protruding from the tip portion of the nozzle portion 51 relatively enters the hollow portion 52a from the upper portion of the nozzle portion 52, and the nozzle portion 52 is placed in the center. By rotating around the axis, the locking projection 521 enters into the locking hole 512a formed in the locking piece 512, and the nozzle portion 52 is locked and attached to the beverage supply body portion 51. As shown in FIG. By rotating the nozzle portion 52 attached to the beverage supply portion 50 in this way around the central axis, the locking projection 521 is separated from the locking hole 512a, and the nozzle portion 52 is separated from the beverage supply body portion 51. Thereby, the nozzle portion 52 can be removed from the beverage supply body portion 51 . That is, the nozzle portion 52 is detachably attached to the tip portion of the beverage supply body portion 51 .

A diffuser 53 is provided in the nozzle portion 52 . The diffuser 53 enters the hollow portion 52a from the upper portion of the nozzle portion 52, and the lower end edge of the diffuser 53 is provided in contact with a stopper projection 522 formed in such a manner as to protrude inward from the lower portion of the inner wall surface of the nozzle portion 52. There is. That is, the diffuser 53 can be detached from the hollow portion 52a of the nozzle portion 52, and the nozzle portion 52 holds the diffuser 53 detachably. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the diffuser 53 causes the supplied beverage to collide with the inner wall surface to remove air and bubbles supplied together with the beverage, store a certain amount of the beverage in the lower portion, and discharge the beverage from the discharge port 53a. Only is ejected.

By the way, the top surface 14a of the top wall portion 14 of the apparatus main body 10 is configured so that the area excluding the beverage supply portion 50 and the placement portion 15 is formed of a single plate-like body made of glass or resin so as to be flat. formed. As shown in FIG. 9, an edge portion 14b surrounding the top surface 14a is configured to protrude upward from the top surface 14a.

As shown in FIG. 8, the operation input section 60 is provided on the ceiling wall section 14 of the apparatus main body 10 on the front side of the mounting section 15 . The operation input unit 60 is a part where a user performs an input operation, and includes a capacitance switch 61 arranged below the top surface 14a and an LED 62 as a light source. The capacitance switch 61 gives an operation signal to the control unit 70 when a change in capacitance is detected by touching the operation area with a user's finger. The LED 62 is lit in accordance with a command from the control section 70, and in this embodiment, is lit at all times and flashing. Also, the LED 62 is always lit in the normal state.

A window portion 16 is formed in the vicinity of the operation input portion 60 . The window portion 16 is provided so as to pass through the top wall portion 14 and is covered with a plate-like body that constitutes the top surface 14a. The window portion 16 is provided at a position above the raw material storage portion 331 when the brewing unit 33 is slid backward and stored inside the device main body 10, and the coffee beans in the raw material storage portion 331 are provided at the position above the raw material storage portion 331. It is for visually recognizing the amount of storage.

The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the beverage production unit 30 and the operation input unit 60 described above, and operates these units according to programs and data stored in a storage unit 71 that is also electrically connected. This is for overall control. Note that the control unit 70 may be implemented by software, for example, by causing a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, or may be implemented by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, software and hardware may be used together.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing the contents of the beverage supply process performed by the controller 70 shown in FIG. The operation of the beverage supply device 1 will be described while explaining the contents of the beverage supply process.

In this beverage supply process, the control section 70 determines whether or not an operation signal has been input from the capacitance switch 61 constituting the operation input section 60 (step S101). When an operation signal is input (step S101: Yes), the control unit 70 blinks the LED 62 (step S102). On the other hand, when there is no input of the operation signal (step S101: No), the control unit 70 repeats the determination process of step S101.

The control unit 70 that blinks the LED 62 causes the beverage production unit 30 to produce a beverage and supply the beverage through the beverage supply unit 50 (step S103). After that, the control unit 70 determines whether or not the supply of the beverage has ended (step S104). If the supply of the beverage has not ended (step S104, No), the control unit 70 returns to step S103 to continue the process of producing and supplying the beverage. On the other hand, if the beverage supply has ended (step S104, Yes), the control unit 70 keeps the LED 62 on (step S105), and then returns to finish the beverage supply process this time.

According to this, the user is made to recognize that the beverage is being produced and supplied by blinking the LED 62, and the supply of the beverage is finished by lighting the LED 62 at all times. can be recognized.

As described above, in the beverage supply device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the extraction unit 33 for extracting the beverage from the beverage ingredients and the hot water is arranged near the front opening 11a, and the extraction unit 33 is supplied with the beverage. A hot water tank 32 for generating and storing hot water is arranged behind the extraction unit 33, and a water tank 31 for storing water to be supplied to the hot water tank 32 is located near the front opening 11a and on the side of the extraction unit 33. Since it is arranged on the right side, the extraction unit 33 and the water tank 31 are arranged on the front side inside the device main body 10, and the water for producing coffee beans and hot water, which are beverage ingredients, is replenished. This can be easily carried out, and the extraction slag can be easily discarded. Therefore, according to the beverage supply device 1, it is possible to satisfactorily perform replenishment work, disposal work, and the like.

Moreover, the water tank 31 is placed on the upper surface of the water tank support member 41 on the right edge side of the front opening 11a. Since the water tank 31 is slidably supported along, when refilling with water, the water tank 31 can be slid forward through the front opening 11a, and the refilling work can be performed more satisfactorily.

The extraction unit 33 is supported by an extraction unit support member 42 on the left edge side of the front opening 11a, and the extraction unit support member 42 supports the extraction unit 33 through the front opening 11a so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when replenishing the coffee beans or discarding the extraction residue, the extraction unit 33 can be slid forward through the front opening 11a, which makes the replenishment work and disposal work even more favorable. It can be carried out.

Further, according to the beverage supply device 1, the beverage supply unit 50 that supplies the beverage produced by the beverage production unit 30 to the cup C penetrates the ceiling wall portion 14 and extends upward, and then faces forward and downward. a beverage supply main body portion 51 configured to be curved in a vertical direction; 52, and since the nozzle portion 52 has a diffuser 53 that removes air and foam delivered with the beverage, removing the nozzle portion 52 from the beverage delivery body portion 51 allows the nozzle portion 52 to be regularly cleaning can be easily performed, and thus the cleaning work can be performed satisfactorily.

In particular, since the nozzle portion 52 detachably holds the diffuser 53, the nozzle portion 52 and the diffuser 53 can be cleaned more easily by removing the diffuser 53 from the nozzle portion 52, and the cleaning work can be further simplified. can do well.

Furthermore, according to the beverage supply device 1, the top surface 14a of the top wall portion 14 of the device main body 10 is composed of a single glass or resin plate-like body except for the beverage supply portion 50 and the placing portion 15. The top surface 14a can be easily cleaned because the top surface 14a is flat.

Moreover, since the edge portion 14b surrounding the top surface 14a is configured to protrude above the top surface 14a, the beverage overflowing the top surface 14a can be dripped downward from the top surface 14a. can be suppressed.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, the water tank 31 and the extraction unit 33 that constitute the beverage production section 30 are supported by the water tank support member 41 and the extraction unit support member 42, respectively. The brewing unit does not need to be supported by these water tank support members and brewing unit support members as long as it is positioned in the vicinity of the front opening.

In the embodiment described above, the nozzle portion 52 detachably holds the diffuser 53, but in the present invention, the nozzle portion may integrally include the diffuser.

In the above-described embodiment, in the normal state, the LED 62 is always lit, and the operation input unit 60 is operated so that the beverage is produced in the beverage production unit 30 and the beverage is supplied to the cup C. The LED 62 is flashed and lit, and furthermore, the LED 62 is lit constantly after the completion of the supply of the beverage. The LEDs may be lit to emit different colors.

Reference Signs List 1 beverage supply device 10 device body 11 front wall portion 11a front opening 14 top wall portion 14a top surface 14b edge portion 15 mounting portion 16 window portion 20 front door 30 beverage production portion 31 water tank 32 hot water tank 33 extraction unit 331 raw material Storage part 332 Mill 333 Extraction container 334 Residue bucket 41 Water tank support member 42 Extraction unit support member 50 Beverage supply part 51 Beverage supply body part 52 Nozzle part 53 Diffuser 60 Operation input part 61 Capacitance switch 62 LED
70 control part C cup

Claims (4)

a rectangular parallelepiped device main body having a front opening in the front wall portion and having a beverage producing portion for producing a beverage installed therein;
a front door that is swingably provided at one side edge of the front opening of the device body and that opens and closes the front opening,
The beverage produced by the beverage producing part is supplied to the container placed on the placing part provided on the ceiling wall part through the beverage supply part provided in a manner that protrudes upward from the ceiling wall part of the apparatus main body. A beverage dispenser that supplies
The beverage production unit is
a brewing unit that is arranged near the front opening and that extracts a beverage from the beverage ingredients and hot water;
a hot water tank disposed behind the brewing unit for generating and storing hot water to be supplied to the brewing unit;
a water tank arranged to the side of the extraction unit and storing water to be supplied to the hot water tank ;
The top surface of the top wall portion of the apparatus main body is formed so that a region other than the beverage supply portion and the placement portion is flat, and an edge portion surrounding the top surface is positioned above the top surface. A beverage dispenser , characterized in that it is constructed in a protruding manner . 2. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the water tank is arranged on one side edge of the front opening, and the brewing unit is arranged on the other side edge of the front opening. . 3. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an extraction unit supporting member that supports the extraction unit through the front opening so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The beverage dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a water tank supporting member that supports the water tank through the front opening so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

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