JP7527217B2 - Thickened beverage supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thickened beverage supplying device that supplies thickened beverages with some degree of viscosity.

Patent document 1 discloses an invention for a thickened beverage supplying device that supplies thickened beverages. This thickened beverage supplying device includes a platform on which a container is placed, a beverage supplying section that supplies a beverage to the container placed on the platform, and a thickening powder supplying section that supplies thickening powder to thicken the container placed on the platform. The beverage supplying section includes a beverage ingredient container that stores the raw powder of the beverage, a raw water supplying section that supplies the raw water that will become the raw water of the beverage, a mixing container that stirs and mixes the raw powder and the raw water, and a stirring device that stirs the raw powder and the raw water in the mixing container. The raw water supplying section also includes a hot water raw water supplying passage that supplies raw water made of hot water supplied from a hot water tank, and a cold water raw water supplying passage that supplies raw water made of cold water from a raw water cooling pipe provided in a cold water tank.

When this thickened beverage supply device supplies a hot thickened beverage, the screw in the beverage ingredient container is rotated to convey the beverage ingredient powder into the mixing container, and raw water consisting of hot water is supplied into the mixing container as part of the raw water from the raw water supply channel for hot water. The raw powder and raw water consisting of hot water supplied into the mixing container are stirred by the stirring device to produce a hot beverage. The hot beverage produced is poured through a beverage guide into a container placed on the mounting table. The screw in the thickening powder container is rotated so that the hot beverage is poured into the container on the mounting table at the same time, and the thickening powder is poured into the container along with the hot beverage. When the pouring of the hot beverage is completed, raw water consisting of cold water supplied from the raw water supply channel for cold water is poured into the container, and the container is supplied with a thickened beverage adjusted to a temperature suitable for drinking.

JP 2020-175955 A

In the thickened beverage supplying device of Patent Document 1, in order to make it easier to dissolve the raw powder of the beverage in the raw water, the raw powder of the beverage is first dissolved in raw water made of hot water, and then raw water for cold water, which has a low temperature, is supplied to adjust the temperature to a suitable temperature for drinking the thickened beverage. In addition, in this thickened beverage supplying device, in order to dissolve the thickening powder in the container with the water flow of the beverage, the thickening powder is poured out at the same time as the beverage starts to be poured into the container or immediately after the start of pouring. However, when the thickening powder comes into contact with a high-temperature liquid, it becomes rapidly gelatinized locally, making it difficult to dissolve, and it is likely to form lumps, so-called lumps, when it comes into contact with a high-temperature liquid and remain undissolved. For this reason, if the thickening powder is poured out at the same time as the start of pouring of the beverage using raw water made of hot water, or immediately after the start of pouring, the thickening powder does not dissolve in the thickened beverage produced, and lumps, so-called undissolved lumps, are produced. The objective of the present invention is to provide a thickened beverage dispenser that prevents thickening powder from remaining undissolved.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a beverage supply unit having a base on which a container is placed, a raw water supply unit that supplies raw water, which is a raw material for the beverage, into the container, and a thickening powder supply unit that supplies thickening powder into the container to thicken the beverage supplied into the container, and the raw water supply unit has a first raw water supply passage that supplies raw water at or below room temperature, and a second raw water supply passage that supplies raw water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature, and the beverage adjusted to a warm temperature by using the raw water supplied from the first raw water supply passage and the raw water supplied from the second raw water supply passage ... thickening powder supply unit supplies thickening powder into the container to thicken the beverage supplied into the container, and the raw water supply unit has a first raw water supply passage that supplies raw water at or below room temperature, and a second raw water supply passage that supplies raw water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature, and the beverage adjusted to a warm temperature by using the raw water supplied from the first raw water supply passage and the raw water supplied from the second raw water supply passage, and the thickening powder supply unit supplies thickening powder into the container to thicken the beverage supplied into the container. The thickened beverage supplying device supplies a warm thickened beverage containing a thickening powder, and when supplying a warm thickened beverage to a container placed on a mounting table, the device starts supplying a beverage containing mainly raw water supplied from a first raw water supply passage to the container, supplies thickening powder into the container from a thickening powder supplying section simultaneously with or after the start of supplying the beverage to the container, and supplies a beverage containing mainly raw water supplied from a second raw water supply passage to the container after the supply of the beverage containing mainly raw water supplied from the first raw water supply passage, thereby controlling the supply of a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature.

In the thickened beverage supply device configured as described above, when supplying a warm thickened beverage to a container placed on the mounting table, the supply of a beverage mainly containing raw water supplied from the first raw water supply passage to the container is started, and thickening powder is supplied from the thickening powder supply unit into the container at the same time as or after the start of supplying the beverage to the container, and after the supply of the beverage mainly containing raw water supplied from the first raw water supply passage is supplied, a beverage mainly containing raw water supplied from the second raw water supply passage is supplied to the container, thereby supplying a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature. When the supply of the thickening powder starts, the beverage being supplied into the container is mainly made of raw water at or below room temperature supplied from the first raw water supply passage, and since raw water at or below room temperature is mainly used for this beverage, the temperature is not high. Since the thickening powder is dissolved by this beverage that is not at a high temperature, the thickening powder is less likely to remain undissolved, so-called lumps.

In the thickened beverage supply device configured as described above, it is preferable to control the supply of a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature by supplying a beverage mainly containing raw water supplied from the second raw water supply passage to the container after the supply of the thickening powder to the container has been completed. When the temperature is adjusted to produce a warm thickened beverage by supplying raw water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature supplied from the second raw water supply passage, the thickening powder is pre-dissolved in a beverage mainly using raw water at or below room temperature, so that even if the thickening powder is added to a beverage using raw water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature supplied from the second raw water supply passage, it is unlikely to remain undissolved, known as lumps.

1 is a perspective view of a thickened beverage supplying device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state in which the front panel of FIG. 1 is removed. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along the front-rear direction at the position (line AA) where the beverage supply unit is disposed. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a raw water supply unit is connected to a raw water supply port formed in a base. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a raw water supply section. This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the front-to-back direction at the position (line B-B) where the thickening powder supply section is located. 2 is a perspective view of the beverage dispensing portion and the thickening powder dispensing portion viewed obliquely from below. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control device. FIG. 1A is a time chart showing the operation of each component when a first thickened beverage supply program is executed to supply a warm thickened beverage containing raw material powder for a beverage such as tea; FIG. 1B is a time chart showing the timing at which a beverage is dispensed from the beverage dispenser and thickening powder is dispensed from the thickening powder dispenser. This is a time chart corresponding to Figure 9 when providing a thickened beverage with a high viscosity, in which the rotation speed of the thickening powder delivery motor is changed depending on the container temperature estimated inside the container. This is a time chart corresponding to Figure 9 when providing a thickened beverage with high viscosity, in which the rotational speed of the motor driving the hot water pump is changed so that a beverage made from raw water consisting of hot water is dispensed after the dispensing of the thickening powder has been completed. This is a time chart corresponding to Figure 9 in which, when providing a thickened beverage with a low viscosity, the supply of raw water consisting of hot water is started before the supply of thickening powder is started. 10 is a time chart corresponding to FIG. 9 in which thickening powder is supplied after the supply of raw water consisting of hot water is started when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank is low.

An embodiment of the thickened beverage supplying device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The thickened beverage supplying device 10 of the present invention supplies a thickened beverage (including thickened water or thickened hot water) by mixing a thickening powder with a beverage (including only raw water) supplied into a container C such as a cup in the container C, and can also supply a beverage that does not contain a thickening agent by supplying only a beverage into a container C such as a cup. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the thickened beverage supplying device 10 has a thickened beverage production chamber 12 in the front part of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 11 and a machine chamber 13 in the rear part of the housing 11, and the thickened beverage production chamber 12 is separated from the machine chamber 13 by a partition plate 14. The machine chamber 13 is provided with a part of the raw water supplying section 34, such as a cold water tank 34b for cooling the water supplied to the mixing container 33 or container C described later and a hot water supply tank 34a for supplying hot water to the mixing container 33 or container C.

2 and 3, the thickened beverage production chamber 12 is provided with a mounting table 20 on which a container C such as a cup is placed, a beverage supply unit 30 that supplies a beverage into the container C using raw water supplied from a raw water supply unit 34 that supplies raw water as a raw material for the beverage, and a thickening powder supply unit 40 that supplies thickening powder into the container C to thicken the beverage supplied into the container C. In this embodiment, the thickened beverage production chamber 12 is provided with two beverage supply units 30 to supply two types of beverage, and the two beverage supply units 30 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the thickening powder supply unit 40 that is arranged in the center of the thickened beverage production chamber 12 in the left-right direction. The left and right beverage supply units 30 are identical in configuration except that they are arranged symmetrically, so the following explanation will mainly explain only one of the beverage supply units 30.

1 and 2, the mounting base 20 is disposed in the center in the left-right direction at the bottom of the thickened beverage production chamber 12. The mounting base 20 includes a receiving base 21 on which a container C such as a cup is placed, and a cover 22 that covers the upper side of the receiving base 21. The receiving base 21 is formed in a lattice shape, so that beverages spilling from the container C such as a cup can flow downward. In order to receive the beverage and thickening powder in the container C at the center in the left-right direction at the front of the receiving base 21, a beverage dispensing section 37b (beverage dispensing outlet 37c) and thickening powder dispensing section 42c (described later) are disposed above the center in the left-right direction at the front of the receiving base 21 (as shown in Figs. 6 and 7). The cover 22 covers the upper side of the receiving base 21 on both the left and right sides except the front, the rear, and the top.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the beverage supply unit 30 supplies a beverage that is an ingredient of a thickened beverage to a container C placed on the mounting table 20. The beverage supply unit 30 includes a beverage production unit 31 that produces a beverage, and a beverage guide path 36 that guides the beverage produced by each beverage production unit 31 on the left and right sides to the container C on the mounting table 20 in the center.

2 and 3, the beverage production unit 31 mixes the raw powder of the beverage with raw water consisting of water and/or hot water to produce a beverage. The beverage production unit 31 includes a beverage raw material container 32 for storing the raw powder of the beverage (raw material powder), a mixing container 33 for mixing the raw powder of the beverage with the raw water, and a stirring device 35 for stirring the raw powder and the raw water in the mixing container 33. The beverage raw material container 32 stores raw powder of the beverage consisting of powder of tea, black tea, etc., and is detachably attached to the base 15 provided in the thickened beverage production chamber 12. A raw material powder discharge port 32a is provided at the bottom of the beverage raw material container 32, and the raw material powder is discharged from the discharge port 32a to the mixing container 33. A beverage raw material discharge screw 32b is provided at the bottom of the beverage raw material container 32, and the drive of the beverage raw material discharge motor 32d can be transmitted to the beverage raw material discharge screw 32b via a coupling member 32c. When the beverage ingredient delivery screw 32b rotates due to the rotation of the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d, the ingredient powder in the beverage ingredient container 32 is delivered from the delivery port 32a into the mixing container 33.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mixing container 33 stirs and mixes the raw material powder and raw material water, and is removably supported on the base 15 provided in the thickened beverage production chamber 12. The mixing container 33 opens at the bottom of the beverage raw material container 32, and the raw material powder discharged from the discharge port 32a of the beverage raw material container 32 flows into the mixing container 33. A discharge port 33a is formed at the bottom of the mixing container 33, and the beverage stirred and mixed in the mixing container 33 is discharged from the discharge port 33a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the base 15 is provided with a raw water supply port 15a for supplying raw water consisting of cold water (water at room temperature or below) and/or hot water (water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature) into the mixing container 33, and a raw water supply unit 34 for supplying raw water is connected to the raw water supply port 15a. The raw water supply unit 34 has a first raw water supply passage for supplying raw water cooled to about 5°C, which is below room temperature, and a second raw water supply passage for supplying raw water heated to about 90°C, which is a temperature higher than room temperature.

As shown in FIG. 5, the raw water supply unit 34 includes a hot water tank 34a for supplying hot water and a cold water tank 34b for supplying cold water. A first water supply pipe 34c constituting the first and second raw water supply passages is connected to the hot water tank 34a, and water from a water supply source such as a tap is supplied to the hot water tank 34a through the first water supply pipe 34c. The first water supply pipe 34c is provided with first and second water supply valves 34d and 34e, and water from the water supply source is supplied to the hot water tank 34a by opening the first and second water supply valves 34d and 34e. A water level sensor 34a1 is provided in the hot water tank 34a, and the first and second water supply valves 34d and 34e are controlled to open and close based on the detected water level of the water level sensor 34a1 so that the water level in the hot water tank 34a is within a predetermined water level range. The hot water tank 34a is provided with a heater 34a2, and the water from the water supply source is heated by the heater 34a2 in the hot water tank 34a to become raw water consisting of hot water (hot water). The hot water tank 34a is provided with a water temperature sensor 34a3, which detects the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 34a.

In addition, a hot water supply pipe 34f constituting the second raw water supply path is connected to the bottom of the hot water tank 34a, and a hot water supply pump 34g is installed in the hot water supply pipe 34f. The hot water in the hot water tank 34a is sent to the hot water supply pipe 34f by the hot water supply pump 34g. In addition, first to third hot water supply valves 34h (34h1 to 34h3) consisting of three-way valves are installed in the hot water supply pipe 34f, and the first to third hot water supply pipes 34i (34i1 to 34i3) constituting the second raw water supply path are connected to the first to third hot water supply valves 34h (34h1 to 34h3). The outlet end of the first raw water supply pipe 34i1 is connected to the raw water supply port 15a of the beverage supply unit 30 on the left side, the outlet end of the second raw water supply pipe 34i2 is connected to the raw water supply port 15a of the beverage supply unit 30 on the right side, and the outlet end of the third raw water supply pipe 34i3 is disposed in the cover portion 22 of the mounting table 20.

The hot water in the hot water tank 34a is supplied to the mixing container 33 through the hot water supply pipe 34f and the first raw water supply pipe 34i1 or the second raw water supply pipe 34i2 by opening the first raw water supply valve 34h1 or the second raw water supply valve 34h2 for hot water together with the operation of the hot water supply pump 34g. In addition, the hot water in the hot water tank 34a is supplied to a container C such as a cup placed on the placement table 20 through the hot water supply pipe 34f and the third raw water supply pipe 34i3 by opening the third raw water supply valve 34h3 for hot water together with the operation of the hot water supply pump 34g.

The first water supply pipe 34c is connected to the second water supply pipe 34j, which constitutes the first raw water supply path, immediately downstream of the first water supply valve 34d (between the first water supply valve 34d and the second water supply valve 34e), and water from a water supply source such as a tap is supplied to the cold water tank 34b through a part of the first water supply pipe 34c and the second water supply pipe 34j. Inside the cold water tank 34b, there is an evaporation pipe 34b1 of the refrigeration device that cools the cooling water inside, and a raw water cooling pipe 34b2 that constitutes the first raw water supply path and cools the raw water. The cooling water in the cold water tank 34b is cooled by the refrigerant circulating through the evaporation pipe 34b1 of the refrigeration device, and the water from the water supply source is cooled as it passes through the raw water cooling pipe 34b2, becoming raw water consisting of cold water.

The raw water cooling pipe 34b2 of the cold water tank 34b is connected to the water supply pipe 34k constituting the first raw water supply line, and raw water consisting of cold water cooled by the raw water cooling pipe 34b2 is sent to the water supply pipe 34k. The water supply pipe 34k is provided with first and second branch parts 34k1, 34k2 for sending out cold water, and the first and second branch parts 34k1, 34k2 and the tip 34k3 of the water supply pipe 34k are provided with fourth to sixth raw water supply valves 34m (34m1 to 34m3) for cold water. The inlet ends of the fourth to sixth raw water supply pipes 34n (34n1 to 34n3) for cold water that constitute the first raw water supply passage are connected to the fourth to sixth raw water supply valves 34m1 to 34m3 for cold water, and the outlet ends of the fourth to sixth raw water supply pipes 34n (34n1 to 34n3) for cold water are connected to the middle parts of the first to third raw water supply pipes 34i (34i1 to 34i3) for hot water.

By opening the first water supply valve 34d and the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 or the fifth raw water supply valve 34m2 for cold water, the water from the water supply source is sent through a part of the first water supply pipe 34c and the second water supply pipe 34j to the raw water cooling pipe 34b2 of the cold water tank 34b, where it is cooled and becomes raw water consisting of cold water, and the raw water consisting of cold water is supplied into the mixing vessel 33 through the water supply pipe 34k, the fourth raw water supply pipe 34n1 or the fifth raw water supply pipe 34n2, and the first raw water supply pipe 34i1 connected to the fourth raw water supply pipe 34n1 or the second raw water supply pipe 34i2 connected to the fifth raw water supply pipe 34n2. In addition, by opening the first water supply valve 34d and the sixth raw water supply valve 34m3 for cold water, the water from the water supply source is sent through a part of the first water supply pipe 34c and the second water supply pipe 34j to the raw water cooling pipe 34b2 of the cold water tank 34b, where it is cooled and becomes raw water made of cold water, and the raw water made of cold water is supplied to a container C such as a cup placed on the mounting table 20 through the water supply pipe 34k, the sixth raw water supply pipe 34n3, and the third raw water supply pipe 34i3 connected to the sixth raw water supply pipe 34n3.

A part of the first water supply pipe 34c, the second water supply pipe 34j, the raw water cooling pipe 34b2, the water supply pipe 34k, the fourth to sixth raw water supply pipes 34n (34n1 to 34n3), and a part of the first to third raw water supply pipes 34i (34i1 to 34i3) of the raw water supply unit 34 constitute a first raw water supply passage that supplies raw water at or below room temperature as described in the claims of the present application, and the first water supply pipe 34c, the hot water tank 34a, the hot water supply pipe 34f, and the first to third raw water supply pipes 34i (34i1 to 34i3) of the raw water supply unit 34 constitute a second raw water supply passage that supplies raw water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature as described in the claims of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mixing vessel 33 is provided with a mixing device 35, which includes a mixing motor 35a provided on the base 15 at the rear of the mixing vessel 33, a rotating shaft 35d rotated by the mixing motor 35a, and a disk portion 35e provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 35d. A coupling magnet 35b is provided on the output shaft of the mixing motor 35a, and a coupling magnet 35c is provided at the base end of the rotating shaft 35d that is on the mixing motor 35a side. The rotating shaft 35d is detachably connected to the mixing motor 35a by the coupling magnets 35b and 35c, and the mixing motor 35a rotates the rotating shaft 35d via the coupling magnets 35b and 35c. The rotating shaft 35d extends above the discharge port 33a at the bottom of the mixing vessel 33, and a disk portion 35e is provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 35d above the discharge port 33a. A stirring blade 35f is provided on the underside of the disk portion 35e at the tip of the rotating shaft 35d, and the raw material powder and raw material water in the mixing container 33 are stirred and mixed by the stirring blade 35f as the disk portion 35e rotates, producing a beverage.

As shown in FIG. 2, the beverage guide path 36 guides the beverages produced in the beverage production units 31 on both the left and right sides to a container C placed on the mounting base 20 in the left-right center. The beverage guide path 36 includes a shallow box-shaped beverage guide 37 that extends from the underside of the beverage production unit 31 to the left-right center at the front of the mounting base 20. In this embodiment, the beverage guides 37 on both the left and right sides are connected to each other by a connecting portion 37a that is located in the left-right center of the thickened beverage production chamber 12, and the left and right beverage guides 37 are integrally formed in a state where they are connected by the connecting portion 37a in the left-right center. The integrally formed left and right beverage guides 37 on both the left and right sides are supported on the upper side of the cover portion 22 of the mounting base 20.

2, 6 and 7, the beverage guide 37 is provided with a cylindrical beverage outlet 37b that extends downward above the center in the left-right direction at the front of the mounting base 20, and a beverage outlet 37c is formed at the lower end of the beverage outlet 37b. The beverage outlets 37b of the beverage guides 37 on both the left and right sides are arranged in positions adjacent to each other in the left-right direction at the center in the left-right direction at the front of the mounting base 20. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, these beverage outlets 37b are inclined toward the rear side, which is the side of the thickening powder outlet 42c described below, and the beverage poured from the beverage outlet 37c of the beverage outlet 37b is poured at an angle toward the rear.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outlet end of the third raw water supply pipe 34i3 is disposed on the upper side of the cover portion 22, and raw water consisting of cold water and/or hot water is supplied as beverage from the third raw water supply pipe 34i3 to the container C placed on the mounting table 20. The raw water consisting of cold water and/or hot water supplied from the third raw water supply pipe 34i3 is mainly used when supplying thickened water or thickened hot water obtained by adding thickening powder to raw water consisting of cold water and/or hot water.

As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the thickening powder supply unit 40 includes a thickening powder container 41 that stores thickening powder, and a chute 42 that guides the thickening powder conveyed from the thickening powder container 41 to the container C on the mounting table 20. The thickening powder used in this embodiment is prone to gelatinization and leaving undissolved particles called lumps when it comes into contact with a liquid of 50°C or higher. The thickening powder is not limited to those that are prone to gelatinization and leaving undissolved particles when it comes into contact with a liquid of 50°C or higher, but may be a thickening powder that is prone to gelatinization and leaving undissolved particles when it comes into contact with a liquid of 40°C to 55°C or higher.

As shown in FIG. 6, a thickening powder discharge port 41a is provided at the bottom of the thickening powder container 41, and the thickening powder is discharged from the discharge port 41a to the chute 42. A thickening powder discharge screw 41b is provided at the bottom of the thickening powder container 41, and the drive of the thickening powder discharge motor 41d can be transmitted to the thickening powder discharge screw 41b via a coupling member 41c. When the thickening powder discharge screw 41b rotates due to the rotation of the thickening powder discharge motor 41d, the thickening powder in the thickening powder container 41 is discharged from the discharge port 41a into the chute 42. As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the chute 42 extends vertically downward from the lower side of the discharge port 41a of the thickening powder container 41 to the upper side of the container C placed on the mounting table 20, and is provided with a passage 42a that guides the thickening powder discharged from the discharge port 41a of the thickening powder container 41 to the container C placed on the mounting table 20.

As shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the chute 42 is provided with an inlet 42b for receiving the thickening powder discharged from the outlet 41a of the thickening powder container 41. The lower end of the chute 42 is provided with a cylindrical thickening powder outlet 42c having a thickening powder outlet 42d for pouring out the thickening powder. The passage 42a formed inside the chute 42 extends vertically in a straight line from the inlet 42b at the upper end to the thickening powder outlet 42d at the lower end. The width of the chute 42 in the left-right direction gradually narrows from the middle to the lower part in the vertical direction, and the passage 42a of the chute 42 gradually narrows as it proceeds downward from the middle to the lower part in the vertical direction. The thickening powder becomes turbulent when it passes through the gradually narrowing part of the passage 42a of the chute 42, and the turbulent thickening powder is dispersed and released from the thickening powder outlet 42d into the container C on the mounting table 20.

As shown in Figure 7, the thickening powder outlet 42c is disposed adjacent to the beverage outlet 37b of the beverage guide 37 in the front-to-rear direction. The thickening powder outlet 42d of the thickening powder outlet 42c has an oval shape with a flat shape in which the length in the front-to-rear direction (the direction adjacent to the beverage outlet 37c in the horizontal direction) is shorter than the length in the left-to-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the direction adjacent to the beverage outlet 37c in the horizontal direction). By making the thickening powder outlet 42d an oval shape, the opening area of the thickening powder outlet 42d is formed larger than the beverage outlet 37c. By making the length of the thickening powder outlet 42d in the front-to-rear direction, in which the beverage outlet 37c is located, shorter than the length in the left-to-right direction in which the beverage outlet 37c is not located, the thickening powder outlet 42d and the beverage outlet 37c can be positioned above the center of the container C without spreading out, and the thickening powder poured from the thickening powder outlet 42d and the beverage poured from the beverage outlet 37c will not spill outside the container C.

8, the thickened beverage dispenser 10 is equipped with a control device 50 that controls the supply of a thickened beverage to a container C placed on the mounting base 20, and the control device 50 is connected to an operation switch 17 provided on the front panel 16, a beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d, first and second water supply valves 34d, 34e, a hot water pump 34g, first to third raw water supply valves 34h (34h1 to 34h3), fourth to sixth raw water supply valves 34m (34m1 to 34m3), a stirring motor 35a, and a thickening powder delivery motor 41d. The control device 50 has a microcomputer (not shown), and the microcomputer has a CPU, RAM, ROM, and a timer (all not shown) connected to each other via a bus. The control device 50 has in its ROM a first and second thickened beverage supply program for supplying thickened beverages, the first thickened beverage supply program being a program for supplying a hot or cold thickened beverage containing powdered ingredients for a beverage such as tea, and the second thickened beverage supply program being a program for supplying a thickened beverage made from thickened water or thickened hot water.

The first thickened beverage supply program, which supplies a thickened beverage containing raw material powder for a beverage such as tea, controls the opening and closing of the first water supply valve 34d and the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water, and/or controls the operation of the hot water pump 34g and the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water, and controls the operation of the beverage raw material delivery motor 32d, the stirring motor 35a, and the thickening powder delivery motor 41d, thereby controlling the supply of a thickened beverage containing raw material powder for a beverage such as tea to a container C such as a cup placed on the placement table 20.

In the first thickened beverage supply program, the opening time of at least one of the first water supply valve 34d, the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water, and the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water, and the operating time of the hot water pump 34g can be set according to the amount and temperature of the thickened beverage to be supplied to the container C, the operating time of the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d can be set according to the beverage strength of the thickened beverage, and the operating time of the thickening powder delivery motor 41d can be set according to the viscosity of the thickened beverage.

Specifically, when the amount of thickened beverage is to be increased, the opening times of the first water supply valve 34d and the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water are increased, and/or the opening time of the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water is increased, and the operation time of the hot water pump 34g is increased. When the temperature of the thickened beverage is to be lowered, the opening times of the first water supply valve 34d and the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water are increased, and when the temperature of the thickened beverage is to be increased, the opening time of the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water is increased, and the operation time of the hot water pump 34g is increased. When it is desired to make the thickened beverage thicker, the operating time of the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d is increased, and when it is desired to make the thickened beverage thinner, the operating time of the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d is decreased. When it is desired to increase the viscosity of the thickened beverage, the operating time of the thickening powder delivery motor 41d is increased, and when it is desired to decrease the viscosity of the thickened beverage, the operating time of the thickening powder delivery motor 41d is decreased.

The second thickened beverage supply program, which supplies a thickened beverage consisting of thickened water or thickened hot water, controls the opening and closing of the first water supply valve 34d and the sixth raw water supply valve 34m3 for cold water, and/or controls the operation of the hot water pump 34g and the opening and closing of the third raw water supply valve 34h3 for hot water, and also controls the operation of the thickening powder conveying motor 41d, thereby controlling the supply of a thickened beverage consisting of thickened water or thickened hot water to a container C such as a cup placed on the mounting table 20.

In the second thickened beverage supply program, the opening time of at least one of the first water supply valve 34d, the sixth raw water supply valve 34m3 for cold water, and the third raw water supply valve 34h3 for hot water, and the operating time of the hot water pump 34g can be set according to the amount and temperature of the thickened beverage consisting of thickened water or thickened hot water supplied to the container C, and the operating time of the thickening powder conveying motor 41d can be set according to the viscosity of the thickened beverage consisting of thickened water or thickened hot water.

Specifically, when increasing the amount of thickened beverage consisting of thickened water or thickened hot water, the opening time of the first water supply valve 34d and the sixth raw water supply valve 34m3 for cold water is increased, and/or the opening time of the third raw water supply valve 34h3 for hot water is increased, and the operating time of the hot water pump 34g is increased. When lowering the temperature of the thickened beverage consisting of thickened water or thickened hot water, the opening time of the first water supply valve 34d and the sixth raw water supply valve 34m3 for cold water is increased, and when raising the temperature of the thickened beverage, the opening time of the third raw water supply valve 34h3 for hot water is increased, and the operating time of the hot water pump 34g is increased. When it is desired to increase the viscosity of the thickened beverage, the operation time of the thickening powder delivery motor 41d is increased, and when it is desired to decrease the viscosity of the thickened beverage, the operation time of the thickening powder delivery motor 41d is decreased.

When the above-mentioned first and second thickened beverage supply programs are executed to supply a thickened beverage, the thickening powder supply unit 40 starts supplying thickening powder to the container C placed on the mounting table 20 at the same time as or after the beverage supply unit 30 starts supplying the beverage to the container C. The thickening powder is poured into the container C when the beverage is at the bottom of the container C and a water flow of the beverage being supplied into the container C is generated, so that undissolved lumps called lumps are less likely to remain in the container C.

When supplying a warm thickened beverage including thickened water into container C, the beverage supply unit 30 starts supplying a beverage containing mainly raw water consisting of cold water supplied from the first raw water supply channel (raw water mainly consisting of cold water in the case of thickened water) into container C, supplies thickening powder into container C from the thickening powder supply unit 40 simultaneously with or after the start of supplying this beverage (raw water) into container C, and after the supply of thickening powder to container C is completed, supplies a beverage containing mainly raw water consisting of hot water supplied from the second raw water supply channel (raw water mainly consisting of hot water in the case of thickened water) into container C, thereby controlling the supply of a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature.

When the supply of the thickening powder starts, the beverage being supplied into the container C is mainly a beverage using raw water made of cold water (below room temperature) supplied from the first raw water supply channel (in the case of thickened hot water, only raw water made of cold water) and this beverage uses raw water that is cold (below room temperature) and is not at a high temperature. Since the thickening powder is dissolved in this beverage that is not at a high temperature, the thickening powder is less likely to remain undissolved, so-called lumps. Also, even if a beverage using raw water made of hot water (raw water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature) is supplied from the second raw water supply channel after the supply of the thickening powder has ended in order to adjust the thickening beverage to a warm temperature, since the thickening powder is dissolved in the beverage using raw water made of cold water, the thickening powder is less likely to remain undissolved, so called lumps, due to the raw water made of hot water (raw water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature) supplied from the second raw water supply channel.

When the first thickened beverage supply program is executed, the first water supply valve 34d and the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water are opened, and/or the hot water pump 34g is operated and the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water is opened, and the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d is operated, the beverage is not immediately supplied into the container C, and similarly, the thickening powder delivery motor 41d is not immediately supplied to the container C.

That is, even if the first water supply valve 34d and the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water are opened, and/or the hot water pump 34g is operated and the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water is opened, when the raw water is mixed with the raw powder of the beverage in the mixing container 33 to produce a beverage, the produced beverage is not immediately discharged from the discharge port 33a due to the centrifugal force applied by the rotation of the stirring blade 35f, but is discharged from the discharge port 33a after the rotation of the stirring blade 35f stops. In addition, since it takes time for the produced beverage to pass through the mixing container 33 and the beverage guide 37, there is a slight time lag between the supply of raw water to the mixing container 33 and the dispensing of the raw water from the beverage dispensing section 37b (beverage dispensing outlet 37c) to the container C. In addition, even if the thickening powder conveying motor 41d is operated to convey the thickening powder from the thickening powder container 41, it takes time for the thickening powder to fall down the chute 42 and be poured into container C, so even when the thickening powder conveying motor 41d starts to operate, there is a slight time lag before the thickening powder is poured into container C.

For this reason, the first and second thickened beverage supply programs are designed to allow for the thickening powder to be poured into container C when the beverage is at the bottom of container C and a water flow of the beverage being supplied into container C is occurring, so that the operation timing of each component is set taking into consideration the time lag until the beverage is poured from mixing container 33 into container C and the time lag until the thickening powder falls down chute 42 and is poured into container C.

The first thickened beverage program for supplying a hot thickened beverage is described in detail below. The first thickened beverage program described below is for supplying a beverage from the left beverage supply unit 30, and the configuration for supplying a beverage from the right beverage supply unit 30 is described in parentheses. When supplying a hot thickened beverage made by dissolving raw material powders of tea or other beverages with the thickened beverage supply device 10, a container C such as a cup is placed in the center of the left and right sides in front of the receiving base portion 21 of the mounting base 20, and the supply switch for hot thickened beverages such as tea is turned on using the operating switch 17, and the control device 50 executes the first thickened beverage supply program for hot thickened beverages. FIG. 9(a) is a time chart showing the operation of each component when the first thickened beverage supply program for supplying a warm thickened beverage is executed, and FIG. 9(b) is a time chart showing the timing at which the beverage is dispensed from the beverage dispenser 37b (beverage dispenser outlet 37c) and the thickening powder is dispensed from the thickening powder dispenser 42c (thickening powder dispenser outlet 42d) into the container C. In the time charts described below, including FIG. 9, the control device 50 controls each component.

9A, when an operation signal is input to turn on the supply switch for thickened beverages such as hot tea of the operation switch 17, the control device 50 opens the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water at the timing of FIG. 9A, opens the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of FIG. 9B, and operates the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d and the stirring motor 35a. Raw water made of cold water and beverage ingredient powder are supplied into the mixing container 33, and the raw water made of cold water and the beverage ingredient powder are stirred and mixed by the stirring blade 35f rotated by the stirring motor 35a. The control device 50 temporarily closes the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of FIG. 9C, and stops the operation of the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d at the timing of FIG. 9D when the delivery of the beverage ingredient powder is completed. A portion of the beverage raw water and the beverage raw powder are supplied to the mixing vessel 33, and the portion of the beverage raw water and the beverage powder are stirred and mixed by the stirring blade 35f rotating inside the mixing vessel 33. At this time, the beverage raw water is not discharged from the discharge port 33a of the mixing vessel 33 due to the centrifugal force applied by the rotating stirring blade 35f, and remains in the mixing vessel 33.

To dissolve the powdered ingredients of the beverage in the raw water consisting of cold water, the operation time of the stirring motor 35a is set longer than when dissolving the powdered ingredients of the beverage in the raw water consisting of hot water, and when the control device 50 stops the operation of the stirring motor 35a at the timing e in FIG. 9, the beverage in the mixing container 33 is released from the outlet 33a to the beverage guide 37 without being subjected to centrifugal force by the stirring blade 35f. The beverage released from the outlet 33a of the mixing container 33 passes through the beverage guide 37 and is poured into the container C from the beverage outlet 37c at the lower end of the beverage outlet 37b.

After the stirring motor 35a is stopped, the beverage passes through the beverage guide 37 before being dispensed from the beverage outlet 37c, so a small delay is required. When this delay has elapsed since the stirring motor 35a was stopped, the control device 50 rotates the thickening powder conveying motor 41d at timing f in FIG. 9 for a thickening powder conveying time according to the viscosity of the thickened beverage. The thickening powder begins to be dispensed into the container C after the beverage made from raw water consisting of cold water begins to be dispensed into the container C. The thickening powder conveying motor 41d may be controlled to start operating so that the thickening powder begins to be dispensed into the container C at the same time that the beverage made from raw water consisting of cold water begins to be dispensed into the container C.

In order to continuously dispense the beverage while the thickening powder is being dispensed into the container C, the first water supply valve 34d is intermittently opened twice at timings g to j in FIG. 9. Specifically, the control device 50 opens the first water supply valve 34d at timing g in FIG. 9, after a predetermined intermittent time of 2 seconds has elapsed since the stirring motor 35a was stopped, closes the first water supply valve 34d at timing h in FIG. 9, opens the first water supply valve 34d at timing i in FIG. 9, after a short delay time (0.5 seconds in this embodiment), and closes the first water supply valve 34d at timing j in FIG. 9. The raw water made of cold water is supplied intermittently to the mixing container 33, and the raw powder remaining in the mixing container 33 is washed away by the raw water made of cold water that is supplied intermittently. In addition, raw water consisting of cold water intermittently supplied into the mixing container 33 is sent from the outlet 33a to the beverage guide 37, but the raw water sent to the beverage guide 37 is continuously poured into the container C because the diameter of the beverage outlet 37c is smaller than the diameter of the outlet of the mixing container 33.

The timing for closing the first water supply valve 34d is before the thickening powder conveying motor 41d stops operating, but because it takes time for the beverage to be supplied into the mixing container 33 and then dispensed into the container C through the beverage guide 37, the thickening powder stops being dispensed at approximately the same timing as the beverage made from cold water is dispensed into the container C. The control device 50 closes the first water supply valve 34d at j in FIG. 9, and then stops the operation of the thickening powder conveying motor 41d at k in FIG. 9. In this way, because the beverage made from cold water is being dispensed while the thickening powder is being dispensed into the container C, the thickening powder is less likely to remain undissolved, known as lumps, in the beverage that is not at a high temperature.

When a predetermined delay time of 0.5 seconds has elapsed since the control device 50 closed the first water supply valve 34d at the timing j in FIG. 9, the control device 50 closes the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) at the timing l in FIG. 9. Also, when a predetermined delay time of 0.5 seconds has elapsed since the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) was closed, the control device 50 starts operating the hot water pump 34g at the timing m in FIG. 9 and starts opening the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water. The thickening powder poured into the container C is dissolved by the beverage made of raw water consisting of cold water, and even if a beverage made of raw water consisting of hot water is poured into the container C, the thickening powder will not come into contact with the beverage made of raw water consisting of hot water in a powder state. This prevents the thickening powder from coming into contact with beverages made with hot raw water and leaving behind lumps, known as "lumps."

When a beverage is dispensed using raw water consisting of hot water so that the hot thickened beverage in container C has a suitable temperature for drinking, the control device 50 stops the operation of the hot water pump 34g at timing n in FIG. 9, and closes the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water at timing o in FIG. 9, a predetermined delay time of 0.5 seconds after the hot water pump 34g is stopped. This causes a hot thickened beverage adjusted to a suitable temperature for drinking to be supplied to container C.

When supplying a warm thickened beverage to a container C placed on the mounting table 20, this thickened beverage supplying device 10 starts supplying a beverage containing mainly raw water supplied from the first raw water supply channel to the container, and simultaneously with or after the start of supplying this beverage to the container C, thickening powder is supplied from the thickening powder supply unit 40 into the container C, and after the supply of the beverage containing mainly raw water supplied from the first raw water supply channel is supplied, a beverage containing mainly raw water supplied from the second raw water supply channel is supplied to the container C, thereby supplying a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature.

The beverage being supplied into container C when the supply of thickening powder begins is a beverage that uses cold water as the raw water below room temperature supplied from the first raw water supply channel. This beverage uses cold water as the raw water below room temperature, so the temperature is not high. Since the thickening powder is dissolved in this beverage that is not at a high temperature, the thickening powder does not gelatinize rapidly and locally, and so-called lumps are less likely to remain undissolved.

In addition, after the supply of thickening powder to container C is completed, a beverage made from hot water as raw water at a temperature higher than room temperature is supplied from the second raw water supply passage to container C, thereby controlling the supply of a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature. When drinking water made from hot water supplied from the second raw water supply passage is supplied to container C and the temperature is adjusted to produce a warm thickened beverage, the thickening powder is pre-dissolved in the beverage made from raw water at or below room temperature, so that even if the thickening powder is added to a beverage made from hot water supplied from the second raw water supply passage, it is unlikely to remain undissolved as lumps. This makes it possible to prevent undissolved thickening powder called lumps from remaining in the warm thickened beverage even when a warm thickened beverage is supplied.

The present invention is not limited to the control by the first thickened beverage supply program for supplying a hot thickened beverage as described with reference to FIG. 9, but is also applicable to the control by the second thickened beverage supply program for supplying thickened water. In more detail, the beverage being supplied into the container C when the supply of the thickening powder begins is a beverage using raw water made of cold water as raw water below room temperature, which is supplied from the first raw water supply passage by opening the first water supply valve 34d and the sixth raw water supply valve 34m3. Since this beverage uses raw water made of cold water as raw water below room temperature, the thickening powder does not gelatinize rapidly locally even when it comes into contact with this beverage, and is less likely to leave behind what are called lumps. In addition, when the third raw water supply valve 34h3 is opened and the hot water pump 34g is operated to supply raw water made of hot water as raw water at a temperature higher than room temperature to the container C and adjust the temperature to become warm thickened water, the thickening powder is pre-dissolved in the beverage made with raw water at room temperature or lower, so the thickening powder is unlikely to remain undissolved, called lumps, even when a beverage made with raw water made of hot water is added. This makes it possible to prevent undissolved thickening powder, called lumps, from remaining in the warm thickened water, even when warm thickened water is supplied.

In this embodiment, when supplying a hot thickened beverage to a container C placed on the mounting table 20, the beverage supply unit 30 starts supplying a beverage containing raw water made of cold water supplied from the first raw water supply line to the container C, and simultaneously with or after the start of supplying the beverage to the container C, the thickening powder supply unit 40 supplies thickening powder into the container C, and after the supply of the thickening powder to the container C is completed, the beverage supply unit 30 supplies a beverage containing raw water made of hot water supplied from the second raw water supply line to the container C, thereby supplying a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature. The present invention is not limited to this, and when supplying a hot thickened beverage to a container C placed on the mounting table 20, the beverage supply unit 30 may add raw water made of cold water supplied from the first raw water supply line to raw water made of hot water supplied from the second raw water supply line in an amount that does not locally gelatinize the thickening powder. In addition, after the supply of thickening powder to container C is completed, the beverage supply unit 30 supplies a beverage containing raw water consisting of hot water supplied from the second raw water supply passage to container C to adjust the temperature to a warm temperature, and may also add raw water at or below room temperature supplied from the first raw water supply passage.

In this embodiment, the raw water supplied through the first raw water supply line is below room temperature and is cooled to about 5°C by the cold water tank 34b, but this is not limited to this and water from a water supply source such as a tap may be used, cooled to a different temperature or used without being cooled. In addition, the raw water supplied through the second raw water supply line is heated to a temperature higher than room temperature and is heated to about 90°C by the hot water tank 34a, but raw water heated using other heating means or the like to at least a temperature at which the thickening powder is likely to gelatinize rapidly and locally may be used.

Next, the first thickened beverage supply program for supplying a hot thickened beverage when the viscosity is increased will be described. When the amount of thickening powder is increased to increase the viscosity, the timing of pouring the thickening powder into the container C may overlap with the timing of pouring the beverage using raw water of hot water into the container C. As described above, when the thickening powder comes into direct contact with the beverage using raw water of hot water, the thickening powder is likely to rapidly gelatinize locally and become undissolved, so-called lumps. For this reason, when executing the first thickened beverage supply program for supplying a hot thickened beverage when the viscosity is increased, a thickening powder conveying motor 41d is used that can change its rotation speed in at least two stages or continuously. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the temperature of the beverage dispensed into container C is predicted, and the thickening powder delivery motor 41d is rotated at high speed until the temperature reaches a temperature set as the temperature at which the thickening powder becomes difficult to dissolve (α in FIG. 10 (as an example, 50°C, the temperature at which the thickening powder becomes difficult to dissolve)), and when the temperature reaches or exceeds the temperature set as the temperature at which the thickening powder becomes difficult to dissolve (α in FIG. 10), the thickening powder delivery motor 41d is controlled to rotate at a low speed. Note that the time chart shown in FIG. 10 is the same as the time chart shown in FIG. 9 above, except for the operation of the thickening powder delivery motor 41d.

As shown in the time chart of FIG. 10, when the temperature of the beverage in the container C is lower than α (before the timing of m' in FIG. 10), even if a large amount of thickening powder is poured into the container C, the thickening powder is unlikely to remain undissolved in the container C, which is called a lump. If the temperature of the beverage in the container C becomes α or higher and a large amount of thickening powder is poured into the container C, the thickening powder is likely to remain undissolved due to the high temperature beverage in the container C. For this reason, when the temperature of the beverage in the container C is estimated to be α or higher based on the respective temperatures of the poured amount of the beverage made of cold water and the poured amount of the beverage made of hot water (after the timing of m' in FIG. 10), the thickening powder conveying motor 41d is rotated at a low speed so that the thickening powder is poured in small amounts into the beverage whose temperature is α or higher. Even if the temperature of the beverage in the container C is high, the thickening powder is easily dissolved in the beverage by being poured in small amounts into the container C, and the thickening powder is unlikely to remain undissolved in the thickened beverage in the container C.

In addition, when the viscosity of the thickened beverage is increased, the operation time of the thickening powder conveying motor 41d is increased, so that the thickening powder may be dispensed into the container C after the dispensing of the beverage using the raw water of hot water is completed. If the thickening powder is dispensed into the container C after the dispensing of the beverage using the raw water of hot water, the thickening powder may float on the beverage in the container C and remain undissolved. For this reason, when executing the first thickened beverage supply program for supplying a hot thickened beverage when the viscosity is increased, a motor that can change the rotation speed in at least two stages or continuously is used to drive the hot water pump 34g. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the operation of the hot water pump 34g is controlled so that the dispensing of the beverage using the raw water of hot water is completed after the thickening powder is dispensed into the container C. The time chart shown in FIG. 11 is the same as the time chart shown in FIG. 9 described above, except for the operation of the thickening powder delivery motor 41d and the hot water pump 34g.

As shown in the time chart of FIG. 11, when the amount of thickening powder is increased to increase the viscosity of the thickening liquid, the motor driving the hot water pump 34g is controlled to rotate at a low speed, so that the pouring of the beverage using the raw water of hot water is completed after the thickening powder has been poured into the container C. This allows the beverage using the raw water of hot water to be poured into the container C even after the thickening powder has been poured into the container C, preventing the thickening powder from floating on the beverage in the container C and remaining undissolved. Note that the hot water pump 34g is not limited to rotating at a low speed, and the hot water pump 34g may be operated intermittently to extend the time for which the raw water of hot water is poured. In this case, when the hot water pump 34g is temporarily stopped, the hot water in the hot water tank 34a is slowly supplied into the mixing container 33 by the head pressure from the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water, which is open, and the pouring time of the raw water consisting of hot water can be extended.

Next, the first thickened beverage supply program for supplying a warm thickened beverage when the viscosity of the thickened beverage is reduced will be described. When the viscosity of the thickened beverage is reduced by reducing the amount of thickening powder, the thickening powder is less likely to leave behind lumps when dissolved in a beverage using raw water made of hot water. As described above, when the amount of thickening powder is not small, the beverage supply unit 30 starts to supply a beverage containing mainly raw water made of cold water supplied from the first raw water supply passage to the container C, and supplies thickening powder from the thickening powder supply unit 40 into the container C at the same time as or after the beverage starts to be supplied to the container C, but when the amount of thickening powder is a predetermined amount of βg or less, the beverage supply unit 30 starts to supply a beverage containing mainly raw water made of hot water supplied from the second raw water supply passage to the container C, and supplies thickening powder from the thickening powder supply unit 40 into the container C at the same time as or after the beverage starts to be supplied to the container C.

The first thickened beverage supply program for supplying a hot thickened beverage when the viscosity of the thickened beverage is reduced is explained with reference to the time chart in FIG. 12. As shown at the timing of a in FIG. 12, when an operation signal is input in which the amount of thickening powder is reduced using the operation switch 17 and then the supply switch for a thickened beverage such as hot tea is turned on, the control device 50 starts operating the beverage ingredient conveying motor 32d, the stirring motor 35a, and the hot water pump 34g at the timing of b in FIG. 12, and starts opening the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water. Raw water made of hot water and raw powder for the beverage are supplied to the mixing container 33, and the raw water made of hot water and raw powder for the beverage are stirred and mixed by the stirring blade 35f rotated by the stirring motor 35a. Since the powdered ingredients of a beverage are easily dissolved in hot water, the stirring motor 35a may be operated for a shorter period of time than when the powdered ingredients of a beverage are dissolved in cold water. Therefore, when the control device 50 stops the operation of the stirring motor 35a at the timing c in FIG. 12, which is a predetermined time of 0.3 seconds after the stirring motor 35a starts to operate, the beverage in the mixing container 33 is released from the release port 33a to the beverage guide 37 without being subjected to centrifugal force by the stirring blade 35f.

Even after the stirring motor 35a is stopped, the mixing container 33 is supplied with hot water and powdered beverage ingredients, and the powdered beverage ingredients are dissolved by the flow of hot water supplied to the mixing container 33 and discharged from the outlet 33a to the beverage guide 37. The beverage discharged from the outlet 33a of the mixing container 33 passes through the beverage guide 37 and is poured into the container C from the beverage outlet 37c at the lower end of the beverage outlet 37b. The control device 50 stops the operation of the beverage ingredient discharge motor 32d at the timing d in FIG. 12 when the discharge of the powdered beverage ingredients is completed, stops the operation of the hot water pump 34g at the timing e in FIG. 12 when the supply of hot water is completed, and opens the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water. The control device 50 stops the operation of the hot water pump 34g at the timing of e in FIG. 12, and starts the operation of the thickening powder discharge motor 41d at the timing of f in FIG. 12 after opening the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water. The thickening powder in the thickening powder container 41 is discharged from the discharge port 41a through the receiving port 42b into the chute 42.

The control device 50 stops the operation of the hot water pump 34g at the timing of e in FIG. 12, and when a predetermined delay time of 0.5 seconds has elapsed since opening the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fifth raw water supply valve 34m2) for cold water, it closes the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water and opens the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of g in FIG. 12. Raw water consisting of hot water is no longer supplied to the mixing container 33, and raw water consisting of cold water is supplied to the mixing container 33. In addition, in order to continuously dispense the beverage while the thickening powder is being dispensed into the container C, the control device 50 intermittently opens the first water supply valve 34d three times at the timings of g to m in FIG. 12.

Specifically, the control device 50 opens the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of g in Fig. 12, closes the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of h in Fig. 12, opens the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of i in Fig. 12 after a delay time (2 seconds in this embodiment), closes the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of k in Fig. 12, opens the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of l in Fig. 12 after a short delay time (0.5 seconds in this embodiment), and closes the first water supply valve 34d at the timing of m in Fig. 12. The raw water made of cold water supplied to the mixing container 33 is supplied intermittently, and the raw powder remaining in the mixing container 33 is washed away by the raw water made of cold water supplied intermittently. In addition, raw water consisting of cold water intermittently supplied into the mixing container 33 is sent from the outlet 33a to the beverage guide 37, but the raw water sent to the beverage guide 37 is continuously poured into the container C in small amounts because the diameter of the beverage outlet 37c is smaller than the diameter of the outlet of the mixing container 33.

In addition, when the mixing container 33 is controlled to be intermittently supplied with raw water made of cold water and a beverage made of raw water made of cold water is being poured into the container C, the control device 50 stops the operation of the thickening powder conveying motor 41d at the timing j in FIG. 12 after the thickening powder conveying time corresponding to the viscosity of the thickening powder conveying motor 41d, which is operated from the timing f in FIG. 12, has elapsed. Since the thickening powder is poured into the container C when the beverage made of raw water made of cold water is being poured into the container C, it floats in the beverage in the container C and is unlikely to remain. After closing the first water supply valve 34d at the timing m in FIG. 12, the control device 50 closes the fourth raw water supply valve 34m1 (fth raw water supply valve 34m2) at the timing n in FIG. 12 after a short delay time (0.5 seconds in this embodiment) has elapsed.

In this way, when supplying a thickened beverage with a low viscosity by reducing the amount of thickening powder, supply of the beverage using raw water consisting of hot water to container C is started, and thickening powder is supplied from thickening powder supply section 40 into container C at the same time as or after supply of the beverage to container C begins. This shortens the mixing time when mixing the raw powder of the beverage into the raw water, and shortens the time required to supply the thickened beverage.

Next, we will explain the first thickened beverage supply program that supplies a hot thickened beverage when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 34a is low. If the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 34a is low, the thickening powder is less likely to remain undissolved, called lumps, even if it is dissolved in a beverage using raw water consisting of hot water. As described above, when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 34a is high, the beverage supply unit 30 starts to supply the beverage to the container C mainly containing raw water made of cold water supplied from the first raw water supply line, and thickening powder is supplied from the thickening powder supply unit 40 to the container C at the same time as or after the beverage starts to be supplied to the container C. However, when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 34a is lower than a predetermined temperature of 50°C, the beverage supply unit 30 starts to supply the beverage to the container C mainly containing raw water made of hot water supplied from the second raw water supply line, and thickening powder is supplied from the thickening powder supply unit 40 to the container C at the same time as or after the beverage starts to be supplied to the container C.

The first thickened beverage supply program for supplying a hot thickened beverage when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 34a is lower than 50°C as a predetermined temperature is described with reference to the time chart in Fig. 13. As shown in the timing of a in Fig. 13, if an operation signal is input by operating the operation switch 17 to turn on the supply switch for a thickened beverage such as hot tea, the control device 50 starts operating the beverage ingredient conveying motor 32d, the stirring motor 35a, and the hot water pump 34g at the timing of b in Fig. 13, and starts opening the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water. Raw water made of hot water and raw powder of the beverage are supplied to the mixing container 33, and the raw water made of hot water and raw powder of the beverage are stirred and mixed by the stirring blade 35f rotated by the stirring motor 35a. Since the raw powder of the beverage is easily dissolved in raw water consisting of hot water, the time for which the stirring motor 35a is operated may be shorter than when the raw powder of the beverage is dissolved in raw water consisting of cold water. Therefore, when the control device 50 stops the operation of the stirring motor 35a at the timing c in FIG. 12, which is a predetermined time 0.3 seconds after the start of the operation of the stirring motor 35a, the beverage in the mixing container 33 is released from the release port 33a to the beverage guide 37 without being subjected to centrifugal force by the stirring blade 35f.

Even after the stirring motor 35a is stopped, the mixing container 33 is still supplied with hot water and beverage raw material powder, and the beverage raw material powder is dissolved by the flow of hot water supplied to the mixing container 33 and discharged from the discharge port 33a to the beverage guide 37. The beverage discharged from the discharge port 33a of the mixing container 33 passes through the beverage guide 37 and is poured into the container C from the beverage outlet 37c at the lower end of the beverage outlet 37b. The control device 50 stops the operation of the beverage raw material discharge motor 32d at the timing d in FIG. 13 when the discharge of the beverage raw material powder is completed, and starts the operation of the thickening powder discharge motor 41d at the timing e in FIG. 13. The thickening powder in the thickening powder container 41 is discharged from the discharge port 41a through the receiving port 42b into the chute 42.

13c, the stirring motor 35a is stopped, so that the beverage in the mixing container 33 is poured through the beverage guide 37 and into the container from the beverage outlet 37c, and the thickening powder is poured into the container C by operating the thickening powder conveying motor 41d from the timing of e in FIG. 13. When the thickening powder conveying time according to the viscosity has elapsed from the timing of e in FIG. 13, the thickening powder conveying motor 41d is stopped at the timing of f in FIG. 13. After the thickening powder is poured into the container C, the hot water pump 34g is stopped at the timing of g in FIG. 13, and when a predetermined delay time of 0.5 seconds has elapsed since the hot water pump 34g was stopped and the timing of h in FIG. 13 is reached, the first raw water supply valve 34h1 (second raw water supply valve 34h2) for hot water is closed. In this embodiment, since the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 34a is lower than 50°C, a thickened beverage suitable for drinking can be obtained simply by using a beverage made from the raw water of the hot water in the hot water tank 34a, but if necessary, a beverage made from raw water for the hot water may be supplied first, followed by a beverage made from raw water for cold water.

The beverage supply unit 30 of this thickened beverage supply device 10 supplies a beverage into the container C, and the beverage supply unit 30 in this embodiment includes a beverage production unit 31 that produces a beverage by mixing raw powder of the beverage, which is a beverage ingredient, with raw water consisting of water and/or hot water, and a beverage guide path 36 that supplies the beverage produced by the beverage production unit 31 to the container C, but is not limited to this, and the beverage production unit 31 may produce a beverage by mixing a concentrated beverage with water and/or hot water, which is the raw beverage water, instead of the raw powder of the beverage, or may directly supply the beverage stored in a beverage container such as a beverage tank to the container C as is.

10... thickened beverage supply device, 20... placement stand, 30... beverage supply unit, 34... raw water supply unit, 32... beverage raw material container, 40... thickening powder supply unit.

Claims (2)

A mounting table on which a container is placed;
a beverage supply unit having a raw water supply unit for supplying raw water that is a raw material for a beverage, and supplying a beverage using the raw water supplied from the raw water supply unit into the container;
A thickening powder supply unit that supplies thickening powder into the container to thicken the beverage supplied into the container,
the raw water supply unit includes a first raw water supply passage for supplying raw water at or below room temperature, and a second raw water supply passage for supplying raw water heated to a temperature higher than room temperature;
A thickened beverage supplying device that supplies a hot thickened beverage containing a beverage adjusted to a hot temperature by using raw water supplied from the first raw water supply channel and raw water supplied from the second raw water supply channel, and thickening powder supplied from the thickening powder supply unit,
When supplying a warm thickened beverage to a container placed on the mounting table, the thickened beverage supply device starts supplying a beverage mainly containing raw water supplied from the first raw water supply channel to the container, and supplies thickening powder from the thickening powder supply unit into the container simultaneously with or after the start of supplying the beverage to the container, and after the supply of the beverage mainly containing raw water supplied from the first raw water supply channel has been supplied, supplies a beverage mainly containing raw water supplied from the second raw water supply channel to the container, thereby controlling to supply a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature. In the thickened beverage supply device according to claim 1,
This thickened beverage supply device is characterized by being controlled to supply a thickened beverage adjusted to a warm temperature by supplying a beverage mainly containing raw water supplied from the second raw water supply line to the container after the supply of thickening powder to the container has been completed.

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