JPH0245891B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric coffee brewer with a coffee bean grinding function.

Conventional structure and its problems Conventionally, a fully automatic coffee boiler in which the coffee bean grinding function and the dripping function are integrated, and which automatically switches to the dripping function after grinding the coffee beans, is shown in Figure 1. A configuration as shown in FIG. 3 is also known. That is, the coffee boiler having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 has a container 1 in which a coffee bean grinding chamber and a filtration chamber for extracting coffee liquid and separating the extract and residue are integrated. 1 is equipped with a cutter 3 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor 2, and a filter 4 at the bottom that separates the extract from the residue.After the coffee beans are ground by the cutter 3, they are stored in a water tank 5. The heated water is introduced into a water pipe 8 formed integrally with a heater 7 through a check valve 6, and the steam pressure generated by heating pushes up the hot water to a discharge pipe 8 located above the container 1. Coffee was obtained by pouring hot water into the container 1 from the discharge pipe 8'.

However, in this configuration, when the coffee beans are ground, the cutter 3 rotates at high speed and generates a large centrifugal force, so if a filter medium is placed on the peripheral wall of the container 1, this filter medium will quickly break. Therefore, as mentioned above, the filter medium,
That is, the filter 4 must be placed on the bottom surface of the container 1, which is relatively less susceptible to centrifugal force. In addition, regarding the material of the filter 4, the paper that is normally used for coffee extraction is extremely easily damaged when grinding coffee beans.
A mesh filter 4 made of stainless steel wire is used.

In general, in order to extract good quality coffee,
The conditions for crushing are appropriate particle size and a small amount of fine powder (particle size finer than 48 mesh).
Therefore, the condition for extraction is to complete the extraction in about 3 to 4 minutes at a high temperature of 92 to 96°C using hot water once boiled. In addition, 3
In order to complete the extraction in ~4 minutes, the filtration capacity of the filter medium must be sufficient, and the coffee powder must be sufficiently swollen by pouring hot water to form an appropriate filtration layer on the coffee powder itself. The key is to pour the hot water quietly and continuously without stirring the filter layer. On the other hand, pulverization with the above-described configuration results in a high-speed pulverization state in a closed space as shown in pulverization engineering, and generates an extremely large amount of fine powder. In addition, during extraction, the filtration area of the filter 4 is narrow, coffee powder clogs the filter 4 during grinding, and a large amount of fine powder fills the gaps between coffee particles, resulting in an extremely long filtration time. As a result, it usually took 7 to 12 minutes to brew 5 cups of coffee.

In addition, with the hot water supply system described above, a sufficient temperature increase cannot be expected, and the hot water supply, extraction temperature, and time characteristics are shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the curve A shows the hot water supply temperature, the curve B shows the extraction temperature, and the curve C shows the extraction time.

As described above, the coffee extracted by the coffee brewer shown in FIG. 1 was extremely tasteless and cloudy due to the inclusion of fine coffee powder.

The coffee boiler shown in Fig. 3 is constructed independently of a coffee bean grinding chamber 9 and a filtration chamber 10 for extracting coffee liquid and separating the extracted liquid and residue using a filter medium such as a paper filter. The coffee bean grinding chamber 9 accommodates a cutter 12 which is rotationally driven by a drive motor 11, and a part of the peripheral wall of the coffee bean grinding chamber 9 is provided with a porous portion 13 for discharging the ground coffee powder. The porous section 13 and the filtration chamber 10 are communicated with each other through the transfer pipe 14. When coffee beans are ground to an appropriate particle size in the coffee bean grinding chamber 9, they are sequentially transferred from the porous section 13 to the filtration chamber 10. The coffee is discharged onto an internal filter medium 15, and once this discharge is completed, coffee is extracted using the same principle as the conventional example shown in FIG.

In the configuration shown in Figure 3 above, improvements can be seen in the generation of fine powder during pulverization and the filtration ability of the filter medium compared to the conventional example shown in Figure 1, but the hot water supply temperature and extraction time during extraction have the same problems. In addition to this, there are also extremely serious problems in terms of operability during use. Usually, coffee beans contain a lot of oil and fat, and the ground coffee powder becomes sticky and easily adheres to the side wall of the coffee bean grinding chamber 9. Therefore, all of the beans ground in the coffee bean grinding chamber 9 are not discharged to the filtration chamber 10, but remain partially attached to the inner wall of the transfer pipe 14. When extracting next time, the steam generated will be transferred to the transfer pipe 1.
4 and condensation, the adhering coffee powder cannot be easily removed, and as coffee beans are repeatedly ground and coffee is extracted, the transfer pipe 14 becomes clogged and the discharge function stops. It is something that will happen. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to remove and clean the coffee bean grinding chamber 9 each time it is used, but in this case, it is often forgotten and there are many parts to be cleaned, so it is very time-consuming. It was something that required Furthermore, since the ground coffee is discharged at a high speed, even if it is once led out to the filter medium 15 disposed in the filter chamber 10, it will rebound and scatter, and some coffee powder will be transferred to the filter medium 15 and the filter chamber 1.
This has caused many problems, such as coffee powder entering into the gap between coffee powder and coffee powder and mixing it into the extract when coffee is extracted.

Purpose of the Invention In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention is capable of pulverizing coffee beans to an appropriate particle size, and optimizing the hot water supply temperature and extraction time, which are the conditions for extracting high-quality coffee. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric coffee boiler that can also improve operability during use.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a raw material crushing chamber with a built-in cutter and a filtration chamber arranged side by side, communicates the raw material crushing chamber and the filtration chamber through a porous part, and makes water in the tank is heated in a heating section and circulated in the tank, and when the water temperature in the tank reaches a predetermined temperature due to the circulation, a heat-responsive member that senses the water temperature and operates, supplies hot water from the tank side to the filtration chamber side. In addition, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the device is equipped with a timer that switches the energization from the drive motor that rotates the cutter to the heating section. According to this configuration, the water temperature in the tank After the water reaches boiling temperature, the hot water is supplied to the filtration chamber, making it possible to obtain high-quality coffee with a strong aroma and original coffee flavor.
In addition, it is equipped with a timer that switches the energization from the drive motor that rotates the cutter to the heating section after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, so the user can simply set the timer and start grinding coffee beans. The process up to extraction can be performed automatically, and its operability can also be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 4 to 7, reference numeral 21 denotes a crushing and filtering container, and the crushing and filtering container 21 includes a substantially cylindrical raw material crushing chamber 24 containing a cutter 23 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor 22, and this raw material crushing chamber. A filtration chamber 25 for accommodating and extracting the coffee beans ground in step 24 is arranged side by side and integrally formed, and the raw material grinding chamber 24 and the filtration chamber 25 are made of porous holes provided in a part of the peripheral wall of the raw material grinding chamber 24. It communicates through the section 26. In addition, the bottom part 2 of the raw material crushing chamber 24
7 is formed into a mortar shape, and the porous portion 26 is arranged so as to cut a circle drawn by the peripheral wall of the raw material grinding chamber 24, so that when grinding coffee beans, the coffee beans are appropriately stirred and ground uniformly. At the same time, when the particle size becomes appropriate, it is immediately discharged to the filtration chamber 25. In addition, the filtration chamber 25 is formed by a rib 2 having a substantially triangular cross section that extends annularly from the height that contacts the lower edge of the porous portion 26.
8 makes it difficult for crushed and discharged coffee powder to enter the gap between the filter medium 29 and the filter chamber 25 when the paper filter medium 29 is provided. Furthermore, a second
By providing the filter 30, the filter medium 29
This prevents coffee powder entering through the gap between the filter chamber 25 and the coffee liquid from mixing with the coffee liquid. As the filter medium, in addition to the paper filter medium 29, a mesh-like filter medium 31 made of metal or resin can also be used.

32 is a lid of the crushing filter container 21, and this lid 32 has an inclined surface 3 on the part located above the raw material crushing chamber 24.
3, and a hole 36 is formed in a portion located above the filtration chamber 25 to discharge steam from the hot water pan 35 for dispersing hot water during hot water supply. . Reference numeral 37 denotes a coffee brewer main body, and this coffee brewer main body 37 has a drive motor 22 on the left leg 38, controls the operating time of this drive motor 22, and turns on electricity from the drive motor 22 after the operation is completed, as will be described later. A timer device (time switch) 40 for switching to the heater 39 is housed, and the right leg portion 4
1 is formed with a tank 42 for storing water.
This tank 42 is connected to a water pipe 44 formed integrally with the heater 39 via a check valve 43 provided at the bottom. Further, the central part of the coffee boiler main body 37 is a space for storing a coffee receiver 45, and an inclined surface 46 is formed on the upper bridge part connecting the left and right legs 38, 41. This facilitates the attachment and detachment of the coffee receiver 45 and prevents the steam generated from the coffee accumulated in the coffee receiver 45 from condensing. In addition, the raw material crushing chamber 2
4 and a filtration chamber 25 are integrally formed.
is detachably attached to the coffee boiler main body 37.

Reference numeral 47 denotes a tapping chamber which is formed in a dome shape from a transparent heat-resistant resin and which reduces the discharge steam pressure.The upper surface 48 of this tapping chamber 47 has a substantially cylindrical weight lower portion 49 and its outer peripheral portion. A steam discharge hole 50 is provided at the bottom surface 51, and a discharge port 5 is provided on the bottom surface 51 with one end facing toward the top surface and the other end connected to the water pipe 44.
2 and a drain port 53 are provided. Also, the water outlet 53
Below, the filter chamber 25 is rotatably supported by the coffee brewer main body 37 and is always supported by a spring 54.
A hot water guide 55 is provided which is biased in the direction of arrow A, and can selectively guide hot water flowing out from the outlet 53 through the open end 61 of either the tank 42 or the filtration chamber 25. . Further, the hot water guide 55 is provided with a notch 56.

Reference numeral 57 denotes a thermally responsive member disposed near the bottom of the tank 42. This thermally responsive member 57 is made of a shape memory alloy, and when the water temperature in the tank 42 is low, it succumbs to the tension pressure of the bias spring 58 and becomes compressed. However, when the water temperature reaches the shape memory temperature, the shape memory alloy 57 expands and pushes down the rod 60 integrally formed with the hook 59 in the direction of arrow B. Note that this shape memory alloy 57 is made of a Ni-Ti alloy, has high rust resistance, and is harmless.
The hook 59 of the rod 60 is engaged with and locked in the notch 56 of the hot water guide 55 at a position where the open end 61 of the hot water guide 55 faces the tank 42 side. Further, one end of the rod 60 protrudes, and by pushing this protrusion 62, the engagement between the hook 59 of the rod 60 and the notch 56 of the hot water guide 55 can be released at any time. 63 is a lid of the coffee boiler body 37, and this lid 63 serves to prevent dust and the like from entering the appliance body.

The operation of the above configuration will now be described.
First, open the lid 63 and open the open end 61 of the hot water guide 55.
is held on the tank 42 side, and then the pulverization filter container 21
Open the lid 32 of the tank 4, put the required amount of coffee beans into the raw material grinding chamber 24, and attach the filter medium 29 so as to tightly contact the side wall of the filtration chamber 25.
2 and close the lids 32 and 63. Next, after setting the time switch 40 to a predetermined time, when electricity is started, the drive motor 22 is activated and the coffee beans are ground. The ground coffee beans are then sequentially discharged into the filter chamber 25 through the porous portions 26. When this discharge is completed, the drive motor 22 is stopped and the power supply to the heater 39 is switched. When this heater 39 is energized, the water pipe 4
The water filled in No. 4 is heated and eventually begins to boil locally. At this time, due to the boiling pressure of the water filled in the water pipe 44, the check valve 4 is placed on the tank 42 side.
3, the hot water is ejected through the discharge port 52 into the receiving chamber 47 without backflow, but the pressure of this ejection is weakened at the lower part 49 of the weight, and the hot water is separated into steam and hot water, and the hot water is discharged through the discharge port 53. It is dripped into the guide 55 and returned to the tank 42 again, and removes unnecessary components such as limescale along with the steam through the steam exhaust hole 5.
Discharge from 0. When this operation is continuously repeated, the water temperature in the tank 42 gradually rises.
Initially, the temperature of the hot water spouted from the discharge port 52 is 80 to 90°C, but as the water temperature in the tank 42 rises, the temperature of the hot water jetted from the discharge port 52 also rises, and eventually reaches 100°C.
Near boiling point. By setting the water temperature in the tank 42 at this time to the memory temperature of the shape memory alloy 57, the shape memory alloy 57 becomes the bias spring 58.
Stretch against the force of , and move the rod 60 downward. As a result, the engagement between the hook 59 of the rod 60 and the notch 56 of the hot water guide 55 is released, and as a result, the hot water guide 55 rotates, and the open end 61 of the hot water guide 55 rotates.
is located above the filtration chamber 25. This results in
The hot water heated to 100° C. is dispersed by the hot water receiver 34 and dripped onto the coffee grounds. Also, in the initial stage when hot water is circulating through the tank 42 and water pipe 44,
Since the boiling that occurs in the water pipe 44 is intermittent boiling, low-temperature hot water is intermittently spouted from the discharge port 52, but when it reaches a continuous boiling state, the discharge port 52
From 2 onwards, extremely large amounts of water soaring to 100 degrees Celsius are emitted continuously. Therefore, a predetermined amount of hot water is continuously supplied to the filtration chamber 25.

FIG. 8a shows the discharge port 52 based on the operation described above.
Figure 8b shows the temporal changes in the temperature of the hot water spouted from the tank 42, the temperature of the water in the tank 42, and the extraction temperature in the filtration chamber 25, and Fig. 8b shows the case where coffee is extracted without circulating hot water. This figure shows the change in temperature over time.

When brewing coffee after circulating hot water, as shown in FIG.
By releasing the engagement between the hook 59 of No. 0 and the notch 56 of the hot water guide 55 and applying electricity in this state, coffee can be brewed in the conventional time.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, when coffee beans are ground, once the coffee beans are ground to an appropriate particle size, they are sequentially discharged into the filter chamber through the porous portion, so that they are repeatedly ground. The particle size becomes constant and the generation of fine powder is extremely reduced.

In addition, when extracting coffee, pouring high-temperature water allows the ground coffee beans to swell sufficiently, which improves filtration performance and, as a result, improves the extraction efficiency of soluble components contained in coffee grounds. can be done. In addition to being able to continuously supply the required amount of hot water in a short period of time, it also provides ideal coffee extraction conditions, that is, coffee powder with the appropriate particle size, and is boiled immediately after grinding to remove unnecessary components such as limescale Coffee is extracted using hot water at 92 to 96 degrees Celsius, and the extraction can be completed in 3 to 4 minutes, producing a rich aroma that could not be obtained with conventional electric coffee brewers, as well as the original taste of coffee. You can obtain high-quality coffee with a unique flavor.

Furthermore, the present invention is equipped with a timer that switches the energization from the drive motor that rotates the cutter to the heating section after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. Everything from grinding to coffee extraction can be performed automatically, and as a result, operability can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a side sectional view of a conventional fully automatic electric coffee brewer that integrates a coffee bean grinding chamber and a filtration chamber, and Figure 2 is a diagram of the coffee extraction temperature and time characteristics of the coffee brewer shown in Figure 1. , Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of a conventional fully automatic electric coffee boiler in which a coffee bean grinding chamber and a filtration chamber are arranged side by side, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an electric coffee boiler showing an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the same coffee boiler, Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same coffee boiler, Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the main parts of the same coffee boiler, and Figure 8a. FIG. 8b is a diagram showing the coffee extraction temperature and time characteristics when the coffee brewer is operated in circulation, and FIG. 8b is a diagram showing the coffee extraction temperature and time characteristics when the coffee brewer is not circulating. 22... Drive motor, 23... Cutter, 24
... Raw material grinding chamber, 25 ... Filtration chamber, 26 ... Porous section, 37 ... Coffee boiler body, 39 ... Heater (heating section), 40 ... Time switch (time control device), 42 ... Tank , 57...thermally responsive member.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A raw material crushing chamber that incorporates a cutter that is rotatably driven by a drive motor installed in the main body and has a porous part in a part of the cylindrical peripheral wall, and a raw material crushing chamber that communicates with this raw material crushing chamber through the porous part. a filtration chamber arranged in parallel with the main body, a tank provided in the main body and containing water, and a heating part that heats the water in the tank;
When the temperature of the water in the tank reaches a predetermined temperature through circulation, a heat-responsive member that senses the temperature of the water in the tank and operates to switch from supplying hot water to the tank side to supplying hot water to the filtration chamber side. and a timer for switching from energizing the drive motor to energizing the heating section after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.