JPH0455055B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial applications The present invention relates to a coffee brewer.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there has been known a coffee boiler in which a mill mechanism for grinding coffee beans and a dripping mechanism are integrated, and the operation is automatically switched to the dripping operation after grinding the coffee beans.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the coffee boiler has a container 1 that integrates a coffee bean grinding chamber and a filtration chamber that extracts coffee liquid and separates the extracted liquid and residue. The container 1 is equipped with a cutter 3 that is rotationally driven by a motor 2, and is equipped with a filter 4 at the bottom that separates the extract from the residue. and includes a timer 7 that automatically switches from energizing the motor 2 to energizing the heater 6 after the motor 2 has finished operating.
It is equipped with a switch 8 that starts energizing.

In the above configuration, when the timer 7 is set to the "mill" position and power is started by the switch 8, the coffee beans are ground by the cutter 3, and then the drip function is automatically performed.
That is, the water contained in the tank 9 flows through the check valve 10.
The hot water is introduced into a water pipe 11 formed integrally with the heater 6 through the heater 6, and is pushed up by the steam pressure generated when the water is heated by the heater 6, and is positioned above the container 1. Discharge pipe 1
1', and from this discharge pipe 11', the container 1
Hot water is poured inside to extract the coffee liquid,
Coffee liquid is contained in a glass container 12. Furthermore, when the timer 7 is set to the "drip" position and the switch 8 is operated, only the above-described drip function is performed.

Figure 7 shows the specific circuit diagram.
13 is a thermostat, and this thermostat 1
3 is its own operating temperature (hereinafter referred to as "adjustment temperature")
) and the temperature it receives (hereinafter referred to as "measured temperature").In other words, if the measured temperature is lower than the adjusted temperature, the heater 6 is turned on, and if it is higher, the heater 6 is turned off.
It is something to do. It should be noted that the circuit diagram inside the box ○a is the circuit diagram during the drip operation.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention When making a large amount of coffee continuously, once the dripping is finished, the extracted coffee liquid is transferred to another container, and then the same procedure is repeated with fresh coffee beans and water. However, when we investigate the actual usage in this case, we often forget to fill the tank 9 with water when repeating such operations.

In order to perform the drip operation in such a state, when the timer 7 is set to the "drip" position and the switch 8 is operated, the heater 6 is energized and heated, resulting in a so-called dry firing state. As a result, various parts within the main body are heated abnormally and their shapes are deformed, which is a major cause of failure. In other words, the temperature change of the water in the tank 9 during the drip operation is as shown in FIG. It is heated and the temperature gradually rises. When the hot water is "heated" and reaches boiling temperature, steam is generated, and the steam pressure pushes up the hot water and guides it to the discharge pipe 11', where coffee is extracted. Discharge pipe 1
While coffee continues to be extracted by supplying hot water from 1', the temperature is maintained at approximately boiling temperature.
Then, when the supply of hot water from the discharge pipe 11' is almost completed and the hot water is in a dripping state, the temperature rises again due to heating from the heater 6, and when a predetermined temperature is reached, the heater is turned off. "Extraction" means that the temperature is above boiling temperature at the end of the dripping operation, and if you forget to put water into the tank 9 and repeat the dripping operation, the heater 6 will be energized and the temperature will reach an empty state. However, such dry firing not only wastes power, but also causes significant deterioration of each component, leading to failure.

The object of the present invention is to provide a coffee boiler that solves these problems.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the coffee boiler of the present invention includes a tank provided in the main body and containing water, a water pipe for guiding the water in the tank, and a water pipe for directing the water. A heater for heating, a temperature sensing element for detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the heater, a heater energization control means for controlling energization of the heater, a drip mechanism for supplying hot water to coffee powder to extract coffee liquid, and a drip mechanism for extracting coffee liquid by supplying hot water to coffee grounds; A drip start temperature setting means for setting the temperature at which electricity is applied to the drip, a time measuring means for measuring the time from the start of dripping, and a drip start possible time setting means for setting the limit value of the time measured by the time measuring means. means, a display element for displaying that the dripping state has entered, and output means into which output signals of the temperature sensing element, drip start temperature setting means, time measurement means, and drip start possible time setting means are input. , the comparing means outputs a display drive signal from the comparing means to the display element during a cooling waiting time preset by the drip start possible time setting means from the start of dripping, and within the cooling waiting time. If the detected temperature of the temperature sensing element is lower than the preset temperature set in the drip start temperature setting time, a heater energization signal is sent to the heater energization control means; A prohibition signal is output, and if the detection signal of the temperature sensing element is higher than the set temperature even after the cooling waiting time is reached, a drive prohibition signal is output to the display element and at the same time a heater energization prohibition signal is output. It is configured as follows.

Effect According to the above configuration, if the temperature detected by the temperature sensing element is higher than the temperature set by the drip start temperature setting means (this is taken as the predetermined temperature in FIG. 8) at the time of starting dripping, the heater is The heater is not energized, and if the detected temperature is higher than the set temperature even after the cooling waiting time has elapsed, the energization to the heater is completely stopped, thereby preventing dry firing during repeated use.

Also, even if the temperature is high at the start of dripping,
If the detected temperature falls within the time set by the drip start time setting means, the heater is energized and a drip operation can be performed. Furthermore, even when the heater is not energized, by driving the display element, the user can easily understand that the energization is not due to a failure.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the block diagram shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, parts that perform the same operations as in FIGS. 5 to 7 are designated by the same numbers, and their explanations will be omitted here.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 14 denotes a temperature sensing element that detects the temperature near the heater, and is installed at the position shown in FIG. 6. 15 is a heater energization control means for controlling the energization of the heater 6; 16 is a drip start temperature setting means for setting the temperature at the start of drip; 17 is a time measurement means for measuring the time from the start of drip;
18 is a drip start possible time setting means for setting the set value of the time measured by the time measuring means 17; these three outputs and the output of the temperature sensing element 14 are both input to the comparing means 19; A signal indicating whether or not to energize the heater 6 based on the determination made by 19 is input to the heater energization control means 15 . 20 is a notification device such as a buzzer, and 21 is a display element indicating that the drip state has entered.
Note that the drip start temperature setting means 16, drip start possible time setting means 18,
The operations of the time measuring means 17 and the comparing means 19 are programmed by a microprocessor 22.

FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of a coffee brewer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, parts that perform the same operations as those in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5 to 7 are given the same numbers, and their explanations are omitted here.

In FIG. 2, 23 is the microprocessor 2.
A voltage corresponding to the temperature detected by the temperature sensing element 14 (here, a thermistor) is input to the positive input terminal of the comparator 23, and the drip start temperature setting is input to the negative input terminal of the comparator 23. A voltage corresponding to a preset temperature is inputted to the means 16, and if the former is higher than the latter, it outputs a "HIGH" signal, and conversely, if it is lower, it outputs a "LOW" signal.

Based on this output signal and the information from the time measuring means 17 and the drip start time setting means 18, the microprocessor 22 controls the heater energization control means 15 (here, a relay), the display element 21 (here, a light emitting diode, hereinafter referred to as (say "LED")
and outputs a signal to the alarm 20 (here, a buzzer).

Note that 24 is an oscillator that operates the microprocessor 22, and 25 is a mill display element that indicates that the mill mechanism is in operation.

FIG. 3 shows an outline of the operation of the circuit shown in FIG. 2, and the following description will be made based on this FIG. 3.

In the above configuration, the timer 7 is set to "drip".
When the drip operation is started by setting the drip to the position, the LED 21 lights up and the temperature is detected by the temperature sensing element 14. Check whether the temperature is higher than the set temperature. As a result, if the detected temperature is lower than the set temperature, energization to the heater 6 is started, but in the opposite case, the timer, which is the time measuring means 17, is operated. Then, drip start possible time setting means 1
8 (hereinafter referred to as "set time"), temperature detection by the temperature sensing element 14 is repeated. If the detected temperature becomes lower than the set temperature within the set time, the drip operation will start, but if the detected temperature is still higher than the set temperature even after the set time has passed, the alarm 20 will be activated to alert you to an abnormality. At the same time, the LED 21 turns off. That is, in this embodiment, if the temperature detected by the temperature sensing element 14 at the start of dripping is equal to or higher than the set temperature,
The heater 6 is not energized, and if the detected temperature remains above the set temperature even after the set time has elapsed, an abnormality notification is issued. Conversely, if the detected temperature falls below the set temperature (waiting for cooling) within the set time, the heater 6 is energized.

The dripping operation may be started either by setting the machine to the above-mentioned "drip" position and only performing the dripping operation, or by performing the dripping operation after the milling operation is completed. Further, in the above embodiment, a coffee boiler equipped with a mill mechanism has been described, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a coffee boiler without a mill mechanism.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when an abnormality is reported,
Although the LED 21 is turned off, it may also be made to blink, or the mil display element 2
It may also be made to blink alternately together with 5.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, if the temperature detected by the temperature sensing element is higher than the temperature set by the drip start temperature setting means at the start of dripping, the heater is not energized, and the heater is further waited for cooling. If the detected temperature is higher than the set temperature even after the time has elapsed, the power supply to the heater is completely stopped, which prevents dry burning during repeated use, and therefore wastes electricity due to dry burning. In addition to eliminating the consumption of energy, it is also possible to prevent failures due to abnormal heating of each component. In addition, even if the heater is not energized at the start of dripping, the display element indicates ``drip'' and is waiting for cooling, so the user can easily understand that the heater is not energized due to a malfunction. Therefore, it has an excellent effect in terms of operability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a coffee boiler showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram of the same coffee boiler, Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coffee boiler, and Fig. Figure 4 is a front view of the same coffee boiler, Figure 5 is a front view of a conventional coffee boiler, Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same coffee boiler, and Figure 7 is a front view of the same coffee boiler. The circuit diagram and FIG. 8 are temperature characteristic curve diagrams during dripping. 5...Body, 6...Heater, 9...Tank, 1
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Water pipe, 14... Temperature sensing element, 15... Heater energization control means, 16... Drip start temperature setting means, 17... Time measuring means, 18... Drip start possible time setting means, 19... Comparison Means, 20...
...Alarm device, 21...Display element, 22...Microprocessor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tank provided in the main body and containing water, a water pipe guiding the water in the tank, a heater that heats the water, and a temperature sensing element that detects the temperature near the heater. , a heater energization control means for controlling energization of the heater, a drip mechanism for supplying hot water to coffee grounds and extracting coffee liquid, a drip start temperature setting means for setting a temperature at which the heater is energized, and a drip start temperature setting means for setting the temperature at which the heater is energized; a time measuring means for measuring the time from the hour, a drip start possible time setting means for setting a limit value of the time measured by the time measuring means, a display element for indicating that the drip state has entered, and the sensor. It has a comparison means inputting each output signal of a temperature element, a drip start temperature setting means, a time measurement means, and a drip start possible time setting means, and the comparison means is configured to adjust the drip start possible time setting means from the time of drip start to the drip start possible time setting means. During a preset cooling waiting time, the comparison means outputs a display drive signal to the display element, and within the cooling waiting time, the detected temperature of the temperature sensing element is set in advance by the drip start temperature setting means. If the temperature is lower than the set temperature, a heater energization signal is output to the heater energization control means, and conversely, if the temperature is higher than the set temperature, a heater energization prohibition signal is output, and furthermore, even if the cooling waiting time is reached, the temperature sensing element is not activated. If the detected temperature is higher than the set temperature, a drive prohibition signal is output to the display element, and at the same time, a heater energization prohibition signal is output. 2. An alarm is provided separately from the display element, and the comparison means drives the alarm when a drive prohibition signal to the display element and a heater energization prohibition signal are output at the same time. Range 1
Coffee brewer as described in section.