JPH05258173A - Extraction/filtration device for vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically operate rinsing at a proper time by providing a comparator for comparing the light receiving level with the regulated level of an photodetector to detect that the light receiving level becomes lower than the regulated level, detecting an instruction from the comparator and operating cleaning an extraction room. CONSTITUTION:In accordance with the extracting room 4 of a standby brewer unit 1, a light source 36 and the photodetector 37 are arranged facing each other outside the extracting room 4. A comparator 38 compares the light receiving level Ps of the photodetector 37 with a reference level Pr. The comparator 38 detects a timing signal T expressing standby to execute comparing operation and detects that the light receiving level Ps becomes lower than the reference level Pr to instruct a rinse control part 39 to operate rinsing. Then, rinse control part 39 drives an opening/closing device 7 like normal sales operation to make a filter receiver 3 to rise so as to block the bottom face opening of the brewer unit 1. Furthermore, the rinse control part 39 operates a pump P2 to inject hot water H to the internal face of the extraction room 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an extraction and filtration device for a vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art This type of extraction / filtering device is used in the actual construction of Shokai 64-31480.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. It is constructed as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 4, the extraction and filtration device is a filter which is driven up and down to a brewer unit 1 whose lower surface is opened, a position where a lower surface opening 2 of the brewer unit 1 is closed and a position where the lower surface opening 2 is opened as shown in FIG. It comprises a receiver 3, a valve body 6 for opening and closing the upper opening 5 of the extraction chamber 4 of the brewer unit 1, an opening / closing device 7 for driving the filter receiver 3, and the like. The brewer unit 1 is fixed side 20 via the metal fitting 19.
It is detachably attached to.

The extraction filtering operation is executed as follows.
First, as shown in FIG. 5, the paper filter 12 is pressed against the lower surface opening 2 of the brewer unit 1 by the filter receiver 3 to close it, and the valve body 6 is pushed down against the bias of the compression spring 8 to push down the extraction chamber 4. Open the upper opening 5 of. In this state, as shown by the arrow A, the raw material and the hot water are charged into the extraction chamber 4 through the upper opening 5, and in this state, the air 10 is blown from the supply port 9 to mix the raw material and the hot water 11 as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the pushing down of the valve body 6 is released to close the upper opening 5 with the valve body 6 to seal the extraction chamber 4, and in this state, the air 10 is supplied from the supply port 9. Further, it is blown in to raise the internal pressure of the extraction chamber 4, and the mixed liquid 11 is forcibly filtered by the paper filter 12 held between the brewer unit 1 and the filter receiver 3. At the cup station provided at the position facing the product outlet, the cup is dispensed by the start of the selling operation, and the hot water in which the extracted extract is melted passes through the paper filter 12 and the cup station via the pipe line 13. Be paid to the cup. Raw material slag 14
Remain on the paper filter 12. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the filter receiver 3 descends, and the paper filter 12 having the raw material slag 14 attached thereto is replaced with the one used for the next sale.

The valve body 6 is driven by a valve opening / closing cam 16 attached to the output shaft 15 of the opening / closing device 7, and the filter receiver 3 is moved by a main cam 17 attached to the output shaft 15 of the opening / closing device 7 via a slide shaft 18. While being driven, the valve body 6 and the filter receiver 3 move as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 while the output shaft 15 makes one rotation.

[0006] Such an extraction and filtration device is used for selling coffee, but if it is used for a long period of time, dirt will adhere to the inner surface of the extraction chamber 4. Therefore, in the past,
The rinse operation is automatically performed every time a fixed time interval or the number of sales reaches a fixed number.

As a concrete rinse operation, as shown in FIG. 9, while putting the detergent 21 (or hot water) into the extraction chamber 4,
Air 10 is blown from the supply port 9 to stir the detergent 21 (or hot water) to clean the inner surface of the extraction chamber 4, and when the cleaning is completed, the valve body 6 closes the upper opening 5 to seal the extraction chamber 4. In this state, air 10 is further blown from the supply port 9 to raise the internal pressure of the extraction chamber 4 and the washed detergent 21 (or hot water) is forcibly discharged. No cups are dispensed to the cup station during this rinse operation.

[0008]

As described above, since the rinsing operation is carried out every time the fixed time interval or the number of sales is detected to reach the fixed number, dirt actually adheres to the inner surface of the extraction chamber 4. However, if the above-mentioned fixed time interval or the number of times of sale does not reach the fixed number, the rinse operation is not executed. In addition, although the inner surface of the extraction chamber 4 is not actually dirty, the rinsing operation is executed because the above-mentioned certain time interval or the number of sales reaches a certain number.

An object of the present invention is to provide an extraction / filtering apparatus which can automatically perform a rinse operation for cleaning the extraction chamber at an appropriate time.

[0010]

In the extraction / filtration apparatus of the present invention, the raw material is charged into the extraction chamber through the upper opening of the extraction chamber of the brewer unit, and after the injection, the valve body is pressed against the valve seat from the inside of the extraction chamber. In an automatic vending machine that closes the upper opening, pressurizes the extraction chamber to forcibly filter a mixed liquid of hot water and a raw material, and dispenses the extraction filtrate, at least a part of the extraction chamber is a translucent material. And a photodetector for detecting light through the extraction chamber, and a comparator for comparing the received level of the photodetector with a specified level to detect that the received level is lower than the specified level, It is characterized in that a rinse controller for detecting the instruction from the comparator and performing the cleaning operation of the extraction chamber is provided.

[0011]

According to this structure, when the inner surface of the extraction chamber is not contaminated, the light is incident on the photodetector at a specified level or higher. When the inner surface of the extraction chamber becomes dirty, the light is attenuated as it passes through the extraction chamber, and the light receiving level at the photodetector is lowered. The comparator detects this decrease in the received light level and instructs the rinse controller to start the rinse operation.

Therefore, if the inner surface of the extraction chamber is dirty, the rinse operation is performed, and if it is not dirty, the rinse operation is not performed.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that components having the same functions as those in FIGS. 4 to 9 will be described with the same reference numerals.

In the extraction / filtration apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the shaft 23 for driving the valve body 6 for closing the upper opening 5 of the extraction chamber 4 is rotatably connected to one end of a lever 24 by a pin 25. Has been done. An intermediate portion of the lever 24 is rotatably supported around a fulcrum 35, and a cam roller shaft 27 having a roller 26 for detecting the valve opening / closing cam 16 attached to the other end of the lever 24 is rotated by a pin 28. It is freely pivoted. The rotation of the cam roller shaft 27 is restricted by the guide 29, and the cam roller shaft 27 moves up and down in a direction perpendicular to the cam surface of the valve opening / closing cam 16.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a wash water passage 30 is formed in the valve body 6 and the shaft 23, and the wash water passage 30 formed in the valve body 6 extends toward the outer periphery of the valve body 6. And is extending radially.

A pump P is attached to the shaft 23 via a hose 31.
The two discharge sides are connected. The suction side of this pump P2 as a pressurizing device is connected to the hot water tank 32. The hot water tank 32 is a tank for producing hot water used for cooking, and tap water W is supplied to the hot water tank 32 from a reservoir tank 33 via a pump P1.

A light source 36 and a photodetector 37 are arranged outside the extraction chamber 4 so as to face the extraction chamber 4 of the brewer unit 1 on standby. The light receiving level Ps of the photodetector 37 is compared with the reference level Pr by the comparator 38. This comparator 38
Detects the timing signal T indicating the standby state, executes the comparison operation, detects that the light receiving level Ps has dropped below the reference level Pr, and instructs the rinse controller 39 to perform the rinse operation. The rinse control unit 39, which has detected the instruction to perform the rinse operation, first operates the opening / closing device 7 in the same manner as in the case of the normal sales operation to raise the filter receiver 3 and close the lower opening 2 of the brewer unit 1. To do. Further, the rinse controller 39 operates the pump P2.

As a result, the washing water passage 30 of the shaft 23
The hot water H is jetted toward the inner surface of the extraction chamber 4 from each outlet 34 of the wash water passage 30 which is opened at the outer periphery of the valve body 6 through the wash water passage 30 formed in the valve body 6. .. With the operation of the pump P2, the output shaft 15 of the opening / closing device 7 rotates, and the lever 24 acts as a fulcrum via the opening / closing cam 16 and the cam roller 26.
Rotate from the solid line position to the imaginary line position around the 35
23 is pushed down by the lever 24, and the valve body 6 moves from the solid line position to the virtual line position.

The valve body 6 moves up and down inside the extraction chamber 4 in accordance with the rotation of the opening / closing cam 16, and the hot water H jetted from the valve body 6 collides with the inner surface of the extraction chamber 4 to cause the extraction chamber 4 to move. Wash the dirt on the inner surface.

When the valve body 6 closes the upper opening 5 with the rotation of the opening / closing cam 16, the rinsing control unit 39 blows air 10 from the supply port 9 to stir the hot water while stirring the internal pressure of the extraction chamber 4. And the hot water inside the extraction chamber 4 is forcibly discharged. In this rinse operation, no cups are paid out to the cup station.

In the above embodiment, the pump P2 for feeding the wash water from the warm water tank 32 to the wash water passage 30 is the reservoir tank 33.
Although it was provided separately from the pump P1 for sending tap water from the hot water tank 32 to the hot water tank 32, the discharge path of the pump P1 is the first path for supplying tap water to the hot water tank 32 and the second path for supplying tap water to the wash water passage 30. A valve for switching to the
2 can be omitted.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the extraction chamber 4 is used for cleaning.
Although it has been described that the hot water H is injected into the above, the cleaning efficiency is further improved by adding the detergent instead of the hot water H. In the above embodiment, the hot water or the detergent is discharged from the outlet 34 opened at the outer peripheral portion of the valve body 6 having a special shape. It is also possible to add detergent and perform a rinse operation.

The brewer unit 1 of each embodiment is entirely made of translucent synthetic resin, or the light source 36 to the photodetector 37.
Only the part through which the light passes is formed of a transparent synthetic resin.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the raw material is charged into the extraction chamber through the upper opening of the extraction chamber of the brewer unit, and after the charging, the valve body is pressed against the valve seat from the inside of the extraction chamber to open the upper opening. In the vending machine that pressurizes the extraction chamber to forcibly filter the mixture of hot water and raw material with a filter and dispenses the extraction filtrate, at least a part of the extraction chamber is formed of a translucent material. , A photodetector for detecting light through the extraction chamber is provided, and a comparator is provided for comparing the received light level of the photodetector with a specified level to detect that the received light level is lower than the specified level. Since the rinsing control unit for detecting the instruction of performing the cleaning operation of the extraction chamber is provided, when the inner surface of the extraction chamber becomes dirty, light is attenuated when passing through the extraction chamber and the photodetector is detected. The received light level at the Detecting a decrease in the received light level instructing the start of the rinsing operation to rinse the control unit.

Therefore, if the inner surface of the extraction chamber is dirty, the rinse operation is performed, and if it is not dirty, the rinse operation is not performed, and the rinse operation for cleaning the extraction chamber can be automatically performed at an appropriate time. Is.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an extraction and filtration device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shaft and a valve body of the device.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a valve body of the same device.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a conventional extraction and filtration device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a step of charging a raw material and hot water of a conventional extraction and filtration device.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a stirring process of a conventional extraction filtration device.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a forced filtration process of a conventional extraction filtration device.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a step of removing a raw material slag of a conventional extraction and filtration device.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a cleaning process of a conventional extraction and filtration device.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 Brewer unit 3 Filter receiver 4 Extraction chamber 11 Mixed liquid 12 Paper filter [filter] 16 Opening cam 23 Shaft 24 Lever 30 Wash water passage 32 Hot water tank 33 Reservoir tank 34 Outlet 38 Comparator 39 Rinse controller P2 Pump (pressurizing device)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A raw material is introduced into the extraction chamber from the upper opening of the extraction chamber of the brewer unit, and after the introduction, the valve body is pressed against the valve seat from the inside of the extraction chamber to close the upper opening and pressurize the extraction chamber. Forcibly filter the mixture of hot water and raw material with a filter,
In a vending machine that dispenses extraction filtrate, at least a part of the extraction chamber is formed of a translucent material, and a photodetector for detecting light through the extraction chamber is provided, and the light receiving level and the specified level of the photodetector are provided. A vending machine provided with a comparator for detecting that the received light level has dropped below a specified level by comparing with and a rinse control section for detecting the instruction from the comparator and performing the cleaning operation of the extraction chamber. Extraction filtration equipment.