JPH11221155A - Coffee machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To improve the function and reliability of each part of a full-automatic coffee machine for business use, and to improve so that high-quality coffee can be sold and provided. A coffee machine includes a drip coffee extractor, a raw material hopper, a hot water supply tank, and a coffee storage tank for storing coffee in a warm state, and supplies coffee to the cup from the storage tank. In (1), a disposable roll-type filter paper filter 14 is used as a filter of the extractor. (2) Vacuum pump 21 and air compressor 2 in storage tank
2 is connected to perform forced filtration of coffee, transport to a storage tank, and discharge supply to a cup. (3) Divide the storage tank into two tanks so that coffee can be extracted and supplied without interruption, and keep the coffee stored in the storage tank warm with hot water to maintain quality. (4) Valves 24 and 25 connected to the coffee transport line 10
A pneumatic rotary valve that eliminates the possibility of clogging is adopted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic coffee machine for business use which is installed in a restaurant, a fast food shop, a coffee shop or the like to provide coffee to customers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an automatic coffee machine for business use mentioned above, a drip for extracting regular coffee by pouring coffee ground beans (crushed roasted coffee beans into powder) and hot water. A bend stage comprising a coffee extractor, a raw material hopper for supplying ground coffee to the extractor, a hot water tank for hot water supply, a coffee storage tank for transferring coffee from the extractor and storing the coffee in a warm state, and a coffee supply nozzle. There is a known coffee machine configured to supply coffee from a storage tank to a cup set on a bend stage.

[0003] This type of commercial coffee machine is different from a home coffee extractor that produces several cups of coffee at a time by manual operation, and a large amount of coffee (for example, tens of cups) is produced at a time. There is a need for a function that efficiently manufactures coffee in a short period of time and always keeps freshly prepared coffee in a warm state. In this respect, in the non-pressure drip extraction method, it takes too much time to extract coffee, and therefore, the mainstream of commercial coffee machines employ a forced filtration method that can extract and filter coffee at short intervals. Specifically, a conventional coffee machine is configured as follows.

(1) In a drip coffee extractor,
A metal net filter for coffee filtration is laid on the upper surface of the filter block that is connected to the lower part of the cylinder into which coffee ground beans and hot water are charged, and a piston mechanism for vacuuming is incorporated in the filter block. The coffee is forcibly filtered through the metal net filter.

(2) A hot plate of an electric heater is used as a heat source when transferring coffee produced by the coffee extractor to another coffee storage tank to keep the temperature warm, and the storage tank is directly placed on the hot plate to place the coffee. To keep it warm. (3) A coffee valve that opens and closes a pipe by connecting it to a coffee transport line that is piped between the coffee extractor and the coffee storage tank and between the storage tank and the discharge nozzle of the bend stage. An electromagnetic valve that can control the opening and closing of the transfer line is adopted.

[0006]

However, the above-described conventional coffee machine has the following problems in terms of maintainability, reliability, and maintenance of coffee quality. (1) The metal net filter used in the drip coffee extractor adheres coffee fines and oil components as the coffee extraction operation is repeated, and becomes clogged after a short period of use, thereby deteriorating the filtration function. As a countermeasure, the metal net filter is cleaned by removing the filter block from the coffee extractor during business hours, but the maintenance work takes time and effort, and coffee extraction can be performed during this cleaning work. Because of this, coffee sales operations are also hindered.

(2) Since the piston mechanism is incorporated in the filter block of the coffee extractor for forcibly filtering the coffee, the structure becomes complicated, and the movable part of the piston mechanism like the metal net filter. Also, coffee residue and oils and fats are adhered to the filter, so that a trouble is likely to occur. For this reason, frequent cleaning is required as in the case of the metal net filter, and maintenance work is also troublesome.

(3) When the coffee storage tank is directly placed on a hot plate of an electric heater and heated, a portion in contact with the heater is locally heated to a high temperature. Flavor is impaired. (4) The electromagnetic valve connected to the coffee transport line is disadvantageous in that the fine powder and oil components of coffee adhere to the rubber valve seat during use, and this tends to cause a problem that the valve function is deteriorated and the reliability is lacking. There is.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has been developed for a coffee machine for business use by improving the structure of each part so as to solve each of the above-mentioned problems and improving maintainability, reliability and coffee quality. An object is to provide a coffee machine with improved quality.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a drip coffee extractor for supplying ground coffee and hot water to extract regular coffee, and a coffee extractor for ground coffee. Hopper, hot water tank for hot water supply, a coffee storage tank for holding and keeping the coffee discharged from the extractor, and a bend stage equipped with a coffee supply nozzle. In a coffee machine configured to discharge and supply coffee from a storage tank, (1) In the invention of claim 1, the drip coffee extractor includes a fixed cylinder, a movable filter block coupled to a lower portion of the cylinder, Feed the filter paper extracted from the roll for each extraction operation to the top of the filter block Combined with an automatic filter supply mechanism, a fixed amount of ground coffee and hot water are put into a cylinder, and the extracted coffee is filtered through a filter paper filter and collected in a filter block. It is configured to be sent to the tank.

As described above, a disposable filter paper filter that does not require washing is used as a filter of the coffee extractor,
By feeding this to the upper surface of the filter block by the automatic filter supply mechanism, coffee can be continuously extracted almost maintenance-free. (2) In the invention of claim 2, a vacuum pump and an air compressor are connected to the coffee storage tank as a closed tank via an air line and an air valve, and the inside of the storage tank is depressurized by the operation of the vacuum pump during coffee extraction. Then, the coffee is suctioned and conveyed from the coffee extractor to the storage tank, and when the coffee is supplied, the inside of the storage tank is pressurized by the operation of the air compressor to discharge and supply the coffee to the cup set on the bend stage.

As described above, as means for filtering coffee by the drip coffee extractor and transferring coffee to the storage tank, and as means for supplying and discharging coffee from the storage tank to the cup, the storage tank is connected to the cup via an air line. Compared to the configuration using a connected vacuum pump and air compressor, a forced filtration system that incorporates a piston mechanism into the filter block of the extractor to evacuate the vacuum and a liquid feed pump interposed in the coffee transport line In addition, since the vacuum pump and the air compressor are isolated from the coffee liquid in the storage tank through an air line, high reliability can be ensured without the possibility of contamination or failure due to the coffee liquid.

(3) According to the third aspect of the present invention, the coffee storage tank is immersed in a hot water bath tank equipped with a warming heater to keep the coffee warm. This allows
There is no danger that coffee will be locally heated to a high temperature as in the conventional method where the storage tank is placed directly on the hot plate of the electric heater to keep the coffee warm. Effective for maintaining flavor.

(4) In the invention according to claim 4, in the above item (3), two coffee storage tanks are provided in the hot water tank for hot water bathing, and the coffee is piped between each storage tank and the coffee extractor. Insert the tank switching valve into the transfer line. In this way, by installing two coffee storage tanks, even if one of the tanks is empty and the coffee is transferred from the extractor, coffee can be supplied to the bend stage without interruption from the other tank. And thereby increase the efficiency of the operation of the coffee machine.

(5) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the open / close valve of the coffee conveying line piped between the coffee extractor and the coffee storage tank and between the storage tank and the discharge nozzle of the bend stage is driven by air pressure. Use a rotary valve. Unlike a solenoid valve that presses a valve body against a rubber valve seat, this rotary valve is less likely to cause a decrease in valve function due to adhesion of fine coffee powder, oily components, etc. Reliability is further improved.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment. FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an in-machine system of a coffee machine. In the machine, a drip coffee extractor 1, a raw material hopper 3 for supplying ground coffee 2 to the coffee extractor 1, and a hot water tank for hot water supply 4, a coffee storage tank 5 for storing the coffee produced by the coffee extractor 1 in a warm state, and a bend stage 8 for supplying the coffee taken out of the storage tank 5 to the cup 7 through the supply nozzle 6. Hot water supply line 9 and coffee transport line 10 between each other
It is constituted by piping.

Here, each main part of the above configuration is specifically configured as follows. (1) Drip-type coffee extractor: The drip-type coffee extractor 1 is composed of a fixed cylinder 11 (the cylinder has a capacity to produce, for example, several tens of cups of coffee in one extraction operation) and a cylinder. A stirring blade type raw material stirring mechanism 12 incorporated therein, a movable filter block 13 combined with a lower portion of the cylinder 1, and a filter paper filter 14 are fed out from a roll for each coffee extracting operation and fed to the upper surface of the filter block 13. 13 is used in combination with a filter automatic supply mechanism 15 configured to wind up a used filter paper filter drawn out from a roll 13 on a discharge-side roll. 13a is a filter block 13
A cam-type drive mechanism 16 for raising and lowering the paper, and 16 is a collection container for the coffee residue 17.

The raw material stirring mechanism 12 of the stirring blade type is omitted, and instead of the hot water supply nozzle opened at the top of the cylinder 11, a rotary shower nozzle or the like is employed to stir the coffee beans and hot water. You can also. (2) Raw material hopper: The raw material hopper 3 has a structure in which the screw conveyor 3a is incorporated at the bottom thereof, and rotates the screw conveyor 3a based on a command to supply a fixed amount of ground coffee beans 2 at a time to the cylinder of the coffee extractor 1. Unload to 11

(3) Hot water supply hot water tank: The hot water supply hot water tank 4 incorporates an electric heater 4a, and heats drinking water (tap water) fed into the tank through a water purifier 4c by a water supply pump 4b to a high temperature ( 90-97 ° C.), and feeds hot water from the tank to the hot water supply line 9 with the water supply pressure of the water supply pump 4 b started based on the hot water supply command.

(4) Coffee storage tank: The coffee storage tank 5 is a closed tank whose upper surface is liquid-tightly covered, and two storage tanks 5 of the same capacity are immersed in a hot water tank 18 for hot water bath filled with hot water. Are located. The hot water tank 18 is provided with an electric heater 18a, and the hot water supplied from the hot water tank 4 is kept at an appropriate temperature (80 to 90 ° C.) to keep the coffee in the storage tank 5 warm.

Each of the storage tanks 5 has an air line 1
9, a vacuum pump 21 for coffee suction and conveyance and an air compressor 22 for coffee discharge and supply are connected via an air valve 20. (5) Bend stage: The bend stage 8 is arranged on the front of the coffee machine to set the cup 7, and the coffee supply nozzle 6 and the hot water supply nozzle 23 drawn from the hot water tank 4 are provided at the upper part of the stage. Is open. Although not shown, a push button for giving a coffee supply command is provided near the bend stage 8, and the coffee taken out of the storage tank 5 is operated by the button operation as described later to supply the coffee through the supply nozzle 6 to the cup 7. And is supplied to

(6) Hot water supply line: The hot water supply line 9 is drawn out of the hot water supply tank 4 and the cylinder 1 of the coffee extractor 1
1, a branch pipe is provided between the hot water tank 18 for hot water bath and the hot water supply nozzle 23, and a hot water supply valve (electromagnetic valve) 9a and a flow sensor 28 (excluding a hot water supply line leading to the hot water tank 18 for hot water bath) for each branch pipe ) Is connected.

(7) Coffee transport line: The coffee transport line 10 is piped between the filter block 13 of the coffee extractor 1 and the coffee storage tank 5, and between each storage tank 5 and the discharge nozzle 6. I have. Here, the coffee conveying line drawn out of the filter block 13 is connected to the middle via a tank switching valve (three-way valve) 24 from the middle.
Coffee valves 25 are respectively connected to coffee transport lines that are branched and connected to the base storage tanks 5 and that are drawn out from the bottom of each storage tank 5 and piped to the discharge nozzle 6.
Further, a flow sensor 38 is connected to each line.

Each of the valves connected to the coffee transport line 10, including the tank switching valve 24 and the coffee valve 25, employs an air-driven rotary valve that is opened and closed by air pressure. The actuator is connected to the air compressor 27 via the air valve 26.
It is connected to the. Although not shown, the hot water tanks 4, 18 and the coffee storage tank 5 are each connected to a drain line via a drain valve, and a washing valve is further provided for the extractor 1 and the storage tank 5 that handle coffee. A cleaning liquid supply line is connected through these, and a rinsing (cleaning) circuit is configured by these. When the inside of the system is periodically cleaned, hot water is supplied from a hot water tank for hot water supply based on a cleaning command, and at the same time, washing water is added to the extractor 1, the storage tank 5, and the coffee transport line 1.
0 is washed, and the washing wastewater is discarded through a drainage line.

Next, the beverage extracting operation and the coffee supplying operation of the coffee machine having the above-described configuration will be described. Each operation is automatically performed by a command from an operation control unit (not shown). In addition, by selecting an operation mode, manual operation can be performed. (1) Coffee extraction operation: When one of the coffee storage tanks 5 (for example, the left tank) is emptied and the control unit gives a coffee extraction command, the raw material hopper 2 is started to determine the amount of coffee. The coffee ground beans are carried out and put into the cylinder 11 of the coffee extractor 1 and at the same time, the water supply pump 4
A fixed amount of hot water is supplied from the hot water tank 4 for hot water supply via the hot water supply line 9 and the hot water supply valve 9a by the water supply pressure b. At the same time, the tank switching valve 24 is switched to the left tank. Here, the raw material stirring mechanism 12 of the extractor 1 is started to stir the ground coffee and hot water to promote the leaching of the coffee, and further, the coffee is extracted by being kept stationary for a certain period of time. After a predetermined extraction time has elapsed, the vacuum pump 21 is started, and the air valve 20 communicating with the left tank is opened to reduce the pressure in the storage tank 5. As a result, the filter block 13 of the extractor 1 has a negative pressure through the coffee transport line 10, and the coffee liquid in the cylinder 11 receives the negative pressure and passes through the filter paper filter 14 to be collected in the filter block 13, from which the coffee transport is performed. The conveyance of coffee to the storage tank 5 through the line 10 is started. Then, when the filter block 13 becomes empty (air becomes mixed when the filter block 13 becomes empty), the flow rate sensor 2
The signal of 8 stops the vacuum pump 21.

On the other hand, in the coffee brewer 1, when the coffee brewing operation is completed, the filter block 13 descends and separates from the cylinder 11, and subsequently, the filter automatic supply mechanism 1
5 is started, the used portion of the filter paper filter in which the coffee residue 17 remains is discharged laterally from the upper surface of the filter block 13, and the unused portion of the filter paper filter is simultaneously sent from the roll to the upper surface of the filter block 13. Next, the filter block 13 moves upward, is connected to the cylinder 11 with the filter paper filter 14 interposed therebetween, and returns to the standby state again.
The coffee residue 1 remaining on the filter paper filter 12
7 is scraped off by a scraper on the way of the discharge path and falls into the slag collecting container 16 to be collected. The used filter paper filter is wound up in a roll and then discarded.

(2) Insulating the coffee and supplying it to the cup: from the drip coffee extractor 1 to the storage tank 5
Is kept warm with hot water filled in a hot water tank 18 for hot water bathing. In this state, when the cup 7 is set on the bend stage 8 and a coffee supply command (for example, a push button operation) is given, the air compressor 22 is started and the storage tank 5 containing coffee (the two storage tanks are stored). The separately stored coffee is referred to as “first-in, first-out”.) The air valve 20 of the air line 19 leading to
open. Thereby, the compressed air is introduced into the storage tank 5 to pressurize the coffee stored in the tank. Subsequently, when the coffee valve 25 of the coffee transport line 10 communicating with the supply nozzle 6 is opened, coffee is pressurized and fed from the storage tank 5 and starts to be poured into the cup 7 from the supply nozzle 6,
When a predetermined amount of coffee is supplied based on the signal of the flow rate sensor 28, the coffee valve 25 is closed,
Stop the air compressor 22 and at the same time
Also returns to the standby state by closing.

By installing two coffee storage tanks 5, one of the storage tanks is empty or the pressure of the tank is reduced to transfer coffee from the extractor 1 to the storage tank 5. In the meantime, coffee can be supplied using the other storage tank. Therefore, the supply of coffee from the dispenser can be performed without interruption.

[0029]

As described above, according to the structure of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) A drip-type coffee extractor includes a fixed cylinder, a movable filter block coupled to a lower portion of the cylinder, and a filter automatic supply mechanism for feeding a filter paper filter drawn out from a roll for each coffee extraction operation to an upper surface of the filter block. Composed of a fixed quantity, ground coffee and hot water are put into a cylinder, and the extracted coffee is filtered through a filter filter and collected in a filter block, and then sent to a coffee storage tank at a later stage via a coffee transport line. According to the first aspect of the present invention, by using a disposable filter paper filter that does not require washing as a coffee filter, the coffee extraction operation can be performed continuously without maintenance compared to the conventional configuration using a metal net filter. Can be performed repeatedly, thereby improving maintainability. At the same time, the operating efficiency of the coffee machine is improved.

(2) A coffee storage tank is used as a closed tank, and a vacuum pump and an air compressor are connected to the tank via an air line and an air valve. At the time of coffee extraction, the inside of the storage tank is depressurized by the operation of the vacuum pump to extract the coffee. The coffee is sucked and conveyed from the storage tank to the storage tank, and when the coffee is supplied, the inside of the storage tank is pressurized by the operation of the air compressor to discharge and supply the coffee to the cup set on the bend stage. The piston block for suction filtration is built into the filter block of, and the structure is simpler than the conventional configuration in which a liquid feed pump is connected to the coffee transport line. High reliability can be secured.

(3) According to the third aspect of the present invention, the coffee storage tank is immersed in a hot water tank for hot water brewing equipped with a warming heater to keep the coffee warm. Compared with the conventional thermal insulation method of heating directly on the storage tank, there is no danger of the coffee being stored being locally heated, and the coffee can be kept at an appropriate temperature in the storage tank at an even temperature, which is effective in maintaining the flavor of the coffee Demonstrate.

(4) In the invention according to the third aspect, two coffee storage tanks are provided in the hot water tank for hot water brewing, and the tanks are connected to a coffee transport line piped between each storage tank and the coffee extractor. According to the invention of claim 4 in which the switching valve is interposed, even when one of the tanks is empty and the coffee is transferred from the extractor, the coffee can be supplied to the bend stage without interruption from the other tank. The operation efficiency as a commercial coffee machine is thereby improved.

(5) A pneumatically driven rotary valve is used as an open / close valve of a coffee transport line that is piped between the coffee extractor and the coffee storage tank and between the storage tank and the discharge nozzle of the bend stage. According to the fifth aspect of the invention, there is almost no risk of trouble that the valve function is reduced due to the influence of the contamination by the fine powder of coffee and the fat component, and the reliability is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a coffee machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 drip coffee extractor 2 ground coffee bean 3 raw material hopper 4 hot water tank for hot water supply 5 coffee storage tank 6 coffee supply nozzle 7 cup 8 bend stage 9 hot water supply line 10 coffee transport line 11 cylinder 13 filter block 14 filter paper filter 15 filter automatic Supply mechanism 17 Coffee residue 18 Hot water tank for hot water bath 19 Air line 20 Air valve 21 Vacuum pump 22 Air compressor 24 Tank switching valve 25 Coffee valve

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A drip coffee extractor for supplying coffee ground beans and hot water to extract regular coffee, a raw material hopper for supplying coffee ground beans to the coffee extractor, a hot water tank for hot water supply, and coffee discharged from the extractor. In a coffee machine configured by combining a coffee storage tank that accommodates and keeps warm and a bend stage with a coffee supply nozzle, the coffee machine discharges and supplies coffee from the storage tank to a cup set on the bend stage. The coffee extractor comprises a combination of a fixed cylinder, a movable filter block coupled to a lower portion of the cylinder, and an automatic filter supply mechanism for feeding a filter paper filter drawn out from a roll for each coffee extraction operation to an upper surface of the filter block. Put a fixed amount of ground coffee and hot water inside Coffee extracted Te filtered through filter paper filter were collected in the filter block, coffee machine, characterized in that as feed to the subsequent coffee storage tank through the coffee transport line from here. 2. A drip coffee extractor for supplying coffee ground beans and hot water to extract regular coffee, a raw material hopper for supplying coffee ground beans to the coffee extractor, a hot water tank for hot water supply, and coffee discharged from the extractor. A coffee storage tank configured to combine and store a coffee storage tank and a bend stage provided with a coffee supply nozzle, wherein coffee is discharged from the storage tank and supplied to a cup set on the bend stage. A vacuum pump and an air compressor are connected to the tank via an air line and an air valve as a closed tank. During coffee extraction, the pressure inside the storage tank is reduced by the operation of the vacuum pump, and coffee is sucked and transferred from the extractor to the storage tank. When supplying coffee, the air compressor operates. Coffee machine, characterized in that the reservoir tank is pressurized and to supply discharging into the cup equipped with a coffee bend stage. 3. A drip coffee extractor for supplying coffee ground beans and hot water to extract regular coffee, a raw material hopper for supplying coffee ground beans to the coffee extractor, a hot water tank for hot water supply, and coffee discharged from the extractor. A coffee storage tank configured to combine and store a coffee storage tank and a bend stage provided with a coffee supply nozzle, wherein coffee is discharged from the storage tank and supplied to a cup set on the bend stage. A coffee machine characterized in that the tank is immersed in a hot water tank for hot water soaking to keep the coffee in the storage tank warm. 4. The coffee machine according to claim 3, wherein
A coffee machine comprising two coffee storage tanks arranged in a hot water tank for hot water bathing, and a tank switching valve connected to a coffee transport line piped between each storage tank and a coffee extractor. 5. A drip coffee extractor for supplying coffee ground beans and hot water to extract regular coffee, a raw material hopper for supplying coffee ground beans to the coffee extractor, a hot water tank for hot water supply, and coffee discharged from the extractor. A coffee storage tank that accommodates and keeps warm and a bend stage having a coffee supply nozzle in combination, and a coffee machine that discharges and supplies coffee from the storage tank to a cup set on the bend stage. A coffee machine characterized in that a pneumatically driven rotary valve is used as an open / close valve of a coffee conveying line piped between a container and a coffee storage tank and between the storage tank and a discharge nozzle of a bend stage.