JPH11332749A - Automatic tea server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain tasty tea and to sanitarily hold the inside of a piping by performing electrolysis for supplied water, heating alkali ion water, supplying hot water to tea leaves, flowing acid ion water to a hot water supply path and cleaning the path. SOLUTION: Water at a normal temperature fed via a water purifier is led to an electrolytic water generating device 2 provided on the way to a water supply pipe led to a hot water tank 4, and alkali ion water and acid ion water is generated by electrolysis and is stored in tanks 14, 14, respectively. Continuously, alkali ion water is fed from the tanks 14 to the hot water tank 4 and is heated by an energized heating heater 5 and heat insulation at a temperature which is suitable for extraction of tea is performed for alkali ion water. When a user depresses a tea button of an automatic tea maker 1, a solenoid valve 8 is opened and hot water is fed to a tea strainer part 6. At the same time, tea leaves 16 are put into the tea strainer 6 from a tea leaf container 15, and after fixed time elapses, tea stayed in the tea strainer part 6 is poured in a drink container 7 by the opening of the solenoid valve 8 provided on the lower side of the tea strainer part 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic tea dispenser for producing and supplying tea as a beverage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the improvement of business efficiency, an automatic tea supply device that stores a place or cold water in a tank, mixes powdered tea with hot water or cold water, and supplies tea is used in offices and the like. Widely used. In this connection, various proposals have been made for drinking delicious and safe tea. For example, in the one described in JP-A-3-221015,
It is intended to provide a delicious tea by providing a filter material for filtering and removing calcium contained in tap water in the middle of a water pipe connected to a pump for sending hot water in a water tank. In addition, in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 30000585, the drain valve is automatically opened after use of the tea dispenser to drain the water in the water tank, and the hot water in the hot water tank is discharged into the water tank. Then, the wastewater is drained after being sterilized and disinfected with hot water, thereby preventing the propagation of various bacteria in the water tank and keeping the inside of the water tank clean at all times.

[0003]

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
In Japanese Patent No. 222015, since hot water of tap water is used, it is difficult to make a sufficiently delicious tea. Furthermore, if the same tea leaf is extracted many times, the amount of tea component eluted gradually decreases, and there is a problem that only a very thin tea is provided for drinking before tea leaf replacement.

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a delicious tea for a long time by using electrolytic alkaline water.

[0005] The utility model registration number 3000
In the device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 585, a sterilization effect can be expected by passing hot water through the device, but a large amount of energy is required because the purified water is heated to a boiling state. In addition, water can only be passed after one day of use,
Discomfort remained in hygiene during use.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and allows acidic ionic water obtained by electrolyzing water to pass therethrough without waste.
The purpose is to keep the pipes sanitary as appropriate.

Also, by removing metal ions,
The purpose of the supplied water is to provide a form that approaches the pure water, the extraction ability is enhanced, the astringency of the tea is eluted more, and the astringent and delicious tea that is preferred by the Japanese.

Another object of the present invention is to use a water injection cartridge so that it can be installed in a place where a water pipe is not drawn, so that an automatic tea feeding apparatus can be installed in any place. It is.

Still another object is to provide a weight sensor in the tea container so that the decrease in the number of tea leaves can be confirmed without opening and closing the tea supply device main body. There is no need to check the amount of tea leaves in the tea container one by one, and tea leaves can be added immediately before the number of tea leaves decreases and disappears.

Still another object is to reduce labor. Automatic tea feeding equipment requires the addition of tea leaves at any time.
Also, for example, in the case of a water softening device using an ion exchange resin, it is necessary to add salt in order to regenerate the resin according to the flow rate of water. By calculating the amount of water used up to tea leaf exchange in advance and adjusting the amount of ion-exchange resin in the water softener according to the amount of water flow, it is possible to align the timing of addition and reduce labor. it can.

[0011] Still another object is to examine the extractability with alkaline water (the amount of tea leaves used and the amount of water used) or the extractability with soft water in advance and automatically control the amount of tea leaves to be used so that tea leaves can be efficiently used. That is, tea is sufficiently eluted with a minimum amount of tea leaves.

[0012] Still another object is to measure the chromaticity of the extracted tea so as to inform the time of replacement of the tea leaves.
In addition, the alkalinity of the alkaline ionized water can be increased at the time when the chromaticity gradually decreases by passing water several times, so that tea can be extracted with the same chromaticity until the end.

Still another object is to reduce the labor of an administrator because tea can be automatically replaced at the time of replacement of tea.

Still another object is to provide a second heater so that the hot water tank does not need to be kept at a high temperature, so that energy loss is reduced.

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is to provide an automatic tea supply for heating water supplied from a water supply means, supplying the water to tea leaves, and extracting tea. An electrolyzed water generating means for electrolyzing water supplied from the water supply means to decompose the water into alkali ion water and acidic ion water, and an alkaline ion water tank for storing the alkali ion water and the acidic ion water, respectively. , An acidic ionized water tank, a heater for heating the alkaline ionized water in the alkaline ionized water tank, a hot water supply path for supplying the heated alkaline ionized water to the tea leaves, and a flow of the acidic ionized water tank to the hot water supply path. And means for cleaning the hot water supply path.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the water supply means comprises a water injection cartridge detachable from the main body of the automatic tea feeding apparatus, and a flow control valve for adjusting an amount of water supplied from the water injection cartridge. Features.

A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a tea leaf container and a tea leaf supply means for automatically supplying the tea leaves of the tea leaf container are provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the accumulated amount of tea has reached a predetermined value, a signal for replacing tea leaves is output from the control unit in order to notify the time for replacing tea leaves. .

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, when the tea leaves have reached the replacement time, the tea leaves are discharged by reversing the tea strainer connected to the tea leaf changing device.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the automatic tea supplying apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG.
1 is a sectional view showing a main part of an embodiment of an automatic tea feeding apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a tea feeding apparatus, and the tea feeding apparatus 1 has a tea leaf 16 having a built-in tea leaf 16 at its upper part. A hot water supply tank 4 for preparing and storing a container 15 and hot water of an appropriate temperature to be supplied to the tea leaves 16 contained in the tea leaf container 15 is provided. Tea leaves 1 stored in tea container 15
Numeral 6 is received by a tea strainer 6 through a tea supply duct, and the tea component is extracted by passing the hot water stored in the hot water supply tank 4 with the tea strainer 6 and is supplied to a beverage container 7 such as a cup. Do it.

In the hot water supply tank 4 constituting the tea supply apparatus 1, hot water in a hot water state is stored by a heater 5 or the like. The hot water supply tank 4 is configured to supply normal-temperature water through a water purifier (not shown). Further, the hot water supply tank 4 is provided with a temperature sensor 10 for detecting the temperature of the hot water. The temperature sensor 10 is linked with the heater 6 and the control unit 11, and the control unit 11 also controls the operation of each electromagnetic valve 8. Is what you do.

Further, an electrolyzed water generating device 2 for generating alkaline ionized water and acidic ionized water by electrolysis of water is installed in the middle of a water supply pipe from the water purifier to the hot water supply tank 4, and the water is generated respectively. The alkaline ionized water and the acidic ionized water are temporarily stored in an alkaline ionized water tank and an acidic ionized water tank 14.

When the power supply to each part of the automatic tea feeding apparatus 1 starts,
Water is supplied, and subsequently, the alkaline ionized water generated by the electrolysis is sent from the alkaline ionized water tank 14 to the hot water supply tank 4. Then, the heater 5 is energized, and the water in the hot water supply tank 4 is heated and kept at a temperature suitable for extracting tea.

When the user presses a tea button (not shown) on the display of the main body 1 of the tea supply apparatus, the electromagnetic pulp 8 connected to the hot water supply tank 4 opens and is sent to the tea strainer 6. At the same time, the tea leaves 16 enter the tea strainer 6 from the tea leaf container 15. After a certain period of time, the tea staying in the tea strainer 6 is poured into the beverage container 7 by opening the electromagnetic pulp 8 provided below the tea strainer 6.

FIG. 2 shows another structure of the water supply.
An electrolyzed water generator 2 for generating acidic ionized water is mounted, and a detachable water injection cartridge 18 is installed above the electrolyzed water generator 2 as a water supply unit for supplying water into the electrolyzed water generator 2. . The water cartridge 18 can store a predetermined amount of water inside, and is provided with a flow rate control valve 19 and a spring 20 for adjusting the amount of drainage of the inside water at a predetermined flow rate. When the water injection cartridge 18 is installed, the flow control valve 19 moves upward by the projecting rod 21a urged upward by the spring 13, and water can flow out from the gap.

An electrolyzed water generator 2 having a water inlet 21 at a position opposite to the flow control valve 19 is set below the water injection cartridge 18. By applying DC voltage to the electrode 22 having a cathode and an anode, water is electrolyzed to separate and generate alkali ion water generated on the cathode side and acidic ion water generated on the anode side by the diaphragm 23.

Returning to FIG. 1, the alkaline ionized water electrolyzed by the electrolyzed water generator 2 is stored in an alkaline ionized water tank 14 via a pipe. Subsequently, the alkaline ionized water is sent from the tank 14 to the hot water supply tank 4, and the voltage is applied to the heater 6 for heating the hot water supply tank 4, thereby heating the water in the hot water supply tank 4 and increasing the water temperature. The temperature of the hot water is detected by the temperature sensor 10 of the hot water supply tank 4. Also,
If the temperature of the hot water falls below a predetermined temperature due to the supply of water into the hot water tank 4, the temperature sensor 10 detects the temperature and the heater 5 heats the hot water to a predetermined temperature. If the temperature of the hot water returns to a predetermined temperature, the temperature sensor 1
0 detects this, and the heater 6 stops heating. All of this series of operations is controlled by the control unit 11.

In addition, the tea supply device has a working panel (not shown) (not shown), and the operation panel has a tea button. Reference numeral 17 in the figure denotes a drain tray. Next, the operation of the entire apparatus will be described. A person who wants to drink hot tea sets the container 7 on the tea supply device 1 and presses a tea button on the operation panel. Then, the hot water in the hot water supply tank 4 is supplied to the tea strainer 6 through the pipe. Hot water that has passed through the tea strainer 6 is supplied to a container 7 provided below.

According to the present embodiment, the use of alkaline ionized water for the extraction of tea makes it possible to deepen the light blue of tea and enhance the ability to extract components. In particular, the flavor component, such as theanine, is difficult to dissolve in ordinary water, but is easily soluble in alkaline water, and can produce a flavor.

FIG. 5 shows a comparison graph of the ability to extract tea with alkaline ionized water. It is an absorption spectrum in the ultraviolet of alkali ion water and tap water. It can be seen that the alkaline ionized water has a higher absorbance, and that the tea component is more eluted.

Now, after use of the tea supply device 1,
The acidic ionic water generated in the electrolytic cell 2 and stored in the acidic ionic water tank 14 flows through the pipe 9 and the tea strainer 6 by opening the pulp 8 disposed at the bottom. The control of the electromagnetic valve 8 is performed by the control unit 11. By passing acidic water through the pipe 9 and the tea strainer 6 every time tea leaves are replaced, the inside of the tube can be kept impulsive as appropriate.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, which is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the automatic tea supply device, a tea leaf container 15 having a built-in tea leaf 16 and an appropriate temperature hot water supplied to the tea leaf 16 supplied from the tea leaf container 15 are prepared. Equipped with a hot water tank 4
In the lower part of the tea supply device 1, the tea leaves 16 accommodated in the tea leaf container 15 are received by the tea strainer 6 through the tea supply duct,
The hot water stored in the hot water supply tank 4 is passed through the tea strainer 6 to extract a tea component and to supply the tea to a beverage container 7 such as a cup.

In the hot water supply tank 4 constituting the tea supply apparatus 1, hot water in a hot water state is stored by a heater 6 or the like. The hot water supply tank 4 is configured to be able to supply normal-temperature water supplied by a water supply pipe inscribed through a water purifier (not shown). Further, the hot water supply tank 4 is provided with a temperature sensor 10 for detecting the temperature of hot water. The temperature sensor 10 is linked to the heater 6 by the control unit 11, and the control unit 11 also controls the operation of each electromagnetic valve 8.

The water supply pipe has a structure having a water softener 3 for softening the supplied purified water. The water softening device 3 has a structure filled with, for example, an ion exchange resin. The cartridge type is detachable. When the water supplied through the water purifier is passed through the water softening device 3, it is possible to remove metal ions and the like in the water that could not be removed by the water purifier. By removing the metal ions, the water becomes more pure water and the water itself has a higher extraction ability.

After the use of the tea supply device 1 is completed, when the accumulated tea passing amount reaches a certain value, the control unit 11 outputs an exchange signal for the tea leaves 16. The tea leaves 16 are exchanged by energizing a geared motor 22 interlocked with the tea strainer 6 and discharging the tea leaves 6 by reversing the tea strainer 6 by a tea leaf exchanging device 23.

The tea container 15 is provided with a weight sensor 28. The tea leaves 16 in the tea container 15 gradually decrease due to the replacement of the tea leaves. The weight sensor is linked to the operation unit on the surface of the main body, and can be checked from the outside of the main body as the number of tea leaves decreases. The user only needs to add tea leaves into the tea container 15 when the amount of tea leaves on the main body display decreases and the display sign is turned on.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, when an ion exchange resin is used for the water softening device 3, the ion exchange capacity gradually decreases, so that the resin needs to be regenerated. Home salt may be used for regeneration. This regenerating operation is also performed for each certain amount of water flow.

Therefore, the amount of tea leaves to be used and the amount of water to be passed through the ion exchange resin are calculated in advance, and the size of each container is adjusted to open and close the automatic tea feeding machine 1 at the same time. Addition of tea leaves and regeneration of resin become possible.

The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a main part of the entire configuration according to the third embodiment. As a feature, a second heater 24 is provided in a pipe from the hot water supply tank 4 to the tea strainer 6. The temperature of the hot water in the hot water supply tank 4 is controlled by the control unit 11 by the temperature sensor 10 and the heater 6. In the one-stage heating, the hot water in the hot water tank needs to be kept at a high temperature for quick extraction.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the tea button on the operation panel is selected, the solenoid valve 8 is opened, and hot water is sent to the pipe 9 to the tea strainer 6. At this time, the pipe 9 is provided with a second heater 26 so that the pipe 9 is heated during the passage of water. Therefore, it is possible to keep the temperature of the hot water kept in the hot water supply tank 4 low, thereby saving energy.

[0041]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the tea component is extracted with the alkaline ionized water, a delicious tea can be obtained. Further, since the hot water supply path is cleaned with the acidic ion water, it is clean.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an automatic tea feeding apparatus can be installed even in a place where there is no water pipe. Further, according to the other invention, since the decrease in the number of tea leaves can be confirmed, the tea leaves can be appropriately added before the tea leaves are exhausted. We can always serve tea of appropriate strength. It is easy to replace used tea leaves.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of an automatic tea feeding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a main part of a water injection cartridge and an electrolyzed water generation device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of an automatic tea feeding apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of an automatic tea feeding apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an absorption spectrum graph of a green tea extract.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Tea supply device 2: Electrolyzed water generation device 3: Water softening device 4: Hot water supply tank 5: Heating heater 6: Tea strainer 7: Container 8: Electromagnetic pulp 9: Piping 19 10: Temperature sensor 11: Control unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yoko Fukushima 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Shimizu 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka (72) Inventor Takeo Abe 22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Sharp Corporation

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An automatic tea supply apparatus for heating water supplied from a water supply means, supplying the heated water to tea leaves, and extracting tea, wherein the water supplied from the water supply means is electrolyzed to alkaline ionized water. Electrolyzed water generating means for decomposing into alkaline ionized water, an alkaline ionized water tank for storing the alkaline ionized water and the acidic ionized water, an acidic ionized water tank, and heating the alkaline ionized water in the alkaline ionized water tank. An automatic tea supply comprising a heater, a hot water supply path for supplying heated alkaline ionized water to the tea leaves, and means for flowing the water in the acidic ionized water tank to the hot water supply path to clean the hot water supply path. apparatus. 2. The water supply means according to claim 1, wherein the water supply means comprises a water supply cartridge detachable from the main body of the automatic tea supply device, and a flow control valve for adjusting an amount of water supplied from the water supply cartridge. The automatic tea dispenser as described. 3. The automatic tea supplying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tea leaf container and tea leaf supplying means for automatically supplying tea leaves of the tea leaf container. 4. The automatic tea supply according to claim 3, wherein a signal for replacing tea leaves is output from the control section when the accumulated amount of tea has reached a certain value in order to notify the time for replacing tea leaves. apparatus. 5. The automatic tea feeding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the tea leaves reach a replacement time, the tea leaves are discharged by reversing a tea strainer connected to the tea leaf changing device.