KR100813648B1 - Apparatus and method for producing fermentation alcoholic beverage with its alcohol content controled easily - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for preparing a fermented alcoholic beverage is provided to acquire an alcohol content of the fermented alcoholic beverage more accurately from the specific gravity change of the beverage directly correlated to the alcohol content change and produce the fermented alcoholic beverage easily and conveniently at home regardless of the outside temperature change. An apparatus for preparing a fermented alcoholic beverage comprises: a housing(10); a fermentation container(40) which is located in the housing and limits a space where water and raw materials of alcohol are placed; a heat supplying portion(100) which controls the temperature of the fermentation container inside; and a controlling portion(92) which controls the heat supplying portion and includes an alcohol content acquiring portion for obtaining the alcohol content of a liquid inside of the fermentation container, wherein the heat supplying portion includes a thermoelectric element(110) supplying cold heat to the fermentation container and a heater(120) supplying hot heat to the fermentation container under the control of the controlling portion. A method for preparing a fermented alcoholic beverage comprises the steps of: (a) placing raw materials of alcohol in a fermentation container containing water; (b) supplying heat to the fermentation container to ferment liquid inside the fermentation container; (c) acquiring alcohol content of the liquid inside the fermentation container from a specific gravity of the liquid; and (d) comparing the acquired alcohol content with a reference alcohol content and lowering the temperature of the fermentation container to a predetermined temperature if the acquired alcohol content reaches the reference alcohol content.

Description

Apparatus and method for producing alcoholic fermentation liquor with easy control of alcohol content {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING FERMENTATION ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE WITH ITS ALCOHOL CONTENT CONTROLED EASILY}

1 is a perspective view of a fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan sectional view of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a front sectional view of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration related to the control of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing in more detail the control unit of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a graph for explaining the basic concept of obtaining the alcohol content from the specific weight, in accordance with the present invention.

8 is a view for explaining a gas discharge unit of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a flow chart for explaining the fermented liquor manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a conceptual view for explaining a structure for detecting the pressure of the liquid in the fermentation vessel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing a fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Code Description of Main Parts of Drawing>

10: housing 12: door

20: operation panel 40: fermentation vessel

42: fermentation vessel container portion 44: fermentation vessel lid portion

50: pressure detection unit 52: liquid level detection unit

80: gas discharge unit 82: water tank

84: connection tube 92: control unit

921: alcohol frequency acquisition unit 26: alcohol frequency input unit (button)

100: heat supply unit 110: thermoelectric element

120: heater 150: heat transfer body

54: weight detection unit

The present invention relates to a fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for producing a fermented liquor simply and conveniently at home.

Fermented liquor contains all kinds of liquor that can be manufactured through fermentation process. It has been known for a long time that it contains many substances that are good for health. It is becoming.

Fermented liquor has a disadvantage in that it can not be easily manufactured at home because of its complexity and difficulty in spite of its excellent taste and health because it is a drink that many people enjoy. For example, in the conventional fermented liquor manufacturing process using cereals, molds containing enzymes are propagated in cereals to make yeast, steamed cereals are soaked to make gourd rice, and the yeast and gourd rice obtained therefrom are mixed with water in a ratio, Fermented liquor is prepared by fermenting at a proper fermentation temperature at an appropriate time.

However, the fermented liquor manufacturing process as described above requires continuous management of the temperature, humidity and / or surrounding pollutants in the fermentation process, the necessity of such management is a cause to complicate the fermented liquor manufacturing process. In particular, due to seasons, seasons, day and night or other various conditions, it is very difficult to keep the temperature and humidity in the fermentation process within a certain range. In addition, much time and effort are required to separate the liquor residues from the fermented liquor prepared.

As a device for producing fermented wine at home, a device for steaming wine raw material by heating the wine raw material, which is a process before fermentation, to a temperature of 100 ° C. or more has been proposed in the past. Such a conventional fermented liquor manufacturing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2006-0029260. However, the disclosed conventional fermented liquor manufacturing apparatus is optimized for the steaming function of the raw material of the liquor, it was not suitable for the fermentation process of the most important liquor of the fermentation liquor production process. That is, the conventional fermented liquor manufacturing apparatus adopts only a method of heating the liquor raw material by a heater, so in the summer of high ambient temperature, the fermented liquor raw material cannot be fermented at an optimum fermentation temperature of 17 to 27 ° C. I have a problem. In addition, the conventional fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus, by putting the water and liquor raw materials together in one container having a pot shape to produce a fermentation liquor, there is a problem that requires a separate complicated process for separating the residue after the fermentation liquor production.

In particular, the general domestic fermented liquor manufacturing apparatus has a problem of missing or falling function to predict or calculate the alcohol content of fermented wine. Thus, in the past, alcoholic powers of fermented wines were predicted in an uncertain manner in which the self-fermented wines making fermented wines were tasted. On the other hand, the technique used for the prediction of the alcohol concentration from the concentration of the gas generated during the production of the fermented liquor has been proposed in the past, but this conventional technique also difficult to accurately measure the gas concentration and the specific weight of the fermented wine closely correlated with the alcohol concentration The accuracy is inferior in that it does not consider change.

An object of the present invention is to more accurately obtain the alcohol content of fermented wine from the specific weight change of fermented wine, which is directly correlated with the change in alcohol content of fermented wine, and the obtained alcohol content can be usefully used for various control of fermented wine production process. The present invention provides a fermented liquor manufacturing apparatus and method.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to obtain the alcohol content of fermented wine more accurately, while the alcohol raw material is brought to an optimal fermentation temperature regardless of the temperature change caused by season, season, day and night or other external conditions. It is to provide a fermented liquor manufacturing apparatus and fermented liquor manufacturing method of a simple structure for producing fermented liquor while maintaining.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus for fermenting a liquor raw material, to produce a liquid containing water and alcohol, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus, the housing, located in the housing, water and liquor raw material A fermentation vessel defining a space in which the fermentation vessel is located, a heat supply unit installed for controlling the temperature in the fermentation vessel, and controlling the heat supply unit, and calculating the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel to determine the alcohol content of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. And a control unit provided with an alcohol frequency obtaining unit to obtain.

According to one embodiment of the invention, in order to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel is installed a pressure sensing unit for detecting the pressure of the liquid. The pressure sensing unit is preferably installed on the inner side or bottom surface of the fermentation vessel. It further comprises a liquid level detection unit for detecting the liquid level of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. More preferably, the pressure sensing unit is installed on the inner bottom surface of the fermentation vessel, when the fermentation vessel is seated on the bottom of the housing, it is configured to connect with an external terminal installed on the bottom of the housing.

 According to another embodiment of the present invention, in order to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid, a weight sensing unit for measuring the weight transmitted from the fermentation vessel is installed, the alcohol frequency acquisition unit is based on the measured weight of the fermentation vessel It can be configured to calculate the specific weight of the liquid in the fermentation vessel.

Here, the control unit is preferably configured to output the information of the alcohol frequency obtained by the alcohol frequency acquisition unit to a display unit provided outside the housing, and further, compares the obtained alcohol frequency with a preset reference alcohol frequency Therefore, it is preferable to be configured to control the heat supply unit according to the comparison result.

In addition, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention, it is preferable to further include an alcohol frequency input unit for setting the reference alcohol frequency. The heat supply unit includes a thermoelectric element for supplying cold heat to the fermentation vessel and a heater for supplying heat to the fermentation vessel under the control of the controller, or under the control of the controller, It is preferable to include a thermoelectric element for selectively supplying heat to the fermentation vessel. In addition, the fermentation vessel includes a fermentation vessel container portion filled with water, and a fermentation vessel lid portion covering the top of the fermentation vessel container portion, it is preferable that the fermentation vessel container portion is accommodated in the fermentation vessel filled with alcohol raw material. .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fermented liquor production method for producing a fermented liquor by fermenting a wine raw material using a fermented liquor production apparatus. The production method includes placing the liquor raw material in a fermentation vessel containing water, supplying heat to the fermentation vessel to ferment the liquid in the fermentation vessel, and obtaining the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. Obtain the alcohol content of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. The manufacturing method may include outputting the obtained information of the alcohol content to a display unit, and further, comparing the obtained alcohol content with a preset reference alcohol content, and obtaining the obtained alcohol content from the reference alcohol content. When reaching, it may include the step of lowering the temperature of the fermentation vessel to a predetermined temperature. In this case, the preset temperature is preferably a temperature at which the fermentation is stopped.

In order to obtain the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel, the pressure of the liquid in the fermentation vessel is measured. Alternatively, the weight conveyed from the fermentation vessel can be measured, and when the weight of the fermentation vessel is measured, the weight of the liquid in the fermentation vessel is calculated from the measured weight.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Example

1 is a perspective view for showing the appearance of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an approximately oval housing in which approximately half of the front side and the ceiling 13 are opened to the outside by a pair of doors 12 installed at the front ( 10). In addition, the housing 10 includes a bottom portion 14, which provides a place for the fermentation vessel to be described in detail below.

The pair of doors 12 are rotatably installed on the side portions of the housing 10 to expose the internal space of the housing 10 to the outside through the opening of the ceiling and the front portion of the housing 10. In addition, each of the pair of doors 12 includes an upper plate portion 121 having a fan shape, and an open portion of the ceiling 13 to the upper plate portion 121 when the door 12 closes the front of the housing 10. Cover According to this embodiment, the upper surface of the ceiling 13 is provided with an operation panel 20 for allowing a user to directly operate the operation of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus (1). The pair of doors 12 open part of the ceiling and the front of the housing 10 to allow for easy loading of the fermentation vessel 40 (see FIGS. 2-4) to be described below.

The operation panel 20 includes a display unit 27 made of, for example, an LCD window for providing the user with the production progress information of the fermented wine. In addition, the operation panel 20 is provided with a plurality of input buttons that allow the user to instruct various operations of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus (1).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of input buttons, the power button 21 for power on / off, the start button 22 for the fermentation start input, the selection button for selecting the type of fermented liquor to be manufactured (23), the temperature control button 24 to allow the user to adjust the fermentation liquor manufacturing temperature, the time control button 25 to allow the user to adjust the fermentation liquor manufacturing time, and the standard of alcohol content of the fermented wine will be described in detail below An alcohol frequency input button 26 for setting is provided. At this time, although the alcohol frequency recognized by the user, input by the alcohol frequency input button 26, may be the same as the reference alcohol frequency, there is a constant difference between the alcohol frequency recognized by the user and the reference alcohol frequency, so that the fermentation is carried out. Even after the operation is stopped, it is possible to prepare for the error of alcohol content caused by the fermentation of natural fermentation wine.

2 to 4 are cross-sectional views of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 from above with a pair of doors fully open, 3 and 4 are a front sectional view and a side sectional view showing the fermentation liquor production apparatus 1 with the fermentation vessel and the fermentation vessel inserted, respectively.

2 to 4, in the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, an interior of the housing 10 is separated into a fermentation chamber 17 and a machine chamber 18. In the fermentation chamber 17, a fermentation vessel 40 containing the manure vessel 60 is located. The fermentation vessel 40 is preferably a metal, more preferably, so as to receive the cold and / or heat from the heat supply to be described in detail below to maintain the alcohol raw material in its own within a predetermined fermentation temperature range It is made of a thermally conductive material such as stainless steel. In this embodiment, the fermentation vessel 40 is configured to be charged into the housing 10 while being separated from the housing 10, the fermentation vessel 40 is also fixed to the interior of the present invention Is in the range of.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fermentation vessel 40 is filled only with water, the raw material of the fermentation enzyme is mixed with the fermentation vessel 60 is filled. The fermentation vessel 60 is provided to easily remove the dregs of alcohol raw material from the fermented liquor made of a network structure consisting of a plurality of small holes, it is maintained in the water in the fermentation vessel 40. At this time, the fermentation liquor can be prepared by putting together the raw material and water in the fermentation vessel 40 without the manure vessel 60, in this case, a large amount of residue is present in the fermented liquor is completed, and the process of removing residue In, even the fermented liquor buried in the residue is removed, greatly reducing the production efficiency of the fermented liquor.

The fermentation vessel 40 is composed of a fermentation vessel container portion 42 and a fermentation vessel lid portion 44 that seals the fermentation vessel container portion 42. At this time, the fermentation vessel 40 is preferably made of a metal material excellent in thermal conductivity, but the fermentation vessel lid portion 44 may be formed of a plastic material because it does not receive heat directly. The fermentation vessel 60 accommodated in the fermentation vessel 40 consists of a fermentation vessel container portion 62 and a fermentation vessel lid portion 64 coupled thereto. The fermentation vessel 60 is maintained at a predetermined height from the bottom of the fermentation vessel container portion 42 by a pair of hanger strings 72 supported by the fermentation vessel lid portion 44, which is a fermentation vessel in which fermentation is being made. The liquor ingredient in 60 is allowed to penetrate well into the water in fermentation vessel 40 through the bottom holes of manure vessel 60. The pair of hangers 72 is preferably fixed to the filter container cap 64 at its lower end.

As shown in Figure 2 and 4, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a heat supply unit 100 for supplying heat to the fermentation vessel (40). The heat supply unit 100 provided in the conventional fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus is to supply only the heat to the fermentation vessel 40, the heat supply unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to supply not only heat but also cold heat It contributes to easily control the temperature in the fermentation vessel 40 without being affected by the ambient temperature. The heat supply unit 100, for example, when the ambient temperature of the fermentation vessel 40 is excessively high or excessively low due to the change of season or season, etc., the temperature in the fermentation vessel 40 of the wine raw material In order to maintain the temperature suitable for fermentation, in general, the fermentation temperature range of the fermented wine may vary depending on the type of fermented wine, but most of it is determined to be 17 ~ 27 ℃. In addition, the heat supply unit 100 is configured to supply both hot and cold heat, and is very suitable for rapidly cooling the fermentation vessel to a refrigeration aging temperature when the fermentation liquor is prepared with a desired alcohol content.

The heat supply unit 100 according to the present embodiment includes a thermoelectric element 110 that generates cooling heat in response to application of power, a heater 120 that generates heat by applying power, for example, a heating wire, and the like. And a heat transfer member 150 made of a metal material in contact with each of the thermoelectric element 110 and the heater 120 and in contact with the fermentation vessel 40 described above.

The thermoelectric element 110 is a device using a Peltier effect in which one side is heated and one side is cooled according to the direction of the current applied when different conductors contact each other. In the present embodiment, the thermoelectric element 110 generates cold heat and heat transfers the cold heat. It serves to deliver to the fermentation vessel 40 through the sieve 150. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric element 110 is installed to generate only cold heat, but the direction of the current flowing through the thermoelectric element 110 is changed, so that the thermoelectric element 110 is cold and warm It is also possible to generate the same together. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric element 110 is involved only in the cooling of the fermentation vessel 40, the heater 120 is involved only in the heating of the fermentation vessel 40, By further widening the temperature control range, it is possible for the liquor raw material in the fermentation vessel 40 to be maintained within the optimum fermentation temperature range. In addition, instead of the thermoelectric element 110, for example, a compressor including a compressor, a condenser, a heat exchanger, and an expansion valve may be used instead of the thermoelectric element.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heat transfer body 150 includes a first heat transfer plate 152 installed vertically adjacent to the machine room 18 behind the housing 10 and a bottom of the housing 10. It consists of a second heat transfer plate 154 provided above (14). In this case, the thermoelectric element 110 is installed on the partition wall between the machine chamber 18 and the fermentation chamber 17 and is in contact with the first heat transfer plate 152. In addition, the heater 120 is installed at the bottom portion 14 of the housing 10 described above to be in contact with the second heat transfer plate 152. In addition, heat dissipation of the heat dissipating plate 162 and the heat dissipating plate 162 is promoted in the heat supply unit 100 so that the thermoelectric element 110 dissipates heat of a high temperature caused when cold heat is generated from one side to the outside. Cooling fan 164 is further installed. The heat sink 162 and the cooling fan 164 are provided inside the machine room 18 and are operated to discharge heat from the machine room 18 to the outside of the housing 10.

As described above, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the heat supply unit 100 selectively supplies cold and warm heat to the fermentation vessel 40, when the external temperature is lower than the fermentation temperature range of the fermented liquor When the temperature in the fermentation vessel 40 is increased and the external temperature is lower than the fermentation temperature range of the fermentation strain, the temperature in the fermentation vessel 40 may be dropped. Therefore, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 always adjusts the temperature in the fermentation vessel 40 to the optimum fermentation temperature range against an external temperature, that is, a temperature change caused by seasons, seasons, day and night or other external conditions. I can keep it.

On the other hand, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in the graph of FIG. To obtain an alcoholic frequency from the. In order to know the specific weight of the liquid under fermentation, that is, the weight per unit volume of the liquid, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a pressure sensing unit 50 for sensing the liquid pressure in the fermentation vessel 40. At this time, the detected pressure is a pressure in the vicinity of the bottom of the fermentation vessel 40 is determined by the product of the height of the liquid and the specific weight of the liquid, the pressure sensor 50 for detecting the liquid pressure is a conventional hydraulic pressure sensor Can be used.

That is, since the liquid pressure p in the container is determined by the height of the liquid, that is, the liquid level h and the specific weight γ or density ρ of the liquid as shown in Equation 1 below, the height of the liquid And the pressure, the specific weight (γ) or density (ρ) of the liquid can be known.

p = ρgh = γh, where g is the acceleration of gravity

At this time, the height value caused when the liquid containing water is fermented to change the specific gravity does not have to be considered as a value small enough to be overlooked, but it is also used to calculate the specific weight by measuring the liquid level together with the liquid pressure. A more accurate alcohol frequency can be obtained. Usually, the liquid level change of the liquid is mainly caused by the loss of carbon dioxide generated when the glucose in the alcohol raw material is broken down into alcohol (ethanol). If liquid level information of the liquid is used, a normal liquid level sensor (or water level sensor) is used.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the pressure sensing unit 50 is installed at the bottom of the inner surface of the fermentation vessel container portion 42 of the fermentation vessel 40, the terminal portion thereof extends to the outside, the bottom of the housing 10 Connect to the installed external terminal (2). That is, the pressure sensing unit 50 is connected to the external terminal 2 when the fermentation vessel 40 is seated on the bottom of the housing 10, so as to control the electrical signal corresponding to the pressure value 92 You can send In addition, the bottom surface of the fermentation vessel container portion 42 of the fermentation vessel 40 near the rim of the bottom portion 14 of the housing 10 avoiding the second heat transfer plate 154 described above. Although shown as being installed below, this does not limit the present invention, the second heat transfer plate 154 is omitted, the fermentation vessel container portion 42 only the first heat transfer plate 152 of the fermentation vessel container 42 side only fermentation vessel 40 Heating, or when the second heat transfer plate 154 is positioned corresponding to the bottom edge of the fermentation vessel container section 42, the outer terminal 2 is the center of the bottom surface of the fermentation vessel container section 42. It can also be installed on the bottom of the housing.

Alternatively, the pressure sensing unit 50 may be installed at any position on the inner side of the fermentation vessel 40. In addition, unlike the above description, the pressure sensing unit 50 may be connected by conducting wire without selectively contacting with an external terminal, which is the fermentation vessel 40, more specifically, the fermentation vessel container portion 42. Is particularly possible when the structure is fixed without being separated from the housing 10. In this case, the conductor may be inserted into the fermentation vessel 40, and the inserted conductor may be electrically connected to the pressure sensing unit 50.

In addition, the pressure sensing unit 50, according to another embodiment of the present invention, may be installed in the liquid column 40 'through the fermentation vessel 40 while forming part of the fermentation vessel 40, This embodiment is shown in FIG. 10. Referring to FIG. 10, in place of the fermentation vessel 40, a liquid column 40 ′ in which the pressure sensing unit 50 is installed is provided. In the fermentation vessel 40 including the liquid columnar portion 40 ′ shown in FIG. 10, the pressure in the fermentation vessel 40 is constant pressure, and therefore, at the same height, the fermentation vessel 40 and the liquid columnar portion 40 The pressure in the ') is the same, and therefore, the pressure measured by the pressure sensing unit 50 in the liquid column 40' is equal to the actual liquid pressure in the fermentation vessel 40. In this case, the liquid column 40 'should be considered to be part of the fermentation vessel 40. In the present specification, the "pressure sensing unit is installed in the fermentation vessel" means "the pressure sensing unit is installed in the liquid column". Should be interpreted as including In addition, in implementing the structure as shown in FIG. 10, the liquid column part 40 ′ may be connected to the fermentation vessel 40 integrally or detachably.

5, the pressure value of the liquid sensed by the pressure sensing unit 50 and the temperature information in the fermentation vessel 40, and further, a conventional liquid level sensing unit 52, also known as a 'water level sensor' or 'liquid level sensor' A block diagram illustrating a configuration of controlling the above-described fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus using the liquid level value of the liquid detected in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the fermentation wine manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has an overall operation of the fermentation wine manufacturing apparatus 1 according to input signals received from a plurality of input buttons provided on the operation panel 20 outside the housing. The control unit 92 to control the. For example, the controller 92 may control the heat supply unit 100 according to a signal input from the start button 22, the select button 23, the temperature control button 24, and / or the time control button 25. The operation of any one of the thermoelectric element 110 and the heater 120 is controlled. At this time, the user can know the temperature inside or around the fermentation vessel 40 through the display unit 27 provided in the operation panel 20, for the measurement of the temperature, the periphery of the fermentation vessel 40 or The temperature sensing unit 94 is provided therein.

In particular, the control unit 92 may maintain the thermoelectric element 110 and the heater 120 of the heat supply unit 100 within the fermentation temperature range based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensing unit 94, thus, the season The temperature in the fermentation vessel 40 can be kept constant despite large fluctuations in the external temperature due to seasons. Further, when the type of fermentation liquor to be manufactured by the selection button 23 is selected, the control unit 92 controls the heat supply unit 100 for a predetermined time to maintain the temperature in the fermentation vessel 40 in an appropriate temperature range. Let's do it. The time adjustment button 25 serves to transmit a user's instruction for arbitrarily changing the fermentation time to the controller 92, and the temperature control button 24 arbitrarily controls the user's instruction for changing the fermentation temperature. ) To deliver.

The actual time at which the fermentation proceeds is counted in a timer 96. When the time counted by the timer 96 becomes equal to a preset time or a time changed by a user, the control unit 92 controls the heat supply unit 100 to perform the fermentation operation of the fermentation wine manufacturing apparatus 1. Stop it. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the controller 92 controls the heat supply unit 100 to automatically switch to the refrigeration ripening process immediately after the fermentation process. To this end, the control unit 92 controls the thermoelectric element 110 of the heat supply unit 100 when the fermentation process is finished based on the counted time, the temperature of the fermentation vessel 40 is a refrigeration ripening temperature of approximately 4 ℃ To be

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 92, instead of determining the end point of the fermentation process based on the time counted by the timer 96, obtains information of the alcohol content of the fermented liquid, that is, the fermented alcoholic beverage. Thus, according to the obtained alcohol content information, it is possible to determine the end point of the fermentation process. This is very beneficial in preparing the fermented liquor to the desired alcohol content, the specific technical configuration and operation of which will be described later.

The control unit 92 receives the pressure information of the liquid in the fermentation vessel 40 from the pressure sensing unit 50 described above, and uses the pressure information to obtain the alcohol content of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. In addition, the controller 92 may output the obtained liquid, that is, alcohol content information of the fermented alcohol, to the display unit 27 outside the housing. Therefore, when the user reads the alcohol content of the fermented wine output to the display unit 27 and judges that the fermented wine of the desired alcohol content is manufactured, the user operates the temperature control button 24 to lower the temperature in the fermentation container 40. Can be.

As briefly mentioned above, in order to more accurately obtain the alcohol content of the liquid (that is, the fermented liquor), it is preferable to further use the liquid level detector 52 for measuring the liquid level of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. The liquid level detector 52 may be a conventional sensor device for measuring the height of water or liquid, such as an ultrasonic level sensor, a level switch, a potentiometer, or the like.

In addition, the controller 92 compares the obtained alcohol content of the fermented wine with the reference alcohol content, and as a result of the comparison, when the alcohol content of the fermented wine reaches the reference alcohol content, the control unit automatically controls the heat supply unit 100 to ferment. The temperature of the vessel 40 can be lowered to a preset temperature at which fermentation is stopped. At this time, the reference alcohol frequency is preferably set in advance by the user, the alcohol frequency input button 26 described above is used for setting the alcohol frequency.

6 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the control unit 92 used for obtaining and using alcoholic alcohol content. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the controller 92 includes an alcohol frequency obtaining unit 921, a comparison determining unit 922, a display processing unit 923, and a temperature adjusting processing unit 924.

The alcohol frequency obtaining unit 921 receives a pressure value of the liquid in the fermentation vessel 40 detected by the pressure detecting unit 50. In order to more accurately obtain the alcoholic power can be further received by the liquid level of the liquid sensed by the liquid level detector 52 can be used to obtain the alcoholic power of the liquid.

 The alcohol frequency obtaining unit 921 calculates or predicts a specific weight change of the liquid in the fermentation vessel by using the liquid pressure value before the fermentation is performed and the pressure value of the liquid continuously measured while the fermentation is performed. Since the pressure of the liquid is determined by the specific weight of the liquid and the height value of the liquid, it is possible to obtain a more accurate alcoholic frequency by using the fine liquid level change value of the liquid to be fermented. The main reason why the specific gravity of liquid in fermentation vessel 40 is changed is that sugar component (especially glucose) in alcohol raw material is decomposed into alcohol and carbon dioxide by fermentation by yeast, and as fermentation continues, This is because the ratio increases. As shown in the graph of FIG. 7, the specific gravity of the liquid decreases linearly as the alcohol ratio or the alcohol frequency increases, so knowing the specific weight of the liquid can predict or calculate the alcohol frequency of the liquid in the fermentation process.

The display processor 923 provides the digitized alcoholic power to the display unit 27 provided in the outer housing so that the user can recognize the alcoholic power of the fermented wine. In addition, the comparison determining unit 922 compares the obtained alcohol content with a reference alcohol degree previously stored in a memory unit (not shown). In the present embodiment, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the values to be compared in the comparison determination unit 922 are described as being alcohol counts, but these values may be values of other concepts corresponding to alcohol counts such as specific weight of liquid. have. In the comparison determination unit 922, the reference alcohol frequency as a reference for comparison may be set by the user through manipulation of the alcohol frequency input unit 26 as described above. The thick solid line indicated in the graph of FIG. 7 is for showing the state in which the reference alcohol degree is set to 16 degrees, that is, the alcohol content of 16 wt%.

At this time, although the alcohol frequency recognized by the user input by the alcohol frequency input button 26 may be the same as the reference alcohol frequency, the fermentation operation is performed so that there is a constant difference between the alcohol frequency recognized by the user and the reference alcohol frequency. Even after this interruption, it is possible to prepare for the error of alcohol content caused by the fermentation of naturally occurring fermented wine.

Table 1 below shows each of the input buttons provided on the operation panel 20, that is, the power button 21, the start button 22, the selection button 23, the temperature control button 24, time The operation method and function of the control button 25 are shown.

Referring to [Table 1] above, the fermented liquor to be manufactured by the selection button 23 is selected in the state that the power is supplied to the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 by the power button 21, the start button 23 As a result, when the fermentation liquor production is started, the control unit 92 controls all fermentation liquor production processes for fermentation of fermented liquor, and further, refrigeration of fermented liquor according to the information stored in its own memory. At this time, the controller 92 controls the heat supply unit 100 within the fermentation temperature range of the selected fermented wine based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 94. In particular, the alcohol content of the desired fermented wine can be set in advance by operating the alcohol content input button 26.

Table 2 below shows an example of the type of fermented wine that can be selected by the selection button 23 and the alcohol content of the fermented wine which is predetermined by the alcohol frequency input button 26.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing fermented wine using the above-described fermented wine production apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

First, wine raw material is prepared in advance (S201). In preparing the alcohol raw material, the alcohol raw material is sufficiently mixed with fermentation elements such as yeast and yeast.

When the raw material for sake is prepared, the fermentation vessel 40 and the fermentation vessel 60 are set (S202). At this time, the wine raw material is filled in the manure vessel 60, the fermentation vessel 40 is filled with water. And, the fermentation vessel 60 filled with wine raw material is maintained at a predetermined height from the bottom surface of the container portion 42 of the fermentation vessel by a hanger line 72 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) installed in the lid portion 44 of the fermentation vessel. And, the fermentation vessel 60 is maintained in a state immersed in the water filled in the fermentation vessel (40).

Next, the manure container 60 and the fermentation vessel 40, which are set by filling the liquor raw material and water, are charged into the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 (S203). At this time, a pair of doors 12 provided on the front of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus 1 is opened and a fermentation vessel 40 containing the fermentation vessel 60 is loaded into the housing 10.

When charging of the fermentation vessel set is completed, close the above-mentioned door 12, and select the kind of fermented liquor using the selection button 23. In addition, the reference fermentation temperature of the fermented wine is preset using the frequency input button 26. Next, the heat supply unit 100 is operated to perform fermentation of alcohol raw materials in the fermentation vessel set (S204). At this time, the pressure sensing unit 50 detects the initial pressure of the liquid filled in the fermentation vessel 40, the information of the initial pressure is transmitted to the control unit 92. The controller 92 continuously receives the pressure information of the liquid in the fermentation vessel in which the fermentation proceeds (S205). At this time, if the liquid level of the liquid is also detected along with the pressure of the liquid, it is possible to calculate the more accurate alcohol.

Further, the control unit 92 continuously calculates the specific weight of the liquid changed by the wine raw material fermentation based on the change value of the pressure, more preferably, the pressure change value and the liquid level change value of the liquid, and The alcohol content of the liquid is obtained from the calculated specific weight (S206). In addition, the controller 92 outputs the obtained alcohol content through the display unit 27 (s207a), and at the same time, compares and determines whether the obtained alcohol content has reached a preset reference alcohol power ( S207b). If the obtained alcohol content reaches the reference alcohol content, the control unit 92 controls the heat supply unit 100 to lower the temperature in the fermentation vessel below the set temperature (S208). At this time, less than the set temperature is preferably the temperature at which the fermentation is stopped. Here, after the fermentation is completed, the temperature in the fermentation vessel may be adjusted to a temperature for refrigerating and fermenting the fermented liquor by automatic or user manual operation.

Furthermore, after fermentation or refrigeration aging is completed, the hanger 72 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is pulled up to separate the liquor material of the fermentation vessel 60 from the fermentation liquor to a predetermined height.

In the above description, it is described that all operations related to the fermentation liquor production of the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus are automatically performed by the controller, but such operations may be manually performed by a user.

In addition, Figure 8 shows a gas discharge unit for discharging the unnecessary gas, such as carbon dioxide gas generated during fermentation liquor production to the outside. As shown in FIG. 8, the gas discharge unit 80 includes a water tank 82 connected to an inside of the fermentation vessel 40 in a pipeline. In order to connect the pipeline, the fermentation vessel lid 44 has a gas exhaust port 448 protruding, the water tank 82 is provided with a gas intake port 828 for gas inlet on the upper side. In addition, the water tank 82 is a tubular gas flow portion that is connected to the water tank portion 822 filled with water at a predetermined level, and vertically from the gas intake port 448 and through the water tank portion 822. 824. In addition, the pipe line connecting between the water tank 82 and the fermentation vessel 40 is composed of a separate connection pipe line 84 that is detachably fitted to the gas exhaust port 448 and the gas intake port 828. Accordingly, the fermentation vessel 40 and the water tank 82 can be easily separated, which allows the user to easily handle the fermentation vessel 40 after the production of the fermentation liquor, and also the user to the water tank 82 This makes the cleaning easier. Although not shown, a pump for forcibly feeding the fermentation gas to the inside of the water tank 822 of the water tank 82 may be provided on one side of the gas discharge unit 80.

As described above. The present invention utilizes the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel to obtain the alcohol content of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. And, in order to know the specific gravity, in the above embodiment, by using the pressure of the liquid in the fermentation vessel, the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel and the corresponding alcohol frequency. However, in order to know the specific gravity, it is also possible to use the weight of the fermentation vessel containing the liquid. Figure 11 shows another embodiment of the present invention for measuring the weight of the fermentation vessel, and obtaining the specific gravity and the alcohol content of the liquid in the fermentation vessel based on the measured weight.

As shown in FIG. 11, below the fermentation vessel 40, a weight sensing unit 54 for sensing the weight transmitted from the fermentation vessel 40 is installed. The weight information measured by the weight sensing unit 54 is provided to the control unit 92. The alcohol frequency obtaining unit 921 in the control unit 92 calculates the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel 40 based on the information of the weight value obtained from the weight detecting unit 54, and uses the calculated specific gravity. The alcohol content of the liquid can be obtained.

In this case, the weight value measured by the weight sensing unit 54 includes not only the weight of the liquid to be actually measured, but also the weight of the fermentation vessel 40, the fermentation vessel 60, and other alcohol raw materials. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, the alcohol frequency obtaining unit 921 calculates the specific gravity of the liquid using the weight change value of the liquid, and the fermentation vessel 40 and the fermentation vessel (the liquid and alcohol raw materials are not accommodated) The weight value of 60) and the weight value of the solid liquor raw material in a state in which some components are taken out into the liquid can be set to a fixed value, so that the solid liquor raw material and the liquid are contained, and the manure container 60 is When the weight detecting unit 54 measures the total weight transmitted from the fermentation vessel 40 accommodated, the alcohol content obtaining unit 921 determines the weight change value of the liquid in the fermentation vessel 40 and thus the liquid. Specific gravity and alcohol can be obtained. In addition, as in the previous embodiment, the controller 92 may control the heat supply unit 100 installed near the fermentation vessel 40 based on the obtained alcohol content.

The control unit 92, like the previous embodiment, a comparison determination unit 922 for comparing the alcohol frequency obtained by the alcohol frequency obtaining unit 921 and the reference alcohol frequency, and obtained by the alcohol frequency obtaining unit 921 It may include a display processing unit 923 for outputting the alcohol content to the display unit outside the housing, and a temperature control processing unit 924 for controlling the heat supply unit 100 to adjust the temperature in the fermentation vessel (40).

In addition, although not described in detail in the description of the above embodiments, the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention may include an alarm sound output device, wherein, the control unit 92 in the comparison determination unit 922 As a result of the comparison determination, when the fermentation operation is required to stop, an alarm sound (alarm) may be output to inform the user.

While the invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications, changes or modifications may be made in the art within the spirit of the invention and the appended claims, and thus, the foregoing description and drawings It should be construed as illustrating the present invention rather than limiting the technical spirit of the present invention.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the alcohol content of fermented wine is more accurately obtained from the specific weight change of fermented wine, which is directly correlated with the change in alcohol content of fermented wine, and the obtained alcohol content is useful for various control of fermented wine production process. To make it available. According to another embodiment of the present invention, regardless of the change of the external temperature due to seasons, seasons or other factors, it provides an effect that can be easily and conveniently produced at home fermented wine.

Claims (21)

In the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus for fermenting a liquor raw material to produce a liquid containing water and alcohol, A housing; A fermentation vessel located in the housing and defining a space in which water and alcohol raw materials are located; A heat supply unit installed to control the temperature in the fermentation vessel; And a control unit configured to control the heat supply unit, and to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel, and to obtain the alcohol frequency of the liquid in the fermentation vessel.  The heat supply unit, under the control of the control unit, a thermoelectric element for supplying cold heat to the fermentation vessel, fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a heater for supplying heat to the fermentation vessel. In the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus for fermenting a liquor raw material to produce a liquid containing water and alcohol, A housing; A fermentation vessel located in the housing and defining a space in which water and alcohol raw materials are located; A heat supply unit installed to control the temperature in the fermentation vessel; And a control unit configured to control the heat supply unit, and to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel, and to obtain the alcohol frequency of the liquid in the fermentation vessel.  The heat supply unit includes a heater for supplying heat to the fermentation vessel under the control of the control unit, and a refrigerator for supplying cold heat to the fermentation vessel, including a compressor, a condenser, a heat exchanger and an expansion valve. Fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus. In the fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus for fermenting a liquor raw material to produce a liquid containing water and alcohol, A housing; A fermentation vessel located in the housing and defining a space in which water and alcohol raw materials are located; A heat supply unit installed to control the temperature in the fermentation vessel; And a control unit configured to control the heat supply unit, and to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel, and to obtain the alcohol frequency of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. The heat supply unit, under the control of the control unit, fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus characterized in that it comprises a thermoelectric element for selectively supplying the cold and warm heat to the fermentation vessel as the current direction is changed. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensing unit installed to sense the pressure of the liquid in the fermentation vessel to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pressure sensing unit is installed at an inner side surface or a bottom surface of the fermentation vessel. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pressure sensing unit measures the pressure in the liquid main unit while being installed inside the liquid main unit through the fermentation vessel to measure the pressure in the fermentation vessel.  According to any one of claims 1 to 3, In order to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid, a weight sensing unit for measuring the weight transmitted from the fermentation vessel is provided, the alcohol frequency acquisition unit is based on the measured weight Fermentation liquor production apparatus, characterized in that configured to calculate the specific weight of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. The fermentation liquor manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit is configured to output information on the alcohol frequency obtained by the alcohol frequency obtaining unit to a display unit provided outside the housing. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit is configured to compare the obtained alcohol content with a preset reference alcohol content and control the heat supply unit according to the comparison result. . 10. The fermentation liquor producing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an alcohol frequency input unit for setting the reference alcohol frequency. The fermentation wine according to claim 5, wherein the pressure sensing unit is installed on the inner bottom surface of the fermentation vessel, and is configured to connect with an external terminal installed on the bottom of the housing when the fermentation vessel is seated on the bottom of the housing. Manufacturing equipment. delete delete The fermentation vessel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fermentation vessel includes a fermentation vessel container portion filled with water, and a fermentation vessel lid portion covering an upper portion of the fermentation vessel container portion, wherein the fermentation vessel container portion includes alcohol raw materials. Fermented liquor manufacturing apparatus characterized in that the container is filled with a manure. As a fermented liquor manufacturing method for producing a fermented liquor by fermenting the wine raw material using a fermented liquor manufacturing apparatus, Placing the liquor raw material in a fermentation vessel containing water; Supplying heat to the fermentation vessel to ferment the liquid in the fermentation vessel; Obtaining a specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel and obtaining an alcohol content of the liquid in the fermentation vessel from the obtained specific gravity; And comparing the obtained alcohol content with a preset reference alcohol content, and when the obtained alcohol content reaches the reference alcohol content, lowering the temperature of the fermentation vessel to a preset temperature. . The method of claim 15, wherein the obtained alcoholic information is output to a display unit. delete The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined temperature is a temperature at which fermentation is stopped. The method of claim 15, wherein the pressure of the liquid in the fermentation vessel is measured in order to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel. delete The method of claim 15, wherein in order to calculate the specific gravity of the liquid in the fermentation vessel, the weight conveyed from the fermentation vessel is measured, the fermentation liquor production, characterized in that for calculating the specific weight of the liquid in the fermentation vessel from the measured weight Way.

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