KR102178144B1 - Coffee machine with portafilter recognition function - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coffee machine equipped with a porta filter recognition function, and more specifically, by using an LED light source and an optical sensor to recognize whether the porta filter is fastened and the unique ID given to each porta filter to operate. It relates to a coffee machine equipped with a porta filter recognition function capable of providing convenience of use by enabling automatic extraction and automatic washing of coffee having optimum quality only by installing and removing the porta filter.

Description

Coffee machine with porta filter recognition function {COFFEE MACHINE WITH PORTAFILTER RECOGNITION FUNCTION}

The present invention relates to a coffee machine equipped with a porta filter recognition function, and more specifically, a unique code set in advance for each porta filter according to whether a porta filter mounted under a group head is fastened and a blending ratio of coffee beans. The present invention relates to a coffee machine equipped with a porta filter recognition function that maintains the consistency of coffee extraction temperature by determining and optimizing the preheating of the group head, and providing automatic extraction and automatic power saving functions to increase convenience of use and energy efficiency.

In general, in order to extract espresso coffee using a coffee machine, a porta filter with a basket inserted in the lower portion of the group head is mounted and the extraction button is pressed together with the power button to perform the extraction.

At this time, in order to stably extract coffee with the optimum taste and aroma, a balance for appropriately matching the ratio of coffee and extraction water or a stopwatch for time measurement is required, and a coffee machine is required for the user to observe the extraction state. There was a drawback of being limited in the formation of bonds through communication with customers at the actual coffee shop because it had to pay attention to.

In addition, in order to extract coffee with richer taste and aroma, it is necessary to differently adjust the amount of water, temperature, and pressure applied depending on the type of coffee, blending ratio, and coffee grind amount. There was a difficulty that it was very cumbersome.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2015-48659 "Identification device of filter holder of espresso coffee machine" (2015.05.07)

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and it is easy to extract coffee and clean the group head only by installing and detaching the porta filter, as well as recognizing whether the porta filter mounted on the group head of the coffee machine is fastened. An object of the present invention is to provide a coffee machine equipped with a porta filter recognition function that enables efficient operation and is easy to use because coffee having the optimum quality can be extracted according to the unique ID assigned to each porta filter.

In order to achieve the above object, a coffee machine having a porta filter recognition function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a main body having a support frame thereon; A group head installed on an upper portion of the main body to extract coffee and equipped with a porta filter; A boiler for supplying extraction water to the group head and extraction water supply means as a pressurized hot water tank; A solenoid valve for controlling the flow of extraction water supplied to the group head; A porta filter recognition means installed on the support frame opposite to the group head to recognize the porta filter fastened to the lower part of the group head; And a central processing unit installed inside the main body to control an extraction process including recognition of whether the porta filter is fastened and supply of extraction water.

In this case, the porta filter recognition means may include a light-receiving sensor for determining whether the porta filter is fastened to the group head; An optical sensor that determines a unique ID of the porta filter based on the color given to each porta filter; And an amplification control unit for amplifying and managing information of the sensors.

As described above, according to the coffee machine equipped with the porta filter recognition function of the present invention, it is checked whether the porta filter mounted on the lower part of the group head is fastened, and the user pre-categorizes it according to the type or blending ratio of coffee. By making it possible to recognize each porta filter assigned a code, automatic extraction and automatic cleaning are possible only by installing or detaching the porta filter, making it convenient to use, and setting the extraction according to the optimal extraction conditions for each code to ensure the best quality. It has the advantage of being able to extract your own coffee,

In addition, since the detection means of the porta filter is doubled, more accurate recognition is possible, so that the user can prevent safety accidents such as burns during the automatic extraction or washing process, and automatically enter the power saving mode when the porta filter is removed. It can also contribute to energy saving effect, and it is possible to communicate with customers smoothly as the user is free from the porta filter during the coffee extraction process.

1 is a perspective view of a coffee machine equipped with a porta filter recognition function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the interior of Fig. 1
Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of the present invention
4 is a block diagram showing an automatic extraction and automatic cleaning process by a porta filter recognition means according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms, and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

1 is a perspective view of a coffee machine equipped with a porta filter recognition function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the interior of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an automatic extraction and automatic washing process (control of a coffee machine and signal flow) by the porta filter recognition means according to the present invention.

According to the drawings, a coffee machine having a porta filter recognition function of the present invention includes a main body 10; A group head 20 on which the porta filter 30 is mounted; Extraction water supply means 40 as a boiler and pressurized hot water tank; Solenoid valve 50; Porta filter recognition means; And a central processing unit 80;

This will be described in detail as follows.

First, prior to a detailed description of the porta filter recognition means, which is the most important component of the present invention, the basic configuration of a coffee machine will be briefly described.

In the coffee machine of the present invention, it is preferable that only the group head is exposed to the top, and other components are in the form of an under counter installed inside the main body, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and another type of espresso coffee having a group head provided at the top. Of course, it can also be applied to machines.

The main body 10 is formed in the form of a housing, and the upper surface thereof forms a working plate 11, and a pressurized hot water tank 43 for discharging the stored water at a constant pressure by heating the stored water by a boiler to be described later is installed.

A support frame 12 is vertically installed on the upper portion of the main body 10, and a pipe 13 connecting the pressurized hot water tank and the group head is installed inside the support frame.

The group head 20 is installed on the upper part of the main body for coffee extraction, and functions to fix the porta filter fastened to the lower part and supply the extracted water (heated water) transferred from the pressurized hot water tank to the porta filter. In this case, a preheating device may be provided inside the group head 20 to maintain the quality of the coffee extracted by preheating the group head so that the temperature of the extracted water supplied from the pressurized hot water tank does not decrease.

The group head 20 is fixed to the upper portion of the main body 10 by a support frame 12.

The porta filter 30 is fastened to the lower part of the group head to extract coffee, and a basket containing a certain amount of coffee powder is inserted and mounted therein, and one or a plurality of spouts are provided at the lower part to discharge the extracted coffee. do.

At this time, the porta filter 30 is assigned a unique ID according to the type of coffee or the blending ratio of coffee beans set in advance by the user, unlike the existing porta filter, and each porta filter having a unique ID (color code). By giving different colors to each, an optical sensor for color code recognition, which will be described later, can recognize each porta filter by color.

Extracted water supply means 40 is installed inside the body and heats water to supply the group head, and a boiler that heats water, a pressurized hot water tank 43 that stores water and is inserted into the boiler, and extracted water It consists of a motor pump 44 that supplies the group head.

Here, the boiler is an extraction boiler 41 that heats water to an extraction temperature to supply extraction water to the group head 20, and a preheating boiler 42 that supplies water to the extraction boiler and heats it to an appropriate temperature. It has a dual structure, and generates hot water required for coffee extraction by heating water and discharges it at a certain pressure by a pump.

The motor pump 44 is a brushless direct current motor (BLDC) that supplies water to the boiler and generates an extraction pressure.

At this time, an extraction solenoid valve 50 is installed between the extracted water supply means 40 and the group head 20 to control the flow of water to supply heated water (extracted water) to the group head. The solenoid valve is opened and closed by a signal from a central processing unit to be described later.

Next, the porta filter recognition means, which is the most characteristic component of the present invention, will be described in detail.

The porta filter recognition means includes a light-receiving sensor 61 for determining whether the porta filter is fastened to the group head; An optical sensor 62 for determining the unique ID of the porta filter fastened to the group head; And an amplification control unit 63 for amplifying and managing information of the sensors.

The light-receiving sensor 61 is an optical fiber sensor that is installed at a predetermined position of the support frame to face the group head to recognize whether the porta filter is fastened, and is in the form of a hood in which a plurality of optical fibers are disposed, and the light emitting part 61a and the light receiving part 61b ).

The light-emitting part and the light-receiving part are formed at both ends of the optical fiber, and the light-emitting part 61a is a light-emitting element made of a light source such as an LED, and converts an electric signal into an optical signal at one end of the optical fiber to emit light, and the light-receiving part 61b Is a light-receiving element that receives an optical signal emitted from the light-emitting unit at the other end of the optical fiber and converts it into an electric signal.

In this way, it is recognized whether or not the porta filter is fastened by the light-receiving sensor 61 for detecting the porta filter composed of the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part.

In this case, a self-diagnosis unit 65 is installed adjacent to the light-receiving sensor 61 for recognizing the porta filter to determine false recognition of whether the porta filter is mounted or detached. That is, the self-diagnosis unit improves the phenomenon of erroneously recognizing whether the porta filter is mounted or detached according to the occurrence of deterioration in characteristics such as contamination of the hood portion of the light-receiving sensor or reduction in the amount of light emitted from the light-receiving element forming the light-receiving unit, so that it is accurately determined .

The optical sensor 62 for detecting the portafilter ID is a sensor that detects an ID according to the color given to each portafilter, and includes a portafilter ID detector 62a that identifies the detected unique ID.

The optical sensor 62 is installed at a predetermined position of the support frame adjacent to the light-receiving sensor to detect the unique ID given to the porta filter. That is, as described above, an ID (color code) by color is assigned to each portafilter according to the type of coffee or a coffee combination set in advance by the user, and the optical sensor 62 recognizes the ID to have each ID. Each portafilter is set to extract by automatically controlling the amount and pressure of water supplied, and extraction time.

The amplification control unit 63 is a process that manages information of the light-receiving sensor 61 for detecting the porta filter and the optical sensor 62 for detecting the porta filter ID, and is installed adjacent to the sensors to amplify the signal received from the sensor. Functions to do.

The central processing unit (controller) is installed inside the main body to recognize whether the porta filter is fastened and to control the entire coffee extraction process including the supply of heated water. Opening and closing of the solenoid valve to regulate the supply amount of the extraction water. It includes functions to control the operation and control the brewing concentration of coffee.

In addition, the central processing unit 80 generates a control signal so that an auto-flushing operation is performed for a predetermined period of time when the porta filter is determined to be in an unfastened state by the water and light sensor 61, and the automatic washing is completed. After that, for the quality of coffee extraction, the temperature of the boiler should be stabilized.

At this time, temperature control for automatic extraction may be performed by adjusting the set temperature value and PID control variable of the temperature controller 81 so that the extraction water has a constant temperature during the coffee extraction process, and the amount of water supplied to the porta filter and A memory unit 82 may be provided to store information such as pressure and extraction time.

In addition, the central processing unit 80 stabilizes the pressure in the boiler for coffee extraction quality when it is determined that the porta filter is fastened by the water and light sensor 61, and after stabilizing the pressure of the boiler, the preset flow rate, flow rate, and Temperature and pressure allow auto-brewing to be performed. This is to stabilize the pressure in the boiler at the start of automatic extraction to have a constant extraction pressure, and is performed by operating the motor pump for a minimum time in standby or immediately before extraction to maintain the pressure of the extraction boiler at an appropriate value.

In addition, in order to stabilize the pressure of the extraction boiler to perform the optimal automatic extraction operation and to compensate for the temperature decrease of the extraction boiler due to automatic cleaning, it is possible to stabilize the temperature after washing.

As described above, the porta filter recognition means is a dual sensing device, that is, a light-receiving sensor 61 composed of a light-emitting unit/a light-receiving unit to detect whether the porta filter is fastened, and an optical sensor 62 that detects the unique ID of the porta filter. By configuring the porta filter 30 to be accurately recognized without misrecognition of the porta filter 30, safe extraction is possible in the automatic extraction process, and in the automatic washing process, when an object other than the porta filter, for example, a user's hand, is recognized, the automatic washing operation is stopped. Safety accidents such as burns can be prevented in advance.

For reference, in the main body 10, a flow meter 92, a sensor that detects the amount of water when brewing coffee, an electronic relay (SSR, solid state relay; 93), flow rate and pressure according to the input signal from the controller. A proportional control valve 94 for controlling the etc., and a display unit 95 for displaying the brewing state such as the brewing pressure, amount, and temperature of coffee are provided.

In this case, the extraction flow/flow rate and pressure control for automatic extraction may be performed by adjusting the opening range of the proportional control valve 94 and the rotational speed per minute of the motor pump 91.

Reference numeral 85 is a power circuit breaker.

Next, a description will be given of a method of automatically extracting and automatically washing coffee by recognizing the porta filter using a coffee machine configured as described above.

First, when the power button provided at a predetermined position of the main body 10 is pressed, the extracted water heated in the boiler 41 is transferred to the group head 20 by a pump, and the extracted water is supplied to the porta filter 30 to perform extraction. However, prior to this, it is checked whether the porta filter is fastened to the group head by the porta filter recognition means (portafilter body recognition) and which porta filter (portafilter unique ID recognition) is fastened.

That is, when the amplification control unit 63 connected to the light-receiving unit of the light-receiving sensor 61 detects whether the porta filter 30 is fastened, and when it is recognized as the porta filter is fastened, After stabilizing the pressure, the extraction water having a predetermined flow rate, flow rate, temperature and pressure is supplied to the porta filter, and automatic extraction is performed.

On the other hand, when the porta filter 30 is recognized as an unfastened state by the water-emission sensor 61, automatic washing is performed for a set time, and temperature stabilization in the boiler is performed for coffee extraction quality after the automatic washing is completed. do.

In addition, in the extraction standby state in which automatic cleaning or automatic extraction is completed by the central processing unit 80, extraction/washing operation is performed by the user or periodically detecting whether the porta filter is fastened, and the porta filter is not fastened or fastened. In the state, the preheating of the group head is optimized and auto-sleep is performed by classifying each case that is determined to be waiting for a certain period of time.

In addition, the optical sensor 62 for detecting the porta filter ID is used to distinguish the porta filter with a unique ID, that is, the color code of the porta filter mounted on the group head is detected from the optical sensor 62, In this process, if the porta filter is fastened, the detected color code is recognized to identify the porta filter ID, and according to the porta filter with the corresponding ID, coffee such as type or total amount, flow rate, flow rate, temperature, pressure, etc. Automatic extraction can be performed by determining the extraction environment.

10: main body 20: group head
30: porta filter 40: extraction water supply means
41: extraction boiler 42: preheating boiler
43: hot water tank 50: solenoid valve
61: light-emitting sensor 62: optical sensor
63: amplification control unit
80: central processing unit

Claims (6)

A main body 10 provided with a support frame 12 at the top;
A group head 20 installed on the upper part of the main body to extract coffee and on which a porta filter 30 is mounted;
Extraction water supply means 40 as a boiler and pressurized hot water tank supplying the extraction water to the group head;
A solenoid valve 50 for controlling the flow of extraction water supplied to the group head;
A porta filter recognition means installed on the support frame opposite to the group head to recognize the porta filter fastened to the lower part of the group head; And
A central processing unit that is installed inside the main body to control the extraction process including recognition of whether the porta filter is fastened and supply of extraction water, and generates a control signal to perform automatic cleaning when the porta filter is determined to be in a non-fastened state. (80); Including,
The porta filter recognition means,
A light emitting unit 61a in the form of a hood in which a plurality of optical fibers are disposed, and converts an electric signal into an optical signal at one end of the fiber to emit light; And a light-receiving unit 61b for receiving an optical signal emitted from the light-emitting unit at the other end of the optical fiber and converting it into an electric signal; and a light-receiving sensor 61 for determining whether the porta filter is fastened to the group head;
An optical sensor 62 installed adjacent to the light-receiving sensor and determining a unique ID of the porta filter based on the color given to each porta filter; And
Includes; an amplification control unit 63 installed adjacent to the light-receiving sensor and the optical sensor to amplify and manage information of these sensors,
A coffee machine with a porta filter recognition function, characterized in that it is provided with a self-diagnosis unit 65 installed adjacent to the light-receiving sensor 61 to determine a false recognition of whether the porta filter is mounted or detached. delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
The amplification control unit 63 amplifies the electric signal converted by the light receiving unit of the light-receiving sensor 61 or has a porta filter recognition function characterized in that it identifies a color code that is a unique ID detected by the optical sensor 62 Coffee machine. The method of claim 5,
The color code is a coffee machine with a porta filter recognition function, characterized in that the color code is assigned by color according to a type of coffee, a blending ratio of coffee preset by a user, and an amount of ground coffee.

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