WO2019159543A1

WO2019159543A1 - Beverage supply device

Info

Publication number: WO2019159543A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/047631
Authority: WO
Inventors: 充有村
Original assignee: 富士電機株式会社
Priority date: 2018-02-16
Filing date: 2018-12-25
Publication date: 2019-08-22
Also published as: JP6954171B2; JP2019142519A; CN111432695B; CN111432695A

Abstract

A beverage supply device 1 for supplying a beverage produced by a beverage producing unit 22 to a cup C is provided with a hot water tank 10 that produces and stores hot water and a hot water supplying means that supplies the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 to the beverage producing unit 22 when a vending instruction is given, wherein the hot water supplying means performs, for a predetermined amount of time, a hot water circulation operation in which at least a portion of the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 is conveyed out of the hot water tank 10 then back into the hot water tank 10 when a predetermined operation condition is met before the vending instruction is given.

Description

Beverage supply equipment

The present invention relates to a beverage supply apparatus.

Conventionally, the following is known as a beverage supply device for supplying a beverage to a beverage container. That is, a hot water tank that generates and stores hot water constituting a beverage and a hot water supply pipe that supplies the hot water stored in the hot water tank to the beverage generation unit, and supplies the beverage generated by the beverage generation unit to the beverage container (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-127489

By the way, in the above-described beverage supply apparatus, when the elapsed time from the previous beverage supply to the beverage container becomes excessive, the hot water supply pipe or the like may be cooled. When the hot water supply pipe or the like is cooled in this manner, the temperature of hot water supplied to the beverage generation unit during the subsequent supply of the beverage becomes low, and as a result, the beverage supplied to the beverage container deviates from the desired temperature range. There was a fear of doing.

Therefore, when a sales instruction is given by the user pressing the operation button, a part of the hot water in the hot water tank is circulated through the hot water supply pipe and heated.

However, when hot water is circulated and heated in the hot water supply after the sales instruction in this way, it takes a long time (sales time) from when the operation button is pressed until the supply of the beverage to the beverage container is completed. This is undesirable.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage supply device capable of suppressing an increase in sales time while maintaining a beverage to be supplied to a beverage container in a desired temperature range.

In order to achieve the above object, the beverage supply device according to the present invention generates a hot water tank that stores hot water and stores the hot water stored in the hot water tank in a beverage generation section when a sales instruction is given. A beverage supply device that supplies the beverage generated by the beverage generation unit to the beverage container, wherein the hot water supply unit has a predetermined operating condition before the sales command is given. When satisfied, a hot water circulation operation is performed for a predetermined time period in which at least a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank is sent to the outside of the hot water tank and then returned to the hot water tank.

In the beverage supply apparatus, the present invention further includes a door body that opens and closes a beverage supply port that supplies a beverage to the beverage container, and the hot water supply means is configured so that the beverage container is placed before the sales instruction is given. When the door is opened without being placed, the hot water circulation operation is performed for a predetermined time.

In the beverage supply apparatus according to the present invention, the hot water supply means performs the hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time when a predetermined interval time has elapsed since the previous supply of hot water to the beverage generation unit. It is characterized by that.

According to the present invention, when the hot water supply means satisfies a predetermined operating condition before the sales command is given, at least a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank is sent out of the hot water tank. Since the hot water circulation operation to return the hot water tank to the inside of the hot water tank is performed for a predetermined time, the peripheral elements of the hot water tank can be heated before the sales command is given. While maintaining the range, there is an effect that it is possible to suppress an increase in sales time.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a beverage supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a path configuration of the beverage supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a characteristic control system of the beverage supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an enlarged peripheral configuration of the hot water tank shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process contents of the hot water circulation control process performed by the control unit shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a beverage supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3 each show a beverage supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a path configuration, and FIG. It is a block diagram which shows a simple control system. The beverage supply apparatus 1 illustrated here is installed in a store such as a convenience store, for example, and supplies a coffee beverage to a cup C that is a beverage container placed on the bend stage S in the beverage supply unit 2. To do. Here, the beverage supply unit 2 is a space for supplying a beverage to the cup C, and a beverage supply port 2 a that is a front opening thereof is opened and closed by a supply door (door body) 3.

The beverage supply apparatus 1 includes a hot water tank 10, a hot water supply path 20, a nozzle 30, an open / close detection unit 41, a cup detection unit 42, a product selection button 43, and a control unit 50.

As shown in FIG. 4, the hot water tank 10 includes a hot water generating heater 11. The hot water generation heater 11 is a heating means that generates hot water by heating the water supplied into the hot water tank 10 by a water supply means (not shown) when energized. That is, the hot water tank 10 generates and stores hot water. Such a hot water tank 10 is provided with an overflow pipe 12. The overflow pipe 12 is for discharging hot water to the outside when the water level inside the hot water tank 10 is higher than a predetermined height. That is, the interior of the hot water tank 10 communicates with the outside air through the overflow pipe 12.

The hot water supply path 20 is configured by connecting a plurality of hot water supply pipes. The hot water supply path 20 enters the hot water tank 10 with one end protruding upward from the bottom of the hot water tank 10, and communicates with the hot water tank 10 through the hot water inlet 21, while the other end is It is connected to the beverage production | generation part 22, and the hot water supply pump 23 and the valve mechanism 24 are provided in the middle.

The hot water inlet 21 is an opening for inhaling hot water. The beverage production | generation part 22 is called a brewer, and extracts a coffee drink with the coffee beans paid out from the raw material box 25 and grind | pulverized with the mill 26, and the hot water from the hot-water supply path | route 20. FIG.

The hot water supply pump 23 is driven when a built-in motor 23 a is given a drive command from the control unit 50. When the motor 23 a is driven, the hot water supply pump 23 sucks hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 through the hot water inlet 21 and distributes the hot water through the hot water supply path 20. The hot water supply pump 23 regulates the flow of hot water through the hot water supply path 20 when the drive is stopped.

The valve mechanism 24 is a valve body that opens and closes in response to a command given from the control unit 50. When opened, the valve mechanism 24 allows hot water to flow through the hot water supply path 20 to the beverage generation unit 22, while closing. In this case, the hot water is restricted from flowing to the beverage generation unit 22 through the hot water supply path 20. The valve mechanism 24 is normally opened.

In the hot water supply path 20, an air introduction pipe 27 is provided. The air introduction pipe 27 is installed in such a manner that it branches off from a location downstream of the hot water supply pump 23 and upstream of the valve mechanism 24 in the hot water supply path 20 and communicates with the interior of the hot water tank 10.

The nozzle 30 is provided in the beverage supply unit 2 and is connected to the beverage generation unit 22 through the beverage supply path 31. The nozzle 30 discharges the coffee beverage extracted by the beverage generation unit 22 to the cup C.

The opening / closing detection unit 41 is a detection unit that detects opening / closing of the beverage supply port 2a in the beverage supply unit 2. The opening / closing detection unit 41 is turned on and sends an opening signal to the control unit 50 when the supply door 3 is opened and the beverage supply port 2a is opened. That is, when the supply door 3 is closed and the beverage supply port 2a is closed, the open / close detection unit 41 is turned off and sends a closing signal to the control unit 50.

The cup detection unit 42 is detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the cup C in the bend stage S. When the cup C is placed on the bend stage S, the cup detection unit 42 is turned on and sends an ON signal to the control unit 50, while the cup C is placed on the bend stage S. If not, the signal is turned off and an off signal is sent to the control unit 50.

The product selection button 43 is provided on the front surface of the front door 1b that opens and closes the front opening of the device main body 1a of the beverage supply device 1. The product selection button 43 includes a sales switch 43a. The sales switch 43a is turned on when the product selection button 43 is pressed, and sends a sales signal as a sales command to the control unit 50.

The control unit 50 comprehensively controls the operation of each part of the beverage supply device 1 according to programs and data stored in the memory 59. As a characteristic feature of the present embodiment, the input processing unit 51, the determination A processing unit 52, a time measurement processing unit 53, a valve drive processing unit 54, and a pump drive processing unit 55 are provided.

For example, the control unit 50 may cause a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, may be realized by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, software and hardware may be used in combination.

The input processing unit 51 inputs signals given from the open / close detection unit 41, the cup detection unit 42, and the sales switch 43a. When the opening signal and the off signal are input through the input processing unit 51 in the hot water circulation control processing to be described later, the determination processing unit 52 receives the hot water from the previous supply of beverage to the beverage generation unit 22 when the previous product is sold. It is determined whether or not the sales standby time, which is the elapsed time, is equal to or longer than the interval time (for example, about 5 minutes) stored in the memory 59.

The time measurement processing unit 53 starts time measurement by a time measuring unit such as a built-in clock, and determines whether or not the measurement time has passed a predetermined operation time (for example, 3 to 10 seconds). . The valve drive processing unit 54 sends an open signal or a close signal to the valve mechanism 24 to open or close the valve mechanism 24. The pump drive processing unit 55 outputs a drive command or a drive stop command to the motor 23 a of the hot water supply pump 23 to drive or stop the hot water supply pump 23.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the hot water circulation control process performed by the control unit 50 shown in FIG. The operation of the beverage supply device 1 will be described while describing such hot water circulation control processing. As a premise for the description of the hot water circulation control process, hot water heated to a desired temperature is generated and stored in the hot water tank 10, and the product selection button 43 is not pressed by the user. It shall be in Further, it is assumed that the valve mechanism 24 is opened and the hot water supply pump 23 is stopped.

In the hot water circulation control process, the control unit 50 receives an opening signal from the open / close detection unit 41 through the input processing unit 51 and an off signal from the cup detection unit 42 (step S101: Yes, step S102: Yes). That is, when the supply door 3 is opened without the cup C being placed before the sales command is given, it is determined whether or not the sales standby time is equal to or longer than the interval time stored in the memory 59 through the determination processing unit 52. (Step S103).

By the way, even when the opening signal is input from the open / close detection unit 41 through the input processing unit 51, when the ON signal is input from the cup detection unit 42 (step S101: Yes, step S102: No), the coffee beverage is supplied. Since it is considered to be an operation for taking out the cup C from the beverage supply unit 2, the control unit 50 returns the procedure without performing the processing described later, and ends the current hot water circulation control processing.

If it is determined in step S103 that the sales standby time is less than the interval time through the determination processing unit 52 (step S103: No), the control unit 50 cools the peripheral elements of the hot water tank 10 such as a hot water supply pipe more than necessary. If not, the procedure is returned without executing the processing described later, and the current hot water circulation control processing is terminated.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the sales standby time is equal to or longer than the interval time through the determination processing unit 52 (step S103: Yes), the control unit 50 sends a close signal to the valve mechanism 24 through the valve drive processing unit 54 and the pump. A pump drive command is sent to the motor 23a of the hot water supply pump 23 through the drive processing unit 55 (steps S104 and S105), time measurement is started by the time measuring unit through the time measurement processing unit 53, and the elapsed time of the measurement time is waiting (Step S106).

According to this, the hot water supply pump 23 is driven in a state where the valve mechanism 24 is closed. Therefore, a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 is sucked into the hot water supply path 20 through the hot water inlet 21 and flows through the hot water supply path 20 as shown by the broken line arrows in FIG. 4, and the valve mechanism 24 is closed. Therefore, the hot water tank 10 returns to the inside through the air introduction pipe 27. That is, a hot water circulation operation is performed in which a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 is sent to the outside of the hot water tank 10 and then returned to the hot water tank 10. A part of the hot water supply path 20 protruding upward from 10 can be heated.

When it is determined that the measurement time has passed the operation time through the time measurement processing unit 53 (step S106: Yes), the control unit 50 sends a pump drive stop command to the motor 23a of the hot water supply pump 23 through the pump drive processing unit 55. At the same time, an open signal is sent to the valve mechanism 24 through the valve drive processing unit 54 (step S107, step S108), and then the procedure is returned to end the hot water circulation control process.

According to this, hot water circulation operation can be performed after the supply door 3 is opened and the beverage supply port 2a is opened.

Then, after the beverage supply port 2a is closed with the cup C placed on the bend stage S, the product selection button 43 is pressed by the user so that the sales signal is received from the sales switch 43a which is turned on. The control unit 50 is given a drive command to the hot water supply pump 23 in a state where the valve mechanism 24 is opened, and is driven for a predetermined time, thereby generating a beverage through the hot water supply path 20 as shown by a solid line arrow in FIG. A predetermined amount of hot water can be supplied to the section 22. Thereafter, the beverage generator 22 extracts the coffee beverage from the hot water supplied through the hot water supply path 20 and the crushed coffee beans introduced from the mill 26, and the extracted coffee beverage is bend stage S from the nozzle 30. The coffee drink is supplied to the cup C by being discharged to the cup C placed on the cup C.

As described above, in the beverage supply apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the hot water supply path 20, the hot water supply pump 23, the valve mechanism 24, the air introduction pipe 27, and the control unit 50 are given a sales instruction. The hot water supply means for supplying the hot water stored in the hot water tank 10 to the beverage generation unit 22 is configured.

And according to the said drink supply apparatus 1, before the sales command is given, the control part 50 opens the supply door 3 without the cup C being mounted in the bend stage S, and the hot water with respect to the last drink production | generation part 22 is provided. Since the hot water circulation operation is performed for a predetermined time when the interval time has elapsed since the supply, the peripheral elements of the hot water tank 10 can be heated before the product selection button 43 is pressed by the user. Thus, it is possible to suppress an increase in sales time while maintaining the beverage supplied to the cup C in a desired temperature range.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, the condition for performing the hot water circulation operation is that the sales standby time is equal to or longer than the interval time, that is, the interval time has elapsed since the previous hot water supply to the beverage generation unit 22. In the present invention, such a condition may not be an essential element.

In the embodiment described above, the operation condition for performing the hot water circulation operation is exemplified by the fact that the supply door 3 is opened without the cup C being placed on the bend stage S. However, in the present invention, the operation condition is It is not limited to. That is, various operating conditions for performing the hot water circulation operation can be listed, and the operating condition may be that the door body is closed while the beverage container is placed. The operation condition may be that a sensor is installed to detect that a person is standing in front of the apparatus main body of the beverage supply apparatus. Or it is good also considering it as operating conditions that the user purchased the drink container in the store where a drink supply apparatus is installed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage supply apparatus 2 Beverage supply part 2a Beverage supply port 3 Supply door 10 Hot water tank 11 Hot water generation heater 20 Hot water supply path 21 Hot water inlet 22 Beverage generation part 23 Hot water supply pump 24 Valve mechanism 25 Raw material box 26 Mill 27 Air introduction pipe 30 Nozzle 41 Open / Close Detection Unit 42 Cup Detection Unit 43 Product Selection Button 50 Control Unit 51 Input Processing Unit 52 Judgment Processing Unit 53 Time Measurement Processing Unit 54 Valve Drive Processing Unit 55 Pump Drive Processing Unit 59 Memory C Cup S Bend Stage

Claims

A hot water tank for generating and storing hot water;
Hot water supply means for supplying the hot water stored in the hot water tank to the beverage generator when a sales instruction is given,
In the beverage supply apparatus for supplying the beverage generated by the beverage generation unit to the beverage container,
When the hot water supply means satisfies a predetermined operating condition before the sales instruction is given, the hot water supply means sends out at least a part of the hot water stored in the hot water tank to the outside of the hot water tank. A beverage supply apparatus characterized in that a hot water circulation operation for returning to the inside of a tank is performed for a predetermined time.
A door body for opening and closing a beverage supply port for supplying a beverage to the beverage container;
The beverage according to claim 1, wherein the hot water supply means performs the hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time when the door body is opened without the beverage container being placed before the sales command is given. Feeding device.
The said hot water supply means performs the said hot water circulation operation for a predetermined time, when the predetermined interval time has passed since the hot water supply with respect to the said drink production | generation part last time. Beverage supply device.