JP3467985B2 - Automatic tea machine - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic tea dispenser which is equipped with a tea leaf supply / exchange device and automatically supplies tea.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a user presses a tea supply button, an automatic tea dispenser pours hot water into a tea strainer on which tea leaves are placed and provides tea to a cup placed under the tea strainer. The tea leaves are exchanged when the number of times of tea supply reaches a predetermined number or when there is no tea supply for a predetermined time after the tea supply. That is,
Tea leaves are not replenished during the period from one tea leaf change to the next.

In such a tea dispenser, the concentration of tea becomes low as the number of tea supplies increases. Therefore, during the period from one tea leaf change to the next tea exchange, each time the tea is supplied, a certain amount of tea leaves is replenished to the tea strainer so that the tea concentration remains almost constant even if the number of times of tea supply increases. There is a known tea dispenser (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-283337).

[0004]

The conventional automatic tea supply device has the following problems. The above-described method of replenishing a constant amount of tea leaves each time tea is supplied is effective in the case of so-called fixed amount tea supply in which the amount of hot water during tea supply (the amount of tea supply) is the same each time.
However, in the tea dispenser that can supply any amount of hot water while the user continues to press the tea supply button, so-called continuous tea supply, if the previous tea supply amount is large, There was a problem that the concentration of tea could not be corrected sufficiently only by supplying a certain amount of tea leaves during tea supply.

That is, the cause of this problem is that the amount of tea leaves replenished at the time of tea supply is the same each time regardless of the previous amount of hot water (tea supply amount). However, if too much tea leaves are supplied according to the previous tea supply amount, there is a problem that the tea leaves overflow from the tea strainer. In addition, since the amount of tea supplied is usually larger during continuous tea supply than during constant tea supply, it is not preferable for the user to prolong the tea supply time by the time required for tea supply.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to always supply tea with a substantially constant concentration during tea supply, in consideration of the previous tea supply amount.

[0007]

[0008]

The automatic tea dispenser according to the first aspect of the present invention detects and stores the amount of hot water to be supplied at the time of tea supply in an automatic tea dispenser that uses both constant-rate tea supply and continuous tea supply and replaces tea leaves at a predetermined time. It has a hot water storage means, a storage means for storing the amount of supplementary tea leaves per reference hot water amount, and a tea leaf replenishing means for replenishing the tea leaves. In the period until the fixed amount of tea supply, the total amount of hot water supplied at the time of fixed amount tea supply and at the time of continuous tea supply is determined by the hot water amount storage means, and the supplementary tea leaves per reference hot water amount stored in the storage means in the obtained total hot water amount. The amount of replenished tea leaves is calculated by multiplying the amount, and the calculated replenished tea leaf amount is replenished by the tea leaf replenishing means.

As a result , the tea leaves are not replenished during the continuous tea supply where the tea supply time is long, so that the tea supply operation that is convenient for the user is performed even during the continuous tea supply. An automatic tea dispenser according to a second aspect of the present invention is the automatic tea dispenser according to the first aspect, which is provided with a storage unit that stores a tea leaf supply amount at the time of tea leaf exchange and a supplementary tea leaf amount at the time of tea leaf replenishment. The cumulative amount of tea leaves supplied to the tea strainer from the time of replacement to the present is calculated, and when the calculated value exceeds the allowable load, tea leaves are replaced.

Thus, when the amount of tea leaves cannot be loaded in the tea strainer, the tea leaves are exchanged, so that the tea leaves are not supplied too much and the tea leaves do not overflow from the tea strainer.
An automatic tea dispenser according to a third aspect of the present invention is the automatic tea dispenser according to the first aspect, wherein the amount of hot water detected by the hot water amount storage means is based on an opening time of a hot water valve or a tea amount set in advance by a user . > Detect based on at least one of the

As a result, during continuous tea supply, the opening time of the hot water valve, and during constant tea supply, for example, the tea supply amount set by the user,
It is detected as the amount of hot water. An automatic tea dispenser according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the automatic tea dispenser according to the first aspect, wherein the tea leaf replenishing means uses a tea leaf supply motor, and the motor energization time at the time of tea leaf replenishment is the calculated replenishment time. The amount of tea leaves is multiplied by the conversion factor for the energization time of the tea leaf supply motor corresponding to the amount of supplementary tea leaves.

This ensures that the required amount of tea leaves will be supplied.

[0013]

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. The function and operation of each part are as follows. Reference numeral 1 is a raw material box for storing tea leaves 2. At the time of tea leaf supply, the tea leaf supply motor 3 drives the raw material screw 4 to dispense the tea leaf 2 according to a command from the main control unit 17 that controls the entire tea supply machine, and supplies the tea leaf 2 from the raw material shooter 5 to the tea strainer 6. In addition, when exchanging tea leaves, the tea leaf exchanging device 20 moves the tea strainer 6 to discard the tea leaves in the bucket 21 for tea leaves, and then the tea leaves 2 are supplied to the tea strainer 6 as described above according to a command from the main control unit 17. To be done.

A hot water tank 9 stores hot water. At the time of tea supply, the hot water valve 13 is opened for a predetermined time according to a command from the main controller 17, and the tea strainer 6 is passed from the hot water tank 9 through the pipe 14.
Hot water is poured into. This tea is received by the cup 15 placed on the bend stage 16. The cup 15 is a cup provided in the tea dispenser or a user's own cup.

When the main controller 17 detects that the water level switch 22 is turned on, the hot water in the hot water tank 9 is maintained at a constant water level by opening the water supply valve 8 and supplying the tap water 7 to the hot water tank 9. . The tap water in the hot water tank 9 is heated by the heater 10, and the temperature sensor 1 installed in the hot water tank 9
2 detects the hot water temperature, and the heater relay 11 is turned on and off to control the temperature to a predetermined temperature.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a setting unit, which is a predetermined number of tea leaf exchanges, an opening time of the hot water valve 13 at the time of constant tea supply, an energization time of the tea leaf supply motor 3 corresponding to a tea leaf supply amount, and a reference tea leaf at the time of tea leaf supply described later. Set and enter the amount and the reference amount of hot water corresponding to it. These setting data are stored in the storage unit (not shown) of the main control unit 17. Reference numeral 19 denotes a display, which displays a predetermined number of tea leaf exchanges, tea leaf exchange time, hot water amount, and the like.

Based on the above setting data, the control unit 17 operates the tea leaf changing device 20 when the number of times of tea supply reaches a predetermined number of times or when there is no tea supply for a predetermined time after tea supply. To replace. Further, as will be described later, in the present invention, the tea leaf supply motor 3 is driven during tea supply to replenish a predetermined amount of tea leaves. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of operation timing of the automatic tea dispenser according to the present invention.

When the user presses a switch (not shown) for requesting a constant amount of tea supply (timing A), the main control unit 17 detects this and the tea leaves corresponding to the amount of tea leaves to be supplied to the tea strainer 6. The energization time T1 seconds of the supply motor 3 is calculated, and after the switch is pressed for 0.2 seconds (timing B), the energization of the tea supply motor 3 is started and energized for T1 seconds to replenish the tea leaves. On the other hand, the opening time T2 seconds of the hot water valve 13 corresponding to the amount of hot water poured into the tea strainer 6 set by the setting unit 18 is calculated, and when the tea leaf replenishment is completed (timing C), the hot water valve 13 is set to T2.
Open for 2 seconds and pour hot water.

During the period from the pressing of the constant quantity tea supply switch to the lapse of 1.5 seconds after the end of the tea supply, the extraction display lamp (not shown) blinks at 0.5 second intervals. Indicates that tea is being supplied. The method for calculating the energization time T1 (s) to the tea leaf supply motor 3 during the above tea leaf replenishment is as follows.

First, during the first tea supply after the tea exchange, the tea strainer 6 is supplied with a predetermined amount of new tea leaves set by the setting unit 18. Therefore, at this time, it is not necessary to replenish the tea leaves, so T1 = 0 (Equation 1). Next, the amount W (g) of tea leaves to be replenished during the second and subsequent fixed amount tea supply after the tea leaf exchange is calculated by taking into consideration the previous amount of tea supply W = (reference tea leaf amount at the time of replenishment) / (tea supply time) Reference amount of hot water) x ((amount of hot water used at the last fixed-time tea supply) + (amount of hot water used at continuous tea-supply during the period from the last fixed-time tea supply to the current fixed-time tea supply)) (Equation 2) To do.

Therefore, T1 is T1 = W × (conversion coefficient to the tea leaf supply motor energization time corresponding to the tea leaf amount) (Equation 3)
And FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the above calculation example and showing the relationship between the amount of tea leaves and the amount of hot water. In this figure, the amount of tea leaves to be supplied at the time of tea exchange is 7 (g), and the reference amount of tea leaves at the time of supply is 0.6.
(G) is an example when the reference amount of hot water is 100 (cc). Note that these data are preset by the setting unit 18 and stored in the main control unit 17.

First, at the time of tea leaf replacement, 7 (g) of tea leaves are supplied to the tea strainer 6 according to the amount of tea leaves supplied at the time of tea leaf replacement. Next, when there is a request from the fixed amount tea supply switch for the first fixed amount tea supply after the tea leaves are exchanged, T1 = 0 is set according to Equation 1,
A fixed amount of hot water a (cc) is supplied without supplying tea leaves.
The amount of hot water a (cc) is data set by the setting unit 18 and stored in the main control unit 17 (the amount of hot water in the following description is also the data set by the setting unit 18 at each fixed amount tea supply). is there).

Next, when there is a request for a second fixed amount of tea,
Substituting the hot water amount a (cc) used in the first cup of quantitative tea supply into Equation 2 to obtain the tea leaf supply amount 0.6 / 100 × a (g),
According to the formula 3, the energization time T1 of the tea leaf supply motor 3 at the time of the second fixed amount tea supply is determined and the tea leaf is replenished. Then, b (c
Supply tea with the amount of hot water in c). Note that in FIG. 3, k = 0.6
It is expressed as / 100.

Similarly, when the third cup of fixed quantity tea is requested, 2
The amount b (cc) of hot water used in the constant amount tea supply of the cup of tea is substituted into the formula 2 to obtain the tea leaf supply amount 0.6 / 100 × b (g), and the formula 3
Thus, the energizing time of the tea leaf supply motor 3 at the time of the third fixed amount tea supply is obtained and the tea leaf is replenished. Next, when there is continuous tea supply between the third and fourth fixed amount tea supplies, the amount of hot water c (cc) used in the third fixed amount tea supply at the time of requesting the fourth fixed amount tea supply.
And the amount of hot water d (cc) continuously supplied between the third and fourth cups of tea, are substituted into the equation 2 to replenish the amount of 0.6 / 100 × (c + d). (G) is calculated, and the energization time T of the tea supply motor 3 at the time of the fourth fixed amount tea supply is calculated by the formula 3.
1 is requested and tea leaves are replenished.

By the above operation, the tea leaf replenishment amount for the next fixed amount tea supply is determined in consideration of the amount of hot water used between the previous fixed amount tea supply and the next fixed amount tea supply. It can supply tea of almost constant concentration. Further, in the above example, the tea leaves are replenished during the constant tea supply, but not during continuous tea supply. As described above, this is because the amount of tea supplied during continuous tea supply is usually larger than that during fixed amount tea supply, so that tea supply will start immediately after the user presses the tea supply button so that the tea supply time will not be prolonged due to tea supply. This is because it is controlled so that However, even during continuous tea supply, tea leaves may be supplied in consideration of the amount of hot water at the time of previous tea supply.

In the above calculation example, the amount of hot water is different from a, b, c, and e for each fixed amount tea supply, because the setting unit 18 is used before the user presses the fixed amount tea supply switch. This is because the general case of changing the setting of the tea supply amount at the time of constant tea supply has been described. Normally, the amount of hot water at the time of constant amount tea supply is the same each time. Next, when the tea supply is continued as described above, the tea leaves are added to the tea strainer 6 each time the tea is supplied. Therefore, if the previous tea supply amount is large, the tea strainer will be replaced before the predetermined tea leaf replacement time comes. There is a risk that tea leaves will overflow from 6. Therefore, the cumulative value of the amount of tea leaves supplied to the tea strainer 6 can be monitored as follows. Here, the case of fixed amount tea supply will be described, but the same applies to the case of continuous tea supply.

That is, as described above, after changing the tea leaves, 1
Since the tea leaves are not replenished during the second tea supply, the tea leaf amount Wt (1) in the tea strainer 6 during the tea feeding is equal to the tea leaf supply amount during the tea leaf replacement. Next, at the time of the second tea supply, the tea leaf amount W (2) calculated by the above-mentioned equation 2 is additionally supplied on top of Wt (1), so the tea leaf amount at the second tea supply Wt
(2) is Wt (1) + W (2). Further, the amount of tea leaves at the time of the third tea supply is Wt (2) + W (3).
In this way, the tea leaf amount Wt (n) at the time of the nth tea supply
Becomes Wt (n-1) + W (n).

Therefore, at the time of the nth tea supply, this tea leaf amount W
When t (n) exceeds a specified amount, that is, the maximum load of tea leaves in the tea strainer, if the tea leaves are exchanged, the tea leaves overflow from the tea strainer even if the tea leaves are continuously replenished as described above. There is no such thing.

[0029]

Effect of the Invention] The present invention, when a fixed amount supply tea, during the period from the previous quantitative feeding tea until the current quantitative feeding tea, total supplied to and during continuous feeding Brown and time quantitative feeding Brown Since the amount of tea leaves is replenished according to the amount of hot water, it is possible to always supply tea with a substantially constant concentration. Moreover, since tea leaves are not replenished during continuous tea supply with a relatively long tea supply time, the tea dispenser is convenient for the user even during continuous tea supply.

Further, each time tea is supplied, the cumulative amount of tea leaves supplied to the tea strainer is calculated, and when the calculated value exceeds the allowable loading amount, the tea leaves are exchanged so that the tea leaves are excessively supplied and the tea leaves are strained. You can prevent it from overflowing the vessel. Also, the hot water, opening time of the hot water valve installed for hot water supply piping, or pre-interest
If the tea supply amount set by the user is used, the opening time of the hot water valve can be detected as the hot water amount during continuous tea supply, and the tea supply amount set by the user, for example, can be detected during the constant tea supply.

Furthermore, a tea leaf supply motor is used as the tea leaf supply means, and the motor energization time during tea leaf replenishment is calculated by multiplying the calculated replenishment tea leaf amount by a conversion factor to the tea leaf supply motor energization time corresponding to the supplemented tea leaf amount. If time is required, the required amount of tea leaves will be reliably supplied.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an automatic tea supply machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram exemplifying the operation timing of the automatic tea supply machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the amount of tea leaves and the amount of hot water according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Raw material box, 2 ... Tea leaf, 3 ... Tea leaf supply motor, 4 ... Raw material screw, 5 ... Raw material shooter, 6 ... Tea strainer, 7 ... Tap water, 8 ... Water supply valve, 9 ... Hot water tank, 10 ... Heater, 1
1 ... Heater relay, 12 ... Temperature sensor, 13 ... Hot water valve, 1
4 ... Piping, 15 ... Cup, 16 ... Bend stage, 17
... Main control unit, 18 ... Setting unit, 19 ... Display device, 20 ... Tea leaf exchanging device, 21 ... Tea leaf bucket, 22 ... Water level switch.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47J 31/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A constant amount of tea and a continuous tea supply are used together, and tea is supplied at a predetermined time.
Amount of hot water to be supplied at the time of tea supply in an automatic tea supply machine that exchanges leaves
Hot water amount storage means for detecting and storing the
Storage means for storing the amount of tea leaves and tea leaf supplements for replenishing tea leaves
It is equipped with a feeding means, and every time a fixed amount of tea is supplied after changing the tea leaves.
During the period from the fixed quantity tea supply to the current fixed quantity tea supply,
Obtain the total amount of hot water supplied at the time of tea supply and continuous tea supply by the hot water amount storage means, calculate the amount of supplementary tea leaves by multiplying the total amount of hot water obtained by the amount of supplementary tea leaves per reference amount of hot water stored in the storage means, An automatic tea supply machine, characterized in that the calculated tea supply amount is supplied by tea supply means. 2. The method of claim 1 Symbol placement automatic sheet tea machine, tea
Record the supply amount of tea leaves at the time of replacement and the supply amount of tea leaves at the time of tea supply.
Equipped with a memory means to remember, every time tea leaves are replenished
Since then, calculate the cumulative amount of tea leaves supplied to the tea strainer
However, when the calculated value exceeds the allowable loading capacity, the tea leaves are replaced, and the automatic tea dispenser is characterized. 3. The method of claim 1 Symbol placement automatic sheet tea machine, hot water
Whether the amount of hot water is detected by the storage means depends on the opening time of the hot water valve,
Or depending on the tea supply amount set in advance by the user
An automatic tea dispenser characterized by at least one detection . 4. The method of claim 1 Symbol placement automatic sheet tea machine, tea
The replenishment means uses a tea leaf supply motor.
The motor energization time during replenishment is calculated by
Conversion to the energization time of the tea supply motor that corresponds to the amount of replenished tea
An automatic tea dispenser characterized by the time multiplied by a coefficient .