JP3543682B2 - Cup type vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cup-type vending machine, and more particularly to a cup-type vending machine that extracts coffee components from ground coffee beans by hot water supplied at a predetermined pressure.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional cup-type vending machine, ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size are supplied to the extractor, and a predetermined high-temperature hot water pressurized by a pump is supplied to the extractor to convert the coffee beverage at a high pressure. There is something to extract.
[0003]
According to this cup-type vending machine, a predetermined amount of ground beans is dispensed to the extractor based on a coffee beverage sales request selected by a purchaser operating a selection button or the like. After dispensing, the hot water stored in the hot water tank is pressurized to a predetermined pressure by a pump and supplied to a boiler, and then supplied to an extractor via a pipe to extract ground beans and produce a coffee beverage. The extracted coffee beverage is supplied to a cup and, if desired, is mixed with auxiliary ingredients such as sugar and cream and sold.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the conventional cup-type vending machine, even if the operation of the pump is stopped, the pressure in the pressurized pipe does not immediately decrease. Become. In addition, there is a problem in that the ground beans are excessively extracted, thereby impairing the taste of the coffee beverage and hindering the operation of the extractor in a later process.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cup-type vending machine that can quickly bring the inside of an extractor to atmospheric pressure after extracting a coffee beverage.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention supplies ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size to an extractor, supplies hot water at a predetermined temperature from a hot water tank to the extractor through a pipe, and supplies coffee to the extractor. In a cup-type vending machine that extracts beverages, A discharge pipe branched from the pipe, interposed in the discharge pipe, A valve for releasing the piping to the atmosphere, After the extraction of the coffee beverage Open the valve And drives the piston of the extractor to discharge the waste liquid remaining in the pipe through the valve and the discharge pipe. Provided is a cup-type vending machine having control means.

[0006]
According to the above-mentioned cup-type vending machine, the piping and the inside of the extractor can be brought to the atmospheric pressure by releasing the pressure of the piping for supplying hot water to the extractor.
[0007]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a cup-type vending machine of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0008]
FIG. 1A shows a cup-type vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, which detects a cistern 2 connected to an intake pipe 1 and a change in the level of drinking water provided and stored in the cistern 2. A float switch 2A that outputs a water level lowering signal when the water level falls below a predetermined level, a water intake valve 1A provided in the water intake pipe 1, and a drinking water supplied from the cistern 2 via a pipe 3A to heat the water. A hot water tank 10 for storing hot water at a temperature of 3 ° C., an electromagnetic valve 20 provided in the pipe 3A, a pump 60 fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the hot water tank 10 and supplying hot water by pressurizing the pump 60 and the hot water tank 10. A bypass pipe 60A to be connected, a valve 60B for returning hot water in the pump 60 to the hot water tank 10 by opening the bypass pipe 60A, and ground beans for grinding coffee beans to a predetermined particle size to form ground beans. A supply unit 7, a measuring device 5 for receiving and measuring the ground beans falling from the ground bean supply unit 7, and extracting coffee beans having a predetermined particle size supplied from the measuring device 5 with hot water to produce a coffee beverage. An extractor 30 that supplies the cup 9 via the beverage supply pipe 30A, a pipe 6A that supplies hot water from the pump 60 to the extractor 30, and a pressure signal provided in the pipe 6A and corresponding to the pressure in the pipe. A pressure sensor 25, a flow sensor 19 provided in the pipe 6A for outputting a flow signal according to the flow rate of the hot water, a check valve 21 provided in the pipe 6A for preventing the backflow of the hot water to the upstream side, On the upstream side of the check valve 21, a pipe 6B branched from the pipe 6A and connected to the hot water tank 10, an extraction hot water valve 22 provided on the pipe 6B, and an extraction residue of coffee beans generated in the extractor 30 are received. The slag bucket 17 and the lower part of the cup 9 A drainage bucket 18, a sugar container 11 for storing sugar, a cream container 12A for storing cream ingredients, a cream container 12B for storing cream ingredients for cappuccino, and sugar and cream received via a chute 13; A mixing bowl 14 that is melted with a fixed amount of hot water and is supplied to the cup 9 via a supply pipe 14A, a pipe 15A that supplies hot water from the hot water tank 10 to the mixing bowl 14 disposed at a lower part of the cream container, and a pipe 15A. A hot water valve 23A provided, a pipe 15B for supplying hot water from the hot water tank 10 to a mixing bowl 14 disposed below the sugar container 11, a hot water valve 23B provided in the pipe 15B, and a downstream side of the check valve 21 There is provided a pipe 6C branched from the pipe 6A and discharging the waste liquid to the drain bucket 18 via the hot water valve 24.
[0009]
The ground bean supply unit 7 includes a bean storage container 7A for storing coffee beans, a coffee mill 7B for grinding coffee beans with a grinding blade (not shown) rotating at high speed, and a mill motor for rotating the grinding blade of the coffee mill 7B. 7C, and a chute 7D that is supplied from the measuring device 5 and guides the ground beans crushed by the coffee mill 7B and measured based on the volume to the extractor 30. Hot water tank 10 has a power supply unit 10A for supplying current to heater H1 for drinking water, and a float switch for detecting a change in the water level of hot water in the tank and outputting a water level decrease signal when the water level falls below a predetermined water level. 10B and a hot water temperature sensor 10D that outputs a temperature detection signal according to the hot water temperature in the tank. The amount of water stored in the hot water tank 10 is 5 liters, the output of the heater H1 is 1 kW, and the temperature of the hot water in the hot water tank 10 is maintained at about 97 ° C. The check valve 21 is formed by housing a ball made of a metal material and a spring for urging the ball in a predetermined direction in a housing. In the present embodiment, the flow direction of the hot water from the hot water tank 10 to the extractor 30 is the forward direction, and the ball is urged in the upstream direction by a spring.
[0010]
The extractor 30 includes a cylinder 32 to which the ground beans are supplied via the chute 7D, a piston drive motor 33 for raising and lowering a piston 39 in the cylinder 32, a torque transmission unit 34 for transmitting the drive torque of the piston drive motor to the piston 39, A cylinder unit D integrally provided with a slide guide (described later) provided on an upper portion of the cylinder 32 and engaged with a guide rail (not shown) formed on the main body of the extractor, and engaged with the cylinder 32 via a pipe 6A. A cap 37 for supplying a predetermined high-temperature hot water into the cylinder 32 and a gear 36 for transmitting the driving torque of the cap motor 35 to tilt the cylinder unit D about the fulcrum 34A and to engage the cap 37 with the cylinder 32. Having. Below the cylinder 32 of the cylinder unit D, a beverage supply pipe 30A for supplying the extracted coffee beverage to the cup 9 is attached.
[0011]
In addition, in the cup-type vending machine having the above-described configuration, for simplicity of description, a cup supply unit for supplying the cup 9, a power supply unit for supplying current to the pump 60, a power supply unit for supplying current to the mill motor 7C, The illustration of components such as a stirrer for stirring the beverage in 9, a pipe for a cold beverage, and a raw material storage unit is omitted.
[0012]
FIG. 1B shows a pump 60 that supplies hot water from the hot water tank 10 to the downstream side by rotating a pair of gears 60D and 60E in the direction of the arrow. The pair of gears 60D and 60E rotate the rotation shaft 60C or 60F by a motor (not shown) to send hot water to the pipe 6A at a supply amount corresponding to the rotation speed.
[0013]
2A and 2B show the measuring device 5, wherein FIG. 2A is an overall view and FIG. 2B is a front surface portion provided with a front lid 5 </ b> B. The measuring device 5 includes a measuring chamber 51 having an introduction portion 5A for introducing the ground beans into an upper portion, a hinge portion 52 for rotatably supporting the front lid 5B at an end of the measuring chamber 51, and an inner portion of the measuring chamber 51. A piston 56D integrally formed and slidably housed therein, a piston rod 56 having a rack portion 56A on a side surface, a spring portion 56B formed at a rear end of the piston rod 56, and a portion near the spring portion 56B. The cutout 56C formed, the protrusions 50A and 50B attached to the measuring chamber 51 and abutting on the spring portion 56B to restrict the movement of the piston rod 56, and the cutout 56C of the spring portion 56B are optically detected. An optical sensor 57, a drive shaft 58 having a drive gear 58A meshing with a rack portion 56A of the piston rod 56, and a metering motor 59A for rotating the drive shaft 58 via a torque transmitting portion 59. The rotation axis of the hinge portion 52 is provided in the vertical direction, and the front lid 5B is formed so as to rotate in the horizontal direction to open the frontmost portion of the measuring chamber 51. It is provided above the opening of the front lid 5B so as not to adhere. The front lid 5B is fixed from the hinge portion 52 via a lid support member 5C formed in an inverted “H” shape. The open end of the lid supporting member 5C reaches the side of the measuring chamber 51, and has a light detecting unit 5E at the end which engages with an optical sensor 5D provided on the side of the measuring chamber 51. The diameter of the driving gear 58A is 17.5 mm, and the outer peripheral length of the gear portion meshing with the rack 56A is about 55 mm. Further, a measuring encoder 59B for detecting a rotation amount is provided on a rotating shaft of the measuring motor 59A.
[0014]
3A and 3B show a state in which the front lid 5B of the measuring instrument 9 is opened. FIG. 3A is an overall view, and FIG. 3B is a front surface on which the front lid 5B is provided. Ground beans are supplied from the introduction section 5A to the measuring chamber 51, and when the measuring chamber 51 is filled with the ground beans, the front lid 5B slightly rotates. When this rotation is detected by the optical sensor 5D having the light emitting unit 5a and the light receiving unit 5b, the mill motor 7C is stopped to stop the supply of the ground beans to the measuring chamber 51, and after stopping, the measuring motor 59A is energized. The drive gear 58A rotates to move the piston rod 56 forward. At the tip of a piston 56D formed integrally with the piston rod 56, a projection 56a that contacts the front lid 5B is provided.
[0015]
FIG. 4 shows the piston rod 56 in a state where the measuring chamber 51 is omitted from illustration. The front lid 5B moves the hinge part 52 by moving the piston rod 56 forward with the projection 56a of the piston 56D abutting. And rotates counterclockwise on the paper surface against the reaction force of the spring 55A provided coaxially with the axis. At this time, the front lid 5B and the tip of the measuring chamber 51 are separated from each other, and the ground beans easily fall without being caught between the front lid 5B and the measuring chamber 51.
[0016]
5A and 5B show the cylinder unit D, wherein FIG. 5A shows the front side and FIG. 5B shows the rear side. The cap 37 has a seal member 37A that seals a gap when inserted into the cylinder 32, and is connected to the gear 36 by a rod 38. A guide plate 31 having a guide groove g having a predetermined guide pattern formed thereon is fixed to a fixed portion of the rod 38. A lower portion of the guide groove g is provided with an engagement formed outside the side wall of the cylinder 32. The projection 32A is engaged. The lower part of the piston 39 accommodated in the cylinder 32 is connected to a beverage supply pipe 30A for supplying the extracted coffee beverage to the cup. The lower side wall of the chute 7D is provided with a wiper W for separating the extraction residue (not shown) pushed up by the piston 39 from the piston 39. Drop along the inclined part S.
[0017]
When the driving torque of the cap motor 35 is transmitted via the gear 35A to drive the gear 36 in the r1 direction, the cylinder unit D moves about 30 degrees in the r2 direction about the fulcrum 34A based on the guide pattern of the guide groove g. The cap 37 is inclined and displaced in the r3 direction and inserted into the cylinder 32.
[0018]
6A and 6B show the torque transmitting unit 34, wherein FIG. 6A shows the left side, FIG. 6B shows the front, and FIG. 6C shows the right side. The driving torque of the piston drive motor 33 is transmitted from the gear 341 attached to the rotation shaft of the piston drive motor 33 to the gear 342A, transmitted to the gear 342B provided coaxially with the gear 342A, and provided from the gear 342B to the shaft 343. Is transmitted to the gear 344A. A worm gear 344B is provided below the shaft 343, and the driving torque transmitted from the gear 344A is transmitted from the worm gear 344B to a gear 345A attached to a shaft 345 arranged in a direction orthogonal to the shaft 343, and the gear 345A Is transmitted to a gear 345B provided coaxially with the gear. The driving torque transmitted from gear 345B is transmitted to gear 346A attached to shaft 346, transmitted to gear 346B provided coaxially with gear 346A, and transmitted to gear 347A meshing with gear 346A, and transmitted to gear 347A. The power is transmitted to a gear 347B provided coaxially. A rack portion 348 is attached to a lower portion of the piston 39, and gears 346B and 347B mesh with both surfaces of the rack portion 348. The gears 346B and 347B rotate in opposite directions while holding the rack 348 when the drive torque corresponding to the rotation direction of the piston drive motor 33 is transmitted, thereby moving the piston 39 up and down in the cylinder 32. .
[0019]
The worm gear 344B provided on the shaft 343 prevents the piston 39 from lowering when pressure is applied from the piston 39 side in the process of extracting the coffee beverage.
[0020]
The piston 39 has a predetermined pressure-resistant strength, a piston head 39A, a piston base 39B locked to the piston head 39A by screws 39C and fixed to the rack portion 348, and a piston base 39B attached to the piston head 39A and coffee from the cylinder 32. A delivery section 39D for delivering a beverage and connected to a beverage supply pipe 30A (not shown), an O-ring 39E mounted on an outer peripheral portion of the piston head 39A, and a piston formed of a thin metal plate having corrosion resistance. There is a filter 39F mounted on the upper part of the head 39A, and the piston head 39A and the piston base 39B are locked so as to have a predetermined clearance without applying pressure to the piston head 39A.
[0021]
FIG. 7 shows a state in which the cylinder unit D is inclined. By driving the cap motor 35 and rotating the gear 36, the cylinder unit D is inclined counterclockwise around the fulcrum 34A and the cap 37 is lowered and inserted into the cylinder 32. Is done. Although not shown in the figure, the cylinder 32 is supplied with a predetermined amount of ground beans that has been measured in advance via a chute 7D before tilting.
[0022]
8A and 8B show a current detection circuit for detecting a current supplied to the piston drive motor 33. FIG. 8A is a circuit diagram, and FIG. 8B shows a relationship between a detected current value and a compressive load applied to the piston 39. A motor drive circuit 70 for controlling the rotation of the piston drive motor 33 is connected to a power supply line (24 VDC) 71 and has signal terminals A and B for inputting an energization signal from a main control unit (described later). The piston drive motor 33 is fixed to the ground potential via a detection resistor 72 and is connected to a current detection circuit 74 via an A / D converter 73. When the energization signal input to the signal terminal A of the motor drive circuit 70 is H and the energization signal input to the signal terminal B is L, the piston drive motor 33 rotates in the forward direction, and the energization signal input to the signal terminal A is When the energizing signal input to the signal terminal B at L is H, the piston drive motor 33 rotates in the reverse direction, and when the energizing signal input to the signal terminals A and B is L, the piston drive motor 33 stops, When the energization signal input to the terminals A and B is H, the piston drive motor 33 is braked. When the load on the piston 39 increases due to the compression of the ground beans, the current supplied to the piston drive motor 33 increases as shown in FIG.
[0023]
In the extractor 30 of the present embodiment, the compression load applied to the piston 39 when the current detection circuit 74 detects a current of 0.5 A is 12.5 kgf, and the compression load applied to the piston 39 when a current of 2 A is detected. The compression load is 50 kgf. In general, if the amount of ground beans compressed is large, the hot water passage speed will be small and a strong coffee beverage will be extracted.If the compressed amount is small, the hot water passage speed will be large and a thin coffee beverage will be produced. Is extracted. By controlling the energization of the piston drive motor 33 based on the relationship between the current value and the compression load, the compression amount of the ground beans according to the coffee drink to be sold is set.
[0024]
FIG. 9 shows the energization characteristics of the piston drive motor 33. The current value in the initial stage of energization from the stop state to the start of rotation of the motor is large. Indicates a value. The current rising characteristics of such a motor differ from motor to motor, and hinder the detectability of a current change according to the load applied to the piston 39. For example, at the time of tamping, the energization is started at time t1 and the measurement of the current value is started after Δt seconds, thereby avoiding the current rising characteristic at the beginning of energization. In the present embodiment, Δt is set to 0.1 second, and the same measurement is performed during each energization of packing, hot water suction, and slag pushing up. In addition, since the amount of current increases due to the sliding resistance between the O-ring 39E mounted on the piston 39 and the cylinder 32, the current detection circuit 74 supplies the main control unit 100 with a current value obtained by subtracting the current value corresponding to the sliding resistance. Output.
[0025]
FIG. 10 shows a control block of the cup-type vending machine. The vending control unit 101, the flow meter 19, the pressure sensor 25, the float switch 2A of the cistern 2, the float switch 10B of the hot water tank 10, and the cap provided on the extractor 30 An optical sensor 36B for detecting the top dead center 37, an optical sensor 36C for detecting the bottom dead center, an optical sensor 36D for detecting the slag disposal position, and an optical sensor 39G for detecting the top dead center of the piston 39 provided in the extractor 30. The optical sensor 39H for detecting bottom dead center, the optical sensor 5D for detecting the rotation of the front lid 5B of the measuring device 5, the measuring encoder 59B of the measuring device 5, and the respective components based on the outputs of the optical sensor 57 of the measuring device 5. A main controller 100 for controlling, a memory 102 for storing control data of each section of the cup-type vending machine, and a clock generated by a reference clock generator (not shown) Having a timer 103 for measuring time by counting. The optical sensors 36B, 36C, and 36D are provided on, for example, the gear 36 driven by the motor 35, and include a pair of light receiving units and a light emitting unit that are shielded from the optical path by a disk having a slit for light transmission. This is a transmission type optical sensor, and is provided so as to be in a light receiving (ON) state when the cap 37 is at the top dead center, the bottom dead center, and the slag disposal position. The optical sensors 39G and 39H are, for example, transmissive optical sensors having a pair of light receiving units and light emitting units whose optical paths are shielded by a light shielding unit formed in the rack unit 348. The position of the piston 39 is detected based on the light receiving / shielding output patterns of the sensors 39G and 39H.
[0026]
FIGS. 11A to 11H schematically show the extraction operation of the extractor 30. FIG.
FIG. 11A shows a process of supplying the ground beans, in which the cylinder unit D is upright, and supplies the ground beans P supplied from the measuring device 5 to the cylinder 32 via the chute 7D.
[0027]
FIG. 11 (b) shows a first state of the extraction preparation step. When the ground beans are supplied to the cylinder 32, the cap motor 35 is energized to drive the gear 36, and the cylinder unit D is moved around the fulcrum 34A. Is rotated counterclockwise.
[0028]
FIG. 11C shows a second state of the extraction preparation step, in which the cap 37 is lowered and inserted into the cylinder 32 in synchronization with the inclination of the cylinder unit D, and the driving of the cap motor 35 is stopped. At this time, the gear 36 stops at a position rotated by 180 degrees from the state shown in FIG.
[0029]
FIG. 11D shows a first state of the extraction process. When the cap 37 is inserted into the cylinder 32, the piston drive motor 33 is energized to compress the ground beans by raising the piston 39 in the direction of the arrow. (Tamping). As the compression of the ground beans progresses, the load on the piston 39 increases, so that the current value of the piston drive motor 33 increases. This increase in the current value is detected by a current detection circuit 74, and when a predetermined current value is detected, the piston drive motor 33 is braked. To a compressed state. After compression, hot water is supplied into the cylinder 32 via the pipe 6A. When pressure is applied to the piston 39 at the time of compressing the extracted slag, the piston head 39A moves in the pressure action direction, and the O-ring 39E provided between the piston 39 and the piston base 39B is elastically deformed based on this movement, and the piston 39 and the cylinder 39 are moved. By pressing against the cylinder 32, the airtightness of the cylinder 32 is maintained. The hot water supplied into the cylinder 32 dissolves the coffee component when passing through the ground beans, becomes a coffee extract, and is poured into the cup 9 (not shown) via the beverage supply pipe 30A.
[0030]
FIG. 11E shows a second state of the extraction step. After the hot water valve 24 is opened to bring the pipe 6A to atmospheric pressure, the piston drive motor 33 is driven to raise the piston 39 in the cylinder 32. Then, the extraction residue containing the coffee extract is compressed (packed), and the squeezed coffee beverage is delivered to the beverage supply pipe 30A.
[0031]
FIG. 11F shows a suction step of sucking air into the cylinder 32, in which the piston drive motor 33 is driven in reverse to lower the piston 39. By this lowering operation of the piston 39, the coffee extract remaining in the pipe 30A is sucked into the cylinder 32. At this time, the hot water remaining in the pipe 6A due to the negative pressure in the cylinder 32 is also sucked.
[0032]
FIG. 11 (g) shows a step of preparing the disposal of the extracted slag. The cap 37 is separated from the cylinder 32 by driving the cap motor 35 to rotate the gear 36 by 90 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 11 (c). After the separation, the piston 39 is raised to push up the extraction residue remaining in the cylinder 32 and stop.
[0033]
FIG. 11 (h) shows a process of discarding the extracted residue A. When the cap motor 35 is driven and the gear 36 is further rotated by 90 degrees, the cylinder unit D rotates in the direction of the arrow and stops in an upright state. During this rotation, the extracted residue pushed up by the piston 39 is scraped off by the wiper W provided on the lower side wall of the chute 7D, falls as indicated by an arrow, and enters a residue bucket (not shown).
[0034]
FIG. 12 shows a timing chart in the selling operation of the cup-type vending machine. In the same figure, optical sensors 36B, 36C, 36D for detecting the top dead center, the bottom dead center, and the waste disposal position of the cap 37, and optical sensors 39G, 39H for detecting the positions of the top dead center, the bottom dead center of the piston 39. Are set to ON (H) when light is received and OFF (L) when light is shielded.
[0035]
When the buyer inserts a coin, a control signal is output from the sales control unit 101 to the main control unit 100 to open the extraction hot water valve 22, and the pump 60 is driven at a low speed to send a small amount of hot water to the pipe 6A. You. At this time, the pump 60 is driven at a low speed so as to send out the hot water of a pumping amount without pushing and opening the check valve 21 provided in the pipe 6A. As a result, the hot water staying in the pipe 6A is pumped to the pipe 6B and returned to the hot water tank 10, and the pipe 6A is heated with high-temperature hot water of about 90 to 95 ° C. supplied from the hot water tank 10. When the warm-up of the pipe 6A is completed, the pump 60 is stopped, and after a certain time, the extraction hot water valve 22 is closed. The reason for delaying the timing of closing the extraction hot water valve 22 is that when the extraction hot water valve 22 is closed at the same time as the pump is stopped or before the pump 60 is stopped, the pressure in the pipe 6A increases, and the check valve 21 is pushed open. This is to prevent hot water from being supplied to the extractor 30 and being absorbed by the ground beans in the cylinder 32.
[0036]
In addition to driving the pump 60 at a low speed, for example, a pipe line is formed so that the pipe resistance of the pipe 6B including the hot water valve 22 is smaller than the pipe resistance of the pipe 6A. 22 may be opened.
[0037]
Here, when the purchaser presses the selection button of the coffee beverage after the drive of the pump 60 is stopped and before the extraction hot water valve 22 is closed, the sales control unit 101 outputs a sales signal to the main control unit 100. The main control unit 100 executes the selling operation by closing the extracted hot water valve 22 based on the input of the selling signal.
[0038]
When the purchaser presses the selection button for the coffee beverage containing sugar and cream after the extraction hot-water valve 22 is closed, a sales signal is output from the sales control unit 101 to the main control unit 100, and the main control unit 100 outputs An energization signal is output to the 59A power supply unit. The metering motor 59A rotates based on this energization signal, and the ground beans contained in the metering chamber 51 are pushed out by the piston 56D and supplied to the cylinder 32 of the extractor 30 via the chute 7D. The piston 56D is retracted by a moving amount corresponding to the volume (bulk) in order to measure the ground beans to be used at the next sale with the foremost portion as a reference position (measurement origin). This movement amount is set by counting the pulses output from the weighing encoder 59B, and stopping the rotation of the weighing motor 59A when a predetermined count value is reached.
[0039]
After supplying the ground beans, the cap motor 35 is driven to tilt the cylinder unit D of the extractor 30 to the extraction position. The cap 37 is inserted into the cylinder 32 in synchronization with the tilting operation, and the optical sensor 36C is turned on. The main control unit 100 outputs an energizing signal to the motor drive circuit 70 based on the ON signal of the optical sensor 36C to drive the piston drive motor 33, whereby the piston 39 is raised, and the ground beans stored in the cylinder 32 are removed. Tamping. The current value of the piston drive motor 33 at the time of this tamping is detected by the current detection circuit 74, and when a predetermined current value corresponding to the coffee beverage to be sold is detected, the piston drive motor 33 is braked, and thereafter, the energization is stopped. I do.
[0040]
The compression amount of ground beans by tamping depends on the type of beverage (hot or ice), the degree of roasting of the ground beans, the granularity of the ground beans, the presence of sugar, the presence of cream, and other sales requests according to the purchaser's preference. The setting is performed by reading the set amount stored in the memory 102 into the main control unit 100 based on this.
[0041]
The ground bean supply unit 7 crushes the coffee beans supplied from the bean storage container 7A with a coffee mill 7B and supplies the ground coffee to the measuring instrument 5 as ground beans to be used at the next sale.
[0042]
After the tamping of the ground beans, the hot water valve 23A of the pipe 15A connected to the hot water tank 10 is opened to supply hot water to the mixing bowl 14, and the sugar supplied from the sugar container 11 is dissolved in the hot water. Similarly, the hot water valve 23B of the pipe 15B is opened to supply hot water to the mixing bowl 14, and the cream raw material supplied from the cream container 12A is dissolved with the hot water.
[0043]
Subsequently, the pump 60 is driven to supply high-temperature hot water heated to approximately 90 to 95 ° C. at a pressure of 6 to 8 atm to the cylinder 32. When the high-temperature hot water passes through the ground beans, the coffee component is dissolved to form a coffee beverage, which is supplied to the cup 9 via the beverage supply pipe 30A. The flow meter 19 outputs a flow signal to the main control unit 100 according to the amount of hot water pumped through the pipe 6A at the time of extracting the coffee beverage. In the cup 9, hot water in which sugar is dissolved is supplied from a mixing bowl 14 of a sugar supply system, and hot water in which cream is dissolved is supplied from a mixing bowl 14 of a cream system, and mixed with the extracted coffee beverage.
[0044]
When the extraction of the coffee beverage is completed, the drive of the pump 60 is stopped, and after a lapse of a predetermined time (0.5 seconds), the hot water valve 24 is opened, and the piston drive motor 33 is driven to further raise the piston 39. After the extraction residue is packed and the coffee beverage is squeezed based on the upward movement of the piston 39, the hot water valve 24 is closed, the piston drive motor 33 is driven in reverse to lower the piston 39, and thereby the downstream side of the check valve 21. The coffee extract retained in the pipe 30 </ b> A on the side is sucked into the cylinder 32. The sucked hot water is absorbed by the extraction residue.
[0045]
The disposal of the extraction residue is performed by driving the cap motor 35 to separate the cap 37 from the cylinder 32, and then driving the piston drive motor 33 to rotate forward to raise the piston 39, thereby pushing up the extraction residue to raise the cylinder 32. The cap unit 35 is exposed from the top, and in this state, the cap motor 35 is driven to rotate the cylinder unit D to the upright position. By this rotation, the extracted residue comes into contact with the wiper W provided on the lower side wall of the chute 7D and is removed from the cylinder unit D. After the removal of the extracted slag, the selling operation is completed by driving the piston drive motor 33 in the reverse direction to lower the piston 39, and the sales standby state is entered.
[0046]
According to the cup-type vending machine described above, the hot water valve 24 that opens the pipe 6A to the atmosphere is provided, and the pressure can be quickly released by opening the hot water valve 24 after the end of the extraction operation. When the hot water valve 24 is opened to release the pressure, the hot water in the pipe 6A is drained to the drain bucket 18. This prevents the coffee beverage squeezed out at the time of compressing the extracted slag from being mixed with the hot water staying in the pipe 6A and soiling the inside of the pipe. For example, by releasing the piston 39 by driving the piston drive motor 33 in synchronization with the timing of opening the hot water valve 24, the pressure release and drainage in the pipe 6A can be improved.
[0047]
In the embodiment of the present invention, the production of hot coffee has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to a cup-type vending machine that sells iced coffee.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the cup-type vending machine of the present invention, since the opening of the valve that opens the pipe to the atmosphere after the extraction of the coffee beverage is controlled by the control means, the inside of the extraction machine is quickly enlarged after the extraction of the coffee beverage. Can be at atmospheric pressure.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1A is an explanatory view showing a cup-type vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(B) is an explanatory view of a pump mounted on a cup-type vending machine.
FIG. 2 (a) is an overall view of a measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(B) is an explanatory view of the front part of the measuring instrument.
FIG. 3A is an overall view of a measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(B) is an explanatory view of the front part of the measuring instrument.
FIG. 4A is a plan view of a measuring instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 (a) is a partially cutaway front view of the extractor according to the embodiment of the present invention.
(B) is a rear view of the extractor according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6A is a side view of the torque transmission unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
(B) is a front view in which a part of the torque transmission unit according to the embodiment of the present invention is cut away.
(C) is another side view of the torque transmitting unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an extractor according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram showing a current detection circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
(B) is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the compression load and the current value of the motor.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the energization characteristics of a piston drive motor.
FIG. 10 is a control block diagram of a cup-type vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 11A to 11H are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the extractor according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a timing chart of the cup-type vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, intake pipe
1A, intake valve
2, cistern
2A, float switch
3A, piping
5, measuring instrument
5A, Introduction
5a, light emitting unit
5B, front lid
5b, light receiving section
5C, lid support member
5D, optical sensor
5E, photodetector
6A, piping
6B, piping
6C, piping
6D, piping
6E, piping
6F, introduction pipe
6G, piping
7. Ground bean supply department
7A, Bean storage container
7B, coffee mill
7C, mill motor
7D, Shoot
8. Extractor
8A, extraction container
8B, beverage supply pipe
8C, rotating shaft
8D, movement motor
8E, hole
9, cup
10. Hot water tank
10A, power supply
10B, float switch
10D, hot water temperature sensor
11. Sugar container
12A, cream container
12B, cream container
13. Shoot
14. Mixing bowl
14A, supply pipe
15A, piping
15B, piping
16. Piping
17, slag bucket
18. Drain bucket
19. Flow meter
20, solenoid valve
21, check valve
22, extraction hot water valve
23A, Yuben
23B, Yuben
24, Yuben
25, pressure sensor
30, extractor
30A, beverage supply pipe
31, guide plate
32, cylinder
33, piston drive motor
34, torque transmission section
34A, fulcrum
35, cap motor
35A, gear
36, gear
36A, rotating shaft
36B, optical sensor
36C, optical sensor
36D, optical sensor
37, cap
38, rod
39, piston
39A, piston head
39B, piston base
39C, screw
39D, sending section
39E, O-ring
39F, filter
39G, optical sensor
39H, optical sensor
40, slide guide
50A, protrusion
50B, protrusion
51, weighing room
52, hinge part
55A, spring
56, piston rod
56A, rack
56a, protrusion
56B, spring part
56C, notch
56D, piston
57, optical sensor
58, drive shaft
58A, drive gear
59, torque transmission section
59A, weighing motor
59B, weighing encoder
60, pump
60A, bypass pipe
60B, valve
60C, rotating shaft
60D, gear
60E, gear
60F, rotating shaft
70, motor drive circuit
71, power line
72, detection resistor
73, A / D converter
74, current detection circuit
100, main control unit
101, Sales Control Department
102, memory
103, timer
341, gear
342A, gear
342B, gear
343, axis
344A, gear
344B, worm gear
345, axis
345A, gear
345B, gear
346, axis
346A, gear
346B, gear
347A, gear
347B, gear
348, rack part
A, Extract slag
D, cylinder unit
W, wiper
P, ground beans
g, guide groove
S, slope

Claims (4)

In a cup-type vending machine that supplies ground coffee beans ground to a predetermined particle size to an extractor, and supplies hot water at a predetermined temperature from a hot water tank to the extractor through a pipe to extract a coffee beverage. ,
A discharge pipe branched from the pipe,
A valve interposed in the discharge pipe, which opens the pipe to the atmosphere by opening;
A control means for opening the valve after extracting the coffee beverage, and for driving a piston of the extractor to discharge waste liquid remaining in the pipe through the valve and the discharge pipe. Cup type vending machine. The cup-type vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the control means drives the piston of the extractor after opening the valve. 2. The cup-type vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said control means drives said piston of said extractor in synchronization with an opening operation of said valve. The extractor is a cylinder that contains the ground beans, a piston that is provided in the cylinder so as to be able to move up and down, and a cylinder unit that has a driving unit that drives the piston.
Tilting means for tilting the cylinder unit from a first position to a second position;
The cup-type vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a cap that is relatively engaged with the cylinder in the second posture and that supplies the hot water from the hot water tank into the cylinder.

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