JP7149597B2 - extractor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a brewing device for beverages.

Known methods for extracting coffee liquid include an immersion method in which ground beans are immersed in hot water (for example, Patent Document 1) and a permeation method in which hot water passes through ground beans (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-05-081544 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-024703

In any extraction method, the object to be extracted (ground beans, etc.) and the beverage (coffee beverage, etc.) are separated, but the conventional extraction method has room for improvement in terms of this separation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that is characteristic for separating a liquid to be extracted from a beverage.

According to the invention, for example,
An extraction device for extracting a beverage from an object to be extracted,
an extraction container containing the extraction target and the liquid;
a plurality of filters for separating the extraction target and the beverage;
a plurality of perforated plates ;
The plurality of filters are
a first filter;
a second filter downstream of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage;
The second filter is a finer filter than the first filter,
The first filter is a sheet-like filter,
The second filter is a sheet-like filter,
The plurality of perforated plates are
a first perforated plate overlaid with the first filter;
a second perforated plate overlying the second filter;
The first perforated plate is a honeycomb plate superimposed on the first filter on the upstream side of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage,
The second perforated plate is a honeycomb plate superimposed on the second filter on the upstream side of the second filter in the delivery direction of the beverage.
There is provided an extraction device characterized by:

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique characterized by isolation|separation of extraction object and beverage can be provided.

The external view of a beverage manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the beverage manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1; Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the function of the beverage production apparatus. FIG. 2 is a partially broken perspective view of the separation device; 3 is a perspective view of the drive unit and extraction container; FIG. 6 shows the closed and open states of the brewing container of FIG. 5; FIG. The front view which shows the structure of a part of upper unit and lower unit. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 7; Schematic diagram of the central unit. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device of the beverage manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1; 4A and 4B are flowcharts showing an example of control executed by a control device; FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view of the lid unit; FIG. 3 is an exploded/broken perspective view of the filter portion; (A) and (B) are exploded perspective views of a filter member. The top view of a filter member. (A) is a flowchart showing an example of a discharge process, and (B) is a cross-sectional view of the lid unit 91 showing a mode of removing unnecessary matter. (A) to (C) are diagrams showing another example of the extraction container and the unnecessary matter removal function.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. Also, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

<1. Overview of Beverage Production Equipment>
FIG. 1 is an external view of a beverage manufacturing apparatus 1. FIG. The beverage production apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus for automatically producing a coffee beverage from roasted coffee beans and liquid (here, water), and can produce a cup of coffee beverage per one production operation. . Roasted coffee beans as a raw material can be accommodated in the canister 40 . A cup placing portion 110 is provided in the lower portion of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1, and the manufactured coffee beverage is poured into the cup from the pouring portion 10c. The pouring part 10c is a tubular member for pouring the beverage into the cup, and constitutes a pouring spout.

Beverage production apparatus 1 includes a housing 100 that forms its exterior and encloses internal mechanisms. The housing 100 is roughly divided into a main body portion 101 and a cover portion 102 that covers part of the front surface and part of the side surface of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 . An information display device 12 is provided on the cover portion 102 . In the case of this embodiment, the information display device 12 is a touch-panel display, and can display various types of information as well as receive inputs from the administrator of the device and beverage consumers. The information display device 12 is attached to the cover portion 102 via a moving mechanism 12a, and is vertically movable within a certain range by the moving mechanism 12a.

The cover portion 102 is also provided with a bean inlet 103 and a door 103 a for opening and closing the bean inlet 103 . Roasted coffee beans different from the roasted coffee beans stored in the canister 40 can be thrown into the bean inlet 103 by opening the opening/closing door 103 . This makes it possible to provide a special cup to the beverage consumer.

In this embodiment, the cover portion 102 is made of a translucent material such as acrylic or glass, and constitutes a transparent cover whose entirety is a transmissive portion. Therefore, the inner mechanism covered with the cover portion 102 can be visually recognized from the outside. In the case of this embodiment, a portion of the production section that produces coffee beverages is visible through the cover section 102 . In this embodiment, the main body 101 is entirely non-transmissive, making it difficult to see the inside from the outside.

FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1, showing a part of the production section visible to the user when the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 is viewed from the front. The cover part 102 and the information display device 12 are illustrated by imaginary lines.

A housing 100 in the front portion of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 has a double structure including a main body portion 101 and a cover portion 102 on the outside (front side) thereof. A part of the mechanism of the manufacturing department is arranged between the main body part 101 and the cover part 12 in the front-rear direction, and can be visually recognized by the user through the cover part 102 .

In the case of this embodiment, part of the mechanisms of the manufacturing department that can be visually recognized by the user through the cover part 102 are the collecting transport part 42, the grinders 5A and 5B, the separation device 6, the extraction container 9, and the like, which will be described later. A rectangular recess 101a recessed inward is formed in the front portion of the main body 101, and the extraction container 9 and the like are positioned in the recess 101a inward.

Since these mechanisms can be visually recognized from the outside through the cover portion 102, it may be easier for the administrator to inspect and confirm the operation. In addition, beverage consumers may be able to enjoy the coffee beverage manufacturing process.

The right end of the cover portion 102 is supported by the main body portion 101 via a hinge 102a so that it can be opened and closed horizontally. An engaging portion 102b is provided at the left end of the cover portion 102 to keep the body portion 101 and the cover portion 102 closed. The engaging portion 102b is, for example, a combination of magnet and iron. By opening the cover section 102, the manager can inspect a part of the above-described manufacturing section inside.

In the case of the present embodiment, the cover portion 102 is of a horizontal opening type, but it may be of a vertical opening type (vertical opening type) or of a sliding type. Also, the cover portion 102 may be configured such that it cannot be opened and closed.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the functions of the beverage production apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. The beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a bean processing apparatus 2 and an extraction apparatus 3 as a coffee beverage manufacturing unit.

The bean processing device 2 produces ground beans from roasted coffee beans. The extraction device 3 extracts coffee liquid from ground beans supplied from the bean processing device 2 . The extraction device 3 includes a fluid supply unit 7, a drive unit 8, an extraction container 9 and a switching unit 10, which will be described later. Ground beans supplied from the bean processing device 2 are put into the extraction container 9 . The fluid supply unit 7 feeds hot water into the extraction container 9 . Coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans in the extraction container 9 . Hot water containing the extracted coffee liquid is delivered to the cup C as a coffee beverage via the switching unit 10. - 特許庁

<2. Fluid Supply Unit and Switching Unit>
The configurations of the fluid supply unit 7 and the switching unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the fluid supply unit 7 will be described. The fluid supply unit 7 supplies hot water to the extraction container 9, controls the pressure inside the extraction container 9, and the like. In this document, when atmospheric pressure is indicated by numbers, it means absolute pressure unless otherwise specified, and gauge pressure is atmospheric pressure with atmospheric pressure being 0 atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure refers to the atmospheric pressure around the extraction vessel 9 or the atmospheric pressure of the beverage production apparatus. It is the standard atmospheric pressure (1013.25 hPa) at 0m above sea level of the International Standard Atmosphere (= ``International Standard Atmosphere'' [[abbreviation] ISA]) established in 1976 by the Aviation Organization [[abbreviation] ICAO]).

The fluid supply unit 7 includes pipes L1 to L3. The pipe L1 is a pipe through which air flows, and the pipe L2 is a pipe through which water flows. The pipe L3 is a pipe through which both air and water can flow.

The fluid supply unit 7 includes a compressor 70 as a source of pressurization. Compressor 70 compresses and delivers atmospheric air. The compressor 70 is driven by, for example, a motor (not shown) as a drive source. Compressed air delivered from the compressor 70 is supplied to a reserve tank (accumulator) 71 via a check valve 71a. The air pressure in the reserve tank 71 is monitored by a pressure sensor 71b, and the compressor 70 is driven so as to maintain a predetermined air pressure (7 atmospheres (6 atmospheres in gauge pressure) in this embodiment). The reserve tank 71 is provided with a drain 71c for draining water so that water generated by the compressed air can be drained.

The water tank 72 is a storage unit that stores liquid (here, hot water (water)) that constitutes the coffee beverage. The water tank 72 is provided with a heater 72a for heating the water in the water tank 72 and a temperature sensor 72b for measuring the temperature of the water. The heater 72a maintains the temperature of the accumulated hot water at a predetermined temperature (120 degrees Celsius in this embodiment) based on the detection result of the temperature sensor 72b. The heater 72a is turned on, for example, when the hot water temperature is 118 degrees Celsius, and turned off when the temperature is 120 degrees Celsius.

The water tank 72 is also provided with a water level sensor 72c. A water level sensor 72 c detects the water level of hot water in the water tank 72 . Water is supplied to the water tank 72 when the water level sensor 72c detects that the water level has fallen below a predetermined level. In the case of this embodiment, tap water (normal temperature) is supplied via a water purifier (not shown). A cooling unit 10d is provided in the middle of the pipe L2 from the water purifier. The produced coffee beverage is cooled by the cooling section 10d before reaching the pouring section 10c. In the case of this embodiment, the cooling unit 10d is a heat exchanger, and cools the coffee beverage to an appropriate temperature using tap water from the water purifier as a cooling medium. Moreover, in the case of this embodiment, the tap water from the water purifier is first supplied to the cooling part 10d. As a result, tap water having a relatively low water temperature can be supplied to the cooling unit 10d, and the cooling performance can be improved in some cases.

A solenoid valve 72d is also provided in the middle of the pipe L2 from the water purifier. When the water level sensor 72c detects a drop in the water level, the solenoid valve 72d is opened to supply water, and when the water level reaches a predetermined level, the solenoid valve 72d is closed to cut off the water supply. Thus, the hot water in the water tank 72 is maintained at a constant water level. The water tank 72 may be supplied with water each time the hot water used for making one coffee beverage is discharged.

The water tank 72 is also provided with a pressure sensor 72g. A pressure sensor 72 g detects the air pressure inside the water tank 72 . Air pressure in the reserve tank 71 is supplied to the water tank 72 via a pressure regulating valve 72e and an electromagnetic valve 72f. The pressure regulating valve 72e reduces the pressure supplied from the reserve tank 71 to a predetermined pressure. In the case of this embodiment, the pressure is reduced to 3 atmospheres (2 atmospheres in gauge pressure). The solenoid valve 72f switches between supplying and blocking the air pressure adjusted by the pressure adjusting valve 72e to the water tank 72 . The electromagnetic valve 72f is controlled to open and close so that the pressure inside the water tank 72 is maintained at 3 atm except when tap water is supplied to the water tank 72 . When tap water is supplied to the water tank 72, the pressure in the water tank 72 is set lower than the water pressure of the tap water by the solenoid valve 72h so that the water tank 72 is smoothly replenished with tap water. Reduce the pressure to (eg, less than 2.5 atmospheres). The solenoid valve 72h switches whether to open the water tank 72 to the atmosphere or not, and when the pressure is reduced, the water tank 72 is opened to the atmosphere. In addition, when the pressure inside the water tank 72 exceeds 3 atm, the solenoid valve 72h releases the inside of the water tank 72 to the atmosphere except when tap water is supplied to the water tank 72, and the inside of the water tank 72 is reduced to 3 atm. maintain.

The hot water in the water tank 72 is supplied to the extraction container 9 via the check valve 72j, the solenoid valve 72i and the pipe L3. Hot water is supplied to the extraction container 9 by opening the solenoid valve 72i, and the supply of hot water is cut off by closing the solenoid valve 72i. The amount of hot water supplied to the extraction container 9 can be controlled by the opening time of the electromagnetic valve 72i. However, the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 72i may be controlled by measuring the supply amount. A temperature sensor 73e for measuring the temperature of the hot water is provided in the pipe L3, and the temperature of the hot water supplied to the extraction vessel 9 is monitored.

The air pressure in the reserve tank 71 is also supplied to the extraction vessel 9 via a pressure regulating valve 73a and an electromagnetic valve 73b. The pressure regulating valve 73a reduces the pressure supplied from the reserve tank 71 to a predetermined pressure. In the case of this embodiment, the pressure is reduced to 5 atmospheres (4 atmospheres in gauge pressure). The electromagnetic valve 73b switches between supplying and blocking the pressure adjusted by the pressure adjusting valve 73a to the extraction vessel 9. As shown in FIG. The pressure inside the extraction container 9 is detected by a pressure sensor 73d. When the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized, the electromagnetic valve 73b is opened based on the detection result of the pressure sensor 73d, and the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized to a predetermined atmospheric pressure (in this embodiment, a maximum of 5 atmospheres (4 atmospheres in gauge pressure). )). The pressure inside the extraction container 9 can be reduced by the electromagnetic valve 73c. The electromagnetic valve 73c switches whether to release the inside of the extraction container 9 to the atmosphere, and releases the inside of the extraction container 9 to the atmosphere when the pressure is abnormal (for example, when the inside of the extraction container 9 exceeds 5 atmospheres).

After the production of one coffee beverage is finished, in the case of this embodiment, the inside of the extraction container 9 is washed with tap water. The electromagnetic valve 73f is opened during cleaning to supply tap water to the extraction vessel 9. As shown in FIG.

Next, the switching unit 10 will be explained. The switching unit 10 is a unit that switches the delivery destination of the liquid delivered from the extraction container 9 to either the pouring section 10c or the waste tank T. FIG. The switching unit 10 includes a switching valve 10a and a motor 10b that drives the switching valve 10a. The switching valve 10a switches the flow path to the cooling section 10d when the coffee beverage in the extraction container 9 is delivered. After the coffee beverage is cooled to an appropriate temperature in the cooling section 10d, it is poured into the cup C from the pouring section 10c. When discharging the waste liquid (tap water) and residue (ground beans) during washing, the flow path is switched to the waste tank T. The switching valve 10a is a 3-port ball valve in this embodiment. Since residue passes through the switching valve 10a during cleaning, the switching valve 10a is preferably a ball valve, and the motor 10b rotates its rotary shaft to switch the flow path.

<3. Bean processing equipment>
The bean processing device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. The bean processing device 2 includes a storage device 4 and a crushing device 5 .

<3-1. Storage device>
The storage device 4 includes a plurality of canisters 40 in which roasted coffee beans are stored. In this embodiment, three canisters 40 are provided. The canister 40 includes a cylindrical main body 40a for containing roasted coffee beans and a handle 40b provided on the main body 40a, and is detachably attached to the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

Each canister 40 may contain different types of roasted coffee beans so that the type of roasted coffee beans used to produce the coffee beverage can be selected by operating the information display device 12 . Different kinds of roasted coffee beans are, for example, roasted coffee beans of different coffee bean varieties. The roasted coffee beans of different types are coffee beans of the same variety, but may be roasted coffee beans of different roasting degrees. Moreover, the roasted coffee beans of different types may be roasted coffee beans of different types and degrees of roasting. Also, at least one of the three canisters 40 may contain roasted coffee beans in which roasted coffee beans of a plurality of varieties are mixed. In this case, the roasted coffee beans of each variety may have the same degree of roasting.

In addition, although a plurality of canisters 40 are provided in the present embodiment, a configuration in which only one canister 40 is provided may be employed. Also, when a plurality of canisters 40 are provided, the same kind of roasted coffee beans may be accommodated in all or a plurality of canisters 40 .

Each canister 40 is detachably attached to a weighing and conveying device 41 . The weighing and conveying device 41 is, for example, an electric screw conveyor, and automatically weighs a predetermined amount of roasted coffee beans contained in the canister 40 and delivers them to the downstream side.

Each measuring and conveying device 41 discharges the roasted coffee beans to a collective conveying section 42 on the downstream side. The collective conveying portion 42 is composed of a hollow member, and forms a conveying passage for the roasted coffee beans from each conveyor 41 to the crushing device 5 (particularly the grinder 5A). The roasted coffee beans discharged from each weighing/conveying device 41 move by their own weight inside the collective conveying unit 42 and flow down to the crushing device 5 .

A guide portion 42 a is formed at a position corresponding to the bean input port 103 in the aggregate transport portion 42 . The guide portion 42a forms a passage for guiding the roasted coffee beans introduced from the bean inlet 103 to the grinding device 5 (particularly the grinder 5A). As a result, coffee beverages made from roasted coffee beans fed from the bean feeding port 103 can be produced in addition to the roasted coffee beans housed in the canister 40. - 特許庁

<3-2. Crushing device>
The crushing device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4. FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the separating device 6. FIG. The crushing device 5 includes grinders 5A and 5B and a separation device 6. The grinders 5A and 5B are mechanisms for grinding the roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4. FIG. The roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4 are ground by the grinder 5A, further ground by the grinder 5B into powder, and introduced into the extraction vessel 9 through the discharge pipe 5C.

The grinders 5A and 5B differ in grain size for grinding beans. The grinder 5A is a grinder for coarse grinding, and the grinder 5B is a grinder for fine grinding. Each of the grinders 5A and 5B is an electric grinder, and includes a motor as a driving source and a rotating blade driven by the motor. The size (particle size) of the roasted coffee beans to be pulverized can be changed by changing the rotation speed of the rotary blade.

The separating device 6 is a mechanism for separating unnecessary substances from the ground beans. Separating device 6 includes passage 63a arranged between grinders 5A and 5B. The passage portion 63a is a hollow body forming a separation chamber through which ground beans freely falling from the grinder 5A pass. The passage portion 63a is connected to a passage portion 63b extending in a direction (horizontal direction in this embodiment) that intersects the passing direction of the ground beans (vertical direction in this embodiment). The suction unit 60 is connected to the portion 63b. Light objects such as chaff and fine powder are sucked by the suction unit 60 sucking the air in the passage portion 63a. This allows the unwanted matter to be separated from the ground beans.

The suction unit 60 is a centrifugal mechanism. The suction unit 60 includes an air blowing unit 60A and a collection container 60B. In this embodiment, the blower unit 60A is a fan motor, and exhausts the air in the collection container 60B upward.

Collection container 60B includes an upper portion 61 and a lower portion 62 that are separably engaged. The lower portion 62 has a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open top, forming a space for accumulating unnecessary items. The upper portion 61 constitutes a lid portion that is attached to the opening of the lower portion 62 . The upper portion 61 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 61a and an exhaust pipe 61b formed coaxially therewith. The blower unit 60A is fixed to the upper portion 61 above the exhaust pipe 61b so as to suck the air in the exhaust pipe 61b. A passage portion 63 b is connected to the upper portion 61 . The passage portion 63b opens to the side of the exhaust pipe 61b.

By driving the blower unit 60A, air currents indicated by arrows d1 to d3 in FIG. 4 are generated. Due to this airflow, the air containing unnecessary matter is sucked into the collection container 60B from the passage portion 63a through the passage portion 63b. Since the passage portion 63b is open to the side of the exhaust pipe 61b, the air containing unnecessary substances swirls around the exhaust pipe 61b. The waste D in the air falls by its weight and is collected in a portion of the collection container 60B (deposited on the bottom surface of the lower portion 62). Air is exhausted upward through the inside of the exhaust pipe 61b.

A plurality of fins 61d are integrally formed on the peripheral surface of the exhaust pipe 61b. A plurality of fins 61d are arranged in the circumferential direction of the exhaust pipe 61b. Each fin 61d is obliquely inclined with respect to the axial direction of the exhaust pipe 61b. By providing such fins 61, the swirl of the air containing the unwanted matter D around the exhaust pipe 61b is promoted.

In the case of this embodiment, the lower portion 62 is made of a translucent material such as acrylic or glass, and constitutes a transparent container whose entirety is a transmissive portion. A lower portion 62 is a portion covered with a cover portion 102 (FIG. 2). A manager or a consumer of the beverage can see the unwanted matter D accumulated in the lower portion 62 through the cover portion 102 and the peripheral wall of the lower portion 62 . It may be easier for the administrator to confirm the cleaning timing of the lower portion 62, and for the consumer of the beverage, it is possible to visually confirm that the unnecessary matter D has been removed, which increases expectations for the quality of the coffee beverage being produced. Sometimes.

Thus, in this embodiment, the roasted coffee beans supplied from the storage device 4 are first coarsely ground by the grinder 5A, and when the coarsely ground beans pass through the passage portion 63a, the separation device 6 separates unwanted substances from them. are separated. The coarsely ground beans from which unnecessary matter has been separated are finely ground by the grinder 5B. The wastes separated by the separation device 6 are typically chaff and fine powder. These can reduce the taste of the coffee beverage, and removing chaff and the like from the ground beans can improve the quality of the coffee beverage.

Grinding of roasted coffee beans may be in one grinder (single stage grinding). However, as in the present embodiment, two-stage grinding by the two grinders 5A and 5B makes it easier for the ground beans to have a uniform particle size, and the extraction degree of the coffee liquid can be made constant. During grinding of beans, heat may be generated due to friction between the cutter and the beans. The two-stage pulverization can suppress heat generation due to friction during pulverization and prevent deterioration of the ground beans (for example, loss of flavor).

In addition, by going through the stages of coarse grinding → separation of unnecessary substances → fine grinding, when separating unnecessary substances such as chaff, it is possible to increase the mass difference between the unnecessary substances and the ground beans (required parts). This can improve the separation efficiency of unnecessary substances, and can prevent ground beans (required portions) from being separated as unnecessary substances. In addition, the heat generation of the ground beans can be suppressed by the air cooling by interposing the unnecessary matter separation processing using air suction between the coarse grinding and the fine grinding.

<4. Drive unit and extraction container>
<4-1. Overview>
The drive unit 8 and extraction container 9 of the extraction device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the drive unit 8 and the extraction container 9. FIG. Most of the drive unit 8 is surrounded by the body portion 101 .

The drive unit 8 is supported by the frame F. The frame F includes upper and lower beams F1 and F2 and a column F3 that supports the beams F1 and F2. The drive unit 8 is roughly divided into three units: an upper unit 8A, a middle unit 8B and a lower unit 8C. The upper unit 8A is supported by the beam F1. The middle unit 8B is supported by the beam portion F1 and the pillar portion F3 between the beam portion F1 and the beam portion F2. The lower unit 8C is supported by the beam F2.

The extraction container 9 is a chamber containing a container body 90 and a lid unit 91 . The extraction container 9 may be called a chamber. The central unit 8B includes an arm member 820 that detachably holds the container body 90. As shown in FIG. Arm member 820 includes a holding member 820a and a pair of shaft members 820b spaced apart from each other in the left and right direction. The holding member 820a is an elastic member such as resin formed in a C-shaped clip, and holds the container body 90 by its elastic force. The holding member 82a holds the left and right side portions of the container body 90, and the front side of the container body 90 is exposed. This makes it easier to visually recognize the inside of the container body 90 when viewed from the front.

The container main body 90 is attached to and detached from the holding member 820a by manual operation, and the container main body 90 is attached to the holding member 820a by pressing the container main body 90 forward and backward against the holding member 820a. Further, the container main body 90 can be separated from the holding member 820a by pulling the container main body 90 forward from the holding member 820a.

Each of the pair of shaft members 820b is a rod extending in the front-rear direction, and is a member that supports the holding member 820a. Although the number of shaft members 820b is two in this embodiment, the number may be one or three or more. The holding member 820a is fixed to the front ends of the pair of shaft members 820b. The pair of shaft members 82b are moved forward and backward by a mechanism to be described later, whereby the holding member 820a is moved forward and backward, and the container body 90 can be translated forward and backward. As will be described later, the central unit 8B can also perform an operation of changing the posture of the extraction container 9 (in this embodiment, a rotating operation of turning it upside down).

<4-2. Extraction container>
The extraction container 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing the closed state and the open state of the extraction container 9. FIG. As described above, the extraction vessel 9 is turned upside down by the central unit 8B. The extraction container 9 in FIG. 6 shows a basic posture in which the lid unit 91 is positioned on the upper side. In the following description, when the vertical positional relationship is described, it means the vertical positional relationship in the basic posture unless otherwise specified.

The container body 90 is a container with a bottom and has a bottle shape having a neck portion 90b, a shoulder portion 90d, a body portion 90e and a bottom portion 90f. A flange portion 90c that forms an opening 90a that communicates with the internal space of the container body 90 is formed at the end of the neck portion 90b (upper end of the container body 90).

Both the neck portion 90b and the body portion 90e have a cylindrical shape. The shoulder portion 90d is a portion between the neck portion 90b and the body portion 90e, and has a tapered shape such that the cross-sectional area of the internal space thereof gradually decreases from the body portion 90e side toward the neck portion 90b side. ing.

The lid unit 91 is a unit that opens and closes the opening 90a. The opening/closing operation (lifting operation) of the lid unit 91 is performed by the upper unit 8A.

Container body 90 includes a body member 900 and a bottom member 901 . The main body member 900 is a cylindrical member that is open at the top and bottom and forms a neck portion 90b, a shoulder portion 90d, and a body portion 90e. The bottom member 901 is a member that forms the bottom portion 90f, and is inserted and fixed to the lower portion of the main body member 900. As shown in FIG. A sealing member 902 is interposed between the body member 900 and the bottom member 901 to improve the airtightness inside the container body 90 .

In the case of this embodiment, the main body member 900 is made of a translucent material such as acrylic or glass, and constitutes a transparent container whose entirety is a transmissive portion. A manager or a consumer of the beverage can see the extraction state of the coffee beverage in the container body 90 through the cover portion 102 and the body member 900 of the container body 90 . For the manager, it may be easy to check the extraction operation, and for the consumer of the beverage, it may be possible to enjoy the extraction situation.

A convex portion 901c is provided in the central portion of the bottom member 901. The convex portion 901c has a communication hole (communication hole 904 in FIG. 8) that communicates the interior of the container body 90 with the outside, and a valve that opens and closes the communication hole. (valve 903 in FIG. 8) is provided. The communication hole 904 functions as a discharge part used for discharging unnecessary substances such as waste liquid and residue when cleaning the inside of the container body 90 . A sealing member 908 is provided on the convex portion 901c, and the sealing member 908 is a member for maintaining airtightness between the upper unit 8A or the lower unit 8C and the bottom member 901. As shown in FIG.

The lid unit 91 includes a hat-shaped base member 911 . The base member 911 has a convex portion 911d and a flange portion 911c that overlaps the flange portion 90c when closed. The convex portion 911d has the same structure as the convex portion 901c of the container body 90, and includes a communication hole (communication hole 914 in FIG. 8) that communicates the inside of the container body 90 with the outside, and a valve that opens and closes the communication hole ( A valve 913) in FIG. 8 is provided. The communication hole 914 mainly functions as a delivery part used for injecting hot water into the container body 90 and delivering the coffee beverage. A sealing member 918a is provided on the convex portion 911d. The sealing member 918a is a member for maintaining airtightness between the upper unit 8A or the lower unit 8C and the base member 911. As shown in FIG. The lid unit 91 is provided with a filter portion 915 for filtering. The filter part 915 is disposed at the end of the internal space of the container body 90, particularly just before the delivery part (communication hole 914), and separates ground bean residue from the coffee beverage when the coffee beverage is delivered.

<4-3. Upper unit and lower unit>
The upper unit 8A and the lower unit 8C will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of part of the upper unit 8A and the lower unit 8C, and FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG.

The upper unit 8A includes an operation unit 81A. The operation unit 81A performs opening/closing operation (lifting/lowering) of the lid unit 91 with respect to the container body 90 and opening/closing operation of the valves of the convex portions 901c and 911d. The operation unit 81A includes a support member 800, a holding member 801, an elevation shaft 802 and a probe 803.

The support member 800 is fixed so as not to change its relative position to the frame F, and accommodates the holding member 801 . The support member 800 also includes a communicating portion 800a that allows the inside of the support member 800 to communicate with the pipe L3. Hot water, tap water, and air pressure supplied from pipe L3 are introduced into support member 800 via communicating portion 800a.

The holding member 801 is a member capable of detachably holding the lid unit 91 . The holding member 801 has a cylindrical space into which the protrusion 911d of the lid unit 91 or the protrusion 901c of the bottom member 901 is inserted, and has a mechanism for detachably holding them. This mechanism is, for example, a snap ring mechanism, which engages with a certain pressing force and disengages with a certain separating force. Hot water, tap water, and air pressure supplied from the pipe L3 can be supplied into the extraction vessel 9 via the communicating portion 800a and the communicating hole 801a of the holding member 801. FIG.

The holding member 801 is also a movable member that is vertically slidable within the support member 800 . The elevating shaft 802 is provided so that its axial direction is the vertical direction. The elevating shaft 802 penetrates the top portion of the support member 800 in an air-tight manner in the vertical direction, and is provided so as to be vertically movable with respect to the support member 800 .

A top portion of the holding member 801 is fixed to the lower end portion of the lifting shaft 802 . The holding member 801 slides in the vertical direction by raising and lowering the elevating shaft 802, so that the holding member 801 can be attached to and separated from the projections 911d and 901c. Also, the lid unit 91 can be opened and closed with respect to the container body 90 .

A screw 802a that constitutes a lead screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lifting shaft 802 . A nut 804b is screwed onto the screw 802a. The upper unit 8A has a motor 804a, and the nut 804b is rotated on the spot (without moving up and down) by the driving force of the motor 804a. The elevation shaft 802 is raised and lowered by the rotation of the nut 804b.

The elevating shaft 802 is a tubular shaft having a through hole in its central axis, and the probe 803 is inserted into the through hole so as to be vertically slidable. The probe 803 penetrates the top portion of the holding member 801 in an air-tight manner in the vertical direction, and is vertically movable with respect to the supporting member 800 and the holding member 801 .

The probe 803 is an operator for opening and closing the valves 913 and 903 provided inside the convex portions 911d and 901c. It can be changed from an open state to a closed state (by the action of a return spring, not shown).

A screw 803 a that constitutes a lead screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the probe 803 . A nut 805b is screwed onto the screw 803a. The upper unit 8A has a motor 805a, and the nut 805b is provided so as to rotate on the spot (without moving up and down) by the driving force of the motor 805a. Rotation of the nut 805b moves the probe 803 up and down.

The lower unit 8C includes an operation unit 81C. The operation unit 81C has a configuration in which the operation unit 81A is vertically inverted, and performs opening and closing operations of the valves 913 and 903 provided inside the convex portions 911d and 901c. Although the operation unit 81C is also configured to be able to open and close the lid unit 91, the operation unit 81C is not used for opening and closing the lid unit 91 in this embodiment.

Although the description of the operation unit 81A is substantially the same as the description of the operation unit 81A, the operation unit 81C will be described below. The operation unit 81C includes a support member 810, a holding member 811, an elevation shaft 812 and a probe 813.

The supporting member 810 is fixed so as not to change its relative position to the frame F, and accommodates the holding member 811 . The support member 810 also includes a communicating portion 810a that allows communication between the switching valve 10a of the switching unit 10 and the inside of the support member 810 . The coffee beverage, tap water, and residue of ground beans in the container body 90 are introduced into the switching valve 10a through the communicating portion 810a.

The holding member 811 has a cylindrical space into which the projection 911d of the lid unit 91 or the projection 901c of the bottom member 901 is inserted, and has a mechanism for detachably holding them. This mechanism is, for example, a snap ring mechanism, which engages with a certain pressing force and disengages with a certain separating force. The coffee beverage, tap water, and residue of ground beans in the container body 90 are introduced into the switching valve 10a through the communicating portion 810a and the communicating hole 811a of the holding member 811. As shown in FIG.

The holding member 811 is also a movable member that is vertically slidable within the support member 810 . The elevating shaft 812 is provided so that its axial direction is the vertical direction. The elevating shaft 812 penetrates the bottom of the support member 800 in an air-tight manner in the vertical direction, and is provided to be vertically movable with respect to the support member 810 .

A bottom portion of a holding member 811 is fixed to the lower end portion of the lifting shaft 812 . The holding member 811 slides in the vertical direction by raising and lowering the elevating shaft 812, and the holding member 811 can be attached to and separated from the projections 901c and 911d.

A screw 812 a that constitutes a lead screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lifting shaft 812 . A nut 814b is screwed onto the screw 812a. The lower unit 8C has a motor 814a, and the nut 814b is rotated on the spot (without moving up and down) by the driving force of the motor 814a. The elevation shaft 812 is raised and lowered by the rotation of the nut 814b.

The elevating shaft 812 is a tubular shaft having a through hole in its central axis, and a probe 813 is inserted into the through hole so as to be vertically slidable. The probe 813 penetrates the bottom of the holding member 811 in an air-tight manner in the vertical direction, and is vertically movable with respect to the supporting member 810 and the holding member 811 .

The probe 813 is an operator for opening and closing the valves 913 and 903 provided inside the convex portions 911d and 901c. It can be changed from an open state to a closed state (by the action of a return spring, not shown).

A screw 813 a that constitutes a lead screw mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the probe 813 . A nut 815b is screwed onto the screw 813a. The lower unit 8C has a motor 815a, and the nut 815b is provided so as to rotate on the spot (without moving up and down) by the driving force of the motor 815a. Rotation of the nut 815b moves the probe 813 up and down.

<4-4. Chubu Unit>
The central unit 8B will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 9. FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the central unit 8B. The middle unit 8B includes a support unit 81B that supports the extraction vessel 9. As shown in FIG. The support unit 81B includes a unit body 81B' that supports the lock mechanism 821 in addition to the arm member 820 described above.

The lock mechanism 821 is a mechanism that keeps the lid unit 91 closed with respect to the container body 90 . The locking mechanism 821 includes a pair of gripping members 821a that vertically sandwich the flange portion 911c of the lid unit 91 and the flange portion 90c of the container body 90. As shown in FIG. The pair of gripping members 821a has a C-shaped cross section that is fitted with the collar portion 911c and the flange portion 90c sandwiched therebetween, and is opened and closed in the left-right direction by the driving force of the motor 822 . When the pair of gripping members 821a is in the closed state, each gripping member 821a engages the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c so as to vertically sandwich the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c, as indicated by solid lines in the enclosing view of FIG. The unit 91 is hermetically locked to the container body 90 . In this locked state, even if the holding member 801 is lifted by the lifting shaft 802 to open the lid unit 91, the lid unit 91 does not move (lock is not released). That is, the locking force of the locking mechanism 821 is set stronger than the force of opening the lid unit 91 using the holding member 801 . As a result, it is possible to prevent the lid unit 91 from being opened with respect to the container body 90 in the event of an abnormality.

When the pair of gripping members 821a are in the open state, the gripping members 821a are separated from the flange portion 911c and the flange portion 90c, as indicated by the broken lines in the encircled view of FIG. is unlocked with

When the holding member 801 is holding the lid unit 91 and when the holding member 801 is raised from the lowered position to the raised position, the lid unit 91 is lifted from the container body 90 when the pair of gripping members 821a is open. separated. Conversely, when the pair of gripping members 821a is closed, the holding member 801 with respect to the lid unit 91 is released, and only the holding member 801 is raised.

The central unit 8B also includes a mechanism for horizontally moving the arm member 820 in the front-rear direction using the motor 823 as a drive source. As a result, the container body 90 supported by the arm member 820 can be moved between the rear extracting position (state ST1) and the front bean throwing position (state ST2). The bean-throwing-in position is a position at which ground beans are thrown into the container body 90, and the ground beans ground by the grinder 5B are thrown into the opening 90a of the container body 90 from which the lid unit 91 is separated from the discharge pipe 5C. In other words, the position of the discharge pipe 5C is above the container body 90 positioned at the bean loading position.

The extraction position is a position where the container body 90 can be operated by the operation units 81A and 81C, is coaxial with the probes 803 and 813, and is a position where coffee liquid is extracted. The extraction position is a position on the back side of the bean-throwing-in position. 5, 7 and 8 all show the container body 90 in the extraction position. In this way, by changing the position of the container body 90 for the input of the ground beans, the extraction of the coffee liquid, and the supply of the water, the steam generated during the extraction of the coffee liquid is discharged from the discharge pipe, which is the supply portion of the ground beans. Adherence to 5C can be prevented.

The central unit 8B also includes a mechanism that rotates the support unit 81B around a longitudinal axis 825 using a motor 824 as a drive source. As a result, the posture of the container body 90 (extraction container 9) can be changed from the upright posture (state ST1) with the neck portion 90b on the upper side to the inverted posture (state ST3) with the neck portion 90b on the lower side. While the extraction container 9 is rotating, the locking mechanism 821 keeps the lid unit 91 locked to the container body 90 . The extraction container 9 is turned upside down between the upright posture and the inverted posture. In the inverted posture, the convex portion 911d is positioned at the position of the convex portion 901c in the upright posture. In addition, the convex portion 901c in the inverted posture is positioned at the position of the convex portion 911d in the erect posture. Therefore, in the inverted posture, the operation unit 81A can perform the opening/closing operation for the valve 903, and the operation unit 81C can perform the opening/closing operation for the valve 913. FIG.

<5. Control device>
The control device 11 of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the control device 11. As shown in FIG.

The control device 11 controls the beverage manufacturing device 1 as a whole. The control device 11 includes a processing section 11a, a storage section 11b and an I/F (interface) section 11c. The processing unit 11a is, for example, a processor such as a CPU. The storage unit 11b is, for example, RAM or ROM. The I/F unit 11c includes an input/output interface for inputting/outputting signals between an external device and the processing unit 11a. The I/F unit 11c also includes a communication interface capable of data communication with the server 16 via the communication network 15 such as the Internet. The server 16 can communicate with a mobile terminal 17 with a touch panel such as a smartphone via a communication network 15. For example, it receives information such as reservations for beverage production and impressions from the mobile terminal 17 of beverage consumers. It is possible.

The processing unit 11 a executes a program stored in the storage unit 11 b and controls the actuator group 14 based on instructions from the information display device 12 , detection results from the sensor group 13 , or instructions from the server 16 . The sensor group 13 is various sensors provided in the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 (for example, a hot water temperature sensor, a mechanism operating position detection sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.). The actuator group 14 is various actuators (for example, a motor, an electromagnetic valve, a heater, etc.) provided in the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 .

<6. Operation control example>
An example of control processing of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 executed by the processing unit 11a will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A(A) and (B). FIG. 11A shows a control example related to one coffee beverage production operation. The state of the beverage manufacturing apparatus 1 before the production instruction is given is called a standby state. The state of each mechanism in the standby state is as follows.

The extraction device 3 is in the state of FIG. The extraction container 9 is in an upright posture and positioned at the extraction position. The lock mechanism 821 is closed, and the lid unit 91 closes the opening 90a of the container body 90 . The holding member 801 is in the lowered position and attached to the projection 911d. The holding member 811 is in the raised position and attached to the projection 901c. Valves 903 and 913 are in a closed state. The switching valve 10a communicates the communication portion 810a of the operation unit 8C with the waste tank T. As shown in FIG.

In the standby state, when there is an instruction to produce a coffee beverage, the process of FIG. 11(A) is executed. Preheating is performed in S1. This process is a process of pouring hot water into the container body 90 to heat the container body 90 in advance. First, the valves 903 and 913 are opened. As a result, the pipe L3, the extraction container 9, and the waste tank T are brought into communication.

The electromagnetic valve 72i is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 1500 ms) and then closed. As a result, hot water is injected into the extraction container 9 from the water tank 72 . Subsequently, the electromagnetic valve 73 is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 500 ms) and then closed. As a result, the air in the extraction container 9 is pressurized, and the discharge of hot water to the waste tank T is facilitated. By the above process, the inside of the extraction container 9 and the pipe L2 are preheated, and it is possible to reduce the cooling of the hot water in the subsequent production of the coffee beverage.

In S2, grind processing is performed. Here, roasted coffee beans are ground and the ground beans are put into the container body 90 . First, the lock mechanism 821 is opened, and the holding member 801 is raised to the raised position. The lid unit 91 is held by the holding member 801 and rises together with the holding member 801 . As a result, the lid unit 91 is separated from the container body 90 . The holding member 811 is lowered to the lowered position. The container main body 90 is moved to the bean-throwing-in position. Subsequently, the storage device 4 and the crushing device 5 are operated. As a result, a cup of roasted coffee beans is supplied from the storage device 4 to the grinder 5A. The roasted coffee beans are ground in two stages by the grinders 5A and 5B, and unwanted substances are separated by the separation device 6. - 特許庁Ground beans are put into the container main body 90 .

The container body 90 is returned to the extraction position. The holding member 801 is lowered to the lowered position to attach the lid unit 91 to the container body 90 . The lock mechanism 821 is closed to airtightly lock the lid unit 91 to the container body 90 . The holding member 811 rises to the raised position. Of the valves 903 and 913, the valve 903 is opened and the valve 913 is closed.

Extraction processing is performed in S3. Here, coffee liquid is extracted from the ground beans in the container body 90 . FIG. 11B is a flow chart of the extraction process of S3.

In S11, in order to steam the ground beans in the extraction container 9, hot water less than a cup of hot water is poured into the extraction container 9. - 特許庁Here, the solenoid valve 72i is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 500 ms). As a result, hot water is injected into the extraction container 9 from the water tank 72 . After that, the process of S11 is terminated after waiting for a predetermined time (for example, 5000 ms). This process allows the ground beans to be steamed. By steaming the ground beans, the carbon dioxide gas contained in the ground beans can be released, and the subsequent extraction effect can be enhanced.

In S12, the remaining amount of hot water is poured into the extraction container 9 so that the extraction container 9 can accommodate a cup of hot water. Here, the solenoid valve 72i is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 7000ms). As a result, hot water is injected into the extraction container 9 from the water tank 72 .

By the process of S12, the inside of the extraction container 9 can be brought to a state of a temperature exceeding 100 degrees Celsius (for example, about 110 degrees Celsius) at 1 atmospheric pressure. Subsequently, the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized in S13. Here, the electromagnetic valve 73b is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 1000 ms) to pressurize the inside of the extraction container 9 to a pressure that does not boil hot water (for example, about 4 atmospheres (about 3 atmospheres in gauge pressure)). After that, the valve 903 is closed.

Subsequently, this state is maintained for a predetermined time (for example, 7000 ms) and immersion type coffee liquid extraction is performed (S14). As a result, coffee liquid is extracted by immersion method under high temperature and high pressure. The following effects can be expected from immersion extraction under high temperature and pressure. First, the high pressure makes it easier for the hot water to permeate the inside of the ground beans, thereby promoting the extraction of the coffee liquid. Second, the high temperature promotes the extraction of the coffee liquid. Third, the high temperature lowers the viscosity of the oil contained in the ground beans and promotes the extraction of the oil. This makes it possible to produce a coffee beverage with a high aroma.

The temperature of the hot water (high-temperature water) should be above 100 degrees Celsius, but a higher temperature is advantageous in extracting the coffee liquid. On the other hand, raising the temperature of the hot water generally results in an increase in cost. Therefore, the temperature of the hot water may be, for example, 105 degrees Celsius or higher, or 110 degrees Celsius or higher, or 115 degrees Celsius or higher, or, for example, 130 degrees Celsius or lower, or 120 degrees Celsius or lower. The atmospheric pressure should be such that hot water does not boil.

In S15, the inside of the extraction container 9 is decompressed. Here, the pressure inside the extraction container 9 is switched to the pressure at which hot water boils. Specifically, the valve 913 is opened, and the solenoid valve 73c is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 1000 ms). The inside of the extraction container 9 is released to the atmosphere. After that, the valve 913 is closed again.

The pressure inside the extraction container 9 is rapidly reduced to a pressure lower than the boiling point pressure, and the hot water in the extraction container 9 boils at once. The hot water and ground beans in the extraction container 9 are explosively scattered within the extraction container 9. - 特許庁This allows the water to boil evenly. In addition, destruction of the cell walls of the ground beans can be promoted, and subsequent extraction of the coffee liquid can be further promoted. In addition, the boiling can stir the ground beans and the hot water, thereby promoting the extraction of the coffee liquid. Thus, in this embodiment, the coffee liquid extraction efficiency can be improved.

In S16, the extraction container 9 is reversed from the upright posture to the inverted posture. Here, the holding member 801 is moved to the raised position, and the holding member 811 is moved to the lowered position. Then, the support unit 81B is rotated. After that, the holding member 801 is returned to the lowered position, and the holding member 811 is returned to the raised position. In the inverted extraction container 9, the neck portion 90b and the lid unit 91 are positioned on the lower side.

In S17, permeation-type coffee liquid extraction is performed, and the coffee beverage is delivered to the cup C via the cooling unit 10d. Here, the switching valve 10a is switched to allow communication between the cooling portion 10d and the passage portion 810a of the operation unit 81C. Also, both the valves 903 and 913 are opened. Further, the electromagnetic valve 73b is opened for a predetermined time (for example, 10000 ms) to set the inside pressure of the extraction container 9 to a predetermined pressure (for example, 1.7 atmospheres (0.7 atmospheres in gauge pressure)). In the extraction container 9, the coffee beverage in which the coffee liquid is dissolved in hot water passes through the filter portion 915 provided in the lid unit 91 and is delivered to the cup C via the cooling portion 10d. The filter unit 915 separates the coffee beverage from unnecessary substances (residues of ground beans, etc.), and regulates leakage of the unnecessary substances to the downstream side. The extraction process is completed as described above.

In this embodiment, the immersion extraction in S14 and the permeation extraction in S17 are used together to improve extraction efficiency of the coffee liquid. When the extraction container 9 is in an upright position, the ground beans are deposited from the body portion 90e to the bottom portion 90f. On the other hand, when the extraction container 9 is in an inverted position, the ground beans are deposited from the shoulder portion 90d to the neck portion 90b. The cross-sectional area of the body portion 90e is larger than the cross-sectional area of the neck portion 90b, and the ground beans are deposited thicker in the inverted posture than in the upright posture. That is, when the extraction container 9 is in the upright posture, the ground beans are relatively thin and are deposited widely, and when the extraction container 9 is in the inverted posture, they are deposited relatively thick and narrow.

In the case of this embodiment, the immersion extraction in S14 is performed with the extraction vessel 9 in an upright position, so that the hot water and the ground beans can be brought into contact with each other over a wide range, and the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquid can be improved. However, in this case, hot water and ground beans tend to come into partial contact. On the other hand, since the permeation extraction in S17 is performed with the extraction container 9 in an inverted position, the hot water passes through the piled ground beans while coming into contact with more ground beans. The hot water comes into contact with the ground beans more evenly, and the extraction efficiency of the coffee liquid can be further improved.

Returning to FIG. 11A, after the extraction process of S3, the discharge process of S4 is performed. In this step, unnecessary substances in the extraction container 9 are removed and a cleaning process is performed. The washing of the extraction container 9 is performed by returning the extraction container 9 from the inverted position to the upright position and supplying tap water (purified water) to the extraction container 9 . Then, the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized, and the water in the extraction container 9 is discharged to the waste tank T together with the residue of the ground beans. As a result, unnecessary substances in the extraction container 9 can be removed, and in particular, unnecessary substances such as residue of ground beans adhering to the filter portion 915 can be removed.

Thus, one coffee beverage manufacturing process is completed. Thereafter, similar processing is repeated for each manufacturing instruction. The time required for making one coffee beverage is, for example, about 60 to 90 seconds.

<7. Filter section>
The structure of the filter section 915 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15. FIG. 12 is a cutaway perspective view of the lid unit 91. FIG. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the filter portion 915. FIG. 14A is an exploded perspective view of the filter member 916, and FIG. 14B is an exploded perspective view of the filter member 917. FIG. FIG. 15 is a plan view of the filter member 916. FIG.

The filter portion 915 is supported by the base member 911 of the lid unit 91 and arranged inside the collar portion 911c. The filter portion 915 communicates with the communication hole 914 when the valve 913 is in the open state (the valve 913 is in the closed state in FIG. 12). An arrow d11 indicates the delivery direction when the coffee beverage is delivered from the extraction container 9. As shown in FIG. The filter portion 915 includes filter members 916 and 917 and a holding member 918 that holds them.

<7-1. Filter member>
The filter members 916 and 917 are arranged side by side in the delivery direction d11, with the filter member 916 located upstream in the delivery direction d11 and the filter member 917 located downstream in the delivery direction d11. Although the filter members 916 and 917 have a circular shape in plan view, they may have other shapes such as an elliptical shape and a polygonal shape. Filter member 916 has faces FS1 and FS2, and filter member 917 has faces FS3 and FS4. The face FS1 is the face of the filter member 916 on the upstream side in the d11 direction when delivering the coffee beverage, and the face FS2 is the face on the downstream side. Similarly, face FS3 is the face of the filter member 917 upstream in direction d11 and face FS2 is the face downstream when delivering the coffee beverage. When the lid unit 91 is viewed from the front in the posture shown in FIG. 12, the surfaces FS1, FS2, FS3, and FS4 are arranged in this order in the d11 direction (from left to right in the drawing), and the surfaces FS2 and FS3 face each other. becomes.

The filter member 916 includes a sheet-like filter 916a as a filter material, and the filter member 917 includes a sheet-like filter 917a as a filter material. The sheet surface of the filter 916a intersects the sending direction d11, and in the case of the present embodiment, it is orthogonal. Similarly, the sheet surface of the filter 916b intersects the feeding direction d11, and in the case of the present embodiment, it is orthogonal. The coffee beverage extracted in the extraction container 9 passes through the filter 916a and the filter 917a in this order at the time of delivery, and is separated from unnecessary substances such as residue of ground beans. In this embodiment, two stages of filtration are performed using the filters 916a and 917a, but three or more stages of filtration may be performed using three or more filters.

Filters 916a and 917a are both metal filters. Paper and resin filters can also be used as the filters 916a and 917a, but metal filters are more advantageous in terms of durability. The filters 916a and 917a both have a circular shape in plan view, and have the same configuration except for the coarseness of the mesh. As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the filter 916a has a filtering area 916d and the filter 917a has a filtering area 917d. The filtration area 916d and the filtration area 917d are formed with a large number of micropores and have a filtering function of separating the coffee beverage from unnecessary substances. Micropores can be formed, for example, by etching a metallic raw material.

In this embodiment, the filter 917a is a finer filter than the filter 916a. By making the filter 917a on the downstream side of the filter 916a on the upstream side in the delivery direction d11 a finer filter, the filter 916a catches unwanted substances with a large particle size, and the filter 917a catches unwanted substances with a small particle size. be. As a result, it is possible to separate finer unnecessary substances from the coffee beverage while suppressing the clogging of the filter, and to provide the coffee beverage with a pleasant texture and a refreshing aftertaste. In addition, since the finely ground beans remain on the filter 917a, the contact area with the hot water (coffee beverage) passing through the filter 917a increases, and the coffee liquid can be extracted from the finely ground beans without waste. Become.

In the case of a single filter member configuration (e.g., only filter member 916), the ground beans will accumulate on one filter member and the weight of the ground beans will be applied to that filter member, thus removing the ground beans from directly above the filter member. The extraction efficiency of coffee liquid may decrease. In this embodiment, a plurality of filter members are used to deliver the coffee beverage, so that the ground beans are distributed and deposited on the surface FS1 of the filter member 916 and the surface FS3 of the filter member 917. FIG. Since the weight of the ground beans is distributed on the surface FS1 and the surface FS2, the coffee beverage is extracted even from the ground beans directly above the surface FS1, and the original taste of the ground beans can be easily brought out.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the user (for example, an administrator, a beverage consumer) can see the extraction status of the coffee beverage in the container main body 90 through the cover portion 102 and the main body member 900 of the container main body 90. However, due to the structure of the filter portion 915, the ground beans deposited on the surface FS3 may be more difficult to visually recognize than the ground beans deposited on the surface FS1. Alternatively, ground beans deposited on the surface FS1 may be visible, but ground beans deposited on the surface FS3 may not be visible. From the user's point of view, the coffee beverage is delivered through the ground beans deposited on the surface FS1, but in reality, the coffee beverage is delivered through the ground beans deposited on the surfaces FS1 and FS3. Produces more flavorful coffee. The user can experience the taste more than expected and can obtain satisfaction.

The size (eg, diameter) of the micropores in the filtration region 916d of the filter 916a is, for example, 1.5 to 3 times the size of the micropores in the filtration region 917d of the filter 917a, or 2 to 2 times. It may be within the range of 0.5 times. In terms of specific sizes of the micropores, the filtering region 916d has a range of 100 μm to 200 μm, and the filtering region 917d has a range of 30 μm to 90 μm. In a specific combination, the pore size of the filtering region 916d is 140 μm, and the pore size of the filtering region 917d is 60 μm.

When one or both of the filter 916a and the filter 917a contain micropores of different sizes, the filter 917a is finer than the filter 916a. is smaller than the average pore size of the filter 916a. In addition, there is also an aspect in which the maximum size of the micropores of the filter 917a is smaller than the minimum size of the micropores of the filter 916a. In addition, there is also an aspect in which the maximum size of the fine pores of the filter 917a is smaller than the maximum size of the fine pores of the filter 916a. In addition, there is also an aspect in which the minimum value of the micropore size of the filter 917a is smaller than the minimum value of the micropore size of the filter 916a.

In addition, the sizes of the numerous micropores in the filtration region 916d may be varied beyond the range of manufacturing error. For example, the central portion of filtering region 916d may be relatively coarse and the periphery relatively fine. A relatively rough center may be advantageous in preventing clogging, as the center tends to have a higher throughput of coffee beverages. Conversely, the central portion of the filtering region 916d may be relatively fine and the peripheral portion relatively coarse. The throughput of the coffee beverage can be increased in the peripheral portion, which may be advantageous in terms of uniformity of the throughput of the coffee beverage in each portion of the filtering region 916d. The size of the myriad micropores in the filtering region 917d may also vary by location, as described for the filtering region 916d.

Next, the filter member 916 can also be composed only of the filter 916a. However, the filter 916a alone may lack the rigidity to withstand fluid pressure. For this reason, the filter member 916 of this embodiment includes a perforated plate 916b that supports the filter 916a as a reinforcement. The perforated plate 916b has a large number of holes 916c which are sufficiently larger than the mesh of the filter 916a. The perforated plate 916b is a metal plate. The perforated plate 916b may be a resin plate, but a metal plate such as a stainless steel plate is more advantageous in terms of durability.

Although there may be one perforated plate 916b, the filter member 916 of this embodiment includes two perforated plates 916b, and the filter 916a is sandwiched and supported by these two perforated plates 916b. By sandwiching the filter 916a between the two perforated plates 916b, the filter 916a can be supported regardless of the flow direction of the liquid passing through the filter 916a.

Referring to FIG. 15, in the case of this embodiment, most of the holes 916c have a hexagonal shape with a maximum width W3, and the perforated plate 916b constitutes a honeycomb plate. The shape of the holes 916c may be circular, elliptical, or the like, but by being hexagonal, the adjacent holes 916c can be formed close to each other, and the opening area of the holes 916c in the perforated plate 916b can be increased. can. In terms of increasing the opening area, the hole 916c may be triangular, quadrangular, or other polygonal shape.

The hole 916b has such a size that many fine holes of the filter 916a are included in its opening area. In this respect, the width W3 (FIG. 15) is, for example, in the range of 5 mm to 20 mm when the size of the micropores is about 140 μm. The larger the hole 916b, the smaller the resistance during delivery of the coffee beverage.

In the case of this embodiment, in the radial direction of the perforated plate 916b, the holes 916c are all hexagonal in the central region R1, but the peripheral region R2 includes holes 916c of different shapes. As described above, the shape of the hole 916c may vary depending on the part, or conversely, may be uniformly the same shape. Although the shape of the hole 916c is the same, the size may differ depending on the part.

Referring to FIG. 14A, in this embodiment, two perforated plates 916b are members having the same shape, and a filter 916a is sandwiched between the pair of perforated plates 916b. The holes 916c of the pair of perforated plates 916b overlap in the delivery direction d11. In the example of FIG. 14A, the hole 916c (#1) of one perforated plate 916b and the positionally corresponding hole 916c (#1) of the other perforated plate 916b exactly overlap. Although the two perforated plates 916b may have holes 916c of different shapes and sizes, the configuration of this embodiment facilitates the passage of the delivered coffee beverage through the filter member 916. FIG.

Next, the filter member 917 can also be composed only of the filter 917a. However, the filter 917a alone may lack rigidity. Therefore, the filter member 917 of this embodiment includes a perforated plate 917b that supports the filter 917a as a reinforcing member. The perforated plate 917b has a large number of holes 917c which are sufficiently larger than the mesh of the filter 917a. In the case of this embodiment, the perforated plate 917b has the same configuration as the perforated plate 916b of the filter member 916, and the details are as described for the perforated plate 916b. As shown in FIG. 14B, the relationship between the two perforated plates 917b of the filter member 917 and the filter 917a is the same as that of the filter member 916. It exactly overlaps with the positionally corresponding hole 917c (#2) of the other perforated plate 917b. That is, the filter member 916 and the filter member 917 differ only in the mesh roughness of the filters 916a and 917a. The filter member 917 may have a configuration different from that of the filter member 916, but the basic structure is shared as in the present embodiment, and in particular, the perforated plates 916b and 917b are made of the same component, thereby reducing the number of component types. Sometimes you can.

All or part of the filter members 916 and 917 may be subjected to fluorine processing. Fluorine processing is performed, for example, on the upper surface of the filter member 917, specifically, the surface of the filter 917a on the upstream side in the delivery direction d11, and the porous plate 917b on the upstream side in the delivery direction d11 of the two porous plates 917b. and may be applied to the upstream face. Wear due to use can be suppressed.

<7-2. Holding member>
The holding member 18 is a cylindrical member that holds the filter members 916 and 917 inside, and functions as packing between the filter members 916 and 917 and the base member 911 . The holding member 18 of the present embodiment is a hollow member having a cylindrical shape as a whole, which is open on both the upstream side and the downstream side in the delivery direction d11 and whose diameter is reduced on the downstream side. Annular concave portions GR1 and GR2 and an annular convex portion PR are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion of the holding member 18 . The recess GR1 is an annular groove into which the peripheral portion of the filter member 916 is fitted over the entire circumference. The recess GR2 is an annular groove in which the peripheral edge of the filter member 917 is fitted over the entire circumference. The protrusion PR is positioned between the recesses GR1 and GR2. The protrusion PR is a portion that protrudes radially inward from the holding member 18 as a result of the formation of the recesses GR1 and GR2.

The filters 916a and 917a are separated by a width W1 in the delivery direction d11, and the filter members 916 and 917 are separated by a width W2 in the delivery direction d11. Therefore, a gap of width W2 is formed between the filter members 916 and 917 (or between the filters 916a and 917a). The width W2 corresponds to the thickness of the protrusion PR (the height in the delivery direction d11), and the protrusion PR functions as a spacer that separates the filter member 916 and the filter member 917 from each other. Although a spacer may be provided as a separate member, the holding member 18 integrally has the convex portion PR as a spacer, so that the number of parts and the man-hours for assembly can be reduced.

When the width W2 (or the width W1) is narrow, the space between the filter 916a and the filter 917a is narrowed, and the portion on the filter 917a through which the coffee beverage passes is biased, and clogging of the filter 917a is likely to occur. There is When the width W2 (or the width W1) is large, the coffee beverage spreads over the filter 917a and easily passes uniformly, but the space occupied by the filter section 915 becomes large. Therefore, the width W2 (or width W1) is, for example, a width within the range of several mm to 1 cm. Width W2 (or width W1) is, in relation to the size of the micropores of the filter 917a, for example, a width that exceeds twice the size of the micropores, and the width W2 (or width W1) is in relation to the pores 917c of the perforated plate 917b. In other words, for example, the width is equal to or less than the width W3.

The spacing between filters 916a and 917a (in other words, the spacing between filter members 916 and 917) may be variable. For example, a total of three or more recessed portions GR1 and recessed portions GR2 are formed, and the interval can be changed by combining filter members 916 and 917 and recesses into which they are fitted.

Next, the holding member 918 of this embodiment is formed of a plurality of packing members (here, two members of packing members 918a and 918b). The packing member 918a forms the upstream portion of the holding member 918 in delivery direction d11 and the packing member 918b forms the downstream portion. The recess GR1 and the projection PR are formed by the packing member 918a, and the recess GR2 is formed by the packing member 918a and the packing member 918b. Since the holding member 918 is composed of a plurality of packing members, it becomes easier to attach the filter members 916 and 917 to the holding member 918 when assembling the filter portion 915 .

The packing member 918a has an engaging portion 918c, and the packing member 918b has an engaging portion 918b. By engaging the engaging portion 918c and the engaging portion 918b, the packing member 918a and the packing member 918b are integrated. The packing member 918b further has an engaging portion 918e. The holding member 918 is fixed to the base member 911 by fitting the engaging portion 918 e with the base member 911 .

<8. Example of discharge treatment>
A specific example of the discharge process of S4 in FIG. 11A will be described with reference to FIG. 16A. FIG. 16A is a flowchart showing an example of discharge processing. In the case of this embodiment, as described above, the filter section 915 constitutes a twin filter including the filter 916a and the filter 917a. Unnecessary substances such as residue of ground beans remain between the filter 916a and the filter 917a, but by the discharge process of the present embodiment, such waste can be removed without removing the filter unit 915 each time a coffee beverage is produced. Unnecessary items can be removed. This makes it possible to produce coffee beverages with little variation in quality every time.

In S21, the extraction container 9 is reversed from the inverted posture to the upright posture. Here, first, the valves 903 and 913 are closed. The holding member 801 is moved to the raised position, and the holding member 811 is moved to the lowered position. Then, the support unit 81B is rotated. A lid unit 91 including a neck portion 90b and a filter portion 915 is positioned on the upper side. FIG. 16B shows the posture of the lid unit 91 located on the upper side. An arrow d12 indicates a direction opposite to the delivery direction d11. Unlike the delivery of the coffee beverage, the filter member 917 is positioned on the upper side and the filter member 916 is positioned on the lower side. After that, the holding member 801 is returned to the lowered position, and the holding member 811 is returned to the raised position.

At S22, the valve 913 is opened. The solenoid valve 73f is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 2500 ms). As a result, tap water (purified water) is injected into the extraction container 9 . Hot water in the water tank 72 can be used for washing, but consumption of hot water reduces the performance of continuous coffee beverage production. Therefore, tap water (purified water) is used in this embodiment. However, other liquid such as hot water in the water tank 72 or detergent sent from a detergent tank (not shown) may be used for washing.

A dashed arrow d13 in FIG. Tap water flows through a communication hole 914 (not shown in FIG. 16) that functions as a delivery part. The tap water passes through the filter member 916 and the filter member 917. The filter member 917 is located on the upstream side in the flow direction d13, and the filter member 916 is located on the downstream side. That is, the tap water flows from filter member 917 to filter member 916 . Unnecessary substances such as residue of ground beans remaining in the gap between the filter member 917 and the filter member 916 can pass through the filter 916a because the pores are finer than those of the filter 916a of the filter member 916. Therefore, the tap water and unnecessary substances are washed into the extraction container 9 as indicated by the dashed arrow d14 and removed from the gap between the filter member 917 and the filter member 916. FIG. Any debris that has accumulated on the filter member 916 during delivery of the coffee beverage is also flushed and removed.

In the case of a structure with one filter member (for example, only filter member 916), adhesion of unwanted matter concentrates on one filter member, and a large force is required for removal. In this embodiment, since the adhesion of the unwanted matter is dispersed to the filter member 916 and the filter member 917, it is possible to relatively reduce the force required to remove the unwanted matter, so that the unwanted matter can be removed more cleanly. becomes possible.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the user (eg, administrator, beverage consumer) can pass through the cover portion 102 and the main body member 900 of the container body 90 to remove the unnecessary liquid from the filter portion 915 in the container body 90 . It is possible to visually recognize the removal processing status of the object. During the removal process, it may be more difficult for the user to see ground beans between surface FS2 and surface FS3 than ground beans that have accumulated on surface FS1 or that have passed through filter member 716 . Alternatively, the ground beans accumulated on the surface FS1 and the ground beans that have passed through the filter member 716 may be visible, but the ground beans between the surface FS2 and the surface FS3 may not be visible. At the beginning of the removal process, the user predicts the amount of residue to be discharged from the ground beans accumulated on the surface FS1, but in reality, the ground beans between the surfaces FS2 and FS3 are also discharged. , the user will be given the impression that unnecessary items have been removed more than expected, and the user will be more satisfied with the cleanliness.

Further, according to the removal process illustrated in FIG. 16, the pressure of the tap water for removal weakens as it goes downstream, so the pressure on the surfaces FS1 to FS4 is increased in the order of the surface FS4, the surface FS3, the FS surface 2, and the FS surface 1. become weak. On the other hand, there is a tendency for large and easily removable unwanted matter to adhere to the surface FS1. In other words, the larger unwanted matter is attached to the surface FS4, the surface FS3, the surface FS2 and the surface FS1, and the removal force may be weaker in the order of the surface FS4, the surface 3FS, the surface FS2 and the surface FS1. In this way, the surface FS4 on which the finest unwanted matter is attached removes the unwanted matter with the strongest removing force, and the surface FS1 on which the coarsest unwanted matter is attached removes the unwanted matter with the weakest removing force. Power can be efficiently used to remove unwanted objects, and is as efficient as necessary.

The inside of the extraction container 9 may be released to the atmosphere for a predetermined time (for example, 500 ms, etc.) before the water supply in S22 or before the reversal in S21. The residual pressure in the extraction container 9 can be released, and the water injection in S22 can be performed smoothly. When the inside of the extraction container 9 is opened to the atmosphere in this way, the gauge pressure inside the extraction container 9 becomes 0 atmospheric pressure. Therefore, when pouring water, the valve 913 may be automatically opened by the water pressure. In this case, the process of opening the valve 913 is unnecessary. When the valve 913 is opened by the water pressure, the balance between the force to return the valve 913 to the closed state and the water pressure makes it easier for water to flow along the inner wall surface of the extraction vessel 9, and the entire inside of the extraction vessel 9. Water becomes easier to supply.

At S23, the valve 903 is opened. The switching valve 10a communicates the communication portion 810a of the operation unit 8C with the waste tank T. As shown in FIG. As a result, the pipe L3, the extraction container 9, and the waste tank T are brought into communication. The electromagnetic valve 73b is opened and closed for a predetermined time (for example, 1000 ms). As a result, the inside of the extraction container 9 is pressurized, and the water in the extraction container 9 is discharged to the disposal tank T together with unnecessary substances such as residue of ground beans. After that, the valves 903 and 913 are closed and the process ends. Since the water used for washing is delivered from the communication hole 904 for discharging, which is different from the communication hole 914 for discharging the coffee beverage, the communication hole 914 can be prevented from being soiled.

16 may be a cleaning process for cleaning the container body 90, the filter member 916, and the filter member 917, or may be a cleaning process for cleaning the container body 90, the filter member 916, and the filter member 917. It may be a removal treatment to remove the ground beans used for the above, the remaining coffee liquid, and the residue).

Also, in the example of FIG. 16, an example of removing unnecessary substances from the filter members 916 and 917 at once by water flow has been shown. You may make it perform individually.

<9. Other Configuration Examples of Extraction Vessel>
In the above-described embodiment, the filter unit 915 is cleaned by changing the posture of the extraction container 9 (inversion up and down). Adoptable. FIG. 17A shows an example thereof.

The illustrated extraction vessel 9A has a hollow vessel body 920 . An input portion 921 for inputting water or ground beans is formed at the upper end portion of the container body 920, and a tubular delivery portion 922 for delivering the coffee beverage is formed at the lower end portion. Arrow d21 indicates the delivery direction of the coffee beverage. A filter section 930 is configured in the sending section 922 , and the filter section 930 is provided with a filter 931 and a filter 932 . The filters 931 and 932 correspond to the filters 916a and 917a of the above embodiments. That is, the filter 932 is a finer filter than the filter 931 . The extraction container 9A extracts the coffee liquid in a permeable manner.

The removal unit 940 is a mechanism for removing unnecessary substances such as residue of ground beans deposited on the filters 931 and 932 . The removal unit 940 includes tubular movable portions 941 and 942 that form part of the delivery portion 922, and an actuator 943 such as an electric cylinder that can reciprocate the movable portions 941 and 942 in a direction intersecting the delivery direction d21. The movable portion 941 forms a portion of the delivery portion 922 directly above the filter 931 , and the movable portion 942 forms a portion directly above the filter 932 .

The operation of removal unit 940 will now be described. FIG. 17B shows a state in which the coffee beverage has been extracted. On the filters 931 and 932, undesired substances 950 such as residues of ground beans are deposited. The actuator 943 is driven to move the movable portions 941 and 942 as shown in FIG. 17(C). When the movable part 941 moves, the unnecessary matter 950 on the filter 931 is wiped off by the movable part 941 and removed to the outside of the delivery part 922 . Also, when the movable part 942 moves, the unnecessary matter 950 on the filter 932 is wiped off by the movable part 942 and removed to the outside of the delivery part 922 . After removing the unwanted matter 950, the actuator 943 returns the movable parts 941 and 942 to their original positions. This returns to the state of FIG. 17(A).

With such a configuration, unnecessary substances on the filters 931 and 932 can be removed without changing the posture of the extraction container 9A. The examples of FIGS. 17A to 17C are mechanisms for wiping the filters 931 and 932 with the movable parts 941 and 942, but other configurations can also be adopted. For example, a mechanism may be used in which a part of the peripheral wall of the delivery section 922 is configured to be openable, and the unnecessary matter 950 on the filters 931 and 932 is blown off to the outside of the delivery section 922 by blowing compressed air.

<Other embodiments>
In the above embodiment, coffee beverages are exclusively targeted, but various beverages such as teas such as Japanese tea and black tea, and soups can also be targeted. In addition, as extraction targets, coffee beans, raw coffee beans, ground coffee beans, roasted coffee beans, ground roasted coffee beans, unroasted coffee beans, ground unroasted coffee beans Beans, powdered coffee beans, instant coffee, coffee in pods, etc. have been exemplified, coffee beverages etc. have been exemplified as beverages, and coffee liquid has been exemplified as beverage liquids, but are not limited to these. In addition, extraction targets include tea leaves such as Japanese tea, black tea, and oolong tea, ground tea leaves, vegetables, crushed vegetables, fruits, crushed fruits, grains, crushed grains, mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms, and mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms. mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms that have been dried after heating, mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms that have been heated and dried and crushed, fish such as bonito, crushed fish such as bonito, bonito Fish that has been dried after heating, such as bonito, that has been dried after heating and then pulverized, Seaweed such as kelp, Crushed seaweed such as kelp, Heated seaweed such as kelp Products that have been dried after heating, products that have been dried after heating seaweed such as kombu and pulverized, products that have been dried after heating meat such as beef, pork, and chicken, products that have been dried after heating pulverized, beef bones, pig bones, chicken bones, etc. that have been dried after heating, and pulverized meat that has been dried after heating. , Beverages such as Japanese tea, black tea, oolong tea, vegetable juice, fruit juice, soup, soup stock, soup, etc. Beverages include Japanese tea extract, black tea extract, oolong tea extract, vegetable extract , fruit extract, mushroom extract, fish extract, meat extract, bone extract and the like. In addition, although water, tap water, purified water, hot water, and washing water are described in the examples, any description may be changed, for example, water may be replaced with hot water or hot water may be replaced with water. It may be replaced by description, and all may be replaced by liquid, steam, hot water, cooling water, cold water, and the like. For example, if it is a description that the object to be extracted (for example, ground roasted coffee beans) and hot water are put in the extraction container 9, the object to be extracted (for example, ground roasted coffee beans) and cold water (simply water may be used). It may be replaced with the description of placing in the extraction container 9, and in this case, it may be regarded as an extraction method for cold brew coffee or the like or a beverage production apparatus.

<Summary of embodiment>
The above embodiments disclose at least the following devices and methods.

1. The extraction device of the above embodiment is an extraction device (for example, 3) that extracts a beverage from an extraction target,
an extraction container (for example, 9, 9A) containing the extraction target and the liquid;
A plurality of filters (for example, 916a, 917a, 931, 932) that separate the extraction target and the beverage,
The plurality of filters are
a first filter (e.g. 916a, 931);
a second filter (e.g., 917a, 932) downstream of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage (e.g., d11);
The second filter is a finer filter than the first filter.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a technique that is characteristic for separating the liquid to be extracted from the beverage. In some cases, it is possible to separate finer unnecessary substances from the beverage while suppressing the clogging of the filter, and to provide the beverage with a pleasant texture and a refreshing aftertaste.

2. The extraction device of the above embodiment is
A removal function (for example, S4, 940) is provided to remove unwanted matter from the second filter.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to remove unwanted matter without removing the filter, and it may be possible to extract a beverage with less variation in quality.

3. The extraction device of the above embodiment is
It has a function of supplying a liquid for removing the unwanted matter from the second filter to the first filter (for example, S21, S22).
According to this embodiment, waste may be removed by liquid flow.

4. The extraction device of the above embodiment is
Posture changing means (for example, 8B) for changing the posture of the extraction container,
The extraction vessel comprises a delivery section (e.g. 914) and an output section (e.g. 904),
the beverage separated from the object to be extracted by the plurality of filters is delivered from the delivery unit;
The unnecessary matter in the extraction vessel is discharged from the discharge section.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to prevent the delivery section from being contaminated with unnecessary matter.

5. The extraction device of the above embodiment is
The first filter is a sheet-like filter,
The second filter is a sheet-like filter,
a first perforated plate (e.g., 916b) overlying and supporting the first filter;
a second perforated plate (e.g., 917b) overlying the second filter and supporting the second filter;
A plurality of holes of the first filter are located in each hole of the first perforated plate,
A plurality of holes of the second filter are located in each hole of the second perforated plate.
According to this embodiment, the filter may be supported by the perforated plate while reducing the resistance to the flow of the beverage.

6. In the extraction device of the above embodiment,
The first perforated plate and the second perforated plate are the same perforated plate,
Each hole of the first perforated plate and each hole of the second perforated plate are arranged so as to overlap in the delivery direction.
According to this embodiment, the number of parts may be reduced, and the filter may be supported by the perforated plate while reducing the resistance to the flow of the beverage.

7. In the extraction device of the above embodiment,
The first filter is a sheet-like filter,
The second filter is a sheet-like filter,
A pair of first perforated plates (e.g., 916b) that overlap the first filter and support the first filter across each other;
A pair of second perforated plates (e.g., 917b) that overlap the second filter and support the second filter in between;
a cylindrical holding member (e.g., 918) that holds the pair of first perforated plates and the pair of second perforated plates,
On the inner peripheral surface of the holding member,
a first annular recess (for example, GR1) that holds the peripheral edges of the pair of first perforated plates;
a second annular recess (for example, GR2) that holds the peripheral edges of the pair of second perforated plates;
An annular protrusion (for example, PR) is formed between the first annular recess and the second annular recess.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to support the first filter and the second filter while forming a gap between the first filter and the second filter by the holding member.

8. The extraction method of the above embodiment is an extraction method for extracting a beverage from an extraction target,
A step (for example, S2, S12) of containing the extraction target and the liquid in an extraction container (for example, 9, 9A);
A step (for example, S17) of separating the extraction target and the beverage with a plurality of filters (for example, 916a, 917a, 931, 932),
The plurality of filters are
a first filter (e.g. 916a, 931);
a second filter (e.g., 917a, 932) downstream of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage;
The second filter is a finer filter than the first filter.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a technique that is characteristic for separating the liquid to be extracted from the beverage. In some cases, it is possible to separate finer unnecessary substances from the beverage while suppressing the clogging of the filter, and to provide the beverage with a pleasant texture and a refreshing aftertaste.

9. The extraction method of the above embodiment is
It further includes a step (eg, S4) of removing unwanted matter from the second filter.
According to this embodiment, it may be possible to extract beverages with less variation in quality.
11. The extraction device of the above embodiment is
An extraction device for extracting a beverage from an object to be extracted,
an extraction container containing the extraction target and the liquid;
a plurality of filters for separating the extraction target and the beverage;
a plurality of perforated plates;
The plurality of filters are
a first filter;
a second filter downstream of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage;
The second filter is a finer filter than the first filter,
The first filter is a sheet-like filter,
The second filter is a sheet-like filter,
The plurality of perforated plates are
a first perforated plate overlaid with the first filter;
a second perforated plate overlying the second filter;
The first perforated plate is a honeycomb plate superimposed on the first filter on the upstream side of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage,
The second perforated plate is a honeycomb plate superimposed on the second filter upstream of the second filter in the beverage delivery direction .
12. The extraction device of the above embodiment is
A function of supplying a liquid for removing unnecessary substances from the second filter in the direction of the first filter,
The plurality of perforated plates are
a third perforated plate overlaid with the first filter;
a fourth perforated plate overlying the second filter;
The third perforated plate is a honeycomb plate that overlaps the first filter on the downstream side of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage,
The fourth perforated plate is a honeycomb plate that overlaps the second filter on the downstream side of the second filter in the delivery direction of the beverage,
The first perforated plate and the third perforated plate sandwich and support the first filter,
The second perforated plate and the fourth perforated plate sandwich and support the first filter,
each hole of the first perforated plate and each hole of the third perforated plate are arranged so as to overlap in the delivery direction of the beverage,
Each hole of the second perforated plate and each hole of the fourth perforated plate are arranged so as to overlap each other in the delivery direction of the beverage .

Although the embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

1 beverage manufacturing device, 3 extraction device, 916a filter, 917a filter

Claims (2)

An extraction device for extracting a beverage from an object to be extracted,
an extraction container containing the extraction target and the liquid;
a plurality of filters for separating the extraction target and the beverage;
a plurality of perforated plates ;
The plurality of filters are
a first filter;
a second filter downstream of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage;
The second filter is a finer filter than the first filter,
The first filter is a sheet-like filter,
The second filter is a sheet-like filter,
The plurality of perforated plates are
a first perforated plate overlaid with the first filter;
a second perforated plate overlying the second filter;
The first perforated plate is a honeycomb plate superimposed on the first filter on the upstream side of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage,
The second perforated plate is a honeycomb plate superimposed on the second filter on the upstream side of the second filter in the delivery direction of the beverage.
An extraction device characterized by: The extraction device of claim 1 , comprising:
A function of supplying a liquid for removing unnecessary substances from the second filter in the direction of the first filter ,
The plurality of perforated plates are
a third perforated plate overlaid with the first filter;
a fourth perforated plate overlying the second filter;
The third perforated plate is a honeycomb plate that overlaps the first filter on the downstream side of the first filter in the delivery direction of the beverage,
The fourth perforated plate is a honeycomb plate that overlaps the second filter on the downstream side of the second filter in the delivery direction of the beverage,
The first perforated plate and the third perforated plate sandwich and support the first filter,
The second perforated plate and the fourth perforated plate sandwich and support the first filter,
each hole of the first perforated plate and each hole of the third perforated plate are arranged so as to overlap in the delivery direction of the beverage,
Each hole of the second perforated plate and each hole of the fourth perforated plate are arranged so as to overlap in the delivery direction of the beverage,
An extraction device characterized by:

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