Beverage machine

Abstract

To enable a beverage machine to improve the accuracy of temperature adjustment of hot water.SOLUTION: A beverage machine for preparing a prescribed beverage includes a heater 6 for heating water to be hot water, a power supply part 8 for supplying power for performing operation the heater 6, and a control part 10 for heating water until reaching a set temperature by turning ON / OFF of the operation of the heater 6 to keep a state of reaching the set temperature, the heater 6 includes a high temperature heater 6H and a lower temperature heater 6L, and the control part 10 starts temperature adjustment of hot water by lowering output power to the heater 6 by the power supply part 8 just before reaching the set temperature after starting to heat water by the heater 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technology of beverage machines for producing a given beverage. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of beverage machines that produce a specific beverage are known in the art. A well-known example of such a beverage machine is a coffee maker that includes a heater that heats water to hot water, and a control unit that turns the heater on and off to heat the water to a set temperature and maintains the water at the set temperature (see Patent Document 1). The heater of the beverage machine is, for example, a sheath heater or a print heater that includes a dual heater system consisting of a high-temperature heater and a low-temperature heater. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-201659 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, some beverage machines start temperature adjustment by reducing the output power of the power supply unit to the heater after the set temperature is reached. When temperature adjustment is performed in this manner, the hot water temperature may fluctuate significantly with respect to the set temperature after the set temperature is reached, and the accuracy of the hot water temperature adjustment may not be stable.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage machine capable of improving the accuracy of adjusting the temperature of hot water. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The container of the present invention is a beverage device that produces a specified beverage, and comprises a heater that heats water to turn it into hot water, a power supply unit that supplies power to operate the heater, and a control unit that heats the water to a set temperature by turning the heater on and off and maintains the water at the set temperature, the heaters comprising a high-temperature heater and a low-temperature heater having a lower output than the high-temperature heater, and after starting to heat the water with the heater, the control unit reduces the output power of the power supply unit to the heater just before the set temperature is reached, thereby starting to adjust the temperature of the hot water.

[0007] The container according to the present invention can reduce the degree of fluctuation in the hot water temperature relative to the set temperature after the set temperature is reached, compared to a container that starts temperature adjustment by reducing the output power of the power supply unit to the heater after the set temperature is reached, thereby improving the accuracy of hot water temperature adjustment.

[0008] In the present invention, it is preferable that in a medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit to the heater, the operation ON time of the low-temperature heater is set to be longer than the operation ON time of the high-temperature heater.

[0009] With this configuration, the extent of the fluctuation in the hot water temperature relative to the set temperature after the set temperature is reached can be reduced compared to when the low-temperature heater is set to be ON for a shorter period of time than the high-temperature heater in the medium output range, thereby improving the accuracy of hot water temperature adjustment.

[0010] In the present invention, a temperature sensor is provided to detect the temperature of the water or the hot water, It is preferable that the control unit turns the high-temperature heater and the low-temperature heater on and off by performing cycle control based on information regarding the temperature of the water or hot water from the temperature sensor.

[0011] With this configuration, when heating water to the set temperature, the high-temperature heater and the low-temperature heater can be turned on and off in a short cycle with fine control, improving the accuracy of the hot water temperature adjustment.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that in the medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit to the heater, the ratio of the low-temperature heater being ON to the ratio of the high-temperature heater being ON is set so that the ratio is greater when the low-temperature heater is ON.

[0013] With this configuration, the degree of hunting of the hot water temperature against the set temperature after reaching the set temperature can be reduced compared to when the ratio of the low temperature heater ON to the high temperature heater ON in the medium output range is set to a smaller ratio, thereby improving the accuracy of hot water temperature adjustment.

[0014] In the present invention, it is preferable that, when the output power setting of the power supply unit to the heater is at least 40% or more, the operation of at least one of the low-temperature heater and the high-temperature heater is turned ON so that the operation of the heaters is continuous.

[0015] According to this configuration, flicker noise can be reduced compared to a heater that is not continuously ON but instead repeatedly turns ON / OFF. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The present invention has the following advantages. That is, the container of the present invention can improve the accuracy of regulating the temperature of hot water. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a coffee maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the first container, the second container, the pump, and the heater of the coffee maker. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the operation of a high-temperature heater and a low-temperature heater under cycle control in a coffee maker. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows the operation of a coffee maker in which water is heated to a set temperature of 50° C. and then maintained at that temperature. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 shows the operation of a coffee maker in which water is heated to a set temperature of 60° C. and then maintained at that temperature. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] [Overall configuration of the coffee maker] A coffee maker 1 shown in Figures 1 to 5 will be described. The coffee maker 1 is one embodiment of a beverage device according to the present invention. The beverage device produces a predetermined beverage, and may be configured as, in addition to a coffee maker, an electric kettle, an electric pot, or a grill pan, for example. In other words, the beverage device according to the present invention is not limited to a coffee maker, but is widely applicable to devices that produce a predetermined beverage.

[0019] The coffee maker 1 is operated by a user to automatically extract coffee liquid using coffee powder and hot water. The coffee maker 1 is, for example, an immersion type coffee maker, and is configured to extract coffee liquid by immersing coffee powder in hot water and then filtering the coffee liquid with a filter. As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the coffee maker 1 includes an operation unit 2, a first container 3, a second container 4, a pump 5, a heater 6, a power supply unit 8, and a control unit 10.

[0020] [Parts of the coffee maker] In the coffee maker 1, the operation unit 2 is operated by a user to start brewing the coffee liquid, to discharge the coffee liquid, to set the taste of the coffee liquid, and so on. The first container 3 stores water that is the basis of hot water for extracting coffee liquid. In the second container 4, hot water and coffee powder are mixed, the coffee powder is immersed in the hot water, and the mixture is filtered through a filter to extract the coffee liquid.

[0021] The pump 5 is operated when a user operates the operation unit 2 to start extracting coffee liquid. The pump 5 supplies water in the first container 3 to the heater 6, and supplies hot water heated by the heater 6 to the second container 4. The heater 6 heats the water supplied from the first container 3 to make it hot water. The heater 6 is composed of, for example, a sheath heater or a print heater. The heater 6 is configured so that water is supplied from the first container 3 via a pipe. The heater 6 is configured so that hot water is supplied to the second container 4 via a pipe. The heater 6 has a dual heater system of a high-temperature heater 6H and a low-temperature heater 6L, and the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L are configured integrally. The high-temperature heater 6H is configured to have a higher output than the low-temperature heater 6L, and the low-temperature heater 6L is configured to have a lower output than the high-temperature heater 6H. The heater 6 is not limited to being configured so that the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L are configured integrally, and the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L may be configured separately.

[0022] The temperature sensor 7 detects the temperature of the water or hot water heated by the heater 6 (the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L). Information relating to the temperature of the water or hot water detected by the temperature sensor 7 is transmitted to the control unit 10. The power supply unit 8 supplies power to the control unit 10, and the control unit 10 supplies power to each part of the coffee maker 1 (the operation unit 2, the pump 5, the heater 6, the temperature sensor 7, etc.) for performing various operations. The power supply unit 8 converts the power supplied from the outlet via an outlet cable (not shown) of the coffee maker 1 into a predetermined output power corresponding to each part of the coffee maker 1.

[0023] [Control Unit] The control unit 10 controls various operations of the coffee maker 1 (the operation unit 2, the pump 5, the heater 6, the temperature sensor 7, and the power supply unit 8). The control unit 10 is electrically connected to the operation unit 2, the pump 5, the heater 6, the temperature sensor 7, the power supply unit 8, and the like. The control unit 10 turns the heater 6 on and off to heat the water until it reaches the set temperature, and maintains the water at the set temperature. The control unit 10 turns the heater 6 on and off by performing a proportional-integral-differential controller (PID) control based on the set temperature and information on the hot water (cold water) temperature from the temperature sensor 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 10 turns the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L on and off by performing cycle control in which one cycle is divided into multiple phases (5 phases) based on information on the hot water or cold water temperature from the temperature sensor 7. The control unit 10 varies the output power of the power supply unit 8 to multiple preset levels (21 levels) based on information on the hot or cold water temperature from the temperature sensor 7, and turns on / off the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L in each of the multiple phases corresponding to each of the multiple output settings of the output power. Information for turning on / off the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L in each of the multiple phases corresponding to each of the multiple output settings of the output power is stored in advance in a storage device of the control unit 10.

[0024] As described above, the control unit 10 performs cycle control based on information on the hot water or water temperature from the temperature sensor 7 to turn on / off the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L, respectively, so that when heating water to a set temperature, the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L can be finely controlled in a short cycle to turn on / off the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L. This improves the accuracy of hot water temperature control. Here, if the heater 6 is configured as a print heater equipped with two heater systems, the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L, the hot water temperature will rise more rapidly due to the high-temperature heater 6H compared to a sheathed heater. However, even if the heater 1 is configured in this way, the control unit 10 performs cycle control based on information on the hot water or water temperature from the temperature sensor 7 to turn on / off the high-temperature heater 6H and the low-temperature heater 6L, respectively, so that the accuracy of hot water temperature control can be stabilized.

[0025] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, after starting to heat water with the heater 6, the control unit 10 performs differential control just before the set temperature is reached, thereby reducing the output power of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6 and starting temperature adjustment. This makes it possible to reduce the magnitude of hunting of the hot water temperature against the set temperature after the set temperature is reached, compared to when temperature adjustment is started by reducing the output power of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6 after the set temperature is reached. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of hot water temperature adjustment.

[0026] 3, in the medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6, the operation ON time of the low-temperature heater 6L is set to be longer than the operation ON time of the high-temperature heater 6H. In the present embodiment, the medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6 indicates a range of 15.4% to 85.1% (3 stages to 17 stages) of the output power of the power supply unit 8 of 0% to 100%. For example, when the output setting of the power supply unit 8 is in 3 stages, the low-temperature heater 6L is OFF in Pase 1, OFF in Pase 2, ON in Pase 3, ON in Pase 4, and ON in Pase 5, and the high-temperature heater 6H is OFF in Pase 1, OFF in Pase 2, OFF in Pase 3, OFF in Pase 4, and OFF in Pase 5. That is, when the output setting of the power supply unit 8 is in three stages (the medium output range of the output setting of the output power of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6), the operation ON time of the low temperature heater 6L is set to be longer than the operation ON time of the high temperature heater 6H. Note that the medium output range of the output setting of the output power of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6 is not limited to a range of 15.4% to 85.1% (three stages to 17 stages) of the output power of the power supply unit 8 from 0% to 100%, and can be set appropriately according to the specifications and applications.

[0027] As described above, in the medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6, the ON time of the low-temperature heater 6L is set longer than the ON time of the high-temperature heater 6H, so that a sudden rise in the hot water temperature caused by the high-temperature heater 6H can be suppressed and the magnitude of the hot water temperature hunting against the set temperature after the set temperature is reached can be reduced compared to when the ON time of the low-temperature heater 6L is set shorter than the ON time of the high-temperature heater 6H in the medium output range. Therefore, the accuracy of the hot water temperature adjustment can be improved.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, in the medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6, the ratio of the low-temperature heater 6L being ON to the high-temperature heater 6H being ON is set to be high. Therefore, compared to a setting in which the ratio of the low-temperature heater 6L being ON to the high-temperature heater 6H being ON is low in the medium output range, a sudden rise in the hot water temperature caused by the high-temperature heater 6H can be suppressed, and the magnitude of the hot water temperature hunting against the set temperature after the set temperature is reached can be reduced. Therefore, the accuracy of the hot water temperature adjustment can be improved.

[0029] 3, in an output setting in which the output power of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6 is at least 40% or more, at least one of the low-temperature heater 6L and the high-temperature heater 6H is turned ON so that the heater 6 is continuously ON. This makes it possible to reduce flicker noise compared to when the heater 6 is not continuously ON but is instead repeatedly ON / OFF.

[0030] 3, in the medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6, and in an output setting that is at least 40% or more of the output power of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6, the ratio of the low temperature heater 6L being ON to the high temperature heater 6H being ON is set to be higher. That is, in the medium output range, in the output setting of the output power of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6, where at least one of the low temperature heater 6L and the high temperature heater 6H is ON, the ratio of the low temperature heater 6L being ON to the high temperature heater 6H being ON is set to be higher. Therefore, in the output power setting of the power supply unit 8 to the heater 6 in the medium output range where at least one of the low-temperature heater 6L and the high-temperature heater 6H is ON, a sudden rise in the hot water temperature caused by the high-temperature heater 6H can be suppressed and the magnitude of the hot water temperature hunting against the set temperature after the set temperature is reached can be reduced compared to when the output power setting is set so that the ratio of the low-temperature heater 6L ON to the ratio of the high-temperature heater 6H ON is set to a smaller ratio, thereby improving the accuracy of the hot water temperature adjustment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1. Coffee maker 2 Control section 3 First container 4 Second container 5. Pump 6. Heater 6H High Temperature Heater 6L Low Temperature Heater 7 Temperature Sensor 8 Power supply section 10 Control section

Claims

1. 1. A beverage machine for producing a predetermined beverage, comprising: A heater to heat water and make it hot water, A power supply unit that supplies power for operating the heater; A control unit that turns on / off the heater to heat the water to a set temperature and maintains the water at the set temperature, The heater is A high temperature heater, a low-temperature heater having a lower output than the high-temperature heater; Equipped with A beverage machine characterized in that the control unit starts heating the water with the heater and then starts adjusting the temperature of the hot water by reducing the output power of the power supply unit to the heater just before the set temperature is reached.

2. The beverage machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that in a medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit to the heater, the operation ON time of the low-temperature heater is set to be longer than the operation ON time of the high-temperature heater.

3. A temperature sensor is provided to detect the temperature of the water or the hot water, The beverage device of claim 1, characterized in that the control unit turns the high-temperature heater and the low-temperature heater on and off by performing cycle control based on information regarding the temperature of the water or hot water from the temperature sensor.

4. The beverage device described in claim 3, wherein in a medium output range of the output power setting of the power supply unit to the heater, the ratio of when the low-temperature heater is ON to when the high-temperature heater is ON is set so that the ratio of when the low-temperature heater is ON is higher than the ratio of when the high-temperature heater is ON.

5. The beverage device of claim 4, wherein the power supply unit is configured to output power to the heater at an output power of at least 40% or more, and at least one of the low-temperature heater and the high-temperature heater is turned ON so that the heaters are continuously operated.

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