Beverage supply device

Abstract

To suppress a decrease in a flow rate of a beverage raw material.SOLUTION: A beverage supply device 1 for supplying a beverage made from milk to a cup C placed on a supply stage S comprises: a milk tank 10 that stores the milk; and a tube pump 20 that feeds the milk from the milk tank 10 by sequentially repeating a pushing action to a tube 21 constituting a milk channel, along an extension direction of the tube 21. The device includes a control part 70 that applies pressure on the tube 21 by supplying fluid to the tube 21 constituting the tube pump 20 at an arbitrary timing when supplying of the beverage has completed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0006] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a beverage supply device that supplies milk as foamed milk into a cup has been proposed in Patent Document 1. In that beverage supply device, milk is sucked from a milk tank by driving a tube pump and sent to a mixing unit, and in the mixing unit, the milk is mixed with air sent by an air pump to generate foamed milk and supply it to a cup.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the above-described beverage supply device, since the suction and delivery of milk were performed by a tube pump, there were the following problems. That is, since the tube pump presses the tube constituting the milk flow path in order by a roller or the like along the extending direction thereof to perform suction and delivery, the cross-sectional shape of the tube changes from a perfect circle to an ellipse over time. When the cross-sectional shape changes to an ellipse in this way, the flow path cross-sectional area also becomes small, and as a result, the flow rate of milk decreases. When the flow rate of milk decreases in this way, it causes a deterioration in the quality of the beverage supplied to the cup, which is not preferable.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage supply device capable of suppressing a decrease in the flow rate of a beverage raw material.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the beverage supply device of the present invention comprises an ingredient tank for storing beverage ingredients, and a tube pump for delivering the beverage ingredients from the ingredient tank by repeatedly pressing a tube constituting a flow path of the beverage ingredients in sequence along the extension direction of the tube, and supplies a beverage produced from the beverage ingredients to a cup placed on a supply stage, and is characterized by comprising a control unit for supplying a fluid to the tube constituting the tube pump to pressurize the tube at any timing when the supply of the beverage has finished.

[0007] The present invention is also characterized in that the beverage supply device includes a steam supply unit that supplies steam from a steam tank, an air supply unit that supplies air by an air pump, and a mixing unit that mixes the steam and the air, or the air, with the beverage ingredients, and the control unit supplies hot water stored in the steam tank to the tube pump to pressurize the tube, on the condition that the supply of the beverage to the cup has been completed.

[0008] Furthermore, in the beverage supply device according to the present invention, the tube has a cross-sectional shape that is a perfect circle or an ellipse.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the beverage supply device, the beverage ingredient is milk. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the control unit supplies fluid to the tube that constitutes the tube pump to pressurize the tube at any timing after the supply of beverage has finished, thereby minimizing changes in the cross-sectional shape of the tube over time and suppressing a decrease in the flow rate of the beverage ingredients. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic circuit configuration of a beverage supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the milk tank shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the milk tank shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the milk tank shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the milk tank shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 placed in a cooling container. [Figure 6] 6(a) to 6(c) are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the tube pump shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 7(a) and 7(b) are schematic diagrams showing the cross-sectional shape of a tube pump constituting the tube pump. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a time chart for explaining the operation of supplying hot frothed milk in the beverage supply device shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow state of the fluid in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow state of the fluid in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow state of the fluid in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a tube pump supplied with hot water. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic circuit configuration of a modified example of the beverage dispenser shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a beverage supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic circuit configuration of a beverage dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention. The beverage dispenser 1 shown here dispenses milk for milk-based coffee, such as a cafe latte, into a cup C, which is a container.

[0014] The beverage supply device 1 is configured to include a milk tank (ingredient tank) 10, a tube pump 20, a steam supply unit 30, an air supply unit 40, a mixing unit 50, a milk nozzle 60, and a control unit .

[0015] The milk tank 10 stores milk, which is a beverage ingredient. Figures 2 to 4 each show the milk tank 10 shown in Figure 1, with Figures 2 and 3 being perspective views showing the external configuration of the milk tank 10, and Figure 4 being a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the milk tank 10.

[0016] 2 to 4, the milk tank 10 includes a substantially rectangular tank body 11 having an opening 11a on the top surface, and a tank lid 12 for opening and closing the opening 11a on the top surface of the tank body 11. A handle 111a is provided on the outer surface of a front wall portion 111 of the tank body 11.

[0017] The bottom wall 112 of the tank body 11 extends at a gradual downward incline as it moves away from the front wall 111, i.e., from the front wall 111 toward the rear wall 113. In addition, the bottom wall 112 of the tank body 11 has a recess 112a formed in a location close to the rear wall 113 that is convex downward.

[0018] In addition, the front wall 111, rear wall 113, and left and right side wall portions 114 of the tank body 11 are formed with outwardly protruding main body ribs 11b, and the bottom wall portion 112 of the tank body 11 is formed with downwardly protruding main body leg portions 11c.

[0019] Tank lid 12 is formed with a plurality of lid ribs 12a that protrude upward, and is also provided with a joint 121 that can be detachably connected to raw material suction pipe 25, which will be described later. A pipe 122 is attached to this joint 121. Pipe 122 is made of a relatively hard material and extends in the vertical direction. A lower end opening 122a, which serves as the suction port of pipe 122, extends into recess 112a and is located slightly above the bottom surface of recess 112a.

[0020] Such a milk tank 10 is placed in a cooling container 13 with a thermal insulation structure. The milk tank 10 includes the main body rib 11b, the main body leg portion 11c, and the lid body rib 12a, and therefore, when placed in the cooling container 13, as shown in Fig. 5, gaps are formed between the inner wall surface of the cooling container 13 and the front wall portion 111, the rear wall portion 113, and the side wall portion 114 of the tank main body 11 other than the portions where the main body rib 11b is formed, and between the inner wall surface of the cooling container 13 and the portions where the main body leg portion 11c is formed on the bottom wall portion 112 of the tank main body 11.

[0021] The cooling container 13 refrigerates the milk tank 10 to a predetermined temperature by having the cooling surface of a cooling device 14, which is formed, for example, by a Peltier element, facing the interior of the cooling container 13. The heat dissipation surface of the cooling device 14 faces the outside of the cooling container 13. A heat dissipation fan 15 is provided on the rear side of the cooling container 13, outside the cooling container 13. When driven, the heat dissipation fan 15 blows air dissipated in the heat dissipation section rearward. More specifically, the heat dissipation fan 15 passes the air dissipated in the heat dissipation section around electrical components 16 provided in the device body 1a of the beverage dispenser 1, and then blows it to the outside through a hole (not shown) formed in the rear surface of the device body 1a. The temperature of the air dissipated in the heat dissipation section, in other words, the air heated by heat dissipation in the heat dissipation section, is lower than the temperature of the electrical components 16.

[0022] The tube pump 20 is connected to the milk tank 10 through a raw material suction line 25 and is also connected to the mixing section 50 through a raw material delivery line 26 .

[0023] The raw material suction pipeline 25 is a pipeline formed by connecting a plurality of pipes, and a first check valve 25a is provided along the way. The first check valve 25a allows the fluid (milk) to flow from the milk tank 10, but restricts the fluid from flowing towards the milk tank 10.

[0024] When the tube pump drive unit 20a, such as a motor, is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 70, the tube pump 20 sucks milk from the milk tank 10 through the raw material suction pipe 25 and delivers the milk to the mixing unit 50 through the raw material delivery pipe 26.

[0025] The tube pump 20 is a conventionally known one, and will be briefly described with reference to (a) to (c) of Figure 6. The tube pump 20 has a tube 21 and a rotor 22.

[0026] The tube 21 is made of a flexible material and has a circular cross section as shown in Fig. 7(a). The upper end of the tube 21 is connected to the raw material suction pipe 25 and the lower end is connected to the raw material delivery pipe 26, and the inside of the tube 21 forms a flow path for milk. The tube 21 is arranged with a portion curved in a semicircular arc.

[0027] The rotor 22 is a long member provided with rollers 22a on both ends, and rotates around its central axis (counterclockwise in the examples of FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c)) when driven by the tube pump drive unit 20a. As the rotor 22 rotates around its central axis, the rollers 22a alternately press against the curved portion 21a of the tube 21, thereby discharging milk.

[0028] In other words, the tube pump 20 pumps milk from the milk tank 10 by repeatedly pressing the tube 21, which forms the flow path of the beverage ingredients, in the extension direction of the tube 21 (the extension direction of the curved portion 21a).

[0029] In such a tube pump 20, the rotating body 22 rotates when the tube pump driving unit 20a is driven, but when the tube pump driving unit 20a is stopped, i.e., when the tube pump is on standby, the rotating body 22 is positioned in a state where one of the rollers 22a presses against the point 21b (hereinafter referred to as the outlet-proximate point) in the curved portion 21a of the tube 21 that is closest to the raw material delivery pipeline 26, as shown in (c) of Figure 6.

[0030] The raw material delivery pipeline 26 is a pipeline formed by connecting a plurality of pipes, and a second check valve 26a is provided along the way. The second check valve 26a allows the fluid (milk) to flow toward the mixing section 50, while restricting the fluid from flowing out of the mixing section 50.

[0031] The steam supply unit 30 includes a steam tank 31. The steam tank 31 heats supplied hot water and generates steam from the hot water. The steam tank 31 is connected to the mixing unit 50 through a steam pipe line 32, and is also connected to the middle of the raw material suction pipe line 25 through a hot water pipe line 33.

[0032] The steam pipeline 32 is a pipeline formed by connecting a plurality of pipes, and is provided with a steam valve 32a and a third check valve 32b midway along the pipeline.

[0033] The steam valve 32a is a valve element that opens and closes in response to commands given from the control unit 70. When the steam valve 32a is in an open state, it allows a fluid (steam) to flow through the steam pipe 32, but when the steam valve 32a is in a closed state, it restricts the flow of the fluid through the steam pipe 32.

[0034] The third check valve 32b is provided downstream of the steam valve 32a in the steam pipeline 32. The third check valve 32b allows a fluid (steam, etc.) to flow toward the mixing section 50, while restricting the flow of the fluid from the mixing section 50.

[0035] The hot water pipe 33 is a pipe formed by connecting a plurality of pipes, and has one end connected to the steam tank 31 and the other end connected to the raw material suction pipe 25 between the first check valve 25a and the tube pump 20. The hot water pipe 33 is provided with a hot water valve 33a and a fourth check valve 33b along the way.

[0036] The hot water valve 33a is a valve element that opens and closes in response to commands given from the control unit 70. When the hot water valve 33a is in an open state, it allows a fluid (hot water) to flow through the hot water pipe 33, but when it is in a closed state, it restricts the flow of the fluid through the hot water pipe 33.

[0037] The fourth check valve 33b is provided downstream of the hot water valve 33a in the hot water pipe 33. This fourth check valve 33b allows the fluid (hot water) to flow from the steam tank 31, while restricting the fluid from flowing toward the steam tank 31.

[0038] The air supply unit 40 includes an air pump 41. The air pump 41 is connected to the steam pipe 32 via a pressurized air pipe 42. The air pump 41 generates pressurized air when an air pump driving unit 41a, such as a motor, is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 70.

[0039] The pressurized air pipeline 42 is a pipeline formed by connecting a plurality of pipes, and one end is connected to the air pump 41, and the other end is connected to the steam pipeline 32 between the steam valve 32a and the third check valve 32b. In this air supply unit 40, the air pump 41 generates pressurized air and sends it to the mixing unit 50.

[0040] A fifth check valve 42a is provided in the pressurized air pipeline 42. The fifth check valve 42a allows fluid (pressurized air) to flow from the air pump 41, while restricting fluid from flowing toward the air pump 41.

[0041] An orifice (not shown) is provided in the steam pipeline 32 between the junction with the compressed air pipeline 42 and the location of the third check valve 32b. The orifice has an inner diameter smaller than that of the steam pipeline 32.

[0042] The mixing unit 50 is a container having a space inside where mixing can be performed. The mixing unit 50 delivers the milk and other ingredients mixed inside itself to the milk nozzle 60 through an outlet pipe 51. The outlet pipe 51 is a pipe formed by connecting a plurality of pipes.

[0043] The milk nozzle 60 discharges and supplies milk delivered to the milk nozzle 60 to a cup C placed on the supply stage S. The milk nozzle 60 has a built-in shutter mechanism 61 (for convenience of explanation, in FIG. 1 etc., the shutter mechanism 61 is shown separated from the milk nozzle 60).

[0044] The shutter mechanism 61 moves between an open state and a closed state by being driven by a shutter mechanism drive unit 61a such as a motor. The open state is a state in which milk is permitted to be supplied from the milk nozzle 60 to the cup C placed on the supply stage S, and the closed state is a state in which the supply of milk from the milk nozzle 60 to the cup C placed on the supply stage S is restricted and milk supplied to the milk nozzle 60 is discharged onto the discharge tray T.

[0045] The control unit 70 generally controls the operation of the beverage dispenser 1 in accordance with programs and data stored in a storage unit (not shown). Note that the control unit 70 may be realized, for example, by having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, i.e., by software, or by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0046] In addition to the above components, the control unit 70 is connected to an operation input unit 71, an alarm unit 72, and a brewing unit 73. The operation input unit 71 is used to input operations such as product selection. The alarm unit 72 is used to perform alarm operations such as displaying a warning on a display screen or emitting a warning sound using a buzzer. The brewing unit 73 brews coffee and sends it to a coffee nozzle 74.

[0047] A description will be given of the supply of hot foamed milk in the beverage supply device 1 having the above configuration. Note that hot foamed milk is just one example, and hot milk, iced milk, etc. can also be supplied.

[0048] 8 is a time chart for explaining the operation of supplying hot frothed milk. It is assumed that the steam valve 32a and the hot water valve 33a are closed, the tube pump 20 and the air pump 41 are stopped, and the shutter mechanism 61 is closed.

[0049] At time t1, the control unit 70 opens the steam valve 32a. As a result, as shown in Fig. 9, the steam generated in the steam tank 31 flows through the steam pipe 32 (including the orifice), the mixing unit 50, the outlet pipe 51, and the milk nozzle 60 in this order, and is then discharged into the discharge tray T, which enables these paths to be sterilized and preheated.

[0050] At a subsequent time point t2, the control unit 70 drives the tube pump 20 and the air pump 41 and opens the shutter mechanism 61. As a result, as shown in Figure 10, the tube pump 20 sucks milk from the milk tank 10 and sends it to the mixing unit 50, the steam generated in the steam tank 31 is sent to the mixing unit 50, and the pressurized air generated by the air pump 41 is sent to the mixing unit 50, the milk is heated and mixed with the pressurized air to produce hot frothed milk, and the hot frothed milk is discharged and supplied from the milk nozzle 60 to a cup C placed on the supply stage S.

[0051] At a subsequent time t3, the control unit 70 stops the tube pump 20 and the air pump 41, and at a time t4, the control unit 70 closes the steam valve 32a, thereby ending the supply of hot foamed milk to the cup C.

[0052] Then, at time t5 when cup C is removed from supply stage S, control unit 70 opens steam valve 32a and hot water valve 33a while closing shutter mechanism 61, and then at time t6, control unit 70 drives tube pump 20.

[0053] According to this, as shown in FIG. 11, by circulating the steam generated in the steam tank 31 through the steam pipe 32, the mixing section 50, the outlet pipe 51, and the milk nozzle 60 in that order, and by circulating the hot water generated in the steam tank 31 through the hot water pipe 33, part of the ingredient suction pipe 25, the tube pump 20, the ingredient delivery pipe 26, the mixing section 50, the outlet pipe 51, and the milk nozzle 60 in that order, these paths can be cleaned, and the hot water used for cleaning, etc. is discharged onto the discharge tray T.

[0054] At a subsequent time point t7, the control unit 70 stops driving the tube pump 20. This causes hot water supplied from the steam tank 31 through the hot water pipe 33 to fill up to the tube pump 20. Explaining in more detail, when the tube pump 20 is on standby, one roller 22a of the rotor 22 presses against the outlet-proximate portion 21b of the curved portion 21a of the tube 21, so that the tube pump 20 is filled with hot water up to the outlet-proximate portion 21b, and as shown in FIG. 12 , the portion L of the tube pump 20 upstream of the outlet-proximate portion 21b of the tube 21 is pressurized.

[0055] That is, the control unit 70 supplies hot water stored in the steam tank 31 to the tube pump 20 to pressurize the tube 21 on the condition that the supply of milk (hot foamed milk) to the cup C has finished.

[0056] At a subsequent time point t8, the control unit 70 closes the steam valve 32a and the hot water valve 33a and activates the air pump 41. As a result, the pressurized air generated by the air pump 41 is sent to the mixing unit 50, the outlet pipe 51, and the milk nozzle 60 in that order, and the hot water used for cleaning and remaining in this path are discharged onto the discharge tray T.

[0057] At a subsequent time t9, the control unit 70 stops driving the air pump 41, thereby ending the supply of hot frothed milk. Note that hot water remains upstream of the point 21b adjacent to the outlet of the tube pump 20, but by driving the tube pump 20 for a predetermined time before preheating the next milk supply, the hot water is discharged into the discharge tray T.

[0058] As described above, according to the beverage supply device 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 70 supplies hot water stored in the steam tank 31 to the tube pump 20 to pressurize the tube 21 when the supply of milk (hot frothed milk) to the cup C has been completed, thereby minimizing changes in the cross-sectional shape of the tube 21 over time and suppressing a decrease in the flow rate of milk.

[0059] According to the beverage supply device 1, hot water can be supplied to the tube 21 of the tube pump 20 to clean the tube pump 20, and since the volume of the hot water only decreases slightly even when the temperature of the hot water drops, there is no need for complex pressure control, etc.

[0060] The beverage dispenser 1 also has the following advantageous effects: The bottom wall 112 of the milk tank 10 extends at a gradual downward incline from the front wall 111 to the rear wall 113, a recess 112a is formed in the bottom wall 112 at a location close to the rear wall 113, and the lower end opening 122a, which serves as the suction port of the pipe 122, extends into the recess 112a, so that the amount of milk remaining in the milk tank 10 can be minimized.

[0061] Furthermore, since the milk tank 10 is formed with a main body rib 11b, a main body leg portion 11c, and a lid body rib 12a, a gap can be formed between the milk tank 10 and the inner wall surface of the cooling container 13, and the milk can be cooled effectively by convection of the air cooled by the cooling equipment 14.

[0062] Furthermore, the heat dissipation fan 15 passes the air that has been radiated in the heat dissipation section around the electrical components 16 and then blows it out through holes formed on the rear surface of the device main body 1a, thereby cooling the electrical components 16 and reducing intake resistance by blowing air in a straight line, thereby reducing noise.

[0063] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the tube 21 constituting the tube pump 20 is a perfect circle, but in the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the tube 21' may be elliptical, as shown in Fig. 7(b). This makes it possible to minimize changes over time in the tube 21'.

[0065] Although not specifically mentioned in the above-described embodiment, in the present invention, the integrated value of the rotation speed of the rotor 22 in the tube pump 20 may be calculated, for example, by an encoder, and when the integrated value exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit 70 may cause the alarm unit 72 to issue an alarm. Note that the threshold is a value determined experimentally that indicates the possibility of a decrease in flow rate due to changes in the cross-sectional shape of the tube 21 over time. This allows the decrease in flow rate to be suppressed by replacing the tube 21, for example.

[0066] In the above-described embodiment, the tube 21 of the tube pump 20 is filled with hot water to pressurize the tube 21, but the present invention can also be implemented as follows.

[0067] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration circuit of a modified example of the beverage dispenser 1 shown in Figure 1. Note that the same components as those in the beverage dispenser 1 of the above-described embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate.

[0068] The beverage supplying device 2 illustrated here supplies milk for milk-based coffee such as a cafe latte to a container, a cup C, similar to the beverage supplying device 1. The beverage supplying device 2 is configured to include a milk tank (ingredient tank) 10, a tube pump 20, a steam supplying unit 30, an air supplying unit 43, a mixing unit 50, a milk nozzle 60, and a control unit 70.

[0069] The air supply unit 43 includes an air pump 44. The air pump 44 is connected to the steam pipe 32 through a pressurized air pipe 45. The air pump 44 generates pressurized air when an air pump driving unit 44a, such as a motor, is driven in response to a command given from the control unit 70.

[0070] The pressurized air pipeline 45 is a pipeline formed by connecting a plurality of pipes, and one end is connected to the air pump 44, and the other end is connected to the steam pipeline 32 between the steam valve 32a and the third check valve 32b. In this air supply unit 43, the air pump 44 generates pressurized air and sends it to the mixing unit 50.

[0071] A three-way valve 45a and a fifth check valve 45b are provided in the compressed air pipeline 45. The three-way valve 45a has one inlet and two outlets, and the inlet is connected to a part of the compressed air pipeline 45 that is connected to the outlet of the air pump 44, and one outlet is connected to a part of the compressed air pipeline 45 that is connected to the steam pipeline 32, thereby being provided in the compressed air pipeline 45. The other outlet of the three-way valve 45a is connected to the second compressed air pipeline 46.

[0072] The fifth check valve 45b allows the fluid (pressurized air) to flow from the air pump 44, but restricts the fluid from flowing toward the air pump 44.

[0073] The three-way valve 45a is configured to selectively switch between a first delivery state in which the inlet is connected to one of the outlets and a second delivery state in which the inlet is connected to the other outlet, in response to a command from the control unit 70. In other words, when the three-way valve 45a is in the first delivery state, it allows the pressurized air generated by the air pump 44 to pass through the pressurized air pipe 45, and when the three-way valve 45a is in the second delivery state, it allows the pressurized air generated by the air pump 44 to pass through the second pressurized air pipe 46.

[0074] The second pressurized air pipeline 46 is a pipeline formed by connecting a plurality of pipes, and has one end connected to the other outlet of the three-way valve 45a and the other end connected to the raw material suction pipeline 25 between the first check valve 25a and the connection point with the hot water pipeline 33. A sixth check valve 46a is provided midway along this second pressurized air pipeline 46.

[0075] The sixth check valve 46a allows the fluid (pressurized air) to flow from the three-way valve 45a, but restricts the fluid from flowing toward the three-way valve 45a.

[0076] In the beverage dispenser 2 having such a configuration, instead of the beverage dispenser 1 described above filling the tube 21 of the tube pump 20 with hot water to pressurize the tube 21, the control unit 70 sets the three-way valve 45a to the second delivery state, whereby pressurized air is supplied to the tube pump 20 through the second pressurized air pipeline 46, thereby pressurizing the tube 21. This makes it possible to minimize changes over time in the cross-sectional shape of the tube 21 and suppress a decrease in the flow rate of milk.

[0077] In the above-described embodiment, the tube 21 of the tube pump 20 was pressurized on the condition that the supply of milk to the cup C had been completed, but in the present invention, the control unit simply supplies fluid to the tube constituting the tube pump and pressurizes the tube at any timing after the supply of the beverage has been completed.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the beverage ingredient is milk, but in the present invention, syrup or the like may also be used as the beverage ingredient. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1...beverage supply device, 10...milk tank, 13...cooling container, 20...tube pump, 21...tube, 22...rotating body, 25...raw material suction line, 26...raw material delivery line, 30...steam supply section, 31...steam tank, 32...steam line, 32a...steam valve, 33...hot water line, 33a...hot water valve, 40...air supply section, 41...air pump, 42...compressed air line, 50...mixing section, 51...outflow line, 60...milk nozzle, 61...shutter mechanism, 70...control section, C...cup, S...supply stage, T...discharge tray.

Claims

1. an ingredient tank for storing beverage ingredients; a tube pump that delivers the beverage ingredients from the ingredient tank by repeatedly pressing the tube that constitutes the flow path of the beverage ingredients in sequence along the extending direction of the tube; Equipped with A beverage supplying device that supplies a beverage prepared from the beverage ingredients to a cup disposed on a supply stage, A beverage supply device characterized by comprising a control unit that supplies fluid to the tube that constitutes the tube pump to pressurize the tube at any timing after the supply of the beverage has been completed.

2. a steam supply unit that supplies steam from a steam tank; an air supply unit that supplies air using an air pump; a mixing section for mixing the steam and the air, or the air, with the beverage ingredients; Preparation, The beverage supply device described in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit supplies hot water stored in the steam tank to the tube pump to pressurize the tube when the supply of the beverage to the cup has been completed.

3. 2. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the tube has a cross-sectional shape of a perfect circle or an ellipse.

4. 2. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the beverage ingredient is milk.

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