Beverage supply device and beverage remaining amount detection method

Abstract

To provide a beverage supply device capable of calculating a remaining amount of a beverage immediately after pouring-out of the beverage is completed.SOLUTION: The beverage supply device comprises: a gas flow rate sensor 17 that measures a flow rate of a gas supplied from a gas cylinder 14 to a beverage container 22; and a control part 30 that carries out: gas flow rate measurement processing for measuring an integrated flow rate of the gas flow rate between a start of pour-out and a nearly completion of the pour-out by the gas flow rate sensor 17 when pouring out the beverage; estimated gas flow rate calculation processing for estimating an estimated gas flow rate until supplying of the gas into the beverage container 22 is completed, based on a correlation between the previously obtained gas flow rate and a remaining beverage amount; and remaining beverage amount calculation processing for calculating the remaining beverage amount of the beverage container 22, based on a result of the gas flow rate measurement processing and the estimated gas flow rate calculation processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage supply device and a method for detecting the remaining amount of a beverage. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a beverage dispenser that has a gas flow sensor in the gas path that sends carbon dioxide gas from a gas cylinder to a beer barrel, calculates the amount of beer remaining in the beer barrel from the cumulative flow rate of carbon dioxide gas measured by the gas flow sensor, and displays the calculated amount of beer remaining in the beer barrel on a display unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-045503 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to provide a beverage dispenser and a method for detecting remaining beverage amount that can immediately calculate the remaining amount of beverage after the beverage has been dispensed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the beverage supply device of the present disclosure is a beverage supply device that sends gas from a gas supply source to a sealed beverage container, thereby pushing and dispensing the beverage in the beverage container to a dispensing means, and is characterized by having a gas flow measurement means that measures the gas flow rate sent from the gas supply source to the beverage container, and a control unit that performs the following: a gas flow measurement process that measures the cumulative gas flow rate from the start of dispensing to approximately the completion of dispensing using the gas flow measurement means when dispensing a beverage; a gas estimated flow rate calculation process that estimates the estimated gas flow rate until gas is completely supplied into the beverage container based on a predetermined correlation between the gas flow rate and the remaining beverage amount; and a beverage remaining amount calculation process that calculates the remaining beverage amount in the beverage container based on the results of the gas flow measurement process and the estimated gas flow rate calculation process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, by performing a gas estimated flow rate calculation process using a control unit, the remaining amount of beverage in a beverage container can be determined after the beverage is dispensed without waiting for the supply of gas into the beverage container to be completed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a beverage dispenser according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bottle holding member according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3] 3(a), (b), and (c) are side cross-sectional views showing the bottle holding member in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a beverage dispenser according to a first embodiment. [Figure 5] Graph showing the relationship between gas flow rate and time from the start of beverage dispensing in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 6(a), (b), and (c) are graphs showing the relationship between the gas flow rate and time for each remaining amount of beverage in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] Graph showing the relationship between the conversion coefficient and the remaining amount in the beverage container obtained by an experiment in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] Flowchart showing the beverage container determination operation of the first embodiment [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart showing the calculation operation of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors came up with the idea for this disclosure, there was technology in place that included installing a gas flow sensor in the gas path that sends carbon dioxide gas from a gas cylinder to a beer barrel, calculating the amount of beer remaining in the beer barrel from the cumulative flow rate of carbon dioxide gas measured by the gas flow sensor, and displaying the calculated amount of beer remaining in the beer barrel on a display unit.

[0009] However, in conventional technology, when measuring the gas flow rate with a gas flow sensor to calculate the remaining amount of beer, the supply of gas equivalent to the amount of beverage dispensed continues even after the beverage has been dispensed, so the remaining amount of beer must be measured until the pressure reaches a steady state where it stabilizes, and it is not possible to calculate the remaining amount immediately after the beverage is poured.In addition, the inventors discovered a problem in that the delay time in gas supply changes depending on the amount of beverage remaining in the beverage bottle, so the gas measurement time is not constant, resulting in variations in the time required to calculate the remaining amount, and in order to solve this problem, they have come to form the subject of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a beverage dispenser that can immediately calculate the remaining amount of beverage after the beverage has been dispensed.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a beverage dispenser in embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a bottle holder in embodiment 1. Figs. 3(a), (b), and (c) are side cross-sectional views showing the bottle holder in embodiment 1. In this embodiment, a description will be given of a case where the beverage supply device is applied to a beer server.

[0012] [1-1.Configuration] [1-1-1. Configuration of the beverage supply device] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, beverage dispenser 1 has a box-shaped housing 10. On the front surface of housing 10, there are attached a spout 11 as a dispensing means for dispensing a beverage, and two spout levers 12 for operating the spout 11 to dispense the beverage, side by side on the left and right. A display unit 15 is provided on the front surface of the housing 10. The display unit 15 is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display device.

[0013] The housing 10 contains a refrigeration cycle circuit (not shown) inside, which is capable of cooling the inside of the housing 10 to a predetermined temperature. A first container-holding member 20 located on one side in the left-right direction and a second container-holding member 21 located on the other side in the left-right direction are housed inside the housing 10. In Fig. 2, they are shown as top and bottom. The first container accommodating member 20 and the second container accommodating member 21 are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and are each configured to accommodate a beverage container 22 containing, for example, beer.

[0014] Then, the cap of the accommodated beverage container 22 is removed and the dispensing adapter 13 of the beverage dispenser 1 is attached. The dispensing adapter 13 is provided with a dispensing tube (not shown) that connects the dispensing outlet 11 of the dispensing cock to the beverage inside the beverage container 22. The dispensing adapter 13 also has a gas tube 16 that is connected to a gas cylinder 14 installed inside the housing 10 and supplies gas such as carbon dioxide gas to the inside of the beverage container 22. By operating the dispensing lever 12, gas is sent from a gas cylinder 14 serving as a gas supply source into the beverage container 22, and the resulting pressure is used to dispense the beverage from the dispensing outlet 11 via the dispensing tube.

[0015] Two gas flow sensors 17 are installed midway through the gas tube 16 as gas flow measurement means for measuring the flow rates of gas sent to the first container accommodating member 20 and the second container accommodating member 21. A check valve 18 is provided midway through the gas tube 16 to prevent backflow of gas.

[0016] 3, a first container detection switch 23 and a second container detection switch 24, which serve as container detection means, are provided on the outer surface of the upper first container holding member 20. The first container detection switch 23 and the second container detection switch 24 are arranged at a predetermined interval along the axial direction of the first container holding member 20. Similarly, a third container detection switch 25 and a fourth container detection switch 26, which serve as container detection means, are provided on the outer surface of the lower second container holding member 21. The third container detection switch 25 and the fourth container detection switch 26 are arranged at a predetermined interval along the axial direction of the second container holding member 21.

[0017] The first container detection switch 23 includes a detection piece 27 that protrudes into the first container holding member 20 and is movable to the outside of the first container holding member 20 . The first container detection switch 23 is turned OFF when the detection piece 27 protrudes into the first container holding member 20, and turned ON when the detection piece 27 is retracted to the outside of the first container holding member 20. That is, when no beverage container 22 is housed in the first container housing member 20, the first detection switch is turned OFF, and when a beverage container 22 is housed in the first container housing member 20, the first detection switch is turned ON. The second container detection switch 24, the third container detection switch 25, and the fourth container detection switch 26 have the same configuration as the first container detection switch 23.

[0018] Beverage containers 22 of different capacities can be accommodated in the first container accommodating member 20 and the second container accommodating member 21. In this embodiment, a beverage container 22 with a 3 L capacity and a beverage container 22 with a 1 L capacity are used. When no beverage container 22 is accommodated inside the first container accommodating member 20, as shown in Figure 3(a), the detection piece 27 of the first container detection switch 23 and the detection piece 27 of the second detection switch are each located inside the first container accommodating member 20, and the first container detection switch 23 and the second container detection switch 24 are OFF.

[0019] When a 3L beverage container 22 is accommodated in the first container accommodating member 20, the detection pieces 27 of the first container detection switch 23 and the second container detection switch 24 are swung by the container and turned ON, as shown in Figure 3(b). Furthermore, when a 1 L beverage container 22 is accommodated in the first container accommodating member 20, as shown in Figure 3(c), the first container detection switch 23 is turned ON, but the second container detection switch 24 is turned OFF. In this way, by determining whether the detection pieces 27 of the first container detection switch 23 and the second container detection switch 24 are ON or OFF, it is possible to determine the capacity of the container contained in the first container containing member.

[0020] [1-1-2: Control configuration] Next, the control configuration will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the beverage dispenser 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the beverage dispenser 1 includes a control unit 30. The control unit 30 is configured with a processor that executes a program such as a CPU or MPU, performs predetermined arithmetic processing, and also includes a storage unit 31. The control unit 30 executes various processes and calculations through cooperation between hardware and software, such that the processor reads out a program stored in the storage unit 31 and executes the processing. The storage unit 31 has a storage area for storing programs executed by the processor and data processed by the processor. The control unit 30 receives the detection value of the gas flow sensor, and the detection values ​​of the first container detection switch 23, the second container detection switch 24, the third container detection switch 25, and the fourth container detection switch . The control unit 30 is also connected to the display unit 15. The display unit 15 displays the remaining amount of the beverage container 22, which is the result of calculation by the control unit 30.

[0021] The control unit 30 performs a gas flow rate measurement process in which the gas flow rate sensor 17 measures the gas flow rate. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the gas flow rate and time from when gas is supplied to the beverage container 22 and the beverage starts to be dispensed. When the gas flow rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value S1, the integrated gas flow rate (L = L + dL) is measured, where L is the integrated flow rate (per dispense) and dL is the flow rate per unit time. Note that measurement of the gas flow rate starts when the gas flow rate exceeds a threshold value S1, and ends when the gas flow rate falls below a threshold value S2. Here, the threshold value S1 is set to a value greater than the threshold value S2.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, the gas flow rate increases when the beverage starts to be dispensed, and starts to decrease when the dispense stops. In this embodiment, the integrated gas flow rate L is measured from the time when the gas flow rate peaks until it drops by about 10%, i.e., until it reaches 90% of the peak gas flow rate, and this region is designated as measurement section A. The control unit 30 stores in the storage unit 31 the integrated flow rate L of the gas flow rate up to 90% of the peak.

[0023] Next, the control unit 30 performs a calculation process for the estimated flow rate of the gas. The ratio between measurement section A and estimation section B correlates with the remaining amount in the drinking container. 6(a), (b), and (c) are graphs showing the relationship between the gas flow rate and time for each remaining amount of beverage in the first embodiment. Figure 6(a) shows the relationship between the gas flow rate and time when the remaining volume in the beverage container 22 is 3 L. Figure 6(b) shows the relationship between the gas flow rate and time when the remaining volume in the beverage container 22 is 1.8 L. Figure 6(c) shows the relationship between the gas flow rate and time when the remaining volume in the beverage container 22 is 0.3 L. As shown in these figures, it can be seen that the gas flow rate is correlated with the remaining amount in the beverage container 22. Note that the correlation between the gas flow rate and the remaining amount in the beverage container 22 is also calculated in the same way for a beverage container 22 with a capacity of 1 L.

[0024] Here, if we assume that the cumulative flow rate (A+B)=AC, then The conversion factor (C) is (A+B) / A. This conversion factor is determined in advance by experiment based on the remaining amount in the beverage container 22. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the conversion factor and the remaining amount in the beverage container 22, which was obtained through an experiment. As shown in Fig. 7, it can be seen that there is a certain correlation between the conversion factor C and the remaining amount of beverage container 22. A correlation calculation formula is determined based on this graph, and this correlation calculation formula for conversion factor C is stored in storage unit 31. Note that the correlation between conversion factor C and the remaining amount of beverage container 22 is also determined in the same way when the capacity of beverage container 22 is 1 L.

[0025] The control unit 30 determines the conversion factor C based on the remaining amount in the beverage container 22 calculated previously before the current gas flow rate measurement. The control unit 30 calculates the integrated flow rate Lg of the estimation unit B based on the integrated flow rate L of the gas flow rate in the measurement unit A and the determined conversion coefficient C. Lg=L f(c)

[0026] In this embodiment, the integrated gas flow rate L is measured in the measuring section A and calculated using a conversion coefficient C, so that the integrated gas flow rate in the estimating section B can be obtained. That is, by measuring the integrated gas flow rate L in the measuring section A, the total integrated gas flow rate including the estimating section B can be immediately calculated.

[0027] The control unit 30 calculates the dispensed beverage amount of the beverage container 22 based on the integrated flow rate Lg of the estimation unit B. Lgo = K Lg

[0028] In this case, the dispensed beverage amount Lgo is calculated using a beverage flow rate conversion coefficient K which differs depending on the type of gas for which the integrated flow rate Lg is calculated. This allows the dispensed beverage amount Lgo to be known, and the control unit 30 causes the display unit 15 to display the remaining amount in the beverage container 22. Here, the beverage flow rate conversion coefficient K is calculated by calculating the volume ratio per unit heat quantity from the differences in specific heat and density of different gases and processing the data. This means that, for example, even if only a flow sensor for measuring N2 is installed and the gas used to dispense beverages is CO2, the cumulative flow rate can be calculated without using a CO2 sensor, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0029] On the other hand, the control unit 30 continues to measure the integrated gas flow rate, and when the gas flow rate becomes lower than the threshold value S2, calculates the total gas flow rate Lt2 based on the gas flow rate. That is, the control unit 30 adds the calculated integrated flow rate L to the total flow rate Lt1 up to now to obtain the current total flow rate Lt2. Ltn=Ltn+L Based on this current total flow rate, the flow rate of the beverage in the beverage container 22 is calculated and stored in the memory unit 31 together with the date and time information and the total flow rate.

[0030] [1-2. Effect] Next, a method for calculating the remaining amount of beverage by the beverage supply device will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the beverage container determination operation according to the first embodiment. 8, the control unit 30 determines whether the first container is contained in the first container (SA1). If the first container detection switch 23 is ON (SA2: YES) and the second container detection switch 24 is ON (SA3: YES), the control unit 30 determines that a 3 L beverage container 22 is contained in the first container (SA4). On the other hand, if the second container detection switch 24 is OFF (SA3: NO), it is determined that a 1 L beverage container 22 has been placed inside (SA5). If both the first container detection switch 23 and the second container detection switch 24 are OFF (SA2, 3: NO), it is determined that no beverage container 22 is contained (SA6).

[0031] A similar determination is made for the second container (SA7). If the third container detection switch 25 is ON (SA8: YES) and the fourth container detection switch 26 is ON (SA9: YES), it is determined that a 3 L beverage container 22 is contained (SA4). On the other hand, if the fourth container detection switch 26 is OFF (SA9: NO), it is determined that a 1 L beverage container 22 has been placed inside (SA5). If the third container detection switch 25 and the fourth container detection switch 26 are both OFF (SA8, SA9: NO), it is determined that no beverage container 22 is contained (SA6).

[0032] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the calculation operation according to the first embodiment. When the dispensing of the beverage starts, the control unit 30 performs a gas flow rate measurement process to measure the gas flow rate using the gas flow rate sensor 17 (SB1). When the gas flow rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value S1 (SB2), it is determined whether or not the dispense of the beverage has started (SB3), and if it is determined that the dispense has started (SB3: YES), the measured integrated flow rate is reset (SB4). The control unit 30 measures the integrated flow rate L of the gas flow rate (SB5).

[0033] When the gas flow rate falls below 90% of the peak value (SB6), the control unit 30 performs an estimated gas flow rate calculation process. If the control unit 30 determines that the calculation of the estimated flow rate has not been processed (SB7: YES), it determines the conversion coefficient C and calculates the integrated flow rate Lg of the estimation unit B based on the integrated flow rate L of the gas flow rate in the measurement unit A and the determined conversion coefficient C (SB8).

[0034] The control unit 30 performs a remaining beverage amount calculation process to calculate the amount of beverage dispensed from the beverage container 22 based on the integrated flow rate Lg of the estimation unit B (SB9). Then, once the remaining amount of beverage in the beverage container 22 has been calculated by the remaining beverage amount calculation process, the remaining amount in the beverage container 22 is displayed on the display unit 15. The control unit 30 adds the calculated current integrated flow rate dL to the previous integrated flow rate L, and stores the result in the storage unit 31 as the current integrated flow rate L (SB10).

[0035] By performing the estimated gas flow rate calculation process in this manner, the remaining amount of beverage in the beverage container 22 can be determined after the beverage is dispensed without waiting for the supply of gas into the beverage container 22 to be completed. Generally, when the beverage dispensing time is about 10 to 14 seconds, the time required for calculating the remaining beverage volume using the estimated gas flow rate calculation process is 14 to 15 seconds, making it possible to estimate and measure the volume in real time. In contrast, if the gas flow rate is measured after the beverage is dispensed until the supply of gas into the beverage container 22 is completed to determine the remaining amount of beverage, it takes approximately 30 to 120 seconds, and it can be seen that the present embodiment allows the remaining amount of beverage to be determined in a shorter time.

[0036] Then, when the control unit 30 determines the remaining amount of beverage in the beverage container 22, it causes the display unit 15 to display the remaining amount of beverage (SB11).

[0037] On the other hand, the control unit 30 continues to measure the integrated gas flow rate, and when the gas flow rate becomes lower than the threshold value S2 (SB12: NO), calculates the total gas flow rate Lt2 based on the gas flow rate. That is, the control unit 30 adds the calculated integrated flow rate L to the total flow rate Lt1 up to now to obtain the current total flow rate Lt2 (SB13). Ltn=Ltn+L Based on this current total flow rate, the flow rate of the beverage in the beverage container 22 is calculated and stored in the memory unit 31 together with the date and time information and the total flow rate.

[0038] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, a gas flow sensor 17 (gas flow measuring means) is provided that measures the gas flow rate sent from the gas cylinder 14 (gas supply source) to the beverage container 22, and a control unit 30 is provided that performs a gas flow measurement process that measures the cumulative gas flow rate from the start of dispensing to approximately the completion of dispensing using the gas flow sensor 17 when dispensing a beverage, an estimated gas flow rate calculation process that estimates the estimated gas flow rate until gas is completely supplied into the beverage container 22 based on a correlation between the gas flow rate and the remaining beverage amount obtained in advance, and a remaining beverage amount calculation process that calculates the remaining beverage amount in the beverage container 22 based on the results of the gas flow measurement process and the estimated gas flow rate calculation process. As a result, by performing the estimated gas flow rate calculation process by the control unit 30, the remaining amount of beverage in the beverage container 22 can be determined after the beverage is dispensed without waiting for the supply of gas into the beverage container 22 to be completed.

[0039] In this embodiment, a container detection switch (container detection means) for detecting the presence or absence of a beverage container 22 is provided. This allows the container detection switch to detect the presence or absence of a beverage container 22, allowing the measurement data backup, cumulative flow rate, and remaining amount to be initialized and a new cumulative flow rate to be obtained without any setting operations.

[0040] In this embodiment, a plurality of container detection switches (container detection means) are provided, and the control unit 30 performs a container discrimination process for discriminating between beverage containers 22 with different capacities. This allows the capacity of the beverage container 22 to be determined based on the ON / OFF state of each container detection switch, making it possible to calculate the remaining amount of beverage even for beverage containers 22 of different capacities.

[0041] In this embodiment, the control unit 30 corrects the estimated flow rate of gas obtained by the estimated gas flow rate calculation process depending on the type of gas sent from the gas cylinder 14 (gas supply source) to the beverage container 22. This makes it possible to calculate and process the volume ratio per unit heat quantity from the differences in specific heat and density of different types of gas. Therefore, for example, even if only a flow sensor for measuring N2 is installed and the gas used to dispense beverages is CO2, the cumulative flow rate can be calculated without using a CO2 sensor, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0042] [2-1: Variation] Next, a modified example of the present disclosure will be described. In embodiment 1, the gas flow measurement process is performed by measuring the cumulative gas flow rate after the gas flow rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value S1. However, when determining the cumulative gas flow rate, the cumulative gas flow rate may be calculated by determining the rate of change of the gas flow rate from when the beverage starts to be dispensed until a constant gas flow rate is reached.

[0043] As shown in bold in FIGS. 6(a), (b), and (c), it is known that when measurement of the gas flow rate begins, the slope of the change in the gas flow rate differs depending on the remaining amount in the beverage container 22. Therefore, by calculating the gas flow rate change rate using the control unit 30, it is possible to perform a beverage remaining amount calculation process that estimates the remaining amount in the beverage container 22 by utilizing the correlation with the remaining amount in the beverage container 22.

[0044] According to this modified example, even when the beverage container 22 is not new and filled with beverage, but when a partially used beverage container 22 is used, it is possible to estimate the remaining amount of beverage in the beverage container 22 based on the gas flow rate change rate.

[0045] As described above, the first and second embodiments have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to these and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] As described above, the beverage supply device of the present invention can be suitably used as a beverage supply device that can determine the remaining amount of beverage in a beverage container after the beverage has been dispensed without waiting for the supply of gas into the beverage container to be completed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Beverage dispensing equipment 10. Cabinet 11 Spout 12 Dispensing lever 13 Spout adapter 14 Gas Cylinder 15 Display section 16 Gas tube 17 Gas flow sensor 20 First container housing member 21 Second container housing member 22 Beverage containers 23 First container detection switch 24 Second container detection switch 25 Third container detection switch 26 Fourth container detection switch 27 Detection piece 30 Control Unit 31 Storage section

Claims

1. 1. A beverage dispenser that dispenses a beverage in a sealed beverage container by supplying gas from a gas supply source to a dispensing means, comprising: a gas flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of gas sent from the gas supply source to the beverage container; a gas flow rate measurement process for measuring an integrated gas flow rate from the start of dispensing to the substantial completion of dispensing using the gas flow rate measurement means when dispensing a beverage; a gas estimated flow rate calculation process for estimating an estimated gas flow rate until gas is completely supplied into the beverage container based on a correlation between a previously determined gas flow rate and a remaining amount of beverage; a control unit that performs a remaining beverage amount calculation process that calculates the remaining beverage amount in the beverage container based on the results of the gas flow rate measurement process and the estimated gas flow rate calculation process. A beverage supply device characterized by:

2. the control unit calculates a rate of change of the gas flow rate from the start of beverage dispensing until a constant gas flow rate is reached, A remaining beverage amount calculation process is performed to estimate the remaining beverage amount in the beverage container by utilizing the correlation between the gas flow rate change rate and the remaining beverage amount in the beverage container.

2. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1.

3. A container detection means is provided to detect the presence or absence of the beverage container.

3. The beverage supply device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A plurality of the container detection means is provided, The control unit performs a container discrimination process to discriminate between beverage containers with different capacities.

4. The beverage supply device according to claim 3.

5. The control unit corrects the estimated flow rate of gas calculated by the estimated gas flow rate calculation process depending on the type of gas sent from the gas supply source to the beverage container.

2. The beverage dispenser according to claim 1.

6. 1. A method for detecting a remaining amount of a beverage in a beverage dispenser that supplies gas from a gas supply source to a sealed beverage container to push and dispense the beverage in the beverage container to a dispensing means, comprising: a process of measuring an integrated gas flow rate from the start of dispensing the beverage to the substantial completion of dispensing using a gas flow rate measuring means; a process of estimating an estimated gas flow rate until gas is completely supplied into the beverage container based on a correlation between a previously determined gas flow rate and a remaining amount of beverage; A process of calculating the remaining amount of beverage in the beverage container based on the results of the process of measuring the integrated gas flow rate and the process of estimating the estimated gas flow rate; and performing a process of displaying the remaining amount of beverage calculated by the calculation process of the remaining amount of beverage before the supply of gas into the beverage container is completed. A method for detecting remaining beverage amount.

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