Hot beverage machine with integrated cleaning system

Abstract

In order to improve the operability and / or operational reliability of a hot beverage machine with an integrated cleaning system which comprises a cleaning agent metering device for a cleaning agent in piece form, in particular in tablet or spherical form, a dispensing device is provided, said dispensing device having a conveying channel leading from a storage container to an introduction chute of the beverage machine and at least one conveying screw rotatably mounted therein and driven by a motor, from the thread flight of which the cleaning agent in piece form is transported singly. In a region of the conveying channel facing the storage container, a first sensor is arranged for detecting individual cleaning agent bodies conveyed out of the storage container. As a result it is always possible to count and determine how many cleaning agent bodies are in the cleaning channel. If the storage container is empty, an information message can be generated, based on the known number of cleaning agent bodies in the conveying channel, about how many cleaning operations can still be carried out with the cleaning agent present in the cleaning channel.

Description

[0001] Hot drinks machine with integrated cleaning system

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to a hot drinks machine, in particular a coffee machine, with an integrated cleaning system which comprises a cleaning agent dosing device for a bar-shaped, in particular tablet-shaped or spherical cleaning agent, with a storage container for the bar-shaped cleaning agent and a discharge device for separating and conveying the bar-shaped cleaning agent to a feed chute of the hot drinks machine.

[0004] Hot beverage vending machines, especially fully automatic coffee machines, typically feature an integrated cleaning system that flushes the food-feeding lines with a cleaning solution and / or water at regular intervals, after a predetermined number of product dispenses, or when the machine is shut down, thus removing any adhering residue. Well-known examples on the market include fully automatic coffee machines that prompt the user to remove a cleaning tablet from a storage container and insert it through a feed flap via a chute. The cleaning tablet enters the brewing unit and is dissolved with hot water, which is then pumped through the coffee-feeding line.

[0005] EP 191 1382 A1 discloses a corresponding coffee machine with a cleaning system in which cleaning agent tablets are fed from a tablet magazine into the brewing group via the coffee supply.

[0006] A hot drinks vending machine according to the preamble of claim 1 is also known from EP 1210894 A1. There, a tablet- or ball-shaped cleaning agent is dispensed from a storage container via a dosing wheel on the bottom and fed into the vending machine. A type of spring balance monitors the level of cleaning agent in the storage container, and a message is generated that cleaning agent needs to be refilled. A light barrier at the cleaning agent outlet can determine whether and how many cleaning tablets have been dispensed. However, it is not possible to determine how many cleaning cycles can still be performed with the remaining cleaning agent supply.

[0007] CH 703374 B1 discloses a cleaning system for a beverage vending machine in which a spherical cleaning agent is dispensed into the vending machine via a dosing device with two counter-rotating screw conveyors and dispensed into the vending machine via a dosing gate. The dosing gate is activated by a light barrier at the outlet. Here, too, it is not possible to determine how many cleaning cycles can still be performed with the available cleaning agent.

[0008] The present invention has for its object to improve a hot drinks vending machine of the type mentioned above with regard to operability and / or operational reliability.

[0009] The object is achieved by the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments can be found in the dependent claims. Furthermore, the invention relates to a cleaning agent dosing device for use in a hot beverage vending machine.

[0010] In a hot drinks vending machine of the type mentioned above, the invention provides that the discharge device has a conveyor channel leading from the storage container to the insertion chute, with at least one rotatably mounted, motor-driven conveyor screw, the screw thread of which transports the piece-shaped cleaning agent individually, wherein a first sensor for detecting individual cleaning agent bodies conveyed from the storage container is arranged in a region of the conveyor channel facing the storage container. By providing a conveyor channel in which the cleaning agent bodies are transported and a first sensor for detecting conveyed cleaning agent bodies is arranged at the end of the conveyor channel facing the storage container, the number of cleaning agent bodies in the cleaning channel can be constantly counted and determined.In the event that no more cleaning agents are being pumped because the storage container is empty, it is also known how many cleaning processes can still be carried out with the cleaning agents still contained in the conveyor channel.

[0011] Preferably, a second sensor for detecting the dispensing of a cleaning agent body into the chute can also be arranged in a region of the conveyor channel facing the chute. This ensures that a cleaning agent body or a predetermined number of cleaning agents bodies have actually been dispensed into the chute, thus controlling the dosage.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the hot drinks machine has a control device connected to the first sensor, which is designed to determine whether additional cleaning agents are being conveyed from the storage container during operation of the conveyor screw and, if this is not the case, to output an indication message that a number of cleaning cycles corresponding to the number of cleaning agent bodies located in the conveyor channel can still be carried out, in particular in which the indication message is sent via a data network connection to a remote monitoring server.

[0013] As explained, the first sensor can detect and count the cleaning agent particles conveyed from the storage container into the conveyor channel. This way, it is known how many cleaning agent particles are in the conveyor channel. If no further cleaning agent particles are conveyed, the storage container is empty and a corresponding empty message is issued. Based on the known number of cleaning agent particles in the conveyor channel, the invention can thus generate an information message indicating how many cleaning processes can still be carried out with the cleaning agent in the cleaning channel. If this number is exceeded, the operation of the hot drinks machine can be blocked or a cleaning process can be prevented.At the latest when a cleaning process would have to be carried out to continue operation, the hot drinks machine would stop operating if the cleaning agent had not been refilled by then.

[0014] Preferably, the control device is additionally connected to the second sensor and, to perform a cleaning operation, drives the motor for operating the auger conveyor until the second sensor detects the discharge of a predetermined number of cleaning agent particles into the feed chute. The second sensor thus counts whether and how many cleaning agent particles have been discharged into the feed chute during discharge. This allows the operation of the auger conveyor to be precisely controlled and the correct dosage of cleaning agent to be reliably ensured.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, one cleaning agent body is fed into the beverage dispenser via the feed chute per cleaning cycle. However, the invention is not limited to such a 1:1 dosing. It can also be provided that 2, or more generally n, cleaning agent bodies are fed into the beverage dispenser per cleaning cycle.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the storage container and dispensing device form a mechanical unit that is integrated into the hot drinks machine in the manner of a pull-out drawer. During operation, the mechanical unit is pushed into the hot drinks machine and is thus not directly accessible. For filling, the mechanical unit can be pulled out so that cleaning agent can be added to the storage container, which is open at the top. Preferably, the drawer-shaped mechanical unit can be arranged behind a hinged device front so that it is only accessible by service personnel and not by normal users. The storage container can in particular be transparent or partially transparent so that it is immediately visible whether it still contains cleaning agent.

[0017] Preferably, the mechanical unit formed by the storage container and discharge device can be extendable to two extension stages, wherein the storage container can be filled in the first extension stage, and maintenance of the discharge device can be performed in the second extension stage, wherein the second extension stage is preferably mechanically locked. This also results in simple operation both for filling the storage container and for maintaining the discharge device.

[0018] Preferably, the screw conveyor is coupled to the motor by inserting the mechanical unit consisting of the storage container and the discharge device. The latter is thus not part of the mechanical unit itself and remains permanently installed in the hot beverage machine.

[0019] The mechanical unit formed by the storage container and the discharge device is preferably held in its retracted end position by a magnet. Such a holding magnet provides the user with tactile feedback for the correct positioning of the mechanical unit. Additionally, the end position of the mechanical unit formed by the storage container and discharge device can be detected by a limit switch, particularly one monitored by sensors. A cleaning process can be controlled in such a way that it can only be started when the storage container and discharge device are in their retracted end position, allowing cleaning agent particles to be reliably conveyed into the hot beverage machine.

[0020] The conveyor channel and conveyor screw are advantageously designed to interact so that, for cleaning agent bodies of a given size and shape, especially spherical, the cleaning agent bodies are conveyed in a linear row. This significantly increases operational reliability, prevents clogging or jamming of the conveyor screw, and enables safe and reliable dosing of the cleaning agent.

[0021] In this case, it can be provided in particular that the conveyor screw is arranged in the lower region of the conveyor channel and the cleaning agent bodies are conveyed above the conveyor screw by its thread, wherein the conveyor channel corresponds in its clear width approximately to the dimensions of the cleaning agent bodies of predetermined size and shape.

[0022] Additionally, a mechanical separating device can be arranged on the bottom of the storage container, which allows only individual cleaning agent bodies to pass through toward the conveyor channel. Such a device can, for example, be designed as a passage to the conveyor channel that is adapted to a given cleaning agent body shape and size and has a sloping bottom.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the separating device is formed by a rotating element at the lower end of the storage container, which is driven by the motor and the conveyor screw. This ensures that the cleaning agent bodies remain in motion and thus prevents jamming of the cleaning agent bodies ("bridging"). The separating device interacts with a passage to the conveyor channel adapted to a predetermined cleaning agent body shape and size, so that only one cleaning agent body can reach the conveyor channel at a time. The rotating element can preferably have flexible arms that keep the cleaning agent bodies in motion.

[0024] Preferably, the first and / or second sensors can be designed as reflective light barriers. These enable reliable and trouble-free operation and reliable detection of the cleaning agent particles.

[0025] Further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the figures.

[0026] It shows:

[0027] Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a detergent dosing device in the form of a drawer for a hot drinks machine,

[0028] Figure 2 is a rear view of the detergent dosing device from Figure 1,

[0029] Figure 3 is a plan view of the detergent dosing device from Figure 1,

[0030] Figure 4 is a side view of the detergent dosing device from Figure 1, Figure 5 is a partially sectioned detailed view of the detergent dosing device from Figure 1, in which the bottom-side separating device in the storage container is visible, and

[0031] Figure 6 is a view of a hot drinks machine with the front door opened and the detergent dosing device storage containers pulled out for filling, integrated in the manner of a drawer.

[0032] The detergent dosing device shown in Figure 1 has an extendable storage container 1 with a separating device 2 at the bottom. A passage in the bottom of the storage container, adapted to a predetermined detergent body shape and size, opens into a conveyor channel 4 for conveying the detergent. Located in the conveyor channel 4 is a rotatably mounted conveyor screw (dosing screw) 3, with which the piece-shaped detergent, which has passed from the storage container 1 into the conveyor channel 4 via the separating device 2, is conveyed towards a ramp 5. The ramp 5 leads to a brewing unit of the associated hot drinks machine, where the detergent is dissolved with hot water and conveyed through the beverage lines of the hot drinks machine. The hot drinks machine is, for example, a fully automatic coffee machine.Alternatively, the ramp can also lead into a cleaning container, where the cleaning agent is dissolved with water and then used to rinse the lines of the hot drinks machine, such as the milk system of a fully automatic coffee machine.

[0033] The cleaning agent dosing device is designed for a piece-shaped, in particular spherical cleaning agent, which is conveyed individually along the conveying channel 4.

[0034] In an area of ​​the conveyor channel 4 facing the storage container 1 there is a first sensor 6 for detecting individual cleaning agent bodies conveyed from the storage container 1. A second sensor 7 for detecting the cleaning agent bodies is arranged at the end of the conveyor channel 4 facing the ramp 5 and serves to detect when a cleaning agent body has been dispensed via the ramp 5 into a feed chute of the hot drinks machine. In the exemplary embodiment the two sensors 6, 7 are designed as retro-reflective light barriers and detect from the low / high / low switching pattern that a cleaning agent ball has been conveyed past the sensor. The sensor 6 can be used to count how many cleaning agent balls are present in the conveyor channel 4 and the sensor 7 can be used to detect when a cleaning agent ball has been dispensed via the ramp 5 into the feed chute.This means that it is known at any time how many cleaning agent balls are currently in conveyor channel 4.

[0035] The storage container 1 and the conveyor channel 4 with the conveyor screw 3 form a mechanical unit that can be pulled out of the hot beverage machine as a whole in two stages. The first stage is used to fill the storage container 1. The second stage, which is mechanically locked separately, provides easy access for servicing.

[0036] The conveyor screw 3 is driven by a motor 9 and a gear unit 8. When the mechanical unit formed by the storage container 1 and the conveyor channel 4 is inserted, the conveyor screw 3 is coupled to the drive wheel of the motor 9.

[0037] The separating device 2 is formed by a rotating element at the lower end of the storage container 1, which is driven by the motor and the conveyor screw. The separating device 2 interacts with the passage adapted to the shape and size of the cleaning agent body, so that only one cleaning agent body can fall through to the conveyor channel 4 at a time.

[0038] Alternatively, the separating device 2 could also be formed, for example, simply by a sloping bottom tapering downwards on both sides in a funnel shape, which interacts with the passage adapted to the shape and size of the cleaning agent body.

[0039] The mechanical unit, consisting of storage container 1 and conveyor channel 4, can be held in its final position (retracted) by a magnet, thus providing the user with tactile feedback of correct positioning. Additionally, the final position of storage container 1 can be secured via a mechanical switch, which can be monitored by sensors. The storage container and conveyor channel can be separated from each other when the unit is removed and cleaned or serviced separately.

[0040] The sensors 6, 7 are connected to a controller 10, which, among other things, controls the motor 8 to convey a cleaning agent ball via the ramp 5 into the insertion chute of the hot drinks machine. The controller 10 uses the sensors 6, 7 to count the cleaning agent balls conveyed in the conveyor channel 4 as well as those dispensed into the hot drinks machine via the ramp 5. If the storage container 1 becomes empty, the sensor 6 detects that no further cleaning agents are being conveyed. The controller 10 then issues a notification message 11 indicating that a further number of cleaning cycles corresponding to the number of cleaning agents balls in the conveyor channel can still be performed. The notification message 11 can be sent to a remote monitoring server via a graphical user interface (not shown) or via a data network connection.The notification message can also be used to automatically trigger a reorder of cleaning supplies.

[0041] If a cleaning agent ball is to be fed into the hot drinks machine, the control system 10 starts the motor 8 and drives it until the sensor 7 signals that a cleaning agent ball has been dispensed via the ramp 5.

[0042] The top view of the detergent dosing device shown in Figure 3 shows that the detergent spheres are conveyed one after the other in a linear row. The inside width of the conveying channel 4 approximately corresponds to the diameter of the detergent spheres. At the bottom of the conveying channel, the detergent spheres rest on the thread of the conveyor screw 3 and, when the conveyor screw 3 is driven by the motor 8, are conveyed toward the ramp 5.

[0043] The rotating element of the separating device 2 is shown in more detail in the partially sectioned detailed view in Figure 5. It is driven directly by the conveyor screw 3 with a gear 14 and has two flexible arms 2a, which keep the cleaning agent balls moving and thus prevent blockage or bridging between the balls. Should the balls nevertheless jam, the resulting force does not directly lead to the blockage of the entire system, but is absorbed by the flexible arms 2a and the conveyor screw 3 can continue to rotate and thus release the blockage, allowing the next cleaning agent ball to fall into the conveyor channel 4.

[0044] The storage container 1 is preferably made of a transparent or semi-transparent plastic so that an operator can easily see the fill level of detergent balls in the storage container 1. Figure 6 shows a schematic of the hot drinks machine 12 with the front door 13 open. As soon as a message is output via the graphical user interface that the storage container 1 is empty because no more detergent balls are being conveyed past the sensor 6, an operator can pull the mechanical unit 1' designed as a drawer out of the storage container 1 and the conveyor channel 4 to fill the storage container 1. After filling, the unit 1' designed as a drawer is simply pushed back into the hot drinks machine, whereby the conveyor screw is coupled to the motor 8.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to a discharge device with a single conveyor screw, even if this is the preferred embodiment. Alternatively, however, an arrangement of two counter-rotating conveyor screws, one of which has a left-hand thread, the other a right-hand thread, could also be used to convey the cleaning agent balls. It is particularly important that the dimensions of the conveyor screw and conveyor channel are adapted to the shape and dimensions of the cleaning agent bodies to be used, so that these are transported individually and safely without the risk of clogging. The invention is also not limited to spherical cleaning agent bodies; rather, other geometrically shaped dimensions, such as tablet-shaped or pillow-shaped cleaning agent bodies (e.g. so-called cleaning agent pods), can also be used.

Claims

Claims 1. Hot drinks machine, in particular a coffee machine, with an integrated cleaning system which comprises a detergent dosing device for a bar-shaped, in particular tablet-shaped or spherical detergent, with a storage container (1) for the bar-shaped detergent and a discharge device (3, 4) for singling out and conveying the bar-shaped detergent to a feed chute of the hot drinks machine, characterized in that the discharge device has a conveyor channel (4) leading from the storage container (1) to the feed chute, with at least one conveyor screw (3) rotatably mounted therein and driven by a motor (8), the screw thread of which transports the bar-shaped detergent in individual pieces, wherein a first sensor (6) for detecting individual detergent bodies conveyed from the storage container (1) is arranged in a region of the conveyor channel (4) facing the storage container (1).

2. Hot drinks machine according to claim 1, wherein a second sensor (7) for detecting the discharge of a cleaning agent body into the insertion chute is arranged on a region of the conveying channel (4) facing the insertion chute.

3. Hot drinks machine according to claim 1 or 2, which has a control device (10) connected to the first sensor (6), which is designed to determine whether further cleaning agent bodies are being conveyed from the storage container (1) during operation of the conveyor screw (3) and, if this is not the case, to output an information message (11) that a number of cleaning cycles corresponding to the number of cleaning agent bodies located in the conveyor channel (4) can still be carried out, in particular in which the information message is sent to a remote monitoring server via a data network connection.

4. Hot drinks machine according to claim 3, wherein the control device (10) is connected to the second sensor (7) and, in order to carry out a cleaning, drives the motor (8) for operating the conveyor screw (3) until the discharge of a predetermined number of cleaning agent bodies into the insertion chute is detected by means of the second sensor (7).

5. Hot drinks machine according to one of the preceding claims, in which the storage container (1) and the dispensing device (3, 4) form a mechanical unit which is integrated into the hot drinks machine in the manner of a drawer and can be pulled out.

6. Hot drinks machine according to claim 5, wherein the mechanical unit formed from the storage container (1) and the dispensing device (3, 4) can be pulled out in two extension stages, wherein in the first extension stage the storage container (1) can be filled and in the second extension stage maintenance of the dispensing device (3, 4) can be carried out, wherein preferably the second extension stage is mechanically locked.

7. Hot drinks machine according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the conveyor screw (3) is coupled to the motor (6) by inserting the mechanical unit formed from the storage container (1) and the discharge device (3, 4).

8. Hot drinks machine according to one of claims 5 to 7, in which the mechanical unit formed from the storage container (1) and the discharge device (3, 4) is held in its inserted end position by a magnet.

9. Hot drinks machine according to one of claims 5 to 8, in which the inserted end position of the mechanical unit formed by the storage container (1) and the discharge device (3, 4) is detected by a limit switch, in particular a sensor-monitored limit switch.

10. Hot drinks machine according to one of the preceding claims, in which the conveyor channel (4) and conveyor screw (4) are designed to cooperate are that for cleaning agent bodies of a given size and shape, in particular spherical shape, cleaning agent bodies are conveyed in a linear row. 1 1. Hot drinks machine according to claim 10, wherein the conveyor screw (3) is arranged in a lower region of the conveyor channel (4) and the cleaning agent bodies are conveyed above the conveyor screw (3) by its thread, the conveyor channel (4) corresponding in its clear width to the dimensions of the cleaning agent bodies of predetermined size and shape.

12. Hot drinks machine according to one of the preceding claims, in which a mechanical separating device (2) is provided on the bottom side of the storage container (1), which is formed in particular by a rotating element at the lower end of the storage container, which is driven by the motor and the conveyor screw.

13. Hot drinks machine according to one of the preceding claims, in which the first and / or the second sensor (6, 7) are designed as a reflective light barrier.

14. Detergent dosing device for a bar-shaped, in particular tablet-shaped or spherical cleaning agent for use in a hot drinks machine according to one of the preceding claims, with a storage container (1) for the bar-shaped cleaning agent and a discharge device (3, 4) for singling and conveying the bar-shaped cleaning agent to a feed chute of the hot drinks machine, characterized in that the discharge device has a conveying channel (4) leading from the storage container (1) to the feed chute with at least one conveyor screw (3) rotatably mounted therein and driven by a motor (8), by the thread of which the bar-shaped cleaning agent is transported singly, wherein a first sensor (6) for detecting individual cleaning agent bodies conveyed from the storage container (1) is arranged in a region of the conveying channel (4) facing the storage container (1).

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