CN113260591A

CN113260591A - Cleaning device for beverage supply system

Info

Publication number: CN113260591A
Application number: CN201980086063.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吉原庆太
Original assignee: Suntory Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: Suntory Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2018-12-28
Filing date: 2019-12-24
Publication date: 2021-08-13
Also published as: KR20210092809A; WO2020138102A1; JP7299922B2; JPWO2020138102A1

Abstract

The present invention is a cleaning device (10) of a beverage supply system, comprising: a 1 st flow path (21) which circulates gas from a gas supply source (70) and is connected to a fluid inlet (52) of a dispensing head (51) attached to a beverage storage container (50); a 2 nd flow path (22) through which the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply source (80) flows and which is connected to a fluid inlet (52) of a dispensing head (51) attached to the beverage storage container (50); at least one electromagnetic valve (V1, V2) for independently opening and closing the 1 st and 2 nd flow paths; a detector (23) for measuring the gas flow rate; and a control unit (24) that can communicate with the detector (23) and operates the electromagnetic valves (V1, V2), wherein the control unit (24) determines whether or not cleaning is possible based on the measured gas flow rate, opens the 2 nd flow path (22) to allow the cleaning liquid to flow therethrough while closing the 1 st flow path (21) when it is determined that cleaning is possible, and does not open the 2 nd flow path (22) when it is determined that cleaning is not possible.

Description

Cleaning device for beverage supply system

Technical Field

The invention relates to a cleaning device of a beverage supply system, which is used for cleaning a pipeline of the beverage supply system.

Background

Beverage supply systems that use the pressure of gas filled in a gas cylinder to dispense a beverage such as beer stored in a beverage storage container are widely used in restaurants and the like. Such a beverage supply system generally includes, in addition to a gas cylinder and a beverage storage container: a dispensing head mounted at the mouth of the beverage storage container; a beverage dispenser for pouring a beverage into a glass or the like; and a pipe connecting these.

In order to maintain hygiene and taste of the beverage, it is necessary to periodically clean the beverage passage line in the beverage supply system. In general, the dispensing head is detached from the beverage storage container when cleaning is performed, but in order to facilitate cleaning, a configuration is described in patent document 1 in which the pipe can be cleaned while the dispensing head is attached to the beverage storage container. When cleaning is performed while keeping the dispensing head attached to the beverage storage container, sufficient care must be taken not to cause the cleaning liquid to flow into the beverage storage container by mistake. Therefore, in the cited document 1, the fluid to be supplied is selected based on a signal of a tilt sensor attached to an operation lever of the dispensing head so that the dispensing head supplies the cleaning liquid only when the dispensing head is in the cleaning mode.

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese unexamined patent publication No. 2006-36221

Disclosure of Invention

Since the dispensing head is sometimes disposed in an environment where the beverage is contaminated or splashed with water, there is a possibility that the liquid adheres to electronic parts such as the tilt sensor and malfunctions. It is not easy to provide a signal line between a tilt sensor attached to a movable operating lever of a dispensing head repeatedly attached to and detached from a beverage storage container and a controller communicating with the tilt sensor.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device for a beverage supply system, which can prevent a cleaning liquid from being erroneously supplied to the interior of a beverage storage container while eliminating the above-described disadvantages.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device for a beverage supply system, comprising: a 1 st flow path which allows gas from a gas supply source to flow therethrough and is connected to a fluid inlet of a dispensing head attached to a beverage storage container; a 2 nd flow path for circulating the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply source and connecting to a fluid inlet of a dispensing head mounted on the beverage storage container; at least one electromagnetic valve for independently opening and closing the 1 st flow path and the 2 nd flow path; a detector for measuring a gas flow rate; and a control unit capable of communicating with the detector and operating the solenoid valve, wherein the control unit determines whether or not cleaning is possible based on the measured gas flow rate, and opens the 2 nd flow path while closing the 1 st flow path to allow the cleaning liquid to flow therethrough when it is determined that cleaning is possible, and does not open the 2 nd flow path when it is determined that cleaning is not possible.

The present invention provides a cleaning device for a beverage supply system having a novel configuration for determining whether or not cleaning is possible based on the flow rate of gas flowing through a pipe of the beverage supply system. Further, since it is not necessary to attach a sensor or the like to the dispensing head, and a device in which the detector is integrated in one housing can be realized, a cleaning device with high operational reliability can be realized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a beverage supply system including the same.

Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a beverage supply system also showing an internal configuration of the cleaning apparatus of fig. 1.

Detailed Description

First, a beverage supply system 100 including the cleaning device 10 of the beverage supply system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention as a component will be described with reference to fig. 1. The beverage supply system 100 operates to inject the beverage from the beverage supply source, i.e., the beverage storage container 50, by using gas pressure. Therefore, the beverage supply system 100 includes: a cleaning device (hereinafter, also referred to as "cleaning device") 10 of the beverage supply system; a beverage storage container 50; a dispensing head 51 attached to the beverage storage container 50; a gas cylinder 70 for supplying gas to the dispensing head 51 and the beverage storage container 50 through the cleaning device 10; a beverage dispenser 60 for cooling the beverage from the beverage storage container 50 and pouring the cooled beverage into a glass or the like; a water supply plug 80 as a water supply source of a tap water pipe for supplying water as a cleaning liquid; a pressure reducing valve RV disposed between the hydrant 80 and the cleaning apparatus 10; and 1 st to 4 th connection lines P1 to P4, which connect the aforementioned components.

The beverage dispenser 60 has a beverage pouring valve (hereinafter, referred to as "plug valve") 61 of a plug type. When the beverage is poured, a glass or the like (not shown) is prepared below the spout 62 of the stopcock 61. At the time of cleaning, a water tank 90 for receiving the discharged liquid is prepared below the discharge port 62 of the cock 61. The 4 th connecting line P4 connects the dispensing head 51 to the beverage dispenser 60. The 4 th connecting line P4 is connected to the cooling pipe 64 of the beverage dispenser 60, and the top end of the cooling pipe 64 is connected to the cock valve 61. The cooling pipe 64 has a spiral winding portion formed in a cylindrical coil shape for cooling thereof. The beverage dispenser 60 generally includes a cooling device 65 and a cooling water tank 63 cooled by the cooling device 65, and the spirally wound portion of the cooling pipe 64 is cooled in the cooling water tank 63.

In the beverage supply system 100 of fig. 1, since the supplied beverage is beer, the gas filled in the gas cylinder 70 is carbonic acid gas, and a beer keg is exemplified as the beverage storage container 50, and a beer dispenser is exemplified as the beverage dispenser 60. However, the cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be used in the beverage supply system 100 for supplying any carbonated beverage other than beer, for example, sparkling liquor, sparkling alcoholic beverage with beer flavor (third type beer) produced from a material other than malt and mixed with other alcoholic beverages, nonalcoholic beer, carbonated liquor, high ball cocktail (highball) or nonalcoholic carbonated beverage. The beverage supplied by the beverage supply system 100 may be a beverage supplied by using nitrogen gas or compressed air other than carbonic acid gas, for example, and in this case, the gas bomb 70 may be filled with nitrogen gas or compressed air.

In the beverage supply system 100 of fig. 1, the internal flow path (not shown) of the dispensing head 51, the 4 th connecting line P4, and the cooling pipe 64 of the beverage dispenser 60 are flow paths for the beverage and also flow paths for the cleaning liquid during cleaning.

Next, the dispensing head 51 used in the beverage supply system 100 of fig. 1 will be described below. The dispensing head 51 is provided with a dispensing head 51 for introducing high-pressure gas from the gas cylinder 70 into the beverage storage container 50 in cooperation with a spear valve (not shown) fixedly installed inside the beverage storage container 50, and for pressurizing and delivering the beverage in the beverage storage container 50 to the beverage dispenser 60 by the gas pressure. Therefore, in the beverage supply mode, the dispensing head 51 opens its own fluid inlet 52, and moves its plunger (not shown) to open the gas inlet and the beverage outlet (not shown) of the spear valve, thereby discharging the beverage from the fluid outlet 53. In this closing mode, the dispensing head 51 retracts the plunger to close the gas inlet and beverage outlet of the spear valve.

The dispensing head 51 is provided with an operating lever 54 for moving a plunger (not shown), and a beverage supply position where the operating lever 54 is normally depressed and a closing position where the operating lever is normally raised correspond to a beverage supply mode and a closing mode, respectively. In addition, in the usual business hours of the restaurant, the dispensing head 51 keeps the beverage supply mode, and the supply and stop of the beverage are realized by opening and closing the cock 61 of the beverage dispenser 60. Further, for example, when the beverage storage container 50 is replaced, a closing mode of the dispensing head 51 is required.

The dispenser head 51 of the beverage supply system 100 shown in fig. 1 has a cleaning mode in addition to the beverage supply mode and the closed mode. The cleaning mode is a mode in which the plunger of the dispensing head 51 is positioned so that the gas or the cleaning liquid is introduced from the fluid inlet 52 of the dispensing head 51 but is not introduced into the beverage storage container 50 but is discharged from the fluid outlet 53 to the beverage dispenser 60. The operation lever 54 in the cleaning mode is disposed at a cleaning position which is a specific intermediate position between the upper position in the closing mode and the lower position in the beverage supply mode.

When the 4 th connecting line P4 and the cooling pipe 64 of the beverage dispenser 60 are cleaned, the dispenser head 51 must be set to the cleaning mode. If the cleaning liquid is supplied to the fluid inlet 52 of the dispensing head 51 while the setting of the beverage supply mode is maintained, the cleaning liquid flows into the beverage storage container 50. A cleaning device 10 of a beverage supply system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention that can prevent this problem will be described below.

The cleaning device 10 of the beverage supply system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention includes, on a side surface of a housing 14: a 1 st inlet 11 connected to the gas cylinder 70 through a 1 st connecting line P1; a 2 nd inlet 12 connected to a water supply plug 80 of a tap water pipe via a 2 nd connection line P2 and a pressure reducing valve RV; and a fluid outlet 13. The fluid outlet 13 is connected to the fluid inlet 52 of the distribution head 51 via a connection line P3. A display unit 15, a cleaning button 16, a beverage supply button 17, and a sealing button 18 are disposed on the front surface of the housing 14.

Inside the cleaning apparatus 10 are formed: a 1 st channel 21 connecting the 1 st inlet 11 and the fluid outlet 13; and a 2 nd flow path 22 connecting the 2 nd inlet 12 and the fluid outlet 13. The cleaning device 10 includes: a 1 st electromagnetic valve V1 for opening and closing the 1 st flow path 21; and a 2 nd electromagnetic valve V2 for opening and closing the 2 nd flow passage 22. Although the 1 st solenoid valve V1 and the 2 nd solenoid valve V2 are separate solenoid valves in the present embodiment, these 2 solenoid valves may be replaced with 1 solenoid valve having the same function. The cleaning device 10 further includes: a 1 st check valve CV1 disposed in the 1 st flow path 21; and a 2 nd check valve CV2 disposed in the 2 nd flow path 22.

The cleaning device 10 has a cleaning mode, a drink supply mode, and a full-closed mode that can be selected by a cleaning button 16, a drink supply button 17, and a closing button 18. In the beverage supply mode, the 1 st flow path 21 is opened, whereas the 2 nd flow path 22 is closed. Although detailed later, the 1 st flow path 21 is opened in the cleaning mode, after which it is closed and the 2 nd flow path 22 is opened. In the fully closed mode, both the 1 st channel 21 and the 2 nd channel 22 are closed.

The cleaning apparatus 10 further includes a detector 23 for detecting the flow rate of the gas flowing through the 1 st flow path 21. As the detector 23, a thermal type flow rate detector is used in the present embodiment. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, as the detector 23, for example, other types of flow rate detectors such as a differential pressure type, an ultrasonic type, a karman scroll type, an impeller type, and a float type may be used. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, instead of the detector 23 for detecting the flow rate, a detector for detecting the flow rate may also be used.

In the present embodiment, the detector 23 is disposed inside the housing 14 of the cleaning device 10, but may be disposed outside the housing 14 on the 1 st connection line P1 from the gas bomb 70. Furthermore, if the detector 23 is of a waterproof type, it may be disposed on the 3 rd connection line P3 that reaches the dispensing head 51.

The cleaning apparatus 10 further includes a control unit 24. The controller 24 includes a processor, a timer, a memory, and the like, not shown, and operates the 1 st solenoid valve V1 and the 2 nd solenoid valve V2 in response to signals from the cleaning button 16, the beverage supply button 17, the blocking button 18, and the detector 23. The controller 24 determines whether or not cleaning is possible based on the gas flow rate measured by the detector 23, closes the 1 st electromagnetic valve V1 to close the 1 st flow path 21 when it is determined that cleaning is possible, and opens the 2 nd flow path 22 by opening the 2 nd electromagnetic valve V2 to allow the cleaning liquid from the water plug 80 to flow therethrough, and maintains the closed state of the closed 2 nd electromagnetic valve V2, that is, does not open the 2 nd flow path 22 when it is determined that cleaning is not possible. At this time, the control unit 24 also closes the 1 st solenoid valve V1.

Next, how the cleaning device 10 according to embodiment 1 operates in the beverage supply system 100 will be described in more detail.

Normally, the cleaning device 10 is selected to be in the beverage supply mode so that the 1 st flow path 21 for the gas is opened but the 2 nd flow path 22 for the cleaning liquid (water) is closed. At this time, the dispensing head 51 is also selected to be in the drink supply mode. When the operator opens the cock valve 61 of the beverage dispenser 60 in this state, the gas pressure supplied from the gas cylinder 70 and supplied into the beverage storage container 50 through the cleaning device 10 via the fluid inlet 52 of the dispensing head 51 causes the beverage to be pressurized and transported from the beverage storage container 50 to the beverage dispenser 60 via the dispensing head 51, and then to be discharged from the cock valve 61. To stop the discharge of the beverage, the plug valve 61 is closed.

When the 4 th connection line P4, which is the beverage supply line, and the cooling pipe 64 are cleaned, the operation lever 54 of the dispensing head 51 is placed at the cleaning position and the cleaning mode is selected, and the cleaning device 10 is also selected as the cleaning mode by pressing the cleaning button 16. In the cleaning apparatus 10 selected as the cleaning mode, first, as in the case of selecting the beverage supply mode, the 1 st flow path 21 for gas is opened, and the 2 nd flow path 22 for the cleaning liquid is closed.

In this state, if the operator opens the cock 61 of the beverage dispenser 60, the gas starts to flow in the 1 st flow path 21 of the cleaning apparatus 10. The controller 24 of the cleaning apparatus 10 starts the timer operation from the start of the gas flow and displays the remaining time of the cleaning process on the display unit 15. At the time when the gas starts to flow, the beverage remains in the 4 th connecting line P4 and the cooling pipe 64, and the resistance is generated, so the gas flow rate is smaller than that when no beverage is present. If the beverage remaining in the 4 th connecting line P4 or the like is pressed out, the gas flow rate increases. The control unit 24 evaluates the gas flow rate obtained after a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of the timer. The predetermined time is set to a time that adds an extra amount to the time required to express the beverage remaining in the 4 th connecting line P4 and the cooling pipe 64. Thus, if the dispense head 51 is properly selected as the purge mode, the gas flow rate should be increased after the prescribed time elapses. Therefore, when the gas flow rate is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the controller 24 determines that the purge is possible, closes the 1 st electromagnetic valve V1 to close the 1 st flow path 21, and opens the 2 nd electromagnetic valve V2 to open the 2 nd flow path 22. As a result, the cleaning liquid from the water plug 80 is supplied to the 4 th connecting line P4 and the cooling pipe 64 through the cleaning apparatus 10 and the distribution head 51.

When a predetermined cleaning time has elapsed since the 2 nd flow path 22 was opened, the control unit 24 closes the 2 nd flow path 22 to stop the supply of the cleaning liquid, and opens the 1 st flow path 21 again to supply the gas. The 4 th connecting line P4 and the like are dried to remove water remaining in the lines, and gas is supplied again for this purpose. When a predetermined drying time has elapsed, the control unit 24 closes the 1 st flow path 21 and stops the gas supply. At this stage, the remaining time of the cleaning process displayed on the display unit 15 becomes zero. When the remaining time becomes zero, the operator closes the cock 61 of the beverage dispenser 60 and places the operating lever 54 of the dispensing head 51 at the beverage supply position or the closed position. Thus, the entire stage of cleaning is normally finished.

Next, how the cleaning device 10 operates when the cleaning button 16 of the cleaning device 10 is pressed when the operating lever 54 of the dispensing head 51 is disposed at the beverage supply position by an error of the operator will be described. At this time, as described above, the cleaning apparatus 10 selected as the cleaning mode first opens the 1 st flow path 21 for the gas and closes the 2 nd flow path 22 for the cleaning liquid. In this state, if the operator opens the cock 61 of the beverage dispenser 60, the gas starts to flow in the 1 st flow path 21 of the cleaning apparatus 10. However, since the operating lever 54 of the dispensing head 51 is set at the beverage supply position, the gas continues to pressurize and deliver the beverage, so that the gas flow rate continues to be maintained in a relatively small amount even after the elapse of the aforementioned prescribed time from the start of the timer. When it is detected that the gas flow rate is less than the predetermined value after the predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 24 determines that the cleaning is not possible and closes the 1 st flow path 21, and continues to maintain the closing of the 2 nd flow path 22. At this time, the control unit 24 also sounds an alarm. As a result, the operator should be aware that the operation lever 54 of the dispensing head 51 is not disposed at the cleaning position, and thus, the cleaning liquid is not supplied to the beverage storage container 50.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided the cleaning device 10 of the beverage supply system having a completely new configuration for determining whether or not cleaning is possible based on the flow rate of the gas flowing through the pipe. According to the cleaning apparatus 10, since it is not necessary to attach a sensor or the like to the dispensing head 51, and a device in which the detector 23 is integrated in one housing 14 is provided, the cleaning apparatus 10 with high operational reliability can be realized.

Next, a cleaning device (hereinafter, also referred to as "cleaning device") 10 of the beverage supply system according to embodiment 2 will be described. Although the method of determining whether or not the cleaning device 10 can perform cleaning is different from that of embodiment 1, other configurations are the same. In the cleaning device 110 according to embodiment 2, the control unit 24 compares the initial flow rate measured when a predetermined 1 st time relatively short has elapsed since the start of the gas flow by operating the cleaning button 16 with the late flow rate of the gas measured after a predetermined 2 nd time relatively long has elapsed since the start of the gas flow, and determines that cleaning is possible when the late flow rate is increased to a predetermined magnification or more with respect to the initial flow rate, and determines that cleaning is not possible when the late flow rate is less than the predetermined magnification.

When the beverage remains in the 4 th connecting line P4, the predetermined 1 st time is set as a time included in a time zone when the gas is pushed out of the beverage. A predetermined 2 nd time is set as the same time as the predetermined time in embodiment 1. That is, the predetermined 2 nd time is a time obtained by adding an extra amount of time to the time required for pushing out the beverage remaining in the 4 th connecting line P4 and the cooling pipe 64.

Although the above description has been made of an example in which the beverage is beer, the present invention may be applied to alcoholic beverages such as high-ball cocktail, wine, and japanese liquor, carbonated beverages such as cola and soda, and non-carbonated beverages such as fruit juice.

Although the above description has been made of an example in which the gas filled inside is carbonic acid gas, other types of gas such as nitrogen gas may be filled. In particular, when nitrogen gas is filled, the effect of suppressing the occurrence of oxidative deterioration in alcoholic beverages such as wine can be expected.

Description of the symbols

10-cleaning means of the beverage supply system;

11-1 st inlet;

12-2 nd inlet;

13-a fluid outlet;

15-a display section;

16-a wash button;

21-1 st channel;

22-2 nd flow path;

23-a detector;

24-a control section;

v1-1 st solenoid valve;

v2-solenoid valve 2;

50-beverage storage container;

51-a dispensing head;

60-a beverage dispenser;

70-gas storage cylinder;

80-water hydrant;

100-beverage supply system.

Claims

1. A cleaning device for a beverage supply system, comprising:

a 1 st flow path which allows gas from a gas supply source to flow therethrough and is connected to a fluid inlet of a dispensing head attached to a beverage storage container;

a 2 nd flow path which circulates a cleaning liquid from a cleaning liquid supply source and is connected to the fluid inlet of the dispensing head attached to the beverage storage container;

at least one electromagnetic valve for independently opening and closing the 1 st flow path and the 2 nd flow path, respectively;

a detector for determining the gas flow rate;

and a control section capable of communicating with the detector and operating the solenoid valve, characterized in that,

the control unit determines whether or not cleaning is possible based on the measured gas flow rate, and when it is determined that cleaning is possible, the control unit closes the 1 st flow path and opens the 2 nd flow path to allow the cleaning liquid to flow therethrough, and when it is determined that cleaning is not possible, the control unit does not open the 2 nd flow path.

2. The cleaning device of a beverage supplying system according to claim 1,

the utility model is also provided with a cleaning button,

when the purge button is operated and the gas starts to flow, the control unit determines that purging is possible when the gas flow rate measured after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the flow is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and determines that purging is not possible when the gas flow rate is less than the predetermined value.

3. The cleaning device of a beverage supplying system according to claim 1,

the utility model is also provided with a cleaning button,

when the purge button is operated and the gas starts to flow, the control unit determines that the purge is possible when the initial flow rate of the gas measured at a relatively short predetermined 1 st time from the start of the flow increases to a predetermined magnification or more after the late flow rate of the gas measured at a relatively long predetermined 2 nd time from the start of the flow increases, and determines that the purge is not possible when the late flow rate of the gas is less than the predetermined magnification.

4. The cleaning device for a beverage supplying system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

further comprises a frame body provided with the 1 st flow path and the 2 nd flow path and accommodating the control part and the electromagnetic valve,

the detector is housed inside the housing or disposed outside the housing.

5. The cleaning device for a beverage supplying system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the detector is a detector for measuring a flow rate instead of the gas flow rate,

the control unit determines whether or not to perform cleaning based on the measured flow rate of the gas.