JP2004196309A - Drink supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drink supply system, which offers a stable flow rate characteristic from the start of sales, and has a flow washer showing no difference in the flow rate characteristic between the initial feeding period and the following period, thus feeds a drink at a pre-determined flow rate accurately and stably without a need of an adjustment work to adjust the flow rate to a proper sales volume after installing the system. <P>SOLUTION: A flow washer 16 for regulating the supply flow rate of dilution water is arranged in the middle of a cooling coil 13 feeding out the dilution water. The flow washer 16 is subjected to a running-in process (aging) beforehand so that a flow rate for actual sales is set within a given fluctuation range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a beverage supply device, and more particularly to a beverage supply device using a flow washer for adjusting a flow rate of a liquid.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a restaurant or the like, when a cup is placed at a fixed position and a sales button corresponding to a beverage desired by a customer (such as a non-carbonated beverage or a carbonated beverage) is pressed, a beverage supply device that supplies the beverage to the cup is installed. I have.
[0003]
The above-described beverage supply device manufactures a non-carbonated beverage or a carbonated beverage by diluting and mixing a concentrated syrup as a stock solution with dilution water (cold water) or carbonated water.
[0004]
There are various methods for mixing the syrup and the dilution water. Representative methods include (1) a method in which a predetermined amount of the syrup and the dilution water are discharged from a nozzle arranged on the cup and mixed in the cup, 2) There is a method in which a dedicated mixing mechanism (or a mixing system) is provided, and a stock solution and dilution water are sequentially supplied to the mixing mechanism in small amounts to perform mixing.
[0005]
If the supply amounts of the syrup, carbonated water, and dilution water are not constant, the sales amount differs for each cup, and the taste may vary, so that it is necessary to strictly control the supply amounts. In order to supply such an amount of liquid accurately, it is important to keep the flow rate constant and to control the supply amount. Therefore, in the beverage supply device, a flow meter, a solenoid valve, and a flow rate adjusting member are provided in each of the dilution water, syrup, and carbonated water pipes to control the supply amount of each, so that the sales amount is always constant. ing.
[0006]
As a flow rate adjusting member, a flow regulator, a flow washer and the like are known. In particular, the flow washer has the features of being ultra-small and light in size of several millimeters, having a small number of parts, and having a simple structure. Since the flow washer has a simple structure, it can be said that the flow washer is excellent in reliability and economy.
[0007]
There is one in which the above-mentioned flow washer is used in the above-mentioned mixing system. In this mixing system, a flow meter configured by a pair of meshing gears is disposed in a measurement chamber formed in the middle of the flow path, and the fluid flowing into the measurement chamber is downstream by rotation of the gear of the flow meter. The rotation of the gear is sent out and detected by a detection sensor to obtain a detection signal, and the flow rate of the fluid is calculated based on the detection signal. Since a flow washer is provided at a stage preceding the flow meter, a constant flow rate can be output from the flow meter (Patent Document 1).
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-97495 A
3A and 3B show an example of a flow washer, wherein FIG. 3A shows a cross section and FIG. 3B shows a front view. The flow washer 100 is formed in a disc shape using rubber or a fluorine-based resin, and has a small-diameter through hole 101 through which a liquid (or fluid) flows in the center. The inlet side of the liquid is processed to have a flat surface 102 and the outlet side is processed to have a concave surface 103.
[0010]
FIG. 4 shows a configuration of a holding portion of the flow washer. The holding portion 200 includes a resin-molded main body 201 and a cylindrical connecting portion 202 embedded in a rear end portion thereof (to which a downstream pipe or tube is connected). ). At the front end of the main body 201, an opening 203 is formed, and a female screw 204 meshing with the supply-side pipe is formed. A space for accommodating the flow washer 100 is formed at the back of the opening 203, and a through hole 205 communicating with the through hole 101 of the flow washer 100 is formed in the main body 201. The connecting portion 202 is also provided with a through hole 206 so as to communicate with the through hole 205.
[0011]
3 and 4, when the fluid is applied to the inlet side of the flow washer 100 from the direction of the arrow, the fluid flows downstream through the through hole 101. When the pressure on the inflow side of the flow washer 100 increases, the flat surface 102 is pushed strongly by the increased pressure. Then, since the flow washer 100 is made of rubber or the like and has the concave surface 103, it is elastically deformed, and the through hole 101 becomes thin. Therefore, even if the pressure on the inflow side increases, the flow rate through the flow washer 100 does not increase, and is maintained at the same flow rate as before the pressure change.
[0012]
The present inventor has also manufactured a beverage supply device using a flow washer for the flow rate adjusting member, but found that when a flow washer was used for the flow rate adjusting member, there was a problem unique to the flow washer. This problem will be described with reference to FIG.
[0013]
FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the number of cups (number of sales) and the amount of sales per drink in a beverage supply device using a flow washer having an outer diameter of about 7 mmφ. A washer was used, and only the dilution water was sold with a selling time of 5 seconds. As a result, when the characteristics A and B were compared, the same tendency was observed, although there was a slight difference in the sales amount due to the individual difference (manufacturing variation). In other words, it can be seen that the sales amount tends to decrease every time the number of sales increases until about 20 cups after the start of the sales, and that the amount does not change after the 20 cups. This tendency is the same regardless of the type of the flow washer (the outer diameter is about 13 mmφ and about 7 mmφ).
[0014]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the conventional beverage supply device, when a flow washer is used, there is a problem that a remarkable change occurs in a sales amount in an early stage of sales as described in FIG. At the time of factory shipment, adjustments must be made at the stage corresponding to the number of sales of several cups, so even if the flow rate is adjusted to the optimum at the time of manufacturing, the sales volume will drop shortly after installation at the customer I do. For this reason, it is conceivable to make a higher adjustment at the time of manufacture, but then, at the initial stage of sales, the sales volume becomes large, and the problem cannot be completely solved.
[0015]
The cause of the change in the flow rate of the flow washer at the stage where the number of cups is small (at the initial stage of sales) is that the elastic deformation is not uniform immediately after production (unused state). This is probably because the characteristics are not constant. Even if the flow characteristics can be empirically determined from the type of elastic material constituting the flow washer, the physical properties, and the like, the above-described flow characteristics may differ from the actual flow when used in an actual machine. For this reason, the end-use flow washer is less likely to cause deformation of the through-hole 101, which causes a change in the sales volume for each sale and causes an adjustment operation for adjusting the sales volume to an appropriate sales volume. ing.
[0016]
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage supply device that exhibits stable flow characteristics from the beginning of sales and does not cause a difference in flow characteristics of the flow washer between the initial stage and the subsequent stage.
[0017]
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a beverage supply device capable of accurately and stably sending a predetermined flow rate without requiring an adjusting operation for adjusting to a proper sales volume after installing the apparatus. Is to do.
[0018]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a flow washer including, in a manufacturing process, a process of intermittently sending the liquid under required pressure conditions so that the flow rate of the sent liquid falls within a predetermined fluctuation range. A beverage supply device provided in a liquid delivery conduit is provided.
[0019]
According to this configuration, by including a process in which the flow rate falls within a predetermined fluctuation range in the manufacturing process of the flow washer, the elastic characteristic of the flow washer can be sold at a flow rate at which the sales amount does not change at the time of shipment from a factory. Since it is in a later state, it becomes possible to supply the liquid at a stable flow rate from the beginning of the sale regardless of the number of cups.
[0020]
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pipeline through which a liquid is delivered, and a pressure condition required so that a flow rate of the liquid delivered through the pipeline falls within a predetermined fluctuation range. A flow washer that includes a process of intermittently sending the liquid in the manufacturing process, and a control unit that executes the liquid sending operation based on the flow rate of the flow washer having a stable initial delivery characteristic based on the process. A beverage supply device is provided.
[0021]
According to this configuration, when the beverage supply device is shipped from the factory, the elasticity of the flow washer suppresses the variation in the sales volume, and the difference between the sales volume set at the time of actual sales and the actual sales volume occurs. Can be prevented.
[0022]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a beverage supply device according to the present invention. Here, a beverage supply device that sells only syrup is shown. In actual machines, some types are provided with only syrup, and coffee, carbonated drinks, etc. are also sold. However, flow washers are mainly involved in dilution water (cold water). The illustration is limited to the dilution water, and the detailed illustration of the type of beverage and the configuration of the system is omitted.
[0023]
1 includes a dilution water supply unit 10, a syrup supply unit 20, a nozzle 30, a cup tray 31, a control unit 40, and a sales button unit 41. The dilution water supply unit 10 includes an intake pipe 11, a water pump 11A, an electromagnetic valve 12, a cooling coil 13, a cooling water tank 15, a flow washer 16, a flow meter 17, an electromagnetic valve 18, and a dilution water pipe. 19 are provided. The water pump 11A pressurizes water (dilution water) supplied from the water source via the water intake pipe 11 to 1 MPa and sends it to the downstream side. The solenoid valve 12 is provided at an end of the water intake pipe 11 connected to a water pipe or the like. A cooling coil 13 is connected to the solenoid valve 12. A predetermined portion of the cooling coil 13 is immersed in cooling water 14 filled in a cooling water tank 15. At the rear end of the cooling coil 13, a flow washer 16, a flow meter 17, and a solenoid valve 18 are arranged in this order, and a dilution water pipe 19 is connected to the solenoid valve 18. A nozzle 30 is attached to the end of the dilution water pipe 19.
[0024]
The flow washer 16 is made of silicon rubber, and its elastic properties are, for example, a tensile strength of 4.9 MPa and an elongation of 200% measured according to JIS K6251. It has a hardness of 55 ± 5A as measured according to JIS K6253.
[0025]
The syrup supply unit 20 includes a syrup tank 21, a cooling coil 22, a cooling water tank 23, a flow meter 24, a syrup pump 25, a solenoid valve 26, and a syrup pipe 27. The syrup tank 21 stores syrup as a stock solution, and is sent out to a syrup pipe 27 based on the pressure of carbon dioxide gas supplied from a gas cylinder (not shown) via a pipe. The cooling coil 22 has one end connected to the syrup tank 21 and the other end provided with a flow meter 24. The cooling water tank 23 is filled with cooling water 28, and a predetermined portion of the cooling coil 22 is immersed in the cooling water 28. A syrup pump 25 and a solenoid valve 26 are sequentially arranged at the subsequent stage of the flow meter 24. A syrup pipe 27 is connected to the solenoid valve 18, and a nozzle 30 is attached to the syrup pipe 27.
[0026]
The cup tray 31 is provided in front of the beverage supply device 1, and a cup 32 (a paper cup, a glass cup, or the like) for supplying a beverage to be sold to a customer is placed at the time of sale. When the syrup or the dilution water is discharged in a state where the cup 32 is displaced or the cup 32 is not placed on the lower portion of the cup tray 31, the liquid is prevented from staying on the cup tray 31. Therefore, a drainage mechanism (not shown) is provided. The control unit 40 is configured using a microcomputer, and the water pump 11A, the solenoid valves 12, 18, 27, and the syrup pump 25 are controlled based on the detection results of the flow meters 17 and 24 and the operation contents of the sales button unit 41. Controlled. The control unit 40 is capable of registering various settings including settings for break-in processing and executing the registration. The selling button unit 41 includes a selling button (not shown) corresponding to the type of beverage to be sold, and outputs a selling request signal 42 corresponding to the operation of the selling button to the control unit 40.
[0027]
The outline of beverage sales in the beverage supply device having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described. First, an operator (or a purchaser) places a cup 32 to be used for actual sales on a cup tray 31. The sales button corresponding to the syrup in the button section 41 is pressed. By this operation, a sales request signal 42 is output from the sales button unit 41 to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 starts energizing the water pump 11 </ b> A, the electromagnetic valves 12 and 18, and energizing the electromagnetic valve 26 and the syrup pump 25 based on the sales request signal 42. With this control, the dilution water is supplied to the cooling coil 13 through the water intake pipe 11, and the dilution water cooled (for example, 5 ° C.) by the cooling water 14 sequentially passes through the flow washer 16, the flow meter 17, and the solenoid valve 18. The water is sent out to the dilution water pipe 19 and reaches the nozzle 30.
[0028]
At the same time, syrup is sent from the syrup tank 21 to the cooling coil 22 by the syrup pump 25. The syrup is cooled while passing through the cooling coil 22 in the cooling water 28 in the cooling water tank 23, sent out to the syrup pipe 27 via the syrup pump 25 and the electromagnetic valve 26, and reaches the nozzle 30. Since the dilution water is supplied to the nozzle 30 at the same time as the syrup, the two are mixed at the nozzle 30 and discharged from the nozzle 30 to the cup 32. When the flow rate detected value by the flow meters 17 and 24 becomes a predetermined value, the control unit 40 cuts off the power supply to the water pump 11A, the solenoid valves 12, 18, and 26, and the syrup pump 25, and stops the supply of the dilution water and the syrup. . Thereby, the prescribed amount of syrup is supplied to the cup 32, and the selling operation is completed.
[0029]
As described with reference to FIG. 5, the sales amount of the flow washer 16 significantly changes when the number of cups is about 20 or less. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the manufacturing process of the flow washer, the discharge of the diluting water from 1 to about 20 glasses is performed under the same conditions as at the time of sale (pressure applied to the flow washer 16, flow rate, sales time, sales time). (E.g., at intervals) so that the break-in process (aging) of the flow washer 15 is performed. Here, the same equipment as the beverage supply apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied is prepared, and incorporated and operated to perform the break-in processing of the flow washer 16, but if a dedicated break-in apparatus is constructed, the flow washer 16 alone Break-in processing is also possible.
[0030]
FIG. 2 shows the break-in process of the flow washer by the control unit 40. In FIG. 2, steps are represented by S. The break-in process of the flow washer 16 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0031]
First, the operator sets the flow rate (one cup) of the dilution water, the discharge interval (equivalent to the sales interval), the number of discharges, and the like for N times (20 times in the example of the characteristic in FIG. 5) as preparation before the break-in process. Then, this is registered in a memory (not shown) of the control unit 40 (S301). When the operator performs a button operation to start the break-in process, only the solenoid valves 12 and 18 are energized (S302), and the dilution water is supplied to the cooling coil 13 through the water intake pipe 11 and cooled by the cooling water 14 ( The diluted water (e.g., 5 ° C.) is sent to the dilution water pipe 19 via the flow washer 16, the flow meter 17, and the solenoid valve 18 in order, reaches the nozzle 30, and is discharged to the cup tray 31 (in this case, the cup). 32 is not required). When the set energization time has been reached (S303), the solenoid valves 12, 18 are shut off (S304), and one run-in process is completed. The control unit 40 counts the pause time until the second ejection (S306), and when the set time is reached, only the solenoid valves 12, 18 are energized again (S302), and the above-described processing is repeated. After the solenoid valves 12 and 18 are shut off, it is determined whether or not a set number of times N (20 times in the present embodiment) has been reached. If the set number of times or less has been determined, the process of S306 is executed, and the next ejection is performed. Transition. If it is determined in S305 that the set number N has been reached, all the break-in processing ends. In this way, by performing water supply and cutoff until the set number of discharges is reached, predetermined pressurization and release by the diluting water is repeated in the flow washer 16 to reduce the pressure difference between the inflow side and the outflow side. Elastic deformation occurs. By repeating this elastic deformation, the elastic characteristics of the flow washer 16 become stable, so that there is no difference in the sales volume in the actual sales thereafter.
[0032]
According to the present inventor, it was confirmed that the elasticity of the flow washer 16 was stable when the above-mentioned break-in processing was performed at 1 MPa. And confirms that the sales volume has changed.
[0033]
According to the above-described embodiment, the break-in process is performed in the manufacturing process of the flow washer 16, so that the elastic characteristics of the flow washer 16 are stabilized, and a stable flow rate can be sent from the start of sales. In addition, since the quality of the flow washer 16 can be determined in the manufacturing process based on the break-in process, the defective flow washer 16 can be prevented from being shipped from the factory.
[0034]
In the above description, the break-in process is performed at the same flow rate (water pressure) as that at the time of actual sales. However, the flow washer 16 on the inflow side and the outflow side in the sales volume fluctuation section of 1 to 20 cups in FIG. If the pressure difference (differential pressure) is larger than usual, more stress is given, so that the break-in effect is easily exerted. Therefore, during the aging period, the delivery pressure of the dilution water is increased, or the opening timing of the solenoid valve 18 is made later than the opening timing of the solenoid valve 12 to temporarily increase the differential pressure. 18 may be opened.
[0035]
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the flow washer 16 is inserted into the path of the dilution water has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the dilution water, and syrup, coffee, beverages such as carbonated beverages, and further beverages It is applicable to liquids other than the above. Further, although the beverage supply device has been described, the present invention is also applicable to devices other than the beverage supply device.
[0036]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the cooling water tank 15 and the cooling water tank 23 are separately provided. However, the cooling water tank 15 and the cooling water tank 23 are used as a single cooling water tank, and the cooling water tank 15 and the cooling liquid tank 23 are shared by the dilution water and the stock solution. A configuration in which the coil 22 is passed may be adopted. Thus, the beverage supply device can be made compact.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above, according to the beverage supply device of the present invention, the flow washer that regulates the flow rate of the liquid flowing through the pipeline performs a break-in process in advance so that the flow rate in actual sales falls within a constant fluctuation range in advance. Since the flow washer is used, the elasticity of the flow washer is factory-shipped by the flow rate that does not cause a change in the sales volume. To supply liquid.
[0038]
In addition, by installing a flow washer with stable elasticity on the beverage supply device, it is possible to prevent the sales volume from fluctuating immediately after the start of sales and thereafter, eliminating the need for cumbersome sales volume adjustment work at the equipment installation location In this way, stable quantitative sales can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a beverage supply device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a break-in process according to the present invention.
3A and 3B show an example of the structure of a flow washer, wherein FIG. 3A is a sectional view and FIG. 3B is a front view.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a holding portion of the flow washer.
FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between the number of cups (the number of sales) and the sales amount per drink in the beverage supply device using the flow washer.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage supply apparatus 10 Dilution water supply part 11 Intake pipe 11A Water pump 12, 18, 26 Solenoid valve 13, 22 Cooling coil 14, 28 Cooling water 15, 23 Cooling water tank 16 Flow washer 17, 24 Flow meter 19 Dilution water pipe 20 Syrup Supply unit 21 Syrup tank 25 Syrup pump 27 Syrup tube 30 Nozzle 31 Cup tray 32 Cup 40 Control unit 41 Sale button unit 100 Flow washer 101, 205, 206 Through hole 102 Flat surface 103 Concave surface 200 Holding unit 201 Main body 202 Connection unit 203 Opening 204 Female screw

Claims (3)

A beverage characterized by having a flow washer in a liquid delivery pipe, which includes a process of intermittently delivering the liquid under required pressure conditions in a manufacturing process so that a flow rate of the delivered liquid falls within a predetermined fluctuation range. Feeding device. 2. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the flow washer intermittently sends out the liquid as the required pressure condition to generate a pressure difference between an inflow side and an outflow side of the liquid. 3. . A conduit for delivering liquid;
A flow washer including a process of intermittently sending the liquid under required pressure conditions so that the flow rate of the liquid sent through the pipe falls within a predetermined fluctuation range, in a manufacturing process,
A beverage supply device, comprising: a controller configured to execute the liquid delivery operation based on the flow rate of the flow washer having a stable initial delivery characteristic based on the processing.

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