JP2012066877A - Water server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water server quickly providing cold water and lowering the water temperature of the whole potable water bag containing potable water comparatively quickly in succession.SOLUTION: The bottom part of an outer case is cut off to take a faucet out of the opening, and a water storage container is mounted on an inclined cooling heat conductor in the partially exposed state of the potable water bag from the other opening in the bottom part of the outer case. The faucet is inserted through a notch portion of a container receiving portion, and a convection region regulating protrusion is inserted from the opening of the outer case and brought into contact with a part of the exposed potable water bag. In the set state of the water storage container, when an imaginary horizontal line is drawn from one bottom corner part on the opposite side to the side with the faucet of the water storage container toward the other bottom corner part of the water storage container on the faucet side, the lower side of the imaginary horizontal line is set as an initial cold water intake amount defining region, and the upper face of the convection region regulating protrusion does not project above the imaginary horizontal line.

Description

  The present invention relates to a water server for supplying drinking water or a water server such as a cold / hot water server, and more particularly to a water server for supplying at least cold water using a cooling function of an electronic cooling element (Peltier element). .

  In order to prevent the invasion and propagation of germs in drinking water, drinking water such as natural water (mineral water) was enclosed in a drinking water bag made of a flexible material and placed in an outer case such as a cardboard box. Bag in Box (BIB) is used.

This flexible drinking water bag has a feature that the outside water does not enter the drinking water bag because the drinking water bag contracts in accordance with the intake of the drinking water inside, and therefore, the entry of germs from the outside can be prevented. Have.
Various proposals have been made regarding water servers using the BIB.

(Prior art 1)
JP 2003-206000 A (Patent Document 1) takes out a flexible drinking water bag from an outer case such as a cardboard box, and places the drinking water bag on a cooling plate of a water server, A water server is described in which a water tap of a drinking water bag is positioned forward and lower, and the drinking water in the drinking water bag is directly cooled by a cooling plate to take cooling water from the drinking water bag.

(Prior art 2)
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2008-37445 (Patent Document 2) describes a water server in which cold water generation and hot water generation are arranged in parallel.
The water server for generating cold water pushes a bag in box with a hole for the cooling protrusion to enter into a front door opening / closing type cold water container provided with a protrusion for cooling on the back side of the front. The drinking water bag is brought into contact with the cooling protrusion to cool the drinking water in the drinking water bag, and the generated cold water is taken in by opening and closing the lever of the front cold water intake.

  On the other hand, the water server for generating hot water uses a bag-in-box different from that for cold water. Similarly, a bag-in-box is installed in a hot-water container that opens and closes the front door, and is fixed to the front door. The water supply port is manually connected to the hot water tank installed at the lower portion to supply water, and the boiled hot water is taken in by opening and closing the lever of the front hot water intake port.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a water server described in Patent Document 3. This water server is mainly composed of a main body 100 and a cover member 101 mounted thereon.
In the upper center of the main body 100, a dome-shaped evaporator chamber 102 made of a metal material having good thermal conductivity is installed on the base plate 104 via a heat insulating material 103.

  A nozzle 105 is installed at the inner central portion of the evaporator chamber 102, and a refrigerant gas 106 is injected from the nozzle 105 toward the inner central portion of the evaporator chamber 102, and the surface of the evaporator chamber 102 is about −20 ° C., for example. To be cooled.

  A bag-in box 107 is placed on the base plate 104. The bag-in-box 107 includes a drinking water bag 109 made of a flexible material enclosing drinking water 108 and an outer case 110 covering the periphery of the drinking water bag 109.

As shown in the figure, the bottom of the outer case 110 is removed to form an opening, through which the dome-shaped evaporator chamber 102 enters the bag-in-box 107 and contacts the drinking water bag 109.
Then, the evaporator chamber 102 directly cools the drinking water 108 in the bag-in-box 107 to generate cold water 116, and the cold water 116 is taken out to the cup 112 through the water intake portion 111.
In the figure, 113 is a recovery unit for the refrigerant gas 106, 114 is a refrigerant gas compressor, and 115 is a pressure accumulator.

JP 2003-206000 A JP 2008-37445 A JP 2008-56325 A JP 2009-275933 A JP 2008-156001 A

  In the water server according to the prior art 1, the back storage room for storing the drinking water bag is not insulated, and the drinking water bag is also taken out of the cardboard box having a heat insulating effect and put into the back storage room. It is inefficient and consumes a lot of power when it is kept cool for a long time, resulting in high running costs.

  In addition, this water server can only produce cold water, and in order to make it a water server that can supply cold water and hot water, it is necessary to prepare a drinking water bag for producing cold water and a drinking water bag for producing hot water separately. Since piping is required, it is difficult to maintain hygiene completely.

  In the water server according to the prior art 2, the water server for generating cold water and the water server for generating hot water are separated, and two water servers are required for the need for cold water and hot water. Therefore, there are problems of installation space and cost. Also, when dealing with tall devices such as floor-standing devices, there is a risk of overturning.

  In addition, when the cooling unit is only the cooling protrusion on the back side of the front, and the water level in the bag-in-box becomes lower than the cooling protrusion due to water intake, the water cooling efficiency is extremely lowered. In addition to this, the overall heat insulation is not taken into consideration, and the cold insulation performance is low, so that power consumption increases.

  In order to obtain further hot water, the bag-in-box installed in the hot water container and the hot water tank are externally connected to collect water in the hot water tank. Is not preferable in terms of hygiene management.

Also in the case of the water server according to the prior art 3, the heat insulation of the entire bag-in-box is not taken into consideration, the cooling efficiency is poor, the power consumption when keeping cool for a long time is large, and the running cost is high.
In addition, this bag-in-box can only generate cold water, and in order to make a water server that can supply cold water and hot water, it is necessary to prepare another bag-in box for generating hot water.

  In the case of the water server according to the prior art 4, since the cold water tank and the hot water tank are provided in addition to the bag-in-box, the overall size is increased, a large installation space is required, the structure is complicated, and the weight is increased. Heavy and expensive to manufacture.

  When sterilizing the inside of the chilled water tank, first chilled water in the chilled water tank is discharged, and the chilled water tank is filled with hot water generated in the hot water tank, and the entire tank is heated and sterilized. Later, it is necessary to discharge the treated hot water in the cold water tank and fill the cold water tank with new drinking water, and it takes a long time (for example, about 5 to 6 hours) to complete the sterilization. There is a problem that electric power increases.

  As described above, the prior art focuses on the point that cold water can be taken in quickly, but little consideration is given to efficient cold insulation, and therefore the loss of power consumption is large and the running cost is high.

  In addition, although it has a simple configuration for taking only cold water, sufficient measures are taken when taking both cold water and hot water, and when disinfecting and cleaning the cold water intake system with hot water. There is a problem that is not.

  The water server shown in FIG. 13 is intended to obtain cold water by cooling a part of the water in the bag-in-box 107 in a short time using the refrigerant gas 106 at −20 ° C. Therefore, as described above, the drinking water 108 in the bag-in-box 107 is directly cooled by the evaporator chamber 102 through which the refrigerant gas 106 at −20 ° C. flows, so that the cold water 116 is obtained in a short time.

  A temperature sensor is installed inside the nozzle 105 to detect the temperature of the refrigerant gas 106, and the water temperature is controlled to 5 to 10 ° C. by driving control of the refrigerant gas compressor 114. The water area below the height of the evaporator chamber 102 is cooled quickly, and according to the embodiment, the amount of water in the water area is 500 to 1000 CC.

  By the way, in this water server, it is a temperature range in which water can be easily frozen at an extremely low temperature of −20 ° C. compared to a conventional compressor type water server. Moreover, since control of a general compressor refrigerator is controlled by ON / OFF, the accuracy of temperature control is poor, the temperature range becomes large, and sharp temperature control cannot be performed.

  In addition, since the water temperature is not directly measured, the conditions are more likely to cause freezing. Furthermore, since drinking water will freeze if insulation is performed reliably, the bag-in-box 107 is only covered with a simple cover. If the generated cold water partially freezes, not only will the cold water 116 be lower than the desired temperature, but also the water intake system will be clogged and water intake will not be performed smoothly.

  For this reason, it is difficult to cool the entire drinking water 108 in the bag-in-box 107 without causing freezing. Further, even if the entire temperature is set to the cold water temperature, the refrigerant gas 106 at −20 ° C. is circulated inside, so that the surroundings cannot be insulated, and thus the cooling efficiency is very poor.

  The object of the present invention is to start up the water server and take cold water as soon as possible, and subsequently the water temperature of the whole drinking water bag containing drinking water can be lowered relatively quickly, and the power consumption can be reduced. It is to provide a water server that can be planned.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a container storage section for storing a water storage container having at least a flexible drinking water bag having drinking water therein and having a water faucet at the bottom;
An electronic cooling unit for cooling the drinking water in the drinking water bag;
The present invention is directed to a water server that can take out cold water in the drinking water bag that has been cooled and generated by the electronic cooling unit.

And the first means of the present invention is:
The electronic cooling unit has a plate-like container receiving portion having a cutout portion through which the water faucet is inserted at one end portion, and a heat conductive member having a convection region regulating protrusion provided on the container receiving portion. Having a cooling heat conductor made of a good metal,
The cooling heat conductor is inclined and installed in the water server body so that the side having the cutout portion through which the water faucet is inserted is lowered,
The water storage container is mounted on the cooling heat conductor, the water faucet is inserted through the cutout portion of the container receiving portion, and the convection region regulation protrusion is brought into contact with a part of the drinking water bag,
In the mounted state of the water storage container, the water storage container is in a low position on the side where the water faucet is attached from one bottom corner that is at a high position opposite to the side on which the water faucet is attached. When an imaginary horizontal line is drawn toward the other bottom corner of the water storage container, the lower side of the imaginary horizontal line is set as the initial cold water intake water volume regulating region, and the upper surface of the convection region regulating protrusion is above the virtual horizontal line Is characterized by not protruding.

According to a second means of the present invention, in the first means,
The water storage container comprises the drinking water bag and a heat insulating outer case covering the outer periphery of the drinking water bag,
The bottom portion of the outer case is cut out and the water tap is taken out from the opening portion, and the water storage container is placed in a state where a part of the drinking water bag is exposed from the other opening portion of the bottom portion of the outer case. A part of the drinking water bag that is mounted on the cooling heat conductor and passes through the cutout portion of the container receiving portion, and is exposed by inserting the convection region regulating protrusion from the opening of the outer case. It is made to contact with.

According to a third means of the present invention, in the first means,
The water storage container mounted on the cooling heat conductor is composed of the drinking water bag alone,
The bottom part of the drinking water bag is brought into contact with the convection region regulating protrusion from the container receiving part.

According to a fourth means of the present invention, in the first means,
A three-way intake pipe connected to a water tap of the water storage container mounted on the cooling heat conductor;
A hot water tank with a heater;
A water supply pipe having a first two-way solenoid valve in the middle and connecting one outlet of the three-way intake pipe and the hot water tank;
A cold water intake solenoid valve having a cold water intake cock connected to the outlet side, and a cold water pipe connected to the other outlet of the three-way intake pipe;
A hot water intake solenoid valve having a hot water intake cock connected to the outlet side, and hot water piping connected to the hot water tank;
A pump provided in the middle of the hot water pipe,
A second two-way solenoid valve in the middle, and a connecting pipe for connecting the cold water intake solenoid valve and the hot water intake solenoid valve;
The pump is driven at the time of sterilization, the hot water in the hot water tank is pumped up, and the hot water is drawn into the hot water pipe, hot water intake solenoid valve, communication pipe, second two-way solenoid valve, cold water intake. The configuration is such that the hot water is circulated through the solenoid valve, the cold water pipe, the three-way intake pipe, the water supply pipe, and the first two-way solenoid valve so as to return to the hot water tank. To do.

The fifth means of the present invention is:
A container storage section for storing a water storage container having at least a flexible drinking water bag having drinking water therein and having a faucet at the bottom;
An electronic cooling unit that is installed at the bottom of the container storage unit and cools the drinking water in the drinking water bag,
In the water server that can take out the cold water in the drinking water bag generated by cooling by the electronic cooling unit,
The electronic cooling unit has a cooling heat conductor made of a metal having good thermal conductivity,
The cooling heat conductor has a substantially V-shaped cross-section formed by a first flat portion, a second flat portion, and a corner portion connecting the first flat portion and the second flat portion,
The electronic cooling unit is attached to the bottom side of the first plane part,
An initial cold water intake amount defining region surrounded by the first flat surface portion and the second flat surface portion is formed inside the cooling heat conductor.

According to a sixth means of the present invention, in the fifth means,
A cold water intake is provided on the second plane portion side.

The seventh means of the present invention is the first or fifth means,
A temperature sensor that detects a surface temperature of the cooling heat conductor or a water temperature near the cooling heat conductor;
Based on a detection signal from the temperature sensor, a control unit that switches the power supplied to the electronic cooling unit from the primary power in the normal operation mode to the secondary power less than the primary power,
Supplying the primary power set in the control unit to the electronic cooling unit to cool the drinking water,
When the detection signal from the temperature sensor falls below a reference value for predicting freezing of the drinking water,
The controller is configured to switch the power supplied to the electronic cooling unit from the primary power to the secondary power and continue cooling the drinking water.

  The present invention has a configuration as described above, and can start taking a water server and start taking cold water early, and the water temperature of the entire drinking water bag containing drinking water can be lowered relatively quickly. Moreover, it is possible to provide a water server that can reduce power consumption.

It is a schematic block diagram of the water server which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the plate-shaped cooling heat conductor used for a present Example. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the water server. It is a bottom view of the water storage container before mounting | wearing with a water server in a present Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the taking-in operation | movement of cold water or hot water in the water server. It is a figure for demonstrating the disinfection and cleaning operation | movement of each site | part by a hot water in the water server. It is a characteristic view which shows the temperature change of each part at the time of cooling drinking water with the water server which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a characteristic view which shows the temperature change of each part at the time of cooling drinking water with the water server of a comparative product. It is a characteristic view which shows the bottom surface cooling of the water server which concerns on a present Example, and the water temperature change of each position in a water storage container. It is a schematic block diagram of the water server which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the water server which concerns on the further another Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the cooling heat conductor used for the water server. It is a block diagram of the water server proposed conventionally.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Schematic configuration of water server)
First, a schematic configuration of a water server according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the water server according to the present embodiment has a container mounting portion 1 that is open at the top and an upper cover member 2 that is detachably mounted on the upper portion of the container mounting portion 1. The storage unit 3 is configured. A heat insulating structure such as vacuum heat insulation is applied to the outer periphery of the container storage unit 3 (container mounting unit 1 and cover member 2), and a box-shaped storage space unit 4 is formed inside the container storage unit 3. The

  In the storage space 4, a bag-in-box (BIB) type water storage container 5 is stored and mounted. The water storage container 5 has a flexible drinking water bag 6 made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene or vinyl resin having flexibility, and an outer case 7 such as a cardboard box for protecting the outer periphery of the drinking water bag 6. The drinking water bag 6 is filled with drinking water 8 such as mineral water.

  At the bottom of the water storage container 5 is provided a water tap 9 made of synthetic resin attached to the drinking water bag 6 so that the water tap 9 can be taken out from the outer case 7 as shown in the figure. It has become.

  A plate-like cooling heat conductor 10 as shown in FIG. 2 is installed on the inner bottom of the container mounting portion 1. The cooling heat conductor 10 is made of, for example, a metal having good heat conductivity such as aluminum or copper, and has a plate-shaped container receiving part 11 and a flat upper surface provided on the container receiving part 11 and a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. Convection region regulating protrusion 12.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the plate thickness t of the container receiving portion 11 is 1.5 mm to 5.0 mm, and the height H of the convection region regulating protrusion 12 is 10 mm to 20 mm. The container receiving portion 11 has an area that is substantially equal to or slightly narrower than the bottom area of the water storage container 5.

  In the present embodiment, the container receiving plate-like portion 11 and the convection region restricting protrusion 12 are configured as separate members. However, the container receiving plate-like portion 11 and the convection region restricting protruding portion 12 may be configured as a continuous unit.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the end of the cooling heat conductor 10 opposite to the end on which the convection region regulating protrusion 12 is provided is further lowered to fix the water tap 9. An engaging step portion 13 having a substantially U-shaped planar shape is provided, and a notch-shaped insertion groove 13 a is formed in the center of the bottom portion of the engaging step portion 13.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cooling heat conductor 10 is inclined so that the engagement step portion 13 side is lowered. The inclination angle θ1 of the plate-like cooling heat conductor 10 is 10 ° or less, preferably 5 ° or less. Is set to

  As shown in FIG. 3, a three-way intake pipe 15 that protrudes upward from the intake nozzle 14 is installed below the engagement step portion 13 of the container receiving portion 11. When the water storage container 5 is inserted into the container mounting portion 1 with the water tap 9 taken out from the outer case 7, the water intake nozzle 14 is inserted into the water tap 9, and the tip of the water intake nozzle 14 is water. It reaches the inside of the storage container 5. The surroundings of the three-way intake pipe 15 are also provided with heat insulation means 16 such as vacuum heat insulation for keeping cold.

  A water supply pipe 17 is connected to one outlet side of the three-way intake pipe 15, and this water supply pipe 17 has a first two-way electromagnetic valve 18 on the way and is connected to a hot water tank 19. A heater 20 is attached to the hot water tank 19, and although not shown, heat insulation means such as vacuum heat insulation is also provided on the outer periphery of the hot water tank 19.

  A hot water pipe 22 having a pump 21 is connected to the hot water tank 19 on the way, and the tip of the hot water pipe 22 is connected to a hot water intake pipe via a hot water intake electromagnetic valve 23 comprising a normally closed electromagnetic valve. 24. A hot water cock 25 is provided at the tip of the hot water intake pipe 24.

  In this embodiment, the hot water intake electromagnetic valve 23 and the hot water cock 25 are connected via the hot water intake pipe 24, but the hot water cock 25 is directly connected to the outlet side of the hot water intake electromagnetic valve 23. You can also.

  A chilled water pipe 26 is connected to the other outlet side of the three-way intake pipe 15, and the tip of the chilled water pipe 26 is connected to a chilled water intake pipe 28 via a chilled water intake electromagnetic valve 27 comprising a normally closed electromagnetic valve. . A cold water cock 29 is provided at the tip of the cold water intake pipe 28. The cold water cock 29 and the hot water cock 25 are arranged facing the front surface of the water server.

In this embodiment, the cold water intake electromagnetic valve 27 and the cold water cock 29 are connected via the cold water intake pipe 28, but the cold water cock 29 can also be directly connected to the outlet side of the cold water intake electromagnetic valve 27.
The hot water intake electromagnetic valve 23 and the cold water intake electromagnetic valve 27 are connected by a connecting pipe 31 having a second two-way electromagnetic valve 30 consisting of a normally closed electromagnetic valve.

  As shown in the figure, a cold water supply system including a cold water pipe 26, a cold water intake solenoid valve 27, a cold water intake pipe 28 and a cold water cock 29 is installed below the water storage container 5.

  An electronic cooling element 32 is closely attached to the lower surface of the cooling heat conductor 10 facing the convection region regulating protrusion 12 by screws, and a heat radiation heat conductor 33 having a fin structure is closely attached to the lower surface of the electronic cooling element 32, Further, a heat radiating fan 34 is disposed below the heat radiating heat conductor 33. The cooling heat conductor 10, the electronic cooling element 32, the radiating heat conductor 33 and the radiating fan 34 constitute an electronic cooling unit 41.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a temperature sensor 42 for detecting the surface temperature of the cooling heat conductor 10 is attached to a part of the cooling heat conductor 10 (in this embodiment, the lower surface of the container receiving portion 11). ing. In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 42 is attached to the lower surface of the container receiving portion 11, but it may be embedded inside the convection region regulating protrusion 12.

  The heater 20, the electronic cooling element 32, the heat radiating fan 34, the temperature sensor 42, and the like are connected to the control unit 35. In addition, the code | symbol 43 in FIG. 1 is the ventilation guide member extended toward the thermal radiation heat conductor 33 side from the said thermal radiation fan 34. As shown in FIG.

(Cold water or hot water intake operation)
Next, cold water or hot water intake operation of the water server will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the water storage container 5 before being attached to the water server in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, a predetermined position on the side corresponding to the bottom of the outer case 7 (position where the water tap 9 is located) is cut into a circle along a perforation (not shown) and wider than the water tap 9. One opening 36 is formed, and the water tap 9 can be pulled out from the inside of the outer case 7.

  Further, a second opening 37 having a relatively large area is formed by cutting into a quadrangle along a perforation (not shown) provided at a position facing the convection region regulating protrusion 12 of the outer case 7. To do. The hatched lines in the openings 36 and 37 indicate portions of the drinking water bag 6 exposed from the openings 36 and 37.

  In the present embodiment, since the seam portion 44 of the cardboard material constituting the outer case 7 is located between the openings 36 and 37 of the outer case 7, the first opening 36 and the second opening 37 are separated separately. In the case of using the outer case 7 that is formed but has no seam 44 at the bottom, one large opening is formed at a position corresponding to the bottom of the outer case 7 and the water tap 9 is taken out from the opening. It is also possible to expose a part of the bottom of the drinking water bag 6.

  If the upper cover member 2 is opened and the water storage container 5 is placed on the cooling heat conductor 10 with the surface on which the openings 36 and 37 are formed facing down, the water tap as shown in FIG. 9, the water intake nozzle 14 penetrates, and the tip of the water intake nozzle 14 slightly protrudes from the inner bottom of the water storage container 5. Further, the faucet 9 is surrounded and fixed by an engaging step 13 (see FIG. 2) of the cooling heat conductor 10.

  Furthermore, the convection area | region regulation protrusion part 12 is inserted from the 2nd opening part 37 (refer FIG. 4), and will be in the state which pushed up a part of bottom part of the drinking water bag 3 slightly as shown in FIG. Since the drinking water bag 3 has a softness | flexibility (flexibility), even if the convection area | region regulation protrusion part 12 is pushed in, there is no fear of being broken.

  In the present embodiment, the convection region restricting protrusion 12 slightly protrudes from the second opening 37 (outer case 7) to the inside of the case, but the upper surface of the convection region restricting protrusion 12 is substantially the same as the inner surface of the outer case 7. One may be sufficient.

  The drinking water bag 6 has flexibility (flexibility), and the water pressure in the drinking water bag 6 acts, so that a part of the drinking water bag 6 is in good contact with the convection region regulating protrusion 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, since the cooling heat conductor 10 is slightly inclined toward the front side of the water server, the water storage container 5 is slightly inclined toward the front side of the water server in the container storage unit 3. Set to state.

  In the set state of the water storage container 5, as shown in the figure, one bottom at a high position on the opposite side (rear side of the water server) of the water storage container 5 to the side where the water tap 9 is attached. When the virtual horizontal line 46 is drawn from the corner 45a toward the other bottom corner 45b of the water storage container 5 at the lower position on the side where the water tap 9 is attached, a cross section is formed below the virtual horizontal line 46. An initial cold water intake amount regulation region 47 having a substantially triangular shape is formed, and is a reservoir due to an inclination.

  The initial cold water intake water volume regulation area 47 is an area where cold water is quickly generated in the drinking water 8 held in the water storage container 5, and is set at the bottom of the water storage container 5. .

  The bottom portion of the water storage container 5 has a plate-shaped container receiving portion 11 having substantially the same cooling area as the bottom surface of the water storage container 5 and a convection that protrudes from the container receiving portion 11 and enters the inside from the second opening 37. It is cooled by the region restricting protrusion 12. As shown in FIG. 3, when the faucet 9 is taken out from the outer case 7, the portion of the drinking water bag 6 connected to the faucet 9 is also pulled out to the first opening 36 side, and the container receiving portion 11 (engagement step portion 13) in close proximity to each other and is greatly involved in cooling through the first opening 36.

  The upper surface of the convection region regulating protrusion 12 does not protrude above the virtual horizontal line 46. As shown in FIG. 13, if the amount of protrusion of the evaporator chamber 102 is increased, the convection area during cooling inevitably increases, that is, the amount of water to be subjected to initial cooling increases, and therefore, until cold water is initially obtained. It takes a long time and cannot meet the need to get cold water as soon as possible.

The amount of water in the initial cold water intake amount regulation region 47, that is, the amount of cold water that can be taken in the initial stage is, for example, 500 to 700 CC in this embodiment.
When the mounting of the water storage container 5 is completed, the upper cover member 2 is closed and the storage space 4 is sealed. As will be described later, the water storage container 5 is directly cooled by the electronic cooling unit 41 and kept in a low temperature state, and the low temperature state is due to the heat insulating effect of the container mounting portion 1, the upper cover member 2 and the outer case 7 inside thereof. Holds well for a long time.

  When the mounting of the water storage container 5 is finished, the first two-way electromagnetic valve 18 is automatically opened, and the drinking water 8 in the water storage container 5 is supplied to the hot water tank 19 through the water supply pipe 17. When the water level reaches a predetermined level, the first two-way solenoid valve 18 is closed by a detection signal of a water level sensor (not shown) attached to the hot water tank 19 and water supply to the hot water tank 19 is automatically stopped. To do.

  In this embodiment, the hot water tank 19 is provided with a water level sensor to automatically supply water to the hot water tank 19. However, the solenoid valves 18 and 23 are manually opened to supply the drinking water 8 in the water storage container 5 to the hot water tank 19. It is also possible to close the solenoid valves 18 and 23 after confirming that the hot water tank 19 is full and a part of the drinking water 8 comes out of the hot water cock 25.

  Thereafter, power is supplied to the heater 20, the electronic cooling element 32 and the heat radiating fan 34 by a drive signal from the power supply control unit 35, cooling of the drinking water 8 in the water storage container 5 and heating of the water in the hot water tank 19. Is started.

  After the water in the water storage container 5 and the hot water tank 19 reach a predetermined temperature, when a cold water intake switch (not shown) on the operation panel is pressed, the cold water intake electromagnetic valve 27 is opened and the water storage container 5 For example, cold water 38 of 10 ° C. or less at the bottom is caused to flow from the cold water cock 29 through the cold water pipe 26 → the cold water intake solenoid valve 27 → the cold water intake pipe 28 as indicated by the arrow due to its own weight and the water pressure in the water storage container 5. It is taken out.

  When a hot water intake switch (not shown) on the operation panel is pressed, the hot water intake electromagnetic valve 23 is opened, the pump 21 is driven, and hot water set in the hot water tank 19 at, for example, 90 ° C. 39 is drawn up and taken out from the hot water cock 25 through the hot water piping 22 → the hot water intake solenoid valve 23 → the hot water intake pipe 24 as indicated by the arrow.

  When the amount of hot water in the hot water tank 19 decreases due to the removal of the hot water 39, the water level sensor (not shown) detects this, and the first two-way solenoid valve 18 opens, Water supply starts and automatically stops when the water level reaches a predetermined level.

  When the cold water 38 and the hot water 39 can be taken, the second water is used so that the cold water 38 does not flow to the hot water supply system or, conversely, the hot water 39 does not flow to the cold water supply system. The two-way solenoid valve 30 is closed.

(Disinfection and cleaning with hot water)
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the sterilization and cleaning operation using hot water. In order to always maintain a water passage in the water server in a sanitary manner, sterilization and cleaning by circulation of hot water 39 is performed. The sterilization / cleaning operation by the hot water 39 is programmed in advance, and is executed about once a day, for example.

  When the sterilization / cleaning operation program is activated, the heater 20 is turned on for a predetermined time (3 minutes in this embodiment), and the hot water 39 in the hot water tank 19 is boiled again. Next, the second two-way solenoid valve 30 is opened and the pump 21 is driven.

  Since the hot water intake solenoid valve 23 and the cold water intake solenoid valve 27 are normally closed solenoid valves and the valve outlet side is closed, the hot water 39 in the hot water tank 19 is hot water tank 19 → hot as indicated by an arrow. Water pipe 22 → Hot water intake solenoid valve 23 → Communication pipe 31 → Second two-way solenoid valve 30 → Cold water intake solenoid valve 27 → Cold water pipe 26 → 3-way intake pipe 15 → Water supply pipe 17 → First two-way solenoid It distributes in the order of valve 18 → hot water tank 19.

  Circulation of the hot water 39 is executed for a predetermined time (in this embodiment, 5 minutes), and then the second two-way solenoid valve 30 is closed, the pump 21 is stopped, and the sterilization and cleaning operation by the hot water 39 is performed. Exit.

  In this embodiment, the sterilization and cleaning operation using the hot water 39 is automatically performed. However, the user may manually press the cleaning switch to perform the sterilization and cleaning operation using the hot water 39.

  A cooling heat conductor 10 having a convection region regulating protrusion 12 having a size of 80 mm × 160 mm and a thickness H of 10 mm on a container receiving portion 11 having a size of 200 mm × 200 mm and a plate thickness t of 3 mm is inclined by 4 °. When the water server is cooled by the water server of this embodiment in which the water storage container 5 (storage capacity 10 L) having a bottom size of 240 mm × 240 mm and an outer case 7 (cardboard box) thickness of about 10 mm is mounted on the installed water server The result of measuring the temperature change of each part is shown in FIG.

  Moreover, the water server of the same conditions as the said Example except the point which made thickness H of the convection area | region regulation protrusion part 12 30 mm (3 times this Example), and the point which installed the cooling heat conductor 10 horizontally. The result of measuring the temperature change of each part when cooled by (comparative product) is shown in FIG.

In addition, the water storage container 5 (BIB) was set in the place where the water server was cooled in advance, and the temperature change of each part was measured with progress of cooling time. Each symbol in the figure indicates the temperature at the next measurement point.
TC1: Cooling temperature of the electronic cooling unit 41 TC2: Surface temperature of the cooling heat conductor 10 TW1: Water temperature at a position 1 cm above the inner bottom surface of the drinking water bag 6 TW2: Water temperature at a position 14 cm above the inner bottom surface of the drinking water bag 6

  In the water server according to the present embodiment, the cooling heat conductor 10 is slightly inclined to form a limited initial cold water intake amount defining region 47, and upward from the initial cold water intake amount defining region 47 (reservoir). The convection region restricting protrusion 12 is provided so as not to protrude to the surface, more specifically, the inclination angle θ1 of the cooling heat conductor 10, the position of the convection region restricting protrusion 12, and the convection region restricting protrusion 12 Height H is set.

  The above-mentioned limited initial cold water is obtained by the cooperation of the convection region regulating protrusion 12 and the container receiving portion 11 having a large area extending to the faucet 9 (particularly, the engaging step portion 13 surrounding the faucet 9). Convection 48 (see FIG. 3) can be caused early in the water intake amount regulation region 47.

  Therefore, as is clear from FIG. 7, the temperature of TW1 entering the initial cold water intake restriction region 47 falls rapidly with the start of cooling, and is about 11 ° C. 30 minutes after the start of cooling, which is a comparative product of FIG. The temperature of TW1 becomes chilled water of about 4 ° C after 60 minutes, and the temperature of TW1 becomes convection 48 actively after 180 minutes, and the region of convection 48 gradually expands and grows. ing.

The expansion of the convection 48 can also be seen from the fact that the temperature of the relatively high TW2 is 23 ° C. or lower after 240 minutes.
On the other hand, in the comparative product, the height H of the convection region restricting protrusion 12 is high, the target region where convection can occur extends to the height of the convection region restricting protrusion 12, and the amount of water to be cooled is large from the beginning.

  Therefore, as is apparent from FIG. 8, the temperature drop of TW1 after the start of cooling is gentle, about 15 ° C. 30 minutes after the start of cooling, and about 4 ° C. higher than the water server according to this embodiment. Furthermore, even after 60 minutes, the temperature of TW1 exceeds 11 ° C., and it is difficult to say cold water, and the water temperature in the target region where convection can occur is still high. After 90 minutes, the temperature of TW1 becomes 10 ° C. or less for the first time, and the time zone in which convection can occur actively is after 240 minutes.

  Thus, since the generation of convection is slow, the temperature drop of TW2 at a relatively high place is also slow. In the water server according to the present embodiment, the temperature of TW2 is 23.5 ° C. after 30 minutes, The comparative product takes 240 minutes for TW2 to reach the same temperature.

  FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram showing the bottom surface cooling of the water server according to the present embodiment and the water temperature change at each position in the water storage container 5.

  TC2 in the figure is the surface temperature of the cooling heat conductor 10, which is a temperature detected by the temperature sensor 42 shown in FIG. Further, TW1 to TW4 represent measurement points at each position in the water storage container 5, and TW1 is a position closest to the bottom of the water storage container 5, and then the water storage container 5 is moved to TW2, TW3, TW4. It is away from the bottom in the vertical direction upward, and TW4 indicates the vicinity of the water surface. The positions of TW1 and TW2 shown in FIG. 9 are different from those of TW1 and TW2 shown in FIG.

  The primary power in the normal operation mode set in advance is supplied to the electronic cooling unit 41 to keep the water server in a cooled state. TC2 at this time was −0.5 ° C. If the water storage container 5 (BIB) is set in the water server while maintaining this cooling state, the TC2 temporarily rises, but immediately starts to descend and is the position closest to the bottom of the water storage container 5. Shortly before the water temperature of TW1 drops to about 4 ° C, TC2 drops to about 0 ° C.

  When the predetermined primary power is continuously supplied to the electronic cooling unit 41 and the cooling is continued, the water temperature at each measurement point decreases to about 4 ° C. in the order of TW2, TW3, and TW4. In this test, the water temperature of TW4 is About 240 minutes have passed to reach about 4 ° C.

  Thus, the water temperature at each measurement point is lowered to about 4 ° C. in the order of TW1, TW2, TW3, and TW4, and the water temperature is maintained at about 4 ° C. Further, during this period, TC2 is maintained at about 0 ° C., which means that the convection region gradually expands upward in the water storage container 5 (BIB).

  When the water temperature of the TW 4 reaches about 4 ° C., that is, when the entire drinking water 8 in the water storage container 5 (BIB) falls to about 4 ° C., the TC 2 starts a temperature drop after a relatively short time (see FIG. Along with this, the temperature of TW1 to TW4 also drops again, and freezing occurs at 0 ° C., and this freezing causes various troubles.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the detection signal from the temperature sensor 42 attached to the cooling heat conductor 10 is always input to the control unit 35 (see FIG. 1) to monitor the change in TC2, and the TC2 is convected as described above. When it falls below the reference value (0 ° C. in this embodiment) when it is generated / grown, it is predicted that freezing will occur in the water storage container 5 (BIB), and the electric power supplied to the electronic cooling unit 41 is It switches to the secondary power set beforehand less than primary power until now, and performs control which continues cooling of drinking water 8 with the secondary power.

  By switching to the secondary power, the electric power supplied to the electronic cooling unit 41 is less than before, and the cooling effect of the electronic cooling unit 41 is slightly reduced. Therefore, TC2 is indicated by a dotted line in the circle in the figure. For example, the temperature is raised to 2 to 3 ° C. and the temperature is maintained. As the temperature rises, the temperature drop of TW1 to TW4 stops, and the system can prevent the drinking water 8 from freezing.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a water server according to another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the drinking water bag 6 is completely removed from the outer case 7 and only the drinking water bag 6 is mounted in the storage space 3 of the water server. .

  As shown in the figure, since the bottom surface of the drinking water bag 6 is in contact with the entire surface of the plate-shaped container receiving portion 11 and the convection region regulating protrusion 12, the cooling efficiency of the drinking water 8 is good.

  In the above embodiment, the container storage portion 3 is configured by the container mounting portion 1 that opens upward and the upper cover member 2 that opens and closes the upper opening of the container mounting portion 1. And a container storage part can also be comprised with the door member provided in the front opening part of the container mounting part so that opening and closing was possible.

  In the case of a water server that inserts a water storage container from the front opening, the front inclined portion 40 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the convection region regulating protrusion functions as an insertion guide portion for the water storage container.

  In the above embodiment, a cold water intake electromagnetic valve 27 comprising a normally closed electromagnetic valve is provided between the cold water pipe 26 and the cold water intake pipe 28, and heat comprising a normally closed electromagnetic valve is provided between the hot water pipe 22 and the hot water intake pipe 24. A water intake electromagnetic valve 23 was provided, and a hot water intake electromagnetic valve 23 and a cold water intake electromagnetic valve 27 were further connected by a connecting pipe 31 having a second two-way electromagnetic valve 30 in the middle.

  In addition, a cold water intake solenoid valve comprising a three-way solenoid valve is provided between the cold water pipe 26 and the cold water intake pipe 28, and hot water intake comprising a three-way solenoid valve is provided between the hot water pipe 22 and the hot water intake pipe 24. An electromagnetic valve is provided, and the hot water intake electromagnetic valve 23 and the cold water intake electromagnetic valve 27 are connected by a connecting pipe 31 to switch between the cold water intake electromagnetic valve and the hot water intake electromagnetic valve composed of the three-way electromagnetic valve. Thus, it is possible to perform the above-described cold water or hot water intake and sterilization / cleaning with hot water.

  FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a water server according to still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a cooling heat conductor used in the water server.

  In the embodiment, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a plate-like cooling heat conductor 10 having substantially the same size as the bottom surface of the outer case 7 (drinking water bag 6) is used, and one of the cooling heat conductors 10 is used. The electronic cooling unit 41 is attached to the bottom surface side of the end portion, and is provided so as to be inclined so that the other end portion side of the cooling heat conductor 10 is lowered. Therefore, the initial cold water intake restriction region 47 (FIG. 3) in which the other end portion side of the cooling heat conductor 10 is deep is formed.

  In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a cooling heat conductor 10 having a substantially L-shaped or V-shaped side surface is used. The cooling heat conductor 10 has a first flat surface portion 49 on the side of the electronic cooling element in which the electronic cooling device 32 contacts the bottom surface directly or indirectly through another heat conductor, and is substantially orthogonal to the first flat surface portion 49. The second plane part 50 extends in the direction, and the corner part 51 having a slightly rounded corner connecting the first plane part 49 and the second plane part 50 is formed.

  The first flat portion 49 is generally thick in order to have heat capacity. At a predetermined position of the second flat portion 50, a water intake nozzle insertion hole 53 into which a pointed portion (see FIG. 11) of the water intake nozzle 14 provided in the water intake adapter 52 is inserted is provided.

  As described above, the water tap 9 is attached to the drinking water bag 6, and by attaching the drinking water bag 6 to the container mounting portion 1 of the water server, the tip of the water intake nozzle 14 passes through the water tap 9. The mechanism is inserted into the inside of the drinking water bag 6. As shown in FIG. 11, a water intake pipe 15 is connected to the water intake adapter 52.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the cooling heat conductor 10 having a substantially L-shaped or V-shaped cross-section has the entire corner portion 51 positioned lower than the first flat portion 49 and the second flat portion 50. Is installed at an angle. Thus, by inclining the cooling heat conductor 10 so that the corner portion 51 is at a low position, the cooling heat conductor 10 having a substantially V-shaped cross section is formed, and the first flat portion 49 and the second flat portion 50. And an initial cold water intake restriction region 47 having a substantially triangular cross section is formed. The inclination angle θ2 of the second plane part 50 is suitably about 45-60 °.

  In this embodiment, the cooling heat conductor 10 is fixed to one corner of the box-shaped container storage portion 3, and the container is stored such that the corner on the side to which the cooling heat conductor 10 is fixed is on the lower side. By inclining the entire portion 3, the cooling heat conductor 10 is also inclined so that the corner portion 51 is positioned lower than the first plane portion 49 and the second plane portion 50.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the electronic cooling unit 41 is fixed to the bottom surface side of the first flat surface portion 49, and the water intake adapter 52 is fixed to the bottom surface side of the second flat surface portion 50. 52 is approached and arranged via the initial cold water intake restriction region 47.

This initial cold water intake amount regulation area 47 is an area in which the cold water 38 is quickly generated in the drinking water 8 held in the water storage container 5 as in the above embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Container mounting part, 2 ... Upper cover member, 3 ... Container storage part, 4 ... Storage space part, 5 ... Water storage container, 6 ... Drinking water bag, 7 * ..Outer case, 8 ... drinking water, 9 ... water tap, 10 ... cooling heat conductor, 11 ... container receiving part, 12 ... convection area regulating protrusion, 13 ... engagement Stepped portion, 14 ... intake nozzle, 15 ... three-way intake pipe, 17 ... water supply pipe, 18 ... first two-way solenoid valve, 19 ... hot water tank, 20 ... -Heater, 21 ... pump, 22 ... hot water piping, 23 ... hot water intake solenoid valve, 24 ... hot water intake tube, 26 ... cold water piping, 27 ... cold water intake electromagnetic Valve: 28 ... Cold water intake pipe, 30 ... Second two-way solenoid valve, 31 ... Communication pipe, 32 ... Electronic cooling element, 33 ... Radiation heat conductor, 35 ... Control Part, 6 ... 1st opening part, 37 ... 2nd opening part, 38 ... cold water, 39 ... hot water, 40 ... front inclined part, 41 ... electronic cooling unit, 42 ... Temperature sensor, 45a ... one bottom corner, 45b ... the other bottom corner, 46 ... virtual horizon, 47 ... initial cold water intake restriction area, 48 ... convection, 49 .. First plane part, 50... Second plane part, 51... Corner part, 52 .. intake adapter, 53.

Claims (7)

A container storage section for storing a water storage container having at least a flexible drinking water bag having drinking water therein and having a faucet at the bottom;
An electronic cooling unit for cooling the drinking water in the drinking water bag;
In the water server that can take out the cold water in the drinking water bag generated by cooling by the electronic cooling unit,
The electronic cooling unit has a plate-like container receiving portion having a cutout portion through which the water faucet is inserted at one end portion, and a heat conductive member having a convection region regulating protrusion provided on the container receiving portion. Having a cooling heat conductor made of a good metal,
The cooling heat conductor is inclined and installed in the water server body so that the side having the cutout portion through which the water faucet is inserted is lowered,
The water storage container is mounted on the cooling heat conductor, the water faucet is inserted through the cutout portion of the container receiving portion, and the convection region regulation protrusion is brought into contact with a part of the drinking water bag,
In the mounted state of the water storage container, the water storage container is in a low position on the side where the water faucet is attached from one bottom corner that is at a high position opposite to the side on which the water faucet is attached. When an imaginary horizontal line is drawn toward the other bottom corner of the water storage container, the lower side of the imaginary horizontal line is set as the initial cold water intake water volume regulating region, and the upper surface of the convection region regulating protrusion is above the virtual horizontal line Water server characterized by not protruding. The water server according to claim 1,
The water storage container comprises the drinking water bag and a heat insulating outer case covering the outer periphery of the drinking water bag,
The bottom portion of the outer case is cut out and the water tap is taken out from the opening portion, and the water storage container is placed in a state where a part of the drinking water bag is exposed from the other opening portion of the bottom portion of the outer case. A part of the drinking water bag that is mounted on the cooling heat conductor and passes through the cutout portion of the container receiving portion, and is exposed by inserting the convection region regulating protrusion from the opening of the outer case. Water server characterized by contacting with water. The water server according to claim 1,
The water storage container mounted on the cooling heat conductor is composed of the drinking water bag alone,
A water server, wherein a bottom portion of the drinking water bag is brought into contact with the convection region regulating protrusion from the container receiving portion. The water server according to claim 1,
A three-way intake pipe connected to a water tap of the water storage container mounted on the cooling heat conductor;
A hot water tank with a heater;
A water supply pipe having a first two-way solenoid valve in the middle and connecting one outlet of the three-way intake pipe and the hot water tank;
A cold water intake solenoid valve having a cold water intake cock connected to the outlet side, and a cold water pipe connected to the other outlet of the three-way intake pipe;
A hot water intake solenoid valve having a hot water intake cock connected to the outlet side, and hot water piping connected to the hot water tank;
A pump provided in the middle of the hot water pipe,
A second two-way solenoid valve in the middle, and a connecting pipe for connecting the cold water intake solenoid valve and the hot water intake solenoid valve;
The pump is driven at the time of sterilization, the hot water in the hot water tank is pumped up, and the hot water is drawn into the hot water pipe, hot water intake solenoid valve, communication pipe, second two-way solenoid valve, cold water intake. The configuration is such that the hot water is circulated through the solenoid valve, the cold water pipe, the three-way intake pipe, the water supply pipe, and the first two-way solenoid valve so as to return to the hot water tank. Water server to be used. A container storage section for storing a water storage container having at least a flexible drinking water bag having drinking water therein and having a faucet at the bottom;
An electronic cooling unit that is installed at the bottom of the container storage unit and cools the drinking water in the drinking water bag,
In the water server that can take out the cold water in the drinking water bag generated by cooling by the electronic cooling unit,
The electronic cooling unit has a cooling heat conductor made of a metal having good thermal conductivity,
The cooling heat conductor has a substantially V-shaped cross-section formed by a first flat portion, a second flat portion, and a corner portion connecting the first flat portion and the second flat portion,
The electronic cooling unit is attached to the bottom side of the first plane part,
The water server according to claim 1, wherein an initial cold water intake amount regulating region surrounded by the first flat portion and the second flat portion is formed inside the cooling heat conductor. The water server according to claim 5,
A water server, wherein a cold water intake is provided on the second plane portion side. The water server according to claim 1 or 5,
A temperature sensor that detects a surface temperature of the cooling heat conductor or a water temperature near the cooling heat conductor;
Based on a detection signal from the temperature sensor, a control unit that switches the power supplied to the electronic cooling unit from the primary power in the normal operation mode to the secondary power less than the primary power,
Supplying the primary power set in the control unit to the electronic cooling unit to cool the drinking water,
When the detection signal from the temperature sensor falls below a reference value for predicting freezing of the drinking water,
The water server configured to switch the power supplied to the electronic cooling unit from the primary power to the secondary power by the control unit to continue cooling the drinking water.

Images