JPH0870997A - Tank supporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To easily perform the setting of a water supply tank. CONSTITUTION: A water supply tank 12 has a water supply part K which is formed protrusively on the undersurface, and water is supplied from this part K to a hot water storage tank 10. A tank receptacle table is arranged over the hot water storage tank 10, and the water supply tank 12 is placed on this receptacle table under such a condition as protruding downward. A guide face is formed at the front extremity of the receptacle table, and when the water supply tank 12 is to be set, it is slide on the guide face and guided to the specified setting position without risk of interference of the water supply part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a supporting device for a tank, and more particularly to a supporting device for facilitating a detachable tank setting operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a dispenser for dissolving and mixing powdered tea put into a mixing bowl with hot water and pouring it out. Among this kind of dispenser, there is known one provided with a tank for water supply and a tank for heating which heats water supplied from the dispenser to supply hot water to a mixing bowl. The water supply tank is configured to start water supply when the hot water in the hot water storage tank is used and the water level drops below a certain level, and stop the water supply when the water level recovers to a certain level. When the water tank is empty, remove it from the main unit, take it to the water area, refill it with water, and then install it again in the main unit.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, a water tank filled with water has a considerable weight and is not easy to carry. On the other hand, a large space has never been secured due to the demand for compactness of the water tank on the main body side. Therefore, it has been difficult to set a water tank that is full of water in such a narrow space. For this reason, if the water supply tank is difficult to be positioned at the proper set position and the water supply tank is pushed in while it is misaligned, the water supply portion of the tank may be damaged.
The present invention has been developed and devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a supporting device capable of easily performing a tank setting operation.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the structure of the invention of claim 1 is such that, of the tanks stacked in two layers, the tank on the upper side is the tank on the lower side on the lower surface. A water supply portion for supplying water is formed, and the tank on the upper side is set in a state in which the water supply portion protrudes downward with respect to the tank cradle arranged above the tank on the lower side. In the above, the front end portion of the tank pedestal is formed with a guide portion capable of guiding to the set position while avoiding interference with the water supply portion when setting the upper tank. It is a thing. Also,
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the tank pedestal is provided with positioning means for engaging the upper tank and positioning the tank at a set position. To do.

[0005]

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the upper tank is filled with water and is set in the main body again, if the lower surface of the tank is pushed in along the guide portion of the tank cradle while sliding from the rear side. The tank is guided to the regular set position while avoiding interference with the water supply section by the guide section. In this case, according to the second aspect of the invention, the upper tank is positioned at the regular set position by the positioning means provided on the tank pedestal.

[0006]

The effects of the present invention are as follows. According to the first aspect of the invention, since the tank pedestal is provided with the guide portion, even a heavy tank can be relatively easily guided to the regular set position, so that the setting operation can be smoothly performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the tank is positioned at the regular set position by the positioning means,
The set condition becomes stable.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the beverage dispenser of this example is of a thin type, and is installed on a table (not shown) so that the height can be easily operated. As shown in FIG. 2, this beverage dispenser is composed of a dispenser body (hereinafter, simply referred to as body 2) and a front door 1 mounted on the front surface of the dispenser body so as to be openable and closable by a hinge. On the front upper part of the front door 1, there is provided an operation panel 3 on which buttons for pouring operation (button 47 for tea and button 48 for hot water in this example) or display lamps are arranged. On the other hand, a pouring portion 4 is formed in a lower portion of the front door 1, and a lower surface thereof is provided with a saucer 49 which is capable of holding a cup or the like and is formed in a saw-like shape, and a drain pan 5 arranged below the saucer 49. Is closed.

A canister 6 for storing powdered tea is arranged on the upper portion of the main body 2, and the canister 6 is mounted so that its front portion projects toward the front door 1. The canister 6 is narrow in the left-right direction toward the device (see FIGS. 3 and 4) and is formed in a funnel shape in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 2), and its bottom portion projects toward the front door 1 side and its tip end. The discharge port 50 is opened in the opening, and is always closed by the lid plate 7 that can be opened and closed. Then, the lid plate 7 is opened by operating the above-described tea button, and at the same time, a fixed amount of powdered tea can be dropped and supplied from the discharge port 50. On the other hand, a funnel-shaped guide 8 is attached to the center of the inner surface of the front door 1 and below the discharge port 50. The guide 8 receives powder tea from the discharge port 50 of the canister 6 and mixes it. It can be guided to the bowl 9. The mixing bowl 9 has a front door 1
It is arranged on the inner surface of the guide 8 and directly below the guide 8. A tip of a hot water supply pipe 11 connected to a hot water storage tank 10 described later faces here, and in the mixing bowl 9, the powdered tea supplied from the canister 6 via the guide 8 is dissolved and mixed with hot water. It is like this.

Next, the water supply tank 12 and the hot water storage tank 10 will be described. First, the hot water storage tank 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The hot water storage tank 10 is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having an open top surface, and the bracket 10 is provided on the bottom surface of the main body 2.
It is fixed via a. Further, below the inside of the hot water storage tank 10, an electric heater 13 (pour-in type sheathed heater) for heating the water in the tank 10 is housed. On the front surface of the tank 10, the three thermostat terminals 14a shown in the figure are provided with different temperatures to be detected (for example, an empty heating detection temperature, an upper limit detection temperature or a lower detection temperature suitable for a beverage) different from the terminals for the heater 13. 14c is protruding. Each of these terminals 14a to 14c is connected to an electric circuit (not shown), and energization of the heater 13 is controlled in accordance with the amount of water in the hot water storage tank 10 and the temperature of the hot water. Further, a mounting piece 15 is provided on the front surface of the hot water storage tank 10.
The limit switch 15 is attached via a so that the heater 13 is energized when the water level in the tank 10 reaches a certain level (a level slightly higher than the position where the heater 13 is provided). The contacts are switched.

Further, the lower rear side of the hot water storage tank 10 is cut out in a step shape, and a pump 16 for pumping up the hot water in the hot water storage tank 10 and guiding it to the mixing bowl 9 is attached to the tea tank. Button, hot water button 47, 48
The pumping operation is controlled by an electric circuit (not shown) based on the above operation. This pump 16
The hot water storage tank 10 has an inflow port opened, and a hot water supply pipe 11 is connected to the discharge port. The hot water supply pipe 11 is the main body 2
After being piped along the inner side wall, the hose 11a having flexibility and heat resistance is connected to the front door 1 and extends to the mixing bowl 9.

The upper surface of the hot water storage tank 10 is covered with a tank cover 17 and is fixed with screws or the like. A circular insertion hole 18 is opened on the upper surface of the tank cover 17 at a position closer to the front, and a supporting frame 19 for supporting the water supply tank 12 side is attached so as to surround the insertion hole 18. The supporting frame 19 projects in a rectangular shape with a predetermined height and is formed to have substantially the same width as the tank cover 17. Further, a projecting plate 21 for fixing a tank cradle 20 described below is provided on the front edge of the support frame 19.
Is mounted so as to extend over its entire width and project forward.

As described above, the water supply tank 12 is supported on the support frame 19 via the tank pedestal 20, and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. Are formed. A water supply section K for supplying water to the hot water storage tank 10 is arranged near the front surface of the bottom surface of the water supply tank 12. The water supply section K is composed of a water supply cylinder 23 that hangs down from the lower surface of the water supply tank 12 and communicates with the inside of the water supply tank 12, and a valve cap 25.
A screw 23a is engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the water supply cylinder 23,
As shown in FIG. 9, a valve cap 25 containing a valve 24 is screwed therein in a sealed state with a packing 26 interposed. The water supply part K is formed so that it can be inserted into the insertion hole 18 of the tank cover 17 with a sufficient clearance, and the water supply part K can be easily pulled out from the insertion hole 18 when setting or removing the water supply tank 12. There is. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the central portion of the bottom surface of the valve cap 25 bulges into a cylindrical shape and the convex portion 2
5a, the outlet 27 is concentrically opened on the upper surface of the convex portion 25a. A valve 24 for opening and closing the outlet 27 is housed in the valve cap 25, and the valve 24 is composed of a valve body 28 and a valve shaft 29 that coaxially penetrates the valve body 28. There is. Further, a spring 30 is fastened to the valve shaft 29, and the spring 30 is interposed between a spring receiver 31 protruding from the lower end of the valve shaft 29 and a portion around the outflow port 27 of the convex portion 25a. It is urged in a direction to pull down the whole so that the outlet 27 is closed by 28.

A support surface 20a on which the water supply tank 12 can be placed is formed on the upper surface of the tank cradle 20, and a relief recess 32 for avoiding interference with the water supply section K is formed in the front portion thereof.
However, the notch is formed so that the front edge of the tank cradle 20 is opened. The rear edge of the escape recess 32 is bent downward at a substantially right angle to form a hooking edge 33,
It can be locked to the corresponding inner wall surface of the support frame 19. On the other hand, a pair of guide pieces 34 for guiding the attachment / detachment operation of the water supply tank 12 are provided upright on both sides of the escape recess 32 at the front edge of the tank cradle 20. Each of the guide pieces 34 is formed in an inverted U shape, and its free end side extends further downward than the lower surface position of the tank holder 20 and can be screwed to the above-mentioned protruding plate 21 of the tank cover 17. Has become. The tops of the two guide pieces 34 serve as guide surfaces 34a for sliding or pulling out the lower surface of the water supply tank 12 when the water supply tank 12 is attached or detached. Also, both guide pieces 3
The inner surface side of 4 functions as a restricting surface 34b that constitutes a positioning means for positioning the water supply tank 12 together with the stopper edge 35 formed by bending at the rear edge of the tank cradle 20.

A valve opener 36 for holding the valve 24 in an open state is fixed near the insertion hole 18 on the lower surface of the tank cover 17. The valve opener 36 is formed in a generally L-shape as a whole, and its tip is bent upward to form a push-up piece 36a. As shown in FIG. 9, the push-up piece 36a pushes up the spring bearing 31 of the valve 24 to open the outlet 27 when the water supply tank 12 is incorporated.
It serves to push up the valve 24. Further, the valve opener 36 is provided with a water supply amount adjusting unit 37 with a float as shown in FIG.

The water supply amount adjusting unit 37 with a float is provided with a replenishing cup 38. The replenishing cup 38 opens upward to temporarily receive the water dropped from the outlet 27 of the valve cap 25 to adjust the flow rate. Meanwhile, the water is supplied to the hot water storage tank 10. That is, one end of an arm 40 to which a float 39 is attached is fixed to the lower surface of the replenishing cup 38, and with the valve opener 36 accommodated therein, it is rocked by a support pin 41 with respect to the side surface of the valve opener 36. It is movably supported. And a replenishing cup 38
The balance setting is such that when the hot water storage tank 10 is empty, one side of the upper edge of the hot water storage tank 10 is supported in an inclined posture in which it contacts the lower surface of the tank cover 17. Also, a replenishing cup 3
A side of the upper edge of the No. 8 opposite to the side in contact with the tank cover 17 is cut out in a substantially U shape to form an overflow edge 42. The overflow edge 42 overflows the water in the replenishing cup 38 when the water level in the hot water storage tank 10 is below a certain level, and enables rapid water supply together with the pores 43 described below. The pores 43 penetrating lower than the overflow edge 42 on the surface on the side where the overflow edge 42 is provided enable slow water supply when the water level in the hot water storage tank 10 is within a certain level range. The temperature is kept from dropping sharply. Further, in the replenishing cup 38, a support shaft 44 projects from the surface opposite to the side where the support pin 41 is inserted, and a locking groove 45 cut out at the upper edge of the hot water storage tank 10.
(See FIG. 7), the replenishing cup 38 is supported together with the support pin 41. The tip of the support shaft 44 projects to the outside of the hot water storage tank 10, and a movable piece 46 is attached to the tip. The movable piece 46 extends obliquely forward along the side surface of the hot water storage tank 10,
The contact of the limit switch 15 can be switched only when the water level of the hot water storage tank 10 becomes higher than at least the heater 13 in accordance with the swinging posture of.

Next, the function and effect of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be specifically described. First, the pouring operation of "tea" will be briefly described. It is determined that the heater 13 is energized on condition that the hot water storage tank 10 is at a certain water level or higher, and the hot water temperature has reached the set upper limit temperature. When detected by the thermostat, the energization of the heater is stopped. When the tea button 47 is operated in this state, the lid plate 7 of the canister 6 is opened, and a certain amount of powdered tea is discharged from the discharge port 50 and is supplied to the mixing bowl 9 through the guide 8. On the other hand, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 10 is pumped up by driving the pumping pump 16 and is supplied to the mixing bowl 9 through the hot water supply pipe 11. As a result, the powdered tea is dissolved and mixed in the mixing bowl 9 and poured into the cup.

When the water tank 12 becomes empty and needs to be replenished, after opening the front door 1, the water tank 12 is opened.
Hold the handle 22 and lift the front side of the tank 12.
Then, the water supply portion K is pulled out from the insertion hole 18 so that the lower surface of the water supply tank 12 is at least higher than the guide surface 34a, and if the water supply tank 12 is pulled out to the front side, the water supply portion k escapes through the recessed portion 32. The entire tank 12 can be taken out smoothly. Then, the water is taken from the water supply pipe 23 into the tank 12 by taking it to the water field and removing the valve cap 25. When the water is full, valve cap 25
However, since the valve 24 closes the outflow port 27 by the spring 30 before being set on the main body 2 side, the water in the tank 12 does not leak from here.

When setting the water supply tank 12, first, the rear side of the lower surface of the water supply tank 12 is placed on the guide surfaces 34a of both guide pieces 34 and is pushed horizontally as it is. Then
The water supply tank 12 is pushed in while sliding on the guide surface 34a, but after being properly pushed in, the water supply tank 12 is
The lower end of the lower surface of the above is lowered onto the supporting surface 20a. When the water supply tank 12 is further pushed in while the front side is lifted in this manner, the rear end portion of the water supply tank 12 contacts the stopper edge 35, so that further pushing is restricted. At that time, since the front surface of the water supply tank 12 passes over both guide pieces 34, if the front side of the water supply tank 12 is lowered, the water supply tank 12 is positioned by the stopper edge 35 and the restriction surface 34b, and the support surface is 20a. Then, the water supply part K is thrust into the insertion hole 18, and as shown in FIG.
The lower end of 4 is pushed up against the spring 30. For this reason, the outlet 27 is opened and the water in the water supply tank 12 flows out and falls into the replenishing cup 38 of the float-equipped water supply amount adjusting unit 37, from which an amount of water corresponding to the water level in the hot water storage tank 10 is released. Will be replenished.

As described above, in this embodiment, when setting the water supply tank 12 which is full and has a considerable weight, the water supply tank 12 may be placed on both guide surfaces 34a and pushed along the guide surfaces 34a. During this time, the weight of the water supply tank 12 is supported by both guide pieces 34, so that one-handed operation is possible, and by placing it on the guide piece 34, the interference between the water supply section K and the tank cradle 20 can be avoided at the same time. Therefore, the set operation is smoothly performed. Therefore, even if the user performs a pushing operation without paying sufficient attention, the water supply tank 12 will not be damaged by hitting the surrounding members. Further, the water tank 12 has a stopper edge 35.
Since it is set in a state where it is positioned by the control surface 34b and the regulation surface 34b, a stable set state without rattling can be obtained.

11 to 13 show another embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention. In the water supply tank of this example, a water supply pipe 23 having a diameter larger than that of the water supply pipes of the above-mentioned embodiments is formed. .
The valve cap 25 screwed into the water supply cylinder 23 via the packing 26 has its interior divided into upper and lower parts by a partition plate 51, and a cylindrical cylindrical part 52 having a downward opening is hung down at the center of the lower surface. ing. A large-diameter outlet 53 is provided on the upper surface of the partition plate 51 at a central position, and a plurality of small-diameter outlets 54 are concentrically surrounded so as to communicate with the tubular portion 52. ing. The valve 24 has a valve shaft 29 having a large diameter.
3, the valve element 28 is inserted into the full outlet 5 by the spring 30.
The mounting is done in a biased manner to close 3, 54.

On the other hand, the tank pedestal 20 is provided with side edges 55 upright on the periphery except for the front edge, and also has a relief recess 32 as in the above-mentioned embodiment. However, the escape recess 32 of the present example is opened while changing the opening width from the front edge portion of the tank pedestal 20 to the central portion of the tank pedestal 20. That is, at the front edge portion of the tank cradle 20, a tubular portion insertion portion 32a is formed that is wider than the outer diameter of the tubular portion 52 and narrower than the outer diameter of the valve cap 25. An accommodating portion 3b having a width larger than the outer diameter of the valve cap 25 is formed on the inner side of a continuous expansion portion 32b that gradually expands from 32a toward the rear side.
2c is formed.

A guide surface 34a is formed on both sides of the cylindrical insertion portion 32a and the expansion portion 32b so as to be upwardly inclined from the front side and continuous with the support surface. At the time of setting, the lower edge of the valve cap 25 is slid to guide the setting operation in the storage section 32c. The tank cradle 20 formed in this way
The front edge portion of the guide surface 34a is bent downward, and is fixed to the tank cover 17 by screwing this portion to the overhanging plate 21 of the tank cover 17.
In addition, the set water supply tank 12 is the tank cradle 2
The water supply tank 12 is positioned rearward and leftward and rightward by the side edge of 0, and the water supply tank 12 is positioned forward by engaging the opening edge of the expansion portion 32b with the side surface of the water supply portion K. It

According to the second embodiment, when the empty water supply tank 12 is to be removed, the front door 1 is opened and the handle 22 is used to lift the front side of the water supply tank 12 as shown in FIG. Pull K out from the insertion hole 18. If the water tank 12 is pulled out to this side in this state, the water supply tank 12 is detached from the main body 2. When the water supply tank 12 which has been filled with water and is in a full state is to be set again, the water supply tank 12 is pushed in with the rear surface of the lower surface of the water supply tank 12 placed on the guide surface 34a. As a result, the water supply tank 12 slides on the guide surface 34a and advances into the main body 2 in an inclined posture. The rear side of the tank 12 is the guide surface 34a.
After overcoming, the entire tank 12 is shifted to a substantially horizontal position and pushed in at an appropriate time. While pushing in this way, the cylindrical portion 52 of the water supply portion K passes through the relief recess 32, so that interference with the tank pedestal 20 is avoided. If the valve cap 25 is pushed to the position where it passes through the guide surface 34a and reaches the storage portion 32c,
The valve cap 25 fits into the storage portion 32c, and the tubular portion 52 is inserted into the insertion hole 18. At this time, the side edge 55 of the tank cradle 20 positions the water supply tank 12 in the rear and left-right directions, and at the same time, the expansion portion 3
The setting of the water supply tank 12 is completed in a state where the water supply tank 12 is positioned forward by the opening edge of 2b engaging with the side surface of the water supply section K.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a dispenser.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a layout relationship of internal structures.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which a front door is opened.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a state in which a front door is omitted.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a water supply tank.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a tank pedestal.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a hot water storage tank and a cover plate.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a water supply amount adjusting unit with a float.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the periphery of the water supply section.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing a set state of the water supply tank.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a detaching operation of the water supply tank.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the water supply section.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Hot water storage tank 12 ... Water supply tank 20 ... Tank pedestal 34a ... Guide surface 35 ... Stopper edge as positioning means 55 ... Side edge 32b as positioning means 32b ... Expanded portion 34b as positioning means 34b ... Restricting surface as positioning means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A tank on the upper side of the two upper and lower stacked tanks has a lower surface provided with a water supply portion for supplying water to the lower tank, and the upper tank is on the lower side. When the water tank is set in a state in which the water supply portion projects downward with respect to the tank pedestal arranged above the tank, the upper tier tank is set at the front end of the tank pedestal. A tank supporting device, characterized in that a guide part is formed on the base plate, which is capable of guiding to a set position while avoiding interference with the water supply part. 2. The tank according to claim 1, wherein the tank pedestal is provided with a positioning means for engaging the upper tank and positioning the tank at a set position. Support device.