JP2001225897A - Beverage-feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid raw material discharging section which does not require the attaching section space for an independent residual amount detecting sensor, wherein unevenness in the residual amount detecting sensitivity is eliminated, and labor for attaching-designing the residual amount detecting sensor can be saved in a beverage-feeding device which discharges and provides a liquid raw material filled in an bag-in-box. SOLUTION: To a tube guide stopper 14, the residual amount detecting sensor 17 having a residual amount detecting surface 17a, which is formed into a U-shaped groove, is attached. Then, the groove internal surface of the U-shape, which forms the residual amount detecting surface 17a, is formed of a material having a sufficient frictional resistance to fix a discharging tube 5 (e.g. silicone rubber), and the opening is faced to the direction being confronted with a tube guide 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser, a beverage dispenser, and a beverage dispensing apparatus for discharging and supplying a liquid material filled in a bag-in-box, which is mounted on a vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a beverage dispenser or a vending machine, a liquid material is filled in a bag and the bag is placed in a shipping box for reasons of hygiene and easy handling when the material is exhausted. Raw material container (bag-in-box)
It has become the mainstream to use. When the liquid material is used up, the bag-in-box with no contents is replaced with a new bag-in-box.

[0003] However, since the bag-in-box contains a bag filled with a liquid material in a box, the contents cannot be seen from the external appearance, and there are many cases where it is difficult to know when the material will run out. For this reason, there is a method of replacing the bag with a new bag-in-box in anticipation, but in this case, there is a disadvantage that the raw material remaining in the container is wasted. Or, suddenly, when the raw material is no longer discharged and the raw material is exhausted, it is quickly replaced with a new bag-in-box.

[0004] Therefore, various attempts have been made so far to know the remaining amount of the liquid material in the bag-in-box. For example, a method is used in which a change in the remaining amount is measured by weight by providing a scale in the storage section of the bag-in-box, and when the weight becomes a predetermined value or less, the remaining amount is exhausted. A method of calculating the predetermined number of liquids that can be poured out from the weight of the liquid material, and when the number of times of dispensing reaches the predetermined number, the remaining amount runs out. For example, there is a method of detecting the presence or absence of an object present in a tube for detecting the presence of the object, and exhausting the remaining amount when the absence is detected.

[0005] Here, a beverage dispenser will be described as an example of a conventional supply device for discharging and supplying a liquid material filled in a bag-in-box with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the entire beverage dispenser 1 with the front door opened. Beverage dispenser body 2, bag-in-box storage section 3 provided in beverage dispenser body 2, bag-in-box (hereinafter abbreviated as “container”) 4 stored in bag-in-box storage section 3, pouring extending from below container 4 Liquid material discharging section (hereinafter abbreviated as “pouring section”) that serves to push out a predetermined amount of liquid material in tube 5.
6. A dilution water supply nozzle 7 provided at the end of a dilution water pipe (not shown) provided in the beverage dispenser main body 2, a supply control unit (not shown) for controlling the supply and discharge unit 6 of the dilution water. Consists of

Next, the pouring section 6 which functions to pour the liquid raw material will be described in detail. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the pouring section 6. The pouring section 6 includes a pump base 8 to which the pouring tube 5 from the container 4 is attached. 3 on the outer circumference
A roller pump 10 in which a plurality of rollers 9a, 9b, 9c are provided at an interval of 120 ° from each other is formed at the center. The roller pump 10 is rotatable about a roller pump shaft 11, and is configured to be driven by a drive motor (not shown). The tube guide 12 attached to the roller pump 10 is curved along the outer circumference of the roller pump 10. The tube guide 12 is mounted so as to be able to rotate about a tube guide shaft 13. Further, a tube guide stopper 14 is provided so that the tube guide 12 does not rotate too much and approach the roller pump 10 too much. The tube guide 12 is provided with a tube guide lock 15 penetrating in the depth direction when viewed from the front.
Reference numeral 5 designates a knob for operating the tube guide lock 15 at a front portion and a tip portion which fits into a predetermined hole of the pump base 8. By pulling the knob forward, the tip fitted into the hole of the pump base 8 comes off the hole, and the tube guide 12 can rotate around the tube guide shaft 13. Thus, the tube guide 12 is fixed at an appropriate position by the tube guide lock 15.
At a position downstream of the tube guide 12 and the roller pump 10, a pinch guide 16 for fixing the pouring tube 5;
A pinch valve (not shown) that closes and opens the squeeze tube 5 by crushing the spill tube 5 near the spout port of the spill tube 5.
Is provided. A dilution water supply nozzle 7 is provided in the vicinity of the outlet of the pouring tube 5. The dilution water supply nozzle 7 is connected to a pipe (not shown) in a device for supplying dilution water.

[0008] A remaining amount detection sensor 17 (described later) is provided between the container 4 and the pouring section 6. Remaining amount detection sensor 17
Is on the spouting section 6 and its remaining amount detecting surface 17a is
Is attached so as to face the surface of the pouring tube 5 extending from below.

The configuration of a beverage dispenser has been described above as an example of a conventional supply device that pours out and supplies a liquid material filled in a bag-in-box. The operation of the beverage dispenser will now be described. First, the container 4 containing the liquid raw material is attached to the bag-in-box storage unit 3. Then, the tube guide 12 of the pouring section 6 is rotated clockwise, and extends from below the container 4 into an insertion hole (not shown) formed when the tube guide 12 comes into contact with the tube guide stopper 14. Dispense tube 5 is provided. Then, the pouring tube 5 is connected to the rollers 9a and 9b on the outer periphery of the roller pump 10.
, And the tip is dropped downward so as to contact the pinch valve on the back of the pinch guide 16. After the dispensing tube 5 is arranged in this manner, the dispensing tube 5 is rotated counterclockwise to a position where the tube guide 12 comes into contact with the tube guide stopper 14 so as to cover the dispensing tube 5. The roller 12 is pressed against the rollers 9a and 9b with an appropriate load by 12 so that a closed portion 5a of the pouring tube 5 is formed between the rollers 9a and 9b. The liquid material is held in the closed portion 5a in an initial state. Then, the tube guide 12 is fixed by the tube guide lock 15 at that position.

Next, when a beverage dispensing button (not shown) is pressed, the roller pump 10 is rotated clockwise (in the direction of arrow A) by the drive motor. When the roller pump 10 rotates clockwise by 120 °, the liquid material in the closed portion 5a formed between the two rollers 9a and 9b is sent out below the pouring tube 5, and at the same time, the liquid material is sent out. The container 5 is closed by a roller 9b and a roller 9c at the closed position 5a.
From which the liquid raw material flows and is closed. In this way, the amount of the liquid material discharged by one rotation operation (120 ° rotation) is the amount existing in the closed portion 5a. The pinch valve provided near the outlet of the pouring tube 5 is a roller pump 1
The spout tube 5 is opened at the same time as the rotation of 0, and the spout tube 5 is closed at the same time as the roller pump 10 stops so as to prevent the liquid material in the spout tube 5 from being exposed to outside air and contaminated. Has become.

At the same time as the liquid raw material is discharged from the discharge tube 5, dilution water for diluting the liquid raw material is supplied from the dilution water supply nozzle 7.

In this way, the liquid raw material in the container 4 is poured out and mixed with the dilution water supplied from the dilution water supply nozzle 7 to provide drinking water. At this time, the remaining amount detection sensor 17 provided at the upper position of the pouring section 6
The presence or absence of the liquid material moving inside the pouring tube 5 is detected. The remaining amount detection sensor 17 utilizes a phenomenon in which the presence of an object (in this example, the liquid raw material in the pouring tube 5) in an electric field is subjected to electrostatic induction and polarization of the charge is performed. A negative charge different from the positively charged electrode appears on the side near the liquid material electrode in the pouring tube 5, and a positive charge appears on the opposite side. As a result, the positive charge on the electrode side increases due to the induction of the negative charge generated in the liquid material in the pouring tube 5. Therefore, an increase in the charge increases the capacitance of the electrode. When the liquid material in the container 4 runs out and the final surface of the liquid material in the pouring tube 5 passes through the remaining amount detection sensor 17, the capacitance of the electrode rapidly decreases. When the capacitance of the electrode is significantly reduced in this way, it is determined that the liquid material in the pouring tube 5 has run out (therefore, the liquid material in the container 4 has run out), and the indicator is turned on. Thus, it is possible to know that the container 5 needs to be replaced.
Since it is sufficient to replace the bag-in-box when the indicator is turned on, it is not necessary to replace the bag-in-box in advance, and the liquid material in the container 4 can be used to the end without waste.

[0013]

However, since the remaining amount detecting sensor 17 is provided between the container 4 and the pouring section 6 independently of the pouring section 6 and does not fix the pouring tube 5, Each time the rollers 9a, 9b, 9c of the roller pump 10 rotate, the spouting tube 5 moves, and the spouting tube 5 moves along the surface of the remaining amount detecting surface 17a of the remaining amount detecting sensor 17 so as to face. However, there is a problem that the degree of adhesion between the spout tube 5 and the remaining amount detection surface 17a varies, resulting in variation in the remaining amount detection sensitivity.
Further, since the remaining amount detection sensor 17 is provided independently,
It requires extra space for attaching the remaining amount detection sensor 17,
This hinders the downsizing of the beverage dispenser 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the liquid material, which does not require an extra space for the remaining amount detection sensor mounting portion, eliminate variations in the remaining amount detection sensitivity, and eliminate the trouble of designing the remaining amount detection sensor mounting. The purpose is to provide a dispensing section.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid material discharging portion for discharging a liquid material from a liquid material storing portion through a liquid material discharging tube. A detection unit for detecting the remaining amount of the liquid raw material from the state of the liquid raw material passing through the raw material discharge tube; and a liquid supply device for supplying the liquid raw material and the dilution water to the cup. A fixing member for fixing the output tube is provided.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the liquid material discharging section and the detecting section are integrated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the fixing member has a U-shaped groove for fixing the liquid material discharging tube, and the opening side of the groove is provided with an opening and closing member provided in the liquid material discharging section. Is opened or closed by the

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the inner surface of the groove is brought into pressure contact with the liquid material discharging tube.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the inner surface of the groove is made of a material having a frictional resistance sufficient to fix the liquid material discharging tube.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those in the related art.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the entire beverage dispenser 1 with the front door opened. Beverage dispenser body 2, bag-in-box storage section 3 provided in beverage dispenser body 2, bag-in-box (hereinafter abbreviated as “container”) 4 stored in bag-in-box storage section 3, pouring extending from below container 4 Liquid material discharging section (hereinafter abbreviated as “pouring section”) that serves to push out a predetermined amount of liquid material in tube 5.
6. A dilution water supply nozzle 7 provided at the end of a dilution water pipe (not shown) provided in the beverage dispenser main body 2, a supply control unit (not shown) for controlling the supply and discharge unit 6 of the dilution water. Consists of

Next, the pouring section 6 which functions to pour the liquid raw material will be described in detail. FIG. 2A is a top view showing the pouring section 6, and FIG. 2B is a front view showing the pouring section 6.
The pouring section 6 includes a pump base 8 to which the pouring tube 5 from the container 4 is attached. A roller pump 10 in which three rollers 9a, 9b, 9c are provided at an interval of 120 ° from each other on the outer periphery is formed at the center. The roller pump 10 is rotatable around a roller pump shaft 11,
It is configured to be driven by a drive motor 10M (not shown). The tube guide 12 attached to the roller pump 10 is curved along the outer circumference of the roller pump 10. The tube guide 12 is mounted so as to be able to rotate about a tube guide shaft 13. Further, a tube guide stopper 14 is provided so that the tube guide 12 does not rotate too much and approach the roller pump 10 too much. The remaining amount detection surface 1 formed in a U-shaped groove is provided on the tube guide stopper 14.
A remaining amount detection sensor 17 having 7a is attached. The inner surface of the U-shaped groove forming the remaining amount detection surface 17a is formed of a material (for example, silicon rubber) having a frictional resistance sufficient to fix the pouring tube 5, and the groove opening faces the tube guide 12. Open to the direction. The tube guide 12 is provided with a tube guide lock 15 that penetrates in the depth direction when viewed from the front. The tube guide lock 15 is engaged with a knob for operating the tube guide lock 15 at a front portion and a predetermined hole of the pump base 8. And is fitted into a predetermined hole of the pump base 8 by a spring. By pulling the knob forward, the tip fitted into the hole of the pump base 8 comes off the hole, the tube guide 12 can rotate around the tube guide shaft 13, and the tube guide 12 is inserted into the predetermined hole of the pump base 8. By inserting the distal end of the tube guide lock 15, the tube guide lock 15 is fixed at an appropriate position by the tube guide lock 15. At a position downstream of the tube guide 12 and the roller pump 10,
A pinch guide 16 for fixing the dispensing tube 5, and a pinch valve 16V (not shown) for closing and closing the dispensing tube 5 by crushing the dispensing tube 5 near the outlet of the dispensing tube 5.
Is provided. A dilution water supply nozzle 7 is provided in the vicinity of the outlet of the injection tube 5. The dilution water supply nozzle 7 is connected to a pipe (not shown) in a device for supplying dilution water by a dilution water solenoid valve 7V.

FIG. 3 shows a U-shaped groove forming a remaining amount detecting surface 17a formed of a material having a frictional resistance sufficient to fix the pouring tube 5 to the tube guide stopper 14.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the beverage dispenser of the present invention. The activation switch 50 outputs a beverage dispenser activation signal, the beverage dispensing button 18 outputs a beverage dispensing signal, and the remaining amount of the liquid raw material. A supply control unit 100 that controls each unit based on each output of the remaining amount detection sensor 17 that detects the presence / absence, a dilution water solenoid valve 7V that supplies dilution water, a drive motor 10M that drives the roller pump 10, a pouring tube 5 Valve 16V for closing and opening the container, a display 19 for displaying that the remaining amount detection sensor 17 has detected that there is no liquid material, a memory 102 for storing control data of each part of the beverage dispenser, and a reference clock generator It has a timer 103 that counts clocks generated by a clock (not shown) and measures time. The timer 103
When the beverage dispensing button 18 is selected and the selection signal is supplied to the supply control unit 100, the beverage is reset and the time for supplying the beverage is received (for example, 4 seconds) in response to an instruction from the supply control unit 100. Perform counting.

As described above, the configuration of the beverage dispenser has been described as an example of the supply device that pours out and supplies the liquid material filled in the bag-in-box of the present invention. Next, the operation thereof will be described. First, the container 4 containing the liquid raw material is attached to the bag-in-box storage unit 3. Then, the tube guide 12 of the pouring section 6 is rotated clockwise, and the container 4 is inserted into the U-shaped groove formed on the remaining amount detection surface 17a of the remaining amount detection sensor 17 attached to the tube guide stopper 14. Discharge tube 5 extending from below is provided. Then, the pouring tube 5 is arranged along the rollers 9a and 9b on the outer periphery of the roller pump 10, and the pinch guide 1
6 open, the pinch valve 16V on the back of the pinch guide 16
(Not shown), the tip is hung downward so that the pinch guide 16 is closed. After the dispensing tube 5 is arranged in this manner, the dispensing tube 5 is rotated counterclockwise to a position where the tube guide 12 comes into contact with the tube guide stopper 14 so as to cover the dispensing tube 5. The roller 12 is pressed against the rollers 9a and 9b with an appropriate load by 12 so that a closed portion 5a of the pouring tube 5 is formed between the rollers 9a and 9b. Then, the tube guide 12 is fixed by the tube guide lock 15 at that position.

Next, when the beverage dispensing button 18 is pressed, the roller pump 10 is rotated clockwise (in the direction of arrow A) by the drive motor 10M. When the roller pump 10 rotates 120 ° clockwise, the liquid material in the closed portion 5a formed between the two rollers 9a and 9b is discharged from the discharge tube 5
, And at the same time, the liquid raw material from the container 5 flows into the closing portion 5a where the liquid raw material is fed out by the rollers 9b and 9c and is closed. In this way, the amount of liquid material discharged by one rotation operation (120 ° rotation) is the amount existing at the closed position. The pinch valve 16V provided near the outlet of the pouring tube 5 opens the pouring tube 5 at the same time as the rotation of the roller pump 10, and closes the pouring tube 5 at the same time as the roller pump 10 stops. The liquid material in the outlet tube 5 is prevented from contacting the outside air and being contaminated.

At the same time that the liquid material is discharged from the discharge tube 5, the dilution water solenoid valve 7V is opened, and dilution water for diluting the liquid material is supplied from the dilution water supply nozzle 7.

In this way, the liquid raw material in the container 4 is poured out and mixed with the dilution water supplied from the dilution water supply nozzle 7 to provide drinking water. At this time, when there is no more liquid material moving inside the pouring tube 5, the remaining amount detecting sensor 1 attached to the tube guide stopper 14
7 is output to the supply control unit 100 and the display 19
Lights up.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a second embodiment of the pouring section 6 which functions to pour the liquid raw material will be described in detail. The same contents as those described in FIG. 2 are omitted. A remaining amount detection sensor 17 having a remaining amount detection surface 17a formed in a U-shaped groove is attached to the tube guide stopper 14. The inner surface of the U-shaped groove forming the remaining amount detection surface 17a is formed of a material (for example, silicon rubber) having a frictional resistance sufficient to fix the pouring tube 5, and the groove opening faces the front of the pouring section. is open. The tube guide 12 is provided with a tube guide lock 15 that penetrates in the depth direction when viewed from the front. The tube guide lock 15 is disposed at a position opposite to the groove opening of the remaining amount detection surface 17a in the depth direction when viewed from the front. 5 and a tube guide lock 15 on the near side.
And a tip that fits into a predetermined hole in the pump base 8, and is fitted into a predetermined hole in the pump base 8 by a spring. By pulling the knob forward, the tip fitted into the hole of the pump base 8 comes off the hole, the tube guide 12 can rotate around the tube guide shaft 13, and the tube guide 12 is inserted into the predetermined hole of the pump base 8. By inserting the distal end portion of the tube guide lock 15, the tube guide lock 15 is fixed at an appropriate position by the tube guide lock 15.
Is pressed against the remaining amount detection sensor 17.

FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) show a second embodiment of the spouting section 6 described with reference to FIG. 5, in which the distal end of the tube guide lock 15 is inserted into a predetermined hole of the pump base 8.
The tube guide lock 15 is fixed at an appropriate position, and the projection 15a of the tube guide lock 15
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which is pressed against the remaining amount detection surface 17a.

Next, the operation will be described. The container 4 containing the liquid raw material is attached to the bag-in-box storage section 3. Then, the tube guide 12 of the spouting section 6 is rotated clockwise, and the U formed by the remaining amount detecting surface 17a of the remaining amount detecting sensor 17 attached to the tube guide stopper 14 is formed.
A spout tube 5 extending from below the container 4
Concatenate Then, the pouring tube 5 is connected to the roller pump 1
The outer periphery of the pinch guide 16 is disposed along the rollers 9a and 9b, and the tip is lowered downward so as to contact a pinch valve 16V (not shown) on the back of the pinch guide 16. After the dispensing tube 5 is arranged in this way, the tube guide 12 is rotated counterclockwise to a position where it comes into contact with the tube guide stopper 14, so that the dispensing tube 5 is rotated by the tube guide 12 with an appropriate load. , 9b, and a closed portion 5a of the discharge tube 5 is formed between the rollers 9a and 9b. Then, the tube guide lock 15 is fixed at an appropriate position at that position, and the projection 15a of the tube guide lock 15
Is fixed so as to be pressed against the remaining amount detecting surface 17a.

As described above, the provision of the fixing member for fixing the liquid material discharge tube in the detection section makes it possible to eliminate the variation in the remaining amount detection sensitivity.

Since the liquid material discharging section and the detecting section are integrated, a wasteful space for independently providing the remaining amount detecting section is not required, and the apparatus can be made compact. It is possible to save time and effort for mounting the amount detection unit.

The fixing member has a U-shaped groove for fixing the liquid material discharging tube, and the opening side of the groove is opened or closed by an opening / closing member provided in the liquid material discharging section. As a result, the pouring tube is completely fixed.

The inner surface of the groove is brought into pressure contact with the liquid material discharging tube, so that the variation in the remaining amount detection sensitivity can be further reduced.

Since the inner surface of the groove is made of a material having a frictional resistance sufficient to fix the liquid material discharging tube, the discharging tube does not move due to the rotation of the roller pump, and is stable. It is possible to detect the remaining amount.

By setting the opening of the remaining amount detecting portion to the front side, the loading position of the spout tube can be seen from the front, and the bag-in-box can be easily replaced.

By setting the opening of the remaining amount detection unit to the right side, the spout tube can be fixed only by rotating the tube guide counterclockwise to a position where it contacts the tube guide stopper and fixing the tube guide. .

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, the liquid material discharging section and the remaining amount detecting section of the beverage supply apparatus for discharging and providing the liquid material filled in the bag-in-box are integrated. This makes it possible to eliminate the variation in the remaining amount detection sensitivity, eliminate the need for useless space for independently providing the remaining amount detection unit, and reduce the size of the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an entire beverage dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a top view and a front view, respectively, showing a dispensing portion of the beverage dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a U forming a remaining amount detection surface according to the embodiment of the present invention.
It is a perspective view which shows a character-shaped groove | channel.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control unit of the beverage dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 5B are a top view and a front view, respectively, showing a second example of the beverage dispenser pouring section according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a U forming a remaining amount detection surface according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6A is a top view of a tube guide lock fixed state, and FIG. 6B is a top view of the U-shaped groove before the tube guide lock is fixed.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the entire beverage dispenser.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a dispensing section of the beverage dispenser.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Beverage dispenser 2 Beverage dispenser main body 3 Bag-in-box storage part 4 Bag-in-box 5 Injection tube 6 Liquid material injecting part 9a Roller 9b Roller 9c Roller 10 Roller pump 10M Drive motor 12 Tube guide 14 Tube guide stopper 15 Tube guide lock 15a Tube guide lock projection 17 Remaining amount detection sensor 17a Remaining amount detection surface 100 Supply control unit 102 Memory 103 Timer

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A liquid raw material discharging section for discharging a liquid raw material from a liquid raw material storage section through a liquid raw material discharging tube, and a remaining amount of the liquid raw material based on a state of the liquid raw material passing through the liquid raw material discharging tube. A beverage supply device having a detection unit for detecting, and supplying the liquid raw material and the dilution water to the cup, wherein the detection unit is provided with a fixing member for fixing the liquid raw material discharge tube. Feeding device. 2. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid material discharging section and the detecting section are integrated. 3. The fixing member has a U-shaped groove for fixing the liquid material discharging tube, and an opening side of the groove is opened by an opening / closing member provided in the liquid material discharging section. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the beverage supply device is closed. 4. The beverage supply device according to claim 3, wherein the inner surface of the groove is pressed against the liquid material discharge tube. 5. The beverage supply device according to claim 3, wherein the inner surface of the groove is made of a material having a frictional resistance sufficient to fix the liquid material discharging tube.