JP2002083364A - Water heater of vending machine and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect an abnormality, and to stop early water supply to a hot water tank, and to thereby prevent expansion of a water leak trouble, when a hot water leak occurs caused by the abnormality of a hot water supply valve. SOLUTION: In this water heater of a vending machine, the hot water tank 1 is loaded in a machine, and the hot water is supplied from the tank to a cooking part at the selling time of a hot drink. In the water heater, the hot water tank including a heater is equipped with the hot-water supply valve 6 and a high water level switch 23b, and water is replenished to the hot water tank through a water supply pipe 2 when the water level in the tank is lowered, based on a signal of the high water level switch. In the device, when the water level in the hot water tank is lowered in the sales waiting state of the hot drink, a control part 24 determines as the water leak caused by the abnormality of the hot-water supply valve, stops water supply to the hot water tank, and stops selling of the hot drink.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot water supply device for a vending machine which is mounted on a cup-type vending machine and supplies hot water to a cooking section in the machine, and a control method therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art First, taking a cup type vending machine as an example, a beverage system in the machine is shown in FIG. In the figure, 1
Is a hot water tank, 2 is a water supply pipe for supplying tap water to the hot water tank 1 via a water pump 4, a water supply valve (three-way switching valve) 5 from a water reservoir 3 for storing tap water, and 6 is a hot water supply equipped in the hot water tank 1. A valve 7 is a hot water supply pipe arranged between a hot water supply valve 6 and a mixing bowl 8 of a beverage cooking section, 9 is a raw material canister containing powdered raw materials such as instant coffee, cocoa, sugar, milk and the like, and 10 is a coffee of regular coffee. An extractor, 11 is a coffee bean canister, and 12 is a hot beverage supply pipe arranged between the mixing ball 8 and the bend stage 13, and these constitute a hot beverage circuit. The cup-type vending machine in the illustrated example has a water cooling coil 14, a carbonator 15, a syrup container 16, a syrup pump 17,
A cold beverage circuit including a cooling water tank 18, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder 19 and the like is provided.

The operation of selling a beverage of such a cup-type vending machine is well known and will not be described in detail here. For example, in the case of selling a hot beverage of powdered raw material, the raw material selected on the basis of the sales order is sold. A cup in which a fixed amount of powdered raw material is carried out from the canister 9 to the mixing ball 8 and hot beverage prepared by adding hot water supplied from the hot water tank via the hot water supply valve 6 to the bend stage 13 through the hot beverage supply pipe 12. 20 to be supplied.

The bend stage 13 is provided with a cage 13a at the bottom so that drain water generated at the bend stage 13 is guided to a drain bucket 21 arranged at the bottom of the machine to be collected, and the drain bucket 21 is full. It is equipped with a full switch (float switch) that operates by detecting the state. Next, the configuration of the hot water tank 1 and the water supply operation will be described with reference to FIG. In the illustrated example, three water supply valves are arranged on the side surface of the hot water tank 1 in the upper, middle, and lower stages. Here, the hot water tank 1 has a built-in electric heater 1b in a tank 1a for storing hot water, and a water supply pipe 2 from the bottom side.
The water replenished in the tank is heated by the heater 1b to boil the hot water. The hot water tank 1 is provided with a float switch 23, and when the water level in the tank drops and the high water level switch 23b is turned off based on a signal from the high water level switch 23b in response to the vertical displacement of the float 23a, water is supplied. The valve 5 is turned on (opened), the water pump 4 is started, the water stored in the water reservoir 3 is supplied to the hot water tank 1 through the water supply pipe 2, the water level of the hot water tank 1 is restored to a constant water level, and the high water level switch is turned on. When 23b is turned on, the water supply valve 5 is turned off to stop supplying water to the hot water tank 1, and a decrease in the tank water level due to the hot water supply operation at the time of selling beverages is replenished so as to always maintain a constant water level.

[0005]

The above-described hot water supply device for a vending machine often causes the following troubles during use. That is, if city water (tap water) at the location of the vending machine contains a large amount of calcium component, the calcium component precipitates in the hot water boiled in the hot water tank 1 and becomes foreign matter on the surface of the hot water in the tank. When hot water is supplied, it is sucked from the hot water pipe 1b and enters the hot water supply valve 6 (diaphragm valve which is opened and closed by an electromagnetic solenoid) and becomes clogged between the packing and the valve seat. Even in this state, the valve may not be completely closed and hot water may leak. In addition, the same leak of hot water as described above also occurs when scale formed on the inner wall surface of the hot water pipe 1b during long-term use enters the hot water supply valve and is clogged, or due to abnormal wear of the packing of the hot water supply valve. .

By the way, when such a leak from the hot water supply valve occurs, the hot water leaked from the hot water tank 1 flows down to the bend stage 13 through the hot beverage supply pipe 12,
From here, the water is collected in the drain bucket 21. On the other hand, when the water level in the hot water tank 1 decreases due to the leakage of hot water, the water supply to the tank is automatically performed each time, and the leakage from the hot water supply valve continues. I do. In this case, the conventional vending machine employs a safety measure such that when the drain bucket 21 becomes full, the operation signal of the full switch 22 stops the supply of water to the hot water tank 1. Since the water supply to the hot water tank 1 is repeatedly performed until the switch 22 operates, the hot water stored in the hot water tank 1 continues to be supplied even after the full water switch 22 operates.
Leak more. For this reason, drain water eventually overflows from the drainage bucket 21 and contaminates the installation floor of the vending machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to detect an abnormality when hot water leakage occurs during standby for sales due to an abnormality in a hot water supply valve. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hot water supply device for a vending machine and a control method therefor, which takes measures to prevent water leakage from spreading to a hot water tank by stopping water supply to a hot water tank at an early stage.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a hot water tank is mounted in a machine, and hot water stored in the hot water tank is supplied to a cooking unit in the machine when selling a hot beverage. A hot water supply device for a vending machine.The hot water tank with a built-in heater is equipped with a hot water supply valve and a high water level switch. When the water level in the tank drops based on the signal from the high water level switch, the hot water tank is connected to the hot water tank. When the water level of the hot water tank drops in the hot beverage sales standby state, the water supply is determined to be a leak due to an abnormality in the hot water supply valve, and water supply to the hot water tank is stopped. A control means for stopping sales is provided (claim 1), and is specifically realized by the following control method.

(1) When the water level of the hot water tank drops in the hot beverage sales standby state, the control means supplies water until the high water level is restored, based on the signal of the high water level switch of the hot water tank. If the water level of the hot water tank drops again within the time set in advance from this state,
It determines that there is a leak in the hot water supply valve, stops supplying water to the hot water tank, and outputs a hot beverage sales stop command (claim 2).

(2) In the control method according to the above (1), when the water level in the tank drops again within a set time after the water is supplied to the hot water tank, the hot water supply valve is opened for a short time to forcibly discharge the hot water. A control step for supplying water to the water level is added (claim 3). When the water level in the hot water tank drops during standby for sales due to hot water leaking from the hot water supply valve, the drainage bucket that collects the drain from the bend stage by performing the above-mentioned water supply control on the hot water tank It is possible to stop water supply to the hot water tank before it becomes full, thereby preventing the expansion of water leakage trouble. In addition, by adding the control step of (2) above and forcibly opening the water supply valve for a short time in the control step before water leakage judgment and water supply stop, the calcium component, scale, etc. trapped inside the hot water supply valve Foreign matter such as water is discharged from the hot water supply valve together with the hot water, so that water leakage problems caused by simple clogging of foreign matter can be repaired without stopping the supply of water to the hot water tank and stopping the sale of hot beverages, resulting in normal sales. I can return.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. In FIG. 1, the control unit 24 of the hot water tank opens the hot water supply valve 6 in response to the hot beverage sales command, and also controls the high water level switch 23b.
When the water level of the tank is lowered by receiving the ON / OFF signals of the above, in addition to the normal hot water supply and water supply control for replenishing water through the water supply pipe 2, if the water level of the tank is abnormally lowered, The control function is provided as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

That is, when the water level in the tank drops and the high water level switch is turned off (S2) in the state of waiting for sale (S1), the water supply valve 5 of FIG. 1 is opened to open the high water level switch 23b.
The first water supply to the hot water tank 1 is performed until is turned ON (S3). Here, when the water level in the tank recovers to the high water level and the high water level switch 23b is turned on, the timer 25 starts the time limit operation (S4), and the time A (several tens of seconds) set in advance by the timer 25 elapses. Even high water level switch 23
If b remains ON, it is determined that there is no abnormality and sales standby (S
Return to 1).

On the other hand, if the water level drops again within the set time A seconds and the high water level switch 23b is turned off (S5) despite the absence of the hot beverage sales command (S5), foreign matter (scale) The next step (S
In 6), the hot water supply valve 6 is opened for a short time B (about several seconds), the hot water is supplied to the hot water supply valve, and foreign matters clogged in the valve are discharged together with the hot water. Subsequently, the second water supply is performed until the water level of the hot water tank 1 recovers to the high water level (S7), and the timer 25 is reset, and the high water level switch 23b is turned on even if the set time A has passed in the next step (S9). If it remains ON, it is determined that the foreign matter clogged in the hot water supply valve 6 has been removed by the operation of the step (S6) and the water leakage has been eliminated, and the process returns to the sales standby (S1). On the other hand, the water level drops again within the set time A seconds, and the high water level switch 23b is turned off.
, It is determined that hot water leakage is continuing due to a cause (for example, wear of the packing) other than the foreign matter clogging of the hot water supply valve 6,
In step (S10), the hot water supply valve 5 is closed to forcibly stop water supply to the hot water tank 1, and the control unit 24
Outputs a hot beverage sales stop command to display the sold out hot beverage on the vending machine (S11).

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the water level in the hot water tank drops during standby for sales due to hot water leakage from the hot water supply valve, the drain bucket becomes full and the drain water becomes full. The water supply to the hot water tank is forcibly stopped before overflowing, so that it is possible to prevent the expansion of the water leakage problem and improve the reliability.

Further, by adding a control step according to claim 3 and forcibly opening the water supply valve for a short time, foreign matters such as calcium components and scales trapped inside the water supply valve are removed together with the hot water. Water leaks caused by simple clogging of foreign matter can be restored without returning to the hot water tank and stopping sales of hot beverages, and can be restored to a normal sales state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a control system diagram of a hot water tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a control unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a beverage system diagram of a cup-type vending machine equipped with a hot water tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 hot water tank 1a tank 1b heater 2 water supply pipe 4 water pump 5 water supply valve 6 hot water supply valve 23 float switch 23b high water level switch 24 control unit 25 timer

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A hot water supply device for a vending machine having a hot water tank mounted in the machine and supplying hot water stored in the hot water tank to a cooking section in the machine when selling hot beverages. And a high water level switch, wherein when the water level in the tank drops based on the signal of the high water level switch, water is supplied to the hot water tank through a water supply circuit. When the water level in the tank drops, the vending machine is characterized by comprising control means for judging water leakage due to an abnormality in the hot water supply valve, stopping water supply to the hot water tank, and stopping hot beverage sales. Water heater. 2. The hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means sets the high water level when the water level of the hot water tank drops in a standby state for hot beverage sales based on a signal of a high water level switch of the hot water tank. Water is supplied until it recovers, and if the water level of the hot water tank drops again within the time set by the timer in advance from this state, it is determined that there is leakage of the hot water valve and water supply to the hot water tank is stopped, A method for controlling a water heater of a vending machine, which outputs a hot beverage sales stop command. 3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein when the water level of the tank drops again within a set time after the water is supplied to the hot water tank, the hot water supply valve is opened for a short time to forcibly discharge the hot water and then the high water level is reached. A control method for a hot water supply device of a vending machine, characterized by adding a control step of supplying water to the vending machine.