JP2003176970A - Cold potable water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly carry out control of ice making regardless of water quality of cooling water. <P>SOLUTION: A first reference value for normal water (upper reference value is 170 KΩ and lower reference value is 74 KΩ) and a second reference value for water having high conductive material content (upper reference value is 110 KΩ and lower reference value is 40 KΩ) are prepared as a reference value for controlling a driving of a compressor. Depending on the water quality of a service water used for the cooling water, any of the first reference value and the second reference value is selected. In a case where the service water is the normal water, when icing advances and a measured value of an ice reservoir sensor reaches 170 KΩ as shown in a characteristic line X, it is determined that the ice reservoir sensor is covered with ice, and the compressor is stopped. When the measured value decreased to be 74 KΩ, it is determined that there is no ice, and the compressor is driven again. In a case where the service water is the water having high conductive material content, as shown in a characteristic line Y, when the measured value reaches 110 KΩ, the compressor is stopped, and when the measured value is decreased to be 40 KΩ, the compressor is driven again. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cold beverage supply device of the type in which a beverage is supplied by circulating the beverage through a pouring pipe immersed in a cold water tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a cold water machine which is an example of this type of cold beverage supply apparatus, one shown in FIG. 6 is known. In this device, a cooler 2 (evaporation pipe) forming a part of a refrigerating cycle is spirally wound along a peripheral wall in a cold water tank 1 in which cooling water W is stored, while cooling the same. A pouring pipe 3 is arranged inside the container 2, and a refrigeration cycle (compressor) is detected based on the detection of ice by the ice storage sensor 4.
By controlling the stop and operation of the cooling water, the ice layer I having a predetermined thickness is formed around the cooler 2, and the cooling water W is cooled while being stirred by the stirring member 5, and the water supply valve 6A and When the pouring valve 6B is opened and normal temperature drinking water is circulated from the water supply source 7 to the pouring pipe 3, cold water is generated by heat exchange with the cooling water W and is poured from the pouring outlet 8. It has become.

Here, the ice storage sensor 4 is provided with a pair of electrodes 4A and 4B submerged in the cooling water W, and the conductivity is different between water and ice, in other words, the resistance between the electrodes 4A and 4B. The fact that the values are different is used to distinguish between water and ice. Specifically, as shown in FIG.
When icing progresses around the cooler 2 and the measured value detected by the ice storage sensor 4 reaches an upper reference value, for example, 170 KΩ, it is determined that there is no conduction, that is, the area around the ice storage sensor 4 is covered with ice, The compressor is stopped, that is, ice making ends. On the other hand, when the ice melts and the measured value detected by the ice storage sensor 4 falls to a lower reference value, for example, 74 KΩ, there is continuity, that is, there is no ice around the ice storage sensor 4 and it is exposed in the cooling water W. It has been decided that the compressor has been restarted, that is, ice making is restarted.

[0004]

However, the cooling water W is used.
The quality of tap water that is commonly used as a product may vary depending on the region. As an example, there is some content of the conductive material, and if the content of the conductive material is large, the resistance value tends to be lower than that of the material containing less conductive material. When tap water containing a large amount of such a conductive substance is used as cooling water, the conductive substance is mixed into the ice even when ice is generated, so that even if the ice storage sensor 4 is covered with ice, It is possible that the resistance value between the electrodes 4A and 4B does not rise to a predetermined value (170 KΩ). Then, there is still continuity,
That is, there is a possibility that the ice making is continued while it is determined that the ice is not generated, and eventually the entire cold water tank 1 freezes. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to appropriately control ice making regardless of the quality of cooling water.

[0005]

As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is equipped with a cooling means connected to a refrigerating device in a cold water tank in which cooling water is stored. The cooling water is cooled while forming an ice layer of a predetermined thickness around the cooling means by controlling the drive of the refrigerating device based on the detection of the presence or absence of ice by the ice storage detection means, and the water is immersed in the cooling water. In the cold beverage supply apparatus configured to supply the cold beverage by circulating the beverage in the dispensing pipe, the change means for changing the reference value for detecting the presence or absence of ice in the ice storage detecting means is provided. However, it has a feature. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the changing means includes a water quality detecting means for detecting the water quality of the cooling water, and a storage means in which data of respective reference values corresponding to the water quality are fetched. Is provided, and is characterized in that it has a function of calling a reference value corresponding to the water quality detected by the water quality detection means from the storage means and changing it to this reference value.

[0006]

<Operation and effect of the invention><Invention of claim 1> A plurality of reference values for detecting the presence or absence of ice by the ice storage detecting means are provided.
Since the reference value can be changed by the changing means, the presence or absence of ice formation can be accurately detected by changing the reference value to an appropriate reference value according to the quality of the cooling water. As a result, the ice layer formed around the cooling means can be kept substantially constant, and a stable cooling capacity can be obtained. Further, it is possible to easily deal with it by operating the switch. <Invention of Claim 2> The quality of the cooling water is detected by the water quality detection means before the start of ice making, an appropriate reference value is called from the storage means based on the detection result and changed, and based on the reference value. The presence or absence of ice formation is detected. Since the water quality of the cooling water is detected in advance and the reference value can be automatically selected accordingly, even if the user does not have any special knowledge about the water quality of the cooling water, the ice layer can be normalized regardless of the water quality. Can be generated.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the cold water supply part provided in the tea dispenser is illustrated. In FIG.
Reference numeral 10 denotes a cold water tank, which is surrounded by a heat insulating material, and inside of which a cooling water W can be stored up to a predetermined water level by equipping an overflow pipe or the like. Inside the cold water tank 10, a cooler 12 formed by spirally winding an evaporation pipe in a cylindrical shape is arranged along the inner side of the inner peripheral surface. The cooler 12 includes a compressor 14, which is a refrigerating device 13, a condenser 15, and a capillary tube 16.
The (expansion valve) is circulated through the refrigerant pipe 17 to form a well-known refrigeration circuit.

Inside the cooler 12, a spout pipe 20 is provided.
Are arranged. The spout pipe 20 is formed by spirally winding a pipe made of a material having excellent heat conductivity into a small-diameter cylindrical shape, and the inlet 20A side is provided with a water supply source such as tap water via a water supply valve 21. 22 and outlet 20B
The side is branched and connected to the spout valve 23 corresponding to each spout 24. A shaft 26 rotatably driven by a motor 25 is hung and supported at the center of the cold water tank 10, and an impeller 27 for stirring is provided at the lower end of the shaft 26 and is immersed inside the pouring pipe 20. An ice storage sensor 29 including a pair of electrodes 28A and 28B is provided on the inner surface of the cooler 12.

As a basic operation, when the cooling water W is stored in the cold water tank 10 and the refrigerating device 13 (compressor 14) is operated, the refrigerant circulated in the refrigerant pipe 17 is cooled in the cooler 12. The cooling water W in the vicinity of the cooler 12 is cooled by the endothermic action that is vaporized and the ice layer I is generated, and the cooling water W is cooled by the latent heat of the ice layer I. At the same time, the motor 25 is driven to rotate the impeller 27, whereby the cooling water W is agitated, and the cooling water W is stirred.
It is intended that the ice layer I is evenly cooled and that the ice layer I is uniformly formed on the cooler 12. In addition, when the ice storage sensor 29 is covered with ice and the ice storage sensor 29 is detected, the refrigeration system 13 is stopped, and conversely, when the ice storage sensor 29 is exposed due to melting of the ice storage system, the operation of the refrigeration system 13 is restarted. The amount of ice layer I is also kept almost constant. During this period, when the cold water or cold tea pouring switch is operated, the water supply valve 21 and the corresponding pouring valve 23 are opened, and tap water is introduced into the pouring pipe 20 and the cooling water is supplied while flowing through the tap water. It is cooled by exchanging heat with W, becomes cold water, and is discharged toward the spout 24.

Now, in this embodiment, it is intended to accurately control the generation of the ice layer I of a predetermined amount regardless of the quality of the tap water used as the cooling water W. First, basically, as shown with reference to FIG. 2, the measured value of the resistance value between both electrodes 28A and 28B in the ice storage sensor 29 and the reference value are compared by the comparison circuit 31 equipped in the control means 30. When compared and the measured value rises to the upper reference value, the drive control circuit 32
The compressor 14 of the refrigeration system 13 is stopped via the
When the measured value falls below the lower reference value, the compressor 14 is restarted.

In this embodiment, the first reference value for normal water and the second reference value for water containing a large amount of conductive material are used as reference values for controlling the driving and stopping of the compressor 14. Two patterns with the reference value are prepared. For example, in the first reference value, the upper reference value is 170 KΩ and the lower reference value is 74 KΩ.
KΩ, and in the second reference value, the upper reference value is 110K
Ω, the lower reference value is set to 40 KΩ. Both patterns are stored in advance in the storage unit 33 shown in FIG.
On the other hand, a changeover switch 3 for switching between normal water and water containing a large amount of conductive material is provided on the operation unit of the tea dispenser.
4 is equipped with the operation of the first
A pattern of either the reference value or the second reference value is taken in by the comparison circuit 31.

The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the tap water used as the cooling water W is normal water, when the tap water is selected by operating the changeover switch 34, the first reference value is taken into the comparison circuit 31. Therefore, as shown by the characteristic line X in FIG. 3, when ice accretion proceeds around the cooler 12 and the measured value of the ice storage sensor 29 reaches the upper reference value of 170 KΩ, there is no conduction, that is, around the ice storage sensor 29. Compressor 1 was determined to have been covered with ice
4 is stopped, that is, ice making ends. The ice melts out, and the measured value of the ice storage sensor 29 is 74 KΩ, which is the lower reference value.
When the temperature goes down, it is determined that there is continuity, that is, the ice around the ice storage sensor 29 is lost and the ice is exposed in the cooling water W, and the compressor 14 is restarted, that is, ice making is restarted. By repeating this, the thickness of the ice layer I is kept substantially constant.

On the other hand, when the tap water used as the cooling water W is water having a large content of the conductive material, when the tap water is selected by the operation of the changeover switch 34, the second reference value is changed and the comparison circuit 31 is changed. Is taken into. Therefore, this time, as shown by the characteristic line Y in FIG. 3, when the measured value of the ice storage sensor 29 reaches the upper reference value of 110 KΩ, it is determined that there is no conduction, that is, the area around the ice storage sensor 29 is covered with ice, and the compression is performed. The machine 14 is stopped, that is, ice making ends.
The ice melts and the measured value of the ice storage sensor 29 is the lower reference value 40.
When it decreases to KΩ, it is determined that there is conduction, that is, the ice around the ice storage sensor 29 has disappeared and the ice is exposed in the cooling water W, and the compressor 14 is restarted, that is, ice making is restarted.

As described above, in the case of water containing a large amount of conductive material, even when it becomes ice and covers the ice storage sensor 29, the resistance value measured by the ice storage sensor 29 is kept small and the ice There is concern that the generation of
By selecting the second reference value, the upper reference value, which is the reference for determining the formation of ice, has been changed to a low value such as 110 KΩ, so that ice is generated while the resistance value remains small. Even in this case, this is surely detected. As a result, even when water containing a large amount of the conductive material is used as the cooling water W, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which excessive icing occurs and further the entire cold water tank 10 freezes. Accompanying this, the operation of pouring cold water is secured, and stable cooling capacity is exerted, so that cold water of a certain quality can be poured. Of course, the impeller 27 which is a stirring member
Is not damaged. Moreover, the changeover switch 34
It is easy to handle because you only need to operate.

<Modification of First Embodiment> Contrary to the above,
When the water having a smaller content of the conductive material than the normal water is used as the cooling water W, the amount of icing may be reduced if the water is controlled by the first reference value for the normal water. In this case, prepare a pattern of another reference value in which the upper and lower reference values are set higher than that of the first reference value, and control ice making based on this to obtain an appropriate amount of ice accretion. You can Further, the upper reference value for controlling the end of ice making and the lower reference value for controlling the restart of ice making may be independently switchable.

Regarding the difference in the conductivity of the cooling water W, in addition to the fact that the quality of water is preliminarily provided as described above, for example, the dew condensation water on the lid of the cold water tank 10 is stored in the cold water tank 10. There is a case where the conductivity is changed due to a later factor such that the conductivity is lowered by being mixed in order and the cooling water W is purified to be pure water, or the cooling water W is dirty and the conductivity is increased. Therefore, even if it is not necessary to change the reference value depending on the water quality, it is convenient to have the reference value changing function as in the present embodiment in order to cope with the difference in conductivity due to a subsequent factor. is there.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, the water quality and the like of the cooling water W is detected and accordingly,
A reference value serving as a reference for controlling driving and stopping of the compressor 14 can be automatically selected. In this embodiment, tap water used as the cooling water W is normal water,
It is adapted to detect whether it is water containing a large amount of conductive material. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the control means 40 of the present embodiment is provided with a water quality detection means 42 having the thermistor 41 for detecting the water temperature of the cooling water W and the ice storage sensor 29 described above on the input side. There is.

Basically, the ice storage sensor 29 is used for cooling water W.
When the resistance value of is measured, it can be determined whether the water has low conductivity or high conductivity, that is, normal water or water containing a large amount of conductive material. However, even with the same water, it is known that the higher the water temperature, the lower the conductivity, and the lower the water temperature, the higher the conductivity. Therefore, the water quality detection means 42
Stored in advance is data indicating whether the water belongs to normal water or water containing a large amount of conductive material, depending on the combination of the water temperature and the resistance value of the water.

On the other hand, in the storage unit 33, the first reference value for normal water (the upper reference value is 170
The patterns of KΩ, the lower reference value is 74 KΩ, and the second reference value for water containing a large amount of conductive material (the upper reference value is 110 KΩ and the lower reference value is 40 KΩ) are stored. Then, when the water temperature is measured by the thermistor 41 and the resistance value is measured by the ice storage sensor 29, it is determined whether the cooling water W is normal water or water containing a large amount of conductive material, depending on the combination, and the determination result. Corresponding to
The pattern of either the first reference value or the second reference value stored in No. 3 is loaded into the comparison circuit 31.

The operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power is turned on to start the operation, the temperature of the cooling water W is detected using the thermistor 41 described above. When the temperature of the cooling water W is around 0 ° C., it is determined that there is icing in the cooler 12 (“NO” in step S1), and the reference value already taken into the comparison circuit 31 is used. On the other hand, when the temperature of the cooling water W is, for example, 5 ° C. or higher, it is determined that the cooler 12 is not iced (step S1 is “YES”), and step S is performed.
2, as described above, based on the water temperature measured by the thermistor 41 and the resistance value measured by the ice storage sensor 29, whether the cooling water W is normal water or water containing a large amount of conductive substance is used. After being determined, the pattern of either the first reference value or the second reference value is fetched into the comparison circuit 31 corresponding to the determination result in step S3.

After that, when ice making is started and the cooling water W is normal water, the first reference value has been selected. Therefore, as shown by the characteristic line X in FIG. When the measured value of reaches the upper reference value of 170 KΩ,
It is determined that there is no continuity, that is, the area around the ice storage sensor 29 is covered with ice (YES in step S5, step S5).
6 is "NO"), the compressor 14 is stopped in step S8, that is, the ice making ends. When the ice melts and the measured value of the ice storage sensor 29 falls to the lower reference value of 74 KΩ,
It is determined that there is conduction, that is, the ice around the ice storage sensor 29 has disappeared and the ice is exposed in the cooling water W (“NO” in step S5 and “N” in step S7).
O ”), the compressor 14 is restarted in step S9, that is, ice making is restarted. By repeating this, the ice layer I
Is kept almost constant.

On the other hand, if the cooling water W is water containing a large amount of conductive material, the second reference value is selected. Therefore, as shown by the characteristic line Y in FIG. When the value reaches the upper reference value 110 KΩ, it is determined that there is no conduction, that is, the area around the ice storage sensor 29 is covered with ice, and the compressor 14 is stopped, that is, ice making ends.
The ice melts and the measured value of the ice storage sensor 29 is the lower reference value 40.
When it decreases to KΩ, it is determined that there is conduction, that is, the ice around the ice storage sensor 29 has disappeared and the ice is exposed in the cooling water W, and the compressor 14 is restarted, that is, ice making is restarted.

According to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when water containing a large amount of conductive material is used as the cooling water W, too much icing occurs, and furthermore, a cold water tank. It prevents the situation where the whole is frozen. Accompanying this, the operation of pouring cold water is secured, and stable cooling capacity is exerted, so that cold water of a certain quality can be poured. Of course, the impeller 27 which is a stirring member
Is not damaged. Moreover, since the water quality of the cooling water W is detected in advance and the reference value serving as the reference for controlling the drive and stop of the compressor 14 can be automatically selected in accordance with the detected water quality, the user can be notified of the water quality of the cooling water W. Even without special knowledge, the ice layer I can be regularly generated regardless of the water quality.

<Modification of Second Embodiment> As described above, when water containing a small amount of the conductive material is used as the cooling water W, the amount of icing may be reduced, and therefore, the In order to avoid it, the water quality detection means 42 is allowed to detect such water, and another reference value pattern in which the upper and lower reference values are set higher than that of the first reference value is prepared, By automatically selecting this pattern and controlling the ice making based on this pattern, an appropriate amount of ice accretion can be similarly obtained. Further, the upper reference value that controls the end of ice making and the lower reference value that controls the restart of ice making may be independently selectable. Furthermore, the cooling water W
When the conductivity changes due to a later factor, such as the conductivity decreasing due to deionization of water, or the conductivity increasing due to contamination of the cooling water W, this is automatically detected and appropriate Ice making can be controlled by the reference value.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) The present invention is not limited to cold water, but can be widely applied to all cold beverage cooling devices that cool and supply other beverages such as juice and coffee.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view and block diagram according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Block diagram of ice making control mechanism

FIG. 3 is a timing chart of driving the compressor.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an ice making control mechanism according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart of driving the compressor.

[Explanation of symbols]

W ... Cooling water I ... Ice layer 10 ... Cold water tank 12 ... Cooler (cooling means) 13 ... Refrigerating device 14 ... Compressor 2
0 ... Pour out pipe 28A, 28B ... Electrode 29 ... Ice storage sensor (ice storage detection means) 30 ... Control means 31 ... Comparison circuit
32 ... Drive control circuit 33 ... Storage part 34 ... Changeover switch 40 ... Control means 41 ... Thermistor 42 ... Water quality detection means

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takeshi Shima             16 Hoshizaki, 3rd South Building, Sakaemachi, Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture             Electric Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3E044 DB16 FB11                 3E082 AA02 BB01 CC01 EE02                 3L045 AA02 BA01 CA01 DA02 FA02                       LA05 MA19 NA09 PA01 PA02                       PA03 PA04

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cooling means connected to a refrigerating apparatus is provided in a cold water tank storing cooling water, and the drive of the refrigerating apparatus is controlled by controlling the driving of the refrigerating apparatus based on detection of the presence or absence of ice by the ice storage detecting means. A cold beverage prepared by cooling the cooling water while forming an ice layer having a predetermined thickness around the cooling means, and supplying the cold beverage by circulating the beverage through the pouring pipe immersed in the cooling water. In the supply device, the cold beverage supply device is provided with changing means for changing a reference value for detecting the presence or absence of ice in the ice storage detecting means. 2. The changing means is additionally provided with a water quality detecting means for detecting the water quality of the cooling water and a storage means for storing data of respective reference values corresponding to the water quality, which are detected by the water quality detecting means. The cold beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a function of calling a reference value according to the water quality from the storage means and changing the reference value to the reference value.