JP2003192097A - Cold drink feed device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent freezing of the inside of a pouring pipe. <P>SOLUTION: A heat insulating cylinder 40 is fitted around the inlet pipe 16 of a cooler 13, and is formed integrally as an extended part of a cylindrical heat insulator 27 fitted on a heat exchanging part 25. A clearance of about 1 to 2 mm is formed between the cylinder 40 and the inlet pipe 16, and part of cooling water W coming into the clearance constitutes an isolated part Wk, which is around the inlet pipe 16 that is to get coolest and is thermally isolated from the other part of the cooling water W, so that the isolated part Wk is liable to get cooled. When the temperature of the cooling water W decreases to enter an excessive cooling range, which creates the condition for icing, the isolated part Wk of small area is rapidly cooled, precipitating the quick start of icing over the cooler 13. At this time, the temperature of the part of cooling water W surrounding a pouring pipe 30 is kept relatively high to be within the excessive cooling range in a short time, so that the inside of the pouring pipe 30 is difficult to get cooled, thus the possibility of freezing of the inside of the pouring pipe 30 is small. <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 which dispenses a cold beverage by circulating the beverage through a dispensing 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. 4 is known. In this device, a cooler 2 (evaporation pipe) forming a part of a refrigerating circuit 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 cooler 2, and by controlling stop and operation of the refrigeration circuit based on the detection of the presence or absence of ice by the ice storage sensor 4, a predetermined thickness is provided around the cooler 2. To form the ice layer I, and the cooling water W is cooled while being stirred by the stirring member 5.
In this state, when the water supply valve 6A and the spout valve 6B are opened and the drinking water at room temperature is circulated from the water supply source 7 to the spout pipe 3, cold water is generated by heat exchange with the cooling water W and is poured. Exit 8
It is supposed to be poured out from.

Here, the process of forming the ice layer I around the cooler 2, especially when ice is formed for the first time, or when a large amount of cold water is continuously poured out, the ice layer I around the cooler 2 is formed. When we see the case where all of the ice melts and ice is formed again, the following phenomena occur. As shown in FIG. 5, as the temperature of the cooler 2 decreases, the temperature of the cooling water W in the cold water tank 1 gradually decreases, and after it enters the supercooling region of 0 ° C. or less,
Due to shocks and the like, icing begins on the cooler 2. At this time, the water temperature of the cooling water W in the supercooling region almost instantly rises to around 0 ° C., and simultaneously sherbet-like ice is generated in the cold water tank 1.

[0004]

On the other hand, the above phenomenon also occurs in the spout pipe 3. That is, since the water temperature in the spout pipe 3 is substantially equal to the water temperature of the surrounding cooling water W, if the water temperature of the cooling water W is in the supercooling region, the inside of the spout pipe 3 is also in a supercooled state. . In this state a small amount (10-5
When pouring (about 0 cm3), sherbet-like ice is generated in the pouring pipe 3 due to changes in the state such as impact and pressure change at the time of pouring, and the pouring pipe 3 is clogged. There is a risk. Once the pouring pipe 3 was clogged, there were cases in which pouring could not be performed for several tens of minutes until the sherbet-shaped ice melted. Such a clogging phenomenon of the spout pipe 3 is more likely to occur as the temperature of the cooling water W during supercooling is lower and the time is longer. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent freezing in a spout pipe.

[0005]

As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is circulated and connected to a refrigerating device and a refrigerant pipe in a cold water tank in which cooling water is stored. A cooler composed of an evaporation pipe and a beverage discharge pipe are immersed, while cooling the cooling water while forming an ice layer around the cooler, while circulating the beverage through the discharge pipe. In a cold beverage supply apparatus for producing and pouring a cold beverage into, a heat insulating tubular body is fitted around the inlet pipe of the cooler with a clearance, and the cooling water is placed in the tubular body. Of the refrigerant pipe, and the cylindrical body is integrally formed by extending from a heat insulating material so as to be attached to a heat exchange portion configured by stacking a portion of the refrigerant pipe that goes in and out of the cooler. It has a feature in that it has a structure. The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the inlet pipe is formed in a linear shape.

[0006]

<Operation and effect of the invention><Invention of claim 1> The cooling water that has entered the clearance inside the cylindrical body is in a state of being thermally isolated from the cooling water at other positions in the cold water tank,
Moreover, since it is located around the inlet pipe that has the lowest temperature in the cooler, it is likely to have a lower temperature than the cooling water at other positions.
Therefore, when the cooling water enters the supercooling region, a small amount of the cooling water around the inlet pipe is particularly rapidly cooled, and this portion triggers the icing to start early. As a result, the temperature of the cooling water around the spout pipe is kept at a relatively high temperature even at the start of icing, and the time in the supercooling zone is short, so sherbet-like ice is formed in the spout pipe. The likelihood of being produced, ie frozen, is greatly reduced. Therefore, the clogging of the spout pipe can be prevented. Since the tubular body is integrally formed by extending from the heat insulating material attached to the heat exchange section provided in the portion of the refrigerant pipe that comes in and out of the cooler, the structure is neatly organized and the installation work is easy. is there. <Invention of Claim 2> The work of fitting the tubular body into the inlet pipe becomes easier.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
Or, it demonstrates based on FIG. In this embodiment, the cold water supply part provided in the tea dispenser is illustrated. Here, FIG. 1 schematically shows the entire apparatus, and the detailed structure is shown in FIG.
Is shown in. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a cold water tank, which has a bottomed cylindrical shape with the upper surface side slightly opened, and has a recess 11 formed in the center of the bottom surface. A heat insulating lid (not shown) is attached to the upper surface of the cold water tank 10, and the surroundings are covered with a heat insulating material 12, and an overflow pipe or the like is provided inside. As a result, the cooling water W can be stored up to a predetermined water level.

A cooler 13 is arranged in the cold water tank 10. This cooler 13 is formed by bending an evaporation pipe 14 into a spiral cylindrical shape, and a portion rising from the lower end of the spiral portion 15 along the outer surface side thereof serves as an inlet pipe 16, and The outlet pipe 17 is pulled out from the upper end of the spiral portion 15 and is brought close to the inlet pipe 16 side. The cooler 13 is arranged along the inner side of the inner wall of the cold water tank 10 in a state where the spiral part 15 is located outside the recessed part 11 on the bottom surface. Along with that, the inlet pipe 16
Rises between the outer periphery of the spiral portion 15 and the inner wall of the cold water tank 10, and near the upper end of the cold water tank 10, the outlet pipe 17
It is adapted to be pulled out to the side.

The inlet pipe 16 and the outlet pipe 17 of the cooler 13 are, as shown in FIG.
1, condenser 22 and capillary tube 23 (expansion valve)
Are circulated and connected by a refrigerant pipe 24 to form a known refrigeration circuit. In addition, the cooler 1 in the refrigerant pipe 24
The heat exchange section 25 is configured by superimposing the introduction portion of the No. 3 into the inlet pipe 16 and the return portion from the outlet pipe 17 (see FIG. 1), and here, the low-temperature refrigerant returning to the compressor 21. The cold heat of the gas is used to promote a decrease in the temperature of the liquid refrigerant entering the cooler 13. However, since the vicinity of the heat exchange section 25 is liable to cause dew condensation at a low temperature, dew condensation is caused by covering the heat exchange section 25 and the return pipe portion 26 to the compressor 21 with the tubular heat insulating material 27 made of a foamed resin material or the like. It is designed to prevent the occurrence of.

Inside the spiral portion 15 of the cooler 13 described above, a spout pipe 30 is arranged. The spout pipe 30 is formed by spirally winding a pipe made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity into a cylindrical shape having a diameter smaller than that of the recess 11. The inflow port 30A side of the spout pipe 30 is connected to a water supply source 32 such as tap water via a water supply valve 31, and the outflow port 30
The B side is connected to the spout 34 through the spout valve 33. A shaft 36 rotatably driven by a motor 35 is hung and supported at the center of the cold water tank 10, and an impeller 37 for stirring is provided at the lower end of the shaft 36 and is immersed inside the pouring pipe 30. An ice storage sensor 39 including a pair of electrodes is provided on the inner surface of the cooler 13.

During normal operation, when the cooling water W is stored in the cold water tank 10 and the refrigeration system 20 (compressor 21) is operated, the refrigerant circulated in the refrigerant pipe 24 is cooled by the cooler 1.
3 is vaporized, and the cooling water W near the cooler 13 is cooled by the endothermic action generated at that time to generate the ice layer I, and the latent water of the ice layer I cools the cooling water W.
At the same time, the motor 35 is driven to rotate the impeller 37, whereby the cooling water W is stirred, the cooling water W is evenly cooled, and an ice layer I is evenly formed on the cooler 13. There is. In addition, when the ice storage sensor 39 is covered with ice and is detected, the refrigeration system 20 is stopped, and conversely, when the ice storage sensor 39 is exposed due to melting of the ice storage system, the operation of the refrigeration system 20 is restarted. The amount of ice layer I is also kept almost constant. During this time, when the cold water or cold tea pouring switch is operated, the water supply valve 31
And the corresponding spout valve 33 are opened, and tap water is spouted from the spout pipe 3
While being introduced into 0 and flowing therein, it is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling water W, becomes cold water, and is discharged toward the spout 34.

Now, in this embodiment, when ice is formed around the cooler 13 for the first time, means for preventing the inside of the spout pipe 30 from freezing is taken. Therefore, the tubular body 40 made of a heat insulating material having excellent water resistance such as foamed resin is fitted around the inlet pipe 16 rising in the cold water tank 10 of the cooler 13. The tubular body 40 is integrally formed by extending from the tubular heat insulating material 27 attached to the heat exchange section 25 of the refrigerant pipe 24 described above. The cylindrical body 40 has, for example, a vertical slit with respect to the wall portion thereof, and the outer surface on the one surface side at the lower end side is tapered so as to correspond to the inclination of the inner wall of the cold water tank 10. ing.

In the tubular body 40, the tubular heat insulating material 27 has the heat exchanging portion 2
Along with the mounting on the No. 5, it is opened from the slit, fitted into the inlet pipe 16, and fixed with tape. When the cooler 13 is housed in the cold water tank 10, the tubular body 40 is sandwiched and held between the outer peripheral surface of the spiral portion 15 of the cooler 13 and the inner wall of the cold water tank 10. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, a clearance c of about 1 to 2 mm is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the tubular body 40 and the outer peripheral surface of the inlet pipe 16. The cooling water W that has entered the clearance c constitutes the isolated portion Wk of the present invention as described later.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When the power is turned on to start the operation, or when a large amount of cold water is continuously poured out during the operation, there is no icing on the cooler 13, and a new or new ice layer is formed around the cooler 13. I will be formed. Prior to icing, the cooling water W is gradually cooled toward the supercooled area. Here, the cooling water W that has entered the clearance c inside the cylindrical body 40 has the inlet pipe 16 that has the lowest temperature in the cooler 13.
, And is in a state of being thermally isolated from the cooling water W at other positions in the cold water tank 10. Further, during this time, the impeller 37 rotates and the cooling water W is stirred, but the isolated portion Wk is in a state in which it is hardly affected by stirring.
As a result, it can be said that the isolated portion Wk is likely to have a lower temperature than the cooling water W at other positions.

When the cooling water W enters the supercooling region,
Although icing is started on the cooler 13 due to an impact or the like, as described above, the inside of the tubular body 40, that is, a small amount of the isolated portion Wk around the inlet pipe 16 is cooled particularly rapidly. As a result, icing is started early on the cooler 13 triggered by the isolated portion Wk. With the start of ice accretion, the water temperature of the cold water tank 10 that was in a supercooled state rapidly rises to around 0 ° C. When icing is started as described above, the temperature of the cooling water W around the spout pipe 30 is kept at a relatively high temperature, and the time in the supercooling region is short, so that the spout pipe 30 Is hard to get low temperature. Therefore, the possibility that sherbet-like ice is generated in the pouring pipe 30 is greatly suppressed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the cooler 13 is used.
A cylindrical body 40 is provided around the inlet pipe 16 having the lowest temperature among them to form an isolated portion Wk of the cooling water W that is thermally isolated from the others, in other words, the cooling water W at another position. Since the part that is likely to be at a lower temperature than that is configured, when the cooling water W enters the supercooling region, a small amount of the isolated part Wk is cooled particularly rapidly, and this part triggers icing to occur early. Be started. Therefore, at the start of icing,
Since the temperature of the cooling water W around the spout pipe 30 is kept at a relatively high temperature and the time in the supercooling zone is short, sherbet-like ice is generated in the spout pipe 30, that is, freezing. The possibility of doing so is greatly reduced. Therefore, clogging of the spout pipe 30 can be prevented. Especially the cylinder 40
Is a cylindrical heat insulating material 27 attached to a heat exchanging portion 25 provided at a portion of the refrigerant pipe 24 that goes in and out of the cooler 13.
Since it is integrally formed by extending from, the structure is neatly organized without increasing the number of parts. Further, since it can be attached together with the tubular heat insulating material 27, the attachment work can be performed efficiently.

<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) Even if the inlet pipe of the cooler has a curved structure instead of a straight line, the present invention can be similarly applied. (2) The present invention can be widely applied not only to cold water but also 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 an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Vertical sectional view of the cold water tank portion

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of an arrangement portion of a cylindrical body.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional example.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing changes in water temperature in the cold water tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Cold water tank 13 ... Cooler 14 ... Evaporation pipe 16
... Inlet pipe 20 ... Refrigerating device 24 ... Refrigerant pipe 25 ... Heat exchange part 27 ... Cylindrical heat insulating material 30 ... Outlet pipe 40 ... Cylindrical body W ... Cooling water Wk ... Isolation part (of cooling water W) I
… Ice layer c… Clearance

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Michiya Abe             16 Hoshizaki, 3rd South Building, Sakaemachi, Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture             Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshiaki Hara             16 Hoshizaki, 3rd South Building, Sakaemachi, Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture             Electric Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3E082 AA02 BB04 CC01 EE02                 3L045 AA04 AA07 BA04 CA01 DA02                       FA02 GA03 HA01 PA01 PA04

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cooler composed of an evaporation pipe circulated and connected to a refrigerating device through a refrigerant pipe and a beverage discharge pipe are immersed in a cold water tank in which cooling water is stored. In the cold beverage supply device, wherein the cooling water is cooled while forming an ice layer around the cold water, and a cold beverage is generated and poured out while the beverage is circulated in the pouring pipe. A heat insulating tubular body is fitted around the inlet pipe with a clearance, the cooling water isolation portion is formed in the tubular body, and the tubular body is the cooler in the refrigerant pipe. A cold beverage supply device characterized in that it is integrally formed by extending from a heat insulating material so as to be attached to a heat exchange part formed by stacking parts coming in and going out of. 2. The cold beverage dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the inlet pipe is linearly formed.