JP2003226398A - Drink supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drink supply device which, upon the connection of a drink container, automatically supplies its drink line with drink. <P>SOLUTION: The drink supply device has the drink containers, feeds drink from each of the drink containers to the corresponding drink line under gas pressure supplied from a gas bomb, further feeds the drink through the corresponding drink line, and opens a corresponding drink discharge valve in order to supply a predetermined quantity of drink into a cup. In the drink supply device, an operation means is provided for opening the drink discharge valve to automatically fill the corresponding drink line with the drink. <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 beverage dispenser for supplying a refreshing syrup beverage or the like to a cup for sale, or a beverage dispenser for a cup type automatic vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art First, as an example of a beverage supply device, the above-mentioned beverage dispenser is taken as an example, and the configuration of a beverage system diagram thereof is shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, 1 is a beverage dispenser main body side, 2a to 2d are beverage containers containing concentrated syrup beverages, 2e is a beverage container containing alcoholic beverages such as shochu, 3 is a carbon dioxide gas cylinder, 4 is a nitrogen gas cylinder, 5a to
5e is a dispenser body side 1 from each beverage container 2a-2e
A beverage line piped between the nozzle described later, 6A is between the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 3 and the beverage containers 2a to 2d, and between the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 3 and the carbonator (carbonated water producing device) 7 built in the dispenser body 1. Carbon dioxide gas lines that are respectively piped, 6B is a nitrogen gas line that is piped between the nitrogen gas cylinder 4 and the beverage container 2e, 5f is a water inlet solenoid valve 8,
Cold water line communicating with the water supply through the water pump 9, 5 g is a carbonated water line for supplying carbonated water from the carbonator 7, 10
a to 10g are flow rate sensors connected to the beverage lines 5a to 5e, the cold water line 5f and the carbonated water line 5g, and 11a to 1g.
1 g is provided on the nozzle side, which will be described later, from the flow rate sensor, and the beverage lines 5a to 5e, the cold water line 5f, and the carbonated water line 5g.
Beverage solenoid valve (beverage pouring valve) connected to, 12 is beverage lines 5a-5e, cold water line 5f and carbonated water line 5
A spout nozzle connected to the end of g, 13 is a water tank for cooling the beverage lines 5a to 5e, the cold water line 5f and the carbonated water line 5g, 14 is a drinking container, and 15 is for branching cold water from the cold water line to the carbonator 7 side. Carbonator water supply solenoid valve.

Such a beverage dispenser is installed and used in a store such as a restaurant or a fast food store, and the dispenser body side 1 shown in FIG.
It is installed on a table or the like as a tabletop so that the operator can use it, and the beverage containers 2a to 2e, the gas cylinders 3, 4 and the like are arranged at positions apart from the dispenser body 1 side.

The flow rate sensor converts the rotation of a constant volume gear into a pulse, measures the number of pulses to perform a fixed amount discharge, and monitors the state of the flow velocity flowing in the line by measuring the pulse width. Then, the flow velocity is measured to discharge a fixed amount of the beverage, and the change in the flow velocity is detected to detect the beverage shortage. The principle of operation of this beverage dispenser is well known. First, when the cup 14 is set below the nozzle 12 and a desired beverage selection button (not shown) is pressed, the control unit built in the dispenser body side is operated. Beverage selected by command, for example, beverage container 2a
If one of the beverages is selected, the corresponding beverage solenoid valve 11
a is opened, and a beverage in which syrup and carbonated water or cold water are mixed is discharged to the cup 14 through the spout nozzle 12, and at this time, the flow rate sensor 10a is used to control the beverage line 5
The flow rate of the liquid passing through a is measured, the flow rate is calculated, and when the predetermined amount is reached, the beverage pouring electromagnetic valve 2a is closed, and a beverage with an appropriate taste is always stably supplied.

Here, the syrups contained in the beverage containers 2a to 2d are delivered by receiving the carbon dioxide gas pressure from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 3, and the carbonated water produced by the carbonator 7 is carbon dioxide gas pressure from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder 3. Received and sent. By the way, the syrup is contained in a beverage container,
If the beverage is provided, the syrup in the beverage container will be reduced by that amount and will eventually disappear. Therefore, when the remaining syrup becomes small, the gas that pressurizes the syrup flows into the flow rate sensor, and the gas with an overwhelmingly larger flow velocity than the liquid flows, so the rotation of the gear becomes faster and the pulse width becomes wider. This makes it possible to confirm that the beverage has been sold out, as it will be significantly shorter.

When it is confirmed that the beverage is sold out, the sold-out lamp (not shown) is turned on or the operation is stopped in response to the beverage request of the syrup. The sold-out detection is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-240193. In this way, when the product is sold out, it is necessary to replace the beverage container that has run out with a new one as a daily management of the beverage dispenser. At the time of this container replacement, carbon dioxide still remains on the beverage line, so when the beverage container is replaced with a new one, it is necessary to fill the beverage line with syrup.

In this filling method, for example, an existing switch, a syrup continuous output switch, is selected, and then
When you select the sold-out beverage selection button and the beverage is discharged from the nozzle, the continuous discharge switch is operated again to terminate the beverage discharge, and this operation is performed for each sold beverage. ing.

[0008]

By the way, the above-mentioned conventional method has the following problems. That is,
The worker must set the syrup to continuous discharge, select the sold-out syrup, confirm that the syrup has been discharged from the nozzle, and stop the syrup discharge for each sold-out syrup. In addition, it is necessary to operate a plurality of switches, and it is necessary to watch the beverage being discharged from the nozzle all the time, which makes the operation complicated and troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a beverage supply device capable of automatically filling a beverage on the beverage line when the beverage container is connected. To do.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, according to claim 1, a plurality of beverage containers are provided, and the gas pressure supplied from the gas cylinder is used to remove the beverage containers from the beverage container. Beverage is delivered to the beverage line, through each beverage line, in the beverage supply device configured to open the beverage extraction valve to supply a predetermined amount of beverage to the cup, open the beverage extraction valve, the It is characterized in that each beverage line is provided with an operating means for automatically and sequentially filling the beverage, and the beverage line is automatically filled with the beverage only by operating the operating means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the beverage supply apparatus according to the first aspect, only the beverage dispense valve of the beverage line, which is equipped with a sold-out detection means for detecting the sold-out of the beverage and detects the sold-out by the means. The present invention is characterized in that the beverage line is opened and the beverage line is automatically filled, and only the beverage line that is out of beverage is automatically selected and the beverage line is filled with the beverage.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the beverage supply apparatus according to the first or second aspect, a setting means for setting a filling time is provided, and the beverage dispensing valve is opened during the time set by the set time. It is characterized in that the beverage is filled in the beverage line automatically for a set time. According to claim 4, in the beverage supply device according to claim 1 or 2, the beverage line is provided with a filling detection means for detecting filling, and when the filling is detected by the means, the beverage pouring valve is closed to perform filling. It is characterized in that it is completed, and since the actual filling state of the beverage is detected, the filling state of the beverage line can be accurately grasped.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
Or, it demonstrates based on FIG. The beverage system diagram that is the target of the embodiment is shown in FIG.
1, and the individual description thereof will be omitted. In the block diagram of FIG. 1, the members corresponding to those of FIG. 3 will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the block diagram of FIG. 1, 101 is a storage unit 1.
01a, a control unit for controlling the whole, 102 is provided on the back side of the front door (not shown) of the housing of the dispenser body, a filling switch for starting the filling of the beverage, 103 is a keyboard, An input device for setting various data such as filling time for each, 104 is a display device for displaying various data, and 105 is a timer device for controlling the valve opening / closing time.

In addition to the filling switch 102, input device 103, display device 104, timer device 105, flow rate sensors 10a-1.
0f, beverage solenoid valves 11a to 11f, water inlet solenoid valve 8, carbonator water supply solenoid valve 15, water pump 9, etc.
Controlled by 1. A flow rate sensor is used as the sold-out detection means for each beverage, and a flow rate sensor or a timer device is used as the filling detection means.

Here, the filling switch 102 is an input device 103.
It is also possible to use the existing switch and to enter the filling mode by pressing and holding the switch for a predetermined time or longer. Further, the predetermined time for filling set by the input device differs depending on the length of the beverage line, and is usually about 5 seconds to 10 seconds.

Further, the flow rate sensor is not limited to the present sensor which converts rotation into a pulse and measures the pulse width, but may be a flow rate sensor such as a non-contact type ultrasonic wave. Next, the normal beverage supply operation is a well-known matter as described in the section of the related art, and the description thereof will be omitted, and description will be made from the time when the beverage is sold out. Therefore, a method of filling syrup (alcohol) or the like according to the present invention will be described based on the time chart of FIG. However, when either the syrup or the alcohol is sold out, the filling switch 10
2 is valid and can be activated, and the operation of the filling switch 102 is invalid in the state where sold-out is not detected.

For example, when the sold out of the syrup beverage container 2b and the alcoholic beverage container 2e is detected by the detection of the flow rate sensor, the worker can sell out the sold beverage containers 2b and 2b.
This time chart is executed by removing e, connecting the new beverage containers 2b and 2e to the respective beverage lines 5b and 5e, confirming the connection, and then pressing the newly provided filling switch 102.

First, the time chart of the beverage container 2a which is not sold out is skipped, and the time chart of the beverage container 2b is executed. Next, the beverage electromagnetic valve 11b of the beverage line 5b to which the beverage container 2b is connected is opened, and the electromagnetic valve 11b is closed after T2 time which is a predetermined time set by the input device 103 in advance, and the amount of liquid dripping from the nozzle The interval is T7 hours which is the time of.

Next, the time charts of the beverage containers 2c and 2d of syrup which are not sold out are skipped, and the time chart of the beverage container 2e of alcohol is executed. Next, the beverage electromagnetic valve 11e of the beverage line 5e to which the beverage container 2e is connected is opened, and the electromagnetic valve 11e is closed after T5 hours which is a predetermined time set by the input device in advance, and the amount of liquid dripping from the nozzle The time interval is T7 hours.

In this way, the filling of the beverage in the sold-out beverage line is completed, but carbonated water may be discharged to wash the syrup or alcoholic beverage finally attached to the nozzle 12. That is, after detecting the end of beverage filling, the time chart is executed, the carbonated water solenoid valve 10g is opened, and the carbonated water solenoid valve 10g is closed after T6 hours, which is the time required to wash the nozzle 12 portion, and the time chart is displayed. The chart ends.

Here, T1 to T6 in the time chart diagram
Is the time input by the input device 103. With this, the time for filling the beverage and the cleaning time for flowing the carbonated water are set according to the length of the beverage line, and are stored in the storage unit 101a. In the above embodiment, as a means for ending the filling of each beverage, the opening / closing time of the solenoid valve was controlled by using the timer device 105, but the state of rotation of the flow sensor provided in advance was used to monitor this flow sensor. It is also possible to stop the discharge by detecting the normal state where the rotation of
When only the flow rate sensor is used, it is not necessary to set the filling time.

Further, even when the flow rate sensor is used, the discharge is stopped better after a certain period of time from the detection of the normal state as described above even when the flow rate sensor is used. This is for considering the filling of the beverage line up to the nozzle. Furthermore, because the flow sensor may not be able to detect the normal state forever due to forgetting to connect the syrup tank, the beverage solenoid valve may remain open, and the discharge is stopped even at T1 to 5 input by the input device. Let That is, it is preferable to stop at the earlier timing of the state monitoring stop and the time stop.

In the unlikely event that the filling time chart is not filled and the filling is not completed, the filling time chart can be executed by pressing the filling switch again if the sold-out state is detected by the flow rate sensor. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the beverages are sequentially filled one by one has been described, but there is also a method of filling all the sold beverages at the same time in order to shorten the filling time.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, since the beverage is automatically filled, it is possible to indicate that the filling operation is being performed by, for example, displaying the fact that the filling operation is being performed using an existing display. Easy to judge.

[0026]

As described above, the beverage supply device of the present invention has the following effects. (1) According to claim 1, a plurality of beverage containers are provided, the beverage is fed from the beverage container to the beverage line by utilizing the gas pressure supplied from the gas cylinder, and the beverage pouring valve is provided through each of the beverage lines. In a beverage supply device which is configured to open and supply a predetermined amount of beverage to a cup, the beverage extraction valve is opened, and an operating means for automatically filling the beverage in each beverage line is provided. Since the beverage line to be filled one by one is not selected, the operation is simplified. (2) According to claim 2, the beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sold-out detection means for detecting the sold-out of the beverage, and only the beverage dispensing valve of the beverage line which detects the sold-out by the means. By opening and automatically filling the beverage, it is possible to automatically select and fill only the sold-out beverage line from the plurality of beverage lines, which further simplifies the operation. (3) According to claim 3, the beverage supply device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a setting means for setting a filling time, and opening the beverage dispensing valve during the time set by the setting time. By performing the filling, the filling time can be set optimally for the beverage supply device and the installation environment, so that there is no need to waste the beverage and it is not necessary for a person to stop. (4) According to claim 4, the beverage supply device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a filling detection means for detecting filling in the beverage line, and when the filling is detected by the means, the beverage pouring valve is closed. By terminating the filling by means of the filling, accurate filling can be performed without strictly setting the filling time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a time chart diagram according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a beverage system diagram of a beverage dispenser which is a target of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 beverage dispenser 2a-2e Beverage container 3 carbon dioxide gas cylinder 4 nitrogen gas cylinder 5a-5e Beverage line 5f cold water line 5g carbonated water line 6A carbon dioxide line 6B nitrogen gas line 10a to 10f Flow rate sensor 11a-11f Beverage solenoid valve 12 spout nozzle 14 cups 101 control unit 101a storage unit 102 filling switch 103 input device 104 display 105 timer device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A beverage container is provided with a plurality of beverage containers, the beverage is delivered from the beverage container to a beverage line by utilizing a gas pressure supplied from a gas cylinder, and a beverage pouring valve is opened in the cup through the beverage lines. A beverage supply device adapted to supply a fixed amount of beverage, comprising a means for opening the beverage dispensing valve and automatically filling the beverage lines with beverage. 2. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sold-out detection means for detecting the sold-out of the beverage, and opening only the beverage pouring valve of the beverage line which detects the sold-out by the means. A beverage supply device characterized by automatic filling. 3. The beverage supply device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising setting means for setting a filling time, and the beverage dispensing valve is opened for filling during the time set by the setting time. A beverage supply device characterized by the above. 4. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a filling detection means for detecting filling in the beverage line, and when the filling is detected by the means, the beverage pouring valve is closed to complete the filling. A beverage supply device characterized by the above.