JP2007039084A - Cleaning system for beverage spouting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning system for a beverage spouting apparatus capable of forwarding a cleaning liquid or the like from a gas introducing opening to a beverage flow path under a condition that a spare valve for a beverage container is closed. <P>SOLUTION: When a plunger 20 of a dispense head 1A is moved to a position where a nozzle part of the beverage container 100 is closed, by separating the plunger 20 from a main seal packing 105 of the spare valve 102, the beverage flow path 21 for the plunger 20 communicates with an introducing opening 14 for cleaning for the dispense head 1A through a gas flow path 12 in the head, and the cleaning liquid is introduced into the introducing opening 14 for cleaning from a cleaning liquid feeding device 140. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning system for a beverage dispensing device that performs cleaning by introducing a cleaning liquid from a dispensing head mounted on a mouthpiece of a beverage container such as a beer barrel into a beverage dispensing path.

  As a beverage dispensing device for taking out beverages from beverage containers such as beer barrels, a dispense head is attached to the mouthpiece of the beverage container, and gas for dispensing (as an example, carbon dioxide) from the dispense head into the beverage container. There is known a device for feeding and taking out a beverage pushed out by the gas from a dispensing head and introducing it into a cooling dispenser.

  The dispense head includes a head main body mounted on the base portion so as to cover the main seal packing of the spear valve, and a plunger built in the head main body so as to push the main seal packing of the spear valve. When the main seal packing is pushed in by the plunger, the main seal packing is separated from the seal surface of the spear valve, and the gas flow path in the head body communicates with the gas flow path in the spear valve and is sent to the gas flow path. The discharged gas flows into the beverage container. A beverage flow path is provided inside the plunger, and the beverage flow path opens on the surface of the plunger facing the main seal packing. When the main seal packing is pushed in, the beverage dispensing pipe at the center of the spear valve protrudes from the main seal packing, and the protruding portion is connected to the opening of the beverage flow path of the plunger. Thereby, the drink extruded with introduction of gas is guide | induced to a drink flow path from a drink extraction pipe | tube, and also is sent to a dispenser from a drink flow path. When the plunger is pulled up, the main seal packing comes into contact with the seal surface of the spear valve and the connection between the gas flow path of the head body and the gas flow path in the spear valve is disconnected, thereby preventing the introduction of gas into the beverage container. The

  In the beverage dispensing apparatus described above, it is necessary to periodically clean the beverage dispensing path extending from the dispensing head to the dispenser dispensing outlet. Conventionally, this type of cleaning operation is performed by removing the dispensing head from the beverage container and replacing it with a tank for the cleaning liquid, feeding gas into the gas flow path in the dispensing head, and introducing the cleaning liquid into the beverage flow path. However, such a procedure requires time and labor for replacing the dispense head. Therefore, in the dispensing head, an open position where the gas flow path is connected to the beverage container, and a closed position where the communication between the gas flow path and the beverage container is blocked while the gas flow path and the beverage flow path are connected. Incorporating a solenoid valve that can be switched between the two, the cleaning liquid is introduced into the gas flow path in the head while the electromagnetic valve is switched to the cleaning position, and the cleaning liquid is sent from the beverage flow path to the dispenser to clean the beverage dispensing path. However, after that, there has been proposed a beverage dispensing apparatus having a function of introducing gas into a gas flow path in the head and discharging the cleaning liquid from the beverage dispensing path (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, in order to reduce the effort of switching the plunger, a dispense head is also proposed in which a cylinder device that operates using the pressure of gas for dispensing is incorporated in the head body, and the plunger is switched by the cylinder device. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

JP-A-7-89594 Japanese Patent No. 3394196

  By the way, as seen in Patent Document 2, in a general dispensing head, the plunger is in contact with the main seal packing of the spear valve and the beverage flow path of the plunger is closed even in the closed position. For this reason, even if the cleaning liquid is fed into the gas flow path in the head, the cleaning liquid cannot be guided to the beverage flow path in the plunger. Patent Document 1 only discloses a configuration in which an electromagnetic valve is provided in the dispensing head, and a specific configuration for guiding the cleaning liquid from the gas channel to the beverage container by connecting the gas channel and the beverage channel in the head. Is not disclosed at all.

  Therefore, the present invention has a suitable configuration for cleaning the beverage dispensing path by sending the cleaning liquid from the gas channel in the head of the dispense head to the beverage channel in the plunger with the spear valve of the beverage container closed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system for a beverage dispensing device.

  The cleaning system of the present invention can be attached to the base part so as to cover the main seal packing (105) of the spear valve (102) provided in the base part (101) of the beverage container (100). Is a head main body (10) provided with a gas flow path (12) in the head that opens toward the main seal packing, and extends so as to push the main seal packing through the gas flow path in the head. An open position (the position shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 9) for communicating the internal gas flow path with the internal gas flow path (107) of the spear valve and the main internal gas flow path and the inside of the valve apart from the main seal packing A plunger (20) attached to the head body in a movable state between a closed position (the position shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 8) that blocks communication with the gas flow path, The head main body has a gas introduction port (14; 14B) communicating with the flow path in the head when the plunger is in the open position, and the gas flow path in the head when the plunger is in the closed position. And an inlet for cleaning (14; 14C) communicating with the beverage, and the beverage spout pipe (104) of the spear valve disposed inside the main seal packing at the open position inside the plunger. Dispensing head (1A; 1B) provided with a beverage channel (21) that opens to the surface (20a) facing the main seal packing so as to communicate with the gas channel in the head in the closed position And a plunger operating means (30) for operating the plunger between the open position and the closed position, and a spout from the beverage flow path of the dispense head 112b), a cleaning liquid supply device (140) for supplying a cleaning liquid for cleaning the beverage dispensing path (2), and is supplied from the gas supply source (130) to the gas inlet of the dispensing head. A gas supply path (131) for guiding the gas for pouring is connected via valve means (V3, V4; V11) for opening and closing the gas supply path, and the cleaning liquid supply device is connected to the cleaning inlet. The above-described problem is solved by the cleaning system for the beverage dispensing apparatus in which the cleaning liquid supply path (150) for guiding the cleaning liquid from the liquid is connected via the valve means (V4; V12) for opening and closing the cleaning liquid supply path.

  According to the cleaning system of the present invention, by moving the plunger of the dispense head to the open position and pushing in the main seal packing of the spear valve, the gas flow path in the head and the gas flow path in the valve of the spear valve are communicated with each other. The beverage dispensing pipe and the beverage flow path of the plunger can be communicated with each other. In this state, the beverage is pushed out of the beverage container by feeding the gas for dispensing into the beverage container from the gas outlet through the gas flow path in the head, and the beverage is dispensed from the beverage dispensing pipe of the spear valve into the plunger beverage. It can be taken out into the channel. On the other hand, when the plunger is moved to the closed position, the plunger is separated from the main seal packing, so that the main seal packing blocks the gas flow path in the head body and the gas flow path in the valve of the spear valve, In addition, the beverage spout pipe of the spear valve is closed with the main seal packing. In the closed position, when the plunger is separated from the main seal packing, the beverage flow path opens into the gas flow path in the head, and the cleaning inlet communicates with the gas flow path in the head. Therefore, by feeding the cleaning liquid from the cleaning inlet, the cleaning liquid can be introduced from the gas flow path in the head into the beverage flow path, and the beverage dispensing path can be cleaned. Since the cleaning liquid is fed into the beverage flow path via the head internal gas flow path, the top surface of the spear valve (including the main seal packing) that faces the internal gas flow path can be brought into contact with the cleaning liquid for cleaning. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid can be discharged from the in-head flow path, the top surface of the spear valve, the beverage flow path, and the like by feeding the gas into the in-head gas flow path after the introduction of the cleaning liquid.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the gas supply source is provided via an valve tank (V2) that opens and closes an accumulator tank (133) that can be filled with a volume of gas that can replace the liquid that fills the beverage dispensing path. The accumulator tank may be connected to the cleaning inlet through a gas discharge path (135) and valve means (V3, V4; V13) for opening and closing the gas discharge path. According to this embodiment, the plunger of the dispensing head is moved to the closed position, and the gas for extraction supplied from the gas supply source is stored in the accumulation tank, and then the pressure of the gas stored in the accumulation tank is released as the gas. By guiding from the path to the cleaning inlet, the liquid (beverage or liquid) remaining in the beverage pouring path can be discharged from the spout with the gas pressure from the accumulator tank. By performing the treatment before introducing the cleaning liquid, the beverage can be discharged from the beverage extraction path using the extraction gas before introducing the cleaning liquid, so that the beverage is not wasted. As the remaining amount of liquid decreases, the pressure in the accumulator tank also gradually decreases, so that it is possible to suppress the ejection of splashes from the spout due to the mixing of gas and liquid at the end of the discharge of the beverage or cleaning liquid. it can.

  In the above embodiment, the gas pressure (P3) guided from the gas supply source to the accumulation tank is lower than the gas pressure (P1) guided from the gas supply source to the gas inlet through the gas supply path. You may further provide the pressure reduction means (137) to be made. By providing such a pressure difference, the pushing force of the gas from the accumulator tank is weakened compared with the case where the residual liquid of the beverage or the cleaning liquid is pushed out by the gas pressure used for the pouring, and thereby from the spout. Can be more effectively suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, the gas supply source and the cleaning inlet may be connected via a purge gas introduction path (136) and valve means (V5, V4; V5) for opening and closing the purge gas introduction path. According to this embodiment, the gas supplied from the gas supply source is guided from the purge gas introduction path to the cleaning inlet, and the liquid remaining in the dispense head or the beverage dispensing path is discharged using the pressure of the gas. can do. As described above, the gas pressure from the accumulation tank gradually decreases as the residual liquid decreases, so that the liquid discharging action gradually decreases. On the other hand, a gas having a constant pressure can be continuously supplied from the gas supply source for dispensing the beverage. Therefore, following the liquid discharge due to the gas pressure from the accumulator tank, the gas pressure from the gas supply source is sent from the purge gas introduction path to the gas flow path in the head of the dispense head through the cleaning inlet, so that Alternatively, the droplets remaining in the beverage dispensing path can be discharged. By intermittently opening and closing the valve means of the purge gas introduction path, the gas pressure introduced from the cleaning introduction port can be repeatedly increased and decreased to further enhance the droplet discharge effect.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning system is configured so that the gas pressure (P1) guided from the gas supply source to the purge gas introduction path is higher than the gas pressure (P1) guided from the gas supply source to the gas introduction port via the gas supply path. A pressure adjusting means (132) for setting a gas pressure led from the gas supply source to each of the gas supply path and the purge gas introduction path so as to increase P2) may be further provided. As a result, the above-described droplet discharge effect can be further enhanced.

  Further, the head main body of the dispense head is provided with a discharge port (17) communicating with the gas flow path in the head when the plunger is in the closed position, and a relief valve (18) is provided in the discharge port. And the set pressure of the relief valve is set higher than the pressure (P1) guided to the gas flow path in the head through the gas supply path and lower than the pressure (P2) guided to the purge gas introduction path. May be. According to this aspect, by sending a gas having a pressure exceeding the set pressure of the relief valve from the purge gas introduction path to the cleaning introduction port, the relief valve is opened, and droplets and the like in the dispense head are discharged from the relief valve. Therefore, it is possible to reliably discharge the cleaning liquid remaining in the dispense head while suppressing ejection from the spout of the beverage pouring path.

  In the present invention, the head main body of the dispensing head may be provided with an introduction port (14) that is also used as the gas introduction port and the cleaning introduction port. Alternatively, the gas inlet (14B) and the cleaning inlet (14C) may be provided separately. In the latter case, the gas inlet may be in communication with the gas flow path in the head when the plunger is in the closed position. In this case, the gas introduction port substantially functions as a part of the cleaning introduction port by sending a gas for discharging liquid or droplets such as beverages and cleaning liquids from the beverage dispensing path from the gas introduction port. You may let them.

  In addition, in the above description, in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, the reference sign of the accompanying drawing was attached in parenthesis, but this invention is not limited to the form of illustration by it.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the plunger of the dispensing head is in the closed position, the plunger is separated from the main seal packing and the internal beverage flow path communicates with the gas flow path in the head. When the plunger is in the closed position, the cleaning inlet and the gas flow path in the head communicate with each other, so that the spear valve's gas flow path in the valve and the beverage dispensing pipe are both closed. The cleaning liquid can be sent from the introduction port to the beverage flow path to clean the gas flow path in the head, the top surface of the spear valve facing the gas flow path in the head, and the beverage dispensing path.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1: has shown the outline | summary of the drink extraction apparatus with which the washing | cleaning system based on the 1st form of this invention was integrated. The beverage dispensing apparatus A includes a dispense head 1A attached to a beer barrel 100 as a beverage container, a dispenser 110 that cools beer as a beverage, and a beer hose 120 that guides beer taken from the dispense head 1A to the dispenser 110. And. A dispensing gas supplied from a gas supply source (for example, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder) 130 is supplied to the dispense head 1A through the gas supply path 131 after being reduced in pressure by the two-stage pressure reducing valve 132. The two-stage pressure reducing valve 132 reduces the gas pressure supplied from the gas supply source 130 in two stages, and outputs the pressure from the low pressure port 132a and the high pressure port 132b which are different from each other. The low pressure port 132a outputs a pressure P1 suitable for beer pouring from the beer barrel 100, and the high pressure port 132b outputs a pressure P2 suitable for driving a fluid device such as an air cylinder (where P1 <P2). Is done.

  The gas having the pressure P1 output from the low pressure port 132a is introduced into the beer barrel 100 via the dispense head 1A. With the introduction of gas, beer is pushed out from the beer barrel 100, and the beer sequentially passes through the beverage flow path 21 and the beer hose 120 inside the dispensing head 1A and is guided to the dispenser 110. The beer guided to the dispenser 110 is cooled while passing through the cooling coil 111. The end of the cooling coil 11 is connected to a tap 112 attached to the dispenser 110. By operating the lever 112 a of the tap 112 to the pouring position, the beer cooled by the cooling coil 111 is poured out from the pouring port 112 b of the tap 112. The lever 112a of the tap 112 may be switchable to a foaming position for squeezing beer bubbles in addition to a pouring position for pouring beer and a closed position for closing the spout 112b.

  Next, details of the dispensing head 1A will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows an internal configuration of the dispense head 1A when the beverage is dispensed, and FIG. 3 shows an internal configuration of the dispense head 1A when it is washed. For some of the components, the appearance is shown on the right side of the center line CL, and the cross section is shown on the left side. The dispense head 1 </ b> A is attached to the base 101 of the beer barrel 100. The base part 101 is provided with a spear valve 102. First, the configuration of the spear valve 102 will be described below.

  The spear valve 102 is fitted to the valve case 103 screwed into the opening 100 a of the beer barrel 100, the beverage pouring pipe 104 whose upper end is inserted into the center of the valve case 103, and the outer periphery of the upper end of the beverage pouring pipe 104. Main seal packing 105 and a coil spring 106 that presses the main seal packing 105 against the inner valve seat 103b of the flange 103a of the valve case 103. As shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the main seal packing 105 is pressed against the valve seat 103b, the gas flow path (gas flow path in the valve) 107 in the valve case 103 is closed with respect to the outside of the beer barrel 100, and The upper opening 104 a of the beverage dispensing pipe 104 is also closed by the main seal packing 105. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the main seal packing 105 is pushed down against the coil spring 106, the main seal packing 105 is separated from the valve seat 103b, and the gas flow path 107 is opened to the outside of the beer barrel 100. The opening 104 a of the beverage dispensing pipe 104 is also exposed above the main seal packing 105. The gas flow path 107 communicates with the internal space of the beer barrel 100 through the opening 103 c at the lower end of the valve case 103.

  Next, the configuration of the dispensing head 1A will be described. The dispense head 1 </ b> A includes a head main body 10 formed in a housing shape that covers the main seal packing 105, a plunger 20 attached to the head main body 10, and a cylinder device (plunger operating means) 30 that operates the plunger 20. I have. A fitting portion 11 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower end of the head body 10. The head body 10 is mounted on the base 101 by engaging the fitting portion 11 with the outer periphery of the flange 103 a of the spear valve 102. A chamber-like gas flow path (in-head gas flow path) 12 that opens toward the main seal packing 105 is provided inside the head main body 10. A seal ring 13 is attached to the gas flow path 12.

  With the head main body 10 attached to the spear valve 102, the seal ring 13 is in close contact with the flange 103a of the spear valve 102 over the entire circumference, thereby sealing the outer periphery of the gas flow path 12. A gas introduction port 14 communicating with the gas flow path 12 is provided on the outer periphery of the head body 10. The gas introduction port 14 is for feeding the gas for extraction into the gas flow path 12 and is connected to the gas supply path 131. However, in the illustrated dispensing head 1A, the gas inlet 14 is also used as a cleaning inlet for feeding the cleaning liquid into the dispensing head 1A. A hose connector 15 having a check valve 15 a for preventing discharge of gas or cleaning liquid from the gas inlet 14 is attached inside the gas inlet 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the axis AX of the gas inlet 14 is eccentric by a predetermined amount δ with respect to the center line CL of the plunger 20. The center line CL of the plunger 20 matches the center line of the beverage dispensing pipe 104 of the spear valve 102. Further, the fitting portion 11 of the head main body 10 is provided with a sensor 40 for detecting whether or not the head main body 11 is engaged with the flange 103a of the spear valve 102. For example, a proximity switch can be used as the sensor 40.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plunger 20 passes through the upper partition wall 10a of the head body 10 in the direction of the center line CL, and is shown in the closed position shown in FIG. The head body 10 is mounted so as to be movable between the open positions. Note that an O-ring 16 for sealing a penetrating portion of the plunger 20 is provided in the upper partition wall 10a of the head body 10.

  The plunger 20 is configured as a hollow member in which a beverage channel 21 that penetrates the center line CL is provided. A lower end portion of the plunger 20 projects into the gas flow path 12, and a cylindrical operation portion 22 for operating the main seal packing 105 is formed at the lower end portion. The outer diameter of the operation unit 22 is set larger than the inner diameter of the main seal packing 105 and smaller than the outer diameter of the main seal packing 105. The inner diameter of the operation portion 22 is larger than the outer diameter of the upper end portion of the beverage dispensing pipe 104, and the inner space of the operation portion 22 constitutes a part of the beverage flow path 21. In other words, in the inner periphery of the operation part 22, the beverage flow path 21 has a connection part 21 a having a diameter larger than that of the upper end part of the beverage dispensing pipe 104, and the connection part 21 a is a lower end surface of the operation part 22 (main seal). It opens to a surface 20a facing the packing 105). The gas introduction port 14 of the head main body 10 opens in the inner wall of the in-head gas flow path 12 surrounding the outer periphery of the operation unit 22.

  In the closed position of FIG. 2, the lower end surface 20 a of the plunger 20 is separated from the main seal packing 105, whereby the beverage channel 21 communicates with the gas channel 12. A flange 23 is provided on the outer periphery of the upper end of the operation unit 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange 23 has an outer diameter that can come into contact with the inner periphery of the seal ring 13. The flange 23 has a plurality of small holes 23a for allowing gas to pass therethrough. A gap is provided between the seal ring 13 and the operation portion 22, and the flange 23 is separated above the seal ring 13 in the closed position. Accordingly, the communication state between the gas inlet 14 and the gas flow path 12 is maintained even when the plunger 20 is in the closed position. In other words, the plunger 20 is provided so as not to block between the gas inlet 14 and the gas flow path 12. On the other hand, in the open position of FIG. 3, the plunger 20 extends through the gas flow path 12 so as to push in the main seal packing 105. In this state, the operation part 22 of the plunger 20 communicates with the main seal packing 105 over the entire circumference, and the gas flow path 12 communicates with the gas flow path 107 of the spear valve 102 on the outer peripheral side of the operation part 22. On the other hand, on the inner peripheral side of the operation unit 22, the beverage extraction pipe 104 enters the connection portion 21 a of the beverage flow path 21, and the beverage flow path 21 and the beverage extraction pipe 104 are connected through the opening 104 a of the beverage extraction pipe 104. Communication with the inside.

  A throttle portion 21 b is provided in the middle of the beverage flow path 21 of the plunger 20, and a connection tool 24 for connecting the beer hose 120 is provided at the upper end of the beverage flow path 21. A spherical valve body 25 is provided between the throttle portion 21 b and the connection tool 24. The valve body 25 is movable in the beverage flow path 21 according to the pressure difference between the upper and lower sides thereof, thereby allowing a flow of beer or the like in the direction in which the beverage flow path 21 is raised, and in the direction in which the beverage flow path 21 is lowered. Stop the flow of beer. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the valve body 25 blocks the throttle portion 21b, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the valve body 25 moves away from the throttle portion 21b and rises to the connector 24. In the state of FIG. 3, the beer in the beverage flow path 21 is guided to the beer hose 120 via the connector 24.

  The cylinder device 30 includes a cylinder main body 31 and a piston 33 accommodated in a cylinder chamber 32 inside the cylinder main body 31. The cylinder body 31 is configured by combining a cylindrical housing 31a and an end cap 31b. The plunger 20 extends through the cylinder body 31. Note that at least a part of the cylinder body 31 may be formed integrally with the head body 10.

  The piston 33 is a sleeve 33a that is coaxially fitted to the outer periphery of the plunger 20, and a disk-like shape that is provided on the outer periphery of the sleeve 33a and divides the cylinder chamber 32 into two working chambers 32a and 32b in the direction of the center line CL. Piston main body 33b. The sleeve 33 a is provided so as to be movable integrally with the plunger 20 using a fixing method such as press-fitting and shrink fitting with respect to the plunger 20. The housing 31a of the cylinder body 31 is provided with connection ports 35a and 35b for introducing pressure into the working chambers 32a and 32b of the cylinder chamber 32 or discharging pressure from the working chambers 32a and 32b. These connection ports 35a and 35b communicate with the working chambers 32a and 32b through paths independent of the path from the gas introduction port 14 of the head body 10 to the gas flow path 12, respectively.

  In the cylinder device 30, the pressure is introduced into the lower working chamber 32a while the pressure is discharged from the upper working chamber 32b, so that the piston 33 moves to the top dead center shown in FIG. Retained. On the contrary, the piston 33 moves to the bottom dead center shown in FIG. 3 by discharging pressure from the lower working chamber 32a while introducing pressure into the upper working chamber 32b, and thereby the plunger 20 moves to the open position. To do. The connection ports 35a and 35b are operated by the gas pressure P2 output from the pressure reducing valve 132 by being connected to the high pressure port 132b of the pressure reducing valve 132 shown in FIG. The inner diameter of the cylinder chamber 32 is determined such that a force necessary to push the main seal packing 105 is applied to the plunger 20 by the gas pressure P2 guided to the upper working chamber 32b. The connection path between the connection ports 35a and 35b and the pressure reducing valve 132 is provided separately from the gas supply path 131 connecting the pressure reducing valve 132 and the gas introduction port 14. In order to seal the cylinder chamber 32 appropriately, the cylinder body 31 and the piston 33 are provided with O-rings 36a to 36d. Note that the gas pressure P <b> 2 led to the cylinder device 30 may match the gas pressure led to the gas introduction port 14 of the head body 10.

  In the dispense head 1A having the above configuration, the main seal packing 105 is pushed in by the operation portion 22 of the plunger 20 by introducing the gas pressure P2 to the connection port 35b of the cylinder device 30 and moving the plunger 20 to the open position. Thereby, the gas flow path 12 of the head body 10 and the gas flow path 107 of the spear valve 102 can be communicated with each other, and the beverage flow path 21 of the plunger 20 can be communicated with the beverage dispensing pipe 104 of the spear valve 102. In this state, by feeding gas from the gas inlet 14, the beer accommodated in the beer barrel 100 is pushed out from the beverage pouring pipe 104 into the beverage channel 21, and the beer is dispensed from the beverage channel 21 via the beer hose 120. 110 can be sent. On the other hand, by introducing the gas pressure P2 to the connection port 35a of the cylinder device 30 and moving the plunger 20 to the closed position, the push of the main seal packing 105 can be released and the spear valve 102 can be closed.

  In the closed position, the lower end surface 20a of the plunger 20 is separated from the main seal packing 105, the beverage channel 21 communicates with the gas channel 12, and the communication state between the gas inlet 14 and the gas channel 12 is maintained. Yes. Therefore, by feeding water or a chemical solution as a cleaning liquid from the gas introduction port 14, the cleaning liquid is introduced into the beverage flow path 21, and further from the beverage flow path 21 through the beer hose 120 and the cooling coil 111 of the dispenser 110, the spout 112 b. Can send up to. Moreover, the cleaning liquid in a drink extraction path | route can be extruded by sending in gas from the gas inlet 14 after introduction | transducing of a cleaning liquid. Therefore, it is possible to clean the beverage dispensing path 2 and the top surface of the spear valve 102 without performing the replacement work of the dispensing head 1A.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the beverage dispensing apparatus A will be continued. In order to enable cleaning of the beer pouring path 2 in the beverage pouring device A, that is, the path 2 from the beverage flow path 21 of the dispensing head 1A to the spout 112b of the tap 112 through the beer hose 120 and the cooling coil 111. The beverage dispensing device A further includes a cleaning liquid supply device 140. The cleaning liquid supply device 140 includes a cleaning liquid tank 141, an alkali tank 142, and an acid tank 143. The cleaning liquid tank 141 has a volume capable of storing a cleaning liquid having a volume required for one cleaning of the beverage dispensing path 2. The cleaning liquid tank 141 is connected to a water tap (not shown) via a water supply path 144, and the water supply path 144 is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve V1. By opening the on-off valve V1, water can be introduced and stored in the cleaning liquid tank 141 from the water supply path 144.

  Each of the alkali tank 142 and the acid tank 143 is connected to the upper part of the cleaning liquid tank 141 through electromagnetic on-off valves V6 and V7. The alkaline tank 142 stores an alkaline chemical solution (stock solution) for enhancing the cleaning effect, and the acid tank 143 stores an acidic chemical solution (stock solution) having bactericidal properties. By opening the on-off valve V6 or the on-off valve V7, the chemical solution in the alkali tank 142 or the acid tank 143 is introduced into the cleaning liquid tank 141, and diluted with water supplied from the water supply path 144, thereby causing an alkaline or acidic cleaning liquid. Can be stored in the cleaning liquid tank 141. However, the cleaning liquid is not limited to an alkaline or acidic chemical liquid, and only water may be used as the cleaning liquid.

  The cleaning liquid supply apparatus 140 includes a pump 148 that sends out the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 141 toward the dispensing head 1A. A cleaning liquid supply path 150 is connected to the discharge port of the pump 148, and the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is connected to the gas supply path 131 via an electromagnetic three-way valve V4. The three-way valve V4 closes the cleaning liquid supply path 150 while opening the gas supply path 131, and closes the gas supply path 131 while connecting the cleaning liquid supply path 150 to the gas supply path 131 downstream of the three-way valve V4. Switching between position d is possible. In the latter position d, the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is connected to the gas inlet 14 of the dispense head 1 </ b> A via a part of the gas supply path 131. By starting the pump 148 in this state, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 141 can be sent into the dispense head 1A. In this case, the gas supply path 131 downstream from the three-way valve V4 substantially functions as a part of the cleaning liquid supply path.

  The cleaning liquid supply device 140 further includes a check valve 151 that prevents the backflow of fluid from the three-way valve V4 to the pump 148, and a drain valve 152 that is connected to the bottom of the cleaning liquid tank 141 and allows the cleaning liquid to be discharged. Yes. The cleaning liquid tank 141 is provided with a water level meter 153 for detecting the water level of the cleaning liquid.

  An accumulation tank 133 that stores gas from the gas supply source 130 is connected to the gas supply path 131 via an electromagnetic on-off valve V2. The outlet side of the accumulation tank 133 is connected to a gas supply path 131 through a gas discharge path 135 and an electromagnetic three-way valve V3. The accumulation tank 133 replaces the fluid when the flow path from the gas inlet 14 of the dispensing head 1A to the spout 112b through the gas flow path 12 and the beverage pouring path 2 is filled with a fluid (beer or washing liquid). It is set so as to be able to store a gas with a volume that can be (but a volume under atmospheric pressure). Strictly speaking, the accumulator tank 133 has a capacity capable of being filled at a pressure P1 with a volume of gas (however, atmospheric pressure) obtained by adding some margin to the total volume of the path from the accumulator tank 133 to the spout 112b. Need to give to.

  The connection point of the three-way valve V3 is set upstream of the above-described three-way valve V4. The three-way valve V3 closes the gas discharge path 135 while communicating with the upstream and downstream of the gas supply path 131, and closes the gas supply path 131 while the gas discharge path 135 is connected to the gas supply path 131 downstream of the three-way valve V3. Can be switched between the position b and the position b. In the former position “a”, gas can be guided from the pressure reducing valve 132 to the dispensing head 1 </ b> A via the gas supply path 131. In the latter position b, the gas stored in the accumulation tank 133 can be guided to the dispensing head 1A by further switching the three-way valve V4 to the position c. In a state where the three-way valve V3 is switched to the position b and the three-way valve V4 is switched to the position c, the gas supply path 131 downstream from the three-way valve V3 substantially functions as a part of the gas discharge path 135.

  A purge gas introduction path 136 is branched from the gas supply path 131 upstream of the three-way valve V3. The purge gas introduction path 136 is connected to the cleaning liquid supply path 150 downstream of the check valve 151. The purge gas introduction path 136 is connected to an electromagnetic on-off valve V5 that opens and closes the purge gas introduction path 136.

  The dispenser 110 is provided with a tap operation cylinder device 170 for operating the lever 112a of the tap 112 and an elevating cylinder device 171. The tap operation cylinder device 170 is provided to operate the lever 112a. On the other hand, the lifting cylinder device 171 drives the tap operation cylinder device 170 up and down between an operation position that engages with the lever 112a and a standby position that is spaced upward from the lever 112a. The tap operation cylinder device 170 can operate the lever 112a at the operation position, and the lever 112a cannot be operated by the tap operation cylinder device 170 at the standby position. In the standby position, the lever 112a can be manually switched. Further, the beverage dispensing apparatus A is provided with a cup 180 that receives the cleaning liquid discharged from the spout 112b of the tap 112. The cup 180 is detachable from the dispenser 110. A drain path 181 is connected to the cup 180, and the drain path 181 is connected downstream of the drain valve 152 via an electromagnetic on-off valve V8. A pressure switch 183 that detects the internal pressure of the drain path 181 is connected upstream of the on-off valve V8.

  The secondary pressure P2 of the pressure reducing valve 132 is guided to the cylinder device 30 of the dispensing head 1A via the electromagnetic control valve 190. Further, the gas pressure P2 from the pressure reducing valve 132 is guided to the tap operation cylinder device 170 and the lifting cylinder device 171 via the electromagnetic control valves 191 and 192, respectively. The electromagnetic control valves 190 to 192 switch gas flow so that each of the cylinder devices 30, 170, and 171 operates in a direction corresponding to the drive signal by switching the internal flow path according to the drive signal given from the controller 193. Control the direction. In addition to the electromagnetic control valves 190 to 192, the controller 193 includes other electromagnetic valves, that is, an on-off valve V1 on the water supply path 144, an on-off valve V2 provided on the inlet side of the accumulator 133, and a gas supply path 131. The three-way valves V3 and V4, the on-off valve V5 on the purge gas introduction path 136, the on-off valves V6 and V7 between the cleaning liquid tank 141 and the alkali tank 142 and the acid tank 143, and the on-off valve V8 on the drain path 181 are switched and controlled. At the same time, by controlling the operation of the pump 148, beer pouring, beer pouring stop, washing work and the like are realized.

  Next, operation of each part of the beverage dispensing apparatus A by the controller 193 will be described. First, when preparing for beer pouring, the three-way valves V3 and V4 are switched to the side through which the gas supply path 131 passes, in other words, the gas discharge path 135 and the cleaning liquid supply path 150 are respectively closed (positions a and c). Then, the gas having the pressure P 1 is supplied from the pressure reducing valve 132 to the gas inlet 14. The on-off valve V1 of the water supply path 144, the on-off valve V2 in front of the accumulation tank 133, the on-off valve V5 of the purge gas introduction path 136, the on-off valves V6 and V7 corresponding to the tanks 142 and 143 are closed, and the pump 148 is also stopped. Retained. Then, the plunger 20 of the dispense head 1A is driven to the open position by the cylinder device 30. As a result, the gas pressure P1 output from the pressure reducing valve 132 is introduced into the beer barrel 100 via the dispense head 1A. By switching the lever 112a of the tap 112 to the pouring position in this state, the beer can be taken out from the beer barrel 100 into the beverage pouring path 2 and beer can be poured out from the pouring outlet 112b. It is also possible to squeeze out bubbles by switching the lever 112a to the bubble-out position. The lever 112a of the tap 112 may be operated by the tap operation cylinder device 170 or may be manually operated by the operator. In the latter case, the elevating cylinder device 171 holds the tap operation cylinder device 170 at a standby position away from the lever 112a.

  When cleaning the beverage dispensing path 2, first, as a preparatory work, a process of discharging beer remaining in the beverage dispensing path 2 is performed. In this process, from the above state, the plunger 20 of the dispense head 1A is driven to the closed position (position in FIG. 2) by the cylinder device 30. In parallel or before or after this, the on-off valve V2 is opened for a certain period, and the accumulation tank 133 is filled with a predetermined amount of gas. Thereafter, the three-way valve V3 is switched to the position b where the gas discharge path 135 is connected. The three-way valve V4 is held at a position c where the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is closed. As a result, the gas pressure in the accumulation tank 133 is guided from the gas discharge path 135 to the gas flow path 12 of the dispense head 1A through a part of the gas supply path 131. The gas pressure also acts on the beverage flow path 21 of the plunger 20 because the plunger 20 is in the closed position. Therefore, by operating the lever 112a of the tap 112 to the pouring position, the beer in the beverage pouring path 2 can be poured out from the pouring port 112b using the gas pressure in the accumulation tank 133. If the beer is pushed out by introducing the cleaning liquid into the beverage dispensing path 2, the beer is mixed with the cleaning liquid and cannot be used for drinking. On the other hand, since the beer poured out by the above-mentioned process is extruded with the gas for pouring, it is used for drinking in the same manner as the beer poured out by introducing gas into the beer barrel 100. be able to. Therefore, it is not necessary to waste beer.

  After the beer is discharged from the beverage extraction path 2 by the above process, the washing process of the beverage extraction path 2 is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. In the following, a case will be described in which the on / off valves V6 and V7 on the outlet side of the alkali tank 142 and the acid tank 143 are closed and the cleaning operation is performed using only water as the cleaning liquid. In the cleaning operation, the tap operation cylinder device 170 moves to an operation position where the tap operation cylinder device 170 meshes with the lever 112a of the tap 112, and the cup 180 is placed below the spout 112b, and the on-off valve V8 of the drain path 181 is opened. Further, the plunger 20 of the dispensing head 1A is held in the state of the previous beer discharge process, that is, the closed position shown in FIG. In carrying out the cleaning operation, the controller 193 uses the output signal of the sensor 40 of the dispense head 1A to check whether the dispense head 1A is correctly attached to the spear valve 102. When the mounting is confirmed, the cleaning operation is executed according to the procedure of FIG. 5, and when the mounting cannot be confirmed, the process of FIG. 5 is not executed.

  When the cleaning operation is performed from the above state, first, the on-off valve V1 of the water supply path 144 is opened for a certain period (t1 to t2), and the water as the cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning liquid tank 141 until it is full. A water level meter 153 is used to detect a full water state. Subsequently, at time t3, the three-way valve V4 is switched from the position c at which the gas supply path 131 is opened to the position d at which the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is communicated with the gas inlet 14, and then the pump 148 is started at time t4. As a result, the cleaning liquid is fed into the gas flow path 12 of the dispense head 1 </ b> A, and the cleaning liquid is guided from the gas flow path 12 to the beverage flow path 21 in the plunger 20. Subsequently, at time t5, the tap operation cylinder device 170 switches the lever 112a of the tap 112 to the dispensing position, at time t6, the lever 112a is switched to the foaming position, and at time t7, the lever 112a is switched again to the dispensing position. It is done. By these operations, the washing liquid flows from the dispensing head 1A to the spout 112b, and the beverage dispensing path 2 is washed.

  The operation of the pump 148 is continued until the water level detected by the water level meter 153 decreases to a predetermined lower limit value. The lower limit value is set as small as possible within a range where there is no possibility of causing the pump 148 to run idle. The operation of the pump 148 is stopped when the water level meter 153 detects a decrease in the water level to the lower limit (time t8). Thereafter, the on-off valve V2 on the inlet side of the accumulation tank 133 is opened for a certain period (time t9 to t10), and the accumulation tank 133 is filled with gas. After the gas filling is completed and the on-off valve V2 is closed, at time t11, the three-way valve V3 is switched from the position a where the gas supply path 131 is opened to the position b where the gas discharge path 135 is communicated with the gas inlet 14. Subsequently, at time t12, the three-way valve V4 is switched to a position c where the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is closed. As a result, the gas in the accumulation tank 133 is introduced into the beverage channel 21 via the gas channel 12 of the dispense head 1A, and the cleaning liquid remaining in the beverage dispensing path 2 is discharged from the outlet 112b with that pressure. In this case, the pressure in the accumulation tank 133 gradually decreases as the remaining amount of cleaning liquid decreases, so that even if the gas and the cleaning liquid are mixed at the end of the cleaning liquid discharge process, the splashes will blow out from the spout 112b. It is not.

  At time t13 after the cleaning liquid is discharged, the three-way valve V3 is switched to the position a, the gas discharge path 135 is closed, and at the subsequent time t14, the three-way valve V4 moves to a position d where the cleaning liquid supply path 150 communicates with the gas inlet 14. Can be switched. Thereafter, the opening / closing valve V5 of the purge gas introduction path 136 is repeatedly opened and closed at a constant cycle from time t15. Thereby, the gas pressure P1 output from the pressure reducing valve 132 is intermittently sent from the cleaning liquid supply path 150 to the gas flow path 12 of the dispensing head 1A, and the liquid droplets of the cleaning liquid remaining in the beverage dispensing path 2 are caused by the gas pressure. It is discharged from the spout 112b. At this stage, since almost the entire amount of the cleaning liquid is discharged using the pressure stored in the accumulation tank 133, there is no possibility that the residual liquid is sprayed out from the spout 112b. Moreover, since the gas pressure P1 in the purge gas introduction path 136 is higher than the residual pressure in the accumulation tank 133, the droplet discharge effect is high.

  After the opening and closing of the on-off valve V5 is repeated for a predetermined period or a predetermined number of times, the on-off valve V5 is closed at time t17, and then the three-way valve V4 is returned to the position c at time t18, and further the lever of the tap 112 at time t19. 112a is operated to the closed position. The cleaning operation is thus completed.

  In order to perform cleaning using an alkaline or acidic chemical, the on-off valve V6 or V7 is opened between times t1 and t2 shown in FIG. 5, and the chemical in the alkaline tank 142 or the acid tank 143 is washed. What is necessary is just to introduce into the tank 141. In the case of cleaning using a chemical solution, it is desirable to continue the cleaning operation using only water shown in FIG. 5 after the cleaning operation to reliably prevent the chemical solution from remaining. In the case where the cleaning with the chemical solution and the cleaning with the water are continuously performed, the processing after the time t14 in FIG. 5 may be performed only at the time of the final water cleaning. You may wash with water before and after introduction | transduction of a chemical | medical solution.

  Here, a function and effect peculiar to the dispense head 1A of the present embodiment will be described. In the dispense head 1A, since the axis AX of the gas inlet 14 is eccentric with respect to the center line CL of the plunger 20, the operating portion 22 of the plunger 20 is circulated by the cleaning liquid or gas introduced from the gas inlet 14. Such a flow can be given. Thereby, the cleaning effect of the top surface of the gas flow path 12 or the spear valve 102 by the cleaning liquid is enhanced, and the cleaning liquid remaining in the gas flow path 12 is efficiently discharged to the beverage flow path 21 by the gas introduced thereafter. Can do. In addition, since the gas introduction port 14 is opened on the inner wall of the in-head gas flow path 12 surrounding the outer periphery of the operation unit 22 of the plunger 20, the gas introduction port 14 is opened above the operation unit 22. In comparison, the cleaning liquid introduction path from the gas inlet 14 to the top surface of the spear valve 102 is shortened, and the cleaning liquid can be efficiently guided to the vicinity of the top surface of the spear valve 102 to enhance the cleaning effect. A similar effect can be obtained with respect to the gas for discharging the cleaning liquid. Furthermore, according to the dispense head 1A, the plunger 20 is driven by the cylinder device 30, so that the operator does not need to manually switch the plunger 20, and the burden on the operator is reduced. Moreover, since the plunger 20 and the piston 33 are directly connected, the number of parts is reduced, the configuration is simplified, and the operation of the piston 33 can be efficiently transmitted to the plunger 20. Since the path from the gas introduction port 14 to the gas flow path 12 and the path from the connection ports 35a and 35b of the cylinder device 30 to the cylinder chamber 32 are independent from each other, the cleaning liquid is introduced from the gas introduction port 14, Gas can be fed into the cylinder chamber 32 to keep the plunger 20 in the closed position.

  FIG. 6 shows a modification of the dispensing head 1A. In this example, a discharge port 17 communicating with the gas flow path 12 is provided in the head body 10, and a relief valve 18 and a silencer 19 are connected to the discharge port 17. The discharge port 17 is provided at a position communicating with the gas flow path 12 even when the plunger 20 is in the closed position. The relief valve 18 opens the discharge port 17 to release the pressure of the gas passage 12 to the outside when the pressure of the gas passage 12 exceeds a predetermined set pressure. The set pressure of the relief valve 18 is set to be higher than the pressure P1 guided to the gas flow path 12 when beer is dispensed within a range in which the main seal packing 105 may not be pushed down by the pressure confined in the gas flow path 12. ing. Thereby, there is no possibility that the spear valve 102 is opened by the pressure of the gas flow path 12 during the cleaning operation, and it is possible to reliably prevent the cleaning liquid or the cleaning liquid discharge gas from entering the beer barrel 100. On the other hand, with the tap 112 closed, a gas pressure higher than the set pressure of the relief valve 18 (for example, the gas pressure P2) is guided to the gas flow path 12 to relieve the cleaning liquid droplets remaining in the dispensing head 1A. It can also be discharged from the valve 18. When the set pressure of the relief valve 18 is set to be smaller than the output pressure P2 of the high pressure port 132b of the pressure reducing valve 132, the pergas introduction path 136 may be connected to the high pressure port 132b.

  In the above embodiment, the three-way valves V3 and V4 function as valve means for opening and closing the gas supply path 131 and the gas discharge path 135, respectively, and the three-way valve V4 functions as valve means for opening and closing the cleaning liquid supply path 150. V2 functions as valve means for opening and closing the accumulator tank 133, the three-way valve V4 and the open / close valve V5 function as means for opening and closing the purge gas introduction path 136, and the pressure reducing valve 132 functions as pressure adjusting means. However, the connection form of each path and the configuration of the valve means may be changed as appropriate. For example, the gas discharge path 135 may be connected to the cleaning liquid supply path 150. The accumulation tank 133 may be connected to the pressure reducing valve 132 without passing through the gas supply path 131. The purge gas introduction path 136 may also be connected to the pressure reducing valve 132 without going through the gas supply path 131. The pressure adjusting means is not limited to the two-stage pressure reducing valve. For example, each of the gas supply path 131, the accumulation tank 133, and the purge gas introduction path 136 may be connected to the gas supply source 130 via different pressure reducing valves, and a gas having an appropriate pressure may be introduced into each path or tank. .

[Second form]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 showing the configuration of the apparatus, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 4, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified. FIG. 7 shows an outline of a beverage dispensing apparatus incorporating a cleaning system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a dispense head 1B having a configuration different from that of the first embodiment is used. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, in the dispensing head 1 </ b> B, a gas introduction port 14 </ b> B for introducing a gas for pouring into the beer barrel 100 through the gas flow path 12 and a cleaning liquid in the gas flow path 12. A cleaning inlet 14 </ b> C for introduction is provided in the head body 10 separately from each other. Regarding the axial direction of the plunger 20, the gas inlet 14B and the cleaning inlet 14C are at the same position. However, these inlets 14B and 14C are provided so as to communicate with the gas flow path 12 regardless of whether the plunger 20 is in the open position or the closed position. As shown in FIG. 10, the gas inlet 14B is provided such that its axis AX1 is eccentric to one side with respect to the center line CL of the plunger 20, and the cleaning inlet 14C has its axis AX2 of the plunger 20. It is provided so as to be eccentric to the other side with respect to the center line CL. Similarly to the hose connector 15 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, hose connectors 15B and 15C each equipped with check valves 15b and 15c are connected to the gas inlet 14B and the cleaning inlet 14C, respectively. The The check valve 15b of the hose connector 15B connected to the gas inlet 14B functions as a gas inlet closing valve that blocks the flow of fluid in the direction from the gas flow path 12 toward the gas inlet 14B.

  A sensor 37 for detecting the movement of the plunger 20 to the closed position (the position shown in FIG. 8) is attached to the cylinder device 30 via a bracket 38. As the sensor 37, for example, a proximity switch can be used. 2 and 3 is attached to the lower end of the gas flow path 12, and the valve body 25 is attached to the inside of the plunger 20, but these are not shown. The rest of the configuration is the same as that of the dispensing head 1 shown in FIGS. However, similarly to the modified example shown in FIG. 6, the head body 10 is provided with a discharge port 17 communicating with the gas flow path 12 when the plunger 20 is in the closed position, and the discharge port 17 has a relief valve 18. And a silencer 19 is connected. 9 and 10, the relief valve 18 and the silencer 19 are not shown. The set pressure of the relief valve 18 is larger than the pressure P1 output from the low pressure port 132a of the pressure reducing valve 132 of FIG. 7 and smaller than the pressure P2 output from the high pressure port 132b. Note that the pressure P2 is sufficiently smaller than the pressure at which the main seal packing 105 may be pushed down by the closing pressure of the gas flow path 12. The lower end surface 20a of the plunger 20 is separated from the main seal packing 105 in the closed position shown in FIG. 8, and the lower end surface 20a of the plunger 20 is in contact with the main seal packing 105 in the open position shown in FIG. It is the same as that of the form of FIG.

  In the dispensing head 1B shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the plunger 20 is moved to the open position, and the gas for extraction is introduced from the gas inlet 14B, so that the gas at the pressure P1 is fed into the beer barrel 100 and the beverage. Can be poured out. On the other hand, by switching the plunger 20 to the closed position and feeding the cleaning liquid from the cleaning inlet 14C to the gas flow path 12, the cleaning liquid can be introduced into the beverage flow path 21 and the beverage dispensing path 2 can be cleaned. After the cleaning is completed, the cleaning liquid can be discharged from the beverage dispensing path 2 by feeding gas into the gas flow path 12 from the cleaning inlet 14C.

  Returning to FIG. 7, the description will be continued. In the beverage dispensing apparatus B of FIG. 7, the configuration for feeding gas or cleaning liquid into the dispense head 1B is also changed with the change of the dispense head. First, in the beverage dispensing apparatus B, the gas supply path 131 is connected to the gas inlet 14B of the dispense head 1B, and the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is connected to the cleaning inlet 14C. The gas supply path 131 and the cleaning liquid supply path 150 do not merge and are clearly distinguished. The gas supply path 131 is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve V11 that opens and closes the gas supply path 131. On the discharge side of the pump 148 of the cleaning liquid supply path 150, an electromagnetic on-off valve V12 that opens and closes the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is provided.

  A pressure reducing valve 137 is provided between the open / close valve V 2 provided on the inlet side of the accumulation tank 133 and the gas supply path 131. The pressure P3 output from the pressure reducing valve 137 is lower than the pressure P1 of the gas for extraction. That is, P1> P3. The gas discharge path 135 connected to the outlet side of the accumulation tank 133 is connected to the cleaning liquid supply path 150 on the downstream side of the on-off valve V12. The gas release path 135 is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve V13 for opening and closing the gas release path 135. The purge gas introduction path 136 is not branched from the gas supply path 131, but the connection location is changed to the high pressure port 132 b of the pressure reducing valve 132. The pressure reducing valve 132 is provided with a pressure switch 138 for detecting the gas pressure P2. A check valve 154 for preventing the backflow of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 141 is provided upstream of the on-off valve V1 of the water supply path 144.

  The dispenser 110 is provided with a tap operation cylinder device 170 for operating the lever 112a of the tap 112, but the lifting cylinder device 171 (see FIG. 1) is omitted. However, it goes without saying that an elevating cylinder device 171 may be provided. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, a rotary actuator 185 for moving the cup 180 horizontally between a position directly below the spout 112b and a position away from the spout 112b is provided.

  Next, the operation of each part of the beverage dispensing device B by the controller 193 will be described. First, when preparing for beer pouring, the on-off valve V11 is opened and the gas pressure P1 is guided to the gas inlet 14B. The on-off valves V1, V2, V5 to V7, V12, V13 are all closed, and the pump 148 is held in a stopped state. Further, the cup 180 is separated from the spout 112b by driving the rotary actuator 185. The plunger 20 of the dispense head 1B is driven to the open position (the position in FIG. 9) by the cylinder device 30. In the above state, the lever 112a of the tap 112 is switched to the pouring position by the tap operating cylinder 170, whereby beer can be taken from the beer barrel 100 into the beverage pouring path 2 and beer can be poured from the pouring port 112b. it can. It is also possible to squeeze out bubbles by switching the lever 112a to the bubble-out position.

  When cleaning the beverage dispensing path 2, first, as a preparatory work, a process of discharging beer remaining in the beverage dispensing path 2 is performed. In this process, from the above state, the plunger 20 of the dispense head 1B is driven to the closed position (position of FIG. 8) by the cylinder device 30. In parallel or before or after this, the on-off valve V2 is opened for a certain period, and the accumulation tank 133 is filled with a predetermined amount of gas. Thereafter, the on-off valve V11 of the gas supply path 131 is closed, and the on-off valve V13 of the gas discharge path 135 is opened. As a result, the gas pressure in the accumulation tank 133 is guided from the gas discharge path 135 to the gas flow path 12 of the dispense head 1B through a part of the cleaning liquid supply path 150. At this time, a part of the cleaning liquid supply path 150 substantially functions as a part of the gas discharge path 135. The gas pressure guided from the gas discharge path 135 also acts on the beverage flow path 21 of the plunger 20 because the plunger 20 is in the closed position. Therefore, by operating the lever 112a of the tap 112 to the pouring position, the beer in the beverage pouring path 2 can be poured out from the pouring port 112b using the gas pressure in the accumulation tank 133.

  After the beer is discharged from the beverage extraction path 2 by the above process, the washing process of the beverage extraction path 2 is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. In the following, a case will be described in which the on-off valves V6 and V7 on the outlet side of the alkali tank 142 and the acid tank 143 are closed and the cleaning operation is performed using only water as the cleaning liquid. Further, in the cleaning operation, the on-off valve V11 of the gas supply path 131 is held in the closed position, the tap operation cylinder device 170 is in a position where it engages with the lever 112a of the tap 112, and the cup 180 is removed from the spout 112b by the rotary actuator 185. It is drawn downward and the on-off valve V8 of the drain path 181 is opened. The plunger 20 of the dispense head 1B is held in the state of the previous beer discharge process, that is, the closed position shown in FIG. In carrying out the cleaning operation, the controller 193 uses the output signal of the sensor 40 of the dispense head 1B to check whether the dispense head 1B is correctly attached to the spear valve 102. When the mounting is confirmed, the cleaning operation is performed according to the procedure of FIG. 11, and when the mounting cannot be confirmed, the process of FIG. 11 is not performed.

  When the cleaning operation is performed from the above state, first, the on-off valve V1 of the water supply path 144 is opened for a certain period (t1 to t2), and the water as the cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning liquid tank 141 until it is full. A water level meter 153 is used to detect a full water state. Subsequently, the pump 148 is started at time t3, and then the on-off valve V12 of the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is opened at time t4. Thereby, the cleaning liquid is fed into the gas flow path 12 from the cleaning inlet 14C of the dispensing head 1B, and the cleaning liquid is guided from the gas flow path 12 to the beverage flow path 21 in the plunger 20. Subsequently, at time t5, the tap operation cylinder device 170 switches the lever 112a of the tap 112 to the dispensing position, at time t6, the lever 112a is switched to the foaming position, and at time t7, the lever 112a is switched again to the dispensing position. It is done. By these operations, the washing liquid flows from the dispensing head 1B to the spout 112b, and the beverage dispensing path 2 is washed.

  The operation of the pump 148 is continued until the water level detected by the water level meter 153 decreases to a predetermined lower limit value. The lower limit value is set as small as possible within a range where there is no possibility of causing the pump 148 to run idle. The operation of the pump 148 is stopped when the water level meter 153 detects a decrease in the water level to the lower limit (time t8), and then the on-off valve V12 of the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is closed at time t9. Thereafter, the on-off valve V2 on the inlet side of the accumulation tank 133 is opened for a certain period (time t10 to t11), and the accumulation tank 133 is filled with gas. After the gas filling is completed and the on-off valve V2 is closed, the on-off valve V13 of the gas discharge path 135 is opened at time t12. As a result, the gas in the accumulation tank 133 is sent from the cleaning liquid supply path 150 to the cleaning inlet 14C, and the gas is introduced from the cleaning inlet 14C into the beverage channel 21 through the gas channel 12 of the dispensing head 1B. The The cleaning liquid remaining in the beverage dispensing path 2 by this gas pressure is discharged from the spout 112b. Furthermore, at the time (time t13) when almost the entire remaining amount of the cleaning liquid is discharged by the gas pressure in the accumulation tank 133, the on-off valve V2 at the inlet of the accumulator 133 is opened again while the on-off valve V13 is open. As a result, the gas having the pressure P3 output from the pressure reducing valve 137 is introduced into the accumulation tank 133, and the gas is fed into the cleaning liquid supply path 150 via the accumulation tank 133 and the gas discharge path 135. Thereby, the droplets remaining in the path from the cleaning liquid supply path 150 to the spout 112b are discharged at the gas pressure. After the discharge of the liquid droplets in the beverage dispensing path 2 is completed, the on-off valve V2 is closed at time t14, and the on-off valve V13 is further closed at time t15.

  In the cleaning liquid discharge process, the pressure in the accumulation tank 133 gradually decreases as the remaining amount of the cleaning liquid decreases between times t12 and t13, so that the gas and the cleaning liquid are mixed at the end of the cleaning liquid discharge process. There is no risk of blowing out from the spout 112b. Moreover, since the gas pressure P3 stored in the accumulation tank 133 is smaller than that (P1) in the first embodiment, the effect of preventing the cleaning liquid from scattering is further enhanced. Also, during time t13 to t14, since the pressure P3 guided to the accumulation tank 133 is smaller than the gas pressure P1 at the time of dispensing, the spout is compared with the case where the liquid droplets of the cleaning liquid are discharged at the gas pressure P1. The scattering of droplets from 112b is suppressed.

  After the on-off valve V13 is closed at time t15, the lever 112a of the tap 112 is switched to the closed position at time t16, and the on-off valve V5 of the purge gas introduction path 136 is repeatedly opened and closed at a constant period from time t17. Accordingly, the gas pressure P2 output from the pressure reducing valve 132 is intermittently sent from the cleaning liquid supply path 150 to the gas flow path 12 of the dispense head 1B. At this time, a part of the cleaning liquid supply path 150 substantially functions as a part of the purge gas introduction path 136. Since the tap 112 is closed at time t17, the gas is trapped in the gas flow path 12 of the dispense head 1B, and the internal pressure rises to the set pressure of the relief valve 18, thereby opening the relief valve 18. Thereby, the droplets of the cleaning liquid remaining in the dispensing head 1B are discharged from the relief valve 18 to the outside of the head. Since the gas pressure P2 is higher than the gas pressure P1 at the time of dispensing, the droplet discharge effect is also high. On the other hand, since the gas pressure P2 is not discharged from the spout 112b, the effect of preventing droplets from scattering from the spout 112b is high, and no gas discharge noise is generated at the spout 112b. Noise due to gas discharge from the relief valve 18 is sufficiently suppressed by the silencer 19.

  After the opening / closing of the on-off valve V5 is repeated for a predetermined period or a predetermined number of times, the on-off valve V5 is closed at time t18. The cleaning operation is thus completed.

  In this embodiment as well, in order to perform cleaning using an alkaline or acidic chemical solution, the on-off valve V6 or V7 is opened between times t1 and t2 shown in FIG. The chemical liquid 143 may be introduced into the cleaning liquid tank 141. In the case of cleaning using a chemical solution, it is desirable to continue the cleaning operation using only water shown in FIG. 11 after the cleaning operation to reliably prevent the chemical solution from remaining. When the chemical cleaning and the water cleaning are continuously performed, the processing after time t17 in FIG. 11 may be performed only at the time of the final water cleaning. You may wash with water before and after introduction | transduction of a chemical | medical solution.

  According to the second embodiment, since it is not necessary to connect a pipe such as a hose for feeding the cleaning liquid to the gas inlet 14B, a pipe connected to the gas inlet 14B is connected to the cleaning inlet 14C. Can be clearly separated from Moreover, since the check valve 15b is provided, there is no possibility that the cleaning liquid introduced into the gas flow path 12 in the head flows backward from the gas introduction port 14B to the gas supply path 131. Therefore, there is an advantage that the gas supply path 131 is not in contact with the cleaning liquid.

  In the second embodiment, the on-off valve V11 functions as valve means for opening and closing the gas supply path 131, the on-off valve V12 functions as valve means for opening and closing the cleaning liquid supply path 150, and the on-off valve V2 opens and closes the accumulator tank 133. The on-off valve V13 functions as a valve means for opening and closing the gas discharge path 135, the on-off valve V5 functions as a means for opening and closing the purge gas introduction path 136, the pressure reducing valve 132 functions as a pressure adjusting means, The pressure reducing valve 137 functions as a pressure reducing means. However, the connection form of each path and the configuration of the valve means may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the second embodiment, since the gas introduction port 14B communicates with the gas flow path 12 even when the plunger 20 is in the closed position, at least one of the gas discharge path 135 and the purge gas introduction path 136 is introduced into the gas. Even if connected to the port 14B, beer, cleaning liquid, or liquid droplets of the cleaning liquid can be discharged from the flow path after the gas flow path 12. In this case, the gas inlet 14B also substantially functions as a part of the cleaning inlet. However, the cleaning liquid can be discharged more reliably when the gas is sent from the cleaning liquid supply path 150. The accumulation tank 133 may be connected to the pressure reducing valve 132 without passing through the gas supply path 131. The pressure adjusting means is not limited to the two-stage pressure reducing valve. For example, each of the gas supply path 131, the accumulation tank 133, and the purge gas introduction path 136 may be connected to the gas supply source 130 via different pressure reducing valves, and a gas having an appropriate pressure may be introduced into each path or tank. . In the first embodiment, a pressure reducing valve may be provided at the inlet of the accumulation tank 133.

  The present invention may be implemented in various forms without being limited to the form described above. For example, the cylinder device 30 is not limited to the configuration in which the gas pressure is selectively introduced into the working chambers 32a and 32b on both sides of the piston 33, and the gas pressure is introduced only into one of the working chambers 32a or 32b. The working chamber 32b or 32a may be provided with an elastic body such as a spring for biasing the piston 33. The plunger operating means is not limited to being provided as a part of the dispense head, but may be one separated from the dispense head. The plunger operating means is not limited to a cylinder device that operates by gas pressure, but may be a cylinder device that operates by hydraulic pressure or other hydraulic pressure. Furthermore, the plunger operating means may be configured to drive the plunger using the electromagnetic force generated by the solenoid coil, and various other actuators may be used as the plunger operating means. In addition, when a manual operation of the plunger by the operator is allowed, a drive mechanism using a handle or other operation member may be provided as the plunger operation means.

The figure which shows the outline | summary of the drink extraction apparatus with which the washing | cleaning system which concerns on the 1st form of this invention was integrated. Sectional drawing which shows the state which mounted | wore the base part of the beer barrel with the dispensing head used with the washing | cleaning system which concerns on the 1st form of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows a mode that the spear valve was opened with the plunger of the dispensing head of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the dispense head of FIG. 2. The time chart which shows the washing | cleaning procedure in a 1st form. The figure which shows the modification which added the relief valve to the dispense head of FIG. The figure which shows the outline | summary of the drink extraction apparatus with which the washing | cleaning system which concerns on the 2nd form of this invention was integrated. Sectional drawing which shows a state when the plunger exists in a closed position in the dispensing head used with the washing | cleaning system which concerns on the 2nd form of this invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when the plunger is switched to an open position in the dispensing head of FIG. 8. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 8. The time chart which shows the washing | cleaning procedure in a 2nd form.

Explanation of symbols

1A, 1B Dispensing head 2 Beverage dispensing path 10 Head body 12 Gas flow path (gas flow path in the head)
13 Seal ring 14 Gas inlet (cleaning inlet)
14B Gas inlet 14C Cleaning inlet 15b Check valve (Gas inlet closing valve)
17 Discharge port 18 Relief valve 20 Plunger 20a Plunger lower end surface 21 Beverage flow path 21a Connection portion 22 Operation portion 30 Cylinder device (plunger operation means)
31 Cylinder body 32 Cylinder chamber 32a, 32b Working chamber 33 Piston 35a, 35b Connection port 100 Beer barrel (beverage container)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Base part 102 Spear valve 103 Valve case 104 Beverage extraction pipe 105 Main seal packing 106 Coil spring 107 Gas flow path (gas flow path in valve)
110 Dispenser 112 Tap 112a Lever 112b Spout 120 Beer hose 130 Gas supply source 131 Gas supply path 132 Two-stage pressure reducing valve (pressure adjusting means)
133 Accumulation tank 135 Gas discharge path 136 Pargas introduction path 137 Pressure reducing valve (pressure reducing means)
140 Cleaning liquid supply device 141 Cleaning liquid tank 142 Alkali tank 143 Acid tank 148 Pump 150 Cleaning liquid supply path 170 Tap operation cylinder device 171 Lifting cylinder device 180 Cup 193 Controller A, B Beverage dispensing device

Claims (8)

The main seal packing of the spear valve provided in the base part of the beverage container can be mounted on the base part, and an in-head gas flow path that opens toward the main seal packing is provided inside. A main body, an open position that extends through the gas flow path in the head and pushes the main seal packing, and communicates the gas flow path in the head and the gas flow path in the valve of the spear valve; and the main seal packing A plunger that is mounted on the head body in a movable state between the gas flow path in the head and a closed position that blocks communication between the gas flow path in the valve apart from the head body, When the plunger is in the open position, the gas inlet communicating with the flow path in the head, and when the plunger is in the closed position A cleaning introduction port communicating with the gas flow path in the head is provided, and the plunger is in communication with a beverage dispensing pipe of the spear valve disposed inside the main seal packing at the open position. A dispensing head provided with a beverage flow channel that opens to a surface facing the main seal packing so as to communicate with the gas flow channel in the head at the closed position;
Plunger operating means for operating the plunger between the open position and the closed position;
A cleaning liquid supply device for supplying a cleaning liquid for cleaning the beverage dispensing path,
A gas supply path for guiding a gas for extraction supplied from a gas supply source is connected to the gas inlet of the dispense head via valve means for opening and closing the gas supply path, and the cleaning inlet The cleaning liquid supply path for guiding the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply apparatus is connected via a valve means for opening and closing the cleaning liquid supply path.
A washing system for a beverage dispensing device.   An accumulator tank that can be filled with a volume of gas that can replace the liquid that fills the beverage dispensing path is connected to the gas supply source through valve means that opens and closes the accumulator tank, and the accumulator tank is connected to the gas discharge path and the gas tank. The cleaning system according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning system is connected to the cleaning inlet through a valve means for opening and closing a gas discharge path.   The apparatus further comprises pressure reducing means for lowering the gas pressure guided from the gas supply source to the accumulation tank than the gas pressure guided from the gas supply source to the gas inlet through the gas supply path. The cleaning system according to claim 2.   4. The cleaning system according to claim 3, wherein the gas supply source and the cleaning inlet are further connected via a purge gas introduction path and valve means for opening and closing the purge gas introduction path.   The gas supply from the gas supply source is such that the gas pressure led from the gas supply source to the purge gas introduction path is higher than the gas pressure led from the gas supply source to the gas inlet through the gas supply path. 5. The cleaning system according to claim 4, further comprising pressure adjusting means for setting a gas pressure guided to each of the path and the purge gas introduction path.   The head main body of the dispense head is provided with a discharge port communicating with the gas flow path in the head when the plunger is in the closed position, and a relief valve is connected to the discharge port. 6. The cleaning according to claim 5, wherein a set pressure is set to be higher than a pressure led to the gas introduction port via the gas supply path and lower than a gas pressure led to the purge gas introduction path. system.   The cleaning according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the head main body of the dispensing head is provided with an inlet that is used as the gas inlet and the cleaning inlet. system.   The cleaning system according to claim 1, wherein the gas inlet and the cleaning inlet are separately provided in the head main body of the dispense head.

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