JP2008189326A - Beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a beverage dispenser capable of sanitarily storing beverage containers taken out from the beverage dispenser, by reducing beverage remaining in the top surface of a spear valve. <P>SOLUTION: When a beer barrel 101 is taken out from the beverage dispenser 100, the plunger 20 of a dispensing head 1A is moved by a cylinder device 30 to a position where the mouth piece of a beverage container 100 is closed. Subsequently, the opening/closing valve V7 of a washing liquid supply passage 150 is opened so that water is guided to the top face 102a of the spear valve 102 via a gas passage 12. Thereafter, the opening/closing valve V7 is closed, and also the opening/closing valve V8 of a purge gas introducing passage 136 is opened in order to remove water guided to the top face 102a of the spear valve 102. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage dispensing device that is connected to a beverage container in order to dispense a beverage such as beer from the beverage container.

  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 such a beverage dispensing device, when the plunger of the dispense head is pulled up to remove the beverage container after the beverage has been dispensed, the beverage remaining in the beverage flow path of the plunger moves to the top surface of the spear valve. Accumulate. As described above, if the beverage is left on the top surface of the spear valve, the beverage container may have various problems.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage dispensing device capable of suppressing the remaining beverage on the top surface of the spear valve and hygienically storing the beverage container removed from the beverage dispensing device. To do.

  The beverage dispensing device (100) 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 (101a) of the beverage container (101). A head main body (10) provided with a gas flow path (12) in the head that opens toward the main seal packing, and the main seal packing is pushed through the gas flow path in the head. The gas flow path in the head and the gas in the valve away from the main seal packing and the open position (position in FIG. 3) that communicates with the gas flow path in the head and the gas flow path in the valve of the spear valve. A plunger (20) mounted on the head body in a movable state between a closed position (the position shown in FIG. 2) that blocks communication with the flow path, and the head body Are provided with gas introduction ports (14A, 14B; 200) communicating with the gas flow path in the head, and a cleaning introduction port (14B; 200) communicating with the gas flow path in the head. Is communicated with the beverage spout pipe (104) of the spear valve disposed inside the main seal packing at the open position, and is communicated with the gas flow path in the head at the closed position. Dispensing head (1A; 1B) provided with a beverage flow path (21) that opens on the surface (20a) facing the packing, and plunger operating means for operating the plunger between the open position and the closed position ( 30) and a cleaning liquid supply device (140) for supplying a cleaning liquid, and the gas inlet of the dispensing head is supplied from a gas supply source (130). A gas supply path (131) for introducing the gas for extraction is connected via gas supply valve means (V3, V4, V8) for opening and closing the gas supply path, and the cleaning liquid supply is supplied to the cleaning inlet. In a beverage dispensing apparatus in which a cleaning liquid supply path (150) for guiding a cleaning liquid from the apparatus is connected via a cleaning liquid supply valve means (V7) for opening and closing the cleaning liquid supply path, the dispensing head is removed from the beverage container When a predetermined removal condition is satisfied, the operation of the plunger operating means is controlled so that the plunger is switched to the closed position, and then the top surface (102a) of the spear valve through the gas flow path in the head The cleaning liquid supply valve means is opened so that the cleaning liquid is guided to the gas, and then the cleaning liquid supply valve means is closed and the gas guided to the gas flow path in the head The operation control means (193) for opening the gas supply valve means to remove the cleaning liquid led to the top surface of the spear valve is provided to solve the above-mentioned problem.

  According to the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention, when the dispensing head is removed from the beverage container, the top of the spear valve is placed after the plunger is switched to the closed position and separated from the main seal packing, that is, after the spear valve is closed. Since the cleaning liquid is guided to the surface, the beverage remaining in the beverage flow path of the plunger and remaining on the top surface of the spear valve can be removed with the cleaning liquid, and the top surface of the spear valve can be cleaned with the cleaning liquid. Thereafter, the cleaning liquid supply valve means is closed, the supply of the cleaning liquid is stopped, and the cleaning liquid is removed by gas, so that it is possible to suppress the beverage from remaining on the top surface of the spear valve together with the cleaning liquid. Thereby, since the residual of the drink on the top | upper surface of a spear valve | bulb can be suppressed, the drink container removed from the drink extraction apparatus can be stored hygienically.

  In one aspect of the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention, the operation control means closes the gas supply valve means during a period in which the cleaning liquid is guided to the top surface of the spear valve via the gas flow path in the head. It may be held. In this case, it is possible to reliably prevent the cleaning liquid from flowing into the gas supply path upstream of the gas supply valve means.

  In one aspect of the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention, carbon dioxide is supplied as a gas from the gas supply source, and the operation control means is configured such that the dispense head is attached to the beverage container and the plunger is set to the open position. When a predetermined opening condition for switching is satisfied, the gas supply valve means is opened so that carbon dioxide is guided to the gas flow path in the head, and then the gas supply valve means is closed and the plunger is switched to the open position. In this way, the operation of the plunger operating means may be controlled. When the plunger is switched from the closed position to the open position, the gas in the gas flow path in the head enters the beverage container via the gas flow path in the valve. In this embodiment, the oxygen concentration in the gas flow path in the head can be lowered by introducing carbon dioxide into the gas flow path in the head before switching the plunger to the open position. Therefore, even if the plunger is switched from the closed position to the open position and the gas in the gas flow path in the head enters the beverage container, the oxygen concentration of the gas is low, so that the deterioration of the beverage quality due to oxygen can be suppressed. it can.

  In this embodiment, the operation control means is configured to guide the amount of carbon dioxide that can replace the gas in the gas flow path in the head to the gas flow path in the head when the predetermined release condition is satisfied. The gas supply valve means may be kept open for a set predetermined period. Thus, by introducing carbon dioxide into the gas flow path in the head, the oxygen concentration in the gas flow path in the head can be made almost zero. Therefore, when the plunger is switched to the open position, it is possible to more reliably suppress oxygen from entering the beverage container. Accordingly, it is possible to further suppress the quality deterioration of the beverage.

  In one form of the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention, the dispensing head is provided with a relief valve means (18) that communicates with the gas flow path in the head and opens at a preset pressure, and the gas A gas having a pressure higher than the set pressure may be guided from the supply path to the gas flow path in the head. In this case, by introducing the gas from the gas supply path to the gas flow path in the head, the beverage, the cleaning liquid, and the gas can be quickly discharged from the gas flow path in the head through the relief valve means.

  In one form of the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention, the dispensing head may include a liquid detection means (42) for detecting whether or not liquid is being delivered through the beverage flow path. In this case, it can be easily determined whether or not a beverage that can be dispensed remains in the beverage container.

  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, after the plunger is switched to the closed position and the spear valve is closed, the cleaning liquid is first guided to the gas flow path in the head, and then the gas is introduced to remove the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the beverage can be removed from the top surface of the spear valve. In addition, the top surface of the spear valve can be cleaned with a cleaning liquid. Thereby, the remaining of the beverage on the top surface of the spear valve can be suppressed, and the beverage container removed from the beverage dispensing device can be stored hygienically.

  FIG. 1 shows an outline of a beverage dispensing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The beverage dispensing apparatus 100 includes a dispense head 1A attached to a beer barrel 101 serving as a beverage container, a dispenser 110 that cools beer serving 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 gas supply path 131 is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve V4 that opens and closes the path 131. Therefore, the on-off valve V4 corresponds to the gas supply valve means of the present invention. 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 101, 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 101 through the dispense head 1A. With the introduction of gas, beer is pushed out from the beer barrel 101, 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 111 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 the internal configuration of the dispensing head 1A attached to the base 101a of the beer barrel 101, and FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the dispensing head 1A in a state where the spear valve 102 is opened by the plunger 20 of the dispensing head 1A. . FIG. 4 is a plan view of the dispensing head 1A. 2 and 3, some components are shown on the right side of the center line CL and on the left side are cross sections. The dispense head 1 </ b> A is attached to the base portion 101 a of the beer barrel 101. The base part 101a is provided with a spear valve 102. Hereinafter, the configuration of the spear valve 102 will be described first.

  The spear valve 102 is fitted into the valve case 103 screwed into the opening 101 b of the beer barrel 101, 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 101, 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 101. 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 101 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. By engaging the fitting portion 11 with the outer periphery of the flange 103a of the spear valve 102, the head body 10 is mounted on the base portion 101a. 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 inlet 14 </ b> A that communicates with the gas flow path 12 and a cleaning inlet 14 </ b> B for introducing a cleaning liquid into the gas flow path 12 are provided on the outer periphery of the head body 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the gas inlet 14 </ b> A and the cleaning inlet 14 </ b> B are in the same position with respect to the axial direction of the plunger 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the gas inlet 14A 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 14B 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. The center line CL of the plunger 20 matches the center line of the beverage dispensing pipe 104 of the spear valve 102. The gas introduction port 14 </ b> A is for sending gas from the gas supply source 130 into the gas flow path 12 and is connected to the gas supply path 131. The cleaning inlet 14 </ b> B is for feeding the cleaning liquid into the gas flow path 12 and is connected to the cleaning liquid supply path 150.

  A hose connector 15A having a check valve 40A for preventing discharge of gas or cleaning liquid from the gas introduction port 14A is attached to the inside of the gas introduction port 14A. A hose connector 15B having a check valve 40B for preventing discharge of gas or cleaning liquid from the inlet 14B is attached. Further, the fitting portion 11 of the head body 10 is provided with a sensor 41 for detecting whether or not the head body 11 is engaged with the flange 103a of the spear valve 102. As the sensor 41, for example, a proximity switch can be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a liquid as a liquid detecting means for detecting whether or not the liquid is sent to the beer hose 120 through the beverage channel 21 at the upper part of the head body 10. A cut sensor 42 is provided.

  The head body 10 is provided with a discharge port 17 communicating with the gas flow path 12, and a relief valve 18 and a silencer 19 are connected to the discharge port 17. 3 and 4, the relief valve 18 and the silencer 19 are not shown. 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 of FIG. 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 greater than the pressure P1 guided to the gas flow path 12 when beer is poured out, as long as the main seal packing 105 is not likely to be pushed down by the pressure confined in the gas flow path 12. It is set smaller than P2.

  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 inlet 14 </ b> A and the cleaning inlet 14 </ b> B of the head main body 10 are respectively opened in the inner wall of the 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. Therefore, even when the plunger 20 is in the closed position, the communication state of the gas introduction port 14A, the cleaning introduction port 14B, and the gas flow path 12 is maintained. In other words, the plunger 20 is provided so as not to block between the gas inlet 14 </ b> A and the cleaning inlet 14 </ b> B and the gas flow path 12. Therefore, these inlets 14A and 14B communicate with the gas flow path 12 regardless of whether the plunger 20 is in the open position or the closed position. 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 via the liquid shortage sensor 42 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 the flow of beer or the like in the direction in which the beverage flow path 21 is raised, 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 and the liquid shortage sensor 42.

  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. A sensor 37 for detecting the movement of the plunger 20 to the closed position (the position shown in FIG. 2) is attached to the cylinder device 30 via a bracket 38. As the sensor 37, for example, a proximity switch can be used.

  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 contained in the beer barrel 101 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 gas inlet 14A, the cleaning inlet 14B, and the gas channel 12 are connected. Each communication state is maintained. Therefore, by feeding water or a chemical solution as a cleaning liquid from the cleaning inlet 14B, 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. Up to 112b. In addition, the cleaning liquid in the beverage dispensing path can be pushed out by feeding gas from the gas inlet 14A after the cleaning liquid is introduced.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the beverage dispensing apparatus 100 will be continued. Beer pouring route (beverage pouring route) 2 in the beverage pouring device 100, that is, the route 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. In order to enable cleaning, the beverage dispensing apparatus 100 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 a check valve 154 for preventing the cleaning liquid from flowing back from the cleaning liquid tank 141 and an electromagnetic on-off valve V 1. Is provided. 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 via electromagnetic on-off valves V5 and V6. 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 V5 or the on-off valve V6, 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 cleaning inlet 14B via an electromagnetic on-off valve V7. Therefore, the on-off valve V7 corresponds to the cleaning liquid supply valve means of the present invention.

  The cleaning liquid supply apparatus 140 further includes a drain valve 152 that is connected to the bottom of the cleaning liquid tank 141 and allows the cleaning liquid to be discharged. The cleaning liquid tank 141 is provided with a water level meter 153 for detecting the water level of the cleaning liquid.

  An accumulator tank 133 that stores gas from the gas supply source 130 is connected to the gas supply path 131 via a pressure reducing valve 137 and an electromagnetic on-off valve V2. 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 outlet side of the accumulation tank 133 is connected to the cleaning liquid supply path 150 downstream of the on-off valve V7 via the gas discharge path 135 and the electromagnetic on-off valve V3. The accumulation tank 133 replaces the fluid when the flow path from the gas inlet 14A 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).

  The high pressure port 132b of the pressure reducing valve 132 is connected to a purge gas introduction path 136 for guiding the gas having the pressure P2 to the cleaning liquid supply path 150 on the downstream side of the on-off valve V7, and this path 136 is connected to the purge gas introduction path 136. Is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve V8. The pressure reducing valve 132 is provided with a pressure switch 138 for detecting the gas pressure P2. By connecting the gas discharge path 135 and the purge gas introduction path 136 to the cleaning liquid supply path 150 in this way, gas can be introduced into the gas flow path 12 also from the cleaning inlet 14B. Therefore, the cleaning inlet 14B also functions as the gas inlet of the present invention. The on-off valves V3 and V8 also function as the gas supply valve means of the present invention.

  The dispenser 110 is provided with a tap operation cylinder device 170 that operates the lever 112 a of the tap 112 and a switching cylinder device 171. The tap operation cylinder device 170 is provided to operate the lever 112a. On the other hand, the switching cylinder device 171 drives the bracket 170a of the tap operation cylinder device 170 up and down between an operation position engaging with the lever 112a and a standby position away 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 100 is provided with a cup 180 that receives the cleaning liquid discharged from the spout 112b of the tap 112. A drain path 181 is connected to the cup 180, and the drain path 181 is connected downstream of the drain valve 152. Further, a rotary actuator 182 for horizontally moving the cup 180 between a position immediately below the spout 112b and a position away from the spout 112b is provided.

  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 switching cylinder device 171 via the electromagnetic control valves 191 and 192, respectively. The electromagnetic control valves 190 to 192 operate in directions corresponding to the drive signals by switching the internal flow paths according to the drive signals given from the controller 193 as operation control means. Control the direction of gas flow. In addition to the electromagnetic control valves 190 to 192, the controller 193 is provided in other electromagnetic valves, that is, the on-off valve V1 on the water supply path 144, the on-off valve V2 provided on the inlet side of the accumulation tank 133, and the gas discharge path 135. The on-off valve V3 provided on the gas supply path 131, the on-off valves V5 and V6 between the cleaning liquid tank 141 and the alkali tank 142 and the acid tank 143, and the on-off valve V7 provided on the cleaning liquid supply path 150. By switching and controlling each of the on-off valves V8 provided in the purge gas introduction path 136, the operation of the pump 148 is controlled to realize beer pouring, beer pouring stop, washing work, and the like. An input device 194 for an operator to input an instruction to the controller 193 is connected to the controller 193.

  Next, with reference to FIG.5 and FIG.6, operation of each part of the drink extraction apparatus 100 by the controller 193 is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the procedure of the beer introduction work performed when preparing for beer pouring, and FIG. 6 is the time showing the procedure of the removal preparation work performed before removing the beer barrel 101 from the dispense head 1A. It is a chart.

  First, the procedure of beer introduction work will be described with reference to FIG. When preparing for beer pouring, the on-off valves V1 to V8 are closed, and the pump 148 is held in a stopped state. Further, the cylinder device 30 and the switching cylinder device 171 are operated so that the plunger 20 is switched to the closed position and the bracket 170a of the tap operation cylinder device 170 is switched to the standby position. The tap operating cylinder device 170 is operated to a position where the lever 112a is switched to the closed position when the bracket 170a is engaged with the lever 112a. In this state, when an operator inputs an instruction to the controller 193 via the input device 194 to introduce beer up to the tap 112, the controller 193 refers to the output signal of the sensor 41 and the head body 11 and the flange 103a are engaged with each other. Judge whether or not. When the dispense head 1A is mounted on the base portion 101a of the beer barrel 101 and a signal indicating that the engagement between the head main body 11 and the flange 103a is detected from the sensor 41 is input to the controller 193, the controller 193 moves the plunger 20 It is determined that a predetermined opening condition for switching to the opening position is satisfied, and the on-off valve V8 of the purge gas introduction path 136 is opened at time t1. Thus, by opening the on-off valve V8, the gas having the pressure P2 is introduced into the gas flow path 12. In this case, since the pressure in the path from the gas flow path 12 to the tap 112 increases, the relief valve 19 opens at the set pressure of the relief valve 19, and the gas in the gas flow path 12 is released from the relief valve 19.

  Thereafter, the on-off valve V8 is closed at time t2 when a predetermined time elapses from time t1. The predetermined time is set to a time during which the gas in the gas flow path 12 can be sufficiently replaced with the introduced carbon dioxide gas at the pressure P2. In addition, since such time changes according to capacity | capacitances, such as the gas flow path 12 and the drink extraction path | route 2, you may change suitably according to these. At time t2, the on-off valve V4 is opened. As a result, carbon dioxide gas having a pressure P1 is introduced into the gas flow path 12. Thereafter, at time t3, the cylinder device 30 drives the plunger 20 of the dispensing head 1A to the open position. Thereby, the gas of pressure P1 output from the pressure reducing valve 132 is introduced into the beer barrel 101 via the dispense head 1A.

  After the plunger 20 is driven to the open position, the bracket 170a of the tap operation cylinder device 170 is driven to the operation position by the switching cylinder device 171 at time t4. Subsequently, at time t5, the tap device cylinder device 170 switches the lever 112a of the tap 112 to the foaming position, at time t6, the lever 112a is switched to the dispensing position, and at time t7, the lever 112a is switched to the closed position. By these operations, beer flows from the dispensing head 1A to the spout 112b and beer is introduced. Thereafter, at time t8, the lever 112a is switched again to the dispensing position, and at time t9, the lever 112a is switched to the closed position. By these operations, so-called foam removal is performed in which the foam in the beverage dispensing path 2 is discharged from the spout 112b. After defoaming, the bracket 170a of the tap operation cylinder device 170 is driven to the standby position by the switching cylinder device 171 at time t10. As a result, the operator can manually operate the lever 112a of the tap 112. In addition, when operating the lever 112a of the tap 112 with the tap operation cylinder device 170, the bracket 170a of the tap operation cylinder device 170 may be held in the operation position even after foam removal. The beer introduction work is thus completed.

  As described above, in the beverage dispensing apparatus 100, before switching the plunger 20 to the open position in the beer introduction operation, the carbon dioxide gas having the pressure P2 is introduced into the gas flow path 12, and the gas in the gas flow path 12 is replaced with the carbon dioxide gas. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of oxygen into the beer barrel 101 and suppress the deterioration of beer quality. Further, by introducing carbon dioxide gas having a pressure P2 higher than the set pressure of the relief valve 19 into the gas flow path 12, the relief valve 19 is opened and the gas in the gas flow path 12 is quickly discharged from the relief valve 19. be able to.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the procedure of the preparation work for removing the beer barrel 101 that is performed when the beer pouring from the beer barrel 101 is completed will be described. Until this operation is performed, since beer is being poured out from the beer barrel 101, the on-off valve V4 is opened and the other on-off valves V1 to V3 and V5 to V8 are closed. Further, the plunger 20 is held in the open position by the cylinder device 30, the bracket 170a of the tap operation cylinder device 170 is held at the standby position by the switching cylinder device 171, and the pump 148 is held in the stopped state. The tap operation cylinder device 170 is held in a state where the lever 112a is switched to the closed position when the bracket 170 is engaged with the lever 112a.

  In this state, when the operator inputs an instruction via the input device 194 to cause the controller 193 to perform a preparatory work for removing the dispense head 1A from the beer barrel 101, the controller 193 performs a predetermined removal of the dispense head 1A from the beer barrel 101. When it is determined that the removal condition is satisfied and an ON signal indicating that no liquid is being sent to the beer hose 120 via the beverage flow path 21 from the liquid shortage sensor 42 is output at time t11, the on-off valve V4 is closed. . Thereby, the introduction of carbon dioxide gas to the dispensing head 1A is stopped. Moreover, the waste disposal of the beer from the inside of the drink extraction path | route 2 can be prevented by this operation | movement. Subsequently, at time t12, the cylinder device 30 drives the plunger 20 of the dispense head 1A to the closed position in FIG. Thereby, the spear valve 102 is closed.

  Thereafter, the opening / closing valve V1 of the water supply path 144 is opened at time t13 and water is stored in the cleaning liquid tank 141, and the opening / closing valve V1 is closed at time t14. Subsequently, the pump 148 is started at time t15, the on-off valve V7 of the cleaning liquid supply path 150 is opened at time t16, the pump 148 is stopped at time t17, and the on-off valve V7 is closed at time t18. By these operations, water can be introduced into the gas flow path 12 to remove beer accumulated on the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102 and to clean the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102. In the period (time t16 to t18) during which water is introduced into the gas flow path 12, the time during which beer can be removed from the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102 and water that can clean the top surface 102a is set. Is done. Such a time changes according to the capacity of the gas flow path 12 and the like, and therefore is set appropriately according to the dispense head 1A. In the beverage dispensing apparatus 100, for example, the pump 148 is stopped and the on-off valve V7 is closed when a predetermined time (for example, 15 seconds) elapses from time t14 when the on-off valve V1 of the water supply path 144 is closed.

  After the introduction of water into the gas passage 12, the on-off valve V8 of the purge gas introduction path 136 is opened for a predetermined period (time t19 to t20). By this operation, the pressure P2 gas is introduced into the gas flow path 12 to open the relief valve 19, and the introduced gas causes the beer and water remaining on the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102 to be discharged from the relief valve 19. Can do. The predetermined period at this time is set to a time during which the gas flow passage 12 can be introduced with an amount of gas capable of discharging beer and water remaining on the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102 from the relief valve 19. Is done. This completes the preparation for removal. After the completion of the removal preparation work, the operator removes the dispensing head 1A from the beer barrel 101. Thereafter, when the beverage dispensing apparatus 100 is continuously used, the dispense head 1A is attached to another beer barrel 101 filled with beer by an operator.

  In this removal preparation work, first, water is introduced into the gas flow path 12 to remove beer remaining on the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102 and the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102 is washed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress beer from remaining on the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102, and the beer barrel 101 removed from the beverage dispensing apparatus 100 can be stored in a sanitary manner. Moreover, since the adhesion of beer components to the top surface 102a can be suppressed by suppressing the residual beer on the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102 in this way, the beer barrel performed when the beer barrel 101 is reused. The trouble of washing 101 can be reduced.

  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 dispense head used in the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the dispense head having the above-described configuration. For example, a dispensing head 1B having an internal configuration shown in FIG. 7 and a plan view shown in FIG. 8 may be used. 7 and 8, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as those in FIGS. 2 to 4, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified. 7 and 8, the sensor 37 and the bracket 38 for detecting the movement of the plunger 20 to the closed position are attached to the cylinder device 30, and the liquid is provided on the outlet side of the connector 24. Although a cut sensor 42 is provided, the illustration thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the dispensing head 1 </ b> B includes an introduction port 200 that communicates with the gas flow path 12, and gas and cleaning liquid are introduced from the introduction port 200. As shown in FIG. 8, the introduction port 200 has its axis AX eccentric with respect to the center line CL of the plunger 20 by a predetermined amount δ. A hose connector 202 having a check valve 201 for preventing discharge of gas or cleaning liquid from the inlet 200 is attached to the inside of the inlet 200, and gas is supplied to the inlet 200 via the hose connector 202. A supply path 131 is connected. When this dispense head 1B is used, the gas supply path 131 can be switched between a cleaning liquid introduction position where the cleaning liquid supply path 150 and the inlet 200 are communicated, and a gas introduction position where the gas supply path 131 and the inlet 200 are communicated. A three-way valve is provided, and carbon dioxide gas or cleaning liquid is selectively guided to the inlet 200 by switching the position of the three-way valve. Therefore, in the dispensing head 1B, the inlet 200 corresponds to the gas inlet and the cleaning inlet of the present invention.

  In this dispensing head 1B, at the time of beer introduction work, the three-way valve is first switched to the gas introduction position to replace the gas in the gas flow path 12 with carbon dioxide gas, and then the plunger 20 is driven to the open position. By performing the beer introduction operation in this way, oxygen can be prevented from entering into the beer barrel 101, so that deterioration of beer quality can be suppressed as in the above-described embodiment.

  In preparation for removing the dispensing head 1B from the beer barrel 101, after the plunger 20 is driven to the closed position, the three-way valve is first switched to the cleaning liquid introduction position and water is introduced into the gas flow path 12. Next, the three-way valve is switched to the gas introduction position, and carbon dioxide gas having a pressure P2 is introduced into the gas flow path 12. By introducing water and carbon dioxide gas into the gas flow path 12 in this order, it is possible to suppress beer residue on the top surface 102a of the spear valve 102, so that the beer is removed from the beverage dispensing apparatus 100 in the same manner as described above. The beer barrel 101 can be stored hygienically, and the labor of washing the beer barrel 101 when reused can be reduced.

The figure which shows the drink extraction apparatus which concerns on one form of this invention. The figure which shows the internal structure of the dispense head with which the nozzle | cap | die part of the beer barrel was mounted | worn. The figure which shows the internal structure of a dispense head when a spear valve is opened by the plunger of a dispense head and the drink is poured out. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the dispense head of FIG. 2. The time chart which shows a beer introduction procedure. The time chart which shows the removal preparation procedure of a beer barrel. The figure which shows the internal structure of the other dispense head used for the drink extraction apparatus of this invention. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the dispensing head of FIG. 7.

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 14A Gas inlet 14B Cleaning inlet (gas inlet)
17 Discharge port 18 Relief valve (relief valve means)
20 Plunger 20a Lower end surface of plunger 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 42 Liquid breakage sensor (liquid detection means)
100 beverage dispenser 101 beer barrel (beverage container)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101a Base part 102 Spear valve 102a Top surface 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 Purge gas 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 (Operation Control Unit)
200 inlet (gas inlet, inlet for cleaning)
V3 On-off valve (gas supply valve means)
V4 On-off valve (gas supply valve means)
V7 On-off valve (cleaning liquid supply valve means)
V8 On-off valve (gas supply valve means)

Claims (6)

The main seal packing of the spear valve provided in the base part of the beverage container can be attached to 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, A gas inlet that communicates with the gas flow path in the head, and a cleaning inlet that communicates with the gas flow path in the head are provided inside the plunger. The spear valve is disposed inside the main seal packing at the open position and communicates with the beverage dispensing pipe of the spear valve, and is opposed to the main seal packing so as to communicate with the gas flow path in the head at the closed position. A dispensing head provided with a beverage channel opening in the surface;
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,
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 a gas supply valve means for opening and closing the gas supply path, In the beverage dispensing apparatus, the cleaning liquid supply path for introducing the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply apparatus is connected to the introduction port via the cleaning liquid supply valve means that opens and closes the cleaning liquid supply path.
When a predetermined removal condition for removing the dispensing head from the beverage container is satisfied, the operation of the plunger operating means is controlled so that the plunger is switched to the closed position, and then the gas flow path in the head is used. The cleaning liquid supply valve means is opened so that the cleaning liquid is guided to the top surface of the spear valve, and then the cleaning liquid supply valve means is closed and the gas guided to the gas flow path in the head is guided to the top surface of the spear valve. A beverage pouring device comprising operation control means for opening the gas supply valve means for removing the washed liquid.   2. The operation control means holds the gas supply valve means in a closed state during a period in which cleaning liquid is introduced to the top surface of the spear valve via the gas flow path in the head. Beverage dispenser. Carbon dioxide is supplied as a gas from the gas supply source,
When the dispensing head is attached to the beverage container and a predetermined opening condition for switching the plunger to the opening position is satisfied, the operation control means is configured to guide the gas so that carbon dioxide is guided to the gas flow path in the head. 3. The beverage injection according to claim 1, wherein the supply valve means is opened, the gas supply valve means is then closed, and the operation of the plunger operating means is controlled so that the plunger is switched to the open position. Out device.   The operation control means is a predetermined set to guide an amount of carbon dioxide capable of replacing the gas in the gas flow path in the head to the gas flow path in the head when the predetermined release condition is satisfied. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gas supply valve means is kept open for a period. The dispensing head is provided with a relief valve means that communicates with the gas flow path in the head and opens at a preset pressure.
The beverage pouring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a gas having a pressure higher than the set pressure is guided from the gas supply path to the gas flow path in the head.   The beverage injection according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the dispensing head includes a liquid breakage detecting unit that detects whether or not liquid is being delivered through the beverage flow path. Out device.

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