JP2015093680A - Drinking water dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drinking water dispenser reducing heat loss caused by heat exchange.SOLUTION: There are included: a first storage tank 11 capable of receiving supply of drinking water fron a bottle 1 and storing in a low temperature state; a second storage tank 12 positioned below the first storage tank 11, and capable of receiving supply of drinking water from the first storage tank 11 and storing in a high temperature state; and a supply pipe 13 for supplying drinking water from the first storage tank 11 to the second storage tank 12. The inside of the first storage tank 11 is divided into an upper normal temperature layer 17 for storing drinking water at normal temperature at an upper side, and a lower low temperature layer 18 for storing drinking water at a lower side in a state of being cooled to a low temperature. In the supply pipe 13, an inlet opening 13A is opened to the upper normal temperature layer 17 of the first storage tank 11, and passes the outside of the first storage tank 11, and an outlet opening 13B is opened to a bottom side of the second storage tank 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to a drinking water dispenser capable of supplying drinking water as cold water and hot water.

〔Overview〕
In recent years, the use of mineral water for drinking has been rapidly increasing in Japan as people's awareness of health and safety has increased, and it has permeated general life. Such mineral water is prepared as drinking water that can be treated with bacteria and the like, or treated to remove an unpleasant odor at the time of drinking with an adsorbent or the like, and on which minerals can be taken.

  In many cases, such mineral water is processed by bottles after filling the bottle with mineral water collected by the manufacturer at its own collection site. Originally supplied.

  There are two types of mineral water supply. The first is to pack mineral water in a small capacity bottle of about 500 mL to 2 L, distribute it through a convenience store or a supermarket, and deliver it to the user. The other is to pack mineral water in a large capacity bottle of about 12 liters and deliver it directly to the user. The large-volume bottle delivered to the home is set in a water collection device called a dispenser or server, and the user takes out and uses the necessary amount in a cup or medicine can.

[Prior art 1]
As such a dispenser, those made so as to be able to supply hot water and cold water are widely used (for example, Patent Document 1 below).

  In FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1, the following beverage dispenser (100) is presented as a conventional technique. In addition, the code | symbol in a parenthesis is published in the gazette.

  The beverage dispenser (100) temporarily introduces water supplied from the bottle into the low temperature tank (103), cools the water at room temperature by the cooling means (106), and supplies it as cold water. On the other hand, a part of water is introduced into the high temperature tank (101), heated by the heating means (105), and supplied as warm water. In general, cold water is supplied at a temperature of about 4 to 6 ° C., and hot water is supplied at a temperature of about 65 to 85 ° C.

  This beverage dispenser (100) is provided with a supply system capable of supplying a part of the beverage supplied to the high temperature tank (101) to the low temperature tank (103) side, and is one of the beverages sterilized by heating in the high temperature tank (101). The part is supplied to the low temperature tank (103) to be cooled. For this purpose, a pipe (107) is provided.

In the beverage dispenser (100), both the high temperature tank (101) and the low temperature tank (103) are operated with heating and cooling functions as necessary to maintain the set temperature.
At this time, the beverage dispenser (100) requires a large amount of energy in order to maintain the beverage stored in the high temperature tank (101) and the low temperature tank (103) at a predetermined set temperature.

  That is, in the beverage dispenser (100), the communication pipe (102) for supplying water supplied from the bottle to the high temperature tank (101) passes through the high temperature tank (101) and the low temperature tank (103). It is plumbed vertically.

  In such a structure, when the heating means (105) of the high temperature tank (101) and the cooling means (106) of the low temperature tank (103) are operated in order to maintain the temperature of the beverage, the water expands and contracts. Accordingly, the hot water in the high temperature tank (101) moves to the low temperature tank (103) side through the communication pipe (102) and the pipe (107), and conversely, the cold water in the low temperature tank (103) is transferred to the communication pipe (102) and the pipe. (107) or the high temperature tank (103) side. Such convection of water occurs relatively easily.

  When such a convection phenomenon occurs, the high temperature tank (101) becomes lower than the target temperature, and the low temperature tank (103) becomes higher than the target temperature. In other words, a large loss in heat energy occurred. In order to recover this loss, the cooling means (106) and the heating means (105) are operated more than necessary, and energy is wasted.

  Moreover, in the said drink dispenser (100), since the drink was supplied via the piping provided so that the inside of the high temperature tank (101) might be cut through, the temperature of the drink formed in the high temperature tank (101) The stratification collapsed, causing further heat energy loss.

  In addition, the beverage dispenser as described above generally needs to be discharged in order to release water vapor generated in the high-temperature tank (101) and not increase the internal pressure. For this reason, the above-described communication pipe (102) or pipe (107) is provided with an exhaust pressure function. Further, the high-temperature tank (101) and the low-temperature tank (103) are often separated by a heat insulating partition plate (not shown).

[Prior art 2]
Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the energy required for keeping the beverage warm and cold is minimized, and the following configuration is adopted as a beverage dispenser that can effectively use thermal energy (FIGS. 1 and 2). .

  The dispenser (1) for beverages of patent document 1 has a low temperature tank (2) and a high temperature tank (3) arranged on the lower side with respect to this. Inside the low temperature tank (2) is a beverage receiving part (19) into which beverage flows by connecting the tank (21). The beverage supply system (5) of the beverage dispenser (1) has a communication pipe (14) that cuts through the low-temperature tank (2) from the bottom surface of the beverage receiving section (19). The communication pipe (14) is connected to the bottom through the outside of the high-temperature tank (3).

  The beverage supply system (5) is configured by connecting a high / low temperature communication pipe (55) to the low temperature tank (2) and the high temperature tank (3) in addition to the communication pipe (14). . The high / low temperature communication pipe (55) is a pipe connecting the top side of the low temperature tank (2) and the top side of the high temperature tank (3). The high / low temperature communication pipe (55) is arranged outside the low temperature tank (2) and the high temperature tank (3), and is not arranged inside these tanks (2, 3).

In addition, a check valve (56) is provided in the middle of the high / low temperature communication pipe (55) to prevent the flow of beverage from the low temperature tank (2) side to the high temperature tank (3) side. ing. The high / low temperature communication pipe (55) is connected to the top side of the low temperature tank (2), that is, the top side region (10) side of the partition plate (8) on the low temperature tank (2) side. Therefore, in the beverage dispenser (1), when the beverage flows out from the top side of the high temperature tank (3) through the high / low temperature communication pipe (55), it first flows into the top side region (10) and then communicates with it. It flows into the bottom side region (11) through the portion (12).

JP 2009-97846 A

  However, the beverage dispenser of Patent Document 1 still has the following problems.

  That is, since the hot water in the high temperature tank (3) flows into the low temperature tank (2) side through the high / low temperature communication pipe (55), the heat convection cannot be prevented. Further, the communication pipe (14) connected from the upper part of the low temperature tank (2) to the bottom of the high temperature tank (3) has a structure that vertically penetrates the bottom side region (11) that is a low temperature layer in the low temperature tank (2). Therefore, heat exchange between the water in the communication pipe (14) and the water in the bottom side region (11) is inevitable. Therefore, there is still a heat loss due to heat convection and heat exchange, which is not sufficient in terms of energy reduction.

  In addition, since the piping must be more complicated than the conventional structure, a flexible resin tube is used as a piping material in a product in which this is put into practical use. Such a pipe material has high air permeability and is mixed into the beverage dispenser (1) through the water inlet valve (31) and the hot water supply valve (51), including the inlet (23) when the bottle (21) is replaced. It is easy for breeding bacteria to breed.

  Moreover, when such a resin tube is used, it is difficult to radiate heat to the outside air because the thermal conductivity of the material itself is low. Therefore, when the hot convection in which the hot water in the high temperature tank (3) flows into the low temperature tank (2) through the high / low temperature communication pipe (55) occurs, 2). This increases the electrical energy required to cool it.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drinking water dispenser in which heat loss due to heat convection or heat exchange is reduced and energy efficiency is improved.

In order to achieve the above object, the drinking water dispenser of the present invention includes a first storage tank that can receive drinking water from a drinking water supply source and store it in a low temperature state,
A second storage tank that is located below the first storage tank and that receives drinking water from the first storage tank and stores it in a high temperature state;
A supply pipe for supplying drinking water from the first storage tank to the second storage tank;
The inside of the first storage tank is divided into an upper room temperature layer for storing drinking water at room temperature on the upper side, and a lower low temperature layer for storing drinking water in a cooled state on the lower side,
The supply pipe has an inlet opening that opens to the upper normal temperature layer of the first storage tank, passes through the outside of the first storage tank, and an outlet opening opens to the bottom side of the second storage tank. This is the gist.

In the drinking water dispenser of the present invention, the supply pipe has an inlet opening that opens with respect to the upper room temperature layer of the first storage tank, passes through the outside of the first storage tank, and an outlet opening is the second storage tank. Open to the bottom side of the.
The drinking water supplied from the drinking water supply source to the first storage tank is stored in the upper room temperature layer, and is supplied from the upper room temperature layer to the second storage tank by a supply pipe passing outside the first storage tank. Supplied to the bottom side. By adopting such a piping structure, heat loss due to heat exchange, which has been a problem in the prior art, is eliminated, and energy required to recover the loss can be saved.

In the present invention, the upper air layer existing above the upper normal temperature layer in the first storage tank further comprises a discharge pipe for releasing the pressure in the second storage tank,
The exhaust pressure pipe has an inlet opening that opens on the top side of the second storage tank, passes outside the first storage tank and the second storage tank, and an outlet opening is the upper part of the first storage tank. If it is open to the air layer,
Even if the internal pressure rises due to water vapor generated in the second storage tank, the pressure escapes to the upper air layer of the first storage tank via the exhaust pressure pipe. At this time, since the outlet opening of the exhaust pipe opens with respect to the upper air layer of the first storage tank, the outlet opening of the exhaust pipe becomes equal to or higher than the water surface of the upper normal temperature layer. The drinking water in the storage tank 2 is unlikely to flow into the upper air layer. By adopting such a piping structure, heat loss due to heat convection, which has been a problem in the prior art, is eliminated, and energy required to recover the loss can be saved.

In the present invention, a partition member for separating the upper normal temperature layer and the lower low temperature layer is disposed inside the first storage tank, and the supply pipe and the exhaust pressure pipe are provided in the partition member. If not,
The structure of the partition member becomes simple. Accordingly, the cost of parts can be reduced, and maintenance work such as cleaning required for long-term use can be saved.

In the present invention, when the supply pipe and the exhaust pressure pipe are metal pipes,
By using a metal tube with low air permeability, growth of aerobic bacteria in the pipe can be prevented. The heat conductivity of the piping is high and it is easy to radiate heat to the outside air. Therefore, even if the drinking water in the second storage tank flows into the first storage tank through the exhaust pressure pipe, it flows in a cold state after heat radiation, and heat loss is minimized.

In the present invention, when the first storage tank is provided with a water surface holding mechanism that maintains the water surface that becomes the boundary between the upper normal temperature layer and the upper air layer,
By the water surface holding mechanism, the water surface that becomes the boundary between the upper room temperature layer and the upper air layer is maintained in a certain range. Therefore, when the water surface is lowered too much, the inlet opening of the supply pipe that opens to the upper ambient temperature layer is above the water surface, which causes inconvenience in the supply of drinking water from the first storage tank to the second storage tank. Things can be prevented. Moreover, when the water surface rises too much, the outlet opening of the exhaust pipe that opens to the upper air layer becomes below the water surface, and hot drinking water flows from the second storage tank into the first storage tank. Can be prevented.

It is a figure which shows the drinking water dispenser of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the said 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the drinking water dispenser of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the drinking water dispenser of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the drinking water dispenser made into the comparative example.

  Next, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described.

  1 and 2 show a drinking water dispenser of a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

[Overall structure]
The drinking water dispenser 30 is located below the first storage tank 11 that can receive drinking water from a drinking water supply source and store it at a low temperature, and the first storage tank 11. And a second storage tank 12 that receives drinking water from the first storage tank 11 and stores it in a high temperature state. This example uses a bottle 1 as a source of drinking water.

  The first storage tank 11 and the second storage tank 12 are accommodated in the housing 4. And the bottle 1 is attached to the upper part of the said housing | casing 4 upside down, and drinking water is supplied from extraction cock 5A, 5B provided in the front surface. In this example, the extraction cock 5 </ b> A supplies cold water from the first storage tank 11, and the extraction cock 5 </ b> B supplies hot water from the second storage tank 12.

  As the bottle 1, for example, a PET gallon bottle can be used. With the bottle 1 turned upside down and the bottle neck 10 facing downward, the bottle 1 is attached to a bottle attachment portion 9 provided at the upper part of the housing 4. The bottle mounting portion 9 has a water receiving pipe 6 erected in the center of the fitting portion to which the bottle neck 10 is fitted, for receiving the supply of drinking water inserted from the mouth of the bottle 1. The drinking water in the bottle 1 is supplied to the first storage tank 11 through the water receiving pipe 6 and stored.

[First storage tank]
As described above, the first storage tank 11 receives drinking water from the bottle 1 and stores it in a low temperature state. This will be described in detail below.

  The interior of the first storage tank 11 is divided into an upper room temperature layer 17 that stores drinking water at room temperature on the upper side, and a lower low temperature layer 18 that stores drinking water cooled to a low temperature on the lower side. Yes. The upper normal temperature layer 17 and the lower low temperature layer 18 are separated by a partition member 20 disposed inside the first storage tank 11.

  The partition member 20 is a plate-like member provided at a height of about one third from the bottom of the first storage tank 11. Between the outer peripheral part of the partition member 20 and the inner peripheral part of the 1st storage tank 11, the clearance gap 19 for allowing drinking water to pass is formed. The partition member 20 can be fixed at the center of the partition member 20 by the support member 21 with respect to the bottom of the first storage tank 11, for example, as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line. Alternatively, it is possible to secure the portion that becomes the above-described gap 19 on the outer peripheral portion of the partition member 20 and extend the support member, and fix the support member to the inner peripheral surface of the first storage tank 11. Moreover, it may replace with the said clearance gap 19 and may provide the hole through which drinking water distribute | circulates.

  A cooling pipe 23 is provided on the outer periphery of the first storage tank 11 at a portion corresponding to the lower side of the partition member 20. The cooling pipe 23 is connected to a cooling device such as a compressor (not shown), and the cooled refrigerant gas is circulated to cool a region below the partition member 20 of the first storage tank 11. Further, a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the drinking water cooled in the lower low temperature layer 18 is provided on the bottom surface of the first storage tank 11.

  And the normal temperature drinking water stored in the bottle 1 is supplied to the upper normal temperature layer 17 above the partition member 20. The upper room temperature layer 17 is hardly affected by the cooling action by the cooling pipe 23 and stores the supplied drinking water at room temperature.

  The drinking water supplied to the upper normal temperature layer 17 passes through the gap 19 and flows down to the lower low temperature layer 18 due to gravity and is stored. In the lower low temperature layer 18, the cooling action by the cooling pipe 23 works, and the stored drinking water is cooled. The lower low temperature layer 18 stores drinking water in a low temperature state. Therefore, the cold water take-off cock 5A for taking out the cold water communicates with the bottom of the lower low temperature layer 18 and takes out the cooled drinking water.

[Water surface retention mechanism]
The first storage tank 11 is provided with a float valve 22 </ b> A as a water surface holding mechanism that maintains a water surface 27 that becomes a boundary between the upper normal temperature layer 17 and the upper air layer 16.

  The float valve 22A is on the surface 27 of the drinking water stored in the upper normal temperature layer 17, and when the water level rises, the lower opening 7 of the water receiving pipe 6 is closed and the supply of drinking water from the bottle 1 is stopped. . On the contrary, when the drinking water in the first storage tank 11 or the second storage tank 12 is taken out from the cold water extraction cock 5A or the hot water extraction cock 5B and the water level is lowered, the lower opening 7 of the water receiving pipe 6 is opened and the bottle is opened. Supply drinking water from 1. In this way, the water surface 27 of the drinking water stored in the upper normal temperature layer 17 is kept in a certain range. Since the float valve 22A has a movable range, if the water from the cold water take-off cock 5A or the hot water take-off cock 5B is excessively abrupt, the water surface 27 is temporarily separated from the float valve 22A as an unsteady operation. Sometimes it ends up. The float valve 22A only needs to function as a water surface holding mechanism as a steady operation.

  Inside the first storage tank 11, an upper air layer 16 is provided above the water surface 27 of the drinking water stored in the upper normal temperature layer 17. The first storage tank 11 has a ceiling portion provided with an external communication portion 8 in which a filter is incorporated. When the drinking water in the first storage tank 11 or the second storage tank 12 is taken out from the cold water extraction cock 5A or the hot water extraction cock 5B, the outside water is taken in from the external communication section 8 and the drinking water stored in the upper normal temperature layer 17 is stored. The water level is lowered without difficulty. Moreover, when drinking water is supplied to the 1st storage tank 11 from the bottle 1, an internal pressure is released from the external communication part 8, and the water level of drinking water is raised without difficulty.

  The boundary between the upper normal temperature layer 17 and the upper air layer 16 is maintained by the float valve 22A as the water surface holding mechanism. That is, the upper ambient temperature layer 17 is above the upper surface of the partition member 20 described above and below the water surface 27 set by the float valve 22A. The upper air layer 16 is above the water surface 27 set by the float valve 22A.

[Second storage tank]
The second storage tank 12 is located below the first storage tank 11. The second storage tank 12 is provided with a heater 15 for heating the stored drinking water. Therefore, the hot water take-off cock 5B for taking out the hot water communicates with the upper part of the second storage tank 12 and takes out the heated drinking water. The second storage tank 12 is provided with a temperature sensor 24 that detects the temperature of the heated drinking water. A drain valve 25 is provided at the bottom of the second storage tank 12. Further, a heat insulating material partition plate 26 is disposed between the first storage tank 11 and the second storage tank 12.

[Piping structure of supply pipe]
The drinking water dispenser 30 includes a supply pipe 13 for supplying drinking water from the first storage tank 11 to the second storage tank 12.

  The supply pipe 13 has an inlet opening 13 </ b> A that opens to the upper room temperature layer 17 of the first storage tank 11, passes through the outside of the first storage tank 11, and an outlet opening 13 </ b> B of the second storage tank 12. Open to the bottom side.

  Due to such a piping structure of the supply pipe 13, normal temperature drinking water stored in the upper normal temperature layer 17 of the first storage tank 11 affects the temperature of the lower low temperature layer 18 in the second storage tank 12. Without being carried out, it flows down at room temperature and is supplied. The normal temperature drinking water supplied to the bottom of the second storage tank 12 is heated by the heater 15 and stored in a heated state in the second storage tank 12.

  The heated drinking water in the 2nd storage tank 12 can be taken out from the warm water extraction cock 5B. At this time, since the drinking water stored in the first storage tank 11 is applied to the drinking water stored in the second storage tank 12 via the supply pipe 13, the hot water take-off cock 5B is provided. When it is opened, warm water is taken out by the water pressure.

  In this example, the inlet opening 13 </ b> A opens on the side surface of the first storage tank 11 corresponding to the upper normal temperature layer 17. The opening position of the inlet opening 13A may be a position where the drinking water can naturally flow down by weight from the upper room temperature layer 17 of the first storage tank 11 toward the second storage tank 12. Therefore, the lower limit in the vertical direction of the opening position of the inlet opening 13A is a position where the lower end of the inlet opening 13A is equal to the height of the upper surface of the partition member 20. The upper limit of the opening position of the inlet opening 13A in the vertical direction is a position where the lower end of the inlet opening 13A is lower than the highest position among the water levels of the water surface 27 set by the float valve 22A. The upper limit in the vertical direction of the opening position of the inlet opening 13A is more preferably a position where the lower end of the inlet opening 13A is lower than the lowest position among the water levels of the water surface 27 set by the float valve 22A.

[Piping structure of exhaust pipe]
The drinking water dispenser 30 further includes a discharge pipe 14 for releasing the pressure in the second storage tank in the upper air layer 16 existing above the upper room temperature layer 17 in the first storage tank 11. .

  The exhaust pipe 14 has an inlet opening 14 </ b> A that opens on the top side of the second storage tank 12, passes through the outside of the first storage tank 11 and the second storage tank 12, and an outlet opening 14 </ b> B has the first opening. The storage tank 11 is open to the upper air layer 16.

  By such a piping structure of the exhaust pressure pipe 14, the internal pressure of the second storage tank 12, which becomes higher due to water vapor generated by heating the drinking water in the second storage tank 12, passes through the exhaust pressure pipe 14. It escapes to the upper air layer 16 of the first storage tank 11. The internal pressure that has escaped into the upper air layer 16 is further discharged to the outside via the external communication portion 8.

  At this time, the outlet opening 14 </ b> B is opened above the water surface 27 that is a boundary between the upper air layer 16 and the upper room temperature layer 17. Since the water surface 14C in the exhaust pressure pipe 14 has the same water level as the water surface 27 of the upper normal temperature layer 17, the warm water that has flowed up from the second storage tank 12 into the exhaust pressure pipe 14 basically passes through the outlet opening 14B. It does not flow into the first storage tank 11.

  In this example, the outlet opening 14 </ b> B opens on the side surface of the first storage tank 11 corresponding to the upper air layer 16. The outlet position of the outlet opening 14 </ b> B may be a position where hot water that has risen from the second storage tank 12 into the exhaust pressure pipe 14 does not flow into the first storage tank 11 from the outlet opening 14 </ b> B. Accordingly, the lower limit in the vertical direction of the opening position of the outlet opening 14B is a position where the lower end of the outlet opening 14B is higher than the highest position among the water levels of the water surface 27 set by the float valve 22A.

[Other structures]
In the first storage tank 11, the supply pipe 13 and the exhaust pressure pipe 14 are not provided in the partition member 20 that separates the upper normal temperature layer 17 and the lower low temperature layer 18. That is, the supply pipe 13 has an inlet opening 13A that opens to the upper ambient temperature layer 17, passes through the outside of the first storage tank, and an outlet opening 13B opens to the bottom side of the second storage tank 12. Yes. Further, the exhaust pressure pipe 14 has an inlet opening 14 </ b> A that opens to the top side of the second storage tank 12, passes outside the first storage tank 11 and the second storage tank 12, and an outlet opening 14 </ b> B Opening to the upper air layer 16. Therefore, the partition member 20 does not require a structure for piping the supply pipe 13 and the exhaust pressure pipe 14.

  The supply pipe 13 and the exhaust pressure pipe 14 are preferably metal pipes. Steel, copper, aluminum, alloys thereof, or the like can be used as the material constituting the metal tube. Preferably, stainless steel having excellent corrosion resistance can be used.

  The supply pipe 13 preferably has a pipe diameter of 8 mm or more. This is because if the pipe diameter is 8 mm or less, water may not be passed due to surface tension in the pipe at the first water supply. Also, a flexible bellows structure can be used as the metal tube.

[Function and effect]
According to the drinking water dispenser 30 of this embodiment, there exist the following effects.

In the drinking water dispenser 30 of this embodiment, the supply pipe 13 has an inlet opening 13A that opens to the upper room temperature layer 17 of the first storage tank 11, passes through the outside of the first storage tank 11, and exits. The opening 13 </ b> B opens to the bottom side of the second storage tank 12.
The drinking water supplied from the bottle 1 to the first storage tank 11 is stored in the upper normal temperature layer 17 and is supplied from the upper normal temperature layer 17 to the second storage by the supply pipe 13 passing outside the first storage tank 11. It is supplied to the bottom side of the tank 12. By adopting such a piping structure, heat loss due to heat exchange, which has been a problem in the prior art, is eliminated, and energy required to recover the loss can be saved.

Moreover, the upper air layer 16 existing above the upper normal temperature layer 17 in the first storage tank 11 is further provided with a discharge pipe 14 for releasing the pressure in the second storage tank 12,
The exhaust pipe 14 has an inlet opening 14 </ b> A that opens on the top side of the second storage tank 12, passes through the outside of the first storage tank 11 and the second storage tank 12, and an outlet opening 14 </ b> B has the first opening. Open to the upper air layer 16 of the storage tank 11,
Even if the internal pressure rises due to the water vapor generated in the second storage tank 12, the pressure escapes to the upper air layer 16 of the first storage tank 11 via the exhaust pressure pipe 14. At this time, since the outlet opening 14B of the exhaust pipe 14 is open to the upper air layer 16 of the first storage tank 11, the outlet opening 14B of the exhaust pipe 14 is the water surface of the upper ambient temperature layer 17. Since it becomes 27 or more, the drinking water in the second storage tank 12 hardly flows into the upper air layer 16. By adopting such a piping structure, heat loss due to heat convection, which has been a problem in the prior art, is eliminated, and energy required to recover the loss can be saved.

A partition member 20 for separating the upper normal temperature layer 17 and the lower low temperature layer 18 is disposed in the first storage tank 11, and the supply pipe 13 and the exhaust pressure pipe are provided in the partition member 20. 14 is not provided,
The structure of the partition member 20 becomes simple. Accordingly, the cost of parts can be reduced, and maintenance work such as cleaning required for long-term use can be saved.

Since the supply pipe 13 and the exhaust pressure pipe 14 are metal pipes,
By using a metal tube with low air permeability, growth of aerobic bacteria in the pipe can be prevented. Moreover, the heat conductivity of the piping is high, and it is easy to radiate heat to the outside air. Therefore, even if the drinking water in the second storage tank 12 flows into the first storage tank 11 through the exhaust pressure pipe 14, it flows in a cold state after heat radiation, and heat loss is minimized.

Further, the first storage tank 11 is provided with a float valve 22A as a water surface holding mechanism for maintaining the water surface that becomes the boundary between the upper normal temperature layer 17 and the upper air layer 16,
The float valve 22A keeps the water surface at the boundary between the upper normal temperature layer 17 and the upper air layer 16 in a certain range. Therefore, when the water surface is lowered too much, the inlet opening 13A of the supply pipe 13 that opens to the upper ambient temperature layer 17 is above the water surface, and drinking water from the first storage tank 11 to the second storage tank 12 is obtained. It can prevent the occurrence of inconvenience in supply. Moreover, when the water surface rises too much, the outlet opening 14B of the exhaust pipe 14 that opens to the upper air layer 16 becomes below the water surface, and hot drinking water is transferred from the second storage tank 12 to the first storage tank 11. Can be prevented from flowing in.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment.

In this example, the downstream side of the supply pipe 13 is piped so as to pass through the inside of the second storage tank 12, and the outlet opening 13 </ b> B opens to the bottom side of the second storage tank 12.
Other than that is the same as that of the said 1st Embodiment, and there exists the same effect.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment.

In this example, a float valve 22B, which is a modification of the water surface holding mechanism, is applied. The float valve 22B is provided at the ceiling of the first storage tank 11 and is normally open. When the water level of the first storage tank 11 rises above a certain level, the float valve 22B is pushed up by the water surface 27 and closes. It is like that. When cold water or hot water is taken out by the cold water take-off cock 5A or the hot water take-off cock 5B at normal times, outside air is taken into the internal space so that the supply of drinking water by the cold water take-off cock 5A or the hot water take-off cock 5B is not stopped. . When the water level drops below a certain level and the water level 27 falls from the mouth of the bottle 1, the drinking water in the bottle 1 is introduced into the upper room temperature layer 17, and when the water level 27 rises again from the mouth of the bottle 1, the water from the bottle 1 The introduction of will stop. At this time, the pressure in the upper air layer 16 due to the rise of the water level is released to the outside. When the internal pressure of the upper air layer 16 increases when the float valve 22B is closed, the pressure release valve 31 opens it. As a result, the internal pressure of the second storage tank 12 that has escaped to the upper air layer 16 via the exhaust pressure pipe 14 is released to the outside.
Other than that is the same as that of the said 1st or 2nd embodiment, and there exists the same effect.

[Electricity reduction effect]
The drinking water dispenser of an Example and a comparative example was prepared, and the power consumption in each apparatus was compared.

〔Example〕
The drinking water dispenser shown in FIG. 1 was prepared. A stainless steel (SUS304) metal pipe was used as a piping material for the supply pipe 13 and the exhaust pressure pipe 14.

[Comparative Example]
FIG. 5 is a drinking water dispenser prepared as a comparative example. In this example, the supply pipe 28 vertically cuts the lower low temperature layer 18 of the first storage tank 11 from the center of the partition member 20 up and down, and the bottom of the first storage tank 11 and the ceiling of the second storage tank 12. The second storage tank 12 reaches the bottom side. The inlet opening 28 </ b> A opens in the center of the partition member 20, and the outlet opening 28 </ b> B opens on the bottom side of the second storage tank 12. Further, the supply pipe 28 is provided with a discharge hole 29 as a discharge mechanism near the ceiling of the second storage tank 12. Other than that, it was the same as that shown in FIG.

〔Measuring method〕
(1) A new bottle 1 of the drinking water dispenser was used. The first storage tank 11 and the second storage tank 12 were previously filled with drinking water.
(2) Measurement of power consumption was started after 24 hours of energization.
(3) After the start of measurement, 120 ml each of cold water and hot water was taken out from the cold water take-off cock 5A and the hot water take-off cock 5B at 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours and 5 hours, respectively. Further, the heater 15 was not moved by sensor control from the 13th hour to 6 hours. Thus, the total power consumption when 24 hours passed was used as the measured value.
(4) HIKI AC / DC POWER HiTESTER (model 3334) was used for the measurement of electric energy.
(5) The temperature setting of cold water and hot water was set to 6 ° C for the cold water and 65 ° C for the hot water.
(6) Increase / decrease in the amount of power used was calculated based on the following formula.
Increase / decrease in power consumption (%) = (power consumption of the embodiment−power consumption of the comparative example) / power consumption of the comparative example × 100

  The results were as shown in Table 1 below. As shown here, the power consumption of the example was reduced by 32.3% as compared with the comparative example.

[Modification]
The above has described a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the illustrated embodiment, and can be implemented by being modified in various aspects, and the present invention includes various modifications. This is the purpose.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Bottle 4: Case 5A: Cold water extraction cock 5B: Hot water extraction cock 6: Receiving pipe 7: Lower opening 8: External communication part 9: Bottle attachment part 10: Bottle neck 11: 1st storage tank 12: 2nd Storage tank 13: supply pipe 13A: inlet opening 13B: outlet opening 14: exhaust pressure pipe 14A: inlet opening 14B: outlet opening 14C: water surface 15: heater 16: upper air layer 17: upper ambient temperature layer 18: lower lower temperature layer 19 : Clearance 20: Partition member 21: Support member 22A: Float valve 22B: Float valve 23: Cooling pipe 24: Temperature sensor 25: Drain valve 26: Insulating material partition plate 27: Water surface 28: Supply pipe 28A: Inlet opening 28B: Outlet Opening 29: Exhaust pressure hole 30: Drinking water dispenser 31: Pressure release valve

Claims (5)

A first storage tank capable of receiving a supply of drinking water from a drinking water supply source and storing in a low temperature state;
A second storage tank that is located below the first storage tank and that receives drinking water from the first storage tank and stores it in a high temperature state;
A supply pipe for supplying drinking water from the first storage tank to the second storage tank;
The inside of the first storage tank is divided into an upper room temperature layer for storing drinking water at room temperature on the upper side, and a lower low temperature layer for storing drinking water in a cooled state on the lower side,
The supply pipe has an inlet opening that opens to the upper normal temperature layer of the first storage tank, passes through the outside of the first storage tank, and an outlet opening opens to the bottom side of the second storage tank. A drinking water dispenser characterized by that. In the upper air layer that exists above the upper normal temperature layer in the first storage tank, further includes a discharge pipe that releases the pressure in the second storage tank,
The exhaust pressure pipe has an inlet opening that opens on the top side of the second storage tank, passes outside the first storage tank and the second storage tank, and an outlet opening is the upper part of the first storage tank. The drinking water dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the drinking water dispenser is open to the air layer. The partition member for separating the upper normal temperature layer and the lower low temperature layer is disposed in the first storage tank, and the supply pipe and the exhaust pressure pipe are not provided in the partition member. The drinking water dispenser described. The drinking water dispenser according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the supply pipe and the exhaust pressure pipe are metal pipes. The drinking water dispenser as described in any one of Claims 2-4 with which the said 1st storage tank is provided with the water surface holding mechanism which maintains the water surface used as the boundary of the said upper side normal temperature layer and an upper air layer.

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