JP2023150164A - Water server and sterilization method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide: a water server which is capable of evenly sterilizing a container by an easy operation, and which is available for containers of various shapes by a simple configuration; and a sterilization method using the water server.SOLUTION: A water server includes an ultraviolet irradiation device 4 that sterilizes a container 10 containing a beverage W by irradiating ultraviolet rays to the container 10. The ultraviolet irradiation device 4 includes a drive mechanism 41 which inserts a first ultraviolet irradiation part 43 that irradiate ultraviolet rays into the interior of the container 10, and which causes the first ultraviolet irradiation part 43 to rotate or turn in the interior of the container 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a water server and a sterilization method using the water server.

In recent years, the use of personal bottles has been recommended from the perspective of reducing the amount of plastic bottles used for various beverage products. However, there is a problem in that it is not sanitary to put various drinks, mineral water, etc. into a personal bottle without sterilizing the personal bottle (container) that has been used once when going out. In addition, baby bottles used to feed infants with milk, etc. must be sterilized by boiling or other methods after washing, but such sterilization is time-consuming and requires precautions against burns. Become.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, we developed a holding means for gripping and fixing the containers brought by beverage vending machine users, a cleaning means for cleaning the containers, and a drying means for drying the containers after washing. A container washer has been proposed that includes a sterilizing means for sterilizing the container after drying, and a control unit that controls the operation of each of these elements (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-051904

However, since the container washer described in Patent Document 1 performs sterilization by rotating the container, it requires a holding means to hold the rotating container, which makes the structure complicated. There is a problem in that it becomes difficult for users to operate. Further, since the container is held by the holding means, the shape and dimensions of the container that can be used are limited, and there is a problem in that the user has less freedom in selecting his own bottle, etc.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a water server and a sterilization method using a water server that can uniformly sterilize containers with a simple operation and that can handle containers of various shapes and sizes with a simple configuration. The purpose is to provide

The present inventors have made extensive studies to solve the above problems. As a result, by adopting a configuration in which the ultraviolet irradiation unit that sterilizes the inner surface of the container is inserted inside the container and rotated or rotated, the container can be sterilized evenly with a simple operation. The present invention was completed based on the discovery that the present invention can be applied to containers of various sizes.
That is, the present invention includes the following aspects.

[1] A water server comprising an ultraviolet irradiation unit for sterilizing a container containing a beverage by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays, the ultraviolet irradiation unit including a first ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates the ultraviolet rays inside the container. A water server characterized by having a drive mechanism that is inserted into the container and rotates or rotates the first ultraviolet irradiation section inside the container.
[2] The above [1], characterized in that the first ultraviolet irradiation unit has a contact prevention means for preventing contact with either or both of the inner surface of the container and the liquid surface of the beverage. Water server listed in.
[3] The drive mechanism includes a control unit that moves the first ultraviolet irradiation unit so that the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation unit and the inner surface of the container is always within a certain range. The water server according to [1] or [2] above.
[4] According to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation means further includes a second ultraviolet irradiation section that irradiates ultraviolet rays to an accessory attached to the container. water server.
[5] The container further includes a housing part that forms a space that can house the container and the accessories, and the first ultraviolet irradiation part is arranged so as to be able to enter into the housing part, and the first ultraviolet irradiation part is arranged so as to be able to enter into the housing part. The second ultraviolet irradiation unit is inserted into the container housed in the container and rotates or rotates, and the second ultraviolet irradiation unit is placed at any position inside the storage unit and irradiates the accessory with the ultraviolet rays. The water server according to item [4] above.
[6] A sterilization method for sterilizing a container containing a beverage by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays using the water server according to any one of [1] to [5] above, the method comprising: A sterilization method using a water server, characterized in that the container is sterilized by ultraviolet rays by inserting a first ultraviolet irradiator into the container and rotating or rotating the first ultraviolet irradiator inside the container. .

According to the water server according to the present invention, as described above, the ultraviolet irradiation means inserts the first ultraviolet irradiation part that irradiates ultraviolet rays into the inside of the container, and rotates or turns the first ultraviolet irradiation part inside the container. The structure has a drive mechanism that allows the Thereby, the container can be sterilized evenly while moving the first ultraviolet irradiator so that the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiator and the inner surface of the container is within a certain range. Furthermore, since no holding means is required for the container, the structure is simple and the user can sterilize the container with simple operations. Therefore, containers can be efficiently sterilized with simple operations, and the simple structure can be used with containers of various shapes and sizes.

Further, according to the sterilization method using the water server according to the present invention, since the method uses the water server according to the present invention having the above configuration, the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation part and the inner surface of the container is The container can be sterilized evenly by moving the first ultraviolet irradiation part so that the UV rays are within a certain range. Therefore, containers can be efficiently sterilized with simple operations, and containers of various shapes and sizes can be handled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an embodiment of a water server and a sterilization method using the water server according to the present invention, and is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the water server including a housing section that accommodates containers. It is a figure which shows the state where the irradiation part is inserted into the inside of a container and the inner surface is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an embodiment of a water server and a sterilization method using the water server according to the present invention, and is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the water server including a housing section that accommodates containers; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the first ultraviolet irradiation unit is moved to the outside of the container and a beverage is poured into the container after the sterilization of the beverage is completed. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an embodiment of a water server and a sterilization method using the water server according to the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the orbit of the first ultraviolet irradiation section when the ultraviolet irradiation section is moved spirally along the inner surface of the container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a water server and a sterilization method using the water server according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
In addition, in each drawing used in the following explanation, characteristic parts may be shown enlarged for convenience in order to make the characteristics easier to understand, and the dimensional ratio of each component may differ from the actual one. There is.
Furthermore, the materials, dimensions, etc. exemplified in the following description are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be practiced with appropriate changes within the scope of the gist thereof.

The water server of the present invention is installed, for example, in offices, commercial facilities, waiting rooms of medical institutions, or ordinary homes, and supplies various drinks such as mineral water (water) to personal bottles (containers) brought by users. It is used for various purposes. The water server of this embodiment sterilizes the inside of the container with ultraviolet rays before pouring the beverage into the container, and also sterilizes the accessories of the container (for example, artificial nipples, etc.) as necessary. It is also applicable to

<Water server>
One embodiment of the water server of the present invention will be described in detail below with appropriate reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the water server 1 of this embodiment, and is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the water server 1 including the storage section 2 that accommodates the container 10. It is a figure which shows the state which is inserted into the inside of the container 10, and the inner surface 10a is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is moved to the outside of the container 10 and the beverage W is poured into the container 10 after the sterilization of the inner surface 10a of the container 10 is completed. . Further, FIG. 3 shows that the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is moved spirally along the inner surface 10a of the container 10A inside the container 10A, which has a structure in which the diameter gradually increases from the bottom 10c side to the opening 10b side. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the trajectory of the rotational movement of the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 in the case of FIG.

The water server 1 of this embodiment includes an ultraviolet irradiation device (ultraviolet irradiation means) 4 that sterilizes a container 10 containing a beverage W by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays, as shown in the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is. In the water server 1 of this embodiment, the ultraviolet irradiation device 4 inserts the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 that irradiates ultraviolet rays into the container 10, and rotates or rotates the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 inside the container 10. It has a drive mechanism 41 for turning, and has a general configuration.
Note that the ultraviolet irradiation device and the ultraviolet irradiation means described in this embodiment may be referred to as a sterilization device and a sterilization means, respectively.

More specifically, the water server 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 further includes a storage section 2 that forms a space that can accommodate the container 10, accessories 11 of the container 10, and the like. In the illustrated example, the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is arranged so as to be able to enter the inside of the housing unit 2, and is inserted into the inside of the container 10 housed in the housing unit 2 and rotates or turns (arrow R in FIG. 1). ). Furthermore, in the illustrated example, a second ultraviolet ray irradiation section 44 is further provided, which is disposed inside the housing section 2 and is used to irradiate the accessory 11 of the container 10 described above with ultraviolet rays.

The illustrated water server 1 is configured to supply mineral water as drinking water W, and includes a water purifier 3 that takes in raw water S from a public water supply and performs water purification treatment, and raw water purified by the water purifier 3. A water storage section 5 for storing S is provided. The illustrated water storage section 5 has a configuration in which a first water storage section 51 and a second water storage section 52 are provided in parallel, and a water supply nozzle 53 or a water supply nozzle 54 is connected to the outlet side of each.

As mentioned above, the storage section 2 forms a space that can accommodate the container 10 and the accessories of the container 10, and is, for example, a roughly box-shaped container made of stainless steel or resin material with excellent water resistance. It is a member.
As described above, the housing section 2 is configured such that the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 can enter therein, and the water supply nozzle 53 or the water supply nozzle 54 can also enter therein.

Inside the storage section 2, an opening (not shown) is provided on the front side so that the user of the water server 1 can place the container 10 and its accessories 11 on the bottom surface 21. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 10 and accessories 11 placed on the bottom surface 21 of the storage section 2 are shown slightly lifted from the bottom surface 21 for convenience of explanation, such as distinguishing between the illustrated line types. represents.

As described above, the water purifier 3 takes in raw water (tap water) S and performs water purification treatment, and has a first water storage section 51 and a second water storage section 52 on the outlet side that store the purified drinking water W. is connected.
The water purifier 3 is not particularly limited, and can be any water purifier commonly used for water purification treatment of tap water, and includes, for example, a water purifier cartridge having the configuration described in Japanese Patent No. 5081750. It is possible to adopt something.

In addition, the water purifier 3 has not only the above-mentioned water purification function but also an additional function that can add mineral components to the purified raw water S, thereby making it possible to generate mineral water as a beverage W. configuration may be adopted.

As described above, the ultraviolet irradiation device 4 includes the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43, and further inserts the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 into the container 10 placed in the housing section 2. , has a drive mechanism 41 and a support shaft 42 for carrying out the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 from inside the container 10 after the sterilization process of the container 10 is completed. In the illustrated example, a drive mechanism 41 is provided outside the accommodating section 2, and this drive mechanism 41 slides the support shaft 42 up and down in the vertical direction, so that the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 supported by the support shaft 42 is moved. It is configured to be inserted into and taken out of the container 10. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is configured to be able to be carried out of the storage unit 2 .

The drive mechanism 41 is not particularly limited, but for example, a mechanism that can slide the support shaft 42 up and down in the vertical direction using a drive means such as a motor or a solenoid valve (not shown) can be adopted. . Further, as the support shaft 42 that supports the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 on the distal end side, one made of a metal material such as stainless steel, a resin material, or the like and having a certain mechanical strength can be adopted.

As described above, the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is inserted into the container 10 and rotates or pivots to irradiate the inner surface 10a of the container 10 with ultraviolet rays to perform sterilization treatment. At this time, the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 rotates or pivots within the container 10 to evenly and uniformly irradiate the inner surface 10a of the container 10 with ultraviolet rays for sterilization.

Here, when rotating the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43, a configuration may be adopted in which the support shaft 42 is rotated by a small motor (not shown) provided in the drive mechanism 41, for example. In addition, when rotating the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43, similarly, the support shaft 42 is moved along the opening 10b of the container 10 by a small motor (not shown) provided in the drive mechanism 41, as shown in FIG. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the robot turns in the direction of arrow R shown in the figure.

For example, when the opening 10b of the container 10 has a small diameter, by adopting a configuration in which the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 is rotated, ultraviolet rays can be irradiated at a uniform distance to the inner surface 10a inside the container 10. can do.
On the other hand, when the opening 10b of the container 10 has a relatively large diameter, by adopting a configuration in which the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 is rotated, the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 is rotated along the inner surface 10a, The inner surface 10a can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays uniformly and at a close distance.
In this way, whether the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is rotated or pivoted can be appropriately set depending on the shape and dimensions of the container 10 to be sterilized.

In this embodiment, contact prevention means (not shown) is provided to prevent the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 from coming into contact with either or both of the inner surface 10a of the container 10 and the liquid surface of the beverage W. It is preferable to have. When sterilizing an empty container 10 in which no beverage W has been filled, as shown in FIG. functions.

Although detailed illustration is omitted as the contact prevention means as described above, for example, one equipped with an ultrasonic sensor that detects the distance from the inner surface 10a of the container 10 or the liquid level of the beverage W can be mentioned. Based on the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 and the inner surface 10a of the container 10 or the liquid level of the beverage W, which is detected by such an ultrasonic sensor, the operation of the drive mechanism 41 is controlled by a control unit (not shown). By doing so, it is possible to prevent the first ultraviolet ray irradiation section 43 from coming into contact with the inner surface 10a of the container 10 or the liquid surface of the beverage W.

In addition, the ultrasonic sensor as described above is designed to detect the distance between the inner surface 10a of the container 10 and the liquid level of the beverage W as accurately as possible. It is preferable to place it on the lower side). However, by changing the detection distance setting of the ultrasonic sensor, it is also possible to install the ultrasonic sensor at a position other than the tip of the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43.

Further, as described above, when providing a contact prevention means in the first ultraviolet irradiation part 43, in addition to the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation part 43 and the inner surface 10a of the container 10, the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation part 43 and the beverage W By detecting the distance between the container 10 and the liquid level, it is possible to perform sterilization processing even on the container 10 into which a certain amount of the beverage W has already been poured.

Further, in this embodiment, by using the contact prevention means and the control section as described above, the drive mechanism 41 can maintain the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 and the inner surface 10a of the container 10 within a constant range at all times. It is more preferable to move the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 so that Thereby, the entire inner surface 10a of the container 10 can be uniformly irradiated with ultraviolet rays, making it possible to effectively sterilize the inner surface 10a.

In addition, the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 has a structure that irradiates ultraviolet rays both vertically downward and in the lateral direction. It is more preferable from the viewpoint of performance.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a second ultraviolet irradiation unit 44 is provided inside the storage unit 2 to sterilize accessories of the container 10 and the like. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second ultraviolet irradiation unit 44 is provided in the side wall 22 of the housing unit 2 near the accessory 11 placed on the bottom surface 21.
In this embodiment, by adopting a configuration including the second ultraviolet irradiation unit 44 described above, not only the container 10 but also the accessories 11 can be efficiently sterilized with a simple configuration. Become. Furthermore, by optimizing the installation location of the second ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 44 inside the container 2, it becomes possible to sterilize not only the accessories but also the outer surface of the container 10 body by irradiating the outer surface of the container 10 with ultraviolet rays.
Although FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which the second ultraviolet irradiation unit 44 is disposed inside the housing unit 2, the second ultraviolet irradiation unit 44 is not limited to this, and may be placed in a housing separate from the housing unit 2, for example. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a second ultraviolet irradiation section is provided in this separate storage section.

The first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 and the second ultraviolet irradiation section 44 are not particularly limited, and it is possible to employ an LED lamp with an ultraviolet wavelength that is commonly used in the field of sterilization treatment without any restrictions. be.
Further, the wavelength of the ultraviolet light emitted by the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 and the second ultraviolet irradiation unit 44 is not particularly limited, but is in the range of 200 to 280 nm, which is said to have a high sterilizing effect and inactivation effect on bacteria and pathogens. Preferably, it is a wavelength.

Furthermore, as the first ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 43 and the second ultraviolet ray irradiation unit 44, the above-mentioned ultraviolet wavelength LED lamps may be used as they are, but, for example, they may be externally exposed via a lens etc. whose focus and irradiation intensity can be adjusted. A configuration that can irradiate ultraviolet rays may be adopted.

As described above, the water storage section 5 stores the purified water S supplied from the water purifier 3, that is, the drinking water W, and in the illustrated example, the first water storage section 51 and the second water storage section 52 are connected to the water storage section 5. are arranged in parallel. The first water storage section 51 and the second water storage section 52 are not particularly limited, and for example, a general liquid storage tank can be adopted.

Moreover, valves 51a and 52a for controlling the inflow amount of beverage W are provided on the inlet sides of the first water storage section 51 and the second water storage section 52, respectively. These valves 51a and 52a are not particularly limited, and for example, in addition to general electromagnetic valves, manual valves may be used.

Further, pumps 51b and 52b are provided on the outlet sides of the first water storage section 51 and the second water storage section 52, respectively, for injecting the beverage W into the container 10 placed in the storage section 2. A water supply nozzle 53 or a water supply nozzle 54 is connected to the outlet side of these pumps 51b, 52b. The water supply nozzle 53 and the water supply nozzle 54 are connected to the pumps 51b and 52b via a slide pipe 55 or a slide pipe 56, and although detailed illustration is omitted, the slide pipes 55 and 56 slide up and down in the vertical direction. It is configured to be able to move up and down by moving. Thereby, the water supply nozzle 53 and the water supply nozzle 54 are configured to be able to be freely inserted into and taken out of the inside of the storage section 2 and the inside of the container 10.

Note that the pumps 51b and 52b are not particularly limited, and for example, general motor-type pumps, electromagnetic pumps, etc. can be employed without any restrictions.
Further, the means for driving the slide pipes 55 and 56 to slide in the vertical direction is not particularly limited, and similarly to the drive mechanism 41 described above, for example, a drive means such as a motor or a solenoid valve (not shown) may be used without any restriction. It is possible to use

Note that the two flow lines for the beverage W in each of the first water storage section 51 and the second water storage section 52 constituting the water storage section 5 can store water and inject into the container 10 at the same time, but for example, , a configuration may be adopted in which the drinking water W is stored and supplied alternately through these two lines. In such a case, for example, when the beverage W is being poured into the container 10 on the line of the first water storage section 51, the beverage W is injected (supplied) into the container 10 on the line of the second water storage section 52. ), the beverage W is stored in the second water storage section 52 without having to do so. On the other hand, when the beverage W is being poured into the container 10 in the line of the second water storage section 52, the beverage W is not poured into the container 10 in the line of the first water storage section 51, and the beverage W is poured into the container 10. The beverage W is stored in 51. The operations of pouring the beverage W into the container 10 and storing the beverage W in the first water storage section 51 or the second water storage section 52 as described above are performed by appropriately operating the valves 51a, 52a and pumps 51b, 52b. This can be done by operating and stopping.

Moreover, in this embodiment, consideration is given to a smooth transition when changing the operation from the sterilization process of the container 10 as shown in FIG. 1 to the injection mode of the beverage W into the container 10 as shown in FIG. For example, it is preferable to include a slide movement mechanism (not shown). By providing such a slide movement mechanism and sliding each of the slide pipes 55 and 56, the water supply nozzles 53 and 54, and the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 in the horizontal direction, the sterilization processing operation and the beverage pouring operation can be performed. It becomes possible to change the information while smoothly replacing it.

According to the water server 1 of the present embodiment, by having the above configuration, the first ultraviolet ray irradiating part 43 is arranged so that the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiating part 43 and the inner surface 10a of the container 10 is within a certain range. While moving, the inner surface 10a of the container 10 can be sterilized evenly and uniformly. Furthermore, since no holding means is required for the container 10, the structure is simple and the user can sterilize the container 10 with simple operations. Therefore, the user of the water server 1 can efficiently sterilize the container 10 with a simple operation.

According to the water server 1 of this embodiment, the user can easily sterilize the container 10 by simply setting (placing) the container 10 on the bottom surface 21 of the water server 1, for example, when out and about. , the beverage W can be provided hygienically. In addition, when the container 10 is a baby bottle, it generally requires sterilization by boiling or the like after cleaning, but by using the water server 1 of this embodiment, the sterilization process of the baby bottle becomes easy, which burdens the childcare worker. It becomes possible to reduce the

Moreover, the water server 1 of this embodiment has the above-mentioned configuration, so that it can accommodate containers of various shapes and sizes with a simple configuration. For example, when sterilizing a container 10A having a structure in which the diameter gradually increases from the bottom 10c side to the opening 10b side as shown in FIG. It is rotated while being raised toward the opening 10b side. Alternatively, the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is rotated while being lowered from the opening 10b side of the container 10A toward the bottom 10c side. More specifically, inside the container 10A, the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is raised or lowered along the inner surface 10a of the container 10A along trajectories in the arrow R1 direction and the arrow R2 direction shown in FIG. move in a spiral direction. At this time, by detecting the distance between the first ultraviolet ray irradiation section 43 and the inner surface 10a of the container 10 using an ultrasonic sensor (not shown), the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 and the inner surface 10a is always within a certain range. The first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 is moved so that the distance is the same. At this time, it is preferable that the distance range between the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 and the inner surface 10a is appropriately optimized depending on the irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43.
Thereby, even if the container 10A has a shape as shown in FIG. 3, the inner surface 10a can be evenly irradiated with ultraviolet rays, making it possible to uniformly sterilize the container.

<Sterilization method using water server>
A sterilization method using the water server according to the present invention will be explained below.
In this embodiment, a method for sterilizing a container 10 made of a bottle as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described as an example of a container to be sterilized.

The sterilization method of this embodiment is a sterilization method in which a container 10 containing a beverage W is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to sterilize it using a water server 1 as shown in FIGS. This is a method of sterilizing the container 10 with ultraviolet rays by inserting the first ultraviolet irradiating part 43 into the container 10 and rotating or rotating the first ultraviolet irradiating part 43 inside the container 10.

When sterilizing the inner surface 10a of the container 10 using the water server 1, the user first places the container 10 at a predetermined location on the bottom surface 21 of the storage section 2. At this time, it is preferable to wash the inside of the container 10 with tap water or the like in advance. Furthermore, the accessories 11 of the container 10 are also washed in advance with tap water or the like, and then placed at a predetermined location on the bottom surface 21 of the storage section 2.
Next, by turning on a sterilization switch (not shown), the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is lowered by the drive mechanism 41 and inserted into the container 10 .

Next, the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 is rotated or rotated by the drive mechanism 41 to irradiate the inner surface 10a of the container 10 with ultraviolet rays. At this time, for example, the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 is rotated or rotated while being lowered from the opening 10b side of the container 10 to the bottom 10c side, or from the state where it has been lowered to the vicinity of the bottom 10c, By rotating or turning the container while pulling it up, the inner surface 10a can be evenly irradiated with ultraviolet rays, making it possible to perform uniform sterilization treatment. Further, by repeatedly moving up and down within the container 10 while rotating or rotating the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43, it becomes possible to more effectively irradiate the inner surface 10a with ultraviolet rays.

In addition, by irradiating ultraviolet rays from the second ultraviolet irradiation unit 44 toward the accessories 11 of the container 10 at the same time as the sterilization of the inner surface 10a of the container 10, the process can be easily performed without prolonging the processing time. It becomes possible to complete the sterilization process of accessories.

After the sterilization process of the container 10 and accessories 11 is completed, the water server 1 is operated automatically by a control unit (not shown) or manually by the user operating a supply switch (not shown) to sterilize the inside of the container 10. Inject beverage W into the container. At this time, since the inner surface 10a of the container 10 has been sterilized, the beverage W can be poured hygienically.

Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which only the water absorption nozzle 53 is inserted into the container 10 and the beverage W is injected, the present invention is not limited to this. As described above, for example, by appropriately sliding the slide pipes 55 and 56 up and down in the vertical direction, the water supply nozzle 53 and the water supply nozzle 54 can be alternately inserted into the container 10 to inject the beverage W. Alternatively, both the water supply nozzle 53 and the water supply nozzle 54 may be inserted into the container 10 and the beverage W may be poured at the same time.

Moreover, when changing the operation from the sterilization process of the container 10 to the injection mode of the beverage W into the container 10, the slide pipes 55, 56, the water supply nozzles 53, 54, and By sliding each of the first ultraviolet irradiation units 43 in the horizontal direction, it is possible to change the sterilizing operation and the beverage pouring operation by interchanging them as appropriate.

Then, the user of the water server 1 takes out the container 10, into which the beverage W has been poured, from the storage section 2, and further takes out the accessory 11 and attaches it to the container 10, thereby sealing the inside of the container 10.

In this embodiment, an example is given in which the container 10 is placed on the bottom surface 21 of the storage section 2 and a sterilization switch (not shown) is operated to start the sterilization process, but the present invention is not limited to this. It's not something you can do. For example, when a supply switch (not shown) is turned on, a control unit (not shown) automatically starts sterilizing the inside of the container 10 before pouring the beverage W into the container 10. Good too.

<Effect>
As explained above, according to the water server 1 of the present embodiment, the ultraviolet irradiation device 4 inserts the first ultraviolet irradiation part 43 that irradiates ultraviolet rays into the container 10, and the first ultraviolet ray A configuration including a drive mechanism 41 that rotates or pivots the irradiation unit 43 inside the container 10 is adopted. Thereby, the container 10 can be sterilized evenly while the first ultraviolet irradiator 43 is moved so that the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiator 43 and the inner surface 10a of the container 10 is within a certain range. Furthermore, since no holding means is required for the container 10, the structure is simple and the user can sterilize the container 10 with simple operations. Therefore, the container 10 can be efficiently sterilized with a simple operation, and the simple structure can accommodate containers of various shapes and sizes.

Further, according to the sterilization method of this embodiment, since the method uses the water server 1 of this embodiment having the above configuration, the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation part 43 and the inner surface 10a of the container 10 is The container 10 can be sterilized evenly by moving the first ultraviolet irradiation unit 43 so that it covers a certain range. Therefore, the container 10 can be efficiently sterilized with a simple operation, and can be used with containers of various shapes and sizes.

<Other forms>
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, but each configuration and combination thereof described in this embodiment is merely an example, and the configurations may be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other changes are possible. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited by this embodiment, but only by the scope of the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, as an example of the present invention, a configuration in which the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 rotates or pivots has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the first ultraviolet irradiation section 43 rotates or It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the robot rotates while moving.

The water server of the present invention can sterilize containers evenly with a simple operation, and has a simple configuration that can be used with containers of various shapes and sizes. It is very suitable for use in supplying and selling various beverage products such as.

1...Water server 2...Accommodating part 21...Bottom surface 22...Side wall 3...Water purifier 4...Ultraviolet irradiation device (ultraviolet irradiation means)
41... Drive mechanism 42... Support shaft 43... First ultraviolet irradiation section 44... Second ultraviolet irradiation section 5... Water storage section 51... First water storage section 52... Second water storage section 51a, 52a... Valve 51b, 52b... Pump 53, 54...Water supply nozzle 55, 56...Slide pipe 10, 10A...Container 10a...Inner surface 10b...Opening 10c...Bottom 11...Accessories S...Raw water W...Beverage

Claims (6)

A water server comprising an ultraviolet irradiation means for sterilizing a container containing a beverage by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays,
The ultraviolet irradiation means is characterized in that it has a drive mechanism that inserts a first ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates the ultraviolet rays into the inside of the container and rotates or rotates the first ultraviolet irradiation unit inside the container. water server. The water according to claim 1, characterized in that the first ultraviolet irradiation unit has contact prevention means for preventing contact with either or both of the inner surface of the container and the liquid surface of the beverage. server. Claim characterized in that the drive mechanism includes a control unit that moves the first ultraviolet irradiation unit so that the distance between the first ultraviolet irradiation unit and the inner surface of the container is always within a certain range. The water server according to claim 1 or claim 2. The water wafer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation means further includes a second ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates ultraviolet rays to an accessory attached to the container. server. Furthermore, it has a housing part that forms a space that can house the container and the accessories,
The first ultraviolet irradiation unit is arranged so as to be able to enter into the housing, and is inserted into the container housed in the housing and rotates or rotates, and the second ultraviolet irradiation unit 5. The water server according to claim 4, wherein the water server is disposed at any position inside the accommodating part, and irradiates the accessory with the ultraviolet rays. A sterilization method for sterilizing a container containing a beverage by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays using the water server according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The container is sterilized by ultraviolet rays by inserting a first ultraviolet irradiator that irradiates the ultraviolet rays into the container and rotating or rotating the first ultraviolet irradiator inside the container. Sterilization method using a server.

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