JP2545647Y2 - Gas pressure regulator for cup-type beverage vending machines - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] << Industrial application field >> The present invention relates to a beverage supply mechanism of a beverage vending machine such as a cola, and is particularly desirable when supplying gas pressure to a carbonated water tank and a syrup tank from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder. The present invention relates to a gas pressure regulator for adjusting the gas pressure to a predetermined value.

<< Conventional Technology >> Conventionally, beverage supply in a cup-type beverage vending machine that sells carbonated beverages such as cola is performed by injecting gas from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder into a tank in which carbonated water, syrup, and the like are stored. Of the raw material liquid is supplied to the supply cup under pressure. Normally, in this type of beverage supply mechanism, the carbon dioxide gas cylinder is directly connected to the high-pressure gas injection port of the gas pressure regulator, and the high-pressure gas of the cylinder is directly injected through the valve mechanism of the gas pressure regulator. To reduce the pressure.

However, the gas expands significantly when the high-pressure gas is injected from the high-pressure gas injection port of the pressure regulator,
The high-pressure gas injection port and its surroundings are significantly cooled (Joule-Thomson effect), and the diaphragm is hardened by a normal valve mechanism using a diaphragm, and the desired function may not be exhibited. Furthermore, the life of the diaphragm is shortened due to the repetition of such excessive cooling,
The cost of vending machine maintenance will increase sharply.

That is, as a valve mechanism of the gas pressure regulator, a diaphragm made of a material which is generally flexible at a certain pressure is adopted, but this kind of valve mechanism causes the diaphragm to repeatedly cool excessively. This has the disadvantage that embrittlement is caused and flexibility is deteriorated. Furthermore, since the periphery of the fixed diaphragm is not flexible, the pressure-sensitive area is smaller than the outer diameter of the diaphragm, so that only about 80% of the area can be used effectively, and the pressure regulator becomes large. There was a drawback (FIG. 7).

Therefore, in the conventional beverage supply mechanism, an evaporator or the like for heating and vaporizing the liquefied gas is provided. However, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost and the power consumption of the vending machine are increased.

《Problems to be solved by the invention》 As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, the inventor did not directly connect the gas cylinder to the high-pressure gas injection port of the gas pressure regulator, but By connecting via a decompression chamber having pores, it is possible to prevent the pressure regulator from being excessively cooled, and to use a piston type valve mechanism instead of a diaphragm type valve mechanism for a long time. The present inventors have found that a pressure regulator that does not cause functional failure can be obtained, and that the pressure regulator can be downsized.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a gas pressure regulator of a cup-type beverage vending machine which prevents a cooling phenomenon due to adiabatic expansion and does not cause a malfunction of a valve mechanism.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a compact pressure regulator for a cup-type beverage vending machine.

<< Means for Solving the Problems >> The above objects of the present invention are to adjust the high-pressure gas from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder to a desired gas pressure and pressurize the raw material liquid stored in the raw material liquid storage tank to thereby increase the pressure. In a gas pressure regulator used for a cup-type beverage vending machine for pumping a raw material liquid to a beverage supply port provided with a cup, the gas pressure regulator comprises a pressure regulating chamber, and a high-pressure gas injection opening to the pressure regulating chamber. A valve mechanism provided in a pressure regulating chamber so as to open and close the high-pressure gas injection port, and a low-pressure gas injection port for discharging a desired low-pressure gas adjusted by the valve mechanism; This is achieved by a gas pressure regulator for a cup-type beverage vending machine, wherein the mechanism is a piston type, and a decompression chamber having a pore on the upstream side is provided in front of the high-pressure gas injection port.

Hereinafter, the gas pressure regulator of the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a gas pressure regulator showing the first invention of the present application.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral (1) denotes a gas pressure regulator main body. The gas pressure regulator includes a pressure regulating chamber (20), a high pressure gas injection port (2) opened to the pressure regulation chamber (20), and a pressure regulating chamber (20) opening and closing the high pressure gas injection port (2). A high pressure gas is injected from the high pressure gas injection port (2) and the valve mechanism is operated to discharge a desired low pressure gas from the low pressure gas injection port (3). be able to.

Reference numeral (4) denotes a decompression chamber provided upstream of the high-pressure gas ejection port (2) and having pores (5) on the upstream side. The high-pressure gas from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder expands and diffuses in this decompression chamber and is decompressed. Here, the decompression chamber can be integrated as a part of the gas pressure regulator main body, but a cylindrical tube can also be screw-connected to the gas pressure regulator main body as in this embodiment. Further, as another aspect, for example, the pressure reduction effect can be further enhanced by appropriately designing the shape to be a serpentine tube.

Further, by providing the decompression chamber, the temperature drop accompanying the expansion of the gas which occurs when directly injecting the high-pressure gas into the gas pressure regulator is reduced. That is, a temperature drop occurs first in the decompression chamber in the preceding stage, and thereby the cooled gas absorbs heat from the surroundings of the atmosphere through the outer wall of the decompression chamber and is warmed up to the high pressure gas injection port (2). In order to further enhance this effect, a heater is installed on the outer periphery of the decompression chamber, hot air in the vending machine is blown by a fan, and fins are provided on the outer periphery of the decompression chamber to increase the efficiency of heat exchange. You can also. Since the high-pressure gas at approximately room temperature once depressurized is injected from the high-pressure gas injection port (2), excessive cooling in the vicinity of the high-pressure gas injection port (2) of the gas pressure regulator can be prevented.

The valve mechanism (13) in this embodiment has a piston (23) provided in a pressure regulating chamber (20) as shown in FIG.

Seal rings (21) and (22) are provided on the outer periphery of the upper and lower sides of the piston (23), whereby the pressure regulation chamber (20) is divided into three chambers. That is, the pressure regulation chamber (20) is located above the seal ring (21).
a), a pressure regulation chamber (20b) between the seal ring (21) and the seal ring (22), and a pressure regulation chamber (20c) below the seal ring (22). A pressure adjusting spring (24) is provided in the pressure adjusting chamber (20b).

The piston (23) is provided with a gas passage (25) for guiding the high-pressure gas injected from the high-pressure gas injection port (2) from the pressure regulating chamber (20c) to the pressure regulating chamber (20a). (20c) communicates with the low pressure gas jet (3).

Further, a valve seat (27) is provided at the lower end of the piston (23). The valve seat (27) is provided on a convex valve seat (26) provided at the opening edge of the high-pressure gas injection port (2). When seated, the high pressure gas injection port (2) is opened and closed.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a two-stage gas pressure regulator showing the second invention of the present application. In FIG. 2, reference numeral (1) denotes a second-stage gas pressure regulator, and a decompression chamber (4) having a fine hole (5) on the upstream side is provided in front of the high-pressure gas injection port (2). .

Reference numeral (6) denotes a first-stage gas pressure regulator, which has a branch connected to the valve mechanism and a connection portion (8) connected to the decompression chamber (4) of the next-stage pressure regulator (1). A decompression chamber (10) having a pore (9) on the upstream side is provided upstream of the connecting portion (8).

Reference numeral (11) denotes a high-pressure gas supply port for connecting a carbon dioxide gas cylinder. A dust filter (1
By installing 2), clogging of the valve mechanism arranged in the gas pressure regulator can be prevented.

The above is an example of the two-stage gas pressure regulator, but in the case of a three-stage gas pressure regulator, one more first-stage gas pressure regulator may be added.

Further, the valve mechanism used in the second invention may use a diaphragm mechanism, but from the viewpoint of improving the durability of the gas pressure regulator and miniaturizing the gas pressure regulator, the first mechanism is used. It is preferable to use the same piston type as the present invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the structure of the beverage supply mechanism of the cup-type beverage vending machine using the gas pressure regulator of the present invention described in detail above.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a beverage supply mechanism when the gas pressure regulator of the first invention of the present application is used. In FIG.
Reference numeral (1) is the gas pressure regulator of the present invention.

Reference numeral (30) denotes a carbon dioxide gas cylinder as a high-pressure gas supply source.

Reference numeral (31) denotes a raw material liquid storage tank that stores a raw material liquid such as carbonated water, and is connected to the upper space of the tank and the low-pressure gas jet port of the gas pressure regulator (1) via a pipe.

Reference numeral (33) is a cup for receiving the raw material liquid set in the beverage supply port, and is connected to the raw material liquid of the raw material liquid storage tank (31) via a pipe.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a beverage supply mechanism when the two-stage gas pressure regulator of the second invention of the present application is used. In FIG. 6, reference numeral (1) denotes a second-stage gas pressure regulator of the two-stage gas pressure regulator of the present invention, and reference numeral (6) denotes a first-stage gas pressure regulator.

Reference numeral (30) denotes a carbon dioxide gas cylinder as a high-pressure gas supply source connected to the gas supply port of the gas pressure regulator (6).

Reference numeral (33) denotes a carbonated water storage tank that stores carbonated water as a raw material liquid, and connects an upper space of the tank to a low-pressure gas outlet of the gas pressure regulator (6) via a pipe.

Reference numeral (31) denotes a syrup storage tank that stores syrup as a raw material liquid, and connects an upper space of the tank and a low-pressure gas jet of the gas pressure regulator (1) via a pipe.

Reference numeral (32) denotes a cup for receiving the raw material liquid set in the beverage supply port, and is connected to the raw material liquid in the carbonated water storage tank (33) and the syrup storage tank (31) via a pipe.

<< Operation >> Hereinafter, the operation of the piston type valve mechanism of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The high-pressure gas supplied from the carbon dioxide gas cylinder (30) is injected into the decompression chamber from the pores (9) of the decompression chamber (10) provided before the gas pressure regulator (6). The injected gas is decompressed due to expansion and diffusion in the decompression chamber, and its temperature is lowered. However, the gas is heated by absorbing heat from the surroundings of the atmosphere through the outer wall of the decompression chamber (10).

The gas decompressed and heated in the decompression chamber (10) is injected from the high-pressure gas injection port (7) of the gas pressure regulator (6), and passes through the connecting portion (8) to the next decompression chamber (4). ).

The gas injected from the high-pressure gas injection port (7) is discharged from the low-pressure gas injection port (28) and the pressure control chamber (20-c).
The gas is introduced into the pressure regulating chamber (20-a) through the gas passage (25) provided in the piston (23) (FIG. 3).

When the gas introduced into the pressure regulating chamber (20-a) reaches a certain pressure, the piston (23) is pushed down and the pressure regulating chamber (20-a) is pushed down.
-The pressure adjusting spring (24) installed in (b) is compressed. Further, when the pressure in the pressure regulating chamber (20-a) reaches a desired gas pressure,
The valve seat (27) at the lower end of the piston (23) sits on the valve seat (26) of the high-pressure gas injection port (7) and closes the high-pressure gas injection port (7). When the high-pressure gas injection port (7) is closed, the gas in the pressure regulating chamber (20-a) is supplied to the gas passage (25) of the piston (7).
Through the pressure control chamber (20-c), and is discharged from the low-pressure gas outlet (28) (FIG. 4).

When the gas is discharged from the low pressure gas outlet (28), the gas pressure in the pressure regulating chamber (20-a) decreases, and the resilience of the pressure regulating spring (24) pushes up the Pitson (23), thereby injecting the high pressure gas. The mouth (7) opens and returns to the state of FIG.

In this case, since the high-pressure gas is once depressurized to some extent, the difference between the high-pressure gas and the set pressure of the gas pressure regulator (6) is small, and the cooling phenomenon due to adiabatic expansion can be suppressed to a small value.

On the other hand, the gas that has passed through the pores (9) of the second-stage decompression chamber (4) is depressurized in the same manner as the first-stage decompression chamber (10), and is adjusted to a desired gas pressure by the gas pressure regulator (1). It is adjusted and discharged from the low-pressure gas outlet (3). The temperature effect due to adiabatic expansion in this case is even smaller than in the case of the first stage gas pressure regulator.

<< Effects of the Invention >> As described in detail above, the gas pressure regulator for the cup-type beverage vending machine of the present invention is provided with a decompression chamber in front of the valve mechanism, so that adiabatic expansion of gas injected from the high-pressure gas injection port is achieved. Can be suppressed.

In addition, by using a piston type valve mechanism, the durability was superior to that of a gas pressure regulator using a diaphragm type valve mechanism, and the size was reduced by about 20%.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a gas pressure regulator showing the first invention of the present application. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a two-stage gas pressure regulator according to the second invention of the present application. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are cross-sectional views showing the first stage gas pressure regulator of FIG. 2, and show a gas flow state in the valve mechanism. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a beverage supply mechanism when the gas pressure regulator of FIG. 1 is used. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a beverage supply mechanism when the gas pressure regulator of FIG. 2 is used. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a gas pressure regulator using a conventionally used diaphragm. In Fig. 1, 1 ... gas pressure regulator 2 ... high pressure gas injection port 3 ... low pressure gas injection port 4 ... decompression chamber 5 ... pores In Fig. 2, 1 ... second stage gas pressure regulator 2 ... high pressure gas Injection port 3 ... Low pressure gas injection port 4 ... Decompression chamber 5 ... Pore 6 ... First stage gas pressure regulator 7 ... High pressure gas injection port 8 ... Connecting part 9 ... Pore 10 ... Decompression chamber 11 ... High pressure gas supply port 12 ... Dustproof filter 20 ... Pressure control chamber In FIGS. 3 and 4, 21 ... Seal ring 22 ... Seal ring 23 ... Piston 24 ... Pressure spring 25 ... Gas passage 26 ... Valve seat 27 ... Valve seat 28 ... Low pressure gas In FIG. 5, 1 ... gas pressure regulator 30 ... carbon dioxide cylinder 31 ... raw material liquid storage tank 33 ... cup In FIG. 6, 1 ... second stage gas pressure regulator 6 ... first stage gas pressure regulator 30 ... Carbon dioxide gas cylinder 31 ... Syrup tank 33 ... Carbonated water tank 32 ... Cup

Claims (4)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A high-pressure gas from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder is adjusted to a desired gas pressure, and a raw material liquid stored in a raw material liquid storage tank is pressurized, whereby the raw material liquid is supplied to a beverage supply port provided with a cup. A gas pressure regulator for use in a cup-type beverage vending machine, wherein the gas pressure regulator opens and closes a pressure regulating chamber, a high-pressure gas injection opening opened in the pressure regulating chamber, and the high-pressure gas injection opening. A gas pressure regulator comprising a valve mechanism provided in a pressure regulating chamber and a low-pressure gas injection port for discharging a desired low-pressure gas adjusted by the valve mechanism, wherein the valve mechanism is a piston type and the high pressure A gas pressure regulator for a cup-type beverage vending machine, characterized in that a decompression chamber having a pore on the upstream side is provided at a stage preceding the gas injection port. 2. A cup type in which two kinds of raw material liquids stored in two raw material liquid storage tanks are simultaneously pressurized to feed the two kinds of raw material liquids to a beverage supply port provided with a beverage cup. In a gas pressure regulator having a valve mechanism used for a beverage vending machine, a first-stage gas pressure regulator having a branch communicating with the valve mechanism and a coupling part coupled to a next-stage pressure regulator, and the coupling part. A second-stage gas pressure regulator connected in series is provided, and a desired low-pressure gas is injected by injecting a high-pressure gas from a high-pressure gas injection port into a pressure regulation chamber via a valve mechanism of each gas pressure regulator. A two-stage gas pressure regulator for discharging gas from a low-pressure gas ejection port of each of the two gas pressure regulators, wherein each of the gas pressure regulators has a pore upstream of a high-pressure gas injection port. Chamber and the first stage gas pressure The connecting portion of the adjuster, characterized in that connecting the gas pressure regulator in the second stage through the decompression chamber, the gas pressure regulator cup beverage vending machines. 3. The gas pressure regulator for a cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the valve mechanism of the gas pressure regulator is a piston type. 4. A piston type valve mechanism comprising: a piston having a convex portion formed in a lower portion; a pressure regulating chamber having a space in which the piston can be slidably mounted; an upper rear surface of the piston; A pressure regulating spring disposed between the pressure regulating chamber and a lower part of the pressure regulating chamber, wherein the pressure regulating chamber is arranged above the piston in a pressure regulating chamber (a).
And a pressure regulating chamber (b) in which a pressure regulating spring is arranged, and a pressure regulating chamber (c) having a concave shape in which the convex portion of the piston can be slidably fitted. At the same time, a high pressure gas injection port is opened at the bottom of the pressure adjustment chamber (c), and a low pressure gas injection port is opened at the side face, and a gas passage connecting the pressure adjustment chamber (a) and the pressure adjustment chamber (c) inside the piston. The gas pressure regulator for a cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the gas pressure regulator is provided with a valve mechanism.