JP2556840Y2 - Beverage dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for mixing a concentrated undiluted solution poured out of a container housed in a refrigerator and a beverage such as water cooled through a cooling mechanism and serving the mixture for drinking. The present invention relates to a beverage dispensing apparatus that cools a concentrated stock solution container using a mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A beverage dispensing apparatus is known as an apparatus for diluting a concentrated stock solution such as juice with cooling water for drinking. If the basic structure of this beverage dispensing apparatus is described as an example, it is provided with a refrigerator that stores a container storing the concentrated undiluted solution,
A required amount of undiluted solution is discharged from the concentrated undiluted solution container stored in the refrigerator to the beverage mixing unit. Further, in a liquid tank in which an evaporator derived from the refrigeration mechanism is disposed, a cooling liquid for immersing the evaporator is stored, and a refrigerant is circulated to the evaporator to cool the evaporator. A part of the cooling liquid is frozen around the evaporator.
Further, in the liquid tank, a beverage cooling pipe is disposed so as to be immersed in a cooling liquid while being separated from the evaporator by a predetermined distance,
One end of the beverage cooling pipe is connected to an external water supply system, and the other end is connected to the beverage mixing unit via an on-off valve. That is, the tap water supplied to the beverage cooling pipe from the external water supply system is cooled by heat exchange with the cooling liquid when passing through the portion provided in the liquid tank. Then, a required amount of the undiluted solution in the concentrated undiluted solution container is poured into the mixing section, and the diluted solution is diluted with the cooling water from the beverage cooling pipe in the mixing section and used for drinking.

[0003]

In the beverage dispensing apparatus, an evaporator is provided in a refrigerator, and the evaporator cools the internal space to keep the concentrated stock solution container cool. This evaporator is connected to a refrigerating mechanism of an evaporator disposed in the liquid tank, and both evaporators are controlled by one refrigerating mechanism. In this case, the refrigeration mechanism is set to stop the refrigeration operation when a required amount of ice grows around the evaporator arranged in the liquid tank, and at this time, there is a disadvantage that the internal space of the refrigerator cannot be cooled. . Therefore, in order to suppress the temperature rise in the internal space, it is conceivable to operate the refrigeration mechanism in a short cycle after the required amount of ice has grown in the evaporator in the liquid tank. However, in this case, the amount of icing on the evaporator (ice storage amount) becomes larger than a specified amount, and the ice approaches the beverage cooling pipe, and as a result, water in the cooling pipe may freeze. was there. Further, when the evaporator is provided in the refrigerator, it is pointed out that the space efficiency of the internal space is reduced, the size of the apparatus is increased, and the cost is increased.

In order to address the above problem, there has been proposed an apparatus in which a liquid tank is housed in a refrigerator and the internal space of the refrigerator is cooled by the liquid tank itself. However, when the liquid tank is stored in the refrigerator, the internal space is narrowed by the amount of the liquid tank, and there is a disadvantage that the limited space cannot be effectively used. Further, it is pointed out that the storage efficiency of the refrigeration mechanism is reduced due to the wasteful space generated by the storage of the liquid tank and the reduction in energy efficiency. Further, in the configuration in which the liquid tank is housed inside the refrigerator, a seal for water between the refrigerator and the liquid tank is required, and there is a disadvantage that the assembly is complicated.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the prior art, and has been proposed to suitably solve the problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage dispensing device that can efficiently cool a space in a short time.

[0006]

[Means for solving the problems] To overcome the above-mentioned problems,
In order to suitably achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides a refrigeration section in which a cooling space for accommodating a concentrated undiluted liquid container is defined, and is disposed adjacent to the refrigeration section to store a required amount of cooling liquid. A liquid tank to be discharged from the refrigeration mechanism, disposed in the liquid tank and immersed in the cooling liquid, and connected to a beverage supply source, and connected to the beverage supply source, and disposed in the liquid tank to the cooling liquid. Comprising a cooling pipe to be immersed, a concentrated stock solution poured out from the concentrated stock solution container,
In a beverage dispensing device adapted to mix a beverage cooled and supplied through the cooling pipe, the beverage dispenser is installed in the refrigerator.
Is, opening one side surface of said liquid tank Ru is exposed to the cooling space
Part , disposed on one side of the liquid tank exposed to the cooling space
Fins, and up and down surrounding the fins
A cover body for opening consists of a blower fan that is disposed within the refrigeration unit, the Rukoto rotate the blowing fan
Drunk, the air in the cooling space, inside of the cover body
And circulates while contacting one side surface of the liquid tank and the fin group .

[0007]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage dispensing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing a schematic structure of a beverage dispensing apparatus according to an embodiment. The apparatus 10 has an outer box 12 which is largely open to the front side and a required inside of the outer box 12. And a refrigerator 18 having a heat insulating structure including an inner box 14 which is incorporated with a gap therebetween and is also largely opened to the front side, and a heat insulating material 16 such as urethane foam filled between the two boxes 12 and 14. . A plurality of (three in this embodiment) concentrated stock solution containers 22 as objects to be cooled are detachably accommodated in a cooling space 20 defined inside the inner box 14 of the refrigerator 18.

As shown in FIG. 1, a heat insulating door 24 for opening and closing the opening 18a is provided at the front of the refrigerator 18 in correspondence with the opening 18a opened in the refrigerator 18. . In addition, an opening 18b of a required size is opened on the rear side of the refrigerator 18, and one side of a liquid tank 26 described later.
(Exposed surface) 26a is configured to face the cooling space 20 via the opening 18b. Further, in the inner box 14,
A blower fan 28 is provided at a position facing above the opening 18 b, and the blower fan 28 is configured to circulate the air sucked from the cooling space 20 while contacting the exposed surface 26 a of the liquid tank 26. The blower fan 28 is ON / OFF controlled by a thermo 62 disposed in the cooling space 20 so that the temperature in the space can be kept constant.

The concentrated stock solution container 22 removably accommodated in the cooling space 20 has a discharge port 22a projecting from the bottom thereof, and the discharge port 22a is provided at a corresponding pouring mechanism disposed in the cooling space 20. It is connected to the unit 30. Each dispensing mechanism 30 is driven by a geared motor 32 disposed outside the refrigerator 18, and is configured to dispense a required amount of concentrated undiluted solution from the concentrated undiluted solution container 22 to the beverage mixing unit 34. Then, in the mixing section 34, the concentrated stock solution is diluted with cooling water supplied from a cooling pipe 44, which will be described later, and used for drinking.

On the rear side of the refrigerator 18, there is provided a liquid tank 26 in which a required amount of a cooling liquid 36 such as water is stored, and a part of the liquid tank 26 facing the refrigerator 18 is provided with the opening 18b.
The inner wall surface of the inner box 14 that defines the cooling space 20 is positioned so that the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 is aligned. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a coil-shaped evaporator 38 is disposed in the liquid tank 26 at a position close to the inner wall surface, and the evaporator 38 is provided with a refrigeration mechanism 42 Is connected to the Also evaporator 3
A heat exchange coil 44a, in which a cooling pipe 44 for a drink such as water is wound in the middle of the cooling pipe 44, is provided inside 8, and one end of the cooling pipe 44 is connected to an external water supply system (not shown).
The other end is connected to the beverage mixing section 34 via an on-off valve 46 (see FIG. 3). The cooling liquid 36 is stored in the liquid tank 26 in such an amount that the evaporator 38 and the cooling pipe 44 are submerged. That is, by forcibly cooling the refrigerant by circulating the refrigerant through the evaporator 38, a part of the cooling liquid 36 freezes around the evaporator 38, and the cooling liquid 36 is cooled by the ice layer 48. Then, the heat exchange coil 44a of the cooling pipe 44
If water is allowed to pass through, the water exchanges heat with the cooling liquid 36 to be cooled. In addition, the liquid tank 26 is formed of a heat conductive metal plate such as stainless steel as a material.
The portion extending to the rear of 8 is covered with a heat insulating material 50.

A motor 52 is arranged upside down on the liquid tank 26, and a stirring blade 54 rotated by the motor 52 is immersed in the coolant 36. Therefore, by rotating the stirring blades 54 by the motor 52, the cooling liquid 36 in the liquid tank 26 is stirred and the water passing through the heat exchange coil 44a can be efficiently cooled. Also,
Detecting means 56 is provided in the liquid tank 26,
To detect the amount of icing growing around the evaporator 38,
The operation of the refrigeration mechanism 42 is set.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of vertically extending fins 58 are provided on the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 facing the cooling space 20 of the refrigerator 18, as shown in FIG. They are arranged in parallel with a space between them. Further, a cover body 60 that opens up and down around the fin group is disposed on the exposed surface 26a, and air blown from the blower fan 28 is introduced into the cover body 60 through the upper opening. It is configured as follows. The air flowing down in the cover body 60 contacts the exposed surface 26a and the fins 58 to perform heat exchange, is cooled, and is blown out from the lower opening of the cover body 60 into the cooling space 20 as cool air. As shown in FIG. 1, the cool air blown out from the cover body 60 flows below the concentrated stock solution container 22 and at a place where the pouring mechanism unit 30 and the beverage mixing unit 34 are disposed, and then the blowing fan 28
Sucked into.

[0014]

Next, the operation of the beverage dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment will be described below. The refrigerant is circulated and supplied from the refrigerating mechanism 42 to the evaporator 38 disposed in the liquid tank 26, and the evaporator 38 is cooled. Further, the stirring blade 54 is rotated by the motor 52, and the cooling liquid 36 stored in the liquid tank 26 is cooled while being stirred while being in contact with the evaporator 38, and gradually freezes around the evaporator 38. Reach.

When the ice layer 48 grows around the evaporator 38, the liquid tank 26 made of a heat conductive metal plate is cooled. As shown in FIG. 1, the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 is exposed in the cooling space 20 of the refrigerator 18, so that the cooling space 20 is cooled via the exposed surface 26a. Further, by the rotation of the blower fan 28 disposed in the inner box 14, air in the cooling space 20 is forcibly blown into the cover body 60 through the upper opening. After being cooled in contact with 26a, it is blown out into the cooling space 20 through the lower opening as cool air. This cool air cools each concentrated solution container 22 accommodated in the cooling space 20, and then is sucked into the blower fan 28 and repeatedly circulated to be blown out toward the cover body 60 again. Thereby, the cooling space 20 is efficiently cooled in a short time, and the stored concentrated stock solution container 22 can be kept cool.

An ice layer 48 frozen around the evaporator 38
Has reached the required amount, the detection means 56 detects it, and the circulating supply of the refrigerant to the evaporator 38 is stopped. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, since the ice layer 48 is also in contact with the inner wall surface of the liquid tank 26, even if the supply of the refrigerant to the evaporator 38 is stopped, the liquid tank 26 itself is kept in the ice tank. Cooled by 48. Since the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 faces the cooling space 20, the cooling space 20 is continuously cooled by heat exchange between the exposed surface 26a and the air in the cooling space 20. Moreover, since the air in the cooling space 20 is circulated by the blower fan 28 while being in contact with the exposed surface 26a and the fins 58, the cooling space 20 is efficiently cooled and the concentrated stock solution container 22 can be kept at a low temperature. . The blower fan 28 is turned on and off by the thermo 62.
F control is performed, and the inside of the cooling space 20 is maintained at a constant temperature.

When water is supplied to the cooling pipe 44, the water exchanges heat with the cooling liquid 36 when passing through the heat exchange coil 44a to be cooled. Therefore, the pouring mechanism 3
When the required amount of concentrated stock solution is poured into the beverage mixing section 34 by the operation of 0, and the on-off valve 46 is opened to supply cooling water to the mixing section 34, the concentrated stock solution is diluted with the cooling water. Served for drinking.

As described above, according to the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present embodiment, only the exposed surface 26a of the liquid tank 26 faces the cooling space 20 of the refrigerator 18, Space can be used effectively. Further, since only one evaporator is sufficient, the refrigeration circuit is simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, by controlling the operation of the blower fan 28 by the thermo 62, the fan 28 can be operated efficiently, and the ice layer 48 in the liquid tank 26 can be made to last longer. Therefore, efficient operation of the refrigeration mechanism 42 can be achieved, and running costs can be kept low. In addition, since the amount of the ice layer 48 can be accurately controlled by the detection means 56, the heat exchange coil 44a
There is no danger of freezing the water inside.

[0019]

As described above, according to the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention, one side surface of the liquid tank storing the cooling liquid is exposed in the cooling space of the refrigeration unit where the concentrated stock solution container is stored. With this configuration, the space can be cooled by the exposed surface of the liquid tank. That is, since only the exposed surface of the liquid tank faces the cooling space of the refrigeration unit, the internal space of the refrigeration unit can be effectively used. Also,
Since no useless space is generated in the refrigerator, energy efficiency can be improved. Further, since the air is forcibly circulated on the exposed surface of the liquid tank via the blower fan while being in contact therewith, the inside of the cooling space can be efficiently cooled in a short time.

By providing a plurality of fins on the exposed surface of the liquid tank to increase the heat transfer area, efficient cooling in the cooling space can be achieved and running costs can be reduced. Further, since there is no need to seal the refrigeration unit and the liquid tank, it is possible to easily combine the refrigeration unit and the liquid tank after assembling them separately.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional side view of a beverage dispensing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view of the beverage dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cooling system and a water supply system of cooling water.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 18 refrigerator, 18b opening, 20 cooling space 22 concentrated raw liquid container, 26 liquid tank, 26a exposed surface 28 blower fan, 36 cooling liquid, 58 fin 60 cover body

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] A cooling space (2) for accommodating a concentrated stock solution container (22).
(0) is defined inside the refrigeration section (18) and the refrigeration section (18).
A liquid tank (2) that is disposed in contact with and stores a required amount of coolant (36)
6), which is derived from the refrigeration mechanism (42) and is disposed in the liquid tank (26).
An evaporator (38) installed and immersed in a cooling liquid (36)
Connected to a supply source and disposed in the liquid tank (26) and
(36) a cooling pipe (44) immersed in the concentrated stock solution
Via the cooling pipe (44) with the concentrated stock solution discharged from the vessel (22).
Dispensing to mix beverages cooled and supplied
In the equipment, opened in the refrigeration section (18)Is, One side of the liquid tank (26) (26
a) is exposed to the cooling space (20).Opening (18b),On one side (26a) of the liquid tank (26) exposed to the cooling space (20)
A plurality of fins (58) arranged, A vertically open cover surrounding the plurality of fins (58)
Body (60),  Blower fan (28) disposed inside the refrigeration section (18)And from
Become Said Rotate the blower fan (28)ByThe cold
Air in the air space (20)Introduced into the cover body (60)
One side (26a) of the liquid tank (26) and finsContact with
Beverage dispensing characterized by being configured to circulate while
apparatus.